Exploring Open-Ended Creativity

Pop on over to Whip Up today. I'm guest blogging about exploring open-ended creativity as part of Kathreen's Creative Process guest series.  I'm so excited to be a part of it.  This embroidery hoop holds a recent project I did completely free-form.

In the post, I write about how challenging it can be to create with a blank slate.  I tend to avoid it, do you? Most of the creating I do is narrow and defined, and comes super easily to me. It is the result of solving a particular problem. Starting with nothing–a blank canvas, empty fabric, a clean piece of paper–is more about being an artist. It is something I've been driven to do more of, though it scares me. Head on over to Whip Up and check it out. Let me know what you think. What are your experiences?

I think its good for all of us to face that challenge. Dive in!  

Create Explore Discover Art Retreat 2012 - I'm Teaching!

I am so thrilled to announce that I will be teaching at a marvelous retreat in Lake Tahoe this fall! Create Explore Discover is a retreat for 40 lucky women looking to uncover or rediscover their creative spark.  The locale is simply gorgeous. Come  and enjoy a relaxing weekend of making. 

 

I am in amazing company with retreat instructors such as Lisa Congdon, Mati McDonogh, Jen Lee and Liz Kalloch and one of my favorite folks, Alessandra Cave.  Such wonderful, inspiring and talented women to learn from. I adore this painting of Lisa's. You can go paint with her!

Or, join me! In my workshop, we will enjoy a wonderful knitty weekend!  We will make either the mobius cowl above or this simpler version below, you choose!  The version below is perfect for very beginning knitters. You'll have a brand new cozy cowl, just in time for cold weather.  Plus, we'll review more than four great knitting techniques including a provisional cast on, a three-needle bind-off, invisible seaming, and some lace techniques over the three days. 

A retreat like this is such a fabulous way to treat yourself and connect with like-minded women in a meaningful way.  Sarah Stevenson, the founder of Create Explore Discover, is warm, encouraging and just so lovely.

The below photo is by Alessandra Cave. I took a course from her at the Makerie two springs ago. She is the one who took me from automatic to manual and made me fall in love with product photography. To top off her talent, she just couldn't be nicer.  You can come take photos with Alex!

Regardless of whose classes you take, I would love for you to join me that weekend.  How much fun it would be to meet some of you.  Do come!
xo anne

The Nine-Patch Block - a Sew, You've Always Wanted To Quilt Guest Post

Photo by Robert Leo Johnson as seen on www.myhomeideas.com

I love this beautiful and simple nine-patch quilt block quilt from Cottage Living- beautiful! These very simple blocks are easy to make and play with for endless combinations.  Here is another wonderful guest post for the Sew, You've Always Wanted To Quilt series. I am excited to introduce Dorie Schwartz who is going to talk to us about different ways to use the nine-patch block in quilts. I tumbled across her blog Tumbling Blocks, when I found this amazing tutorial for honeycomb smocking. I just fell in love instantly. 

Wow and beautiful.  I knew I wanted her to contribute to this series. But, I digress, on to the nine-patch!

Hi.  I'm really happy that Anne asked me to do a guest post for beginning quilters. I love quilting–I think more for its endless possibilities than for anything else. Quilting is a great way to play with color and patterns, and that can be done with even the most simple blocks.  Enter the topic of today's discussion–the nine patch quilt block. 

A nine patch is simply nine squares of fabric, sewn together to make a square.  Easy, yes?  Boring?  No.  We can change the look of a quilt depending on our fabric choices for each of those nine squares.  My plan is not to show you how to pick fabrics, but how you can play with fabrics.  There really isn't a "right" way to select fabrics—just an awareness that each of the fabrics you select plays into the quilt as a whole.

Choosing fabric for a quilt is similar to choosing yarns for a colorwork sweater, or paint for your living room.  You need to be aware of what sort of feel you're going for--do you want a bold quilt that pops?  Make sure you have contrast between your fabrics and group them into dark and lights and medium tones.  Want a quilt that's more subtle?  Choose fabrics that are more similar to each other.  We're going to be focusing on solids today, but the same thing applies to prints.  Not sure what color or value your print is?  Look at it from a distance and squint.

Let's return to the nine patch.  Here's an example of a nine patch with a light blue "X" and dark gray in the four other squares.

Here's what it looks like tiled.  See how when it's tiled we lose the "X" and begin to see big squares?

OK, let's try making the center of the nine patch light green.

And then tiling it.  Now we see a lattice with green accents.

And for something different, let's put the gray in the center and have the blue and green fan out from the sides.

And tile it.  See how we get a strong diagonal line?  This is because the gray has a strong contrast with the green and blue.  If we use the blue on the diagonal, we don't get that bold, diagonal movement.

What if we add a solid spacer block between our nine patch blocks?

Now we can see both diagonals. Or, we can make plus blocks.

Get it?  So many possibilities.

I used quiltr, a tool I made, to play with colors.  You're welcome to do the same, or you can work with scrap pieces or folded piles of actual fabric.  Pick your favorite combination and let's assemble something.  I'm going to make 5 nine patch blocks with 4 spacers in this configuration.

A note about piecing–for most patchwork, you do not need to backtack at the start and end of a seam.  This is because when you piece, your seam will eventually be intersected by another seam.  This feels weird if you're used to sewing garments or other items.

In quilting, we always use a 1/4 in. seam.  For my nine patch, I'm going to cut 2.5 in. squares, which will give me a finished block size of 6.5 in.  For my spacer blocks I will cute 6.5 in. squares.  When the spacers are sewn to the nine patches, the result will be 6 in. squares.

Quilts and quilt blocks are put together in rows.  It is way easier to a sew row of blocks to another row of blocks than it would be to sew each individual square to a quilt.  For our nine patch, we sew three rows of three, then we press the seams to the darker fabric.

Then we sew the rows together--see how the seams line up because they were pressed in opposite directions?

Next we make three rows using the nine patch blocks and the spacers.  Then we sew those rows together.

Ta-da!  you've made a nine patch of nine patches!  This 18.5 in. quilt top could be made into a doll quilt, a mini quilt, or you could make more of them to make a larger quilt.

Many thanks, Dorie.  What a great introduction to the nine-patch. For more quilting posts, please check the Sew, You've Always Wanted to Quilt gallery here or by clicking the button below:

A Moving Announcement!

I want to share a few things on this beautiful father's day.

First, I have been honored and awed by the flood of comments that I've received both online and off regarding my Things I'm Afraid To Tell You Post.  I so appreciate your kind and thoughtful words.  I know many of you experience some of the same feelings as I. Thank you much for your gracious support. I want to assure you all that I am very grateful for all that I have in my life. I acknowledge that my life is rich and full of wonderful things. I feel very lucky. Still, I believe that no matter what situation we're in, we can all have these self-doubts and concerns and that it is okay to voice them. I also want to assure you that I am not paralyzed by the insecurities I described. Feelings such as these, as for many people, are more episodic in nature depending on what is going on around me. Most days I am full of joy and thrilled that I am spending so much time doing things I love, some days are filled with anxiety and some days with sadness. This is all okay. As I step into my own shoes and embrace all that I am and what I love to do, the sad and anxious days dwindle. I think we can all work on being thankful for what we have, embracing our true selves and approaching life with a happy and positive attitude. This is why I always come back to the importance of enjoying that precious present moment and this is particularly important for me right now.

My family just received some rather big news. My husband just got his dream job with the Baltimore Ravens as the Director of Football Analytics. He is beyond excited, as are we for him, too. It has been a long time coming and a very twisty road to get there. He quit his job 6 years ago to pursue this dream. For three years, I worked hard to support the family while he went for it. After three years, I asked him to find a regular paying job again. The stress of providing financially for the family had gotten overwhelming for me. I know he was disappointed, but he didn't give up. He kept working at nights and squeezing in sports work when he could. Three months ago, I took a big gulp and told him to give it another go. Three months later, we find ourselves facing packing up the house, leaving the only home the kids have known and moving across the country to the east coast. No matter. I can't express how thrilled I am for Sandy to achieved his life long goal. What an amazing thing for the kids and me to witness. It is an exciting new chapter for us all.  This will open up new opportunities for me as well, which have me rather giddy.  In the meantime, we are going to take this Father's Day to celebrate our successes and bask in the sunlight of this happy day.

Thanks for being a great Dad, Sandy!
Love from Charlie.

And, from Baillie (your sports fanatic)

And, from Allie, your little love!

Happy Father's Day from us all! and congratulations for achieving your dream. May we all strive to taste a bit of that sweet treat. xo anne

I Am Hard On Myself and Other Things I'm Afraid To Tell You

Here, I work on a current knitting project. My daughter captured this scene last week. I was so absorbed, I didn't know that she had my camera, so this shot captures everything–the pile of projects behind me that I haven't gotten to, my soda water habit, my un-showered self, and yes, my being incredibly hard on myself.

I know that about myself, but what I didn't know is that when I'm feeling this way–frustrated about something not working, angry with myself for not picking up a new skill quickly, disappointed with myself for making a mistake–that it is SO evident in my body. My defeated stature struck me hard. More than that, the fact that my 6 year old daughter caught it on the camera made me realize that it is what she sees. She, who struggles with perfectionism herself, sees her mother like this . . . hmmm.  Now, I'm trying not to be too hard on myself about it (ha ha), but it did strike me that I am literally a model for her. I don't want what this photo captures for her, I want her to be gentle with herself, accepting of challenges, willing to make a mistake, patient with frustration.  Uh-huh . . . . something to think about, something to bring into my own sphere of thought, something to do for myself.

I post this in my commitment to contribute to the effort to be more transparent and as genuine as possible about my work, my craft and the realities of my life.  I want to take this moment to thank Ez and Jess for encouraging this sort of communication in the blog-o-sphere and it won't be the last time I share Things I'm Afraid To Tell You.  I want to thank my readers, too, for the kind comments that you all leave when I share something that scares me.

I was going to just leave this post at the above revelation, but ah well, I'm just going to dive in and then hit post so I don't change my mind. Here is a list of Things I'm Afraid to Tell You.

I am afraid that people won't think I'm good enough.

I am afraid that people will think I'm a fraud.

I am afraid that people won't think I'm talented.

I am envious of people that don't worry about money.

I have a hard time telling people that I want my blog to be my business.

I am paralyzingly indecisive.

I compare myself to others all the time and regularly think I'm not as good as . . .

I am afraid I'm not a good mother - too much yelling, too hard on them, not present enough.

I neglect home and family duties to try and keep my work and this blog afloat.

I would be embarrassed to show photos of my very undesignerly, messy house.

Okay - I'm freaking out, is that enough??

xo anne

++++++++
I wanted to add a post script that my mother sent me.  This also echoes what many of you have commented on or included in messages sent to me via email. I think this quote is beautiful and reminds us all how important to be our true selves, including in front of our children.  Thanks Mom!

"Shame is the fear of disconnection. It's - 'is there something about me that if other people know it or see it, that I won't be worthy of connection?' In order for connection to happen we have to allow the vulnerability for ourselves to be seen, really seen, and to know what is seen is the true, beautiful essence of who we are. Vulnerability is the core of shame, fear and the struggle for worthiness, and it is also the birthplace of joy, creativity, connection and love." - Brene Brown

Pretty As A Picture: Nautilus

I've got beaches on the brain lately. I have really big news brewing over here that lead me right to sandy shores. I will share more when I can, but it is super SUPER exciting for my family.  

Recently I've been so inspired by gorgeous photographs and beautiful color all around me. It had me thinking of a new kind of post. I hope you like it. This collection was a ball for me to create. 

top photograph: nautilus by carolyn cochrane

wardrobe: summer tee marshmallow from mulberry :: chrysophase earrings by sandra dini from barneys :: coral nail polish from essie :: gold cuff from van cleef & arpels :: skirt pleated neon mini from glamorous :: ballina clutch from lk bennett :: gold sandals by bernardo milly

diy:  shell potted succulents by radmegan

This collection shows off some of my favorite colors.  Maybe not my favorite prices - wow.  Well, no one said the collections had to be realistic.  I love those earrings, but alas . . .moving on to doable, I adore this potted succulent diy from radmegan–what a great idea for summer beach finds.

I was away for the last week at Squam, the most marvelous of art retreats. I can't wait to share more about the retreat.  No internet service, so no posting to be done (no, I wasn't prepared enough to have pre-scheduled posts).  What I can tell you is that there was breeze in my hair, dappled sunshine on my face, water lapping against wooden docks, and no computer. . . heaven, and that's before you get to the classes. . . more soon.

xo anne

DIY Gold Ring Necklace - a year of handmade gift

I recently went to Miami Beach - woo hoo! to celebrate my 40th birthday (which isn't until September, by the by) with nine of my wonderful, smart, talented and beautiful college girlfriends. We had a blast!  What is it about the friends you made when you were 18 that makes them the best of friends? I guess part of it is that you meet them when you are just blooming as an individual. In any case, I love them like sisters. When I knew where we were going, I wanted to find a dress that said Miami! I went to the local consignment store, Common Threads, and found this beauty for $23!!  I love the water color feel.  I wanted a necklace that would be a spot-on match and decided to make it for myself.

I love the result.  It was easy to pick custom colors that matched perfectly, and I made the necklace in about a half an hour. Wunderbar! The complete diy is below. Very simply, it is embroidery thread with jewelry jump rings strung on the strands with a few gold beads mixed in.  

I thought the necklace made a great companion to my dress. I think you should custom make one for your own favorite summer dress for this season. And then, go have a stinking good time!

This necklace is part of my commitment to make only handmade gifts this year.  This one just happens to be for me! For more handmade gift ideas, check out the a year of handmade gallery here or by clicking below.  If your interested in more jewelry, check out my 24 days of glam gallery here.

Materials:

Six colors of DMC 5 embroidery thread (or one color if you prefer)

Jump rings in bulk (I got these from JoAnn's in the jewelry section)

Gold beads (these are the thicker ones)

Darning needle

Measure 156 inches of the six colors of thread. Cut the strands in half.

 Place the two lengths side by side, you should now have 12 strands together that measure 78".

 Thread the 12 strands on to a darning needle.

 Tie a simple knot about 6 inches in from the end.

Now, tie another knot on top of that.  Do this by bringing the first knot into the middle of the second knot and tightening.

It should look like this when you are done.

 

Now, string a mixture of the gold beads and jump rings on to the embroidery thread, bring the beads to the knot you just made.  

 

Move down the length of embroidery thread about 3 inches and make another double knot.

Now, string on more beads and rings. As you do each section, add the beads in a random pattern, sometimes only jump rings, sometimes with two gold ring beads, sometimes none at all.

At the end, you should have a strand that looks something like this below.

You can finish the necklace with jewelry fixings if you're so inclined, but I always like to make it pretty quick and easy. To complete the top, I made a slipping knot that can adjust the length of the necklace easily. Overlap the two ends. With left hand end, tie a square knot around the right hand end.

Then, tie the same knot with the with the right hand end, around the left hand end.  It sounds more complicated in words - look at the photos.

It should look like below. Trim the ends on each knot. You can shorten and lengthen the necklace by pulling the knots further away from each other or bringing them close to one another. In this manner, you can also wear the necklace as a bracelet and pull the knots apart while it is on your wrist to tighten the bracelet.

This photo is blurry, but I included it so you can see what it looks like when the knots are kissing and the ends are trimmed.

 FINIS!! You can wear it doubled, or straight or around your wrist, too!

Happy making!  Here's a snap shot from my Miami trip of my lovely friends, whom I adore. If I don't post for a while, send someone looking for me, as one of my friends may kill me for posting a photo of them in their swimsuits.
xo anne