ann wood handmade

fly inspected, fly approved and a tip for sewing with difficult fabrics

Most people don’t realize that all of Fortuny’s fabrics are inspected by a tiny Venetian fly. A diligent and thorough fly. It is careful and slow work requiring long hours… Read More

inspiration, my big creative year

happenstance, chance, accidental beauty

Why does this stitching, born solely of necessity, produce such compelling and powerful compositions? Does some perfect rhythm, some harmony with the universe reveal itself if we get out of… Read More

workshops

friends who sew – the LA workshops

We made songbirds and dolls. We stitched and stuffed and tried stuff. We hammered wire bird feet on a tiny anvil and carved beaks from twigs. I repeatedly cautioned everyone… Read More

on my work table

fling your soul upon the gloom and something new in the bird leg department

When I get whacked hard by life, this is the poem I read. And this is my favorite part: An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small, In blast-beruffled plume, Had chosen… Read More

becky things, birds

the intersection of real and pretend and that mouse looks like a bunny

Interesting things happen at the intersection of real and pretend. There is a shift, scale becomes playful and there is instant magic, instant enchantment. Nothing is certain and anything is… Read More

thanks

an anniversary, getting deeply organized and lovely things made by customers

It’s March and there is so much to celebrate. The mushroom print pattern and kit are in the shop and it is the12th anniversary of this experiment. To mark the… Read More

patterns and kits

the mushroom print pattern and kit are in the shop

Enchanted mushrooms made from little bits of fabric and other supplies you probably already have. I’ve just added the new mushroom print pattern and kit! to the shop. And in… Read More

on my work table

color story : mineral shades

Vibrant color with some smokeyness to it. Worlds and continents and centuries overlap in this little collection of textiles. Antique garment fragments from Japan, 18th century silk and velvet and shimmering… Read More

on my work table

songbird laboratory

It came to me all of a sudden while I was in the bathtub. I wasn’t even thinking about making songbirds, it just popped into my head, a better way… Read More

on my work table

sweet packages, the best glue stick in the world and other tools I love

I love packaging, the little details of it, arranging things in the box, the string, the tags, all of it. I make most of the tags and labels myself. I… Read More

owls, ships

dastardly owls, ships, sailors, small art and other new things in the shop

There are all sorts of new things in the shop today. Ships and owls, captain cormac, small paintings and more. And what is more perfect for Valentine’s day? Nothing says… Read More

on my work table

quilts with problems and a feature in homespun magazine

Cozy is my specialty. I love twinkle lights on pearly gray days, lots of plants and lots of quilts. Three of my favorite old quilts have serious and progressing issues.… Read More

ann wood handmade

a coat for tiny rag doll and a free tiny hat tutorial

woebegone pines : a free sewing pattern

french hens

very nice mice : pattern and instructions (and it’s free!)

gather ye scraps – the forest folk pattern is here

hand stitched mushrooms : a new sewing pattern