have a stubborn heart

April 27, 2018
by annwood

I don’t know who said this (do you?) but I love it:

“Magic happens when you do not give up, even though you want to. The Universe always falls in love with a stubborn heart”

 

I think it’s true.  Letting go of things is part of the equation too.  And getting out of the way, letting things happen.  It all has to balance. That’s the tricky part.  And you’ve got to take care of your stubborn heart.  

It has been my experience that ideas are self perpetuating – one thing leads to another.  Showing up,  having a stubborn heart,  keeps things flowing.  Working, trying things, failing,  asking the second question and the third and wanting to see what’s around the next corner keeps me in motion.

Once in a while that cycle gets broken. The well isn’t empty but the bucket is not reaching.  A consequence of too much at once and not enough rest.

No amount of effort or discipline will fix it.  It requires another approach.  A rest and a reset. I let go of my ambitious day and did what I felt like.  Mostly I cleaned.  Laundry, serious vacuuming, making space,  clearing distractions and removing obstacles.  Making this a good place for thinking.  A place conducive to ideas.  And tomorrow a trip to the shore for a day of mudlarking.

That should fix me.  Part of the big tidying today was making my worktable an inviting space and making an appointment to show up.  Just to show up, no huge expectations or attachment to a particular outcome.

art supplies

It’s ready for me and tomorrow evening I’ll spend time experimenting, moving my heart and mind and hands and beginning to wake up the muscle, find my way back in.

paper mache teacups

I’ll share some of my mudlarking day in an instagram story tomorrow.  And if you feel like a project this weekend maybe try a paper mache teacup. They make a sweet mother’s day gift.

woodshedding birds and owls

April 20, 2018
by annwood
hand stitched birds

hand stitched birds

I’m in the woodshed with songbirds. Evaluating the pattern and steps, testing and adjusting little things – using what I learned teaching the workshops last month to make the pattern all I want it to be.

pale blue textile bird

My friend Mickey introduced me to the term woodshedding and I love it:

“The ability to conjure up a feeling of wonder in others, to create a sense of awe, has always fascinated me. And while I do believe that magic can just “happen” under the right circumstances, creating magic is a much different story. It involves a lot of hard work, endless study and a constant refining of process and craft. In music, they call these periods of intense practice woodshedding, referring to the time spent honing skills privately out in the woodshed.”

Mick Riad  –  Creative Director, Fortuny

I think it is my favorite place to be, in the woodshed with something. Discovering, testing and refining. Deep in a learning process.

handstitched birds on my worktable

crimson and puce bird

hand stitched bird details

velvet fortuny owl

I’m also woodshedding owls to prepare for the dastardly owl workshops this fall (I think there are 2 spots left).

What’s going on in your woodshed?

Update – the songbird and owl patterns are available in the shop now:

a sewing pattern for a dastardly owl      sewing pattern for a textile songbird

how to hide knots

April 20, 2018
by annwood
tape pencils together to mark a consistent seam allowance

I recently came across an easy way to add a consistent seam allowance when drafting a pattern: Tape pencils together. That’s it. If you’re drafting patterns it’s a quick and easy way to make a consistent seam allowance.

tape pencils together to mark a consistent seam allowance

Note- I don’t recommend this method for adding seam allowance on fabric – just in the drafting phase.

While we are talking about sewing tips one of the questions I’m asked most frequently is how to hide knots when adding features and details. I include this trick in almost every pattern I publish (and you can find a video of it here).

1. Make a tiny knot close to the end of your thread.

2. Insert the needle a little away from where you would like to begin and come out where you would like the first stitch.

3. Pull the thread tight to pop the knot through.

4. Insert the needle and use a sweeping motion to grab the thread from the inside  and pull the tail in.  I’m ready to embroider the little white ring around my bird eye ( I always add one dot to the center too, to give it life).

5. When you are almost finished stitching stop before you are ready to make the last stitch and make a knot in the thread.  Before you tighten the knot insert the needle into the loop and pull it down the thread until it is just a little further away from your work than the length the last stitch will be.

6. Make your stitch, bringing your needle out about 1/2 inch away, pop the knot through, pull the thread tight and clip it close to the fabric. If there is still a little tail use your needle to pull it under again.

trick for hiding sewing knots

Finished!  And no messy knots.  Find another tip for making small sewing beautiful and easy right here.

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

April 6, 2018
by annwood
a handmade velvet owl in progress

Velvet is difficult to sew sculptural forms with and I very rarely use it for shapes.  Even with lots of pins things tend to slide around and the weight and pile make it unforgiving, mistakes show and are hard or impossible to adjust by stitching from the outside.

I discovered that stapling the fabric together works magnificently well and does not harm the fabric. I stapled right at the edge, outside the seam line, and everything stayed in place as I sewed.

a handmade velvet owl in progress

staples in a hard to sew velvet instead of pins

I’m very happy with the shape, he is round in all the right places, the pattern pieces snapped together perfectly and he already has a bad attitude.

I’m making owls from the new Fortuny printed velvets. They are exquisite, the colors, the feel, the patterns, everything.

a velvet owl on my work table

a sewing pattern for a dastardly owl

get the owl sewing pattern

A note on the beautiful pins – they are entomology pins.  They come in lots of sizes and colors, the quality is excellent and I love the way they look. You can find them here.

 

 

 

a tiny handmade fly inspecting fortuny velvet

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 and true dedication.

a tiny handmade fly inspecting fortuny velvet

It’s a big job for a little and old bug but he has been content in his duties, happy even, for many, many decades (no one knows exactly how long, it seems he has always been there).

a dragonfly and fortuny printed velvet

Lately someone new has started showing up, a dragonfly, all huge and full of himself and suggestions, you know how dragonflies can be….

fortuny printed velvets

the somewhat weekly newsletter

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happenstance, chance, accidental beauty

April 6, 2018
by annwood
boro textile

boro textile

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 the way?

And intertwined with the aesthetic appeal there is another sensibility about these patched and mended textiles.  Stephen Szczepanek refers to Boro as having soulful beauty.  I think that’s perfect, their unassuming and utilitarian nature and their absolute integration with life communicate an intimacy and humanity that is exquisite.

I chose some of my favorite examples of patched and mended old cloth to share with you below – click the images for the larger versions (all photos by Sri Threads).  

There is beautiful evidence of time and use everywhere. I’ve been photographing my paintboxes for years, to record  their transformations.

Like the Boro pieces I love them for their accidental beauty and for inspiration – there are so many things to think about and so many places to begin in them.

Note: this post was originally published in 2015 as part of my big creative year series and was edited and updated with new images on 4/6/2018

friends who sew – the LA workshops

March 30, 2018
by annwood
ann wood rag doll workshop

ann wood rag doll workshop

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 not to cut themselves and then I was the only one who did. The days were packed and exhausting and there was a big salad and baked treats each day. French General is a good place. I’ve demanded that they let me come back and we are working on something special for October. Stay tuned or sign up for the mailing list if you’d like to be the first to know when registration opens.

There were three classes – the rag doll once and the songbird twice. Each class was completely full and everybody was a pro.  It was like a dream, a room full of serious stitchers. I usually invite beginners too (and will again) but these one day classes were so ambitious I did not.

ann wood rag doll workshop

Sewing, as a group activity, is a lovely thing.  I felt at home at FG and with the people who showed up to sew. It makes everything easy.  And fun. I had fun. I hope everybody had fun. I can be kind of a slave driver and it was a lot to ask of people.  A lot of work and a lot of thinking, right up against the edge of what’s possible to do in a day (by the way – the follow up stuff will be emailed to you in a couple days – reviews of some of the tricky stuff and instruction on a couple things we didn’t get to like very easy shoes for dolls).  And big thanks, to each of you who took the time and precious energy to show up and try something.

I was so busy and engaged  I took almost no photos. I so wish I had, the more than 50! birds and rag dolls were wonderful and the shop is beautiful and full of fascinating things.  Thanks so much Jennifer Serr for the rag doll class photos. And here are some of the songbirds in various stages of blast-beruffled plume-

ann wood bird workshop

And a couple in their natural habitat.

work shop bird by mary stanley

(bird by mary stanley)

(bird by jill burgess)

This was a  was a big and expanding experience in lots of ways.  Teaching is good for ideas, for thinking in general.  And for being part of the world which I do enjoy occasionally.

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

March 30, 2018
by annwood
carving a wax bird leg for casting in bronze

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 thus to fling his soul
      Upon the growing gloom.

 

It always cheers me up and I know what to do,  fling my soul hard at the gloom. It is the only thing to do.

I’m back from my teaching trip and It all worked out. But it sure was dicey for a while. There are so many reasons not to do stuff. Trying seems to invite bad luck. It doesn’t, but it seems that way.  The more stuff you do the more stuff there is that can go wrong. And when things do go wrong they love to go wrong in a horrifying cascade. That’s what happened in the 2 weeks before I left for Los Angeles. Lots of little things went wrong and a couple big ones.  There was plenty of gloom. I rarely feel defeated but I did for a while. The darkling thrush saved me.

carving a wax bird foot

I got home at 2 AM on Tuesday, watered the plants and spent the next 30 hours in bed. I am still exhausted. I’m also full of ideas. The first thing I did was ship a ton of  orders and then I carved a bird leg from a block of wax.

bird foot carved form a wax block

I’ve been wanting to try this for a long time.  The intention is to eventually have molds made and cast legs in brass and bronze and silver. I have no idea if I did this right. I just started hacking away at the wax  and did not look up for many hours.

carved wax bird foot

It was a deeply peaceful and immersive experience and I want to carve more wax – I have all sorts of ideas…

Sincerely,
The Aged Thrush

PS – I got the wax blocks here.

carving a wax bird leg for casting in bronze

the intersection of real and pretend and make a little felt bunny

March 9, 2018
by annwood
a wedding party of little birds in the forest

birds of adventure

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 possible.

handmade bird with an acorn beret

little bird sewing pattern

 

That intersection is always on my mind when I’m making something, especially the little birds. I love to photograph them in the park or a forest.  It is still one of my favorite things to do.

Get the little bird sewing pattern.

 

 

enchanted path in the forest

The forest casts its own spell, offers its mystery and magic.  And the camera adds to it, it drops a glass dome over the moment and crystallizes the atmosphere.

a wedding party of little birds in the forest

It creates a world where if you just look a little closer, a little sharper, you might catch a glimpse of little birds exploring or tiny bunnies in joyful procession. Maybe they’ve been there all along and you just never noticed before.

handmade felt bunnies

About those bunnies…

ann wood : very nice mice pattern

 

My sister made them from the very nice mice pattern (just add long ears) a couple years ago and took the photo. I love their expressions.

And it’s bunny season and almost spring, make some bunnies and take a photo! I’d love to see. Use #annwoodpattern on instagram.

the somewhat weekly newsletter

Do you get my free weekly-ish newsletter? There are tips and tricks, ideas, stuff to try, all the latest news and blogposts and extra stuff, just for subscribers, delivered mostly on Friday. Pretty much.


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

March 2, 2018
by annwood
sewing projects made from ann wood handmade patterns

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 occasion I’ve shared some lovely things made from my patterns by customers, but first I want to talk to you about storage.

My place is small and I’ve got a lot of fabric. It is mostly in one big (ikea) shelf stored in cardboard file boxes. The storage shelf had to be taken apart after the big crash and I never got it back in shape.  Besides being depressing to look at it had also become a giant time waster. I pulled it all out and thought about it. The first thing I did was toss the lids. I don’t need them and the boxes fit perfectly without them, like drawers.

ikea shelves and file boxes for fabric

Most of the labels got lost in all the moving around. I’ve tried a bunch of stuff, hang tags, clothespins, writing on the box with chalk and have not been thrilled with any of it.  I was going to use chalkboard stickers this time but remembered  something I bought years ago and never used,  little metal book plate labels from Martha Stewart.

marth steart book plate labels for my fabric boxes

They are perfect. How much joy can a fancy box label bring? So much. They are just right and  feel so official. I googled them and you can still find them in lots of places including Staples. It’s such a big improvement over the chaos I’ve been working with and looking at.

customer images

tiny rag doll

The doll above is made from the tiny rag doll pattern with wonderful added details and modifications to her wardrobe by Annette (@nessienews). I love everything about her. I want to follow her and spy on her adventures in the forest. 

One of the biggest and best decisions I made in my 12 years of experimenting here was to share patterns. It was such a leap and required and requires a giant amount of learning.  It has turned my experiment into an almost rational enterprise that continues to grow and I continue to be interested in it and happy in the process of creating the patterns and kits (there are lots more coming).  And I love seeing what you make.  I selected a few other customer images to share here and If you like you can see more and share your own on instagram using #annwoodhandmade

And you’ll  find others under: #annwood  #tinyragdoll  #mrsocks  #annwoodpatterns

stitched mushrooms

mr. socks tiny cat ragdoll

handmade goat doll

mr. socks and a little owl

little felt boat and mouse pirate

tiny rag doll

hand stitched toadstools

tiny rag doll

As always, thanks so much for showing up,
ann

Do you get my free weekly-ish newsletter? There are tips and tricks, ideas, stuff to try, all the latest news and blogposts and extra stuff, just for subscribers, delivered mostly on Friday. Pretty much.

the somewhat weekly newsletter