Category: on my work table

botanical experiments

January 20, 2014
by annwood

I’m working on botanical shapes including some small toadstools – little experiments in color and texture. They are  a numbered series -with signed hand sewn tags with the number and date for each. I’m using mostly Japanese garment fragments (courtesy of Sri Threads)  with rich color and history.

I like the idea of these turning up unexpectedly (as mushrooms sometimes do) on a hook or knob or a drawer pull. I’m also working on others- flower and  seed pod sorts of shapes.  These will be in my shop very soon and next September I’m teaching a class at Squam on making botanical shapes with textiles – you can get more info here.

If you’d like to be notified when they are available you can join my mailing list here.

sweet things

January 19, 2014
by annwood

I designed a new cake topper over the summer: Flamingos in Love.

I painted miles of crepe paper in very particular shades of pink and coral.

They are available in my shop now as well as at BHLDN.  I’m also thinking of putting a “make it your self” kit together for these – what do you think?

I loved working with crepe paper and I’ve got something else for the cute department in the works – here are a couple sneak peeks:

a new shape on my work table

December 17, 2013
by annwood
lamb and goat sewing pattern

I  started working on a new pattern in October.

It’s a long process for me – experiments and  trial and error – I enjoy it immensely.  I make piles and piles of prototypes and duds – learning a little bit from each. It wakes me up early and keeps me up late.  This is the first finished lamb:

A  Fortuny lamb – he was auctioned in November at  The Littlest Lamb gala here in NY – The Littlest Lamb is an incredibly inspiring organization – they ‘re  building an orphanage in Egypt.

The next lambs  were made from vintage tablecloths.

I love vintage linens and I very particularly love vintage linens with roses.  I had 2 that wanted to be lambs – both had some staining in areas making them not so desirable to use as  tablecloths – otherwise I would have saved them for the country home I will ultimately have.

3 lambs

I also used a depression era drape I found upstate last summer and  one  little black lamb is made from edwardian garments. I’ve finished a little flock now and they will arrive in the shop tomorrow 12/18 (noonish EST).

Whenever I post about creating  a new creature or pattern I always get a ton of email from people who would like to do the same – looking for a course or a book. I haven’t known of a great resource until lately:  Abby Glassenberg has written a comprehensive guide to sewing in 3 dimensions and I’ll tell you more about it in my next post.

on my work table

October 22, 2013
by annwood

Some strange stems – for new mushrooms- they are getting curvier and curvier.

I started 2013 with the intention to draw and paint more and another effort in that direction ia a class I’m taking with Lilla Rogers Studio. My assignment this week was to create art for plates using botanical imagery ( bromeliads or something similar). I made this little painting and below that you can see my plate mockup.

And a painting – I started 2013 with the intention to draw and paint more (and I definitely have) and another effort in that direction is a class I’m taking with Lilla Rogers Studio. My assignment this week was to create art for plates using botanical imagery ( bromeliads or something similar). I made this little painting and below that you can see my mockup for a set of plates – I named the set Utopia.

utopia 2013

on my work table

September 24, 2013
by annwood

Owls. And a blue velvet songbird.

I get pretty excited about fall and to celebrate I pulled out my houndstooth wool.  I’m also working on a blue velvet songbird and another owl  made from a  textile from Sri Threads.  It is one of my all time most favorite fabrics – I can barely stand to use it. I think if I had miles of it I would never get tired of it. Here’s a closer look – it’s a thick  heavy weave and the pattern is incredible.

And I made a little more progress on the songbird.

Another fall ritual for me is taking a group of little birds out to prospect park for a photo ( I do it every spring too).  It was a big adventure.

owl and songbird progress

July 9, 2013
by annwood

I  spent the fourth of july holiday way upstate sewing. It was misty and moist and super hot.

I worked on some pieces I started 2 years ago – made from antique garment linings.

Get the sewing patterns to make your own owl and bird:

a sewing pattern for a dastardly owlsewing pattern for a textile songbird

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve also been working on some  other songbirds, I’m finishing the teal bird this evening.

And this pink girl-   also begun years ago then put away and finished lately. I guess some things need to percolate. She has a fancy  bustled bottom.

on my work table

April 30, 2013
by annwood

I worked up-state this weekend – warm days and freezing nights – perfect.

A rat with a very ratty back made from mrs. brown’s skirt. The remains of that skirt have been languishing in deep storage  but it occurred to me last week  that  the strange weave would make a fabulous rat.  It’s difficult stuff to sew but  that difficulty inspired this new back detail/ texture I like, especially in profile.

And a delicate songbird – I began about a year ago.

She made a lot of progress over the weekend and this may finally be her week.

I also spent some time wondering around and looking at stuff like this down on it’s luck house.

There are a few more weekend photos on instagram.  And even so early in the season there were a couple great yard sales and a friend with a glorious old farmhouse was down sizing before a move  and gave me some marvelous things, so I hauled back a toyota full of treasures I’ll show you later.

on my worktable today

March 14, 2013
by annwood

I’m finishing up  boat orders this week – if you’re waiting for one they will all be off by Monday.  Merry Wobblers are preparing to board their boats, raise their sales and depart.

wobblers and boats

So long Wobblers.

I’m also working on a collection of new Fortuny creatures for their Venice showroom. I stopped by the New York showroom last week and got lots of  beautiful and inspiring fabric to work with.

P.S. If you are in NY or will be before March 30th  there is a wonderful  exhibit at  the  Queen Sofía Spanish Institute curated by  Oscar de la Renta of  of the work of Fortuny y Madrazo  (1871–1949).

a new shape on my worktable

February 25, 2013
by annwood

I’m working on a new shape, a new creature.  For me this is all about persistence: lots of drafts, prototypes , experiments, failures and adjustments.  So many failures and adjustments – these are just some:

 

newshape_2

Over the weekend I felt close enough to the shape I was looking for to cleanup the pattern and try one in  good fabric. After a few more pattern refinements and  adjustments  I finished a little  fellow made from beautiful  silvery grey Fortuny fabric tonight and I’m going to photograph him in the morning  – here’s a little shadow preview of him  on an evening stroll through the toadstools.

sponginess and some irregularity

December 6, 2012
by annwood

These are the two of the  qualities I wanted my mushrooms to have – a sense of sponginess and sometimes a little oddness in the shapes.

toadstools

I also  very much wanted a concave underside for the cap – that has been the biggest struggle in creating the patterns and process . I didn’t want to make something realistic or botanical, not this time anyway,  but I did want a great deal of mushroom-ness. Mushroom strangeness. Also contributing to  mushroom-ness, I hope,  are  the curvy stems and tilted caps – impossible balance but for  stem bottoms weighted with glass bead fill thanks to a tip from abby glassenberg.

glass fill

It’s marvelous stuff. It is also magical stuff- pretty and sparkly and there is some delight and ceremony  in taking out the wooden  box I keep it in and spooning a bit into the stem.

There are new Fortuny toad stools too- I’ll show you those and more new things from that collection tomorrow.

suddenly, a mushroom appeared

October 8, 2012
by annwood

calico mushroom

Not exactly suddenly  – my ideal mushroom shape has been eluding me for years. And this shape is still a work in progress –  as the scale changes the pattern  and technique have to be adjusted – but I’m very happy with the last few trys.  I wish I had time to make more right now but there are lots of other projects  that are more urgent this week.

black mushroom

Above – another,  larger  and made from vintage and antique garments in shades of black.  And below a new  little arrangement of things on my wall that’s making me happy right now – including a new sort of mini owl- more on those soon.

things on the wall

Happy Columbus Day where applicable and one more photo – some new, dark gimlet eyed owls in progress:

gimleteyes

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