Category: resources

the plan for weird times

paper ships in ann wood's apartment

paper ships in ann wood's apartment

For the next couple weeks (as of now) I won’t be shipping any physical items. I made my last trip to the post office with current orders yesterday and now I’m staying home and making stuff. And soup.

UPDATE 3/24 –

All the booklets are in stock – tiny dolls, socks, owls etc. I’ve adjusted the packaging to go in the mailbox (NYC recently changed to secure mailboxes with very small slots). During the virus crisis there is a limit of 2 booklets per order. You can place more than one order but I can only ship 2 per order.

And I’m working on supply packs too – something that can fit in the mailbox. Stay tuned for more on that soon.

paper mache fship patternGet the paper mache ship pattern.

During this odd liminal moment I’ll  be working on new patterns and projects and ideas for you – lots: video demos, stuff to do with kids, stitching tutorials and more free patterns. And I’ll share what I’m making. Some of this weird period of time will be spent finishing projects and mending – particularly old quilts – we might as well be cozy right?

Wishing you well and hoping for the best,

ann

PS – find a good soup for weird times right here.

fabric markers, the best adhesive in the world and stitched botanicals

dot tipped fabric markers

stitched botanical experiments

Did you know fabric markers are a thing? I had no idea but happened upon a giant display of them in a big art supply store. They are fantastic and a perfect tool for the botanical classes I taught last week in LA.

dot tipped fabric markers

I’m always on the lookout for easy ways to make organic looking marks on fabric (there is a whole post about how to do that with bleach printing here). These markers are perfect. There were lots of different sizes and tips to choose from. My favorites were the brush and dot tips. I love a slightly imperfect dot.

fbric marker for lines on leaves

The olive marker is a beautiful translucent shade of green. Perfect for adding leaf details to fabric that was dyed olive green. So easy. And you can spritz with water to bleed and smudge and blend the colors. So many possibilities.

fabric markers and dye

*Some links below are affiliate links meaning I get a small commission if you purchase through the link.

If you’d like to try the markers: the brush tip marker is a Marvy Uchida Fabric Marker. The big dot tips are Tee Juice Fabric Markers and the thinner brush tips are Fabrico markers.

By the way I dip my green fabric twice. First in Olive green Dylon Dye (my favorite brand of dye- you can find it at Joann) and then in a light solution of orange dye (Dylon Goldfish is a great orange) to make it brighter, a more acid tone and a little variegated.

Check out a few of the marvelous botanical experiments from the workshop below.

botanical workshop images

While we are talking about supplies…

small jar of acid free paste

I’ll share my new favorite adhesive too. I love everything about Nori Paste. I even love the container. It’s great for collage, easy to work with, extremely smooth and the papers never wrinkle.

antique paper collage - beetle

Not even a little and I’m using very old, thin and fragile papers. I also tried it on a whispery thin bit of fabric for the bug wings thinking it would fail but the result was perfect. I painted a thin layer of paste to the paper and pressed the fabric into it. Get a10 oz. jar here.  It’s so good.    And fyi I get a tiny commission if you purchase through this link.

PS – Beetles are on my mind lately. So are ghostly ships and green birds and owls. Stay tuned and  have a lovely weekend – ann

gift guide : little things for makers

a collection of sweet little gifts for makers

 

a collection of sweet little gifts for makers

It really is the thought that counts, delight a crafty friend with a new tool. I’ve gathered some favorites for you here –  happy, useful, and thoughtful surprises:

Please note that all amazon links in this post are affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase I will get a small percentage at no additional cost to you so it works out all around.

Applique pins, I love these little pins for their function as well as their littlness and sweetness, you have probably seen them sprinkled in my photos.

Holbein Mat Acrylic paint, we have talked about this before, I LOVE this paint. It has an almost paper like quality when dry. If you try one I recommend getting beige. I like mixing other  (cheap) paints into it.

Thread Winders from  French General. I only discovered these this year, in fact they were a gift!  How did I live without them?

The best glue stick in the world. I think so anyway. It’s my favorite for collage.

Turning tubes – I got this set recently and it is awesome. If you don’t feel like shelling out to turn your tiny parts you can use this method but the set is worth having, the tubes are sturdy and it’s handy to have 3 sizes.

Mini paper cutter by tonic – I got this last year for a label cutting emergency. I had low expectations. It worked beautifully and a whole year later it still does. Super happy with it.

Doll needles – these long needles are handy for putting in eyes  etc. and for moving stuffing around inside your dolls and creatures.

And while we are talking about stuffing – this makes a great gift:

tiny rag doll print pattern       

And if you purchase them together (wool plus the tiny doll, mr. socks, or songbird print pattern) I’ll include a fun extra to make it an extra special gift.

linen smock by cal patch

And get this for yourself: If you have seen me in the world then you know that the Cal Patch Linen  Smock is the lynch pin item of my middle aged art lady look (I got US size 2). I wear it just about every day.  Or make your own wardrobe with Cal’s book. Sewing garments is on my list of things I’d like to learn to do.

little gifts from etsy shops

I also collected some treasures from Etsy:

Acorn box – for keeping your tiniest treasures. so magical.

Hand stitched semamori amulets – so beautiful and the thought is lovely, a wish you carry with you.

I love Spring Holfeld’s paintings and prints, familiar things rendered in a magnificent way.

The sweetest brush or pen rest.

Tiny handmade ceramic dishes – perfect for spices or pins – I got one for a friend last year and it was delightful.

Have any sweet gift suggestions?  I’d love to know – leave them in the comment section please.

 

how to hide knots and an easy way to add seam allowance

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 to mark a consistent seam allowance

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

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.

3 ideas to try : paper lanterns, end of day baskets and collage experiments

paper lanterns by oh happy day

Everything I’m doing this week would either not be remotely interesting to you or is top secret so it’s the perfect time to share a few good ideas I’ve come across lately. Stuff I’d like to try. I love paper lanterns, I like things that hang and play with light.  These have so many possibilities. You could use fancy paper, or found paper – mixing in some wax paper and or fabric could be interesting. I love the way they look hung together. Find a tutorial for four different styles on Oh Happy Day.  And lots more photos too – all beautifully styled and charming.

susies scraps basket

I’m a fan of finding ways to use the littlest scraps – especially little bits of fabric I love to much to part with. You’ll find a complete tutorial for this “end of day” basket here. It seems pretty straight forward – clothes line rope, fabric scraps and a machine with a zig zag stitch. I particularly love the black mixed in with bright color on this basket. It also occurred to me that a tiny – doll size – one might be interesting.

julie hamilton collage sketchbook

And the sketchbook collage work of illustrator Julie Hamilton. I discovered her work through the Brown Paper Bag Blog – there is a post with lots of Julie’s work and more about her process. It’s such a good way to experiment and an easy place to start if you’re feeling stuck. Make some marks. collect some paper, cut stuff up and mess around.

If you try any of these I’d love to hear about it – you can let me know in the comment section.

make a ship for mr. socks

free paper mache ship pattern

paper mache boat

Mr. Socks is going to sea in his very own ship. I made it using my free paper mache boat pattern with a couple changes. If you’d like to make your own follow the original boat instructions but to make it just right for Socks use:

this slightly smaller template

and this sail pattern

(a note on sail making – there are instructions here if you need them)

a ship for mr. socks

Socks is the kind of cat that does just what he wants so he is off to Paris for a holiday in his brand new ship.

mr. socks goes boating

mr. socks goes boating

mr. socks goes boatingau revoir mr. socks!

 

stripes make a sailor and the easy way to make sails

gentleman sailor owl

stitching sails

When I first started making ships I was doing little handkerchief rolled hems on the sails. They were pretty but drove me crazy and took forever.  When I put together the paper mache ship pattern I wanted something easier and I found it.  It’s super simple and has other benefits too.

sail

I  cut two pieces of fabric for each sail (not usually the same fabric – I like the front and back  to be different  – even just subtly),  pin them right sides together and stitch around – leaving one little section open. Trim the excess off the corners,  turn it right side out,  press and stitch closed.  I add a whip or blanket stitch around the edge and  layers of patches and lace.  You can click here to download the sail pattern below if you’d like to give it a try.

sail_pattern_annwood_2

This method is much quicker than the tiny hems and makes a very tidy sail.  Also the double fabric helps the sails hold their shape when you fill them with wind.

paper mache ship

I’m making an owl to captain the ship I’m working on  and used my favorite piece of antique ticking for his front.  Putting a horizontal stripe on an owl transforms him instantly into a gentleman sailor.  The owl below is the medium size from the little owl pattern.

gentleman sailor owl

And ticking stripes are nice for sailing mice too.

sailor mouse

resources, supplies, tips and tricks

I’ve put together a little collection of resources for you – some of my favorite tools and supplies and a couple tips and tricks. There are one or two things I’ve talked about before and lots of favorites I’m sharing for the first time.  If there’s something that’s not included that you’re curious about – feel free to ask – I’ll do my best to hook you up.

Please note that all amazon links in this post are affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase I will get a small percentage at no additional cost to you so it works out all around.

Stuffing

I spend a lot of time stuffing things, sometimes starting over  a number of times and I have a strong preference for wool – you can find wool stuffing here.  I use a doll needle to move stuffing around from the outside to fine tune a shape – it can add so much character.  And my main stuffing tool is an old paintbrush with the bristles clipped off close to the base – it grabs the wool (or polyester) a bit so the tool doesn’t slip through. I have a few in different sizes. Hemostats are also handy for placing stuffing very specifically.

brush for stuffing

For making things stand up on their own, especially something top heavy like a mushroom, weighted fill does the trick. My favorites are glass bead fill and crushed walnut shells. Tip: to prevent spillage I double stitch the bottom seams. You can also make a little pouch from an old pair of tights, put in the fill and insert that into your soft sculpture.

ann wood mushroomAnd what about that curvy stem?  Wire works and there are lots of wire recommendations below but this works better: doll armature or coolant hose – it’s easy to work with and holds its shape well – you can do impossible looking things with it.

armature

wire

I use a bunch of different kinds of wire for armatures, bird and owl feet and other stuff, these are my favorites:

paper covered millinery wire – disclaimer – it is spring steel and not easy to work with but it produces beautiful stable shapes. I use it for ship armatures – find it  here  (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for the paper covered sort). They also have special joiners for it.

fabric ship30 gauge cloth covered spool wire – For things that just need a little support – like little bird tails. Find it here.

17 gauge brown paper covered stem wire – This stuff is sturdy and covered with brown crinkly paper – great for larger stems – I use so much of it I get it by the case – find it here.

paper covered wire –  It comes in a number of gauges and also makes great stems – the paper is smooth and paintable – I also use this for ship armatures.  Find a nice selection of sizes here.

* Hillman 18  or 19 gauge steel wire – It’s my preferred  wire for bird legs – one side is a little bit flat and the helps the bent joints hold together – find it here. And the full bird leg tutorial is here.

Hillman 16 gauge utility wire – For larger owl and bird feet – find it here.

Notions etc.

Appliqué pins – They are pretty! And great for small work – find them here.

applique pinsCotton Sateen – The sheen is lovely – just enough – and it dyes beautifully – find it at Dharma Trading.

Dylon Dyes – bright true colors – the Velvet Black is fantastic. Google to find suppliers in the US- there are lots and find the full selection here.

Tiny Ribbon – I love 4mm silk embroidery ribbon for mini bow ties for birds and all sorts of other little details – the color selection is fabulous – find it here.

cake topper birds

Other Stuff

Chenille pipe cleaners – the nice ones- imported from Germany – they come in different thicknesses and are dyeable – find them here.

Brown floral tape –  I use it to wrap bird legs and owl feet. It also works week as a clamp when gluing little things together, Find it here.

Crepe Paper – There is a huge selection here and some fancy stuff here.

Lascaux  Acrylic Paint – A little more expensive but so worth the investment – saturated color and wonderfully matte  when dry. It’s available in lots of Art supply stores including Dick Blick.

 

Photography Tips

canon remote

I wish I got this years ago – a remote switch for my camera  (I use a Canon). So handy for awkward shots and getting out of my own way. It’s very inexpensive – less than twenty bucks at B and H Photo.

White foam core board – The last tip is super simple and I use it all the time. I don’t have great light here – to get rid of shadows I use a piece of white foam core board to reflect sunlight and fill in shadows – it makes a huge difference -check  it out in the  lamb images below.

lamb_shadow

lamb shadow

 Updates 4//7/2016:

Wooden parts– huge selection – great for paper mache and fabric boats:

My new favorite paint- Holbein Acrylic – not cheap but less expensive than the super fancy Lascaux I love and it has a lovely matte finish and saturated colors.

Sublime stitching – you might already know but just in case – they have great supplies and a huge library of stitch tutorials.

Turning tubes – for those long and skinny tiny parts you need to turn right side out -I only recently discovered the magic.

And finally pocket – it’s an app – so many people recommended it but I resisted – once I tried it though I couldn’t do without it . It basically saves and organizes articles for later and they can ( mostly0 be read off line.

 

armature

I’m working on a large project, a collaboration that I can’t show you until January or there abouts – the photo below is of some of the many, many muslin drafts I make on the way to a new design.

muslins

This is the first time I’ve made something jointed and pose-able  (which these will be) and I came across something new to me and you might find it useful in your own projects: coolant hose.

armature

Also known as The Best Stuff In The World if you’re making something pose-able or just need a flexible and reliable armature.  It’s made by a company in Taiwan called Jeton. According to their website they specialize in:  adjustable coolant hose, doll armature and doll eyes.  It’s quite a niche.  I purchased it through CR’s Crafts – I got the 3/16th inch coolant hose and the 8th inch doll armature ( it’s just like the hose but no hole. This stuff is easy to work with and holds its shape well. I purchased my joint hardware from C R’s Crafts as well – they have a huge selection right here.  If you buy cotter pin joints I recommend you get the tool – it makes bending the pins much easier.  The joint hardware is new to me too – and it’s giving me all sorts of ideas…. I  love new supplies.

I’m also working on several new patterns and the next is just about ready to go- I’m photographing the steps and beauty shots now – here’s a peek at the new and improved merry wobbler.

merry wobbler

wobbler nest

If you’d like an email when new patterns are released you can sign up here.

 

working through the doldrums

update: find the paper mache ship pattern here

Big projects have them. Usually what keeps me motivated is the process – I like making things, all sorts of things and that has extended to my new project: making patterns  (especially because it’s new to me and I’m all lit up with learning).

I had hoped to finish the paper mache ship pattern in the Adirondacks over the holiday weekend. Planned on it really – no distractions, great light, plenty of room etc. but I’m back in thick, hot NYC summer and I‘ve still got a long way to go. Often, if something is taking me a very long time it’s because I’m lingering in the process – I don’t want it to end. In this case a lot of the fun designy stuff (like the cover) is done. And the project has gotten bigger:

I had made the executive decision to keep it small and manageable – just one ship – one small, pretty ship and I was nearly done with that.

small ship

But then I reversed that executive decision and decided to make it a collection – 3 vessels. The original small ship, a little boat and a large ship (similar to “The Gulnare” one of my favorites) – a big billowy full sailed affair.  And the large ship pattern had to be designed pretty much from scratch – I didn’t have a reliable large ship template. That’s a lot of  designing, and a lot of step photos and instructions, editing, testing etc. A lot.

The Gulnare

This morning I woke up feeling daunted by the hugeness of the task and frustrated about not being where I hoped I would. I re- read a post from James Clear that I keep a quote from pinned to my wall:

 “Reduce the scope, but stick to the schedule.”

It’s great advice. Great, simple advice that I still need to be reminded of often. The size of the project has changed and it requires a new strategy to finish.  Rather than pushing hard towards a completion date or relying on my enjoyment of the work to motivate me I’ve got it on my schedule everyday – 3 hours –  first thing in the morning: photographing, compiling, testing and editing.

I can’t wait for you to try the ship patterns and I know that focusing on the schedule rather than that goal is the most reliable way to get there.  If something, some goal has been eluding you I recommend trying the approach.

starting where you are

I think if you want to make progress, find your best work and ideas, you must be willing to start where you are – as awkward or small as that might be.  I’m usually very willing to do that – it’s one of my main life skills (the other is that I am insanely persistent, relentless even, the cool hand luke of art and craft).  As soon as I started to compile the patterns I’m working on I realized that video instruction would be helpful – there’s nothing like a demonstration and it helps with language barriers on tricky steps. I have no video making knowledge or equipment beyond my semi  broken iphone and a part of a tripod I found in the trash  but I put something together with stuff I had around that’s working well enough and I wanted to show you in case you’re in need of a similar solution.

video settup

I used a table lamp clamp I got at a yardsale,  a wood clothespin and 2 file clips.  The clips slide in and out of the clothespin easily and I can position it in a bunch of useful ways – it’s getting the job done.  I’m looking forward to getting better but having fun being a mess and experimenting. The whole pattern making experience has put me into that curious and driven kind of place that I was in when I began  7 years ago.

Today I was taking stills ( I don’t use the phone for that) and making videos for the next pattern – paper mache ships and boats (start saving your cereal boxes). I’m hoping to finish the photography tomorrow morning, test the rough draft this week, put it all together over the holiday weekend and have it available just after that.

ship mast

ship romance

paintbox 7/29

paint box 7/29

The ships and boats are a very satisfying project to make and I’m excited about sharing it.

Thanks so much to everybody who has purchased the bird pattern. I’m putting a post together of birds made by y’all and if you’d like to be included you can send a photo to me at: ann at ann wood handmade dot com  (please put bird photo in the subject).

podcast interview

I’m a big fan of  Abby Glassenberg’s  Podcast : While She Naps.  I love having things to listen to while I’m doing mountains of sewing and her  show is one of my favorites.  She asked me to be on a while ago and I took a leap and said yes. It’s definitely something way out of my comfort zone but I’m happy I did it.  Abby is a great interviewer and we had fun.  We talk about creativity, process, sewing, selling patterns, and all sorts of other things. You can listen to the episode here and below is a quote that I love  from a book we talked about:

“Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure.They’re huge and abstract. And they’re very beautiful.”

Catching the Big Fish – David Lynch

songbird

new songbird in progress