Making Buttons: A Tutorial

In one of my September posts, I promised you a tutorial to show you how I made the matching buttons for the outfit shown there. After over a week of trying to upload the tutorial here without success, I invite you to view Making Buttons: A Tutorial on youtube.

I have added a few new pictures here of outfits I have added handmade buttons to, and will post some more later when blogger decides to cooperate. Please scroll down to see the new pictures, and please leave me a post if you try making these buttons for yourself. Enjoy.

Finally, special thanks to my darling husband for taking the time to film this for me and upload it to youtube.  film this. Thanks, baby!

A close up of the challis fabric buttons I made to match my Magic Baby Peaches and Cream top.

The buttons for my Dot Coat are made in matching fleece.

Can you see the matching button on this Lucky Star jacket? This is what I like about making buttons!

Look forward to your comments,
Gayle

A Gift to Cherish

Over the years I have frequently been the recipient of fiber-related gifts from friends and family members who recognize that the item they need to get rid of is too special to just throw away. I cherish these gifts of vintage fabric, old quilt tops, cotton dresses bought at auction, or the stack of handmade infant dresses a college girlfriend gave to me a few years back.
The gift I received this week, however, is unlike anything I have ever been given. It is beautiful, and I thank you, my friend. I can't wait to create a new Magic Baby design based on this garment.


The attached cape is pulled back here so you can see the body of the front.

 I received a note on facebook from a fellow artist and hometown friend to say he had found this amazing infant dress / coat while clearing some things out, and thought I might like it. I had no idea what to expect, but told him I would take good care of it. When the package arrived, I opened it to find this beautiful hand-stitched baby garment. Since I am not exactly sure what to call it, I thought perhaps you, my readers, might have more knowledge than I do. Here are the pictures:

This is the front, which features a two-button closure, beautiful embroidery and an attached capelet.

The capelet and the embroidery are on the back of the garment, too.



Look at this beautiful detail!

I carefully cleaned it, but some delicate staining remains. Everything is hand-stitched. It feels too heavy to be a dress, but it is definitely sized for an infant, as evidenced by the length of the sleeves. Because it is so long, I wonder if it may have been some sort of christening gown? The material is heavy and canvas-like, leading me to suspect it is a heavy muslin or a type of homespun. I look forward to your observations!

X Marks the Spot

Starting a new journal is a wonderful, almost incomparable experience. I posted about journaling most recently a few weeks ago, and promised one of my readers a comment or two about what I described as "consecrating" a journal.

The image to the left shows the first page of a new journal, the Japanese stab-stitch bound journal shown in my previous post. One exercise I teach my students is designed to overcome the fear of "ruining" a new journal, especially a hand-made one. First we discuss all the ways that we can turn off the negative "censor" voices in our heads, the voices that prevent us from reaching our creative core. Then I talk to them about the journey they are about to begin in their new journals. Then, favorite writing tool in hand, I ask each student to select a page in their journal, and make an "x" on the page. "X" marks the point of entry into the pages of this personal, perhaps sacred, journey. Make your mark to begin.

 Many of my friends work with journals, often using them to work out their ideas for other artwork they will create. The examples below are from my friends in my artist group, the tArts, artists Susan Shie and Jill Milenski.


This is one of Susan's many journals. This one is for the drawing class she teaches.



Jill sketches everywhere, and often makes paintings from her sketches.

I would love to hear about your journaling experiences. Please reply : )

Inspired by my own Magic Babies

It's been a busy fall so far. Here is a quick post showing you what I have been up to the past few weeks.

Here is one of my Magic Baby muses with her daddy's guitar. She is wearing her fruity flower dress, one of my early prototypes. Since the knot shoulder closure proved to be difficult in dressing her, I have redesigned the shoulder closure. Still, she looks adorable, don't you think?

According to their mothers, all of my Magic Babies are growing like weeds, and need new clothes. I have gone back to my upcycling ways from thirty years ago, when I was a young mother and had to refashion existing clothes for my children. Here are a few examples that I made for the new crop of babies in the family.


This is a cute swing top with matching pants. I upcycled a sweatshirt for the top, then added some applique and a knit contrast edge. Can't wait to see her wearing it. For the pants, I had some matching stretch baby wale corduroy. Perfect!

For this next three piece outfit, I used part of a stash of clothing my sister recently gave to me. This was made from a sweater skirt and top that had been my mothers over two decades ago. I paired it with a paisley challis, made matching buttons, added some lace, and voila!

The challis was tricky to work with on top of the knit, but I just moved slowly, and it worked. I used the existing sweater neck edge, but sewed it on separately. The challis band extends around the back into cute ties. I talked my husband into filming a tutorial while I made the matching buttons. I'll post a link to that later.



The matching sweater skirt has a soft waistband and a challis and lace edge.  I added a pleated skirt from the lightweight challis, which hangs underneath the knit.

For my other little Magic Baby girl, I took an existing onesie and added a double ruffled skirt with the pre-made sheer trim. Then, from the remnants of a purchased fleece blanket, I couldn't resist whipping up the polka dot jumper!

There are many more to show you, but that is enough for now. I will finish with two new designs, not made from something else. The first is a layered skirt made from sheers and tulle. My daughter calls it the "Prom Dress." The last is a custom order I just finished. It is a size 8, and is a version of my Little Frenchy design for toddlers. I call the bigger size the Frenchy Girl.

I just finished a new coat design made with polka dots for winter. I call it the Twirl Coat. More to come!

This Way, Please, Part 2: It's Hell Getting Old

Here are some more pix from my visit last week to Clare Murray Adams' studio. The day ended with a quick dinner at home before heading out to the gallery at BayArts for the member's show opening. My friend Gail Crum's wonderful piece, It's Hell Getting Old, was one of 50 pieces juried into the exhibition!

It's Hell Getting Old, a mixed media artwork by Gail Crum

My friend Gail inside the free-standing library. 





One of Clare's artworks onsite



Everywhere you looked, indoors and out, Clare and her artist husband are surrounded by artwork. It doesn't get any better than that!



Artwork everywhere! Here are some of John's sculptures



After an inspirational tour of the property, we sat in the living room for dessert. How can you not love the Rooster Chair?

After stopping by the opening to see Gail's new work, we headed over to a local winery to see one of our favorite musicians perform, Cletus Black.  A fabulous bluesy singer-songwriter, Cletus is also just a really cool guy. I have never seen anyone so comfortable in their own skin.



Cletus at the winery

It was the perfect ending to a fabulous day.



It may be hell getting old, but I plan to do it surrounded by art and artists; this is what keeps us young at heart.

This Way, Please, Part 1

 

 

Ah, yes, this way, please. I love this journal, because I treasure my collection of "body parts" images, snapped by my husband at my request. I use them all the time in my artwork.

I am teaching a journal making workshop here locally next month, on October 2nd. All students (young adults welcome) will learn how to make a hand bound Japanese stab-stitch journal. In addition, we will discuss journaling techniques, and I will get the class started by showing them (this could mean YOU) how to "consecrate" their work.  The picture below shows a detail of the binding technique, which I have utilized on one of my own personal journals.

Last Friday was a rare "out of the house" day for me. I get so busy working, that sometimes weeks go by in

which I realize I haven't seen any people...and I'm a Taurus!! Believe, this can be painful. Anyway, my
artist friend Gail Crum and I made a studio visit last week. We talked art all the way there and all the way home, a total of three hours in the car. We also talked art while visiting the artist studio, of course, and we were joined by another mutual friend for lunch, so I got to talk books, as well. It was a lot of fun. Clare Murray Adams and I have been friends for a long time, and our creative paths have aligned themselves through sheer destiny, it sometimes seems.

Here is the door to Clare Murray's studio:

 It was such an inviting and inspiring location. Here is some of what we saw:
Collagraphs:
                                         Zippered rocks and zippered sticks:



                                   and a cool collaborative project Clare is doing with Oberlin artist Rebecca Cross:

And all of this before lunch! More to come in This Way, Please, Part II.

Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow

Ahhh, tomorrow. So much gets put off until then, and sometimes, for some of us, it never arrives. Luckily for me, my tomorrow is beginning today. Today is my lucky day, because I think I found the ticket to finally getting some help figuring out some of the things I need to get done...metaphorically...tomorrow.

One of my TagTalk cards from my etsy store

But first, I wanted to post one of my new Magic Baby designs. I love making jumpers, capelets, overalls and the like, but I really love making outfits. You know, matching jackets and skirts, or a top and leggings, a kimono jacket with matching overalls...things like that. Admitedly, they are slower to sell, probably because they are more expensive. In making outfits, though, I try to maintain my commitment to unique, one-of-a-kind styles, which are also highly functional for babies and their parents:, so I try to make the pieces both adjustable and reversible.

My newest Magic Baby outfit, a soft-waisted fairy skirt with a reversible jacket

It's been fun getting out my fall fabrics to work with. For this design, I have pulled out the wonderful star-sprinkled twill for the jacket. It is paired with pinwale corduroy and matching cotton for the details. As you can see, I haven't finished the reversible jacket yet. I have made two matching covered buttons for the jacket, one for this side, and one for the reverse. Tomorrow, I just need to make the buttonholes, then sew them on. The jacket has roll-up, adjustable sleeves, a cute bottom ruffle, and a shaped neckline echoed in the fairy skirt peplum. The back is here, on the left. I appliqued matching corduroy edged with piping to the jacket neckline. Cute!

The back of the skirt peplum dips lower than the front, and is finished with trim and matching covered buttons. The skirt waistband, which you can't see here, is a nice, stretchy soft knit.  I love it!

Because all of my designs are produced by me, and are one-of-a-kind in terms of the fabrics used, I have been really trying to figure out how to expand my design presence. I don't want to mass produce, so I've been thinking instead of how to develop my designs into patterns. With over 25 years and a substantial reputation designing, making and exhibiting art quilts, a solid selling book under my belt, and now my work in designing baby clothing, I want to find a way to reach a larger audience. Enter my friend, fellow artist and tech-guru Shannon Okey.

I first met Shannon when we were both doing book-signings at the Sewing Expo in Cleveland. We were seated next to each other, and I liked and admired her from the moment we met. If you are a knitter, you probably have some of her wonderful knitting design books. I later discovered, by comparing our linkedin profiles, that we have similar backgrounds, the strangest one being that we both speak German! Anyway, Shannon is younger than I am, and I am in complete "I'm not worthy" mode when I see what she does on the web. I had been planning to call her next week to ask for help, when, today, in catching up on blogs I follow, I read hers, and immediately signed up for one of her new online classes, e-book basics. My goal is to learn how to create my own pdf pattern files, teach my honed-over-many-decades workshops online, and generally try to upgrade my knowledge of the online world. Starting a blog and my etsy shop were first steps. Thanks, Shannon, for giving me a "ticket" to my tomorrow.