Getting Ready for the Holidays

I am sure every family has holiday customs; ours is no different. One thing I always do is make pie, so it was a special treat this year to have the chance to make pie with my not-quite-two-year-old granddaughter. She was a natural!

I hope all of you had some time to spend with loved ones this past week. That is, after all, what this season is about for me. Now that Thanksgiving is over, my thoughts are turning to December, to winter, and to Christmas, and I begin my preparations.

I continue to be busy making new Magic Baby clothes for my etsy shop. I am having a special Cyber Monday sale, which I invite you to take advantage of. I have artwork, supplies and, of course, my special baby clothes in my shop. For the sale, take 10% off your purchase by using the Etsy Coupon Code at checkout: CyberMondayGAP10. Happy shopping!

A Life of Thankfulness

This week the official holiday season begins. With the consumerization of our traditional American family get-together times, I have to mentally take a step back as I am reminded what these times are really about. For me, that means my family.
Since both of my parents died suddenly, nearly twenty years ago now, I have tried to embrace each day with a sense of thankfulness. Their untimely deaths taught me that life is fleeting, and that we can live assuming that there will be a tomorrow. This isn't depressing to me; it's envigorating, a reminder that I need to make "today" count for something.

This week, give it a try: stop wasting time worrying or engaging in activities that do not bring you joy. Focus your thoughts on those you love, and those who love you. Think about each thing you do, each conversation, each moment in the day. We all have choices at our disposal, and that choice may be as simple as reframing our thoughts in a positive way. I'm not suggesting a pollyanish approach to life. We all have real problems we are facing, and struggles to overcome. Still, we can bring love to each day by simply thinking about it. The human brain is miraculous!

So, for me, this week represents a time of focusing my energies on my family. I will be traveling a long distance to be with loved ones, dragging my sewing machine along so that I can fix curtains (a requested act of love.) I will be bringing handmade presents for a two year old granddaughter. I will be making homemade pie as a gesture of love, and joining in the FamJam, our family music time when guitars come out and all voices are welcome.

I wish all of you a week full of love and thankfulness. What will you be doing this week?

Chemo Scarf tutorial

Just a quick update: Michelle at daydreambelievers.net just sent a note that she shared my blog link on her blog. Michelle has created a wonderful tutorial for creating a chemo scarf, which I followed to create one for a friend's sister who is undergoing cancer treatment. What better way to say "I care"? Thanks for your great instructions, Michelle!
As you will see when you go to Michelle's blog, I created my scarf using vintage kimono silk and a purchased (and very soft) headband. Sorry I didn't have a better picture, but I wanted to get it in the mail : )
This is just one of many ways to send love!!

Playing With Image Transfers

One of Gayle's collages incorporating image transfers

I taught a class this past week on using image transfers. I have loved playing with transferred images since I first discovered as a kid that the funny pages could be transferred onto silly putty! Back in high school and college art classes, we used lighter fluid on printed magazine pages to release the ink and put it onto another surface. I was hooked by the layering, and have spent the last 35 years exploring that process.

From sunprinting to transfer paper, the possibilities are endless. One technique I hadn't played with for awhile is disperse dye transfer. Disperse dyes, paints and crayons offer opportunities for endless playing and experimentation.

Over the next weeks I hope to show you many of the techniques I have loved over the years. Unfortunately, today, blogger is (once again) not cooperating with me as I try to add new images. Does anyone know what is going on with that?

Anyway, I invite you to stay tuned, ask question, share your own experiments using image transfer. Enjoy!

To create this collage, I drew with oil pastel on matboard, then added cyan prints and heat transfers on top.

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 : )