DONKEYWOLF

Working on lace

2012-01-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

Always looking for more videos for This Is Handmade.

Seafood

2011-11-29T08:09:00.000-08:00

Seafood

paper cut, 12"x15"

Some Days Are Better Than Others

2011-11-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

Some Days Are Better Than Others

Paper cut, 12"x15

WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER

2011-10-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

The results of the PUSH contest are in! Turns out, we have a tie! Our grand prize winners are David Hill and Lord Libidan.
First up we have David Hill's piece "Priest".

Here's David's essay-

Hi there! This one is simply called 'Preist' and was produced using a needle and cotton thread on 18 count cross stitch material (i used that material for it's sturdiness, not the 18 count haha) it's dimensions are: 15cm x 17cm

This is only my 2nd finished piece as I have only been doing stitch work since around mid July '11 (I started doing it to pass the time and say, at the end of my summer holidays, that i have had a productive summer before returning to my second year of graphic design)

I was asked to produce this for the EP artwork for my friends in a brilliant two piece band called 'Algiers'. They saw my first embroidery piece on a t-shirt and decided to get me to do the album cover.

I am particularly proud of my choice of colours for this one as I am usually not very good at choosing exciting 'popping' colours. It really adds to the emotion on the face of the guy i think. I believe the technique i am using is called 'silk shading' (I saw a picture of said technique in a traditional hand embroidery book and guessed its the closest technique to what i do) although very loosely. i must admit i really don't know much about embroidery at all... I'm getting there though! I didn't have any previous hand embroidery experience (except with a button or two) so the colour mixing was a bit of guess work and risk to see how it came out. And i must say so myself it payed off.

My favourite little aspect of this is the profile line running down the right side of the face. There is a really strong contrast and it defines the whole face. Another favourite part for me is the priest's clothing. No one will spot it, but i added lapels and creases to the t-shirt by using different patterns. And the shoulders are separated be a weave-looking checkered pattern. Very subtle, but I've always liked doing that sort of thing in my drawing. It's something I can do a lot with embroidery because I think a lot about the direction of every stitch and what it will do to the fluidity of the work.

I really enjoyed doing this and i'm looking forward to producing more work. The album that this work is for is coming out sometime mid october. by which time i should have my stock of t-shirts that arrived yesterday embroidered and ready to take in to shops and sell. I'm REALLY looking forward to carrying on with my technique and believe the way i do it and the non-uniformed approached is something of a unique aspect.

Hope you think so too!

Thank you very much for reading

Dave Hill

http://hillda.tumblr.com/

______________________________

Our other grand prize winner is Lord Libidan with his piece, "3D Transforming Robot/Truck Fully Articulated Figure"

Here's Lord Libidan's essay-

Title: 3D Transforming Robot/Truck Fully Articulated Figure

Materials: Plastic canvas and embroidery thread

Medium: Textiles/Fibre art

Dimensions: Robot - 15cm x 9cm

As a male cross stitch designer/artist I've never been fully happy with the range of designs out there, due to their ease and rather boring subject matters.

As a response I've always tried to keep my stitching in with current male trends in terms of movies and games, while still making something more challenging.

While playing around with plastic canvas for the first time I started to think outside the box, and wasn't happy with the range of things people have done with the canvas before; making covers for tissue boxes, etc.

My piece is a fully articulated robot figurine based upon the transformers series, however as I started to make plans I wanted to do something a little different. I looked at current figures, online paper models, and pictures and came up with my own way to transform the robot into a truck, and back again.

My main aim with this piece was to create something still decorative, but something useful, and hopefully to children something to play and learn with, rather than just being something to sit on the side and get dusty, and something that will be held with high regard, rather than the plastic toys that get thrown out every year. The piece was then made into a pattern so that early teens, can make the toy for their younger siblings or in most cases for themselves.

This piece is now part of a series including many other transformers, and gets regular attention for being something different, but not too artsy fartsy. Hope you like it :D

http://lordlibidan.wordpress.com/

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74962335/transformer-optimus-3d-cross-stitch

*You can find the pattern for the transformer in his Etsy shop!

_________________________________

Finally we have our two runner-ups, Stefanie M. and Di Ellis.

Stephanie's piece is titled "Hair".

"Hair" Cotton and human hair (single strand, straight stitch). 4” x 4”

You can see more of her work here-

www.distractedmuse.com/weblog

and on her flickr page here-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9424347@N03/with/3834417868/

Di Ellis' piece is titled "Tattoo Sleeve".

"Tattoo Sleeve" Cloth, hand quilted, and hand stitched

You can see more of Di's work at-

http://diellis.blogspot.com/

So that's it! Grand prize winners will also have their work and essays posted on MrXStitch.com and will receive a signed copy of PUSH. Runner-ups will have their work posted on MrXStitch.com and receive a paper cut by me celebrating their win.

CONTEST UPDATE! And other stuff.

2011-10-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

1.The PUSH contest is closed! I will be announcing the winners on Sunday, and will be smearing their talent all over the internet via MrXStitch and Feelin' Stitchy early next week. Participants, expect emails from me this weekend.

2. Check out my new paper cut! I'm really digging these.

Swine Song

12"x18"

paper cut

3. I'm going to be doing a Q&A and book signing on Monday for Hoopla at In Other Words bookstore in Portland! Be there! Ask me stuff!

That's it for now.

Dabbling in Paper Cutting

2011-09-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Paper cutting has let me do a lot of the silly stuff I wouldn't necessarily want to spend a hundred hours rendering in needlework or printmaking.

First piece-

Joffa Marie Dog

Second piece-

Golden Fleece

Third piece, completed yesterday-

Tularemia

Anyway, it's been fun. I'm sketching work for a new one tonight.

Other Stuff

2011-09-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

So, I've started *another* side project. I'm adding to it, slowly but surely.
Check it out HERE, and make sure you bring your appetite! (Really, don't bring it.)

Also, submissions have started rolling in for the PUSH contest, and let me tell you, the work I've been getting is top notch. Seriously awesome. Anyway, I'm accepting submissions through the end of September, read the rules HERE.

I'M IN A BOOK!!!! Also- CONTEST!!!!! WIN SOMETHING!!!!

2011-08-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody! I'm so excited to be included in PUSH Stitchery: 30 Artists Explore the Boundaries of Stitched Art, edited by my dear friend and boss-man Jamie Chalmers, known fondly as MrXStitch. Anyway, I thought it would be nice to do a contest!

So here are the rules-
1. To participate, you must submit ONE photo of ONE piece. The work can be new or old. It will be judged solely on originality. That's it. Don't send in derivative work. I'm looking for work that is truly unique. Photos must be clear. They don't need to be professionally shot or anything fancy, but they do need to be in focus and well lit. I need to know what I'm looking at! Please include the title, materials, medium, and dimensions.
2. Your submission must also include an essay, no more that 750 words, on why your work is awesome. Not your job/work but your artwork. Don't hold back! Be fearless and honest!

I will be accepting submissions through the entire month of September. The contest will close at 12AM Pacific Time on October 1st. Submissions should be sent to me at donkeywolf@gmail.com. The subject line should read "Push Contest".

The winner will receive a signed copy of PUSH Stitchery, and have their essay and piece featured on Donkeywolf, Feeling Stitchy, and MrXStitch. Two runner ups will receive a mystery goodie from me, and have their pieces featured on Donkeywolf, Feeling Stitchy, and MrXStitch.

That's it! I really hope I get millions of submissions, I love seeing your work and reading about what makes it tick!
EDIT- Der. This contest is for stitchy stitchers. Mixed media stitching is fine.

Because I need another poorly maintained blog...

2011-08-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

I've started a new project.

http://ajournaloftaste.blogspot.com/

Women, Rise Up!

2011-08-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

Women, Rise Up!

hand worked punto tagliato and hand embroidery

by me

Thunk. Thunk. Is this thing on?

2011-08-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

Wow! I've obviously been very lazy about posting. So what's been going on? I'm sure if you're reading this you heard me shout alllllll over the internets about being in the final issue of Fiberarts Magazine. So that's old news. (Check your newsstands!)

I did have a really cool exchange with DMC. I asked if they would send me info on the history of their company so I could write about them on Needle Exchange, and boy did they deliver!

Here are the links of you missed it-
DMC Part I
DMC Part II
DMC Part III

I also included a vintage cross stitching pattern from 1904 at the end of Part III, here's the first page.

Oh, fashion. Ye are a fickle mistress. Still working on lace. This current piece is sculptural and hurting my feelings. I have been taking breaks from it to spin yarn for winter sweaters. Party like it's 1899 over here.
Speaking of fickle, I am also currently obsessed with terrariums.

So these have been fun and cheap time wasters.

Johnny Murder has become obsessed with floral design.

He's pretty awesome.

Speaking of parties, we've had a bunch of house guests this summer, and we've gotten creative with our smoker for dinner parties. Check out this magic-

That's right. Smoked oysters.

That's about it! I haven't been posting much because I've been trying to wait until I have finished pieces to show off, not just WIPs. Oh! But I have been paper piecing, and that's been surprisingly easy. Not the clippy clippy basting style, the stitch the pieces on to the paper style. Anyway, more soonish. In the mean time-

I'm in Fiberarts Magazine

2011-06-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

Go buy it, because they ain't gonna be making any more ever. Jamie Chalmers, our wonderful MrXStitch killed it with his beautiful article, and Luke Haynes quilted its shroud. But mostly me. I'm in it. Yep.

Click to enlarge, but don't really. Just go buy it.

So anyway, now this is going to be happening around my house.

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Portrait

2011-04-29T00:45:00.000-07:00

Alexandra Walters from Self-Guided Art Therapy just finished this portrait of me. Here's the photo I stole from her website.

I can't talk to much about it, because it makes me have lots of feelings and I'll get emotional about how amazing it is and what an honor it is to be made thread by one of my favorite artists and heroes, and how she said as she was working on it she was thinking about the phrase "Owl-eyed Athena", which you know throws me into full on classics tizzy, and really, I just can't believe anyone I look up to would want to spend much time studying my dumb ol' face, and it's kind of a heady feeling.

You should probably just go over to her blog and read the description while I blow my nose and dab my eyes. Allergies. Really.

Then you could come back over here and read my interview with her and be awestruck.

Alright, Gang! Let's make this happen!

2011-04-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much the best example of why I get whine-mail.

I think you all know which one I submitted, and which one deserves your vote.

How We Do

2011-04-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Just over two years ago I started this little blog. I didn't really think that many people would be interested in it, and sometimes I posted a lot, sometimes a little. Thanks to this little corner of the internets I claimed in the name of Donkeywolf, I'm doing about two shows quarterly, I landed a great gig writing for MrXStitch, I've met some kick ass artists and one of my heroes, and now I'm published.

This year you can find my thoughts and my work featured in the following books-

"Hoopla includes twenty-eight innovative embroidery patterns and profiles of contemporary embroidery artists, including Jenny Hart, author of Sublime Stitching; Rosa Martyn of the UK-based Craftivism Collective; Ray Materson, an ex-con who learned to stitch in prison; Sherry Lynn Wood of the Tattooed Baby Doll Project, which collaborated with female tattoo artists across the United States; Penny Nickles and Johnny Murder, the self-proclaimed Bonnie and Clyde of embroidery; and Alexandra Walters, a military wife who replicates military portraits and weapons in her stitching."

PUSH Stitchery: 30 Artists Explore the Boundaries of Stitched Art

Both are available at Amazon, and you can find links to the books on the right hand side of this blog.

I'm also going to be featured in the summer issue of Fiber Arts Magazine for my lacework. This is really exciting for me, because I actually subscribe to Fiber Arts!

Love Birds

15"x15" 2011

photo by Angela Faz

Sold

Anyway, that's what's up with me! It's been hard to keep my trap shut about all of this, and I can't believe it's finally happening. I only wish I could send copies to everyone who was ever mean to me in Jr. High. Ha! Kidding...

Anyway, I know I haven't been posting very frequently, but it's only because the lace work I'm doing now takes sooooooooo loooooooong and I'd rather share it when it's done.

Also, I've got the largest piece I've ever done up at Hotel Hadley Studios. If you didn't get a chance to see it in Seattle at The Twilight Artists Collective, you can head over to the other side of the country and see it in Siler City, NC., curated by our Miss Drucilla Pettibone.

Curl Up With A Book

featuring the ladies of the Oresteia

60"x60" 2001

Photo courtesy of Hotel Hadley Studios.

Anyway, it's been a great couple of years. I can wait to see what the next few will bring.

And then there's this

2011-04-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

http://artnausea.blogspot.com/

Soon

2011-04-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

Pre-order on Amazon

My Brother

2011-02-28T01:40:00.000-08:00

Johnny Mumbles

Handworked lace

9"x11"

Still needs to be stretched and mounted, but you get the idea.

Love Birds

2011-01-30T11:23:00.000-08:00

Love Birds

15"x15"

Handworked Lace

Showing at Redux, opens February 4th

200 hours, finished yesterday. My hands are numb.

And it knows no bounds.

2010-12-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

This is how I procrastinate

2010-12-20T05:48:00.000-08:00

Inner Monologue

shitty gouache on crappy cold press

This Is Handmade

2010-12-16T02:47:00.000-08:00

Me working on a lace portrait of my brother

Still accepting submissions! Click HERE to read about the project, Go to thisishandmade.tumblr.com to see the videos.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving, I made a couple of amazing movies. The first one is something I'm really thankful for, my friendship with Beefranck. This first movie is a totally true story. Enjoy!

This next movie is how my Thanksgiving is going. Also an amazing, true story.

Hope you all are having a great day! Ima gonna wash down that hot chocolate with this apple tart.

Self Portrait in Lace

2010-11-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

Learning About Tatting

2010-10-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

I just wrote a bit about tatting for Needle Exchange on MrXStitch, something I know close to nothing about. So that was interesting. I did find a book called The Art of Tatting by Lady Katharin Louisa Hoare, and the into was written by Queen Elizabeth of Romania. I thought I'd share a portion here-

I thought this was amazing. This little bit really stuck in my head-

Anyway, head over to MrXStitch to check it out!

Come Carmen Sandiego With Me

2010-09-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

Head over to MrXStitch to read my part two in a three part article on goldwork! No mummies in this installment, but parade floats! Yay! Click HERE to read the article.

Oct 1st Opening at Redux!

2010-09-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

You Are Cordially Invited

8"x11" hand embroidered

http://www.reduxpdx.com/

A brief history of goldwork

2010-09-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

New Needle Exchange article up at MrXStitch.com! It's going to be a three-parter instead of my usual two parts. Exciting!
Click HERE to get your nerd on!

And now, back to work.

2010-09-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Still not finished, but coming along!

Oh the shaming. THE SHAMING.

2010-09-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

craftMBA wrote a bit about the This Is Handmade project! Yay! We're all super famous! Whooopeeee!

Oh.

http://www.craftmba.com/2010/09/13/this-is-handmade-does-this-kind-of-marketing-really-help-us/

You know what? I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm a stain on the positive energy of the crafting community. It was wrong of me to start this project, and it was wronger of me to be so negative about it. I see now that it was not my place to sully these hallowed halls of shrinky dinks and chainmail. That, and I'm not a crafter.

You know, Megan herself tweeted not 5 days ago,

Yay? Whoopee again?

But I guess that's advice for people who are interested in purchasing her "Work With Megan" package, only 100 bucks an hour! Not for little ol' artists like me.

Speaking of! I have a new opening on October first! Johnny Murder and I are showing at Redux Gallery. Check it out if you're in the area!

*****And I'm ALWAYS accepting This Is Handmade submissions. Don't Hate, Celebrate!

Crackin' Knowledge Eggs

2010-08-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

Okay Readers,
I was more than a little surprised that none of you stitchy comic book types commented on my new MrXStitch article about Blackwork.

I think I may have stumbled on an important discovery while researching that article, and I'm shocked you guys didn't chime in. So, I'll go ahead and get to the point over here.

The End is Nigh... by Ruby42

"Close your eyes, and imagine finding this on your doorstep. What’s the big deal? Bear with me. Walter Kovacs came across the material for his “face” when he was… wait for it… sewing garments in a dress shop. Okay. And then when he goes to rescue doomed kidnapping victim Blair Roche, he finds her remains in AN ABANDONED DRESSMAKER’S SHOP. See? Do you get it? It makes perfect sense that Kovacs was a secret manbroiderer. Two of the biggest turning points in his life involve stitching. Ruby’s on to something. I’m going to write the New Frontiersman about it. Also “Rorschach?” Sounds like a Flickr name to me." -Needle Exchange- Back in Black II

Uh-Huh. Now you see it, right? So this got Johnny Murder and I wondering, who else is a secret Manbroiderer? Hop over to the Manbroidery site to find out.

This is me pointing my finger at you

2010-08-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

Nice little article over at ReadyMade about our new boring revolution, and lots of props for Giggly Mama and her beautiful work!
Click HERE to read it.
*Cough Cough* Still accepting submissions, multiple submissions if you are so inclined.
Read the rules HERE. Check out the site, http://thisishandmade.tumblr.com/

Part Two!

2010-08-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

Part two of my Stitching N Junk interview!

Click HERE to hear it!

P is for Philatelist (AP)

2010-08-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

"P is for Philatelist"
12"x12" 3 color relief print, Artist's Proof
Blue and black ink mixed with silver and pewter pigment.

Stitching N Junk!

2010-07-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

Yay Yay Yay! Part one of my interview is up! It's pretty awesome. We talk about fiber and stitching and Steely Dan and I finally spill the beans about what my real name is. Check it out!

Click HERE to hear it.

Also, I am still demanding submissions for This Is Handmade. Have you already sent me a video? Great! Now send me another one. THIS IS A BORING REVOLUTION, DO YOUR PART.
Click HERE for details.

Side Project

2010-07-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

I have a theory.

Do you make stuff? Are you an artist? A crafter?

Have you ever spent 40 hours on a project, only to be offered 20 dollars for all of your hard work?*-See note

I think it's because most buyers don't understand how long it takes to make stuff. I think it's because buyers think what we do is "fun", so somehow, we haven't earned a fair hourly wage.

The truth is, this stuff takes forever. Hours and hours and hours. I have pieces that I've spent well over 100 hours on. And as far as fun goes? In my experience, only about 10% of it is actually fun. The rest is tedious and demanding and I do it because I'm a crazy person that freaks the fuck out if I'm not working.* -See Note

So I've started a new blog called This Is Hand Made. All it is is 5 minute videos of people working on projects. No tutorials, no guides, no talking to the camera, no explaining, just 5 really really boring minutes of what it looks like to actually make something. I only have three up so far, but I want more!

If you make stuff, I want to see it. Especially the boring parts that you have to thole through to complete the project. I don't care if you're a knitter, a cobbler, a mosaic maker, whatever.

Did it take you 2 minutes to thread that needle/bobbin? Perfect. Did it take you 2 hours to scour that fleece? Yes. Did it take you an hour to warp that loom? THIS SPEAKS TO MY INTERESTS.

Send me links to you doing what you do at donkeywolf@gmail.com

Let's change the market by boring people into submission, because if they can't watch a five minute video of us working, they don't get to bitch about pricing.

http://thisishandmade.tumblr.com/

Again- NO tutorials, guides, explaining, just you working. And if you're worried about looking silly or dumb or weird, don't. Nobody's going to sit though these anyway, that's the point.

Special thanks to Shae who kick-started this project by picking up my slack and making the first video!

*I'm assuming your work is good, but buyers are still trying to sweatshop you.

*Drinks whiskey

Now this one

2010-07-23T02:48:00.000-07:00

"P is for Philatelist"

Three color relief print in progress, transferring the image to the second block to carve

12"x12"

A is for Augur

2010-07-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

A is for Augur

four color relief print 9"x12"

Artist's Proof

Going Batty. (I went there)

2010-07-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who gave me carding/twisting advice in my recent posts. It was immensely helpful.
So I've been carding batts today, a blend of silk, baby llama, and BFL.

I'm going to give them a few more passes to incorporate the silk a bit better, but I'm really stuck by the texture. It makes me want to listen to this while I'm carding-

It's kind of perfect for the color. I also recommend it for H.P. fans, $4.95 on iTunes, and acted by a full cast, radio show style. (Cough Cough... Bascom) As you can see I have a few by that company. Love it.

Anyway thanks to Drucilla Pettibone, and Mademoiselle Chaos for your advice and guidance, it really made a difference.

Doing Stuff

2010-07-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

I can't even believe it's July.

I decided to take advantage of the weather and make chicken stock and knit a sweater. I was half watching last night's True Blood and carefully counting my increases when I heard a CRASH! on my front porch. I opened the door to find this.

THANKS U.P.S. GUY! Awesome job!

Anyway I opened it up to find my new Strauch drum carder! EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

That's the sound I made.

So there she is, along with my first batt. You know what I love? That this came nearly fully assembled. I am lazy, and "assembly required" means that it's going to sit in my studio for 3 months before I even look at the directions. I have had a strict policy for skipping assemblies since Jr. High. Also awesome, this comes with something called a "Knuckle Saver" that you use to remove the batt. I sure wish my Strauch hand cards had come with a knuckle saver.

Anyway, YAY!

I have another question for my fellow fiber nerds, approximately, how many ounces of fiber should I be feeding into this thing to produce one batt? Any idea? I know I shouldn't cram stuff in there, and I'm sure I'm being a little conservative with the amount.

I Love that I can ask you guys anything

2010-07-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

And you're always so good with the information. How cool is it that I can ask the internet the question, and I get a real answers from people who know what they're talking about? Amazing.

Anyways-
I'm going to be tail spinning some mohair locks to weave with. This is new territory for me. I'm thinking I might use it for a rug. I'm also thinking I might use a Finn/BFL blended core so it will felt a bit and really hold those locks. (It is going to get walked on after all) Or is that nutso?

Anyway, my REAL question is, how does something like this hold up? Has anyone made anything like this? Do the little locks fuzz into puffs after a month or so of foot traffic, or do they tend to keep their shape?
Also-
How do you set the twist with tail spun yarn? (Soak/slap/ect) Does that affect the locks? Is a tailspun/corespun yarn ever really balanced? I mean, it's basically a single, OR IS IT because the core is the opposite twist of the finished yarn? These are mysteries.

I know these are a lot of questions, and I know they're unorganized. Any insight would be helpful.

In other news, we made pine cone peanut butter bird feeders today. It was hilarious.

Hello Embroidery Fancier!

2010-07-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

I have a new article up at MrXStitch on the history of Redwork! Go read it!

There's a dead body featured prominently in the text. Mysteries!
Click HERE to see more!

Did you know?

2010-07-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Did you know that MrXStitch has a podcast? Huh? Did you know that they interview people like Bascom and Pam Kittykill and Julie Jackson? Do you know that I almost peed my pants because Bridget and Jamie said such sweet things about me at the 7 minute mark on the new episode? Yep. This post is mostly about me disguised as a post about other things. But really! It's pretty awesome and full of laughs.

So go listen! Click HERE.

Oh, and for Jamie and other curious listeners, it's pronounced "Raymond Luxury Yacht".

OH MY GOLLY.

2010-07-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

I just bought a drum carder.

SQUEEL!!!!!!!

Now I don't have to feel so intimidated by the 20 lbs of fiber I purchased at the OFFF last year.

Gouge Away

2010-06-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've started working on a new relief print. This is the first block carved. I have two more blocks to do for the other colors. John had to spend the night in the hospital on Sunday because of some residual tummy surgery stuff, (He's fine), and I couldn't sleep so I stayed up all night carving. My hands were numb in the morning. I think I'm going to take some time carving the other blocks so my fingers don't fall off, but I'm happy with the design so far.

A is for Augur

Second proof, first block

9"x12" printed on hot press paper

Attention Spinners!

2010-06-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

I need some help.

Okay, when I was using a drop spindle, I was spinning S singles and plying them. Now that I've been using a wheel, I've been spinning Z singles and plying them.
Here is my question-
If both sets of yarn have been plied, and had their twists set and balanced, can I use them together in the same project? Or will one skien being S's plied and the other skein being Z's plied screw up my project? Does this make sense?

Thank you for any help!
Also, this is my 115th post. I forgot the 100th.

Interview With Walter Bruno Brix

2010-06-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

Before we get to it, I just want to say how thrilled I am to present this interview. I ran across Walter's work when I was researching an early Needle Exchange article for MrXStitch. My lack of German didn't deter me from contacting him, and luckily, his English is quite good. He was kind enough to indulge me by answering my questions. You guys can't see me, but I've been squealing all day with excitement! Also, I encourage you to click the links inserted in the post. Walter's been kind enough to share his favorite artists with us, and they are tremendous. I have also linked to his website under each photo. Many of these pieces are part of a larger series or installation, so please take some time to click through and look at the larger context. His work is elegant, provocative, authentic, and shot through with humor. He is a treasure.

nach Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio (1571-1610)

Tell me about your background as an artist.
I studied weaving in Japan, nearly 20 years ago. At the Kawashima Textile School, which is part of the Kawashima Manufacture. They worked in the Meiji-period(1868-1912) for the Meiji emperor. Kawashima Jimbei visited Europa and studied some textile techniques, like Jacquard and tapestry.
But I was drawn to textile much earlier and I worked in textile since very early in my childhood. And I did draw and paint since a very early date. My family never forbade anything, but they worked very much and were not interested in my "art" work.
When I was about 17 I met an artist, Helmut Kunkel.
At his atelier and home I learned very much. He showed me how to draw, he backed my courage and gave me a lot of artists techniques. At that time he did ceramic and I learned a lot about that, too. Our friendship is vivid and inspiring till today.
He is not using needlework as an art technique, he is not sewing or doing anything with fabric or thread.

Many of your pieces use textiles and needlework. Why are you drawn to this medium?

My grandfather was a tailer and my grandma a gifted needlework person. She sewed cloth, knitted, crocheted, from her I learned to use the scissor, needles and the iron. So I had fabric, needle and thread at my hands since I can remember, since longer than I remember. Sewing is so familiar to me like drawing and writing.

What themes you are interested in?

I like explore my attractions. This is things which one can see, but although the things one is fantasizing about. So I explore the body in my work, but at the same time I am interested how other artist did that or still doing it.

Tell me about the Joyful Memory series. How do viewers react to it? What interests you about erotica?

This series was in an exhibition a short while ago and we had a wonderful reaction. It was an exhibition in the flat of my curator, the series was shown in the small bathroom. We heard constantly squeaks coming from there, and laughter. But one young lady went in and she came out with an angry face and wanted to know if it was real sperm, which was used for the artwork. We had a long discussion about the problem of intimacy. Finally, when she left after more than two hours, she insisted on kissing me on my cheeks, which I never expected from her.

Joyful Memory

But as always, my work has a lot of tongue-in-cheek. It is not meant too seriously.

I'm really fascinated by your loincloth series, The Flagellation of Christ, and the loincloths based on the masters. What inspired these? What themes are you exploring?

For a very long time in my life, I concentrated on the Kimono as an art object. I was very fascinated by Japan since my youth. When I turned 40, which seems to be the date for a man, I stopped the kimono and started with new themes and new formats. I turned literally my head, myself from east to west.
Never ever before I had thought about what themes would be important for western art and artists. The first theme which struck me, was Religion. I think that Religion is minting us much more than we think. And it has shaped a lot of the art we look at in Museums.
(By the way, I am not religious in that way, that I cling to a church or something like that. I was brought up in an environment with a catholic father and protestant mother, but had access to both religions. In my youth I was very drawn to Zen Buddhism, and had a very good time with it. Later on I managed to find my own way.)

So from the point of change in my art, as told before, I looked for what could interest me. The first thing I did was starting a project, which is still going on. I collect 11000 signed handkerchiefs of women from all over the world. It has to do with the holy Ursula, the saint of the city of Cologne. A myth is stating, that she had a company of 11000 maidens, all of whom where slain by the Huns, who laid siege to the town (very long ago). I wanted this myth to get into our reality, without showing the cruelty connected with the story. (Click here to see the work in progress- Penny)

The next project I wanted to do something which should deal with some men. And I found in the middle of the Christian religions this nearly naked young man, being tortured and crucified. How interesting, I thought. And in the center of every picture of him one can find a textile, which is concealing his manhood and at the same time is making him more naked.
This shroud was a theme I really liked to work with.

Rubens

And after this, I wanted to make another statement. I wanted to show how women can use a piece of cloth. So the series of Venus emerged. Here I concentrated on some paintings of one Master, Lucas Cranach the older. And I found a lot of pictures, lot more than I expected about the Venus, made with the same model. A very young girl, just at the border of being a woman. But again I concentrated on the textile, in this case called a veil, and made is the center focus of my pictures.

Der Schleier Der Venus/Lucretia

Tell me about your sculptural work.

This is mostly installations, sometimes things clustered together to give an atmosphere, like in "Anna".

Anna

At the moment I make hearts. Which I sew and stuff, to give them shape. I had made a series of organs, before. And there is a series of vaginas in small Sardines-cans

Fashion

What other mediums do you work in?
There is a big series about ink painting or calligraphy on book paper.

Two Works

Sometimes I combine painting and embroidery. Some installations are from different materials.

Who are your favorite artists? How have they influenced you?
My greatest favorite is Kiki Smith. I love her work and I think she is the strongest influence since more than four years. There is a great German embroidering artist (man!), Jochen Flinzer, which influenced me at my start. I am delighted by the work of Erwin Wurm.

What are you working on these days?
The heart series. It is like a drug, I can not stop making hearts. And again, this is a series about women.

Left- The Heart of Nora Banacle, Wife of James Joyce

Right- Heart With Fine Print

But next year there will be an exhibition in a Museum in Neuoetting. Next is the famous city of Altoetting, a pilgrimage site since more than 1250 years. I make new works for this, giving an answer to the relics, which interest my very much.
I started to work on a big embroidery. The theme will be the Japanese 'Nehan', this is pictures showing all beings mourning the dead Buddha Shakyamuni. I will show a figure of the dead Christ, mourned by animals and unearthly beings.

What do you want viewers to take from you work?

I love, if I can touch people. This is what I expect from art, to feel touched. I like to give them a smile inside, too.

Do you have any advice for other artists?
I think it is very crucial to listen to your self. One needs to know himself as much as possible. I had the luck to meet the Japanese Zen Buddhism, when I was very young. It gave me techniques to explore my self and dive deep into me. I found things I liked and things I disliked very much. It is an endeavor to learn to live with all this, not to reject and not to become rampant.
Love is most important.

Fourty-two #8

New Interview Up

2010-06-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

I'm absolutely thrilled and honored to be interviewed by the very talented Alexandra on her blog, Self Guided Art Therapy. It was one of the first blogs I became addicted to, and I've always been in awe of Alexandra's work. So go check it out! - Interview With Penny Nickels

Iphigenia in Aulis Commemorative Stamp

Credit where credit is due-

2010-06-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, the Sublime Stitching conflict with Urban Threads made it's way all over the stichingverse internet. Statements were issued, accusations were made, and people got shitty. I got shitty. I wrote a pretty vicious letter to Urban Threads as well as posting about the controversy here. (That post is now deleted). That's why I'm writing this. I should say that I do have both positive and negative opinions about the way each company handled this dispute and presented themselves, but I feel it would be dishonest to let my previous post stand, and to not follow up with the outcome.

Yesterday, Urban Threads posted their follow up. Apparently both parties have reached an agreement and the matter is now closed. Sublime Stitching has written a retraction of the initial accusations. I do feel like it's unfortunate that you can still find pages and pages online of last year's dispute, however information on the resolution seems terribly difficult to find. I was unaware of it until Miss Shaebay clued me in. So, in the spirit of disclosure and amending my previous stance, I hope interested readers will take a look at the Urban Threads post as well as Sublime Stitching's statement.

*All links are highlighted in the text above.

I haven't done a self portrait in at least 10 years, easily longer. This week, I did seven.

2010-06-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

I almost never do self portraits. They feel too much like I'm secretly indulging in vanity. I can't help but think they're somehow not honest. Am I portraying myself how I wished I looked? Am I trying to seduce the viewer, or attempting to show a quality I wish I had? These questions always come up when I sketch myself, and pretty soon I've abandoned the drawing. I mean, we all want to look attractive, and it's hard to let that go when you're deliberately posing and presenting your face.

So I did one straight forward portrait and was quickly disappointed. It looked fine technically, but it was boring as hell, and those old fears about naval gazing crept in. So I decided to draw myself making the most ridiculous faces I could think of.

Here's what I learned/remembered:
1. Hot Damn! I can draw some shit!
2. At art fag school, they were always drilling into me, "Draw what you SEE." You're brain will make things look like you think they "should". That's not actually what they look like. A good test is to turn the piece upside down. Perspective problems, poor composition, all the tricks your brain played will fall apart.
3. Speaking of drawing what you see, I drew a bunch of hands this week. Now they totally creep me out. They look like fat little squid feelers attached to my arms, and I can barely stand them. If you spend a lot of time really studying your body parts, shit gets weird. I need to draw some feet for a project, but now I'm avoiding it.
4. I was surprised that my favorite piece out of the series is probably the least attractive portrait of me I could possibly do. (The first one/Scrunch Face)When you're not trying to look pretty, you can really focus and amaze yourself.
5. When I go out, I try to put on a little makeup. Powder, mascara, lip gloss. For these, I pretty much rolled out of bed and didn't even bother brushing my hair. In most of them, I'm wearing the same tee shirt for several days. It's funny that for people I'll probably spend less than an hour with on the very rare occasion, I'll get dolled up. But for these portraits, where I have to study the true picture of my face, flaws and all, and immortalize it not only on paper but on the internet, I couldn't have cared less. All of these drawings have some beautiful moments in them, and they have nothing to do with makeup or awesome clothes.
6. Although I've never thought poorly about my looks, my perspective about what I believe makes me attractive has certainly been challenged by this series.
7. The most fun part about this was the responses and encouragement I've gotten from people. Bridget really went for it and tagged the photos on Flickr with amazing descriptions. She is hilarious!

Stop Punching Yourself

2010-06-02T18:29:00.001-07:00

Whoops.

2010-06-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Listening to Max Beerbohm while sketching will possess your self portrait.

I found Zuleika Dobson as an audio file on Project Gutenberg. Possession is the only thing that makes sense.

Self Portrait

2010-06-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

I don't do a lot of self portrait because it makes me feel like I'm getting too close to navel gazing vanity, but then I figured if I uggo myself up by pulling stupid faces, I can go back to treating it as an exercise.

I kind of love this.

P.S.
I'm pretty.

So then...

2010-05-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

Dirt Nap
Sleep mask
knit from BFL and baby llama I hand carded and spun on a cascade spindle. Hand embroidered poppies appliquéd across the eyes.

Invisibility Mask
knit from BLF I dyed and spun on a cascade spindle and plied with silk wrapped stainless steel thread. Covered with shisha mirrors I hand embroidered.

No New Work

2010-05-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

I know a few people seem to think that the pieces that I create are "projects" that crafters are free to interpret/copy/plagiarize ect. I can't stop them, but I'm also free to consider those people lazy assholes. Yes, some of my work contains derivative elements. For example, my postage stamp series uses parts of actual postage stamps. However, that is not an invitation to rip me off, use my titles, or straight up take my ideas after reading about them here or marking them as a favorite on flickr. (Yes, I am paying attention to when comments are made and pieces are marked as favorite, only to see the knock on Etsy off 3 months later).

To put it a simpler way, you don't see me doing a paper readymade L.H.O.O.Q and passing it of as my own.

I'm going to spell this out because some people seem to miss the point, despite the long winded descriptions I write. I don't spend 100 hours on a piece because it's fun or pretty. I do it to tell a story and make a statement. With the Haeckels, it wasn't, "This is cool." It was "I'm going to spend 200 + hours embroidering this as a shaggy dog joke about how a lot of stitchers spend their time, energy, and talent doing someone else's work." I picked an absurdly complex piece to shine a light on the paint by numbers fad.

What I'm saying is, I'm not going to do this even though I could and I love Schiele, because she did it first, and she did it beautifully. I have enough confidence in my own ideas to not feel like I need to copy hers. For me, it would be supremely disrespectful.

So for the time being, I will no longer be showing works in progress on here. I spend a tremendous amount of time from spinning my own fiber to the completed project, and while I'm spending months and months working throughly and thoughtfully, it leaves too much opportunity for hacks to crap out a knock off.

A lot of thought goes into my pieces. I'm confident in calling stealers and toe steppers hacks because if they put in half the thought and effort that I do, they'd be more likely to work on their own ideas.

REPLANTING THE GARDEN

2010-05-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

Our Indianapolis show at Big Car Gallery, "Replanting The Garden" opened on the 7th! Can you believe it? Johnny Murder and I got to have our work hung in the same space with needle wielding rock stars like Richard Saja (curator), Bascom Hogue, and Aubrey Longley-Cook! *Faint* 40 artists in all!
The show also has an Esty site for your buying convenience, click HERE to see it.

Thank you to sweet, handsome, amazing, weirdo, talented Richard Saja for including us. If you're not already stalking his art... Well, that's a tragedy.

All photo's are stolen from Richard-

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

2010-05-09T14:38:00.001-07:00

Yeah, my parents are dead, so I'm celebrating with lesbians and needlework! YAY!!!!

Needle Exchange

2010-04-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Little article on the history of American samplers. Go read it HERE!!!

Interview with Alexandra Walters of Knit-R-Done

2010-04-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Alexandra let me pick her brain a few days ago. She's one of my favorite contemporary fiber artists, and I'm thrilled she let me interview her. I'm in awe of her boldness, honesty, and originality that comes through so beautifully in her work.

Tell me about your background as an artist. How long have you been working in fiber art? I see you're a knitter and a spinner too, Yay!

My grandmother taught me to knit and sew when I was 7. I’ve never stopped. I used to paint in acrylics in my teens and twenties. In 2003 I found out that painting isn’t very compatible with raising kids, so I’ve stuck to fiber for the last 6 years. (I read http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Work-First-Years-Society/dp/0393313484 last year. It’s all true.)

The great thing about working in fiber is that there is no end to the medium. The day I started spinning my own wool for embroidery, I cried for the first half hour of stitches because it was so frickin’ exciting to me.

How would you describe your style?

My stitching style is loose and messy. I try to mimic painted brushstrokes. I want anybody who knows my work to be able to pick out my stitching style as distinctly Alexandrian. I’m getting there.

Do you sketch out your pieces first and work from a pattern, or do you see where the stitches take you?

For something with a rigid, technical structure, I’ll draw an iron-on transfer with a pencil and stay true to the basic lines. I don’t want my audience to work too hard trying to find a good representation. The vast majority of people who admire my work can name the make and model of a gun from the thumbnail. That’s important to me.

For something with rounded edges or an organic shape, I sketch the basic lines with a water soluble marker, then I stitch layers and layers of threads until I get what I want. (For example: a spoon might have layers of robin’s egg blue, spruce green, light gray, eggshell, bright white, pewter, navy, eggplant, taupe, black, brown, tan, cream, palest sea green, and six more shades of gray.)

Tell me about your work. What themes are you drawn to and why?

My themes come directly from my life. The best advise people give writers is to “write what you know.” I am a military wife--camouflage and Prozac are something I deal with daily. As bad as it sounds, I know guns and drugs.

How does needlework help you explore that?

My military themed work was started as a long love letter to my husband and my country. It quickly because a way to document my own life. These images are precious to me. They are the symbols of intense devotion, struggle, illness, and pain. My battles deserve honor. My story deserves to be heard.

How do people react to your work? I know that some people have been uncomfortable with it, do you think it's the subject matter, the medium, or both?

When people are uncomfortable with my work, I instantly get defensive. I’m not promoting violence.

I see my stitched M9 as love and longing. I see my husband crawling into a bulletproof vest. I smell the gun oil and burnt powder that clings to his hands. I hear his radio screeching in the dispatcher‘s voice. David is an MP. If he were a doctor, I’d have embroidered stethoscopes and tongue depressors.

I’m learning to ignore knee-jerk reactions from people. You’re offended by my quilted gun? I’m offended by mothers who neglect their children to smoke crack. I guess we all have opinions of what is and isn’t offensive.

I’m not trying to be provocative. This isn’t a gimmick. I am honest. My work is the most I can possibly expose myself. It’s more naked than naked.

What do you hope people take away from your work?

Chills. That’s what I get when I see really good fiber art. If that’s not possible, I want people to see my honesty. If that’s not possible, I want people to wonder how the hell I got so much damn floss on a tea towel.

What other artists do you admire? How have they influenced you?

I’m a big fan of Orly Cogan. She is exposed and raw. I want that kind of communication with my audience.

Kim Sooja is one of the bravest human beings on the planet. http://www.kimsooja.com/

Benjamin Shine makes his hand visible in every portrait he does. http://www.benjaminshine.com/art/artworks_home.html

I’ve also loved the work of Sherri Wood on her www.daintytime.com site. Her tattooed baby doll project inspired me to return to embroidery back in 1999. Before her, I honestly didn’t know that fiber could be considered “art” instead of “craft.”

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on a series based on the poetry of Pablo Neruda’s Odes to Common Things. Long live still life!

Do you have any advice for budding artists?

Find your own style and tell your own story. Never turn down the opportunity to learn a new fiber craft. You never know when you might be inspired to combine tatting and tattooing.

_______

Thank you Alexandra! See her blogs HERE and HERE

The Pattern Is Dead, Long Live The Pattern!

2010-04-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

At the risk of pissing off a large portion of the needlework community, I'm going to go ahead and speak my mind.
Commercial patterns = Paint by Numbers.
There. I said it.
   They amount to the same thing, however, we don't build hip website communities and handmade/craft shows and dedicate portions of hipster magazines to Paint by Numbers, why do we do it with needlework? Why is it not only encouraged, but elevated, as if you and thousands other stitchers have found the Awesomest Project Ever? We don't celebrate painters that primarily paint Paint By Numbers, why do we do it with stitchers?
   I know the conventional answer is "I can't come up with anything that cool/neat/beautiful/ but I want something interesting to stitch." Or, "I can't draw." Guess what. You don't have to.
   Although most of my work is original, I often incorporate non original elements into it. For example, my postage stamp series utilizes actual postage stamps. Granted, I re-drew them, but it's not essential.
   Here's a secret... There is plenty of copyright free art that can easily be used for needlework, and chances are, you'll be the only one stitching it. Oh, and it's free.
   I'm currently doing a series of Haeckel drawings.

My Version in progress.
How did I do that? Well, I drew out the elements I wanted to keep, and then used a projector to enlarge it and traced it with a heat transfer marker to make the pattern. This is the third Haeckel piece I've done so far. I'm nearly 100% positive I'm the only person embroidering his work. (At least that's what Google tells me).
But what if you can't draw? If you don't have a projector? Easy. Just print it out and trace what you want with a transfer marker. Done.
This is my piece for an upcoming show. The theme is works based on The Garden Of Earthly Delights.

This is the original work that I tweaked and added new elements to.

Again, I drew my version and added things, but you could easily print it out and trace it.
Here's a great tutorial on how to turn photos into patterns- Feeling Stitchy Also, I bet this Craft Magazine tutorial would work too- Craftzine
So I guess my point is, needlework takes a tremendous amount of time. Do we want to spend that kind of effort on a pattern that everyone else is doing? And if we're not going to do our own work, why don't we pick something unusual? If we're going to do paint by numbers, let's do this-

instead of this-

Seriously.

*Also, Blogspot has changed the post format and it's all screwy. Forgive the strange paragraph layout.

Masterpiece Theater

2010-04-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

When I can't sleep, Johnny Murder reads to me. This may explain my sleep disorder that causes me to hallucinate, however.

Craftivism

2010-04-14T06:08:00.000-07:00

New Needle Exchange article up over at MrXStitch! Go Read It!

Food Town! Sweet Potato Focaccia!!!!!

2010-04-10T22:17:00.001-07:00

Johnny Murder and I tried our hand at home made focaccia with amazing results. We started out using this Food And Wine recipe, with a few changes. We halved the amount of leeks and added portabella mushrooms and garlic. We used Yukon Golds instead of Russets, and let it rise twice for an hour each time before laying it in the pan to rise a third and final time. (I don't trust dough that only rises once.) It was sooooo gooood.

Then John had the smarty pants idea to make it again using Sweet Potatoes in the dough, and topping it with spinach, garlic, caramelized onions, feta, portabellas, and bacon. IT WAS AMAZING. WE ARE TOO FAT TO LEAVE THE HOUSE NOW.

Next time I make it I'm going to top it with swiss chard and gruyere, but I think it would also be interesting to do one with roasted fennel bulb, chopped roasted walnuts and feta. I'm gonna go crazy with it!

Also the dough is vegan, so if you adjust the toppings it's yummy for everyone!

I'm only going to post the dough recipe, you can pretty much top it with whatever you like. It's ends up being a beautiful orange color, and it's not super sweet at all. Rather, it kind of enhances the sweetness that dough already has. Here's our tweaked recipe. (it follows the Food&Wine one pretty closely, dough wise)

This will fill and 11"x17" baking sheet, so plan accordingly. Also, you'll probably end up using two largish bowls. One for mixing and one for rising the dough.

Dough

2 large sweet potatoes (or yams, which ever one has orange flesh. Sometimes they're labeled funny)

1 packet of fleischmann's active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for oiling and brushing

salt

sugar

Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Mash or rice or hand blend until super smooth. Measure out 1 1/3 cups.

Meanwhile, combine well the yeast, warm water and 1/2 cup of flour with a pinch of sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about 30 minutes. The mixture will froth and nearly double in size.

In a large bowl combine the yeast/flour/water mixture, the 1 1/3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, 3 cups of flour, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Kneed until a sticky, loose, taffy like dough forms. At least five minutes.

Transfer to an oiled bowl, and turn the mass of dough ball to coat. Let stand covered with an oiled piece of foil in a warm, draft free spot for an hour. It should double in size.

Knead again, for 3 to 5 minutes. Returned to oiled bowl, (It's okay if there are some sticky doughy bits still in it) and let it rise again for an hour, covered with the foil.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Lightly oil an 11"x17" baking sheet. Transfer the dough and press and stretch to form a rectangle about the same size. Lightly brush (or use the back of a spoon) the dough with more olive oil and loosely cover with oiled foil for 30 minutes. It will get puffy. Use your fingers to make indentations evenly all over the dough. Top it with stuff you like!

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The crust should brown a bit and the cheese should bubble.

As far as topping measurements, for the leek one we used 4 leeks, chopped and caramelized, one sauteed chopped portabella and 1/4LB of swiss.

When we made the second one we used four strips of cooked bacon, chopped, one portabella, 1 1/2 cups of sauteed spinach, almost a whole purple onion, caramelized, and then a mix of swiss and feta that came close to 1/4 of a LB. AND GARLIC! Always add lots of chopped garlic! OH! AND FRESH HERBS!!!!! Thyme and rosemary and sea salt are great scattered all over this. Fresh Basil would be amazing too.

Good Times in Portland

2010-04-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was my first set of shows here in Portland. It was an amazing experience, and what really made it special is sharing it with the kick ass stitchers below.

Photo by Pam's hubby, Mark

Pam from Faster Kitty Kill, Tara from Bubble Off Plumb and my sweet honey Johnny Murder from MANBROIDERY! Not only do I get to write with these ladies at Feeling Stitchy and MrXStitch, it was amazing to be hanging out with the some of the most notable stitchers on the west coast. POW! Represent!

So here's a run down of the pieces we have up. At Redux-

Fetish Triptych

Clearly, You Haven't Earned Them Yet

Pussy Magnet by Johnny Murder

And then at Good Gallery-

Trilobite Triptych

So thanks to everyone who came out and saw the work, it was really special. And if you're in Indianapolis in May, I've got a piece up at Big Car Gallery!

History of Craftivism!

2010-03-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

Go read my article at MrXStitch. It's not crazy long like last week. Enjoy! Click HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS!!!!

2010-03-24T15:47:00.001-07:00

relief print by me, 6"x9"

REDUX GALLERY

ONE STITCH FOWARD

PORTLAND OR.

OPENS APRIL 2ND

GOOD GALLERY

CREEPY CRAWLIES

PORTLAND OR.

OPENS APRIL 2ND

BIG CAR GALLERY

REPLANTING THE GARDEN

INDIANAPOLIS IN.

OPENS MAY 7TH

send your address to donkeywolf@gmail.com to receive a signed and numbered print, 1-30.

Needle Exchange

2010-03-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Head over to MrXStitch for my amazing conclusion to Let's Talk About Sex!

Because who isn't interested in understanding sex in needlework?!?

Get ready for Wednesday!

2010-03-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

photo by Robert Mapplethorpe, 1983

On Wednesday's edition of Needle Exchange with Penny Nickels, we'll be wrapping up our "Let's Talk About Sex" discussion with some contemporary artists, including the work of the lady pictured above. That's a hint! Mark your calendars!

For Bridget

2010-03-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

We eat grits around here like crazy. Almost everyday, sometimes several times a day. I'm stocked up on corn meal to Zombie Apocalypse levels around here. Lots of people have asked how I make them, so I thought I'd post the recipe here. Now, I'm not Food And Wine Dot Com, so if the way I've written this seems weird or confusing, let me know and I'll try to answer your questions.

Get Ready to Get Fat!

Grits!

Okay, I use coarse cornmeal, which is the same as polenta. You can usually find them in the bulk isle. They'll be yellow, and they'll say something like polenta/grits coarse corn meal

It's all pretty much the same, lots of regions have some sort of corn porridge. Although grits are sometimes made from rice or hominy, I like the yellow coarse kind. Some people will tell you that you need to stir these non stop for an hour. I'm too lazy to do that. These taste great in half the time and half the stirring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grits

Here is a great, pain basic recipe. Nothing Fancy, easy to understand. My recipes are a bit different, but this will totally get you started.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/creamy-cheese-grits

Here are three variations

Main Ingredients

1 cup coarse yellow corn meal

1 cup milk

3 cups water (or stock if you want to get fancy)

2 tbs of butter (but you can leave it out if you're trying not to have a heart attack)

salt and pepper

(These are the main ingredients that you will always use, and always use this ratio. 1 cup grits to 4 cups liquid)

However, all add ins to the main recipe are flexible. Meaning, if you have two cups of mushrooms instead of one, throw it in and don't worry about it.

This is a one pan deal, use a sauce pan that can handle at least 6 cups or more, But a stock pot would be overkill.

Also, these recipes can easily be vegan, just sub milk for water or veggie stock and leave out butter or cheese. Variation 3 works well for veganizing.

for fancy time variation 1.

1 portabella mushroom, diced or a similar amount of crimini, shitake, or chantarelle mushrooms diced. Eyeball it. Somewhere between one and two cups of mushrooms.

1 cup (or more if you're throwing blood-pressure to the wind) shredded cheddar

2 diced cloves of garlic (or more cloves if you're awesome)

fresh thyme, about 3 nice sprigs, stripped and leaves chopped.

(Also, have some frozen corn in the fridge? Throw a half to a whole cup in along with the liquid, it's awesome)

Sauté mushrooms in butter or olive oil until brown and fragrant at medium high heat.

Throw in thyme and garlic and give them a stir. Do not brown the garlic, we're just incorporating these last items at the last minute.

Add the cup of milk and the three cups of water, bring to a boil.

Add salt and pepper to liking, or add when serving. Up to you.

While stirring slowly, pour the cup of cornmeal in a thin stream into the pot. Keep stirring, scraping the sides and the bottom for three minutes.

(This shit will splatter like Cajun Napalm and burn the crap out of your hands. Use a long wooden spoon.)

Reduce heat to medium low and continue stirring until it's a not so angry splatter fest. (Around five minutes)

Stir in the cheese a few bits at a time until melted.

Adjust the heat to the lowest medium setting, (does that make sense?) and let it cook for another 15 to 30 minutes, giving it a stir every few minutes. You'll know it's done when the grits start to pull away from the sides of the pan when you stir, they'll almost have a slight dome to the surface, instead of laying perfectly flat across the top. (I just realized, it pretty much has the consistency of really thick batter)

Ladle it into bowls and marvel at the wonder of perfect cuisine that hails from the South, or Italy, or Africa, or South America, or wherever.

IMPORTANT- If you let this sit in dirty bowls, forks, spoons, pan, it will set up like cement. Rinse out!

Leftovers! Pour the left overs into a baking dish and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Later pop them in the oven at 350 until hot (maybe 20 minutes) and slice and serve. Or slice the cold grits and fry in hot oil. This method is yummy but tricky. Lots or splattering and they'll stick if you're not careful.

Fancy Variation 2-

sub the mushrooms and thyme for sauteed chopped spinach, shallots, and garlic, and the cheddar for Gruyère

Fancy Variation 3- roast one whole butternut squash. Use a masher or a hand blender or food processor to get it really smooth, add it to the boiling milk water mushroom combo in Variation 1 BEFORE you add the grits. Whisk or stir to incorporate well, the liquid will be orange color and mostly be lump free, (except for the mushrooms), like a smooth potato soup consistency. Leave the cheese out of this recipe, you won't miss it.

Yawn.

2010-03-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

I'm really fucking tired of a vocal minority insisting that the only reason artists embroider erotica or guns or anything that's *slightly* controversial and not a precious kitten is because they making A FEMINIST STATEMENT. OR SUBVERTING A FEMININE TRADITION. Really? Because I'm going to have to insist that by making such a sweeping generalization, those people are lazy and ignorant. Not everything I do is dictated by the political history of having a vagina. Really. And shockingly, that's also true for many artists. But because those people are going to think that anyway, I figured, fine. Here is my “giant feminist statement” piece. Enjoy, dipshits.

Clearly, You Haven't Earned Them Yet

Mixed Media Shisha 11" across

Hand embroidered on hand dyed silk with pheasant wing

Check Out The Penises in The Bayeux Tapestry

2010-03-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

No, seriously. Check them out.

I have a new twice monthly column at Mr X Stitch! YAY!

Click HERE to read it! This month's column is about traditional genital motifs in needlework, as well as the pants down people in the Bayeux Tapestry. Why did I pick this as my first piece?

Well, for some reason, people seem to to be accepting of the piece below.

As well as this piece...
But show them the same thing stitched and it's all, "The Horror!"

"Pervert!" and "You're just trying to be shocking!"

The question I asked was, "What I find most interesting about this genre of work, is that we seem to struggle to find a context for it. Sexual representations, whether graphic or oblique, can be easily found in all art forms throughout history. So why does there seem to be an issue with it in needlework?"

So come with me over to Mr. X Stitch where I try to put all this business into context. And don't worry, all the images I use over there are completely G rated. As a matter of fact, it's probably things you've seen a billion times before.

Help me pick out a Drum Carder!

2010-02-22T01:29:00.000-08:00

I'm going to bite the bullet and buy a drum carder. I really need to start taking better care of my hands, and hand carding pounds of fiber is probably something I could stand to take a break from.

But what am I going to do with all this fiber?!?

So here's the deal, reader. I need help picking out a drum carder. I don't want anything motorized, and I'd REALLY not like to have to put anything together.

Currently I have pounds and pounds of the following fiber-

Llama

Silk

Wool (Navajo, Finn, Icelandic, BFL, Coopworth)

Angora Goat (Mohair)

Here's what I need to know, If I want to blend Silk and Finn, can I do that on a medium tooth carder? Or can I only use fine toothed carder for blending fine fibers?

Also, Does anyone own the Ashford Wild Drum Carder? I would love something that could handle crazy art batts, but I can't find info on the teeth. Can I card a regular old mohair/wool blend through this? Let me know. And, has anyone used the Fancy Kitty Kitten Drum Carder?

Anyway spinners, What do you use? What do you like? What can I cram fine and medium fiber through and not end up in tears?

New Work, New Blog, Old Ideas

2010-02-18T12:59:00.001-08:00

I've been doing a lot of shisha experiments over the last year. If you're unfamiliar, shisha is the embroidery tradition of fixing mirrors to cloth using stitches.

Mirrors and Buttons on silk
And then I thought, well that's interesting, I wonder what else can be shisha-ed, and started doing things like this.

Mirrors, Buttons, Sand Dollars and Urchin on velvet
And then I remembered how many places that use mirror work in their embroidery, do so because of a spiritual tradition. There are conflicting views based on the region, but often times mirrors are used to attract or repel spirits. Coins can be used in this way too, almost anything that's shiny. Bones, shells and teeth are also good examples of things that are relatively common in traditional needlework.
When I started digging, I also found many examples of seeds being used in traditional embroidery for similar reasons. Sometimes it's just that they make easy beads, and sometimes it's their scent that it used to attract or repel spirits. Sometimes it's just an easy way of holding onto them, it just depends on the culture. So I started playing around with that idea.

Fetish Triptych

Seeds, Elk Tooth, and Urchin on velvet
Then I just started raiding the yard and pantry for anything I could force a needle through.

Seeds and Husks on silk

I'm not sure where I'm going with these pieces, but I am working on an installation in the style of the last two. There's a lot of weirdness in embroidery. I think that sometimes we believe that what we're doing is highly unusual, or ground breaking, but history shows us that a lot of the themes and materials we use have been common for tens of thousands of years. However, it is thrilling for me to "discover" something I haven't seen before in these traditions, and then reinterpret it.

Also, this is a good time to announce that starting in March, I'm going to be writing for Mr. X Stitch! YAY! My column is called "Needle Exchange" and I will be exploring traditional needlework throughout history, (and often pre-history) and finding it's modern counterpart. So if this little piece came off a bit light, it's because I'm saving the heavy footnotes for Mr. X Stitch. Hope to see you guys over there! (Don't worry, I'll still be here, too.)

I know famous people

2010-02-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

My best friend Gigi (we call her Butt-Butt) is a hot shot on Etsy!
Here's my favorite quote-
"The best of those horrible names is for one of the many raccoons - his full name is Afrokintaro Kin Kinichi. He's 50% Japanese, 50% dog, 50% African, and part raccoon. He's not as popular as Prince Willis the raccoon, but that's what happens when you're stuck with a name like that..." Click here for the interview!

(She is the inventor of the NOM NOM soap!)

New Phat Quarter Swap!

2010-02-08T07:07:00.000-08:00

If you're a member of Phat Quarter on Flick, we're having a swap! Sign up starts today and is open for one week, so head over and read the rules if you're interested!

Click HERE for the link!

Here's a hint about the theme-

Feeling Stitchy

2010-02-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

I am now a contributor to Feeling Stitchy! Yay! I'll be posting things all over their Facebook, and Floresita gave me the keys to the blog in a sweet gesture of trust! I promise to never use them.

Read my intro here!-

http://tinyurl.com/yck77us

Exciting! Here's a sneak peak at what I'm working on now, it's a ball buster.

Lost Interview With MANBROIDERY Founder, Johnny Murder!

2010-01-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

Where did it go?
Well, great news! We received an email from Living Creatively, and they let us know they are not down and out, only making some changes to their web site! This is exciting news, because their site was (will be) beautiful, thorough, and filled with insights and interviews into craft, art and Living Creatively!
So we're going to keep an eye out, and I'll be sure to let you guys know when they're back up and running!

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT

2010-01-25T21:48:00.001-08:00

Johnny Murder and I were guests on Emergency Pants!

Mostly we just giggle and high five. Thanks to Bridget and Shane for letting us come over and play!

http://emergency-pants.net/2010/01/25/episode-82-filthy-robot-slaves/

I need help!

2010-01-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

I have a question for those of you that spin AND weave- I want to weave with some BFL singles I spun, they're not over spun, and I set the twist with the hot bath, wack the skein method. But because they are singles, they'll always be energized, right? How will these effect my final product? Will they bias like with knitting at the first touch of humidity? Thanks!

Faster Kittykill Interview!

2010-01-20T18:34:00.000-08:00

Sweet Pam over at Faster Kittykill! Blog! Blog! gave me an opportunity to shoot my crazy mouth off by interviewing me! So hop on over there and check it out! Also, spend some time poking around afterwards to find everything from hangover remedies, awesome art, and precious dogs!

Click HERE

Slap Chop!

2010-01-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

I love this. I can't even talk about how much I love this.

If you don't know who Bridget is, well, this next piece will explain it better than I could.

She's like the Emma Peel to Jamie's John Steed if Mr. X Stitch was The Avengers. And she co-hosts the only podcast that Johnny and I listen to. Laughing is fun! So click the links above and check out Emergency Pants and you can buy patterns from her here!

Tod Hensley Flying Haystacks Embroidery!

2010-01-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

Tod Hensley, the mastermind behind Flying Haystacks Embroidery, was kind enough to let me interview him about his work! Now, I love all the interviews I've done, they're all insightful and special, but the way he answered the last question made me snarf my coffee. Be warned.

Tell me about your background as an artist. (I see you studied fine art)

I always drew since I can remember. It was like second nature to me. Then it became the only thing I did, or tried to do, the only thing I did that made me feel like I wasn't wasting time, and the only thing that was 'mine'. I still feel that way now.

Anyhow, I ended up studying 'fine art' painting in college. Over the years I have worked in different mediums, including 8mm film, collage, and an art zine (artist publication). After the zine was over embroidery came along.

How long have you been exploring fiber arts? What prompted you to try embroidery?

About 2 years.

I was making small collages but I was having problems finishing them. I liked part of one and part of another. So, I stitched the parts I liked together. I had done this before on a couple of occasions on larger pieces using colored string. I'm not exactly sure where I got that idea. Anyhow, the stitches became marks of themselves and eventually became shapes, then the thread eventually dominated into the full form.

Tell me about your style.

I tend to favor rough, expressionistic marks. With stitches I can easily make shapes and forms that are 'crude' looking. But at the same time they can look beautiful, like a mosaic.

I approach each embroidery like a painting. The stitches are like brushstrokes.

But stitching is 'do or die'. I don't take a stitch out once I've made it, and you can only stitch on top of another stitch once, maybe twice. That has a big affect on my approach and technique.

Right now I use only one type of stitch that I know of, I think its called the 'back stitch' or 'scallop' stitch. I taught myself so I don't really know. Someone told me I use a lot of different types of stitches but I don't really think about naming them.

I like to mix different types of threads (plain, metallic, multi-colored, silk, etc.) because they all have different textures and all together they give a certain 'multi- layered' look to the surface. And it keeps things fresh while I am working.

Do you sketch out your pieces first or stitch and see where it takes you?

Both.

What themes are you drawn to and why?

I grew up on a diet of comic art, cartoons and fantasy illustration, the more obscure the better. That has stayed with me to some extent. I also gravitate towards surrealistic, religious and mythological imagery. I always liked creating and looking at 'life forms' that are not human, that exist only in the fantasy world of the imagination, or are representations of human feelings perhaps. But I also like human anatomy, science book illustration, some decorative arts and also abstraction and I mix everything up.

The interesting thing about religious art is that it represents something that supposedly does exist, if you buy into the particular belief system. Recently I've been looking at my embroideries as if they are incarnations of some kind of spirits. I don't believe that they really are but it makes the process of creating more interesting. I think I expect too much out of creating, or art. I expect it to be more than what it really is. What I expect it to be I don't really know. I'm not telling a story. I just know that I want the forms to 'live' somehow. But I often don't want to know exactly why I'm doing it. If I know exactly why I'm doing it, or exactly what I want it to look like or to mean when I am finished, than there is no reason to do it. That approach also stifles creative thinking as well.

How does embroidery help explore that?

Well, as I stated above, the stitch marks help me create forms the way I like them to look. And, I find that it just helps me work. I always liked things that take a long time to make, things that are labor intensive. The process can be peaceful. I get into a 'zone' sometimes and the hours just fly by (which I hate), but it's better than feeling anxious, depressed, angry and confused which is how I feel most of the rest of the time.

I've also played with other explanations, like the spirit thing. I could say that I'm on some kind of continuous pilgrimage, or meditation which will, slowly, step by step, stitch by stitch, embroidery by embroidery, eventually lead me to the Grail, or Nirvana, or becoming one with the Cosmos. But then I can also just say that I make things because I think they look 'cool'.

How do people respond to your embroidery? For example, do you find that people view it as a craft rather than art? Are they surprised to find a man embroidering?

People are usually impressed with the detail and uniqueness. Some people definitely see it as art, to be framed and hung. Some I suppose think of it as a craft. One person thought they looked like patches to be sewn to a jacket. But most don't define it or me.

What other mediums do you work in?

Right now, none. I sew all the time.

Which other artists do you admire? How have they influenced your work?

Basquiat was a big influence. A lot of expressionists throughout the 20th century. Rauschenberg (I may have first gotten the idea of sewing two pieces of a collage together from his work). There are so many. I am always getting influenced. I like illustrations from really old books. An old, lavishly illustrated dictionary can be rich in inspiration. Recently I saw a James Ensor exhibit. I made an embroidery after that which borrowed heavily from his work - his brush strokes, content, it was also a self-portrait (he did many). I'm trying not to look at so many other artists.

What do you hope people take away from your art?

I hope they take away the actual art itself, in exchange for cash. And my contact information too.

A few people have said that it's inspiring. There really isn't anything better than one can do for another in this world than to have inspired them.

Check out Tod's esty store here- Flying Haystacks Embroidery

Also, check out the Facebook Page!

Shisha Experiments

2010-01-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

I'm too lazy to do my usual dissection of the pretentious meaning behind the piece, so if you're up to googling the titles, you'll probably figure it out fairly quickly. The only thing I'll add is that the titles of the triptych all have to do with triple deities in some convoluted way. It's probably not immediately obvious.

Anyway presenting Fetish Triptych: Cronus, Graeae, and Phorcydes

Hand embroidered on brown velvet with seeds, elk canine, and urchin. 4" across

I did the tooth first and became creeped out pretty quickly. Then I realized I may have accidently made a fetish. Whoops.

Looking for a New Year's Resolution?

2009-12-28T10:54:00.000-08:00

It's the time of year when most of us dust off our best intentions, and attempt to revel in “the spirit of the season”. Even in these ridiculously depressing times, we try to remember what's important and count our blessings and our loved ones.

Many of us gave handmade gifts this year, maybe hand knit socks or embroidered linens, or a snarky cross stitch for that friend with a rotten sense of humor. But how about supporting a charity that teaches people how to do needle work? People who desperately need the solace and confidence that comes from learning how to do something by hand?

Fine Cell Work is the “unofficial charity” of Mr. X Stitch.

What is Fine Cell Work?

“Fine Cell Work is a social enterprise that teaches needlework to prison inmates and sells their products. The prisoners do the work when they are locked in their cells, and the earnings give them hope, skills and independence.   

Our mission is to rehabilitate prisoners by giving them the opportunity to earn and save money and the chance to reflect on and rebuild their lives through craft and achievement. Prisoners do Fine Cell Work for an average of 3 years: the benefits can therefore be profound”

• Fine Cell Work is now done in 26 prisons

 • 80% of the stitchers are men • In 2008, 403 fine cell workers earned a total of £61,890 

• The inmates are taught by 50 volunteer instructors  

• All our classes have waiting lists 

• In 2008 we had roughly 150 offers of volunteering

• In 2004-08 we had enquiries from 63 prisons which we did not have the resources to meet  

“Fine Cell Work gives these men dignity in work and through this, dignity in life. When a man gains self-respect he may start addressing his offending behaviour”  Officer, HMP Wandsworth

There's an onine shop where you can purchase beautiful needlepoint pillows, or you can participate in their Sponser a Prisoner program and purchase commissioned work using a color pallet of your choosing. And of course they accept donations-

£10 would pay for materials to stitch one tapestry cushion

(100 hours of creative work)

So, if you're looking for a place where you can make a huge impact in someone's life, (and by extension their community when they're released), I urge you to take a look at Fine Cell Work. I wish we had more programs like this.

Click HERE for more info.

YUMMY HOLIDAY FOOD TOWN!!!!

2009-12-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays Everyone! My gift to you is the Dr. Pepper Glazed Ham recipe.

Here's the recipe! It's Stupid Easy-
INGREDIENTS
One 10-pound, bone-in smoked ham, skin removed and fat trimmed to 1/4 inch
3 cups Dr Pepper (not diet)
2 cups water
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/3 cup yellow mustard (I use whole grain)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325° and position a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Set the smoked ham in a large roasting pan.
Score a 1/4-inch-deep crosshatch pattern into the fat at 2-inch intervals. Pour 2 cups of the Dr Pepper and the 2 cups of water into the pan and roast the ham for about 2 1/2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the ham registers 120°.
Increase the oven temperature to 425°.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, simmer the prunes in the remaining 1 cup of Dr Pepper until they are plump and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the prunes to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Whisk the mustard, brown sugar and vinegar into the liquid in the saucepan and boil until very thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.
Drizzle the syrupy glaze over the ham and roast until glossy, 20 minutes. Carefully transfer the ham to a cutting board.
Pour the pan juices into the saucepan and spoon off the fat.
Boil the sauce until reduced to 2 cups, 10 minutes.
Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and the prunes and bring to a boil.
Simmer the sauce until thickened, 2 minutes.
Slice the ham and serve with the Dr Pepper sauce.

***After you've Hammed on It for about a week, because that's how much leftovers you'll have, pick the bone and make stock. It will be amazing and it can go in anything... Beans, Grits, Soup, Greens, Sauces...
***Also, this is sweet, but not as eye watering sweet as you'd think it would be. The mustard and the vinegar really cuts through.

****This is not an original recipe, It might be Alton Brown or Food and Wine. I can't remember because I just have it saved as a DOC on my computron.

But this will be the fourth time I've made it, AND IT IS AWESOME!

Oh, Hilarious internets

2009-12-15T07:55:00.001-08:00

This came from my site meter, totally awesome-

This came from a Facebook referral. Totally awesomer-

FIESTA! (Completely unprepared for my close up)

2009-12-08T00:02:00.000-08:00

Our sweet, talented friend Rich just finished his new documentary titled Fiesta! It's about Texas expat artists living in Portland. Because we're completely self indulgent, we've cut out the clip that pertains to us for your viewing pleasure!

You can view the theatrical preview HERE, and contact Rich for the entire movie, or many of his other awesome documentaries. Or, if you live in the PDX area and aren't creepy, you can come over and watch it, (Tara).

P.S. The stupid watermark is because I'm too lazy to find a decent DVD converter.

P.P.S. I don't why he's callin' me "Wells". He's well aware my fake name is "Penny".

Mr. X Stitch does it again!

2009-12-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

He says, "After longer than I care to mention I finally finished the piece that started all this Mr X Stitch shenanigans. Panika is about 15 inches wide and about 8 inches high."

He's featured in Cross Stitcher Magazine Issue 221! Go Jamie!

Click on the photos above to go to his Flickr stream, or better yet, go to Mr. X Stitch!

Questions I ask that makes almost everybody mad at me.

2009-12-03T01:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, do you ever get so annoyed, you can't focus?

I've been seeing so many post and articles about “sustainable” and “vegan” and “carbon footprints” it just set my teeth on edge. Why? These are good things to be seeing and thinking about, right? Yes, but only if we're going to do it honestly.

Errrrrrr...

1.Eco friendly vegan sustainable fiber. I see and hear a lot of request for this. No animal products, because animal products are wrong ethically, or bad for the environment, or against your religion or whatever. Fine. But guess what? The soy silk/bamboo fiber/sea cell whatever isn't magically foraged from the wild by fairies and converted into usable fiber by unicorn farts.

Everybody can rattle off facts about the best case/worst case scenarios for pastoralism, so I won't bore you with it here, but people in search of “vegan/eco” fiber will rarely discuss how that stuff is grown at the expense of a polyculture (including the eradication of animals) and use factories and harsh chemicals to turn it into usable fiber. Factories aren't made out of or fueled by moonbeams, and chemicals aren't made out of angel tears. Everything about creating that product is done at the expense of another animal and contributes to negative environmental impact.

I know some people will cry “Organic cotton!”, but acres of cotton fields are not naturally occurring, and you can bet they were cleared, planted and maintained at the expense of other living things. This goes for your diet too.

It starts to look to me that the only thing “vegan” means is that you're a few steps removed from another creature's demise. About as removed as I am when I buy a steak from the butcher.

2. “I drive a Prius!” How nice for you, but if your car isn't made out of rocks and twigs, don't pretend it's environmentally friendly. Carnegie Mellon University is doing a “life analysis” of the impact of those cars. They take into account the mining for metal and minerals, the factory fabrication, factory pollution and environmental impact, the shipping of parts, the shipping of cars... all of it. If we really wanted an environmentally friendly car, we would salvage older existing models and go “Cuba Style” on them and put in a hybrid engine. Or we'd take the bus and ride second hand bikes. But then we couldn't show off our new fad consumer accessory and feel superior to everyone else. This also applies to most (not all) green homes.

3. “I live sustainably! My carbon footprint is almost nothing!” Not really. Humans lived sustainably for 180,000+ years. It's only been in the last 9,000ish that that's changed and spread all over the world. If you were actually living sustainably, you would quickly find yourself on the wrong side of the law. Just look at how countries treat their indigenous people or more accessibly, their homeless.

So here are the questions I ask that make people shriek at me.

“So, being a vegan means you believe it's bad to eat/wear these animals, but it's okay to have someone else kill these other animals and ecosystems they depend on in order to not eat or wear them? Is that speciesism? I'm confused.”

“So your hybrid car/green house is environmentally friendly even though at every step of it's production down to the screws it has negatively effected the environment? How does that work?”

I'm not even going to pretend ask the last question, because it usually involves me asking the person if they realize they're racist.

My point is, it's not wrong to explore new ways of doing things and these are crucially important things to think about, but can we all just abandon the lie that new ways are somehow friendly and not still harmful? Until we do that, I don't believe we're going to make much progress.

I await the shrieks.

UPDATE- My friend just sent me a link to a clothing company she works for. I would love to see more of this kind of honesty in the marketplace!

http://www.nau.com/about/think/sustainable-fabrics.html

Asterion Commemorative Stamp

2009-11-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

"Would you believe it, Ariadne? The Minotaur scarcely defended himself."

Asterion Commemorative Stamp, hand embroidered, original design. Completed in 42 hours.

Shockingly, this piece has nothing to do with Athena. Really it's Poseidon who got his panties in a wad and caused all the trouble. I'm not going to focus so much on the myth here, but there are some interesting elements I'd like to address. Firstly, Daedalus, (Icarus' father) was the one who made the hollow wooden cow statue that Queen Pasiphae hid in so she could have sex with Poseidon's bull. She became pregnant and gave birth to Asterion the Minotaur. She was also Ariadne's mother, making Ariadne and Asterion half siblings.

As far as the labyrinth goes, some sources claim Daedalus created it as a "dancing ground" for Ariadne. However, he is always attributed as creating the labyrinth to house Asterion.

Ariadne is sometime viewed as a weaving goddess, which makes her place in fiber art particularly relevant.

Also, Medea shows up in the Theseus myths, and she's pretty interesting too.

The version of this story I'm most fascinated with is Jorge Luis Borges' short story, The House of Asterion.

It opens with the narrater describing his house, and rebutting common misconceptions about it and himself.

"It is true I never leave my house, but it is also true that it's doors (whose number is infinite) are open day and night to men and to animals as well. Anyone may enter."

He goes on to say, "Another ridiculous falsehood has it that I, Asterion, am prisoner. Shall I repeat that there are no locked door, shall I add that there are no locks?"

He recounts how one time he did venture outside, but the commoners "prayed, fled, prostrated themselves..." He believes this is because he is royalty, (his mother is the queen).

He talks about how in his loneliness, he plays a game where another Asterion visits him. He guides him through his home, describing each room, and tells him how every nine years nine people come to him, "so that I may deliver them from evil."

Just as he delivers the sacrificial people, he too awaits his "redeemer" who will finally kill him and free him from his house. The last line is delivered by Theseus who reveals Asterion's identity when he says, "Would you believe it, Ariadne? The Minotaur scarcely defended himself."

This piece completes the triptych along with Medusa and Arachne. Like the other ones, this piece will be turned into a pillow sham, literally transforming the embroidery into a bedtime story and enhancing it's nightmarish qualities.

DONKEYWOLF

Working on lace

Seafood

Some Days Are Better Than Others

WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER

CONTEST UPDATE! And other stuff.

Dabbling in Paper Cutting

Other Stuff

I'M IN A BOOK!!!! Also- CONTEST!!!!! WIN SOMETHING!!!!

Because I need another poorly maintained blog...

Women, Rise Up!

Thunk. Thunk. Is this thing on?

I'm in Fiberarts Magazine

Portrait

Alright, Gang! Let's make this happen!

How We Do

And then there's this

Soon

My Brother

Love Birds

And it knows no bounds.

This is how I procrastinate

This Is Handmade

Thanksgiving

Self Portrait in Lace

Learning About Tatting

Come Carmen Sandiego With Me

Oct 1st Opening at Redux!

A brief history of goldwork

And now, back to work.

Oh the shaming. THE SHAMING.

Crackin' Knowledge Eggs

*This is me pointing my finger at you*

Part Two!

P is for Philatelist (AP)

Stitching N Junk!

Side Project

Now this one

A is for Augur

Going Batty. (I went there)

Doing Stuff

I Love that I can ask you guys anything

Hello Embroidery Fancier!

Did you know?

OH MY GOLLY.

Gouge Away

Attention Spinners!

Interview With Walter Bruno Brix

New Interview Up

Credit where credit is due-

I haven't done a self portrait in at least 10 years, easily longer. This week, I did seven.

Stop Punching Yourself

Whoops.

Self Portrait

So then...

No New Work

REPLANTING THE GARDEN

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

Needle Exchange

Interview with Alexandra Walters of Knit-R-Done

The Pattern Is Dead, Long Live The Pattern!

Masterpiece Theater

Craftivism

Food Town! Sweet Potato Focaccia!!!!!

Good Times in Portland

History of Craftivism!

UPCOMING SHOWS!!!!

Needle Exchange

Get ready for Wednesday!

For Bridget

Yawn.

Check Out The Penises in The Bayeux Tapestry

Help me pick out a Drum Carder!

New Work, New Blog, Old Ideas

I know famous people

New Phat Quarter Swap!

Feeling Stitchy

Lost Interview With MANBROIDERY Founder, Johnny Murder!

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT

I need help!

This is me pointing my finger at you