Less Than Technical

A Ceramics Lover's Alternative

2012-04-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

In my last post, I mentioned that I hadn't made a model of one of my dogs, so I finally got it finished a couple weeks ago. Isn't he cute?

His name is Connor, and while was working on the model, the real guy was checking out my progress.

I know everyone has their strengths, but I really do think working with polymer clay is much easier than most people think. I am going to show you step by step how I made the little cutie.

First step, of course, is to collect everything you will need and get it set up. The clay will stick to your hands, especially since once it gets warm from being worked, so you don't want to track it all over the house looking for something you forgot. Once you have your supplies, start kneading an working the clay in your hands to soften it. Work with lighter colors first if you do not want to mix colors. Darker colors, like the Terracotta I used here, will stick to your hands and mix with whatever your lighter colors. I didn't mind the slight mixing because his white is not very pure.

Once your clay is ready, start to form the base shape with the most common color, or a color you don't mind covering up. I used the white because his belly, chest and legs are white and it lessened the amount of work that would be needed to color his tiny belly.

Next, I layered some of the Terracotta over the white to start adding in his red fur. I made the layer thin so that when I add the detail I could scratch through some of the white.

Time to add his head. You can see that I left a nub of white in the last part, so that becomes his chin, and a ball of Terracotta becomes the top of his head.

Since I had the base shape complete, I stretched down his legs so that the model is in a sitting position, and then set him on the tray I used to bake the clay so that I wouldn't need to move him much until after cooking. The legs are very soft because of how tiny they are so I wanted to move them as little as possible. Once he was on the tray, I used some of my tools ( I got used to them in ceramics class in high school, but you don't need them) to shape the legs and the rest of the base.

Connor has a bit of a beard under his chin, so I added an extra piece of white so that I could show how puffy he gets.

Ears are next. To create them, I pinched and molded the clay on the top of the head until they were little triangles, with the bases slightly curved.

Next, I put indents where his eyes are and started blending some of the Terracotta and white together.

With that done, it was time to start the detail work. He has a Pomeranian tail, so i started there. I curved it, and then started scratching the clay to give the impression of fur.

After that, I worked from the bottom up, scratching "fur" into the clay.

Next, I added the eyes and nose by placing small balls of black clay into the indents I created before the fur, then did the detail work around the eyes and nose.

Once all the fur and eyes were done, I flipped the tail up and created the fur on the bottom of the tail.

Here is the finished product before baking.

Because he is so thick, I baked him at 275 degrees for 30 mins. The clay I used recommends 15 minutes for each 1/4 in thickness. After he was finished, I brushed the extra pieces off of the model and placed him on the shelf next to the model of our other dog, Buddy. ( and with the grumpy old fisherman I made for my husband).

Terrariums!

2012-03-31T16:17:00.001-04:00

Seems like everyone is selling or making terrariums anymore, so why not me too? I have looked at them a few times but never bought one. Knowing that, and that I think cut flowers are a waste of money, my husband got me a terrarium for Valentine's Day this year, instead of my normal potted plant. He picked it up at Rhoad's Garden in Montgomeryville, PA.

After that, I was hooked. Two weeks later, I attended an hour long class at the same greenhouse and came home with another terrarium, same shape, different plants.

If you live in the area and are interested in plant or plant related decor, check out the rest of their classes! I am holding off for now, but at some point I want to attend the bonsai course.

That wasn't enough though. I convinced my dad to part with a couple of old jars he had and bought some Phalaenopsis Orchids, a maidenhair fern, a frosty fern, and 2 small, so far unidentified plants (my biggest gripe with ALL greenhouses in this area is their lack of plant identification).

These are the plants I have in my window. The 2 foliage plants in the middle were my mom's. the one in the back she had at her office, and the one in the front was a gift while she was sick. The candle toppers on each side were also hers. The little stone bird was a gift from my husband for our 2nd anniversary last year.

Today, I had the itch again and went out while the hubby was fishing. This one I managed to document for you.

You need to have some horticulture charcoal for the bottom of the terrarium. This will help filter any water that gets down there and keep it from smelling. Since this one was only going to have a single orchid, I found a mini Phalaenopsis at Ott's greenhouse in Schwenksville, then drove over to Michael's to find a container. I stumbled on some jade pieces while I was there and got them as well.

I laid out everything I needed. I mixed Orchid bark mix and Orchid moss, mostly for the look it would create in the brandy style container I picked, but I am also hoping that the moss will hold water well and the moss and bark will provide a good mix of nutrients. The container in front has my charcoal, and there are 3 bags of different sized rocks. Make sure you wear gloves.

Wash your container, to remove any dust or anything else that may be harmful to your plants. Your best bet is to use only water to prevent any contamination.

Next, pour the charcoal into the bottom of the container, to create a thin layer.

Next I added some of the bark. I also set some of the larger stones around the edge.

After soaking the moss in water to re-hydrate it, I added a good layer of it on top of the bark.

Now, time to add the orchid. After removing it from the pot it came in, I slightly separated the roots before placing it into the middle of the container.

To hold down the moss, and for a finished look, I set a few of the larger river stones around the top. Next I sprinkled a few of the small pebbles around the top.

I still wasn't happy with the look, so I filled in the space between the stones and pebbles with the pieces of jade I got. I really like the effect it created.

Finished and in it's place of honor. Its actually right next to the rest of the plants in the window. I may need to move some of the others once the summer is in full swing, because most of them do not like direct light. For now, they seem to be doing good though.

On a side note, if you know the names of the plants below, you will save me a lot of guessing:

No idea

Frosty Fern

The tiny, shiny green creeper, and maidenhair fern

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Creeping fig ?

African Violet

Mini African Violet

Baby Tears

Little of This, Little of That...

2012-02-24T13:21:00.000-05:00

Over time, I have dabbled in a lot of different mediums when it comes to arts and crafts. I've done painting, ceramics, weaving, crocheting, knitting, sewing, drawing... Anything that strikes me, I will try. Since I don't have enough pictures of the process for any of those projects though, I thought I would share a quick glimpse into my past...

Painting on a piggy bank for my nephew

Pine and Holly door wreath for Winter

Crocheted bonnet for a friend's daughter

Thread Crocheted Christening Bonnet that I am saving

Lavender Sachet I gave to my mom while she was sick

Baby Booties

Potpourri holder for my mom

Thick crocheted blanket for my nephew (first ever)

One of my random drawings I couldn't help but upload

I always wanted to make a family tree for my future children that would combine my love of history with something beautiful for their wall. Since my sister beat me to it, I started the design for my nephew, but made it easily modifiable for other family trees.

Family Tree Design

Hand drawn then scanned and modified in GIMP

Basket Weaving

HS Ceramics - Study in Sculpture

HS Ceramics - A study in symmetry

One of the mediums I miss the most is ceramics, but with the requirement of a kiln, it is not very feasible right now, either to own one or to work in a studio. While polymer clay isn't anywhere near the real deal, its a reasonable stand in, and every project is not a study in patience. Looking through these, I realized I didn't make one of our other dog yet - new project for the list :)

Replica of our first dog Buddy that I made for my husband

Prediction of my husband when he's old

Polymer head and limbs, cloth body and clothing

Silly Frog

My First Quilt : Layering, Quilting and Binding

2012-02-23T11:30:00.000-05:00

The layering, quilting and binding are what I considered (and still do, since I think I cheated) to be the most daunting part of the quilt.

Lay the backing down on a flat surface, making sure it is secure. Next lay the batting over top of it, smoothing everything as you go. Over top of both layers, lay the quilt top down next. Smooth everything out, and trim the backing and batting, with a couple inches of scrap just in case. Quilt the layers together. I decided to knot each corner with embroidery floss of matching colors. The directions suggested sewing an X through each square and a V through the halves. Once all of the layers are secured together, trim the excess of the backing and batting even with the top.

I also sewed line around the outside of the inner border to create a little pop as well as secure the layers a bit more than the knots could.

The instructions for the binding confused me for a while. First you had to sew the strips created from the 18"x42" rectangle together into a single long strip. Once that was done, press the seams open, then fold the entire strip in half and iron again. The instructions only stated "with raw edges aligned, place binding onto the front side of the quilt, pin and sew through all layers, fold binding to backside of quilt and blindstitch with matching thread". Most of my sewing lessons were Jr High Home Ec, watching my mom, or figuring it out myself, so that didn't mean a whole lot at first. After watching some YouTube videos, I finally figured it out.
The video is the one I found on YouTube that finally helped me figure out what I was doing with the binding.

Attach the binding by sewing along the edge to about 1/4" to the corner. Backstitch and remove the project from the machine. Fold the binding 45 degrees in the opposite direction you are about to turn, then fold it back.

Place the binding back under the foot and begin sewing along the new edge. once finished, fold the binding back over the seam and fold around the back.

Make sure the corners are nicely mitered on the back and sew the binding to the back. making them invisible is preferred.

My impatience may have gotten the better of me though... I didn't realize until I was done attaching the binding to the front that the instructions all wanted me to handstitch the binding to the back, to hide the stitches. I tried it for about an hour, and barely finished the top. I decided that the binding would look just fine if I sewed it with a border to the machine. I like the extra design it gave my quilt.

All in all, I learned the basics of quilting. I also realized I need to sew straighter lines, as mine pretty much suck. The seam ripper is definitely your friend while sewing. I want to learn to quilt so that I can turn my mom's old t-shirts into 3 quilts for my sisters and me. I think now I am not near as afraid to start working on them, at least first on my own quilt so that my sisters' quilts will be even better.

Betty Crocker Pumpkin Spice Mix and Toffee

2012-02-20T18:25:00.001-05:00

About a week ago, one of my friends - currently living in England - shared this on Facebook:

For future reference boiling a can of condensed milk for 2.5 hours does indeed make toffee!!!

I was more than intrigued, but had to ask, dump it out, or the whole can? She confirmed the whole can, covered in water.

So, there is currently a can of condensed milk beginning to boil on my stove. I figure that I need to make something with it, and I still have a stock pile of pumpkin flavored goodies from the fall. Because of the versatility, I think the Betty Crocker Pumpkin Spice Cookie Mix, or any of the dry mixes, are good to have on hand. I glanced through bettycrocker.com for some ideas but didn't find anything in entirety. I did like the idea of a pumpkin spice bar. It had oats in it as well. I think I am going to go off of that and mix up my own Pumpkin Spice and Toffee Cookie Bars. Hopefully it will go well with the Pork chops marinating in a mixture of soy sauce, honey, garlic and pearl onions still waiting to go in the stove.

Honey Garlic Pork with Pearl Onions
(modified from recipe on Recipes.SparkPeople.com)
2 pork chops
1/2 c honey
1/4 c lite soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, some minced
1 jar pearl onions and liquid

Marinate the pork chops in the honey, lite soy sauce and garlic for a couple hours
add the onions and liquid about 30 mins before cooking
dump everything into a pan, cook at 375 for 35mins

Pumpkin Spice and Toffee Cookie Bars
1 bag Betty Crocker Pumpkin Spice cookie mix
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 large eggs
1 stick of butter
8 tbsp water
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Place the entire can (remove the paper) of condensed milk into a pan, cover it with water and boil for 2 1/2 hours.

grease 5x11 pan (larger if you want to make them thinner)

combine cookie mix, cocoa powder and old fashioned oats

add eggs, butter and water, stir until everything is combined

bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes

allow to cool

top with the toffee once it is finished

EDIT: The cake was a bit dry but tasty, so next time I will add more moisture to it. I always should have added more when I use oats. Eventually I will learn.

As for the pork chops, I will cut back on the soy sauce, or replace it completely next time. The taste was interesting but I don't like a strong soy sauce taste.

My First Quilt : Inner and Outer Borders

2012-02-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

To add the borders, I sewed the green strips together for the inner border. First I sewed 2 strips plus a half for each side, and 2 strips for the top and bottom. Press the seams open. once this is done, sew the longer strips to each side and cut to the length of center panel. Press these seams towards the borders. Sew the shorter strips to the top and bottom, to the edges of the side borders. Also press these seams towards the borders.

The outside pattern (piano key pattern) is created with 10 strips of fabric from the jelly roll. Iron them out and then sew them together lengthwise. Press the seams in the same direction. Once you create the piece, it should be 20"x42". Mine turned out shorter, even though my seams were no deeper than they should have been, so I needed to cut an extra strip. The instructions advised ten strips, 3.5in wide, each one including a piece of each sewn strip.
Connect three of the piano key pieces for the sides, and 2 (and a half if you had shorter strips like me) Create the half by using a seam ripper.

Sew the strips onto the sides first, cut them to length, then sew the tops onto the quilt. Cut them to length, including the side piano keys. Trim the entire top so that all of the sides are even, if needed.

See my next post on how to add the backing, batting and bindings...

My First Quilt : Purchasing to the Quilt Center

2012-02-17T11:30:00.000-05:00

I bribed my husband to go with me to AC Moore last Friday evening, since I had seen some quilting kits and thought their selection would make my first attempt somewhat easier. They changed their selection slightly since I was last there. It looked like some of the pre-packaged kits were gone, replaced with project booklets that told you to pick whatever designs out of certain bundles. I ended up picking a simple looking block pattern from Fabric Palette. It told me to choose two 5-piece bundles, a jelly roll and a large 18"x42" rectangle. Instead of the suggested backing, I picked a "Baby bolt" of fabric so that I didn't have piece work on the back.

After unrolling and unfolding everything, it was time to iron, definitely one of my least favorite tasks. Unfortunately you have to iron EVERY seam so I got a lot of practice this weekend.

Once the fabric was ironed, I cut six 6.5 in squares out of nine of the ten pieces from the 5-piece bundles (51 + 3 extra squares). The tenth piece was cut into nine 1.5 in strips for the inner border. One of the strips was cut in half.

From the 18"x42" rectangle, I cut six 2.5in down the length of the fabric.

Next I laid the squares out on the floor to decide how they should be laid out. I tried to make sure none of the same patches were touching each other, but I think I may of missed some. Even after laying them out, I shifted a couple while I was sewing because I thought they were too close to each other. I also laid out the inside border just to get an idea.

Now the fun began... I dusted off my sewing machine and picked out matching thread, filled a bobbin, and off I went... Make sure to keep the faces together while sewing.

Once each row was sewn together, I measured the last blocks on the longer rows, and cut off 3inches from each. Next I laid them out again just to be sure, and ironed all of the seams in alternating directions. Next, sew all of the rows together, faces together. Iron the seams in alternating directions.

See my next post about how to add the Inner and Outer Borders...