Not Carved In Stone

Craftsy - the new platform for crafts

2012-01-27T09:15:00.002-05:00

I just joined Craftsy.com and have listed a couple of things to get started. First, is my Noggins pattern. I can't believe I haven't shared this with you before! I created them and the pattern sold quite well on Etsy over Christmas. I love mini stuff, because it doesn't take long to make.

Here are the Noggins. You can see they are not just for Christmas, but can share your house every day! Noggins like to live in the corners of dusty bookshelves, guardians of your library. They also like to read a lot, so if you ever can't find a book, chances are they've had it out to read!

I found these guys in the hall closet with my felting books! Do they know what felting needles do? What are these guys up to? I also have them for sale on my web site, www.edwinadolls.com so you can shop there too!

I also added a project, in the form of my Tiny Ted Tutorial. These guys are the next step in needle felting. They are such fun to create and once you've learned the basics, you can customise your bears anyway you like! Who can resist teddy bears?

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T10:37:00.000-05:00

The Marquis by Edwina Sutherland

Black Mystery

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have been involved in an interesting project. Toulie is a textile artist who came to me for help with this project this summer. She had created a piece like this, but much larger. It measured about 3" by 2". My task was to scale it down to about 18".

This was done with a drawing to size and then the segments were translated to the 3-D form, which was padded. Toulie created the feminine shapes you see and I included these. She is an artist who explores our fascination with female genitalia.

I began at one end and worked my way around the shape, creating each section and building on to that. I stitched it as a skin, with a lining, which was draped over the basic padded form and then attached.

It was a very interesting commission and collaboration, which Toulie took to galleries in Europe this Fall.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T10:49:00.002-05:00

Aligator shoes
Photo by Edwina Sutherland

Edwina Sutherland on youtube!

2012-01-13T08:36:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T11:33:00.002-05:00

Under the wall

Upcycled a skirt

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Lucky me! I got to go away to Mexico at Christmas! Of course, a trip means new clothes! I wanted a skirt, but the summer fabrics are all gone from Canadian stores. So, I bought this top at a discount store. It already had the elastic at the bottom, so I thought, I can flip that to be the top. And away I went!

First, I cut off the bodice at the armholes. Then I separated the ruffle from the neckline and cut away the sleeves.

The sleeves became godets to insert in the skirt. Each sleeve was cut down the middle of the sleeve, to give me 4 godets. Next, I made a slash in two places on the skirt front. The sleeve was cut into a wedge shape.

Here's the godet, inserted in the skirt. I paid attention to the grainline, placing the sleeve-godets opposite ways on the front.

There was the uneven shape of the sleeve head at the hem, which I cut off. Luckily, this type of knit doesn't fray, so no seam finishing or hemming. I needed this fast, right?

Finally, there are 4 godets inserted.

I wanted to use up all the fabric, so the neck ruffles were separated into 2 and I sewed one down each side seam. The original seam was crooked anyway, so I cut it open and inserted the ruffle.

Here's the curved ruffle, all pinned in place. I had to gather it to control the fit.

Not bad, huh? A final press and my instant skirt was ready to go!

Have you done any upcycling latey?

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T08:55:00.000-05:00

Mayan dancer

Angels for charity

2011-12-30T07:49:00.000-05:00

At our doll club Christmas party, I raffled one of my Paverpol angels off to raise money for the Food Bank. The club matched the money and we raised $150! Yay, girls!

Here's Bonnie, with her prize angel. Bonnie owns Artemisia Art Gallery in Westport, Ontario.

I made four angels and didn't sell them all, so this seemed a good way to clear the shelf a bit. After all, you can only keep so much of what you produce. What do you do with the extras?

BTW, Happy New Year, everyone! Let's hope it's a good one, without any tears, to quote John Lennon.

Midwinters Dream tale

2011-12-28T10:17:00.000-05:00

You may have missed the show, but here's the play I just finished costuming.

A Steampunk Christmas to all my friends!

2011-12-24T10:10:00.000-05:00

The Invention of the Sewing machine

2011-12-20T10:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Lesley Riley for this tip! What a fun video!

Tiny Ted comes to town

2011-12-19T14:11:00.001-05:00

I have spent days and days working on my computer. I am creating a new class/tutorial for you. In it, you will learn how to create a Tiny Ted, like this guy:

He's needle felted and about 3" high, sitting down. I have taken tons of pictures and am up to 20 pages so far. As soon as it's done, I'll post it up somewhere for you to try it out for yourself.

I'm thinking the first 10 people to try it out will get some special gift for offering me their feedback.

Stay tuned for that!

Meanwhile, if you can't wait to make your own, you can buy this guy in my Etsy store.

Clowning around

2011-12-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here's another of my polymer figures. I'm still learning how to form the clay when I'm sculpting. I realise I have a tendency to squish the heads, so am working to overcome this problem. This guy survived the sculpting and got baked.

Baking is another aspect of the polymer clay that is still scary. I have burnt a few hands and feet. Then I tried a different oven, a baking bag, using quilt batt to cover the pieces while they bake. All the stuff I learned in class and forgot the minute I came home.

So, slowly, by trial and error, the method is sinking in. I love these bean bag bodies. Bean bag bodies are not new, of course, but Kate Church showed me how they wop\rk for her, also i\I had to give it a try.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Elf by Edwina Sutherland

Dragons!

2011-12-12T13:03:00.003-05:00

I have now listed these dragons on my Etsy store. The first guy is made with polymer clay for his head and feet. He is so cute. Since these are Christmas dragons, they come with a removable beard, so they can be in disguise once Christmas is over. The body is cloth, filled with beans, so they cane be posed on the shelf.

This one has a needle felted head, feet and tail. Shown here while in disguise.

Here's the polymer guy with his beard. I also made a green dragon. Can't believe I didn't take his photo. he was being so good, too!

How to dye Tibetan lambskin

2011-12-11T10:47:00.001-05:00

This is a really detailed video. Enjoy!

Steampunk defined.

2011-12-09T12:28:00.001-05:00

I had to share this video, since I am keen on the Steampunk aesthetic.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T10:58:00.001-05:00

First snow

Vintage lace

2011-11-30T12:37:00.001-05:00

It's time to add the antique lace to the reproduction gown I've been working on. I have removed it with much trepidation. The silk thread that the lace was attached with is very embedded in the lace. I snipped each stitch and carefully peeled away the lace from the original gown. It survived! A gentle press of the edges was all I gave it, fearing damage.

As I did this, a small amount of tulle was revealed. It was tucked under the lace. I concluded the tulle was part of the original dress and supported the lace, or added another design detail.

Now I had to make some decisions. Do I include the tulle or not? I decided it would help support the antique lace, so prepared ruffles of tulle and applied them where I felt they had originally been. It was easy to tell on the sleeves, not so much on the neckline.

Take a closer look at the 17 hand worked buttonholes. They took hours and hours!! The silk embroidered buttons are also original. I will not be pushing them through the buttonholes. I leave that to the curators who mount the garment at the museum. They will need little silk covers to protect them as they pass through the buttonholes. So many considerations! This is what takes the time on a garment like this.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T12:22:00.001-05:00

The biggest oak leaf ever

Wordless wednesday

2011-11-23T08:34:00.001-05:00

Window on the world

A Mid Winter's Dream tale

2011-11-18T12:15:00.001-05:00

Titania's crown

I am currently working with The Company of Fools, creating some costumes for their show "Midwinter Dream tale." Here is Titania's crown, ready for the next fitting.

It's realy put me in the Christmas mood, as folks come to visit my Christmas sale at the studio. The crown uses icicles wired to a frame, then wired again in an artistic way, to hold the icicles upright. then i wove strips of her dress fabric around the icicles, to give a band to the crown. It needs to be lgiht, as this is a very physical comedy!

I have created Titania's costume and sorted out the chorus. I don't wnat to spoil it with too many details!

The show opens at the Great Canadian Theatre Company November 29th, 2012.

Christmas sale

2011-11-15T08:47:00.001-05:00

I'm getting ready for my sale this weekend at my studio. I took these Christmas dragons to doll club on Sunday. They are kinda goofy and people liked them. The beards are removable!!

I have all sorts of gift items I have created and there are some angels in the works too!

If you are in Ottawa this weekend, please look me up! I'll be in the studio Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 pm. 1276 Wellington Street.

Art as therapy

2011-11-12T08:21:00.001-05:00

Art isn’t just a painting you hang on your wall. For the person who painted it, it was cathartic. If you look at a painting, not just the picture but the actual brush strokes and lines, you can get an idea of the artist’s mood, and how the subject matter made them feel. You can even tell if the artist was an impatient person. Judging from subject matter and colour choices you can also learn if he was depressed or had a vibrant personality. You can pick up a lot just from looking at a painting.

Now, pretend you are the artist.

Art can be the perfect outlet. You don’t have to be talented. No one expects you to be the next Pablo Picasso or Claude Monet. It may surprise you that sometimes a piece of artwork’s imperfections are its most intriguing attribute.

Being creative is a great way to release tension, and express yourself. You can think of it as a type of therapy. The creative process involved in expressing one’s self artistically can help people to resolve issues as well as develop and manage their behaviours and feelings, reduce stress, and improve self-esteem and awareness.

You don’t have to limit yourself to one visual art form either. There are so many ways to express yourself. You can choose from painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, or a variety of other types of visual art expression.

If you choose to draw, there are a number of different mediums to choose from. You can use pencils, ink, charcoal, pastels, etc. There are more types of paper out there than you ever imagined as well. Whatever you choose, don’t be afraid to set the pencil to the paper.

Painting can be a lot of fun. There are paints geared to the amateur all the way to the professional. There are different types of paints such as tempera, acrylic, and oil. You can paint on paper, canvas, wood, etc. You can paint on pretty much any surface you wish. You just have to make sure you have the right paint for whatever surface you choose, as well as the proper brush. Each brush stroke tells a story.

If you prefer, you can take photos of different subject matter. The way you express yourself is in the way you capture your subject. In photography you can lose yourself in nature, or the architecture of your city or town. You may enjoy portrait photography, capturing the emotions expressed on one’s face. You can create a whole new world through the camera’s lens.

Have you ever thought about ceramics? You can get right into the thick of things. You can choose to begin from clay and mould your own sculpture. You can spin your own creation on the pottery wheel. Or, if you are uncomfortable working from the raw material, you can buy already finished creations and paint them so they become your own.

Needlepoint is an art form as well. It is simple and low impact and the work can be framed and hung for all to enjoy. Cross-stitching is done to a piece of fabric, creating a design or picture. You can purchase templates at craft stores, or you can paint a picture on the canvas, then use a cross-stitch technique to go over the top of the painting.

It really doesn’t matter what you choose. You can decide to show your work by hanging it up or hide it away in a chest or workshop. It isn’t showing it to people that helps you, but the act of creating the work.

You can create on your own or in a group dynamic. There are classes held all the time at local arts and craft stores. Staff at hobby stores can be very helpful so don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice.

It’s easy to bottle up your emotions but you don’t have to. And the best part is, you can let everything out. Art is an outlet, and can be interpreted so many different ways. Someone might see your creation one way but only you need to know what it really represents.

Source: ehow.com and 50+ Ottawa