Moving

I'm moving my blog to my own website. I'll leave the old entries here, but for new stuff, please visit me there!

30 Days - Day 2

Today's task is to evaluate our shop announcements and improve them. My previous message was:

Welcome! I'm adding new inventory almost every day. Hope you enjoy looking. :-)

I've changed it to:

Welcome! I add new inventory almost every day, so be sure to check back often. Feel free to email or convo me to discuss custom work.

My shop policies are outlined in my profile. For more about me and what I make, have a look at my blog at http://www.caelista.com.

Hope you enjoy looking. :-)

________________

I do think it's an improvement, although fewer items are visible on the page now.

"30 Days to a Better Shop"

Along with a group of people on Etsy, I'm going to spend the month of October thinking about the little ways I can improve my online presence. This is a really good idea kicked off by Christina Perdue. Since I just started my Etsy shop, there should be lots of room for improvement.

Day 1's task was to set monthly and long-term goals for our businesses. My goals for October are:

1. Make at least three more sales.
2. Bring the number of items in my shop up to at least 30.
3. Write blog posts at least 3 times per week.
4. Continue to network online and reach 150 friends on Myspace.
5. Revamp website.
6. Have fun and explore new avenues of creativity.

My long-term goals are:

1. Earn over $10,000 per year from selling my work.
2. Continue to pursue my own way of doing things and establish a recognizable style.
3. Draw enough web traffic for my site to pay for itself--or more.
4. Explore new materials and methods.
5. Have my work featured in craft magazines and/or on crafting sites.
6. Try selling at craft fairs/shows.

Famous Artists: an informal poll

The other night I was thinking about Picasso and how his name always comes to mind when I think about famous artists. I started wondering if he was like the default for Artist in most people's minds. Picasso was the first name Christian thought of too.

In an Etsy forum I asked, "Just off the top of your head, when you think of 'famous artist' what's the first name that comes to mind?" Out of the 40 people who were kind enough to respond so far, here's the breakdown:

Warhol (6)
Monet (4)
Picasso (3)
Degas (3)
da Vinci (2)
Dali (2)
Basquiat (2)
O'Keefe (2)
Van Gogh (2)
Matisse (2)
Michelangelo (2)
Pollock
Rothko
Kahlo
Boticelli
Escher
Ditchfield
Haring
Brassai
Kandinsky
Renoir
Modigliani
Mondrian
Chihuly
Chagall
Rockwell
Wood
Pavlova

I'm glad I asked! People came up with a lot of interesting names. Only three women, which is a shame but not too surprising.

Hmm

Someone recently posted a thread on Etsy asking how many of the crafters and artists there are lefthanded. Quite a few people are. Well over half of the people who answered, when the normal occurance of lefties is about 13%.

I use my left hand for writing, sewing, knitting, crocheting, and many other tasks. I just realized...maybe the reason I have such a dislike of following patterns and instructions is because I always have to reverse them.

Several people have written in the Etsy forums that following patterns doesn't work for them. I wonder how many are lefthanded?

My obsession

Cat toys are my new obsession. Every time I make one I get ideas for three more. I've spent a few hours today working on a design that isn't cooperating. A couple of mockups didn't work out, but I've almost got it now.

Who knows where this dark path will end??! In the meantime, I'm developing quite a collection and my cats are happy.

Today's project: tea staining

I had some unbleached muslin that I wanted to add a bit of color/age to for some cat toys I'm making. Tea staining works to add age and character to natural fabrics but won't work on synthetics. Someone might be interested in the process, so I took pictures:

Step 1:



Boil water. For each yard of fabric, you should use about 4 cups of water. Pour into a bucket or bowl and add a couple of teabags for each cup of water you used. I put in seven bags of regular old Lipton tea. Let it sit for ten or fifteen minutes until it's dark brown. To help set the stain you can add a tablespoon of vinegar to the water.

Step 2:



Add your fabric and get it all wet. Use a spoon if necessary to push it down. As with any kind of dyeing, the more you swirl the fabric around and loosen it up, the more evenly the color will be spread. If you leave the teabags in at this stage they will make darker spots on the fabric, which you might like.





Step 3:



Wait. The longer you leave the fabric in the tea, the darker the color will be. It will always appear lighter after it is rinsed and dried, so let it sit until it's a bit darker than you want.







Step 4:





Rinse. Squeeze out the excess tea and run the fabric under warm water. It will lighten considerably.










Step 5:





Add a couple of drops of dish soap to your rinse water to get the rest of the tea out of the fabric. Rinse thoroughly.











Step 6:





Spread out to dry on an old towel. You can dry it in the dryer but it may leave a bit of stain behind.






All done! Now I have several pieces of darkened fabric to use. Mine came out with a fairly even tan tone, which works for my purposes. Good luck applying this technique to your own projects.

I like this quote

From the short story "Buffalo" by John Kessel:

"...art doesn't have to deliver a message in order to say something important....art isn't always a means to an end but sometimes an end in itself....art may not be able to change the world, but it can still change the moment."

For a long time I thought I wasn't really an artist because I didn't create works full of meaning and symbolism. I'm also not classically trained, though I've had some drawing and painting classes.

Now I believe there is art in a person practicing her craft. I like the Art Nouveau view that art can be decorative and that everyday objects should be beautiful or interesting.

Copperfish Mini

Since my Copperfish art quilt has been viewed by a lot of people on Etsy, I decided to make a smaller, simpler one that would sell for a lower price. The goldfish is a perfect shape for embossing, as the warm tones of the copper really highlight the scales and other details.



I'm also using one of the fish as my avatar on Etsy, so hopefully I won't get tired of it.

Pre-shrunk

I'm listing this on Etsy today:



I love this little guy so much I can hardly stand it. This version is a cat toy, stuffed with polyfill and "heady" (ha) catnip. I also make this design as a tree ornament and applique.

Just in time for Halloween!

It's the Little Things

When my three-year-old was going to bed tonight, I spotted this



lying on the floor and thought it would be a good time to snap a picture. My in-laws sent this Jacob's Ladder to us from Germany. It's one of my favorite things. Such a simple toy, but Aidan spends many quiet moments folding it different ways. It's easy to see why it's a classic.

"It is difficult to obtain the friendship of a cat."

Maybe Theophile Gautier, who made that statement, just needed some catnip.

I'm working on some cat toys and I picked up supplies today, including catnip. I brought it home to run it by the cats. Rascal (the Orange Behemoth) spent some time lovingly licking the carpet where I sprinkled the leaves and he's been sleeping in that spot ever since.

I tried to grow catnip once. Mysteriously, all the stalks were nibbled down to little nubs, and then this happened:



That's Oliver curled up in the catnip pot!

Up

As you can see from the sidebar, my Etsy store is up now. It wasn't too hard to figure out the listing process. Now that I've been through it a few times I'll be able to add more stuff on a regular basis.

Considering that my father was a photography and I have experience in the darkroom developing film and making prints, I should have better pictures. I need to get the hang of the digital camera. It's always been fine for snapshots but the format for Etsy requires bright, high-contrast photos. The pictures of the pink and brown quilts really don't do them justice, as they look dull and muddy. I'll keep working on that.

But at least the store is ready, and last night someone already marked me as a favorite. It's good to be up and running.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow's the day I set up my Etsy shop. I expect some fussing around with taking photos, uploading photos, and getting my policies and listings on there. I'm excited to finally get it going!

Today was another of those pleasant Saturdays we've been having lately. It was overcast but by the time we got to the zoo this afternoon the sun had come out with a golden light and the temperature was perfect. We saw this:



We ate ice cream. We rode the Max train home. Christian and I had a chat about business plans, then ate great pizza. We'd gone to the farmers' market in the morning. And I couldn't resist prepping strawberries for one more batch of strawberry jam.

Perfect Days

Posts are backing up in my mind because I've been making stuff and enjoying the last balmy, breezy days of summer, rather than spending time at the keyboard. Friday I spent the day discharge dyeing 8 yards of fabric. It all came out well.

Today I put together a piece that combines many of my favorite things: embossed copper, raw edge applique, quilting, and the discharged fabrics. I love the way it turned out, but I'm trying to resist looking at it more because I want to let it "rest" overnight and see what I think tomorrow. I expect to make a series along these same lines. I already have the next four pieces in mind.

The farmers' markets are still going strong. We went yesterday morning and I got lots of veggies and three kinds of berries. Gotta enjoy them while they last. All the way there, the only thing I could think about was the new addiction my husband gave me: kettle corn. I used to think this was a poor cousin of Cracker Jack but it's really grown on me. Being German, Christian doesn't believe in salted popcorn. Only salted licorice.

Inventory is piling up for my Etsy store. It's there and the banner is up, but I haven't uploaded any items yet. That's going to take a flurry of photographing. I also need some shipping supplies. But soon. Very soon!

Jam Recipe

Today I made what's probably my last batch of strawberry jam for this summer. I have several containers in the freezer and they should last us through the winter. It's been nice to smell the sweet strawberry scent throughout the house as the jam cooked down. Here's the recipe, which I got from The Oregonian:

Small-Batch Berry Jam
Makes 2 half-pint jars

2 pints berries (1 pound)
1 c granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon juice (only if berries are supersweet and need acid for balance)
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

Hull and clean berries. Toss with sugar, add lemon juice and/or vanilla if desired, and let sit overnight in refrigerator.*

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan (measuring at least 9 inches across), bring jam to a low boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until berry mixture is syrupy and thickened. To test for doneness**, place ceramic plate in the freezer. When you think the jam is ready put a dollop onto the chilled plate. If the jam sets up (it isn't liquidy but runs slowly down the tilted plate after staying in place for a half-second), it's ready.

The recipe included canning instructions but I just freeze mine because it's easier.

*I had better results from the batch I let sit for two nights. That could be a coincidence, though.
**I never bother with this, I just cook the jam until it's very thick.

_______________________________________________

Now that I'm done with the strawberries (I also froze many pints of whole berries), it occurs to me that blackberries are ripe and I could get the kids to pick a bunch for jam or pies...

A Quote to Kick Off September

I meant to post this yesterday but I was away from the computer all day:

"I look on that man as happy, who, when there is question of success, looks into his work for a reply, not into the market, not into opinion, not into patronage."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Book

Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is fantastic. She and her family left Tucson as they became increasingly aware of how the expanding city was taking a toll on the land. They moved to a farm in rural southern Virginia with the goal of feeding themselves from their own land. The book covers some of the same territory as The Omnivore's Dilemma, but I'm enjoying it more because it's scattered with anecdotes about their family's adjustment and what they learned along the way.

She describes the limitations and advantages of local, seasonal eating, touches on the Slow Food movement, explores the science behind farming and the many things farmers have to know and do, notes that many heirloom varieties of plants and stock are vanishing due to large-scale agriculture... the book is packed with interesting information. Her husband wrote short essays about environmental and ethical issues and her daughter wrote about what the experience was like for her, and included recipes they came up with to use seasonal produce.

I'm only halfway through the book but I highly recommend it.

Copperfish

The other morning I made this little guy. He's made out of embossed copper. I'm thrilled to be getting back to that after several years, and an order of copper just arrived today in the mail so I'm all set!

This goldfish will be going onto a quilt picture with art nouveau-inspired touches. Or at least that's the plan now.

Old quilts

I was on Quilt.com reading people's preferences for baby quilts, and the following comments touched me:

From: Colleen

My favorite "baby" quilt was made by by Grandma and I have had it ever since I can remeber. It is made out of scrap squares of heavy late 60's, early 70's polyester fabric (blue with white ploka dots, red, blue/white mix, blue with stripes, and yellow with very ugly red and blu geometric flowers). She knotted it on the corners and quilted it diagonally. the top and bottom of the quilt is dso thick and heavy it needed no batting. It may be ugly but I could not sleepo one night with out the security of that heavy quilt. When I graduated from high school she gave me another similarly made quilt, though out of pastel plaids (like mens shirts are made from). Now I have one to sleep under at my parents home and one at mine. It is amaxing how attached you can get to something out of your childhood.

Another interestin thing about my grandmother was the source of her materials. My Grandfather was the manager of a small department store so brought home tons of fabric swatches. Usually the fabric was not top of the line and thin, but you could get about a fat quarter in one pattern in many colors. My Grandma's quilts were never very artistic. She would sew together odd pieces or squares of old blankets and sheets to make every day coverings for bed. She whould also use what ever old threadbare sheet or blanket that was handy for the inside 'bating'. When we were cleaning out her house in April (she has Altzheimers and lives in a nursing home) I liked looking at these odd quilts. One I like was a reall mish mash and even used old ties. As I was examining it closer I noticed a hole and saw the name of some ancester embroidered. My practical Grandma had used an old family quilt (from before she was born) inside on of her every day quilts. The family was amazed and my mother saisd she had remembered seeing it as a child. Unfortunatley one of my older aunts grabbed it when no one was looking so I do not know if I will ever get to see the whole quilt.

From: Curt

Your story of your grandmother's quilt brought to mind the ones my grandmother made. She also used whatever she had at hand for the fillers. We had quilts made with men's wool work socks. When the socks wore out, she cut them to lie flat and sewed them together into a "bat". The quilts were quite warm but incredibly heavy to sleep under. The tops were scap quilts from leftovers or parts of old clothes. They weren't fancy but she did have a good sense of design.

____________________________________________

Stories like those are part of what makes me love quilting. First, I'm fascinated by the resourcefulness that can find a way to give new life to old clothes (even socks!), and then create an art form
out of scraps. In books about quilt history, people always say they remember sleeping under their grandmother's or mother's simple quilts as children. The fact that a little bit of each family member goes into every one in the form of worn-out clothing makes these humble works even more special.

Busy week

I've been hard at work on a series of pink and brown quilt pictures that I really love. Yesterday I framed them in fabric, so I just need to add backing and finishing touches and they'll be ready to go.

Most of my work lately has been prototypes and experiments. I have so many different ideas that I spend a lot of time testing things out. Half the time they don't work, which is frustrating but all part of the process. And when they do work, it's exciting.

I'm now looking into working with photo transfers in a new way. I've been researching techniques, as my transfers have sometimes bubbled in the past. Maybe the iron was too hot. I have a new one now, a very basic, Black and Decker Classic that works great. My old iron was slowly dying but there are so many different kinds used by quilters, I was putting off investigating all the types. As soon as I saw the retro style of the Classic, that decision was made. :-) I'm pretty sure this is the same style we had when I was a kid.



With the ironing board always set up in the studio, that thing gets a lot of use.

I wish I had more to report. Feels like I'm working all the time, between learning about art history, doing hand sewing, coming up with new designs, and reading info about setting up shop on Etsy. I'd love to have enough inventory by September 1 to start setting up the store there, so I'll see if I can make it happen.

Valentine

In honor of our anniversary this weekend, here's a photo of the Valentine I made for my husband last year. It's about 14" by 18", with a pieced heart on a pieced background, embellished with glass beads.




My pictures are still coming out a little dark. I'm not sure why. Need to do more experimenting with camera settings and Photoshop.

Quote

"An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one."

Interestingly, the quotation came from a sociologist, Charles Horton Cooley, not an artist. Maybe he had artist-envy.

I like the quote because these days I'm feeling incredibly lucky to have my own studio space and be able to indulge my creativity.

Nice

ETSY was mentioned today in the Home and Garden section of the Oregonian. They have a new column called Media Center where they review websites, blogs, tv shows, etc.

Since it's a small item, I'll spare you the trouble of looking it up and just post the text here.

Under "Check These Out!" it says:

"www.etsy.com This is a fun, wonderful marketplace of creative, handmade goods you can buy for the home or body. Where else can you obtain a Nightmare Snatcher journal and a Plastic Fantastic raspberry-colored club chair? The offerings are so, well, Portland."

The August All-Africa Film Festival

Africa has been drawing a lot of attention over the past few years. Movies like Sahara, The Constant Gardener, and Blood Diamond hit theaters. Angelina Jolie and Madonn adopted children. Vanity Fair's July issue is devoted to Africa and it's fantastic. Celebrities, politicians and writers are trying to change public perception of Africa as a hopeless, poverty-stricken, chaotic continent and focus instead on solutions. Stories of optimism, adventure and incredible courage shine out of the pages of the magazine and make Africa seem like a place where anything--good or bad--is possible.

Alexander McCall Smith's wonderful, lowkey series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, which is set in Botswana, offers a more peaceful view. I enjoyed the books' competent, wise, no-nonsense heroine.

Recently I've been looking at photos of exotic animals for quilt designs. A lot of them were taken on safaris, and that stirred my interest even more. I remember when Survivor was set in Africa, and how amazing it was that lions and elephants would pass close to the camp.

Over the weekend my husband and I watched Blood Diamond, an intense, sometimes painful movie that left us both wanting to know more. We decided to make this the month of the All-Africa Film Festival and I put several titles on hold at the library.

So over the next few weeks we'll be watching Out of Africa, Hotel Rwanda, Cry Freedom (which I saw years ago but can hardly remember) and The Last King of Scotland.

I'm looking forward to it!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

We've had some cooler days recently and the air already has that soft feel of fall. It's making me want to bake. The other day I even had an urge to drink hot chocolate! Noooo. It's too soon, I have to savor fresh produce and running through sprinklers and get in at least one trip to the beach this summer.



I did make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins, though. These are pretty healthy but the chocolate makes them taste like a treat.

The recipe:

2/3 c whole wheat flour
2/3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 c rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1 egg
3/4 c milk
1/4 c canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c brown sugar

2/3 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together the dry ingredients and make a well in the center. Mix the wet ingredients and stir them into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the chocolate chips. Bake in 12 greased or lined muffin cups for 14-17 minutes. Cool on wire rack and remove from pan after five minutes.

Still strawberries

Another lovely trip to the farmers' market yesterday. There was live music, kids played in the fountain, and I found out it's not too late for strawberries after all. I only bought a couple of flats earlier in the summer so I was afraid I missed my chance to make jam. But no, the berries now are better and sweeter.

Bast from the Past

The other day I took a picture of the first little art quilt I made, about seven years ago. My husband likes Egyptian mythology, as well as cats, so I sewed a Bast silhouette for him. The cat is raw edge applique. I added beads around the edges and a tiny earring for the statue. The dimensions are about 10" by 12".



Bast was a fierce goddess who was often depicted as a lioness. She was the protector of the god Ra and of the pharaoh, and later in her worship she was viewed as the patron deity of cats.

A Short Post about Shorts

I've been meaning to post a picture of the little shorts I made (size 3T) from a pair of gently used pj pants. I didn't use a pattern so I'm proud that they turned out well. They're completely hand sewn. It was windy when I took the picture, so they got bunched up and it's hard to see the shape, but I'm going to post the photo anyway.

Evening Market

There's a Tuesday night market near us that's just the right size. We went tonight. There was live blues music in the cool evening air, families sitting on the grass on blankets, handmade jewelry, cheerleaders selling ice cream as a fundraiser, teriyaki chicken skewers, kids with balloon animals, massage booths, flats of freshly picked berries, and crunchy-sweet kettle corn. It was perfect.

I bought a flat of blueberries, broccoli and lettuce and green onions, small yellow potatoes, sweet corn and cilantro, which I love.

Next summer I'll probably rent a booth there for at least a few weeks. I can't think of a better atmosphere for vending. Seeing people out with their babies and their dogs, stopping to chat to friends or dancing with toddlers on the lawn, reminds me of 1920s movies when families would bring a picnic dinner to the park and listen to music from the bandstand.

O Fortuna

Finishing the little elephant quilt feels like a real achievement with Carl Orff's Carmina Burana playing in the background.

I deserved that dramatic soundtrack. Yesterday I worked on a couple of chapters of the current novel and got a lot done in the studio.

Here's a live version of O Fortuna, introduced in French. I've always loved this magnificent piece, and it's even better watching the violinists plucking at their strings, the guy banging the huge drum, and the choir stretching their mouths around the notes.

Mmmmm...lavender days.

I ordered some lavender from Provence and it arrived a few days ago. The plump package made all the mail in the mailbox smell great. I put the bag into the bottom drawer of the dresser in the studio and every time I open the door I get a big whiff of lavender. That scent is growing on me more and more. I plan to use it to make sachets for storing my finished projects. I may also sell some. This potent stuff should be spread around.

Golden Touch

Creativity has been pulling me in different directions. I've been working on the little elephant quilt, sketching other designs, and doing some writing.

Here's a picture that cracks me up. I took it on the Oregon Coast a couple of years ago.

So many things to make, so little time

I finished one of the Egyptian medallions after some tinkering with different techniques. I'm going to put it away for a while, then see how I like it. I started another little quilt today, this one with elephants. The ideas are still coming fast.

I need to get a photo-altering program on my computer so I can prepare pictures for posting.

Portland's Underground

Tonight the History Channel is showing Cities of the Underworld: Underground Bootleggers. "100 years ago Portland, Oregon was America's Sodom, a city full of vice, considered the most dangerous port in the world. It was a place where you could get drugs or booze or wake up trapped in a cell beneath the earth. Expanses of underground tunnels enabled slave traders, opium runners and speakeasies to flourish. Join host Don Wildman as he ventures beneath modern Portland into the nefarious world of fight clubs, slave tunnels and gambling dens."

Sounds like they might be exaggerating a tiny bit, but it should be entertaining.

Alnwick Castle

Also from a recent issue of the Oregonian, Alnwick Castle, which was "Hogwarts" in the Harry Potter movies, has a Poison Garden. This 2004 article in the Guardian describes the plans for the garden and some of the plants there. The Oregonian's description, three years later, shows that the Duchess of Northumberland was able to make it a reality.



The castle has many attractions. Blackadder and a few movies (in addition to Harry Potter) were filmed there. The website has an informative timeline juxtaposing events relating to the castle with events in Great Britain and elsewhere in the world. The earliest parts of the castle were erected in 1096. Alnwick was the birthplace of Harry "Hotspur" Percy, familiar to medieval history enthusiasts. It sounds like quite a tourist destination now. The castle website is worth a look, if only so those of us who live in this young country can marvel at the idea of living among buildings that are a thousand years old.

Shakespeare for Every Occasion

A fellow Portlander, Jimmie Moglia, has compiled a book of Shakespeare quotations that apply to daily life. It's called Your Daily Shakespeare and there's more info at his website. I found out about his project through a recent Oregonian article and I just had to post here about it because anyone keeping Shakespeare's grand language alive is all right by me.

Rain, rain...

...makes a nice change after a run of 90-degree days. It's much cooler in the studio and with the window open I can hear the rain.

I'm working on a series of Egyptian-themed medallion mini quilts and I'm happy with the progress. They might be the first items to go up in my etsy shop when it's ready.

Busy

I've been sewing new curtains for the studio. I love the fabric. It's a delicate floral burnout. I'm sewing it by hand since it has the sheer flowers, but it's sturdier than I expected. Here's a picture:

Tonight I worked on a mini quilt of Bast until the heat and Justin Timberlake on the radio drove me inside.

Summertime

I made pesto with basil from the farmers' market, then used it to make a homemade pizza that turned out great. And yesterday I started making a doll quilt that I've had in mind for a while. It's a simple checkerboard pattern with gingham and a floral fabric and will be very sweet when it's finished.

Here's the pesto recipe:

1 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper
4 cups fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a food processor and process until finely chopped.

While machine runs, pour oil slowly through feed tube and process until smooth.

Makes about 1 cup.

Up and Away

I have so many ideas lately I can barely write them all down, let alone make them, but little by little I'll put them into effect. Yesterday I finished a pair of shorts for Aidan. I sewed them completely by hand and they turned out great. He couldn't wait to wear them and show everyone. I'll post a picture once I figure out how.