Friends

Hi there hipsters,

I'm looking at this Jaks product and thinking I'd really like to have one, or actually maybe five or six, but I sure don't want to spend $38. Can anyone offer tips on a) how to make and b) where to buy stretch lace that wide? Preferably in non-underwear colors?

It just seems really expensive for what looks like a dollar's worth of fabric, and I would think that even a beginner like me could put that together...

#1: new dragon eggs released! click and let's see what they look like!



#2: I haz an Addy!

I'm so happy. I finished my first purse. I've been doing blankets and clothes reconstructions, but this is my first purse. It turned out perfect, too. :D (other than the imperfections i see and my wife misses, but i am set to make an even better one next time!)

My wife loves purses, but she has a hard time finding one that doesn't have problems (losing things in it, strap slipping off her shoulder). We were at Target and she loved this bag that looked possible to make, plus I already bought a bunch of fabric to make her a bag, but hadn't figured out what to with it yet.

Inspiration:




( The Purse! )

Current Mood: pleased

http://www.ebsqart.com/ArtOfTheDay/cmd_20090719_ArtOfTheDay.htm

If you would like one, email Sherry at artonsymmes@aol.com. She ships and her brain is working correctly, unlike mine at the moment. (Mine quit on me yesterday.) There are three others already posted here, photos have been updated.


riverview iv, oil on canvas, 16 x 12"


riverview v, oil on canvas, 12 x 12"


cats i, oil on canvas, 8 x 24"


cats ii, oil on canvas, 8 x 24"


cats iii, oil on canvas, 8 x 24"


cats iv, oil on canvas, 8 x 24"

Hello Hip Sewists!

I snagged a sewing machine very similar to this from Freecycle. (This machine is on Ebay, I put mine in storage and didn't take pictures.)



I'd like to fix it up and pass it along to a friend who is learning to sew (I figure if she can sew on that, she can sew on anything). It would be handy to have some sort of manual for it. I saw #73400 (or 74300, my memory is very bad, though I KNOW it's one of those two) stamped on the back, but that search on google turned up nada. Anyone know anything about this machine, or able to throw any info my way? I'd really appreciate it.

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Hey look, syndication is back. Yay. :)

~~~

I've started embroidering a onesie for Charlie. I couldn't find WonderUnder, but got some iron-on washable adhesive stuff and backed the area I'm embroidering with a piece of fabric. It doesn't seem to stretch, so I'm hoping this will do. Trial and error, the heart of crafting.:)

Current Mood: tired

http://www.ebsqart.com/ArtOfTheDay/cmd_20090718_ArtOfTheDay.htm

Interview about process, influences etc. over @ studiotau.


swan lake, oil on canvas, 24 x 18"

Had a full-on publicity anxiety nightmare!

It's hard to do the publicity part enough to get any good with it. It feels like an experiment every time I open my mouth. Most of my working life is spent in a room all by myself thinking in images.

Then once or twice a year I need to emerge and make sense and talk to people. (Blogging once again has saved me. I owe so much to blogging. I practice everything here first.)

I never in my life thought I'd do a radio interview, but I did it. I rehearsed the day before with S. and by the end I went totally mute. I sat there and stared at him and thought nobody can possibly produce speech under these conditions. I mean, I could paint with Bill Clinton standing over one shoulder and Obama over the other... my painting groove is just that deep. But when I have to talk? Oh, heavens.

Above is a painting about free floating anxiety and not even knowing what to be afraid of. The scary looking crocodiles are called gharyals and have snouts made of soft cartilage, too weak to grasp a big mammal... they catch and eat fish. However they look, they are harmless to people. The swans however are acutely territorial/protective of young and can deliver quite a beating, enough to break an arm or take out an eye. Fear the swans!

This is my first dress and also my first time making something from pattern.
I used the Simplicity 4116 pattern. Even though the measurements were in inches, the dress ended up being 4 inches larger than I had expected. Instead of taking the entire thing apart to resize it, I just took the 4 inches out from the middle of the back.  It looked and fit perfectly after that.

I am looking for a coat pattern that will help me make this. The original price is way too expensive and something that could be easily made. Any suggestions?

ETA: What fabric do you recommend me using (which I know is subjective but what are your thoughts)?