Not using the B Word

I can’t call it a yarn bombing because it occurred at an airport and one can’t say “bomb” at the airport.

A yarn "enhancement" at the
Philadelphia airport.

You never know where yarn might appear!

- christina

Another Bombing (the Yarn Kind)

Once again, I have assisted in the subversive act of yarn bombing.  The Knitters for Peace gang struck in the dead of night (around 9:30 pm) depositing knitted artwork along a local walking path.  There was a knitted banner as well as flowers, birds, and butterflies. 

The “yarn bombers” hoped that people would take the knitted pieces home, but the work stayed untouched for over a week.  Eventually it disappeared and I don’t know if it was removed by the police, a citizen, or a gang member.  I know that many people had the opportunity to enjoy the work, because I witnessed some bikers taking photos in front of it.

Have you ever left art somewhere for people to find?

- christina

Summer Goals

I am a teacher and, like my students, I am giddy with excitement because summer break has begun. (Yay!) Summer seems to fly by and I want to feel that I have spent my time wisely.  In order to get that feeling of accomplishment, I have to define summer goals.  Sometimes this is a long list, but not this year.

 

(sunshinecity @ flickr.com)

I have 2 very specific goals for this summer: make 20 journals and sew 20 canvas pouches.  These items will be sold at CREATE Chicago in August.  My friend is going to have a vendor table at the event where she will sell hand-dyed fabric and she is allowing me to add to her items for sale.  It’s going to take me all summer to make these items, but I am excited about the prospect of selling my work to the public.  I am not confident enough to do a big art show or flea market, but the CREATE event is small and somehow feels “safe.”  I guess because I am one of the attendees and I have purchased wonderful stuff in the past.

I will post my progress as the summer continues.  I hope that you have fabulous summer plans as well.

- christina

A Visit to Bead & Button

A beautiful piece of wearable art

Last weekend I drove to Milwaukee for the Bead & Button Show.  It’s a 90-minute drive each way, so I had about 2 ½ hours to hang out there before I had to be back in Chicago. I just wanted to visit the exhibit hall, buy a few items, and say hello to some friends who had a booth.  I have been going to Bead & Button for 10 years, but this was the first time I went without my BFF.

I love these colorful storage cabinets.
$159 each. Drool …..

This is one of my favorite vendors, My
Elements.  They sell rubber components  for
jewelry making and are incredibly creative.

This is half of the Exhibit Hall.
There seemed to be fewer attendees than last year.

Yes, they actually sell buttons
at Bead & Button.

This is my friend Dee Dee's booth.
Banyan Bay Studio beads

Dee Dee makes her beads from layers of
wood.  She turns each one on a lathe.
They are beautiful.

It was a nice day trip, but I really missed my BFF.  We usually walk through the exhibit hall together, stopping occasionally to say "ohh, ahh" or "who would buy that?"  We also smuggle little bottles of rum into the hall where we buy $4 cokes and doctor them up.  That makes the shopping even more fun.

The only things I bought at the show were some brass chain and a few silk ribbons that I use as bracelets.  Next year I won't go to B&B unless my BFF goes too.  It just isn't the same without her.

- christina

A New Binding

I just tried a new book binding technique called the crossed structure binding.  I saw a video of an artist using this technique and she said she learned it from a book that I actually own!  What a pleasant surprise.  So I got the book, found the page, and made my first crossed structure binding book.

 

I used the cover of the watercolor
paper pad as the cover of my journal.

I cut the cover to the height of the paper
and 3 times the width of the signature, then
I cut the "teeth" out of the middle third.

The signatures are sewn to the 2 "teeth"
on the back cover.

To attach the front cover, the
"teeth" are woven in and out of the covers.

Here is the final journal.

I like the new technique and plan to use it again.  I will need to get a better Xacto knife, however.  Check out Making Handmade Books by Alisa Golden for 100+ bindings.

- christina

Why didn’t I think of that?

Have you ever heard of a centering ruler?  Neither had I until I saw one in a YouTube video.  It looks like a regular ruler except …

 

amazon.com

… the zero is in the center! (If you look closely you will see the zero right in the middle.)  It’s a great idea, don’t you think?

Apparently these rulers are used in quilting but I have never seen one. I looked for it at Joanne’s Fabrics, as well as Hobby Lobby and Michael's.  I couldn’t find one so I decided to make one myself.

painter's tape is a wonderful thing

I’ve already used it many times for my book projects, especially for determining holes for binding.  Could you find a use for a centering ruler?

- christina

Silhouettes

I was watching a YouTube video recently made by a book artist and she had created a book filled with silhouettes.  They were so interesting that it made me want to buy whatever stencil she was using.  Then she explained that she had made the silhouettes using magazine pages.  What a great idea!   I had to try it.

 

My first silhouette cut
from a magazine page.

The process was easier than I expected.  I didn’t have many magazines lying around, so I actually borrowed (acquired? stole?) an Urban Outfitter catalog from my doctor’s office. (It was out of date, I promise.)  It’s not easy to find a good picture.  The technique requires a photo that is either in profile or where the arms and legs are posed away from the body in order to leave negative space.  I cut the silhouette out of card stock and then painted it with black gesso.  

A second silhouette just
waiting to become a piece of art.

I haven't decided what to do with my second silhouette yet.  I like the process, though, and I will now look for magazines filled with the right kind of pictures.  I'll try not to steal any more from waiting rooms.

What new ideas have you learned from watching the videos created by other artists?

- christina