Spool Pets

Sewing Spools...there is a fascination with spools...or should I say I have a fascination with spools. 

Over the years they have been utilitarian, cherished things to hold precious threads, collectible, and even altered for the sake of art...

Months ago, one of my students, Julie, brought in a collection of Spool Pets trading cards...this was the inspiration for this blog!

Bias tape and notions cards were a popular advertising means to promote buying a manufacturer’s other products. Clark's O. N. T. Thread was one of the largest producers of trade cards during the late 19th Century. It was a marketing method that they would continue using into the next decade.  

To spur its thread sales, J&P Coats- Clark's O. N. T. Thread offered the John Martin Pet Spool Series in 1930. The set was comprised of six animals – Kitty Cat, Hal Horse, Pete Pig, Clara Cow, Puppy Dog and Bob Bunny. 

In 1931 Spool Zoo was advertised in Good Stories. This set offered a fox, bear, zebra, lion, elephant and hippo. 

One side of the card contained face and back side of an animal to be cut out and pasted on each end of a spool of thread sized 8, 10 or 12.

As you can imagine, after the passage of almost 100 years these cards are now extremely difficult to find intact...but isn't that what it is all about...finding that special treasure?? 

Good Hunting!

 

Etta the Marotte Puppet

Many years ago when I was teaching at Piecemakers, one of my students, Jeanne, brought in a delightful show and tell. This doll was charming and we soon found out she was a Marotte puppet, which is a single-rod puppet with a base so she will stand on her own.

She was designed as a German style doll dressed in dark subdued colors...but we loved her and Jeanne let me take her home to Colorado for an inspiration to create a doll that we could make the following year.

This Marotte was made from a composite for the head, 

with wooden ball hands, and silk costuming. 

One of the things I love is research on dolls styles and costuming. I could not find too much info on a Marotte, so I set out to just wing-it! Which is something I really like- winging-it...I find it most creative and love to find solutions to things as they arise! BUT I did  I did find wonderful costuming on Bavarian style clothing at the library.

After sculpting the head, I made a mold so I could reproduce the face forms for my students.

I decided to use wool felt for her head, hands, and most of the costuming and then chose to add an organza apron for a light-weight contrast to the wool felt. I found a very nice buttercup colored yarn for her hair and sweet vintage flowers for her hair!

I decided to name her Etta, which means The Little One.

So this weekend, my girls will learn how to cover the face form with felt and paint her expressive face. They will create a beautiful costume for her and will learn how to assemble the puppet which will give her movement.

Here are some detail photos!

Etta face painted with sweet vintage flowers

Drindl with vintage woven ribbons

Organza apron embroidery

Scallop cut edging along skirt bottom. I also found this "stain glass" type cotton for the underskirt!

Want to create Etta??

Pattern  click here and scroll down
Face Form click here and scroll down

Just for fun!

I find that in my busy life- busy schedule that I forget how to just do something for fun! YIKES!

Most of you know that if you do something for three weeks it becomes a habit...and most of us give it a shot at working out, getting up earlier...you know a habit for our health. One of the things that I am working on...striving for is to have a moment each day of having a bit of fun. Yes, it is a conscious decision- fun! Doing something without having a reason behind it but pure enjoyment!

So in steps ... 

click here for main site

By now most of your are connected but if not it is a site that you create boards that you pin photos too. It is about all visual and sharing...and it IS a fun way to spend a couple of moments in that dreamy stage...

click here for my boards

you may have to sign in to get to my area... 

It is just fun..that's all just fun!

Here are some of the items that I started with...

SMALL THINGS

 

The went to

MODERN JAPANESE CLOTHING

 DOORS

I LOVE WHITE KITCHENS

and it goes on and on!! Now I have 14 boards and yes growing...

but it is a great way to jump in and dream about things that you can do, are doing, or just enjoy!

jar of fairies!

Year of the Dragon 2012

Happy Chinese New Year!

The Dragon symbol of the 2012 year, began on January 23rd, is an intelligent and laborious worker who never puts aside work though sometimes this leads him to excesses. The water Dragon has enough courage to face challenges and easily finds weak points that stand on his way to success. 

Industries belonging to the wood (textile, media) and earth (property, construction) elements and will see some prosperity in 2012. Metal (banking) and water (shipping) industries will not be as profitable.

Whew!! for me (textiles) and my husband (property-construction)!

Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious (attended by good fortune- prosperous) powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, hurricane, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck. With this, the Emperor of China usually uses the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power. 

 The Imperial Dragon was supposed to be made up of nine separate beings. They were the eyes of a demon, the head of a camel, the ears of a cow, the neck of a snake, the horns of a stag, the claws of an eagle and the belly of a clam. His soles were made of the feet of a tiger and his body was covered with carp scales numbering an odd 117. As a result, each picture of the Imperial Dragon shows a winding twisty golden-red colored fearsome creature that is nonetheless very beautiful to look at.

In Chinese daily language, excellent and outstanding people are compared to the dragon while incapable people with no achievements are compared with other, disesteemed creatures, such as the worm. 

OoooOOh my!

A number of Chinese proverbs and idioms feature references to the dragon, for example:

"Hoping one's son will become a dragon" 望子成龍

 more postings on Chinese Children's Hats here

In fact, China is expecting a huge baby boom this year!

In ancient China, the dragon became a symbol of the imperial hierarchy. At the end of his reign, the first legendary Emperor, Huang Di, was said to have been immortalized into a dragon that resembled his emblem, and ascended to Heaven. Since the Chinese consider Huang Di as their ancestor, they sometimes refer to themselves as "the descendants of the dragon." This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.

The dragon, especially yellow or golden dragons with five claws on each foot, was a symbol for the emperor in many Chinese dynasties. 

 

Chinese emperors thought they were the real dragons and the sons of heaven. Thus the beds they slept on are called the dragon beds, the throne called the dragon seat, and the emperor’s ceremonial dresses called the dragon robes.  It was a capital offense for commoners to wear clothes with a dragon symbol. 

The dragon is featured in the carvings on the steps of imperial palaces and tombs, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing.

There are nine ways the Chinese have traditionally represented these dragon each one revealing a different dragon characteristic.

• There are dragons carved on the tops of bells and gongs, because of the beast’s habit of calling loudly when attacked.
• A second type is carved on the screws of fiddles, since most dragons are fond of music.
• A third is carved on the tops of stone tablets, because of dragons’ love of literature.
• A fourth is found at the bottom of stone monuments, as dragons can support heavy weights.
• A fifth is placed on the eaves of temples, as dragons are ever alert to danger.
• A sixth occurs on the beams of bridges, since dragons are fond of water.
• A seventh is carved on Buddha’s throne, as dragons like to rest.
• An eighth is placed on the hilts of swords, since dragons are known to be capable of slaughter.
• The ninth is carved on prison gates, as these are dragons that are fond of quarreling and trouble making.

May you all have a auspicious 

Chinese New Year that 

exceeds your every dream!

Something New!

I love your questions and comments and they are always welcomed..and I have found most of you like to contact me personally instead of leaving a public comment...so please feel free to use this button...

The Soul of an Art Business

Last week, I talked about the new book of the year (see link to right of this posting) and how my business life is a whirling-twirling merry go round!

I know that I am fortunate to be artist and to have my own studio away from my home. With that comes responsibilities that you would not even think of when running your business, so it is always a learning experience. Which lead me to think about where my whirling business is today and how to create a more enjoyable and less stressful situation for me to work in.

I believe that is the one of the things I do most enjoy about being in business is problem solving- that is in the business itself and in the actual dollmaking. My students are so well versed with my phrase Dollmaking is just creative problem-solving! I find that having a problem and to creatively figure it out is fun- like a puzzle! Of course even better when you can take pieces from another puzzle and fit it in!!So with that in mind, I set out to figure out this puzzle...

I am well aware there are so many business courses out there, business books, CDs, DVD's etc etc. I have found most of them to be very product oriented.  How do you reach into your heart?

What about us artists?? I did some investigation and I came across an online class for businesses- more importantly for art business...

Hello Soul Hello Business.

I decided- what the heck, I'll give it a shot, it seems to be exactly what I am looking for...so I signed up!

how will the pieces fit together??

It has only been four days but truthfully, I could not of been more pleasantly surprised at approach of this course. It is a 9 week program and you have a new exercise to do daily (M-F)...if you really want it to work you need to be honest and  in a quiet location so you can dig deep...I am very excited to see where this will take my business!!

Book of the Year 2012

ok...so you all know that I love to have a word of the year to strive for or to reach a goal of being a better person. Last year my dear friend Kathy (aka Peep) introduced me to a book for the year. 

I so enjoyed every morning taking a quiet moment or two to read the thought of the day. It was a wonderful way to start the day. Unless you are one of the very few who have figured out how to have a balanced life, we are all thrown into our hectic lives to accomplish, as fast as we can, our goals for the day while being bombarded with more demands from things other that are not on our to do lists...humm- maybe this is tmi or a telling sign of what my life is!?!?!

With this in mind, Peep, shared with me another book for this year...this is help me with my goal of the year...to reach more people with my art while taking time to enjoy a bit of life...

Younger by the Day: 

365 Ways to Rejuvenate Your Body and Revitalize Your Spirit 

Since it is the beginning of the year, I have just started it. One of Victoria Moran's suggestion was to read through the book in its entirety...hummm...sister I am going to be lucky to read each day's thought!  

This could be a clue for me for my chosen hectic life. I am well aware that I am one of those who live an over-booked life and am well aware that I have done this to myself. I also realize that I am a do-er...I love creating and can't keep up with my thoughts. However I realize I am only one person and do need to look up from my computer or sewing machine every once and while to see the world. 

My main goal of the year is to slow the merry-go-round down a bit to have time...

It is a wondrous precious gift that I have been able to make a living being a doll artist, to have my own studio out of my house and fill my classes with my fabulous students. I have worked so very hard to bring this calling to life however, it has now whirled into its own entity and I am holding on...

 so it is now time to takes this creation and fine tune it...I am still working on that and will mold this into the ability to reach more people with my art while taking time to enjoy a bit of life...

I need time...just a moment of time...to step off this whirling machine and take a walk to give myself a moment of time to explore and to discover things life has to show us. 

You never know what else you can do in life until you get off the speeding merry go round and break away from the herd!!

So stayed tuned there is always more to come!! 

Life is GRAND!!