Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Back to the pincushions....

So, I finally got it all done with the pincushions. I tried. And tried. Lots of different things and ideas. I just could.not.get.inspired. I would have all these ideas, but the execution just wouldn't deliver. I finally just had to stop, and send, cause the deadline had been reached. So. Here they are.


The first is silk...the base is a shot silk, alternating with a purple tone. Over that, I had this really luxurious silk scrap, so I decided I really wanted to make a lotus flower. Laying out those petals took FOR-EV-ER (said in my best Sandlot Kids voice). And I kept having to rip them back out cause they weren't working, or I forgot how the heck I was laying them out, or something. Ugh. And then, when I finally finished, with little French knots for the middle, it looked like a dahlia. Sheesh. So much for my lotus.

The next one I tried didn't come out like the picture in my head, either. :eyeroll: I used a tiny Japanese bamboo steamer basket, with two levels, and a lid; and then I used the same beautiful red silk, and hand drew and cut out a stencil, using a royalty free image I found online, of a Koi fish, and applied it with fabric silk screening inks and freezer paper. I made it so it can be lifted out of the basket and taken with when you go out; and I lined the bottom tier with cardboard covered in the silk, as a place to store small scissors, or thimble, or needle packs, seamrippers, whatever.



All that for something that looks like the most uncomfortable looking carp ever, crammed into a tiny basket. Whee. My poor partner. :p

4 comments:

Melanie Gray Augustin said...

I love them both!

CurlyPops said...

I think they're really sweet...and the steamer basket is such a fab idea!

Patty said...

Lotus, dahlia, whatever, I love it. My idea of a pincushion is to add some fabric to the back of one of my small cross stitches. You use a bamboo steamer, silk and s stencil. Excuse me while I kill my non-creative self.

Tonya said...

I think the are both GORGEOUS!!! I would have been thrilled to be your swap partner!

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