WIPs and a Fun Announcement

Well, I’ve certainly been MIA for a while, and I apologize! Lest you think I’ve been neglecting my various projects as well as my blog, let me show you a few of the things I’ve been working on:

Featured Artist Interview – Jill of For Strange Women

If you follow Handmade Gazette, you’ve likely seen a few items from an Etsy shop called For Strange Women, which is owned and operated by Jill McKeever. I happen to be a huge fan of Jill’s artistry, and so I’m beyond thrilled to announce that the star of today’s Featured Artist interview is none other than Jill herself!

Embroidery: A pincushion only a mother could love, and boy do I love it!

As part of my recent forays into the art of embroidery (posted here and here), I decided to stitch myself a pincushion. After all, I needed one! And really, it was the plethora of adorable hand-stitched pincushions to be found in some of my favorite Etsy shops (From My Atelier, for one example) that motivated me to start down this path of addiction in the first place. So it was only natural that making one of my own would be one of my first projects.

It turned out to be a bit of a mess.

Knitting: Entrelac Pillow Class

I’m teaching a class tonight over at the Red Purl on the Entrelac technique. The project is really just a square swatch, but I always get discouraged knitting something that has no obvious purpose, so I turned it into a pillow to make myself feel better. It’s a quick and easy project, a good introduction to the technique, and I figured I’d post the photos and handout info up here in case those of you who are more adventurous with new things wanted to give it a try.

Embroidery: It’s Official – I’m addicted to yet another crafty activity.

You may recall my post from a few weeks ago mentioning that I may or may not have picked up a new hobby. Since then, I’ve stitched a fun little sampler, made my first embroidered linen pincushion, and finished off that bread cloth from the first post. I’ve got plans for a matching set of place mats and napkins next, and a fun little gift for my cousin’s kid’s first birthday. And after that, who knows? I’ve got piles of buttons and loads of designs floating around in my head.

The point is, it’s official. I’m addicted. I even gave it it’s own category in the Craft section.

Photography Book Review: The A-Z of Creative Photography

Recently, while browsing the Art section of Book People in Austin, TX, I came across the perfect Christmas gift for a good friend of mine. She’s a budding photographer, and I was hoping to find some sort of book that might provide inspiration for her artistic endeavors. What I found was something much, much better. So much better, in fact, that I ended up buying a second copy for myself.

What I found was Lee Frost‘s The A-Z of Creative Photography.

Metal Clay: Firing – What the Heck is a Sinter?

I can’t even begin to count the number of times I encounter a new metal clay artist struggling with the concept of firing. It’s not surprising, considering that almost every formula of metal clay lists a different firing schedule. The most recent formulas even promise results via torch firing, which is fantastic, but  adds greatly to the chaos. 1290 for 10 minutes? 1110 for 30? Which one is right?

The problem is that to be able to choose the right firing schedule you have to understand the concept of sintering, and unfortunately most metal clay books and classes fail to mention it.

Handmade Humility

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the differences between the modern concept of “handmade” and the traditional concept of craft. Today, we see a handmade item as a treasure, and of course we should see it that way. After all, hours of labor went into it. Someone’s fingers bear calluses as testimony to the sacrifice they made to create that item. It’s a stunningly beautiful thing, when you stop to consider it.