Day 3- The Curious Heart Obsession

2/26/14

I don't know why but lately I've been feeling like putting hearts on things. (I mentioned this in my "Poetry and Clutches" post.) Today I decided just to go for it and put a heart smack in the middle of something. In rhinestones. Iridescent rhinestones. I blame it on the migraine.

I was cleaning up today and found one of the ugliest gold boxes that a piece of junk jewelry came in. Actually, I only found the bottom. Although I threw initially threw it away, later in the day I realized it would make the perfect base to cover to make a small clutch.




I started with one of my favorites in the fabric stack, a navy blue fabric with red and white plaid. I got it set up to embroider and considered appliqueing a heart and then beading it when I came across a selection of rhinestone chains. Definitely leftover materials from a project for someone else. I am really not into rhinestones, but something about the high-low quality of the cotton plain juxtaposed with the rhinestones agreed with my project. I knew I was headed for a heart shape, so I stitched each rhinestone down, being careful to line up the shape with the plaid. I added gold painted tube beads to give it a little edge and to keep it from being too precious.

(During this time a friend came over and needed to borrow my iPad for a business trip, and was concerned that it had no case, so I stitched him up a project-of-the-day themed pouch to keep it cozy.)

Project of the day 3.5

Back to the clutch. I padded the box with a thick knit fabric and covered it with the plaid fabric. The construction became complicated when I started the zipper. I had to sew corners into one side of the zipper and leave the other side flat to wrap around the box. I may have to go in and replace the zipper with a smaller one in the future, as it wraps too far around the clutch. I sewed the entire zipper to the back panel by hand with thick thread. I also need to start applying my linings better. I tend to work as I go, and those sort of things need to be planned in advance.

I used twill tape and leather to line the piece which is structured like a very tiny suitcase. It's just large enough to fit a phone and a lipstick, and maybe one or two small items.

Plaid Heart Clutch; cotton exterior, rhinestone chain, glass beads, leather lining, twill tape

Inside view

I love the simplicity of today's piece and the iconography of the heart shape. I'm still obsessed with the plaid fabric. I also like the hard case-like structure of the clutch. 

Some thoughts from today's project:

1. Wow, I'm really feeling the rhinestones more than I care to admit. They will probably pop up in a few more projects in the next few days.
2. I want to make a beaded plaid fabric to make the plaid three-dimensional.

Any applique or beading shape ideas?

xo (<3)
Arielle

Day 2- The Yarn Mill in Montgomery, NY

2/25/14

The yarn mill

Today I headed out to visit my cousin about an hour north of New York City. We visited an old yarn mill in Montgomery, NY, although unfortunately most of the machinery is gone and most of what they do is resale. The bins of undyed yarn appealed to my texture obsession so obviously I grabbed the biggest, bulkiest yarn available.

My favorite was a felted yarn that resembled a skein of dreadlocks. I anticipated a woven piece using the felted yarn as the warp (the lengthwise yarn) and a very thin yarn as the weft (the yarn woven side to side) to give a corded appearance.

Concept sketch for woven felted yarn

I would still like to work with this concept, but the yarn was terribly expensive. I'm considering alternatives! In the meantime I opted for another felted yarn that had a thick-and-thin spin to it. It has a great spongy quality and will also be great for dyeing.

I started a weaving with today's yarn purchases which I will have to work on for a few days to incorporate into an upcoming project. I'm working on a simple lap loom (however it really is too big for your lap...) and will end up with a piece that will be good for applique or for a smaller accessory. 

For today I decided to keep it simple. The felted quality of the yarn makes it easy to sew, so I lined up several pieces and started to stitch them together at regular intervals while leaving some gaps. At the time, I considered filling the space in with some beads. Instead, I found some copper wire and wrapped coils to encase the yarn. The materials have to compromise, the yarn holds the copper in place but the spring gives the yarn a bit of shaping. I'm sure there is some influence from the industrial atmosphere and machinery that I saw at the mill today in this piece. 

Felted yarn stitched together with thread

Copper wire for coils: I used 2 different sized cylinders to shape the coils.

I completed the piece as a necklace by creating a wrapped hook and eye with the copper wire and using a lace weight yarn to wrap the components together.

The wrapped end of the necklace with a handmade copper hook closure. 

The finished piece, made with 100% felted wool yarn, cotton lace weight yarn, and copper wire. 

Eunice is a fabulous model. 

Today's project really emphasizes the importance of pushing through to finish a piece, despite tangents and distractions in the creative process. I had my heart set on crafting something with the woven piece I was making but I had to set that aside and bring it back another day. I have so many fabric treatments in mind for future projects, and as they tend to be time consuming, I'd better get them started before I plan to use them.