Slippers

The heat didn't come on and it was cold this week.  Just making coffee on the ceramic tile floor made me run back and jump back in bed under my electric blanket.

So I made slippers.  I had a piece of faux shearling left over from the craze in the late 90's.  I wanted them to be fun too so I added a curly pointy toe.  I also wanted them to come up to keep my ankles warm and hug my feet rather than slippng off my heels with every step to make that scuff scuff scuff noise.

These are what I came up with.  I manipulated shaping into darts along the sides for a sleeker look.  I cut them out on the "suede" side using an exacto knife to not cut the fur off   I stitched darts and seams abutting edge to edge useing a wide dense but not satin stitch zig zag ending in a barstitch endpoint.  The great thing about them is they go to gether in about 10 minutes each, easy peasy!  They are everything I wanted.  Now I want to find some leather and felt or shearling to make more.

Crafted Holidays

Handmade accordion book with beautiful paper inside and
covers from found images in a simple binding technique
 even a first grader can master and make as many as they want
 from skills of making just one

Inspired by an invitation to teach some craft classes for children, I thought back to what I did when just a kid with limited funds and even books that I read at the time about special stores for children to shop at so they could surprise their parents and parents could feel easy about their children's money.  Putting the two together with a little strategic art direction as a designer, I've put together several classes intended to boost a child's investment in a class to build skills as well as make something comprable in quality and aesthetics to what they may purchase in a museum shop at 2 or 3 times the price of the class.  While intended for children, with projects for littler children and older kids too, there's plenty of room for adults or a child to make something with someone they enjoy sharing time with.  The projects pictured below led by me and many more with the other talented artists in painting, ceramics, materials from nature and more will be at ArtLab starting in November.  Check out the calendar at:  http://www.artlabindy.com/  New classes are being added all the time!

Wall ready collage from found materials that any child
who can use scissors and a glue stick

Origami Boxes in decorator fabrics backed with paper that nest
or interchanging as bottom or lid from an origami fold most children
can figure out on their own from one found on the playground
 (that's how I learned it!)

Fabric Wrap Bracelet from scraps and a bit of wire
and embellished with found elements that is
deceptively simple for the wow factor that results

Treasure Bowl from collaged lace stiffened and painted.
This one is silver and for a more modern look
a cinnabar red or fresh turquoisey green would make nice choices

Making It Work

Wish me luck!  I will be at ArtLab  this weekend to help anyone who shows up with stuff to in the infamous words of Tim Gunn:  "Make it Work!"

As a costume designer whose first costume ever was in the first or second grade a concoction I cooked up inspired by my Grandfather's copy of Mode in Costume.  I remember having a difficult time deciding between Medieval hennins, Elizabethan pointy stomachers and all that jewelery or Victorian hoop skirts.

Because I found several hula hoops, my brother's belts and a bunch of my mother's old curtains Victorian won out.  I traipsed all over the neighborhood in the get up with my Mom's strategic addition of a floor length red velvet cape trimed with a fur collar from one of her coats.  Thanks Mom!

I hope I get to help kids feel as fabulous as I did that night!

If you want to come check out the details at:  http://www.artlabindy.com/posts/category/events/