BirdBrain Designs

Archives for April 2011

two new books from favourite blogs

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I have always loved drawings of birds but it wasn’t until I read Jenna’s post on Tuesday that I discovered Charlie Harper.  I had to order his book right away!  It is a charming reprint by Todd Oldham of a 1972 book of Harper’s silk-screened images created for the Ford Times. You may recognize his cardinal and bluebird.

I also ordered a book I’ve been wanting for a while.  I’ve followed Heidi Swanson’s incredible blog 101 Cookbooks for some time.  Now I have her beautiful book, Super Natural Cooking as well.  This may be my gift of choice for some up-coming occasions I have!


a new bag and an old friend

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This is a new bag made with my screen-printed canvas and a recycled leather jacket.  I have drawn four birds which I am using for various projects.  This is the spiky bird, a bird with attitude.

The bag has a leather bottom and screen-printed turquoise lining.

And here is my rug Fireworks, begun last year in Jule-Marie Smith’s class at Green Mountain.  I am back at it after many months and will soon be designing the border.  The finished rug will be 53″x72″ and I am about 2/3 done the middle section.  I think the border will be a long project!

new bag with silk ribbon

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Last weekend at the workshop, I bought a skein of beautiful silk ribbon from Jennifer.  It is fair trade and created by women’s cooperatives in India and Tibet using mill remnants.  I have been using it as an accent in a new bag that I am making.  I love the way it glows.

This bag is made of the smoothest teal leather with hooked panels front and back.

dyeing to whip

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Good Friday tulips in my grandmother’s crystal vase–a tradition.  In the background Bookhou’s wonderful alphabet.

I dyed the Briggs and Little two ply that I will use to whip Peruvian images–yes it is hooked.  I used Prochem 1 tsp 818, 1/4 tsp 440 and 1/4 tsp 728, loosely laid the skein in a wide frying pan and simmered until the water was clear.  Then I washed the skein on the gentle cycle and hung it to dry.  Now to turn it into balls and begin to whip.

ottawa day two

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We always make a visit to the Famous Five, those outstanding women who changed the Canadian political landscape at the start of the last century.  And here are some women following in those footsteps.  Bravo!

a perfect rainy weekend

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There was lots of laughter as we worked our way through the steps of creating a coin purse.  Jennifer was full of patience and humour as she nudged all 14 of us along.  Her goal is ‘the best outcome for everyone’, a goal she definitely achieved!!

Head-down industry for most of us!  I’m no doubt waiting for another lesson on the ladder stitch!

Here are a few of the purses waiting until the glue dries.  The variety of style and colour is inspiring.

At this stage Joan does not have her clasp on yet, but you can tell it will be a show-stopper!

very excited

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My coin purse is hooked and ready to go.  Jennifer Manuell is giving her coin purse workshop for our group this Saturday and Sunday.  More squares–I will have to step out of the box soon.

circles and squares

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This is the first bag I hooked.  I love the interplay of squares and circles.

Another early bag.

And a small rug.  Variations on a theme.  This rug used all my left-overs.  I grew bored with the squares and began to add small icons.  Of course I had to have four birds!  Can you find them?

hooking the border

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I am almost finished a rug I began about a year ago.  This morning, listening to Sunday Morning on CBC, I was working on the border.  This is one of my favourite parts of the rug because it requires no thinking, and the rhythmic pulling of loops in colours I love allows me to enjoy the best radio of the week (this morning a UofT professor talking about good teaching and a great listen into yodelling) and even slip into a meditative state.  But since I started at 9.am., I was very aware of the time it took me to hook just half the border of one side–1.5 hours!  We rug hookers do not often calculate the hours we spend on a piece–and for good reason!  I will post the finished rug later this week after several more hours work on the border but before I begin whipping!