Archives for September 2013

a day in the city…

September 8, 2013 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

I love this view of the backside of the Art Gallery of Ontario.

rug 2 I went to the city on Saturday for two main reasons. First I wanted to to see Ancestry and Aristry, the display of Mayan textiles from Guatemala and secondly I knew of a good quality leather remnant sale.

Toronto was in the midst of a deluge, and of course crowded to the hilt with Film Festival goers–Brad Pitt arrived just after I walked along King St–(no I didn’t see him!) But my umbrella and I were able to get to both of my venues with ease. The display at the Textile Museum was wonderful. I especially was interested in the three hooked rugs from the Thirteen Threads Cooperative where Mary Anne Wise has been teaching rug hooking. Jenn Manuell was there this year and posted great photos on her blog. The colours and vitality of all the work, mostly embroidery and weaving, were outstanding–and the women have carried these qualities into their rug hooking. Of course I am interested in how their techniques of using traditional motifs and patterns can apply to hooking in Kenya. And interested too in the fabrics they used which seemed to be pretty much what they could lay their hands on.

I was thrilled to get this 4 kg pile of good quality leather remnants. I find that a small piece spurs my imagination and I come up with new designs which would not occur to me if I had lots of leather. The red piece in particular beckons.

I also got a new punch for hammering out circles, so am thinking about a series of polka dot pouches. Stay tuned…

the final mocha luna–the cupcake!

September 4, 2013 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

Here is the last in the series made with this wonderful distressed mocha leather. Beautifully designed and crafted with lots of patina is the way the owner of this bag made from the same leather described it. I wasn’t sure I would have enough leather left, but with some careful placing this one emerged–the cupcake! I’ve been waiting to use this lining which I got a few years ago in a European market and this is the perfect bag. Sedate on the outside and laughing on the inside!

This bag is a great size, 13″ x 12″ x 5″ with the same features of the other mocha luna bags: adjustable strap, reinforced bottom with rivets, exterior and interior pockets and high quality metal zipper and tabs.

This cupcake will be in the shop this afternoon.

walnut diagonal bag

September 4, 2013 by Birdbrain 1 Comment

I’ve been working with lovely browns for the last weeks. It must be fall in the air. I made two mocha bags a couple of weeks ago and have just enough for a third one which I will show you tomorrow.

In the meantime here is the walnut diagonal tote, made from one of several skirts I found at a thrift shop last year. There was just enough for one tote–a classic. This tote will carry all your essentials and is ready to with its reinforced double bottom and chrome feet. It has a 54″ adjustable strap double riveted to the bag, an outer pocket and two inside pockets, one closing with a zipper. Its great happy lining includes the birdbrain polka dot bird screen-printed on the pocket and a leather pocket for your phone and other small things you need to get to quickly. 15″ x 14″ x 5″.

This bag is the only one made and will be in the shop today.

update

September 2, 2013 by Birdbrain 2 Comments

My rug has been spending the summer at the cottage. We were there for the last while, so I got a chance to spend some time with it. The one end is close to done. It may not look like much progress, but the rug is almost five feet wide so it takes a while to make it across. The text is done on the other end, but there is lots of hooking left. Each end will be this blue as-is texture–but I will have to get out the dye pots for the colours in the centre. I am hoping for a subtle transition to blocks of green, yellow and orange. The hooking I am doing now is almost meditative hooking, the kind I like best, but soon I will have to decide on the main part of the rug–design and background. And that takes thought and planning. Concentration. But for now I am enjoying the sun on the water, the calls of the loons and the slip of the wool through my fingers.As far as bags go–here is the lining for the new one. I hope to show you it finished tomorrow. It is made from a rich brown skirt cut on the diagonal. This bag is a good size and classic birdbrain, including the lining of brightly coloured squares from a European market and the screen-printed bird pocket.