BirdBrain Designs

in Kingston for a few days

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I know I said that I would be back with photos of my new rug. It is progressing and I would love to show you…but I have had problems with my long-time Macbook. I’m using it here, but its functions are limited. It won’t accept photos from my camera or phone and we nearly put it under when we tried to download a new operating system. It’s clear that I will have to replace her before too very long. 

I’ve been spending too much time removing photos and emails and files from said laptop in an attempt to unburden it and help it do its job, but it is a tedious and unrewarding task. This is further complicated by the new operating system which has totally reorganized (jumbled?) the files. More work to sort out! So I’m taking a break to connect with a short post of my sketches.

I am in Kingston for several days on a very pleasurable mission (grandparenting) and I’ve even had a little time for sketching (so much more fun that the computer sorting!) Here are two café sketches from yesterday and today. I have no scanning or editing functions, so these are straight from the phone.

 

studio happenings

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Here are some photos of what is on the go in the studio. First a new small mat for a new small family member. Below that a new size of Keller bag which I hope will be ready to take on my upcoming trip to France. You can see the lining which came from the Textile Museum sale. It will be heavy enough for lots of interior pockets. I hope to post updated photos of  both of these projects by the end of the weekend.

simon tote medium

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This is a new Simon tote, medium size. A special order, it has both an adjustable cross-body strap with leather shoulder pad and leather handles. It is made of the same beautiful leather which just gets nicer with use. The tote is unlined with two large exterior pockets and one interior. It closes securely with a heavy-duty metal zipper. I make these one at a time. If you are interested, contact me. This is a great every day tote, or carry-on bag. W 17″ H 14″ D 5.5″

gift of a textile designed by Vanessa Bell

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My sister brought me back a wonderful gift from her trip to England: a pattern on linen designed by Vanessa Bell for Omega Workshops in 1913. The label tells the design was originally watercolour, gouache and graphite on paper. If you look closely at the photo below you can see the graphite grid and the watercolour layers. What a gift! It combines my love of textiles and my love of watercolour. Not to mention my longtime interest in the Bloomsbury group.  

So I started searching out more information about Bell the artist and textile designer. I had read this article about the show at the Dulwich Gallery in London curated by Canadian, Sarah Milroy. Her characterization of Bell is appealing: I like her commitment to freedom of expression and pleasure…and there is such joy in the way she embraces colour and sensation in the world. … The word that keeps coming to my mind is ferocious: There is something ferocious about the vitality of this woman.”

The Artsy editorial by Demie Kim gives more details about Bell the designer: Blurring fine art and applied arts, Bell was also an innovator in the realm of design. With Fry and Grant (her longtime partner and the father of her daughter, Angelica), she co-directed Omega Workshops. Their modernist products ranged from furniture to stained glass and mosaics, as well as textiles, which Bell patterned in vibrant hues that revealed her distaste for restrained Victorian designs. In 1915, she began to incorporate these fabrics into popular dress designs. 

Vanessa Bell also designed many of the covers for her sister, Virginia Woolf’s books. And to complete the circle for me perfectly, Random House has recently issued a modern interpretation of Vanessa Bell’s covers of her sister’s books in collaboration with Marimekko. How perfect! And I must thank my own sister whose gift set me on such an interesting line of discovery.

Left: Vanessa Bell self-portrait. Right: Vanessa Bell portrait of her sister, Virginia Woolf

using harris tweed for my next hooking project

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I’m starting a new hooking project and want to include some Harris Tweed which I bought on the island of Harris last fall. Getting the pieces of HT out and washing them had me looking at our photos of  Carloway and our visit to the weaving studio. Here is one of the looms all ‘dressed’ with metres of finished woven fabric rolled on the beam. Below is the bobbin winder where the wool is transferred from cones to bobbins; these bobbins fit in the shuttle which gets thrown back and forth between the threads of the warp to make the weft. Warp and weft beaten together make the tweed.

To be labelled Harris Tweed, the fabric must be spun, dyed and handwoven by islanders in their homes on the Outer Hebrides from 100% purse Scottish wool. In Stornoway we could have purchased 60″ wide Harris Tweed, but here in Carloway, the fabric woven is the traditional 36″  width, now a ‘niche’ market we were told. This photo shows the wool ready to be put on the loom as the warp. You can see the beautifully hand-dyed colours.

Here are the four small pieces I purchased, hues reflecting colours of the hillside surrounding the weaving studio. Just handling them brings the experience of that beautiful rugged island back. I look forward to incorporating them into a new mat. More on that soon.

sketching the back of Front Street

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I’m drawn to the backs of buildings. I love the configurations, the complexity and the peek into interesting living spaces. Yesterday I parked my car in an elevated lot behind the main street. It was late afternoon and sun was not in the right spot–much of the building facing me was in shadow. But I sketched anyway from the car, with the motor turned off, but the radio on. Eleanor Wachtel interviewing Derek Walcott. This is my idea of bliss–intelligent radio, sunshine and an interesting building to sketch. 

The first version is what I did on site with a little paint using my waterbrush. The second version, with paint, was finished at home after reviewing Shari Blaukopf’s wonderful tutorial on painting brick in her Craftsy class. I have watched this many times, and still learn something new each time.

Good Friday sketch

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Good Friday was a beautiful day, sunny after seemingly endless days of rain. I definitely wanted to sketch to capture the shadows on the buildings.  But it was still a sketch-in-the-car-day — windy and cool in spite of the sun. So I sketched this adorable little house on a side street near my neighbourhood and finished it at home. I’m thinking of doing a series of sketches of the 100+ year old buildings in my city. I love their lines and the careful architectural detail which has lasted so long.

hooking houses by the canal

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Here is another little mat exploring geometric shapes in landscape. This one comes from my love of the rows of Amsterdam houses. I like the way the water echoes the shape of the houses and has a sense of movement. Next time I’ll try to work in shadows and reflections–I’m thinking about the connection between hooking and sketching. In the meantime, this was a joyful piece to work on in the rainy days of the last weeks.

a week in mostly rainy Montreal

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I had a sabbatical last week in Montreal in one of my favourite sections of the city. It was colder than I expected and overcast, with two days of heavy rain, but I still sketched as much as I could.

I am fascinated by les ruelles, the alleys which run between the backyards of the houses, and I spent lots of time walking in these interesting spaces.  I think les ruelles are part of what makes Montreal such a liveable city. On Sunday, une ruelle, still plugged in part with snow, was set up with a make-shift table with wine and the neighbours were visiting after a long winter.

Anyway–here are a few from the streets and alleys and a couple of warm-up cappuccino sketches too.


 

 

update after a few days away

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I was in Toronto last week and was fortunate enough to get to the Textile Museum fabric sale. I had never been before and was delighted to find all kinds of fabric — and even a bolt of leather — for bargain prices. Here are some of my fabric pieces, great selections to line my totes and some others for spring and summer tunics. Those pieces in the middle are beautiful slub linen. 

I was also in Kingston on Saturday to see the fibre show at the Tett Centre. It is an excellent show, well worth a visit and lunch at the delightful Juniper Cafe is a must. Afterwards, I dropped into my favourite vintage store and found these–cherry red leather bellbottoms! What a great find. You will be seeing these transformed into pouches in the fall.

And finally,  in the little time I have had at home, I have begun another village. This is to be a row of houses on a dock with water at the bottom. As you can see, my first idea for the dock did not work out. But that hasn’t taken away from the fun of designing these little studies. I’m learning a lot about colour and composition as I hook entirely from my leftover strips. Once I have the dock and water figured out and hooked, I’ll post again. In the meantime, I am heading to Montreal for a week of sketching. I hope the forecast improves and that I have lots of opportunity to sketch that wonderful city. I hope to post from there so I don’t leave such long gaps without writing. Thanks for sticking with me.