Twine and Postage

spaces and stitches

2011-04-25T02:21:00.000-07:00

Since I last updated this blog over a year ago, I...
...moved to New Zealand
...started making mail art every day
...moved into a new space that my sweetie and I are turning into Alphabet City. It's a community letterpress, book arts, zine and creative space. We're excited about it!

Anyway, over xmas, I did a lot of embroidery in a short amount of time.

For our nieces and nephews, we embroidered each a pillowcase. We mostly used Sublime Stitching patterns.

My two favorites:

I'll probably be moving to a new blog in the next few months, one that I will actually update on the regular. Stay tuned!

2010-03-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't totally made up my mind about Valentine's Day. I don't really feel I need an excuse to tell my darling how much I love her. Yet, I like the idea of holidays and ritual. Oh, and I love chocolate and pink things and lace and flowers. So I really cant knock St. Valentine's. I like to celebrate, make people feel special and decorate with the changing season. As my girlfriend lives 8,000 miles away, we cant exactly deck the halls, so I bought some craft felt, cut out some circles, added a touch of lace, and assembled a valentine's garland.

I'm a sentimental girl. I cant deny it.

(sorry for the bad photos)

On managing my expectations...

2010-02-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

My sweetie loves hexagons.

So when the Fall knitty came out, I was quite certain that her xmas present would have to be this shawl but as a scarf, and from some vegan material. We were yarn shopping, and she swooned over a certain linen. Being a bit of a trickster, I convinced her she would never use the linen, and I bought a couple of skeins when she wasn't looking.

I e-mailed the Hex designer and told her my intention: to change her shawl into a scarf, and knit it with a fingering linen. She was very helpful and willing to answer all of my questions and concerns. At first, this task seemed possible, something i could make happen, but the longer I sat without starting the project, the more daunting it became. I was nervous and got a bit down on my knitting self. By this point, it was already December, and I hadn't even cast on.

And so, i had to re-examine my project and intention, then accept that I needed to look for something else. I started to comb Ravelry for linen scarves, and found a Seafoam linen that seemed like just the thing...especially since I had let my anxiety get in the way of starting my project, and it was dangerously near my departure date.

And so I started to knit and knit and knit. Everywhere. On the subway and while waiting for things to start, and on the plane to Los Angeles. I knit on the couch and before bed, when waking up and while waiting for my coffee to happen in my wee french press. I finished the scarf in *just* 8 days! This is a record for me. I've never finished a knitting project so quickly, and it was so satisfying to go from start to xmas present in a fat week.

It turned out to be just the thing, too. It's summer in New Zealand, after all, and the scarf was light enough for the season on the water. The linen, while tough on the hands, turned to magic after blocking--a beautiful drape, a lovely quick lace knit.

heirloom xmas

2009-12-20T09:23:00.001-08:00

Though I don't conscientiously think about it, I'm very much into the idea of heirlooms--though not always in the traditional sense. I'm also enchanted by building traditions, creating a moment to hold once a year, once a season, once a lifetime, and then the next.

This is true of quilts, and this is true of xmas. A few years ago, I made some xmas trees from a pattern from the small object. These were to be part of my xmas tradition. They would live in a box and then, at xmas, they would grow out of the mantle, off of a window sill, gathered together into a small festive forest. I'm still trying to get these trees back from my ex. They were part of my xmas tradition, one that i was making to share with family and loved ones. So, here's the thing about building a tradition: sometimes, you have to start from scratch, again.

This year, I knew I would be spending xmas in New Zealand with my love, and who knows what traditions we will build in hand and light. I didn't want to decorate my apartment in Brooklyn as I wouldn't be there on the day to celebrate. Still, towards the beginning of December, I thought it would be nice to make the apartment a little more festive. I decided an xmas bunting was just the thing.

I often undertake large projects, so it is nice to sometimes make something that can happen in the span of a few hours. At this month's Church of Craft at the Etsy labs, I scavenged some lace, red/white/green, fabric trimming, a bolt of candy cane micro stripes shirting fabric and various cream and white scraps. Then I used a rotary cutter and a triangular quilt template to cut out the flags. I arranged and pinned the flags to the lace, and then ran in through the sewing machine with contrasting green thread. The result was instant festive, and it was very satisfying to finish this project so quickly.

That night, my roommate helped me hang up the bunting across our living room. Our other roommate brought home a surprisingly magical phosphorescent tree. We drank cider and dressed our tree. Here was our impromptu tradition: new heirloom items, first xmas season in a new apartment. We sat in the glow (the tree ripples colors: water of a forest) and smiled at each other. Here was our suddenly seasonal and all the more festive home: new traditions, and all.

I didn't get a very good picture of the finished project, alas:

quilts, not words

2009-09-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

I've taken to making quilts. I am still searching for the words to talk about it. They are here, all jumbled up with emotion and tradition. They will come soon, and be sorted out, laid side by side (yes, like colors, like fabric, like a dream retold during the day when narrative must be made of a cloud). For now, here are some images.

embroidery to the moon

2009-07-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last week, I started to read Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon. A family I am close to had just returned from a trip to France, and I wanted to dedicate some of my mental travel to their recent experience.

I'm really enjoying the book. Some sentence may take me away from the text, my mind might wander, I'll go down a different path, but I can always return to the task at hand: exploring Gopnik's expat life in the City of Lights. I find his writing engaging, thoughtful, and quiet. I believe I could use similar discourse to articulate what I enjoy about embroidery.

I've finished a few more tea towel projects since my last post. I like that the projects are so focused. There's a clear finished point, a last stitch to be made. Watching a movie, my project in my lap, the pleasing repetition of stitches and tracing a line; it's a quiet practice.

I am a sucker for combining color, for finding just the right colorway. I love picking out a pattern, and then going to pick out a few colors for the project. I find it exciting to see colors together in tiny perfect skeins.

Also, as everyone is concerned with being more conservative with their spending, I think embroidery is perfect. The tools and supplies needed are very inexpensive. It's one method of creative embellishment that can turn old projects or clothing exciting again.

Today, I am working on my quilt top, and I am considering embellishing the quilt with little embroidered arrows. We'll see!

a finished embroidery project?

2009-06-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Before I moved into my apartment, I made a list of things to acquire in the very-near-soon. A very important item on the list: blank tea towels.

In fantasizing about the apartment, embroidering sweet tea towels to dry my dishes and hands was among my top domestic desires. As an adult, I've toyed around with embroidery, but never finished a project. My personal library has a few embroidery Zakka magazines I purchased while in Japan. Last year, I was completely stunned by the Pricked show at MAD. I have a few half-finished (or half-started, depending on how you look at it) embroidery projects, including some post-modern theorist christmas ornaments that I vow to complete before the tree goes up. So really, it was about time for me to finish a project with floss and fabric.

Last week, I got out the flour sacks I purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and ironed on a pattern from the Stitch-It Kit that's been hibernating for years. Once I got started, I was surprised at how simple and fun I found embroidery. Having a *full* pattern to follow on the fabric made a huge difference. In the past, I'd sketched out rough estimates on practice fabric, and always been frustrated. I've already started my next towel! I'm looking forward to designing my own patterns and transfering them to the remaining towels via carbon paper. I love embroidery as a medium, and want to do more things with it in the future.

I'm really happy with how the kitten tea towel came out. I redid the legs after I looked at some stitch diagrams and was able to improve my technique.

Hand-embroidered towels definitely make for a more enjoyable dish washing experience. Oh, and Mrs. Myers. She helps, too.

then again, maybe I'm open

2009-06-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

Hello again.

I think I am going to open this blog back up and cross-post between here and other places. Anyway, this will be an experiment

Projects I am currently working on, and will soon post about:
--easy lap quilt from Bend-The-Rules Sewing
--Mendocino Sundress from Heather Ross
--embroidering tea towels with Sublime Stitching patterns and my own designs
--writing a new zine
--knitting a dish cloth to use exclusively on cast iron pans

I'm sure there are some other things, but that's what's popping into my head at the moment. Nice to see you here, again

winter cleaning

2006-01-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

This blog is closed.

Will it re-open? I do not believe so.

I am consolidating and will put all future art posts in my other blog

feel free to visit and comment:

www.faerygrrrl.com/blog.html

Thanks for the good times.

Printmaking

2005-12-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

Printmaking
Originally uploaded by faerygrrrl.

everything old is new again

2005-10-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

remember this scarf? Well, I think I am finally ready to tackle it. With the help of this site and this site, I hope to move past my simple castonk1p1castoff. It's going to be an adventure, but I think I am up to the challenge.

oh, the postal service

2005-08-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

I send a great deal of post to strangers and even stranger people then the anonymous. This little missive made its way to someone in a country i have already forgotten. I foudnd the address on a list that came to me in the mail. Quite the surprise, an unasuming tan evnvelope postmarked in Japan from a Ryosuke Cohen. The contents were as follows: A) a list os addresses from around the world B) a large piece of paper, screaming with color: stickers and hand carved stamps.

What could it mean?

I discovered his mail art call:

Please send me your stamp design, rubberstamp, or 150 stickers or seals. I will print or paste these materials onto the A3 size paper, creating 150 sheets. I will then send a sheet back with a list of addresses to each participant. I will publish at intervals of 8 to 10 days at that time will include 60 people or so. Brain Cell is always seeking a change, does not intend to settle and care of it’s extension of the Network. So... don’t mail a lump of stuff for several issues. Please send them to me one issue at a time, Thank you!

Ryosuke Cohen c/o Brain Cell
3-76-1-A-613 Yagumokitacho Moriguchi City Osaka 570 Japan
TEL&FAX +81.6.6991.1507
E-mail : braincell@k6.dion.ne.jp

THe madness!!!!! He does this every week or so!!!

So, of course, i had to submit.

Pinku Hair Swap

2005-08-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

pinku_hair_clips
Originally uploaded by faerygrrrl.

Early Summer, lifetimes ago, its true, i participated in Pinku's Hair Swap. My swap recipient was somewhere in France (so exciting!). These are the two hair clips i made for her. I am still quite taken with them.

My swap partner deserves a big thank you and a yet to be written letter.

Oh, and here is a picture of Miss Meret Bonaparte modeling the tape measure clip. She's quite cheeky!

Swimming Through the Gocco Patch

2005-08-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

RISO Gocco. A small blue machine out of which emerges lovely crafts, postcards, and small books. I have seen the wonders both virtually and in person. Finally, today, i experienced gocco for myself. I borrowed a friend's blue baby a few weeks ago, but only played with it today. My intention? To make patches to take to the Portland Zine Synposium. After an hour or so of drawing, I took my finished drawing to the packing store and made an 11 cent photocopy. At first, I had a bit of trouble figuring out how much ink to use (when they say a lot, they mean A LOT!) and other small debacles resulting in not exactly what I wanted. (for instance, I silkscreened the spare bedroom's wooden floor when first applying ink. It wiped away, mostly) One problem was i ordered the wrong screen type. I had to improvise the plastic screen by using a plastic baggie. The screen I used was supposed to be for silkscreening with a squeegeeeee and Gocco Silk Screen Ink. I had gocco stamp ink and used the screen on the Gocco itself. With a bit of improvisation and a great deal of learning as I go, I think the end result is rather nice. I am quite taken with my little patches. (in the heat of the moment, i took off my shirt, and ran it through the gocco. Would have worked, had i been patient enough to smooth out the bumps in the cotton!)

stamping and dropping

2005-07-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

I could have spent hundreds on rubber stamps (instead of clothing) but i showed some restraint. I am now showing some regret for not pushing the 'envelope' a bit more, but here are a few of my stamping treasures, none the less.

I made 26 postcards for the monstertown swap and dropped them in the post-box long enough ago that i feel it is safe to post the picture of my contribution. The red heart drop is a stamp carved from an eraser. The lace and lines are sewn on with my singer. Oh little singer, sing sing. Today I will use that same machine to make some doll clothing and perhaps some other postal offerings

NEW ZINE

2005-07-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

NEW ZINE!!!!

Imaginary Windows, Issue No. 3 is now available for sale!

A bit of bohemia runs through the entire zine and
within you will discover the following:
-Chai Tea
-A girly centerfold
-stories and wonder
-a liberal girl visits the shooting range
-Subway Sounds
-The Secrets of Travel
-A look at the late work of Unica Zurn
and much more!!!!

The cover and first page are the design work of the splendid Jennie Hinchcliff!!

the logistics...
*26 page half size
* costs 1.60 (1 dollar + 2 stamps) or possible trade

THREE WAYS TO PAY!!! HOORAY!

Paypal:
(paypal includes small fee, but such is the price of ease and speed)

POST:
Send 1.60 or $1 + 2 stamps to
Erin Fae
PO BOX 170024
San Francisco, CA 94117-0024

TRADE:
e-mail trade ideas to erinfae AT mholyoke DOT edu

issue no. 3 also available at http://wasabi-distro.com
Other zines:
You can order Twine and Postage, a small art zine, from My My Distro.
Check out my zine page for more information

another chance

2005-07-17T00:35:00.000-07:00

My zine, twine and postage, is back in stock at MY MY DISTRO.

I've been a very busy kitten. Mail art, letterpress, and bookmaking, oh my! Photos and tales to come.

...
Towards the end of my trip to tokyo, I was reaching multiple melting points. The temperature was in the 90s (with humidity that matched) and I was a bit 'shopped out' (say it was not so!). I needed to do something to save myself from the unbearable crankiness that was taking over and turning...

I was in Daikanyama, which is a quiet and fancy shopping area, when it occured to me to do something utterly me. Such a surprise, remembering the things that one enjoys. I am a bit of a tea addict. Almost nothing (save post) thrills me like a bit of afternoon tea. A nosh and a warm something.... This area is lined with little french cafes and i found myself in one, intending just to buy tea. One look at all the darling pastries convinced me otherwise. This little confectionary present was filled with mago and passionfruit and i savoured every delicate bite. The end came to quickly, though i tried to postpone the final taste. It was just what i needed, on that day, when i though i would die on the sidewalk. Oh, how it competed with my irratability...the sugar/caffeine didn't hurt either

Also, a flea market in Harajuku

wonderful finds:

an old lock and key

a beautiful snuff bottle from the 20s/30s; clear and red with bits of gold. Oh it shined in the light (for a gift)

a creepy postcard of a geisha holding a doll

a family album filled with magic i cannot put into words

metal plates for letterpress (i forget the name at this uncivilized hour)

a pair of hair combs

my eyes full of wonder

i missed this blog...

2005-07-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have not been ignoring this blog, well. not without good reason.

Its not that i havent been crafting or arting (exactly), i was just in...

JAPAN. Tokyo called (for years and years and years) and I finally returned the call. With a backpack and hopes and an empty bag to be filled with ephermera and craft books and dollish things and lacey clothes and who knows what else.

I returned on tuesday and am still recovering. But trust me, i am not abandoning this little project. I like it too much!

awl problem solved

2005-06-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Solution suggested by a friend:
Ice Pick, $2.99

Spent $5 at SCRAP. Score of the day? Many sheets of rub-on letters.

awl

2005-05-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

I made a mistake: I did not pack my awl for the summer. It is currently in storage and already, I regret the decision and am seriously considering purcahsing another one. In honor of my desire, a little poem/song

all all all all
all i want is an awl
all all all all
all i want is an awl
awl, oh lovely awl, oh lovely awl
always sharp, always fine
almost packed, what a mistake
how will i make
those perfect holes?
all all all awl
all
i
want
is
an
awl!!!

knitting ambitions

2005-05-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

I can knit, a little. For the most part, I knit on four needles and make armwarmers, legwarmers, and tubes. I CAN knit a scarf, though the edges sometimes come out a bit crooked. My tension is rarely even. However, I am an ambitious girl and i want to 'branch out.' Like so many, I am in love with knitty.com. I want to try and make this scarf.

I dont know what half the phrases on the page mean in terms of knitting. Could any of you talented knitters out there help me? WHere can i learn how to knit together or how to skip a stitch?

Is it possible?

I hope so. I just love that pink!

postcard swap

2005-05-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

I, too, participated in My Little Mochi's postcard swap. I did not want to post pictures of my contribution until i was sure everyone recieved their little piece of post. Anyway, it's been long enough. Below are pictures of the postcards i sent out into the world. It was great fun! Post is one of my favorite things.

The one with the little girl is my favorite, i think.

if this is art...what is life?

2005-05-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Well, i would argue they are the same things. However, i seem to have another blog for less physical evidence of artistic existence.

I frequently promote this little effort in the other blog, but i have no mentioned my other blog here. So, now i will:

Weetziefae@livejournal

Be welcome there, too.

Some things in green

2005-05-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

postcard swap - twineandpostage.blogspot.com
Originally uploaded by kari bombari.

It looks like Kari recieved my postcard from the swap! Yippie

This is one of my zines: Twine and Postage. It's available at my favorite Distro,MyMy! I am quite honored to have an item there. Go support Taryn and her wonderful venture. EDIT A FEW HOURS LATER: ACTUALLY CURRENTLY SOLD OUT! WOW!

Good Mail Week

2005-05-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

It has been an excellent mail week. Quite essential in a week of trying events where it does not feel that i have been trying hard enough, though i am trying. Oh trying so hard. Procrastination gets the better of me, as does anxiety, but no matter. For fabulous post is a reason to try and try again.

Much of this weeks wonders were made possible by Myra's Postcard swap. The beautiful handmade postcards that have been falling into my little hands are all so unique and special.

Some of my favorites:

I absolutely adore BellaBlue's constellation postcard. It is so lovely.

This little postcard is made by Katey of One Good Bumblebee and it is a delight to hold. It's a textural feast: Yum. This photograph cannot pick up the metalic and shiny details, but they are there, i promise.

Boxing Mondays, round two

2005-05-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

Shadowbox for Heather
Originally uploaded by faerygrrrl.

I was desperate for communication, but had no words. This was last january and i was desperate. Note, there is nothing attractive about desperation, that type of yearning and longing. I didnt care. So this happened. It made its way from San Francisco to New York City into the hands of someone who would become my lover for a while. Desperation. Nothing attractive about it.

I still think the box turned out nicely, regardless of its emotional backing.

Postcards and Sights

2005-04-26T15:08:00.001-07:00

gun postcard

Yesterday was the kind of sleepy i remember from years ago: bad habbits and death temptations. That type of sleepy where you fall in and out of naps and the responsibility of life is less important, less crucial. One forgets. It can be attributed to the overnight plane flight from LAX -> BDL. I fly for art exhibitions and free photocopies. So when evening rolled along I wasnt so inspired by my bed. Correction: I wanted more time, or maybe i was just on PST. I watned to stay up and make beautiful things and listen to The Smiths and Rufus Wainwright. So i made a postcard to send to a dear one, just to settle myself. I missed my x-acto knife while i was away. Plane rules, plain rules. It had to be left behind

four leaf clover
Originally uploaded by faerygrrrl.

I have a knack for finding these. Always have. I look down and pick it out of the gorund, it's quite simple. Maybe it's a sight.

Boxing Mondays

2005-04-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

Matchbox for a nervousness trade, poorly photographed.

Spring in NYC

2005-04-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Spring in NYC
Originally uploaded by faerygrrrl.

Union Square Farmer's Market, Friday morning.

Cities. In my blood like roots in the soil. I'm contained in pots that resemble subways and notebooks and wandering.

You see, part of art is exploration. Exploration is travel.

Embellished Paper Beads

2005-04-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

paper beads
Originally uploaded by faerygrrrl.

Up until a few months ago, i never liked paper beads. Then, I saw a bracelet made from MTA subway maps and was quite surprised. So, when i saw an artistic paper bead LMAO on Nervousness, I signed up.

I forgot about the LMAO as the site is under construction. Randomly over the weekend, i remembered and Sunday night, instead of going to bed at a reasonable hour, I took out my x-acto knife, sat on my bed, and rolled paper beads.

I couldnt believe how much i enjoyed it. The bias i had was based on elementry school projects. Such a lovely discovery, these little beads. They're good for stress and nerves. Small things in the hand.

Here are a few paper bead web sites:
http://www.thebeadsite.com/MUCHP-1.html
http://www.thebeadsite.com/CHI-HOM.html
http://www.stampersmall.com/classes/paper_beads.asp

What I did with the Bunny Stamps

2005-04-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the necklace i made with one of the stamps. 2 pieces of glass, some copper foil, a lot of soder, and some wire. Oh, and don't forget the black ribbon. Never forget the black ribbon. I am anxious to see how it is recieved. Only 2 days til it arrives at its intended destination. I find that creating birthday parcels is such a grand thing!

The back of the pendent is a jeanette winterson quote:
I'm telling you stories. Trust me.

Completed Cell Phone Cozy

2005-04-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

Complete Cell Phone Cozy
Originally uploaded by faerygrrrl.

Here is a picture of the completed cell phone cozy. I am quite happy with the way it turned out, though no bunny button. Saving the bunny button for a rainy day or a rainy project, yet to be determined. The rain comes at unexpected times, i've found. 59 degrees and the clouds open. I feel like i should be in new orleans in the winter. That is how i imagine the rain, thick and warm and oh, the smell when the rain hits the iron railings.

This little project is my first real atempt at shaping (besides the stocking i knit to learn) on my own. It is a very logical process, the adding and removing.

I am going to drink Green Moroccan Mint tea and think of steamy rooms while i clean mine. It's messy, not steamy, the room that is. Though my water is boiling and out comes

the steam

Postage

2005-04-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Bunny and Girl Stamp
Originally uploaded by faerygrrrl.

2 stamps purchased from a dealer in Beverly Hills. When my interent order didn't go through, i called him myself. For once, i was thankful for that 3 hour time diference that often prevents me from contacting those i love in the early afternoon of New England. I told him that i wanted to order 2 of the 1951 Japanese New Year stamps, the one with the girl holding the rabbit. I did my research, you see. We chatted for sometime. I told him that i was going to make a necklace for a friend. He told me he had a grandaughter who went to Brandeis. YOu see, he's retired now. This stamp/postage thing is just a hobby. He loves it. He's in love.

When he sent me my stamps, he posted it with old US stamps, of course! It was so obvious, such a nice touch, but it never occured to me. But then, why buy unispiring stamps when you are surrounded by divine postage?

I am not a stamp collector, but i do get excited about postage of all sorts.

The man wants me to send him a picture of the necklace I make for my friend (same recipient of cell phone holder [still in-progress]).

I will.

a new addition

2005-03-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

a new addition
Originally uploaded by faerygrrrl.

the acorn, a new friend. Acorns carry secrets. I wonder what this one's is...

I recieved the little silver acorn in a box full of things I left behind. The left behinds (mostly tea and paper) were at my friend's adobe, forgetten after a wonderful day. It was 1 am, and who was i to remember tea purchased aeons ago at the co-op where I used to volunteer? Anyway, in a box, the acorn and some other ephemera arived yesterday.

I have a button from My My! that says, 'good mail days keep me going.' It's true. It's true.

Trust me

Cell Phone Cozy

2005-03-30T18:19:00.000-08:00

This evening, from under my bed I pulled out the children's rolling luggage that stores my tangeled yarn and mismatched knitting needles. The latest knitting project? A pink-and-black striped cell phone cozy in honor of a friend's birthday (we are pink and black girls!). Being the impovershed lady that i am, the yarn is Red Heart Acrylic. I have a lovely pink button that will be quite the notion to finish it off (or maybe that blue bunny button will do).

If i could have my way, I would purchase all my yarn from Pluckyfluff. It pleases me greatly to look at all the lovely handspun yarn that is being created and put on the internet. I spend far more hours than i should probably admit looking at pictures of various weights. I imagine running the yarn through my hands, feeling the texture vary, floating on the asthetics of fiber to yarn. Hand-made to hand-held.

Artsy Blog

2005-03-29T10:45:00.000-08:00

This will have to do until I figure out moveable type. This is more of a practice blog than anything else, but who knows...

transformation happens.