Trying New Things

I don't know about you, but I have ADHD. I have several projects going at once. My husband thinks that silly, but he's able to focus on one thing at a time better than I. For me, boredom sets in rather quickly and I simply must do something else for at least a few minutes.

A couple of weeks ago I saw a project to make fabric cards for Valentine's day. It required a notion called Timtex, a stiff interfacing used for lining purses and other craft projects. JoAnn's carries a similar product called Peltex. It's a branding thing. Anyway, I decided to purchase some. I doubted I would actually make the Valentines, but wanted to use it somehow.

Now, you can get it where it's fusible on both sides, but I didn't get that kind. Mine's fusible on one side. So it sat in my shop for a while, me staring at it wondering what the heck I was going to do with it. I swear it was staring back at me.

I had some quilt scraps left over from a batik quilt I made for our old babysitter when she graduated and went off to college. I stitched some of those together. None of them were the same size. Not something I could put together in another big piece. Then it hit me! Fuse them to the Peltex! So I did that with as many as I could get onto the 1/2 yard I bought.

Neat!

Now what?

Muslin! Stitch muslin to the back sides. I got a hunk of it and pressed it. I cut pieces to fit all the little patches. Then I started wondering if I should paint the muslins. I got out some acrylic inks and found a stack of dried baby wipes I had set aside to use... somehow. I'll explain later. The upshot of it is, I started playing with the inks and writing quotes on the back sides of these "cards".  I also stitched some 1/8 inch ribbon onto one edge so that they may be hung, either side out, on the wall or from your keychain or whatever.

This one uses a repurposed baby wipe.

Muslin backing. Sometimes I forget to edit my photos. Echt.

The batik sides. One could make Christmas ornaments this way...

Okay, the baby wipes thing: If you've read my previous entries, you may be aware that I'm a big fan of the protection of orangutans. All animals, really, but orangs are my favorite. I've even played one on stage. Anyway, the harvesting of palm oil has become a real problem for their survival and that of many other species. Palm oil use is insidious. Some companies use responsibly harvested palm oil, most however, do not. Rain forests and peat marshes which are home to the orangutans and many other vital species are being destroyed in order to create palm plantations.

Palm oil is not necessarily harmful on it's own, but get too much of it (like anything) and it can be detrimental to your health. It's in nearly every packaged snack food you can name (from Oreos to Twizzlers to granola bars) it's in things which need to be spread, (margarine, peanut butter, Nutella), it's in the cleansing products we use on our face, body and hair. It's even in baby wipes. I used them to remove make-up quickly and easily after a show. I have two sons and you know I used wipes on their li'l behinds. But I couldn't fathom having them touch my face when I found out about the palm oil (listed as stearate in most body and hair products).

I'm also not for just throwing stuff out in a lump, either. So, I decided to repurpose the wipes. I laid them out on my worktable and let them dry. They have an interesting texture. I figured I should be able to use them somehow in my art. They take the acrylic ink very well, too, as I discovered.

I then spent several minutes dyeing baby wipes with the ink. I still don't know for what I'll use them, but at least I now know I can.

Abstract rose study

Detail of the green stripes. I'm thinking snake skins and dragons...

Your assignment: look around your home for things you can repurpose into your art. Those card stock pieces in the tights you bought for your little girl? Book marks, template material, ribbon organizers. Spice jars? Glitter catchers. Pasta jars? Button organizers. Get out of the comfort zone and look at things from new angles.

Tequila Diamonds

I'm often asked, "Where did you come up with the name Tequila Diamonds?" It's my brand on Spoonflower.com and etsy.com and I'll admit, it's kind of a strange name. Here's the story:

In 2008 I was reading my horoscope (like you do) and they mentioned how scientists in Mexico had been able to create a diamond dust out of tequila. Not actual stones, mind, but a dust that can be used on tools for delicate surgeries. The scope then suggested that I take something and make something else out of it that was totally unexpected.
At the time I had been tossing around the idea of having a business upcycling thrift store items - taking something and making it new and useful again. Tequila Diamonds was "born".

However, I don't just do thrift store make overs. I make all kinds of stuff from old and new materials, but the idea is still there. My goal is to make things that are useful, beautiful and/or create as little waste as possible. When I make a quilt, for example, I try to use up as much of my fabric as I can. I rarely cut size-specific pieces for straight-seam blocks (ie. log cabin), I stitch all my strips together and whatever is left I set aside for the next project in which it might coordinate. This means I also do a fair amount of scrap work. Scrap work is actually my favorite. There are no rules, just sew and trim. They somehow look even better than the ones I plan out.

Another thing I try to do as much as I can is buy American made supplies. This isn't terribly easy, but I do what I can. Not only is it providing jobs for people here, it's also using the least amount of fuel to get the products to me.

I try to recycle as much as I can. Threads and scraps that are too small to sew become fire starters (balls of lint doused in wax to start campfires in the Summer). If I use glitter, I scoop up as much as I can and put it back in the jar. Unless I'm in a mood and decide I need a little pixie dust, in which case I toss it in the air and let it rain on me.

I buy an awful lot of my supplies at thrift stores. Fabric, yarn, thread, tools... all can be found at thrift stores. I bought a gallon baggie of zippers for a dollar. That's probably $50 worth of zippers. Thread can be dicey there, because cotton and silk can become brittle when they get old, but for basting, they're great. You're going to remove those stitches anyway. Then into the fireball jar!

Anyway, that's the story of my business and how it got its name. I'm working on inventory for my etsy shop (it's currently empty) and this Spring I'll be taking pictures of my Summer and Fall items. My Spoonflower shop is always open for business (www.spoonflower.com/tequila_diamonds). I know some people will look at the prices and think "Holy crow, that's expensive!" But they only print when something is ordered, and they only print the amount ordered. It's pretty slick. The fabric designers there range from total beginners to professional designers. I land somewhere on the high side of the middle.

My fabric designs are fairly unusual. Here again I try to take something ordinary (a medical slide, for example) and create an extraordinary design out of it. It's full of surprises. I have a few "normal" designs on there, but to be honest, they aren't the ones that sell. If you're looking for unique and unexpected, that's my style. I have a few new collections coming out this Spring and will, of course, post their release here.

Now I release you, my flowerpots! Go find your ECHT!