Get Back to Work

Still In Motion Photography & Crafts by Amanda Rattigan

While it's important to let chaos and change have it's time and place, I do believe that routine is important for getting stuff done.  And so today I am so thrilled to report that I'm back to work after being absent for the past two and a half weeks.  Most of our house remodel project is done.  I will most certainly be sharing before and after photos with you in the near future.  I also had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Illinois, where I visited my entire family whom I rarely see.  I had a wonderful time; tears come to my eyes as I sit here and miss them.  Yet, I am so excited to be in my new studio today.  Like a kid in a candy store, I can't help myself, I must get my hands on some fabric and start sewing. 

Before and After Pictures...

The art of making a house a home sometimes requires that things be custom made for a space. I recently picked up an old wooden cabinet that had been converted into a play stove for kids. It was still in pretty good shape but definitely needed a little TLC. Josh took off all the old hardware, gave it a good sand, painted it, and added new door handles to match our little girl's room. Finally Josh rummaged through his pile of miscellaneous junk to find the perfect oven temperature knob. Along with that, Josh also made a grocery cart. Can you see it parked next to the newly renovated stove? I think a matching fridge is in the works for Christmas. Shhh, don't tell.

Here are the before and after pictures...

To make a room stand out as being unique, and truly belonging to you, you need to find a way to customize it with things that are truly one-of-a-kind; those things can be made by your or by others.  This is the secret behind the art of making a house a home.  In my daughter's room for example, items have been made by 16 different crafters and artists...

Print by Artist Charley Harper

 

Fairy furniture by Utah Artist Debbie Schraman

Custom made changing table by Great Grandpa Korte who specializes in woodwork

Hand-knit blankets, custom made by Great Grandma Korte and Grandma Kathy

Handmade one-of-a-kind quilt, custom made by nine of my dearest Utah friends

Custom made bed-skirt, curtains, one-of-a-kind machine appliqued quilt, and baby mobile all made by me.

All these items, perfectly mixed together like a good recipe, make Monet's room a genuine masterpiece.  Not only is it aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it's also warm to the heart because the items have been made by real people.  As Monet get's older, I'm sure the collection in her room will grow.  Like a fine wine, a house becomes a home over time.

More Applique Quilt Patterns to Come

Here are the latest photos of one of my most recent applique quilt patterns. Both machine applique and felt applique techniques were used to make this handmade quilt.

My daughter, husband, and I were out on a picnic one day, sitting on a handmade quilt given to us from Josh's Grandma. It got me thinking, and in the sunshine, with fine food and family, an idea came to me. What if I made a literal picnic quilt. From there I designed and created this fun little masterpiece, full of bright colors and sweetness.

Josh made these matching ceramic dishes and I made matching cherry print napkins to go along with this handmade quilt.  You can buy the whole set, along with a vintage picnic basket at The Artists' House Etsy Shop.  If you rather not purchase the entire set, the quilt is also for sale on it's own.

I'm currently working on the pattern for this handmade quilt.  Soon it will be available in my Etsy shop.

Yummy, don't you think?

My New Series of Mixed Media Fiber Wall Art

What a cozy living room!  Don't you want to move in?  Have a seat on the comfy couch, maybe cover up with the blanket, and turn on the lamp so you can read?

Hey look, someone is at the door.

It's the Flickers.  They've come over to say hi.

The neat thing about this new series of wall art is that the frames are open so you can switch photos in and out, as often as you please.

I'm struggling to decide on a name for my new series.  Picture n' Picture?  Frame Yourself?  Any suggestions?  

I have another three pieces already in sketch mode.  I can't wait to share them with you when I finish.  

What do you think of this funky room?

Be careful, these aren't baby proof.

Look who's on T.V.

You too could be a star!

Keep an eye on The Artists' House etsy shop, as these will be popping up for sale over the next couple days.

Knee Deep in Fabric, Paper, Wood, and Thread

I'm currently in the middle of working on six different projects.  Three of them fall in a series of mixed media, fabric inspired, wall hangings.  I'll be offering them in my shop soon.  I don't want to give too much away since they aren't finished yet, let's just say that I'm super busy and there isn't much time for lounging on couches and watching T.V.

I'm also in the middle of working on two more quilts, both original designs.  I'm so excited to get them finished.  Until then, here's a peak...

Oh no, I just spilt some water.

I must be going.  I really should get back to work and start paying attention to what I'm doing, before someone gets hurt.

A Picture That Tells a Thousand Stories

When I was a little girl, my sister and I loved to dress up dolls: paper dolls, Barbie dolls, Cabbage Patch Kids.  We never really played with the dolls.  Rather, we spent countless hours dressing them, doing their hair, and creatively setting up their houses and rooms.  In hind sight, I guess I'm not surprised that I enjoyed making these projects so much.  I genuinely felt like I was seven again, dressing up dolls with my beloved big sister.  

As I created these applique images, from photographs that Josh and I have taken, I only used materials that I found in my stash.  This is my final submission to the April Stash Bust.  Materials I used consisted of freezer paper, left over applique supplies from the quilt I made Monet last year (invisible thread, basting glue, an awl, and a glue stick), embroidery thread, and scrap fabrics from my many drawers of leftovers.

While the picture below originally only reminded me of my sweet husband, running around the house with my nieces, playing with umbrellas inside; the new version's many fabrics now remind me of all the stories that each specific piece of fabric holds within its various threads.

The fabric that created the skin came from a flower I made for a friend's wedding bouquet and dress.

The pants and shirt were handed down fabrics from dear Grandma Flicker.

The umbrella's fabric was given to me by a friend when we were making Christmas cards at a ladies craft night.

The dress was leftover from when I was pregnant and making my daughter a quilt. 

The black sweater in this image came from a sweater I altered just recently.

The rug was a leftover scrap from when we upholstered our bar stools.

And so, with each new fabric, a whole new story is added to the picture, a memory is revisited.

Now these pictures don't tell just one story, or even two, but countless narratives.  Each fabric scrap is a chapter perfectly crafted together into an artwork that tells a story that is exponentially deeper.

A Sense Of Urgency

When my students are approaching a deadline, I get really nervous they wont' finish. I watch them bounce around the classroom, social as can be, time flying out the window, and not a care in the world. In these moments I encourage them to have "a sense of urgency".

This morning, I need to take my own advise, as I have two amazing projects that are almost finished but not quite. I can't wait to share them with you. In the meantime, here's a peak...

Sock Monkey Art

My niece Althea turns two in about a week.  I hate, with all my heart, that I won't be there to celebrate on her birthday.  So instead of sulking, I dove into making her a little present.  My sister Katrina has lightly decorated the girls' toy room with Sock Monkeys.  When I say lightly, I mean perfectly light.  Sock Monkeys don't scream at you when you walk in the room, rather they pleasantly give you a smile and say hello as they sit amongst the other decor and toys in the room.  The walls of the toy room are a little bare though and so I thought this would work perfectly in the space she has created.

Can you see the jacks and ball that the monkeys are playing with.  Those are hand embroidered.  There's also a very faint, hand embroidered hopscotch path behind the sock monkeys.

Now if only I could figure out a way to shrink me and Monet so that we could ship ourselves to IL along with this package.  I imagine we would enjoy ourselves, sitting in the sun, under the trees, playing with the Sock Monkeys.  Monet might even be old enough to go down the slide.

Althea, Sylvia, I hope you know how much your Aunty Ang loves you.  I miss you both very much!

Turning an Old Skirt Into a Reversible Bag - April Stash Bust Continues

My sister Jene' had a birthday eleven days ago, and finally this weekend I got to making her gift.  I know what you're thinking.  Better late then never though, right?  And don't worry, I don't think she reads the blog, so our secret is still safe.

Before starting Jene's project, I first had to come up with an idea.  And can I just stop here for a moment and say that I'm really enjoying the "April Stash Bust" this month.  Every time I go through my drawers of fabric and supplies, to coordinate a project, stories flood out of those drawers and overwhelm me with wonderful memories.  It seems each piece of fabric has a story behind it.  What a beautiful thing.  Unexpectedly, this has been my favorite part of the "bust" so far.

While collecting supplies for Jene's gift, I opened one of my drawers where I keep old clothes that I hope to repurpose one day.  Old sweaters, dresses, skirts, shirts of Josh's, etc.  And out of that drawer jumped a small, black, velvet miniskirt with tassels.  I picked this hot little number up at a clothing-swap a few months back.  A good friend of mine has these clothing swaps tri-annurally where she invites a bunch of great woman that she knows from all areas of her life.  We all gather at her house and dump out our unwanted clothes in multiple rooms.  From there we basically drink wine, eat good food, and go treasure hunting among all the unwanted items.  And at the end of the night, we bag up all the leftovers and bring them to a Goodwill.  During this stage, I usually salvage once more through the items to see if any might inspire a future sewing project.  Can you believe no one wanted this skirt?

Here's the miniskirt I was hoping to repurpose for Jene's gift.  

(Note:  I apologize for the poor quality of this picture.  My husband took it and when I asked him to make sure the picture was good and focused, well, he must of been watching basketball or something.)

Along with this miniskirt, I used some...

fancy pink and black fabric I had planned to use to make a diaper bag last year, but never did,

a vintage button,

and other bag making supplies I had hiding in my stash (ribbon, felt interfacing, handle clips, etc.)

And while I sipped my wine, sewed, and though about all the lovely woman who attended the last clothing-swap, soon this useless skirt, one again, had a beautiful purpose.

Note:  This bag is reversible.  Above you see the one side, and below the other.

I wanted to use the tassels for something else, other than tassels, for reasons I don't think I necessarily need to explain.  I created this flower out of them and...

... the loops for the handle.

And so the skirt lives on, still a hot little number!