Support a struggling artist :)

I have uploaded some cards to my ETSY shop. Please drop on by and have a look.

I also have a PDF file for Christmas gift tags if you want something a little unique to top this years offerings.

For kiwi reader, check out FELT.

I wanted to say a quick "hi" to those of you that may be dropping by for the first time, and to those of you that havent been by for a while, because, well frankly, there's been nothing to see!!

I was quite overwhelmed to read the wonderful things  that Gerry said about my work on her "blocktalk" post. The CQ community is a fantastic one to belong to, and I do still feel like I belong, even if just on the fringes.

I am more than happy to answer any  questions about my work, and offer any advice. Just email or comment :)

I am going to be cheeky and tell you that I have just 7 copies of my little "inspiration" book left over at my ETSY shop.

I will also direct you to my flickr site if you are interested in my drawn art, as I havent posted here for a while. Things are also catergorised there for  looking at the CQ too!!

Thanks again Gerry. I really appreciate your words.

XX

Jo in NZ

It really has been such a long, long time since I blogged. It's not that I have had nothing to blog, I was just hesitant to change the direction of my blog (because my interests have changed). I didnt want to alienate all my long term  readers...so I just abandoned you :( Sorry.

Not saying I am back for good. I did (do) love blogging, and still have a healthy blog list I wade through on a daily basis, including CQ blogs....but the CQ mojo has not returned, and the blogging mojo is obviously with it!

I have been developing and nurturing my more traditionally 'artistic' side, and here are few pics of where I am at ... if you click on my  Zentangles and Doodles page, you can see my earlier work. For those of you that know my aversion to colour (colour blindness) and how I struggled with that in CQ, you will note the perfectly monotone palette in my pieces. Perfectly perfect!

I am enjoying embracing my more macabre side. The anatomy pics are all drawn around pages from a Grays Anatomy text book. I post everything on Flickr,  and I have a Facebook page for this drawn art- Pen in Hand 
I would love to see you there if you are on FB

New items at ESTY

probably a little late for christmas, but I have posted some new stuff on Etsy, as well as FELT.

Introducing Card sets (and prints if you like!)

That's all really. Thought I would try to do something fiscally useful with all my drawing and doodling, what with chrismas coming up.

Hope you are all well, and I do enjoy the occasional comments that come through. CQ is still not on my mind at all, and budgets and bulkfunding are on it far to much. The life of a self supporting crafter would be a fine one, unfortunately I  have no time to make it happen.

Ka kite ano 

(until  later)

Jo

XX

Denise Taylor

Hi Denise, if you are reading, could you please email me. I have an NZ publication that would like to get hold of you.

Thanks so much

Sorry for the false hope readers, if you thought you were getting a post. I was planning one, even took pics... It is time to start on the annual chrissy ornies, and I had a plan, stitched and beaded, but OMGosh, they looked like my six year old made them. They are really rubbish, and not something I was willing to share. I am doing ornies, drawn ones, so I will share those...or pop oved to my flickr page for a look.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jo_in_nz/

Hope you are all keeping well. Going back to work has sucked lots of life out of me, and the will to stitch has not been around. I think about it often though, so I am sure I will return one day .
Miss you all

Arohanui
Jo

A pouch. Yes, a pouch!

Another custom order. A Maori/Pacifica feel was requested.
 

 So here we have the New Zealand Silver Fern, koru (the swirls, symbolize new life and growth) and some paua (abalone).

That's it ! I am off for a 4 day weekend to "Wellywood", our windy capital city for the annual Playcentre Conference. 6 of us are going. I have bought special outfits. Not sure how impressed the gals are going to be....

Cowl Neck Apron Top - TUTORIAL

let me begin this post by saying...
use this how you like
don't care if you make to sell
DO care about acknowledgment (so if you repost, please add a link to this post :)

I (and a couple of readers) did search google after my last post and DIDN'T find anything similar, so here is a tutorial.

I bought , what is listed on the receipt as  a 'jersey knit'. 1 metre was ample for this. I am quite tall, and this gives me plenty of "apron" to cover the girly bits (not that I wear them without pants! OH, no, no. I just prefer my tops top sit at just below 'girly bits' height. Jersey knit doesn't fray when you cut it so there is minimal sewing involved. You need a fabric that will have a nice drape, and other tops I have seen like this have serged edges (if you are lucky enough to have a serger!)

 lay your fabric out, fold over the selvage edge about 5cms. You are going to cut this off and it will become one tie. When you have done one side, flip over and do the other. Now you should have two ties. If you dont want the little holes in the selvage edge, just cut off first, THEN do the above step to get your ties.
Once you have your ties, fold your fabric , right sides together, selvage edge to selvage edge (the edges you just cut!!)

cut while folded over. It will give you a cleaner line

circled is where you snip the corner off.
This will be sewn together to create the neck hole

next, cut out a section as shown.
Start at the bottom of the snipped off corner, and I use the very technical process of measuring the distance between my shoulder and elbow (takes you to approx waist height) to know how far down I want the cut out to end.
This cut reduces the bulk of the fabric under your arm. Because this particular fabric is non-fraying, you can cut more out later if you are still not quite happy with the look.

pin your neck seam

 Ok, so your neck seam is pinned.

Next pin the ties in place. Make sure the fabrics are facing the right way! I pin them at the top of the cut out so you dont have a random edge pointy edge flapping around.

Then you whip out to your sewing machine, and sew those three seams.

I use a straight stitch for the neck  and a double line of zigzag for the ties so they can handle the pulling and stretching. Speaking of stretching, I recommend a stretch needle.

Right, you are done! Hook the hole over you neck. Grab the ties. These will be quite low down, but just pull them up to waist level, wrap around you back, bring back to the front, and tie. You will probably need to pull the cowl neck out, and the readjust until you are happy with how it is all sitting.

Here is another one I made. I actually screwed up on this one  little, and the cowl neck is not as deep, and before this pic, there was far too much fabric under the arms, but I just re-trimmed, and its all good!



Edited to add: I just made one of these in cotton (non stretch). It was a little more fiddly, as EVERYTHING had to hemmed (but it certainly looked way classier), and I would recommend that curve cut out for under the arm is far more 'circular' (cuts in much more) than shown here. With the fabby having no stretch it pulled a little under the arm and behind the neck. It was only prototype one though, and I had plenty of compliments. Someone even said "bet that cost you about $200" ....uh, no. $3.50 actually!

Holy crap...she's done some sewing

...at total of about 10 inches of zigzag stitch! These "apron" tops have only three short seams, and there is another version that only has one seam

Excuse the pics of my ample figure, but these tops do actually look good on anyone, and probably look marginally better on those of you whose arse wont hang out the back like an ill fitting hospital gown. But, if you're behind me, I can't see the look on your face, so I am not going to dwell on it!

 So, there you go. Don't let it be said that Jo in NZ doesn't sew anymore! Its not true  :P

I dont have an online link for these, I copied a friends bought one, and "grumpy lady" at Spotlight was actually incredibly helpful today. I am sure you could google them though.

Nope...I still got nothing....

plenty of doodles next door on the doodle page though.
Here's another hand:

If you have my mojo....Give it the **** back!

Still no stitching. I am highly kinda no, not really motivated at all, to work on the tumbling blocks wallhanging. Not sure why. The project is great. I do love it. I will look fantastic when it is done, just cant bring myself to do it.

So, whats the point of the post then Jo, I hear you ask. I have utilised the "pages" function, and added what I have been doing...

The Neglectful Blogger

Sorry peoples. No blogging makes Jo a dull girl.

I havn't done anything to blog.

Haven't picked up a needle in two weeks and counting.

Haven't kept up with my online course, therefore, I HAVE NOT formed a habit yet. (Sorry Sharon)

Working on a cross stitch for someone, haven't done that either.

Lots of doodling, might scan and upload just to show you something.

OK, can I no longer upload pics from my docs? WTF blogger? I cant even directly access my picasa.  got it sorted. But cant find the DVD remote either, so having a little spaz attack here.

The last one is more in the vein of Zentangle or zendoodling. All the others are done with just ballpoint pen. This one is with pigment ink. I love the look of it, but I really like to layer and layer with a ballpoint to create light and dark.
I doodle in the long weekend conferences that I go to. I cant listen if I am not doing something with my hands, so if I don't sew, I doddle. I used to just do them on note pads, and usually give them away. I  decided that I would have a book now, specifically for "meeting" doodles. You can see written on them which meeting they were done at.

TBCQ block 5

 

 
I thought the block was finished, but as usual, seeing it on the screen, it becomes obvious where more work is needed. Have a guess, and we will see if you were right next post

TBCQ block 5

 didn't have a chance to do any stitching while I was away this time. The weekend was run as a series of small workshops, so I didn't really sit around long enough anywhere to get things out. I drew a lot though...

Here is the progress on block 5.  I have done a seam here-and-there on black and gray blocks as well, but this is the interesting stuff.

and here am I in "sunny" Invercargill, at Bluff, the most southern point of the South Island

It actually was sunny for all of the weekend, except at the time we decided to take a road trip. We were up at 6.30 to get this trek out of the way before the meeting started. We are, after all, sent around the country to work!

Only two more weeks and I am off again to Christchurch this time. This meeting I will def get some stitching done!

TBCQ block #4

 I haven't had much time for stitching this week. This working business is a real hinderance to creating. I have Mondays fairly free, and I did nothing but olympics and stitch. Isn't that Cross skiing a blast!
Here are the results.

This was supposed to be the orange and green block, and I even put the orange ribbon aside during the day for the flowers...however, I forgot, and just took a stab at it when it came to stitching time, so, we have pink flowers, and orange butterflies

I have a meeting this weekend, so hopefully I will find some time to work on the black and gray blocks. I am off to Invercargill, which I am a bit excited about, and kiwi readers will probably wonder why!! It is at the very bottom of our little country and I am not sure that much happens there, but I have never been, and am not likely to go again, so I am looking forward to it. We even have a few hours when we get there, and may get to see more than the conference centre!

Blocks on Flickr

I have uploaded all the completed 'tumbling'  blocks to my Flickr page, so cruise on over there to take a look.