English Ivy leaf series

Here are the next 3 in my series of 8 ivy leaf chasings.

approximately 3-1/2 x 2-3/4 inches

approximately 7 x 5 inches

approximately 8 x 5 inches

I've got 2 more done, ready to photograph and 2 more still in progress.

website & portfolio update

After much research into web hosting, html editors, and websites in general, I decided to keep it simple.

www.kirstenskiles.com will continue to redirect right here http://knitsteel.blogspot.com

My portfolio is now at flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/knitsteel/collections/72157602187920606/ where I can easily update it. You'll see that the links up there, under my banner, are now consolidated into fewer links.

My chasing tool and workshop photos are here http://www.flickr.com/photos/knitsteel/collections/72157602195778771/

I think it's easy to view and easy to maintain. Let me know what you think.

doing the dishes

Not long ago I ordered some crochet washcloths from DebzCreations.  I don't know her personally, but she only lives an hour or so away from me.  I was delighted to find such pretty washcloths from another Wisconsin seller, and nearby too.
I got these 

and these

They're wonderful.  I kept one of the sunflowers as a face/shower cloth and use the others in the kitchen.  I like them much better than my ordinary discount store dishcloths.  I enjoy having and using lovely and functional items, made by other creative people. 

When my mom (a fantastic wonderful mom) came to visit I had the big sunflower cloth at the sink.  Later I found it put aside and one of my ordinary cloths wet over the faucet.  I asked her why she didn't use the one I had out.  She said it was too pretty to use. 
I told her that they were made to be pretty and to be used.  We're supposed to use them, enjoy using them, wear them out and then buy new handcrafted ones!  Human handiwork, made with care and made locally, should be our everyday ware.

After thinking it over, I dug into my gift stash and picked out a gift for myself, some tea towels that I got from artgoodies last year.  I had her print them in pink ink and they still make me smile.

I put them in the top of my towel drawer, and started using one tonight. 

You know- I gave a set of those cute dishtowels to my mom last Valentine's Day.  I think she doesn't use them because she's afraid to get them dirty

Let's face it.  The kitchen is dirty work.  Washing dishes is dirty work.  So why not make the tools beautiful?  Use them.  Wear them out. Buy more beautiful handcrafted kitchen ware.  That's what it's for.

Autumn Garden Inspiration

Line tool design sample, on copper

I had a request for a line tool, to use for outlining designs. A variety of the line tools could work, but I recommended one about 4mm by less than 1mm, all rounded edges, yet a somewhat sharp tip. I did a little sample to make sure it would move in the way I was describing to the client.

The rounded edges make it more versatile. If you tilt it, just use the corner edge, you can move around curves. You can use it to make a single line, or you can keep pushing the line out to make a wider line. It also leaves a nice texture in the recessed areas. When doing a line, don't lift the tool on and off the metal. Leave it on the metal and let it move as the hammer taps, with your hand guiding its motion.

Studio Update

I'm running a lot of errands, catching up on paperwork, taking care of sick kids (normal stuff), listing work on etsy, and working in the studio.  I'm getting a lot done in real life, although not so much blogging happening.

I've been playing around with some atc (artist trading cards) for a WIST swap.  Luckily, the deadline was extended...  Here they are in progress

Here's my newest little wallpiece, about six inches high

I've got a whole series of these going, something I started a long time ago.  As soon as these are done, it's back to the Greenman motif.

New work on Etsy

I couldn't leave you just with the Bratz over the weekend, although you should go back and look at them. Just one entry back, not too bad.

Here's your preview of a few of the items I'll be selling at the Driftless Area Arts Festival on Saturday and Sunday.

Hooks, one larger and 3 more delicate

about 9 inches long

maybe 4 to 5 inches across

about 8 to 9 inches long

Have I lost my mind? (off topic)

I've lost my mind. My daughter wanted a Bratz doll. I got her one, a Bratz kid without the shapely body and with fairly modest clothes. Then I got onto ebay, hoping to save money on Bratz dolls for Christmas, and also hoping to avoid all that impossible-packaging-from-hell. Well I sure did! Look at these party girls!

I am completely hooked. These girls are way cooler than my Barbies were. I may have to start making clothes for them. I had to give my daughter 2 already.

I may have to keep this one for myself. She's the cool indie girl that I always wanted to be friends with, the friendly girl in the cool alternative crowd. She's probably a musician, a poet, and a straight A grad student in Biology or Physics.

By the way, did you know that only one Etsy seller has clothes for Bratz?

Bear, Greenman and Chasing Tools

 These are done now.

This is a wallpiece, but reminds me of jewelry.  The bear part is about 5 inches high.

 
There's that Greenman.  The whole piece is about 7 inches tall. not counting the hanger part.  (maybe 18cm high)

Oh, and if you are watching my chasing tools, I listed a set of 13 a few days ago.  To see all of my handforged tools available on my Etsy shop go to the handforged tools section , or cut and paste this link into your browser http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=20486&section_id=5095671

SW WI Art Fair and New Work

It's nearly time!  I'm one week away from the Driftless Art Fair, taking place in Soldier's Grove, WI next weekend, September 15 & 16th.  Please check here http://www.crawfordcountywi.com/art_festival/2007%20Event.htm for all of the details and come find my booth if you visit the show. 

For the next 7 days, my studio time will be devoted to work to sell at the Driftless Art Fair. 

Now for the new work.
I have a tendency to overthink and overwork every piece I do.  Every now and then I decide to trust an instinct, just trust it and go ahead without self-critique.  I did it this week to finish up a few pieces that I started off thinking of as houseplant trellises.

 

They are about as simple as I can get- scrolled ends, the most basic and enduring decorative forged element and gentle curves,  welded into springtime fern forms.  They are about 18 inches high, bronze, with an antiqued finished and coppery undertones, left un-sealed so that they will age naturally in the home environment.
I love how these turned out and think that they'd make great wallpieces as well as elegant windowbox trellises.

7 weird and 8 random things post

 I think I've been tagged 4 times now, either for the 7 weird or 8 random things post.  So I'm doing it again!  But I'm not tagging anybody else. 

1. I occasionally fulfill my weird/random posting tags, but I never tag anyone else.  If you want to be tagged, you can say I did it.

2. Over the course of about ten years, I made a king size tea towel quilt for our bed, finishing it a little over a year ago.  It already needs to be patched, where the dog and kids jump on and off the bed.

  I machine sewed it and then had a professional quilt crafter (with a big clean floor and a long arm machine)  put it all together for me. I want to know how she got it squared up accurately, because she did.  How does one accurately square up an 112 inch square?

3.  I collected all of those tea towels from my English Granny's tea towel stash (after she died) and then from ebay, friends, and thrift shops.  I like souvenir tea towels. 

4.  I prefer handsewing to machine sewing.  I like the speed of machine sewing, but I hate preparing bobbins, dealing with tension, changing needles, - anything fussily mechanical.  I have to do enough fussy mechanical stuff in the metalshops and would prefer simple needle and thread in the house. 

5.  Now I have this compelling urge to make colorblock bedroom curtains using those sheer colored headscarves that old ladies used to wrap around their hair-dos.   I just can't figure out where to find them, for cheap or next to nothing.  Goodwill has them, but charges around 1.99 per scarf, as a standard price.  That's what they cost new at Walmart.  So if you, or someone you know, has a box of old sheer colorful polyester headscarves lying around the house- please contact me.  I want them.

6.  Yes I know I can buy sheer poly or silk new and dye it, but I don't want to hem miles of edges.  If I can do it without hemming, please do contact me and tell me how. 

7.  I want to handstitch them together with embroidery floss.

8.  Oh, did I mention that I enjoy embroidery, but am only now getting back to it, after about a 7-1/2 year break?  My granny was a perfectionist embroiderer and could do a consistent cross stitch throughout an entire tablecloth.  I like more crazy quilt style.  Here's what I'm obsessing over now. 

9. Bonus random/weird thing - I can't seem to do a non obsessive craft.

10. Bonus random/weird thing - I want to start whittling wood.

11. Bonus random/weird thing - I don't enjoy wet crafting processes.

Enough.

Postcard / thank you note

I never claimed to be a graphic designer....

but I do like how it turned out.

This postcard design will be a thank you note that I use when shipping out purchases. To see it in greater detail, go to its flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/knitsteel/1302250673/