Lynn Carson Harris

Look What I Found in the Sewing Room!

I've been doing some "extreme cleaning" in the sewing room and found my stack of hexagon flowers. They weren't really lost but I hadn't done anything with them in a while. I love the way they look all mashed up against each other.  I need to make MANY more for a bed size quilt. This is definitely a long term project. Currently, there is only one flower from each print but the center colors are used more than once. I need to sew some more quilts to make scraps for this - or, gasp, cut into yardage for the hexagons.

 

Fabric Swap Projects

A while back, the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild had a "fabric swap" we all brought fabrics that we no longer needed in our stashes and made a very large pile of fabric on the floor. On the count of three we dove in and chose fabrics that we each wanted to add to our stash. It was quite a "free for all" luckily, no one was harmed. All unclaimed fabric was donated for charity quilts.

I tried to be particular with the fabrics I brought home and choose only fabrics that I knew I would use. I am please to report that I've already used some! Woot!!!

I made this cross body bag to use at quilt market this  spring. I used Kathy Mack's Mail Sack pattern but added a pocket to the outside. It is a great place to pin all the fun buttons I collected at market. The heavy weight fabric is perfect for this bag that holds a lot of weight. The lining is a batik that has been in my stash for many years. I score bonus points for that, right?

Next up is a pair of Parsley pajama shorts for Miss P. She loves them.
They are made out of a lightweight searsucker stripe with a tiny sliver of silver metallic woven in. 
Now that we know which size fits her she will be making her OWN Parsly pajama pants out of this swap score.
Thanks ladies, I don't know who brought these fun fabrics to the swap but I am thrilled with the projects we are making with them.

Wordless Wednesday

Featured Artist - Danny Mansmith

A few years ago, I ran across Danny Mansmith's work on flickr.

It is amazing what he can do with his old school sewing machine.  His "studio" set on flickr is fun to browse through. Go have a look, there is too much good stuff there for me to share here. He recently posted that he is now accepting commission works from photos.

Wouldn't something like this make a great house warming gift?

 

Here you can see some in progress shots of this piece that was made from a photograph.

I love the stitching on this one.

He also makes more sculptural pieces and clothing and accessories. How about this awesome skirt?

Here's a progress shot of the skirt.


I have been wanting to know more about him and his work methods. Danny graciously agreed to answer some questions for us.

How did you get started sewing and specifically this type of machine stitch drawing?
I started teaching myself how to use the sewing machine around 1991. I remember the very first thing I sewed was a shirt , it was a patchwork shirt and I stitched out figures with the machine all over the front of it. Since than I have been slowly working that idea of drawing with the sewing machine and continuing to develop more and more control with the machine.

Do you have formal art training?

Right after high school I went to an art school in Chicago for a year for oil painting.

I love your "old school" sewing machine. Is this a straight stitch only machine? Do the feed dogs go down for free stitching or do you turn the fabric under the needle?  
The one machine I use is a Singer 20U33, it is a straight and zig zag stitch machine with reverse.

Maybe because I have been learning on my own I actually never knew anything about free motion sewing. I think it was just recently that I learned about it because when I posted images of my thread drawings online people said that they were done with the free motion technique. I make the stitched images by using the knee lift,  moving the fabric around,  and almost always hand turning the wheel.

I have come about drawing with the sewing machine the same way one drawings with paper and pen.

Who influences you... who is your favorite textile artist, musician, actor, person in history, etc.?
Many things come to mind but now at 41 I see they are all some how linked to my growing up with a very loving family. Also growing up and experiencing being bullied and feeling different from others has influenced me to have great compassion for others.  I see great beauty in things that most people think are ugly or sad, different looking people inspire me as do little kids and their wonderful free spirits. A front yard that has been neglected and over grown with weeds inspires me.

I love artist Judith Scott.

Where else do you look for inspiration?
For me it is very important to have time to myself, just allowing feelings and emotions to come up to the surface and these spark ideas and impulses to make things.

I know a lot of artists have a "day job" to help pay the bills. Do you have another job to help support yourself? If so, what is that other job?

It is always a juggling act to keep afloat, from commissions to odd jobs. But the focus is to have time to make the things I want to make, which is getting harder and harder to do.

What are your favorite threads?
I really just buy the biggest cones of thread at the fabric store.

What types of fabrics are your favorite to work with? (i.e., silk, cotton, wool, linen, synthetics, brocades, quilted, etc.)
It is interesting people think I just love really ornate fabric,  but my favorite is muslin. I just don't have the money to buy such fabrics but also my joy is creating the fabric so muslin is the perfect blank canvas. But there is really something about it's simplicity and color I just really am drawn to.

Is there a fabric type you would never use? Why?

I don't think so, as long as I could think of something to do with it then it could work.

From viewing some of your process photos it seems that you sometimes have a clear vision of what the end product will be, as when working from a photo. Other projects seem to grow organically and develop a life of their own.  Can you tell us about your work process and how you approach a new piece?
The images that follow a clear idea are almost always the commission pieces. Ideally when I work making art for me is pure freedom and joy. Making art It is a reaction to the world we live in, for me I often feel held back, frustrated, and many other things that aren't very nice feelings. So I create this spot in the world at that moment, my studio, to break free and run as fast as I can over the cliff.

Which of your pieces of your artwork are you most proud of and why?

I have very fond memories of an installation I did at the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago  a few years back that was dedicated to the three ladies that influenced me growing up, my mom, grandma, and great aunt.

Is there anything else you would like us to know about you or your work?

Sharing more of myself to hopefully reach others to see the possibilities around them for creation for themselves. If anyone is near Seattle I will be selling my artwork and accessories at the Urban Craft Uprising Show on July 13, and 14 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. I will also have a piece in the Surface Design Association  "Dancing Surfaces" show August 9th at Phinney Center Gallery in Seattle.

Danny, thank you so much for joining us today. 

Please take a moment and browse around Danny's flickr page, you won't be disappointed. Make sure you look through the studio set. Also, here is his shop. 

Quilt Magazine

Oh, look, Curry and Cerise is now Simple & Sweet in the latest Quilt Magazine (Aug/Sept 2013)! I just picked one up at the grocery store and then came home and found two more copies in my mailbox! It is fun to see my (Jennifer's) quilt in print. 

The Crafty Chloe Geranium

You have no idea how happy I am that today is the last day of school.

So. Very. Ready. 

Miss P finished her geranium top (This is the Geranium for older girls pattern that we are testing for Rae. It will be released soon.) last night so that she could wear it to school today. I think she did a great job. Before starting this top, she remembered that last summer when she entered her skirt in the fair, the judges commented that she should finish the seams on the inside of a garment. 

She learned how to do french seams and also hand stitched the lining like I did on the dress version. 

She wanted ruffles for sleeves so we added those too. That pattern piece was not in the pattern. Just cut an elongated D shape cut on the fold and gathered into the armhole. I love that P is learning new sewing skills and gaining confidence. I helped her a lot less with this project. And I let her use my "cool" sewing machine. She is still finding it hard to believe that I let her use the BIG machine. 

Miss P got the book Crafty Chloe, illustrated by Heather Ross, for Christmas and we love it. It's about a craft loving girl who makes a gift for a friend - a great read for crafty girls. 

I was thrilled to find this Crafty Chloe fabric, also by Heather Ross, for P to use in this top. She loves it too.

I snapped these photos quickly before we headed to school this morning.

I have now turned off my alarm clock for summer! Woo hoo. Here's to the more relaxed and slower pace of summer vacation!

On My Sewing Table

I'm having fun with some "sandy" colored scraps this week.