Wordless Wednesday - Wish I was here

Friday on my mind

Hello and happy Friday all! 

Today I just have a few things to share.

Thing One: I have started a Flickr Group for The Stitched Journal Project Participants. Feel free to share your photos of the project, start discussions, ask questions and enjoy the community of makers that are involved in this great project!

Thing Two: Speaking of The Stitched Journal Project, here is a great little overview of drawing with your sewing machine, or "freemotion" embroidery from Jennie of A Little Vintage! Maybe you would like to give it a try.

Thing Three: Finally, a really amazing bit of of inspiration from my dear friend Jane of Flaming Nora (she is also participating in The Stitched Journal Project, hooray!). This post and the work she has shared are truly wonderful! Please go see!

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Valentines Day if you celebrate!

xo

Skirting the Issue

Well, well, well. It seems I am on a skirt making tear. Yesterday I took one of the Engineer's old work shirts, some scrap fabric and whipped this little skirt up. I had a plan and then I threw the plan out the window and made this instead. I'm really pleased with how it came out and I always love giving new life to old clothes. I even have enough shirt left to make a second skirt. This has me thinking... uh oh, that always leads to trouble! As I was saying, I was thinking about just how many things can be made from men's old shirts. I'm sure that you too, have seen your share of clever re-working tutorials using the good old button down shirt.

Why not add my own re-makes to the fray? I'm going to see how many skirts I can make from the couple of old shirts I have in my "formerly loved" pile. You may just see a month of skirts from shirts in March with tutorials. Why not? Sounds like a good time to me! What do you think?

Edited to add: Oops! Did I forget to mention that this skirt is for an 8 year old. So... it's all about kid size skirts. For now....

Snow Skipping

Oh my, what a time we've had the last few days! Portland received a rare snow storm; landing us with a foot of snow on the ground. Schools and offices shut down (since we only get heavy snow every few years, the city does not have the resources to clean it up and so things tend to shut down). So there was snowflake tasting, sledding, games, hot cocoa and nights by the fire. Schools should be back tomorrow and I can clean up the house after days of cabin fever. It has become a bit sloppy in these parts.

I did manage the smallest bit of sewing though. It was one of those things, you know, suddenly receiving inspiration from a good gawk at the internets. I happened to stumble upon this from Vicky Meyers Creations. She has made a really lovely version of my Skipping Skirt pattern from my book. I always love seeing what people have made from any of my patterns, what a joy! I remember creating this simple skirt pattern and it making me so happy. It really is simple sewing with endless possibility. So I was inspired by Vicky's version, to make a new one for my girl using whatever scraps I had on hand. Then a very bright and cheerful (ooh shocker!) Skipping Skirt was born.

Because the pattern is so quick sticks to put together, I spent a good old time embellishing some of the panels. All sort of willy-nilly and a little bit silly.

Thanks to Vicky for the inspiration to make this skirt. Added bonus; this skirt can be used to signal rescue teams in blizzards!

I also worked out a very easy modification to make this pattern into adult size. I simply added an inch in width and a few inches in length to each panel/pattern piece. As my daughter says, "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!" I might make mine from slightly less wild fabrics, but only very slightly less.

I hope that wherever you are, whatever the weather, that you are safe and sound.

P.S. It looks like The Stitched Journal Project is off to a rollicking start! If you have sent me a message with your email, I will be sending out a welcome note very soon.  I'll have a follow up post later this week as well. Hooray!

Stitched Journal Project - Invitation

Last week I shared my Stitched Journal Project and asked if anyone felt like joining me in my year-long adventure. I was so excited to hear that some of you were indeed interested in joining! So, I thought that I would send out a proper invitation with a few simple guidelines to explain the project in more detail. If you missed the initial post you can read it HERE.

It is a project to get the ideas flowing, to process the days in a creative way, to try new techniques and to push past fears that keep us from making something.  It isn't about perfection, or getting it "just right," it is about process and perspective.

The Basics:

Sticking with the journal theme, the objective is to create one "page" or piece of work per month. I'm calling it the Stitched Journal Project, but by no means does that require "traditional" stitching methods only. I am also suggesting that you keep the pieces on the small side for simplicity sake and that you keep each piece similar in size to create a cohesive body of work at the end.

Edited to add: When I say small, it is simply a suggestion, I'm talking 12" x 12" as a rough guide. My first piece is 8" x 13" which was not planned, it sort of just worked out that way. You are welcome to go bigger or smaller depending on your preference.

At the end of each month, let's say the last Friday of every month, we will post our pieces and blog about them. If you are keen on participating, I would be happy to send out email reminders close to the time. I will link to your posts from my blog and would hope that you would link to others on your posts. If we get enough folks to play along, I will set up a Link system here.

I hear you asking, "but Lola, just what on earth are we supposed to make for goodness sake?"

That my friends, is entirely up to you! Still, I'll throw out a couple of ideas to get the old gears turning.

What to Make:

Perhaps you have been wanting to learn how to stitch patchwork, try a new quilt block a month if you like, maybe try your hand at designing your own quilt blocks. Make a sampler page of embroidery stitches, crochet swatches, or knitted squares. Play with color, create fairy tale scenes, try your hand at free motion machine embroidery, or go abstract. Re-create your favorite paintings in fabric and stitches. Stitch to your favorite music, what emotions, feelings and colors does it bring to mind? Use bits of old clothing and trims to tell the story of your life. Work in mixed-media, it doesn't have to be all thread and fabric; use photographs, scraps of letters and drawings...it is limitless you see!

Next week I'll post some links to tutorials and some inspiration as well. 

If you would like to join in and want to receive email reminders, please let me know and include a way for me to get in touch. Leave a comment on this post or email me at lolanovainfo@gmail.com. If you know someone who you think would be interested, please share!

I can't wait to see what we come up with!

Thursday's child has far to go

It has turned into a snow day! My girl and I are doing science experiments and putting dyed fabric up on the design wall. Looks a bit crazy, but we're having fun.

Hope you are too!

Brotherhood

Today is the official release date of Brotherhood, the complete recordings 2 CD set.

A few people know that in the 1960's, my dad was the drummer for a band called Paul Revere and the Raiders. Very few people know that three core members of Paul Revere and the Raiders, my dad, Mike Smith, Drake Levin, and Phil Volk started another band in the late 60's called, Brotherhood.  They wanted to broaden their musical horizons, so to speak. They recorded three albums; 2 of them solid late 60's offerings, and 1 very experimental album (Friend Sound/Joyride). Unfortunately, they went relatively unheard.  

Today, these albums that have been out of print for 40 years, are being released for the very first time on CD. This is big news, it's about time!  I am so glad that more people will get the chance to hear these songs that were part of the soundtrack of my life.

I know this was a pivotal time in my father's life, and I think his heart was wounded when it didn't pan out.  I remember once in my 20s, a friend and I worked up a couple of the songs from the first Brotherhood album. My friend played the guitar and I sang the songs for my dad one night in an old wooden shed that perched over the banks of a pretty stream called Widow Creek. When we were finished, my father wiped his face with his hands trying to hide the tears running down his cheeks. Then he shook his head and laughed, "Oh now why would you want to play those old songs?" Because they are good songs, and a few of them are truly great.

A song like "Somebody," that holds my father's presence so profoundly, his drumming so clear and impressive; I can't help to think what a shame their collaboration was cut short. I would have loved to hear what a couple more years together would have produced.

Sadly, both my father and Drake Levin have passed, two formidable talents. I wish they could have been here for this release, to know that their music was going to be heard now. This surely would have been an emotional day for my dad. So many thanks to Phil "Fang" Volk, for your impressive memory, for telling the story, for all the work and the music. Thanks also to Bill Kopp, Real Gone Music, Vic Anesini and all those who made this happen at last.

From Real Gone Music:

Right at the height of popularity for Paul Revere and the Raiders, the band’s core power trio of Phil “Fang” Volk (bass), Drake “The Kid” Levin (guitar) and Mike “Smitty” Smith (drums) left to pursue their own more ambitious musical goals. Subsequent lawsuits and a run of bad luck meant that the first, self-titled album by their new band, Brotherhood, would be delayed, and received little notice at the time. Yet, by mixing a wealth of socially-conscious original numbers with hard-rocking reinterpretations of tunes by the Mamas and the Papas and Joe South, Brotherhood was a band brimming with promise. Between 1968 and 1969 the band released two more albums, one under their own name, the other a third, wildly experimental record (Friend Sound / Joyride) that drew upon Cage, Zappa and Stockhausen (and acid) for its influences. Bringing together music that has been out of print for over 40 years and never available on CD until now, Brotherhood: The Complete Recordingsincludes all three albums the group cut for RCA on two CDs, plus a definitive history of the band by Bill Kopp, based on extensive research and a lengthy interview with Phil Volk, who contributes a note of his own. Remastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in NYC…one of the great lost bands of the late ‘60s

You can buy the Brotherhood CD set at:
Real Gone Music
Amazon

Me, my dad 1972

My dad always told me that if you just can't help yourself from making music, you better do it with your whole heart and soul. "You'll spill your guts, you'll break your own heart and always want more. It's a wild ride with moments of life changing beauty. But mostly, it's just guts and broken hearts."

Hello Monday

“So. Monday. We meet again.

We will never be friends—but maybe we can move past our mutual enmity toward a more-positive partnership.” 
― Julio-Alexi Genao

Sometimes Mondays are hard. Even if you don't work in an office from 9-5 Monday through Friday, they can be daunting.  For me, Mondays are busy. Mondays are take my daughter to therapy days, grocery shopping days, bathroom scrubbing, kitchen cleaning and laundry days. Mondays are computer catch up days, pay the bills, answer email, cook a healthy dinner and heavy help with homework days.

Mondays are also my "Start the week off happy Blog days!" I am happy. I hope you're happy too! Still, today is a hard Monday, so I'm going to just tease you with a few things to come this week here in my happy place.

1. I have some lovely folks wanting to join up in the Stitched Journal Project. Hooray! I am so excited about this! So, I will be putting together some simple guidelines and officially sending out an invitation to any and all who might like to take part! 

2. I have an upcoming announcement concerning a music release that is close to my heart.

3. Oh dear, I could've sworn there was a 3rd thing... well you'll just have to stay tuned!

I do hope your Monday is a good one, not too hard and that the rest of the week is lovely!