First of all I want to apologize to you, I know I haven't been making my usual "indepth" posts about things and some of you have sent me e-mails wondering why I have stopped. I will be back to making those posts soon, but for right now I have been working virtually around the clock to get pieces done for this upcoming show in Philly in May, so I just haven't had time. I keep thinking of topics I want to talk about, but I end up falling into bed in an exhausted heap instead. Now on to the post...
Sometimes I forget that not every artist does the basics in the same way. I know that many artists hand sew some of their smaller pieces like I do, and others can sew them on a machine. Even for those who do it by hand, I really have no idea how they do it. I have rarely watched other artists work. But I thought I would show you the "inside" of one of the little 7 inch bears I am working on, it's not something I have ever thought about showing before. I suddenly thought you might like to see it.
When I hand sew I don't do it the same way I would if I were sewing with a regular fabric like cotton or something. I don't take a few running stitches at a time. Each tiny stitch is done one at a time, pulled through securely and then I move on to the next. It's a lengthy process, but I like the results. I am sort of picky about stitches showing. You can't stop it 100 percent, but I certainly try.
I have discovered an interesting side effect of hand sewing. You get into a rhythmic pattern and it's almost like a form of meditation because you achieve something akin to a zen state.
Now for the "outside" part...I have a sneak peek for you. I got the box of mohair for the class today. Isn't it beautiful! It's this perfect old gold distressed short mohair. I can't wait to get started making it and taking pictures so you can see what I will be teaching! Unfortunately it might take a little time since I need R's help. I can't put the bear together and take the pictures of me putting it together to show you how, since it will require more than 2 hands!
In the mean time...the pink bear in the first picture and a squirrell are waiting for me to finish them...hi ho hi ho...off to work I go!
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2 comments:
hello kelly,
i' m a 100% hand sewn artist right now, don't prefer using sewing machine as i can carry my bags of work here and there, sometimes under sunlight, wish my act can save a bit energy and of course money;)
i would like to name the outside as skin of the bear, euh still haven't got the idea of the inside fabric, you raise an interesting question for me to think...
by the way, wish your preparation and production runs smooth, have a nice day!
susana
I'm really excited for this class!
After talking with you the other day, I went back and inspected both my bears and bears I've purchased to see if any of the stitches were showing.
I have to say, the bears I've bought, for the most part, seem stitch free... although I am guessing a good number of them have been made on machines... if not, the artists have mad hand sewing skills since on some of them, not only can I not find the stitches... but I can't even really find the seams.
My bears, I've noticed, show stitches a lot more (not much, but every once in a while) before I changed my hand sewing method. Since changing it, though, I rarely ever see a stitch. I think there's still room for improvement, however.
Until I can say "I never see a stitch" XD
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