calendae-creations - Tumblr blog

[calendae-creations]

U say to urself "i dont need notches, ill know how to orient the pieces when sewing bc i made the pattern" this is the devil speaking. Put notches in ur pattern and cut them into ur fabric. Youll be glad for it

[calendae-creations]

i love making art

[calendae-creations]

Draw badly. Write nonsensically. Embroider messily. Burn what you bake and cook. Get paint everywhere. Read half a book. Lose your mind for a bit. Plant things. Have faith in the process. Abandon 70 wood-carving projects. Get a kit and do some of it and never return to it. Get comfortable with sucking and losing motivation. Continue to create with reckless abandon.

[calendae-creations]

i've been working on a depiction of a bufflehead in bobbin lace lately. i had some ambitious ideas about what sort of effects i would be able to create. like i'm still proud of what i've done but it doesn't look as cool as i had hoped

this is the reference image:

Picture credit: Mick Thompson

and this is what i have made so far:

i chose rose ground for the wings bc it's a cool looking stitch. problem is, it makes the wings appear spotted, like a loon. i know what stitch to use to make a loon body now though, so that's a positive. originally, i intended to just do cloth stitch all in black to create a solid mass and rose ground for the white body. i changed my mind bc i thought it was too simple and boring. should have followed the plan. oh well

the reflection of the duck in the water i did using cloth stitch; the workers (running vertically) are blue and the passives (horizontally) white. i did this to try to mimic how the rings of tiny waves kind of break up the reflection and create lateral lines in the photo. this might have worked better if i did a far closer weave (idk if there's a proper term for that). this part was supposed to go farther down the duck's body, but the workers broke :( and i had to undo a couple rows to get enough slack to make a knot :(. overall, i'm okay with how this looks, though

and the head. one of the most striking elements of the duck in the photo is its iridescent head. i'm using black workers and colorful passives to try to recreate this. the issue i have with it so far is how solid it is compared to the rose ground of the back. it makes the back seem even more spotty. i'm trying to reserve judgement on how the head looks until i've finished it. hopefully the white patch on the head will make it look more bufflehead-y than loon-y. also, i think i'll try a tally to depict the eye, which i've never done before. i've heard tallies can be difficult to tension, so it's so good i'm doing one for the first time as part of a large project lmao

another problem i've created for myself is that i'm using polyester thread. i heard i can block it by steaming it. hopefully that will hold the shape. i've added an element of danger to this project by not testing this on a smaller piece first

i still have to finish the head, do the body (idk why i left the middle piece until last), and decide if i should fill in the water or leave it empty. i'm treating this an as experiment and a learning experience. my goal is to create a bunch of imperfect bobbin lace, rather than getting stuck on one piece

i think i might make a loon next, since the rose ground seems to work so well. my lace society encourages members to enter at least one lace piece in a state or county fair each year, and i think a loon might be popular among potential judges. since it's for competition, i'll actually have to plan that one out impeccably

[calendae-creations]

Printing this and hanging it up in the laundry room ☺

[calendae-creations]

More medieval dyes for y'all!

[calendae-creations]

[calendae-creations]

As a new weaver i find that warp speed is in fact not very fast

[calendae-creations]

its me boy im the seventh cool textile hobby you wanna pick up speaking to you inside your brain listen to me boy you DO have time for me you wanna do me so bad

[calendae-creations]

No matter which textile craft you look at, it has weaving in ends, and everyone hates it with a burning passion.

[calendae-creations]

Getting a weird little hobby is actually so important bc it opens your eyes up to the world. You start crocheting or knitting, and how you see scarves and sweaters differently. You try identifying plants, now you’re seeing opposite and alternate leaf pattern. Bird watching? Every chirp draws attention and interest.

Get into weird little hobbies.

[calendae-creations]

I was motivated to finish designing the teeny tiny turtle I started aaaages ago for a birthday present for my Schwiegeropa tomorrow.

[Collective ID: various poses of a turtle crocheted using greenish yarn for the head and limbs + pale yellow yarn for the back and belly with grey accents on the shell. It's about the size of a quarter, and a tiny bit of yarn sticking out of the butt is what serves as a tail. /end ID]

[calendae-creations]

Happy Pride Month! 🌈

Pride Flag Stamp Washi! Brand new and on sale to celebrate Pride Month 🥰

🏳️‍⚧️ mush.house/pridemonth 🏳️‍🌈

[calendae-creations]

Triangle/circle shawl pros: Start off with quick rows to ease you into it with frequent sense of achievement, working up to longer challenges as you settle in.

Cons: Binding off for a million years

[calendae-creations]

before you see something and recoil at the price, be it handmade items, services, art, whatever. when you see something and you think, "i wouldnt pay more than $15 for that," you seriously have to ask yourself: if i were offered that same $15, would i make this object? would i spend the time to teach myself this skill to get this done, for $15? would i do this service for that same $15? would that be worth my time and effort?

yeah, that handmade necklace is $140. you might only be willing to pay $40 for that same necklace, but would you make it for $40 if someone asked you to?

you want to pay the babysitter fifteen bucks for the three hours she's watching your child. but would you honestly do that for $15? would you go into a stranger's house and change their baby's diaper and care for its needs, for $15?

you think its ridiculous that this artist is charging $30 for an icon commission. would you spend years catching up to their skill level to make that same drawing, start using your skill to make some extra cash, and then spend three hours on a drawing just to get $15?

would you be willing to work for $5 an hour?

no?

then don't be angry when someone else won't.

you don't have buy the service, it's okay if some things aren't within your budget or comfort zone, and it's also okay if the product isn't worth that much money to you. but do not be angry. be glad, because you know of another person out there who isn't being exploited for their time.

[calendae-creations]

sometimes in knitting you just have to go 'nobody but me will notice this mistake' and keep going

[calendae-creations]

blue stitches: 60 / yellow stitches: 20 / floats caught: 15 / cat pictures: 3,600 / intarsia stitches: 15. someone who is good at time management please help me plan this my sweater is dying