Whew.

I could have - and probably should have - chosen the easier route for this commission. There were two photos of a young black cat to work from, one of which would lead to a pretty straightforward print, requiring only a bit of fiction to make the background carve-able, and the other, which looked more complicated every time i peered at it.

Naturally, i picked the more complicated route, a neat shot of the kitty perched on a section of worm fence. It ended up needing four separate blocks, printed in layers - light green, then dark green, then grey-brown, and finally black. It was fussy to do, and there were inconvenient hitches like an arm injury that set things back, and it ended up taking far longer than i'd expected, based on the original plan of a simple, single block print. Feeling a bit guilty for getting the timeline wrong, i decided i ought to do a print from the other photo, too (and in fact, that was something i was able to put together pretty quickly, while finishing the last stages of the original choice). I finally drove out and delivered both today, and was relieved that they were greeted with oohs and aaahs - commissions, while they're fun challenges, are always a little nerve-racking, and this one was for friends, the proprietors of my favorite little used bookshop.

There's an edition of each, so they'll be making their way to the shop sooner (for the simpler one) or later (for the four-color monstrosity, because i haven't even completed the edition yet, and i'm going to need more ink).

And i think i've had enough of carving wood grain for a while...

Fruits of today's labors

I figured i ought to do something start-to-finish at the demo, from first sketch to finished print, so this is what i came up with: a wee pear, a block that's just a couple inches wide. I'm thinking i'll print a few up as ACEOs, once i've had a chance to play with colors in the oil-based ink (i stuck with water-based for the demo, for ease of clean-up, but i do like working with the oil-based stuff better).

Multiplying

After the Dewey print, i was asked to do another one, this time of a whole litter of roly-poly Berner pups. There was some jiggering to do to insert the puppy who'd evaded the photo that had the rest of the litter. I'm printing the last of the edition now, and will be hand coloring the prints next - it looks a little funny without the colored bits filled in, but here's a sneak peek of part of the group:

Saints preserve us...

By way of an Etsy trade, i ended up with a commission to carve a block of a charming Saint Bernard named Dewey. It's been fun to do a pooch, after all the cats i've made prints of already... i just put the final touches on the block today, and will be starting proper proofs tomorrow. I'll be making a small edition of these - printed on extra-yummy Fabriano paper and hand-colored - so there will be a few available for the shop, too.

At least his coat is pretty high contrast (much easier than a tabby cat), but still lots of wispy hairs to follow!

Paybacks

Lulubelle J. Fuzzbutt (it's a long story) was, briefly, my grandmother's cat, but landed here after Grandma died. She loves people and attention, and bullies other cats. She isn't actually dumb as two thick planks, but has a tendency to hurtle through life without thinking (e.g., an attempt to rub against my leg turns into a somersault, which turns into tumbling down half a flight of stairs...). She's cost me an astronomical amount at the vet's, mostly following her decision to eat a spool of thread.

I decided it was time for her to help pull her weight around here - and i was looking for something straightforward to carve in between the hen blocks and a half-hatched idea for another multiple color print - so i adapted a photo i'd taken, and sat down to carve.

I'm still trying to work out what to title the print... (if inspiration strikes you, feel free to leave a comment!)

Experimentation (or trial by fire)

I like the county fair, because it's a good, deadline-enforced kick in the pants to get some lingering projects done and to try some new things. This year, i decided it was as good a time as any to start to play with multiple blocks in the prints, and so:

It's just a quick proof, while i'm making sure of how it works, and the best paper and inks for this one. It isn't, perhaps, the simplest design to pick for experimenting with registration - getting everything lined up just so, so that the colors from each block fit together and interlock the way they should - and that made the carving a slow process, but soon i'll be printing some up for the shop!

Must. Resist.

This adorable little creature is a Singer 185J - which is, basically, a Singer 99 in new clothes. It's a 3/4-size machine, although not anything you'd call "lightweight." The "J" in the model number on this one just indicates that this machine was manufactured at Singer's factory in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, in Québec. Possibly the cutest detail? Even the bobbin winder tire and belt are green. Alas, the belt is shot, and i'm doubtful i'll be able to find another green one to replace it with...

I'm tempted to adopt it, of course, but i do have a 3/4-size machine already - a little Pfaff 30 i bought in a mad sewing machine binge at the favorite flea market (came home with four machines that day... luckily, that doesn't happen often, and none of them were in cabinets). So once i've replaced the missing bits and made sure everything is clean and working properly, i'm determined that it should go to the shop.

Really.

Determined.

Coming attractions (PressingNeeds edition)

I've just added batches of my reindeer cards to the shop - these are the ones i designed to send to friends and family last year. They're printed on wonderful recycled cards (100% post-consumer waste and process chlorine free, for those of you who are keeping score); i was really pleased with the cardstock when i got it last year, so now i've got more and a larger (5"x7") size, too.

Which prints would you like to see reproduced on cards?

Experimentation

Finally finished that pesky lino block, with the image of Hellion melting in the windowsill... it gave me the opportunity to learn all sorts of things, to wit:

• The only transfer method that had any effect whatever was washing the scanned-and-printed sketch with white vinegar. But even then, grey linoleum doesn't show lines worth a darn.
• The bit about heating the linoleum to make it easier to cut? Works like a charm.
• I really, really like vintage lino cutters.
• Inking the lino is quite a bit different than the soft rubber blocks.
• It doesn't like the same sort of paper, either - wants something much softer in order to get a good impression. I switched to a mulberry/bamboo paper in the end.

And the finished product, framed up with what was around the house, mostly:

In season...

The favorite flea market is open again, so i went out on the hunt Sunday morning.  I found a few things for my stash (including a fabulous Neo-gothic chair - i'll post pictures when i've had a chance to take some), but then i found this, which will be headed to the shop:

It's in its case, and jaw-droppingly clean - aside from a tiny bit of dust, looks (and works) as though it just came back from a regular service appointment.  I'll get the dust out and set it up with a new ribbon, and it should be good to go!

Coming attractions

(PressingNeeds edition)

I've been having fun with block printing on the wonderful little Moleskine pocket notebooks - i've got a couple listed in the shop, and some others that have been given as gifts.  I'm hunting for a new source for the blank notebooks, though - i'd been getting them through my sister, who worked at Borders and could count on a decent discount on a package of notebooks.  Now, obviously, that source is sunk.  I can find them locally, but not at a price that makes selling printed ones look tremendously viable.  So i hope to be able to do more, but for now, this is one of the last few that will be making its way to the shop:

I have to admit, i really like that turquoise ink, especially on the brown kraft cardstock.  I think i need to find more excuses to use that color.

Coming attractions

A quick peek at a few highlights from the batch of patterns i'm getting ready to list at Fripperie:

Sometimes the art is half the fun - e.g., the ubiquitous tobacco use on the men's pattern - and sometimes it's pure retro fashion fabulousness.  Are those not just about the cutest maternity tops you've ever seen?  The 1942 housecoat from Advance makes housework seem oh-so-glamorous!  And that '60s dress with the raglan sleeves... i can imagine my mother having sewn that one (the lines are similar to dresses she made that eventually ended up in my closet).

[Don't ask me why Blogger is doing random things with the spacing of the photos... i fought with it for hours, and this was the best i could get it to do.  Guess i need to learn to be more comfortable with editing the HTML; maybe then i can bend it to my will...]

Lines

Now and again, i get a little impatient with Vogue patterns - sometimes, you get the idea that they're putting in funky seams for the sake of funky seams, and not to serve any purpose of interesting design.  And then i find something like this, which goes a long way toward restoring my faith:

For the way that the edge of the bodice front swoops into the edge of the pocket, i could forgive a lot of design sins.

Coming attractions...

Just a few of the patterns that i'll be listing soon at Fripperie - stop by to see what's new (er, old, but new...)!

Coming Attractions

Just a quick preview of patterns that i'll be listing soon on Etsy... i'll probably spend some time this evening checking, counting, researching, and pricing.

New Goodies

Delightedly pawing through a new shipment of vintage patterns, most of which will be heading to the shop in the coming days... lots of Simplicity, a couple Advance, and a few obscure mail order patterns that will be fun to try to trace. A fair number of 1940s patterns in this lot, and for some reason, rather more sleepwear than you might expect - the vagaries of what folks bought, sewed (or didn't), and kept, i guess.

There are two that i think will have to go into the personal stash: a 1944 Simplicity housecoat pattern - nothing like the housecoats my grandmother had - this is princess seamed, with these fabulous kite-shaped pockets (pictures later, perhaps, after sleep...); and a late 40s Advance skirt pattern, which just might pair with a swell McCall's blouse pattern i've got.