Gearing up...

I'm really, really trying to carve out time (yeah, bad pun, i know...) to get some new designs ready for printing: i've got a little show scheduled for the fall, and in order to fill up the space and rotate things a bit during the exhibit, i'll need some new blocks.

Here's one i'm working on, from a photo that appeared here last summer:

Art music

I attended or worked at various Scout camps for i-could-not-tell-you-how-many years, and i developed a truly exhaustive repertoire of camp songs. But this gem, culled from a songbook i got from my very favorite flea market vendor (hey, he specializes in vintage books and sewing machines), was unknown to me:

"Mules"
(to the tune of "Auld Land Syne")

On mules we find two legs behind,
     and two we find before,
We stand behind before we find
     what the two behind be for.
When we're behind the two behind
     we find what these be for,
So stand before the two behind,
     behind the two before.

Word play, mules, and the music of Burns songs - what could possibly be better?

When in Lindsborg...

Lindsborg, Kansas is a town more or less right in the middle of Kansas, with a population of 3,458... and a bit of a Dala Horse obsession.  It's a college town, so though it's in the middle of lots of farmland, has more than you might expect in the way of coffeehouses, art galleries, museums, and so forth.  And its latest addition to the downtown is a little boutique of hand-crafted and vintage goodies, called "Sarahendepity," after owner Sarah Ash.

Sarah's filled her shop with antique and vintage treasures gathered for her Etsy shops, and has also set up her studio there, so you can watch while she makes her etched and embossed metal jewelry.  In addition to the jewelry, you'll find vintage toys, typewriters (Sarah's a typewriter maven), a bit of Edwardian clothing, and, yes, block prints from PressingNeeds...

 I sent a big box of framed prints to Kansas for the shop opening, and there will be more designs headed there soon.

If you visit that part of the world, drop in and have a look - you can find info, check hours, and see more photos here.  You'll be sure to find something lovely for yourself or a friend - it's a delightfully eclectic selection of items, and a fun place to wander through!

(Yep, that's my fiddle print on the wall over the bicycle...)

Well, look at that...

A friend of mine aimed me at a reader challenge for hand-carved stamps in Cloth Paper Scissors - i wasn't really familiar with the magazine, but took a look, and sent off a copy of my fiddle scroll print, more or less on a lark. This was ages ago. Never heard a peep more, until someone else sent a tweet last night saying she'd seen my print there. I didn't think much of it, figuring she meant the image i'd uploaded to the gallery on the magazine's website, but when i reread it, i started to think it might have been the print edition.  And sure enough...

...there it is in the March/April 2012 issue!

You had your chance

Really, most of the patterns go to the shop.  I've got a goodly stash already, largely vintage, so unless it's something with some funky design detail that appeals to me, i'll check it out and list it.  But every now and again, i find that one i've listed causes pangs of regret.  And just occasionally, when one of those listings expires, i decide it's a sign, and it doesn't get renewed but joins the stash instead.  This was one of those patterns:

There's nothing really exotic about the construction on this one, so i didn't really think about pulling it out at first, but i found that i kept going back and looking at it.  It's an Anne Adams issue with a 1957 postmark on the mailing envelope.  It's also very nearly my size (and a cut with a bit of design ease, so i might be able to get off without having to do serious grading).  It's got no pockets, but with a basic four-gore skirt like that it wouldn't be a major hassle to add on-seam pockets.  I'm thinking of making it up in the fabric that you can see behind the sewing machine in this post.

Fussy

I was working on a woefully inadequate quantity of sleep today, so this afternoon, i decided that hand-coloring one of my block prints was about the right speed.  I do the "Tabby love" print pretty regularly, and it only needs a little bit, but this block is much more complicated to color - i used about five different browns, and of course, the scale of the whole thing is tiny.  When i paused to take this shot, i was probably about 75% done.  I think this one will require a little difference in the pricing because of the extra time invested... i do like the effect, though!

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!