Dear Daria,
Fresh off the rejuvenation of July’s project (which is prescisely what I’d hoped this project would do, rejuvenate!), I open your August box. Such a contrast from last month, but it feels very in line with the world outside right now (although isn’t this indian summer we’re having incredible?). The contents are full of textures and depth of brown and navy blues (I’d love to see the Jedi costume these came from, did I miss it? It must have been fabulous!).
Thread… when I thought about this theme, I immediately thought of Lisa Solomon’s method of drawing with thread, like these pieces in one of her newest shows (scroll down). I am also thinking about everything I can DO with thread in general, like on cloth, of course, but also things like helping Ian hang a paper mobile. I was struggling a bit with this month, and thread, but then when I talked to my sis-in-law about it, she helped me brainstorm into an idea that resonated with me. So, I’m all a-go. Hope you are finding inspiration out there (and in the box I sent).
Blair
Filed under: Blair, Daria, inspiration | Tags: August, inspiration, July, June
Dear Daria,
I will wholeheartedly admit to having let the lazy days of summer get to me, how can I work when the weather is like this??? And how can you work with sick kids: ( ?
Let’s officially put ourselves on an eight by eight summer schedule. Which will work something like this-
Next week, Daria and I will take turns posting a photo a day to inspire us for July’s theme of ‘water‘, to kick us back into creative gear. We will be posting our finished June project at the end of July (you can see our boxes of materials for June’s theme here and here), then double up with projects for August (August and July’s project will both be completed in August), to get us back on schedule.
Thanks so much for following us along on this creative journey!
Dear Daria,
Well, I have to admit that I really wanted to skip June altogether. I mean, buttons?? I’m still wondering if we had some sort of sudden button/fastener inspiration the day we decided this, that I can now not remember for the life of me. But then I got your box.
Your purples make me like purple. They really do. I love everything you sent. The fabrics could be the perfect palette of squashy cushions and chair covers for my backyard. Add some white lights and we’ve got a party. It feels just like you described in your note. Of the summer we are looking for here in Seattle…lemonade, berries, blue sky….
I’m looking out my window today and thinking we may finally be seeing it. The summer stuff, I mean. Not the inspiration for the buttons. I’m still working on that.
There is a write up about our little eight by eight project over at Shannon and Kathy’s blog, back and forth project, where they chonicle their Ruby and Esme children’s book (which looks amazing!), and feature other projects that are sent among friends through the mail. My thoughts today, Daria’s thoughts will be posted next Friday. Thanks so much guys! And thanks to everyone who follows along with this project. It is quite calm on the outside here, but you can be sure there is much creativity sparked for Daria and I from each month’s assignment.
Above is the h-u-g-e hosta in my front yard. Its leaves are measuring about 14″ from bottom to top right now and its still growing strong! Every year I am amazed by it. I grew this! This month’s theme eight by eight of green could really not have come at a better time for me.
Dear Daria,
I know you’re swamped with school auction craziness, and you know I sit here in my post-auction leisure (as if!). The March color pairing you sent has really inspired me these past couple of weeks (or maybe its that everything truly does just look better when the sun shines on it!). I keep going back to this quilt project in Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts (a detail shot from the book is pictured above). You know the “Sort of Crazy Quilt” project…the one in the more than 12 hour section. I know, what am I thinking?? Seriously though, I’ve always wanted to try Denyse Schmidt’s approach to piecing to combining colors (the paper-bag technique) and I think the stack of fabrics you sent is just the pile to start with. I know that the version in the book uses many tonal colors combined to flow nicely, but I would like to mix up the blues and oranges you sent to see how the contrast would work. This is the part when I so love the fact that this project is small and focused, eight by eight is a very doable size.
Hope to hear from you soon.
B
Dear Daria,
You are in complete auction, gocco-love mode right now, arent’ you? As busy as life is, I had to share these images with you while we’re thinking about inspiration for this month’s theme. I *love* the way the dots are sewn onto that felt box, don’t you? The dots you sent in my box this month totally brought this image to mind.
I envision a future dining room of mine definitely needing these chairs and chair pads. Oh yes!
Filed under: Blair, finished, inspiration | Tags: finished, inspiration, january
Dear Daria,
Wow! I love how yours turned out. You managed to take a group of fabrics that I put together while thinking things like what a great patchwork they would make, etc… and you did something I totally did not expect. Your woodgrain is brilliant, am I’m most impressed that you found a way to use that white ring (cause I would have wondered “wha??” if you’d sent that to me). And I believe we both thought about that postcard I sent to you as we did our projects, it shows in both our projects.
OK, here’s my January piece-
I alluded to all the snowflake thinking that went on in my brain this month, after I changed my blog banner, got your package of neutrals and whites, and watched it snow at least three separate times out my window this month.
My initial thought was that I would be at a loss as to what to do with the clear sequins you sent, but those ended up being so fun and easy to place, addictive too (I don’t think I’ve worked with sequins since I knitted a poncho for Emma several years ago, of her own design, hence the sequins). It again, seemed natural to create a snowy, snowflake-like feeling with them, so I stitched them onto the appliqued snowflake.
Can you tell I was having fun with Amy’s paper cutting when I did that beige snowflake? That was the first thing I did. Next I decided to embroider and sew sequins on the cotton batting that you sent, and I’ll say batting definitely prefers the sequins, it was a little tough to embroider because the stitches could possibly pull through. I decided to knit i-cord out of the embroidery floss you sent, just because I’ve never tried knitting with it. That became the white wood between the “window panes”. Oh, and, guess what, I lost a a button or two myself.
The part that stumped me the most was the ribbon. I kept thinking and rethinking what to do with it, and in the end I just sewed myself on a small award ribbon for actually completing January’s piece on time! I love that I didn’t allow myself the out of starting over on this piece. I created it quite organically, not pre-planning anything beyond snowflakes.
On to February! Your box was mailed yesterday. I will anxiously await the unfolding of this month’s theme of “cozy”.
Dear Daria,
Every time I’ve picked up my eight by eight project pieces from you this month, I’ve wondered if somehow you had a foreshadowing that Seattle would have so much snow this month (isn’t there more to come tonight?)…or that Shari would entice us all with her idea of posting lovely winter whites last week. This image struck a chord with me, as did Siri’s frosty white images, Alicia’s too. I was totally clueless about the winter whites when I posted my white pictures last week (I’m so behind on my blog reading right now), but I do love it when it feels as if some serindipidous thinking is happening in the blog world. White does feel very “clean” as I’m sure was your thinking when you sent this package to me, and, yes, it feels very new in a blank slate sort of way. Its apparently feeling that way to many of us.
Even my newest book, The Left Bank Look, alludes to “A Blank Slate” on its pages. Perfect timing!
I have thoroughly enjoyed interpreting this project this month. I really can’t wait to see our finished January pieces. I’m clearing wall space in my studio this week to hang each piece up when its complete, so I can see them.
I think that means its time to mail out our February box, right?
-B
p.s.- You inspired me, I went out and bought new Moleskins too. Doesn’t it just make you think more clearly?
