This Week in the Studio

 

I've been working on some new wall pieces. Having so much fun with color and cutting and stitching. This is one of my favorites so far.

In the Studio and Elsewhere

 

I've spent a lot of time this week getting back into a sewing routine and getting ready for the HandmadeMN Fall Market that I will be part of tomorrow. Above are a few of the new aprons I have been working on. I'm looking forward to spending the day meeting other crafters and sharing my work with a new audience.

I haven't made anything new in the kitchen lately but I did make this pumpkin cake into delightfully spiced cupcakes.

Have you read this article about parts of the world where people live longer and some of the reasons why? While longevity is not necessarily a focus of mine, I was inspired by the simple and beautiful life they live. There are many elements of their healthy lifestyle, like a relaxed pace, good food, and community that I want to continue to incorporate more in my life. 

Just a few thoughts from this week. Have a good weekend and if you're looking for something to do in Minneapolis, be sure to stop by the market.

This Week in the Studio

I've spent the past few weeks finishing the sewing for my Eat Real Food series of wall hangings or fabric collages. I am now in the process of turning them into prints for postcard sets and a calendar.

I am planning to have these ready for sale soon in my shop as well as local stores. If you like the idea as much as I do, sign up here so you'll be the first to know when they are available.

Also, I am having a sale in my shop with discounts on lots of favorite items. I am hoping to find good homes for some older items to make room for new things this fall.

This Week in the Studio

I finished up some skirts for myself. They are all from the same Amy Butler A-Line Skirt pattern but they are slightly different in length. I used fabric that I already had so all it took were some zippers and a few hours work to make myself lots of new things to wear this summer. It has been a while since I've made any new skirts for myself and I am really pleased that I took the time to do it.

I also made myself a new bag, so I am outfitted and ready for summer.

What have you made for yourself lately?

This Week in the Studio

I spent a day deep cleaning and organizing the studio this week. I was happy to let go of fabric that I didn't need and that was taking up lots of space. I love the feeling of a clean and organized space. It is definitely my preferred way to live but often it is a challenge to keep things that way. I know that if things never got messy I would not appreciate the clean space nearly as much.

A few weeks ago we gave the rest of our apartment a similarly deep cleaning, which was equally wonderful. I was able to be realistic about letting go of things I don't need. I am easily tempted to keep things that I might use someday, but it is liberating to let go of them at last.

There was a box of photos in the closet that I hadn't looked at in years. Film that I developed and printed myself in Italy, hauntingly beautiful images of Venice, photos of the streets of Paris, and shots full of color from Tanzania and Zanzibar. I found the panorama I took from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro that I had been wanting to frame for years. I love stumbling upon old photos and the memories and feelings that they bring back. Many of the photos had never made it into albums so I picked out my favorites and put them in a box to look at whenever I want a reminder of those far off times and places.



It can be hard to find a balance between keeping things from the past that are important and letting go of things that might weigh you down. This is one reason that I like keeping journals and taking photographs. They don't take up a lot of space, but they hold a lot of meaning. Sometimes all it takes is a glimpse of one moment captured on film (or, more often now on pixels) to bring back another time and place.

Happy Friday!

P.S. I finally got the new aprons in the shop!

This Week in the Studio and Elsewhere

The satisfying pop of a strawberry plucked from the plant. The soft fruit is in my hand for a moment and then added to the basket in a growing pile of small, seed studded red berries. Some are as small as beads strung into a necklace, others are the size of a sparkling pendant hanging alone on a chain. I can't help it when one makes its way to my mouth, so sweet that I scoff at the idea of sugar.

A few rows over, other pickers rustle through the green leaves using their fingers and their eyes to search and collect the treasure. Muffled conversations float towards me as two ladies catch up on life while filling their boxes with as many berries as they can get. An older couple picks along rows adjacent to each other, backs bent and arms reaching with determination. Moms yell to their roaming children or remind the ones close by don't eat too many and only pick the ones that are red.

I hope that I'll be picking and eating strawberries at all these stages of my life. And someday I will grow a patch right outside my door so I can wander out and pick my breakfast on June mornings. This year I am determined to eat as many berries as I want, knowing they will never taste as fresh, sweet and ripe with strawberry-ness as they do now. I will freeze some for a hint of the taste when summer is gone, but I am doing my best to appreciate this fruit in its season more than trying to save it for another day.

This Week in the Studio

 

Chickens! For as long as I can remember my Dad has had chickens at his house. When I was young I would hold out a handful of food and feel the gentle scratch of a beak as a chicken ate my offering. I was always afraid to reach under them to collect the eggs they were sitting on, though. The chickens he has are bantams, a smaller type of chicken which lays eggs about half the size. There have been generations of chickens in the coop his house with many different colors and feathers.

Inspiration has struck and I made a few more chicken bags and some zipper pouches (which will make an appearance at a craft fair on July 7 in Kennebunkport, Maine).

Happy Friday!

This Week in the Studio

Every week is a mix of sewing, photography, some cooking, writing, trying to get some exercise and maybe read or work on a project just for me. I wish I could share great tips on how to make it all work or the best ways to be fulfilled, successful and make some income with creative work. I am enjoying the process, but I don't really know what I am doing or how to make these things happen.

There is, of course, satisfaction in the creative processes, but I am very happy when I can enjoy the results just as much, if not more. I made market bags this week and had a lot of fun with them. They seemed much easier to sew and when I was finished I realized that I had cut and sewn them a completely different way than the ones I made last spring. A silly mistake, but one that I am very happy with. These bags can still fit plenty, but I think they have a nicer shape and I really want to start carrying one around. There are few others in the shop, too!

Happy Weekend!

This Week in the Studio

This week was all about finishing napkins. Here are a few ideas for how to use them, but I bet you have more. Feel free to share! Happy Friday.

How to Plan the Perfect Picnic

A little something fun for your Wednesday. I'm celebrating the new placemats in the shop and hoping everyone will get to enjoy the lovely weather outside with a picnic very soon!

This Week in the Studio

Perhaps it's that the preceding weeks had been so interrupted and lacking in routine, but the past couple of weeks I have finally settled into a work routine that is productive and satisfying. I've also been working on a variety of creative projects, taking more photographs, working on more writing and of course stitching away. It is nice to feel like I am in a great creative flow, at least for a week or two.

With constant and varied creativity, I finally feel like an artist. Some things I make in hopes of financial gain and others are just because why not, but all of it has finally become deeply satisfying. I've even had time to work on a project for myself, this wall hanging in progress (not so easy to read in a photo, but I think it works in person) which will fill a big white wall in our bedroom and hopefully be a nice reminder.

I have many more projects and tasks I need to do for myself and there is always room for improvement in schedule and productivity but it feels amazing to be working hard and feel so satisfied with my efforts.

I have a rare Saturday off and we're having some people over to brew beer and hang out. I hope you have a lovely weekend, whatever you are up to!

This Week in the Studio

Finally got some sewing done! Finished a bunch of new aprons. I'm focusing on sewing new things for a couple more weeks, but then I will add lots of new things to the shop in mid to late May.

This Week in the Studio

It's a little messy in the studio right now. Work is in progress. A new batch of aprons will (hopefully) be finished next week. My normal work schedule has been interrupted a bit by life, but I think things will get back to normal soon. Happy Friday!

This Week in the Studio

Whether you are planting, pausing or whatever you are up to, I hope you have a lovely spring weekend!

This Week in the Studio

I must say that while process is really important to me, there can be such satisfaction in a final product. When all the edges are bound and top stitched I have to stop and admire them for a moment.

This Week in the Studio

Working on some new ideas. I really enjoy "drawing" with fabric and trying another way to use words. What have you been making this week?

This Week in the Studio

This week has been, well, freakishly warm here. After a winter that never really came it seems like we skipped spring and found summer in March. I think it is still too early to plant seeds outside, but I've been working on more fabric gardens. The plants I've chosen here are companions, which means they are good to plant near each other and have been shown to help each other grow. I love simple words paired with a great image but I don't think I've been able to achieve that in my work yet. I want to keep trying, though.

I hope you are enjoying the whatever season you are experiencing where you live!

This Week in the Studio

Designing an Apron from Anna Hewitt on Vimeo.


I just can't get enough of stop motion. I hope I'm not the only one who feels this way! I must say that I love that building a small business has given me the chance to try being creative in so many different ways, not just sewing. It is really fun to try and learn different media, and there is so much more to learn.

Happy Friday!

This Week in the Studio

This week has given me some time to explore and experiment with photography. I've been thinking about and playing with what I like to call tablescapes. Our kitchen table often serves as a desk, a gathering place, a storage space, and a backdrop for many photos. The table is important for so many different purposes, it can be formal, casual, cluttered, spare. I've also been looking at lots of other tables and gatherings for inspiration.

This Week In the Studio

I turned some of this fabric into these.

And these.

Six different designs are now available in six different colors. I am thrilled to be able to offer everyone a choice of color in their favorite design. I'll be making them to order.

Tomorrow we are headed to Ely, MN for a weekend of relaxing, cross country skiing, dog sledding, wolf visiting and more. Hope your weekend is adventurous, too!