mold on a blueberry
This pillow is comprised of two pieces of felt using a reverse applique technique. the top blue piece has holes cut out through out so that the green piece behind will show through. I then embroidered six different stitches using 10 colors of stranded floss.
Happy Stitching! ~Christen
These Are The Hands That Built America
Recently my mom let me rummage through two large boxes of old photos, and as I was looking through them a song came on the radio by U2: “These Are The Hands That Built America”, and I thought yah, you betcha these are some of them don’t yah know.
My dad (on the unicycle) was one of eight children (photograph center left), he was a pro-types engineer and avid model plane builder. His dad and mom immigrated from Sweden when grandfather was three and grandmother was 16. They found each other and were married in Michigan, and soon moved to Burbank, CA. My grandfather was a blacksmith, who then became a mechanic and my grandmother was a house cleaner and a full time mom (seen together in the oval picture above my dad).
My mom (seen in her nurses uniform) was an only child (and her baby picture is to the right), she loves to create whether it be knitting, embroidery, painting and many other areas. Her dad (top right small photo) immigrated from Scotland, and grandpa worked as a warehouse stock person most of his life, he loved dogs, cigars, and bridge. Her mom immigrated from England, and grandma worked first for Eatons Department Store (top photo above my mom), later as an executive secretary, and finally for a bank (at the age of 80). Grandma and grandpa (seen in the oval picture on the right) were married for 62 years, and lived in the house that had been in grandpa’s family.
The song “These Are The Hands That Built America” was written prior to 9/11. Even so the words were quite poignant and almost eerily applied to the hearts and minds of the survivor’s and the families who lost people in the tragic events and was sung at a benefit concert listing every person’s name that was lost.
Excerpt of the 1st and 2cd choruses:
These are the hands that built America
(Russian, Sioux, Dutch, Hindu)
Oh, oh oh, America
(Polish, Irish, German, Italian)
And these are the hands, that built America
(The Irish, the Blacks, the Chinese, the Jews)
Ah, ah ah, America / Hand
(Korean, Hispanic, Muslim, Indian)
I bet that all of us have a great deal of shared history in building this country, and I hope that you are able to share this with your children so that they too can pass on this legacy of strength, courage, determination, and love to their children.
Christen
Chaos and Order
Well pictures are worth a thousand words if you get my meaning…. I am a really organized person, but for some reason cannot keep items like embroidery floss or ribbon neat and organized. Buttons and beads on the other hand, no problem!
I think that I really like the chaos of the bird tangled spidery web mess of thread because you can see how colors blend together in combinations that you might not have originally thought of on your own.
I organize and touch the buttons or beads when I need to have a little quiet time in my head. I love to see the shapes and colors, and I imagine what the button may have originally been stitched to before I found it.
So in my every day organized and structured art, I love to work with chaos as a creative element. Where as in my unstructured chaotic work and career I need to be able to organize and capture moments of peace and serenity.
What “sweet and sour” dichotomy do you find that works best for you? Christen
Bearie Antoinette
My dad always wore a paper bag on his head when he worked on the car, couldn’t mess up his look or get grease on those locks! It was a great hat, and as time wore on it really acquired a lovely patina…. So I thought about taking a long not so wide paper bag and try to make my own cool hat.
I had in mind the height of something similar to the wigs that Marie Antoinette wore. So I began crunching, munching and scrunching the bag into shape.
The next step was to add bits of lace pieces to cover the entire hat. These pieces were a gift from a relative, but were a little on the grungy side, so actually perfect for this project. I stitched the lace into place with crochet cotton. I also stitched the brim and the top of the hat.
Then I painted the lace and bits of bag that showed with four different colors of acrylic paints, I sealed the paint, then added Lumiere paints on top of this to finish off the coloring.
hat close-up
I embellished the top and the brim with ric-rac and vintage mother of pearl buttons. I added in a bow made from French wire ribbon for the decoration. This I embellished with a few flowers and leaves that I also stitched from French and satin wire ribbons.
The teddy bear was a long ago crib-mate of mine. Then I was not so concerned with names, hence the easy to remember “Bearie”. I think I was more concerned with comfort than conversation. At one point I must have been very naughty though, because she only has one ear! OOps I feel really bad about that!
Bearie Antoinette
The tatted baby bonnet could also be considered a hat of sorts. I purchased this a few months ago at an antique shop. I changed the cord that is used to tie the hat around the neck. I stitched several silk ribbon roses with ombre ribbon leaves and stitched these around the hat.
The collar that she is wearing is made from French wire ribbon that I ruched. The ribbon flowers are made from vintage Jacquard ribbon and these are decorated with vintage mother of pearl buttons.
I hope that you, the viewer, are not offended and don’t mind that I used Marie Antoinette as a model here for the “look”.
Enjoy! ~Christen
Green Gardens
This piece was created for a series of short stories and poems that I am writing.
Green Gardens- center
The image that I started with was this sweet little girl dressed in green (from a mother’s day gift a few years back).
She is standing in a garden of lily of the valley, and blue cornflowers. I didn’t have far to go from there to create a larger garden for her.
I used a few art papers, the rest of the greeting card, acrylic paints, lace, mushroom birds, buttons and metal charms.
The tatted flowers my mom had made many years ago; the ribbon worked flowers I made from 1/4″ and 3/8″ ribbons; I also included vintage glass and celluloid flowers. The lace I used for the spider webs was given to me by my sister-in-law’s mother; the embroidered applique was from my daughter’s baby blanket.
There is a large green vine with pointed leaves, this I painted with acrylic paints; there is also a metal vine from Retro Cafe Art, that I cut, curved and painted with metallic and acrylic paints.
Little girl in the garden green
tell us of the wonders you have seen.
Did you see the robin’s egg blue,
and the flowers colored every hue?
Did you find the ladybug nook,
and see the leap the grasshopper took?
Did the soft breeze kiss your cheek,
and miss spider’s web you did peek?
Did the pretty little butterflies glide by
and the blown petals of the dandelion fly?
May youthful delights and child’s play
leave lasting memories of the day.
Happy day to you, enjoy your youth and the youth around you. Enjoy! ~Christen
Renaissance of Ribbon Embroidery
I love to embroider, I was taught by my mom at the age of seven. I am happiest with a needle in my hand, and a few skeins of floss or pearl cotton.
This swatch is from the very first project that I used silk ribbon for embroidery, and I found that I love this equally as well. Though I must say after the cost of this first project we could no longer afford to send our daughter to college! (But she looks fabulous wearing this!)
The vest I made was for a silk ribbon embroidery class that I have taught for many years. I am happy to say that my mom was one of my first students! It was wonderful to give her something to enjoy as much as I enjoy all of the techniques that she has taught me through the years.
silk ribbon needle work set
One of the venues that I taught at was the American Quilter’s Society in Padukah, Kentucky. As a gift, (and so I looked put together for my class), my mom had made me an etui, scissor holder, and pin cushion that she had embroidered. She stitched the embroidery in my favorite colors, and I cherish this set.
The class did go well, I had 25 students, and each one left with new found skills, a love for silk ribbon and happy (thankfully!).
Happy day to you, take a moment to thank those who taught you a technique that you cherish, and enjoy! Christen
Narcissus Noire
I chose the name Narcissus Noire, because the coloring of the paper, the buttons and the ribbon reminded me of an old black and white movie. I also chose the name because it was my grandmother’s favorite perfume, (Black Narcissus) which I wore for many years also.
The bracelet is made from cardboard tube left over from a spool of ribbon. I covered the cardboard base with an ornately decorated vintage piece of sheet music. I then added strips cut from an old Valentine’s Day card, and strips from a piece of art paper left over from my last project.
I painted in splashes of color with gray and black acrylic paints and added swirls with silver Lumiere paints. When this was dry I glued on vintage celluloid buttons and hand blown glass beads. These I decorated with more silver paint.
The inside of the bracelet is covered in the same sheet of music, and circles cut from the art paper.
The pin base is a piece of cardboard cut from the top of the spool of ribbon. I painted a piece of sheet music with mod podge tinted with black dye. I used this to cover the cardboard base.
I stitched this ribbon rosette from a French wire ribbon with the same coloring as the buttons. I touched up the ribbon and the glass button center with silver paint. The stem of the flower is made from vintage glass leaves which are also sprinkled amongst the silk ribbon cord.
The old silk tie I liberated from the box that my husband puts the ties in that he no longer wears and I will probably make a neck- piece to go with the rest of the set.
Happy creating, pasting, gluing, and getting sticky! Enjoy! ~Christen
If a storm should unleash dark blue showers
May you have an umbrella made from flowers.
If your eyes are damp from tears of sadness
May butterflies kiss you with their gladness.
If the water ahead is murky and brown
May you rest upon a bed of lace and down.
So go to sleep and dream my honey
May tomorrow bring skies bright and sunny. (added 8-6)
This is from a collection of poems and short stories, that I have written.
Happy days to you, and may the blues not bring you down! ~Christen
Christen's Creations 