Block Printing at the Smithsonian

On Saturday morning, I taught my first block printing class at the Smithsonian Community Museum in Anacostia. The class was free and open to the public, and there was a huge response, so they are planning to run another class in the spring.

We went over the basics of how to carve and print linoleum blocks, and each student got to create their own design and print it. All set up and ready to go:

We started with carving blocks, learning how to use the different knives, transfer the designs, and carve the design backwards. Then everyone drew their own designs and learned how to carve the blocks.

Then we learned how to print the blocks, and different techniques to get good prints. It was great to see the different designs people came up with; there was everything from a monogram to a Bible verse.

Thanks to all the students for coming! It was really fun to help everyone learn a new technique, and I can't wait to do it again in the spring. I will let you all know when we set a date!

Last Show of the Year!

Tomorrow (Thursday) will be my last craft show of the year at the Downtown Holiday Market. It's been an amazing year, and after some number crunching I realized that last weekend was my best show to date, so thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth!


If you want to stop by one more time, you can come this Thursday from 11:30am-8pm outside the National Portrait Gallery (I'll be the one wearing 100 coats and five scarves) and you can find more information here. I hope to see you there!

To Make in 2012

The year is winding down, and my plan for Christmas involves a lot of pajama-wearing and crafting. I've also started to think of some long-term projects that I'd like to get started on, since I haven't made anything non-business-related in a long time. Here are a few projects from around the web I'm thinking of working on in the next year:

Oh, Fransson

A quilt. My mom and I have been collecting fabric scraps for years (she has some that have been waiting to be used for twenty years) and I've been saving the extra pieces from all the coin purses I've sewed this year. I want to make a big, complicated bedspread; something that will take a long time to finish, so I've been collecting some pattern inspiration. I think I'm going to go with blues and reds like the image above, and work with a triangular pattern.

Michelle McCormick

AAPC

Purl Bee

Anthropologie

Purl Bee

I'd also like to start using the bagfuls of yarn I have stashed in the closet. I love the look of the granny squares in the second image. The same pattern as the originals, but an updated color scheme from the 70s black-and-neon quilts I remember.

Toast

Wood and Wool Stool

I really like the idea of these faux cyanotypes from Geninne. I got a Sunprint kit for Christmas last year, and hoped to post the results here, but it was a disaster. I realized that the only sunny place I had access to was my roof, and the day I went up there was so windy that the paper flew all over the place. I think I could do one of these in a more controlled environment.

Geninne
 

I saw this painting and it really caught my eye; I like the way it looks like it was done quickly, but also contains so much intricate pattern. It was a good reminder that I'd like to get back into painting.

Design Work Life

I love both of these candles, and especially the Chinese bowl, I thought it would be a really easy project to throw in to this list of extremely ambitious projects. Now to find the time!

Design Sponge

Fab

Around the (New) Studio

We moved out of our apartment last week to get ready to leave for India in 22 (!) days. We are staying with Joe's mom temporarily, and I've set up a mini temporary studio in the corner of the apartment.

It's been difficult to work between the boxes and packing materials strewn everywhere, but this is the busiest time of the year and I am in a frenzy of packing orders, getting ready for shows and finishing up custom work. I've also been busy contacting people in India, booking flights and hotels, and finally got all my visa paperwork sorted out last night.

Last weekend's Downtown Holiday Market was a huge success (one of my best shows ever) so I'm busy restocking everything for this weekend.

Things are moving so fast; we are going to be out of the country in no time!

The Downtown Holiday Market Starts Today!

It's that time of year again: the Downtown Holiday Market starts today! Come down to the Portrait Gallery in Penn Quarter/Gallery Place from 12-8 today (Friday), Saturday and Sunday for opening weekend. And for a schedule of my other holiday markets, you can check my website right here. I hope to see you there!

BUST Gift Guide

The BUST Christmas gift guide is finally out...with my journal on the first page! I've been so excited for the issue to come out, my first magazine feature :)

Added bonus: the DJ cat looks just like my cat, Boo AKA cutest cat in the world.

New in the Shop: 2012 Calendars!

There is a new product in the shop today: the limited edition 2012 Letterpress Calendar. This 9" x 12" calendar is based off an original painting, and was letterpress printed with golden yellow ink on thick cream museum board. There are only 75 of them, and once they are gone, they are gone! This is the first time I have turned a design into a letterpress print, and I love the way it came out, so you can definitely expect to see more letterpress in the future.

Also, I am still offering free shipping until Monday with the code "SHIPFREE" so if you buy a calendar before then, you can use the discount code. This will definitely be hanging on my studio wall next year.