Something With Lace

Meet Jane!  Jane is my latest stuffed tag, made for the TGIF challenge, "lace".   

I really wanted Jane to look like a well-cared for vintage piece, so I used a scrap of old muslin, recycled from what was once one of my mother's white pillowcases.  I have spent a life-time having fun collecting and saving things that other people might throw out, and even packing and moving them as I've moved from home to college dorm, and from there to the various other places I've lived.  I'm sure I violate all the rules of what normal people people who are not artists, live by in terms of what to keep and what to throw away.  At least I've finally achieved some semblance of order and organization, so the organized closets people won't have me arrested for lack of order.  But I have kept things that other people would have tossed, simply because they struck my artistic eye, and I just couldn't let go of them.

Some of these things include my mother's linens, a couple of patterned shirts and ties that were my dad's, most of the interesting buttons from things that were sent to various charities (replaced with functional ones), and the thread that you see at top.  If you could read the top of the spool, you'd know that this is Belding Corticelli, Bel-Waxed Mercerized Cotton, shade 1337, for 15¢!  It came in a box with about 30 other spools of various colors, lots of trims, squares of silk, velvet, cards of rick rack, pins, hooks and eyes, and various other notions, that were treats from my Grandmother, sent to me when I was 8 years old!  I had never sewn a stitch, but I taught myself whatever I needed to learn to make clothes for my dolls and other things with this wonderful box of colorful delights!  I still have quite a few of the spools of thread.  None of them are brittle, and even though I have boxes of colors of new sewing threads in every fiber imaginable, when I'm looking for "that certain color", it's usually one of Grandma's spools that fit the piece!

In making "Jane", I tried very hard to imitate the stitches of a child.  She is an unmounted stamp from Vintage Bliss, stamped with black VersaFine and colored with gel pens, heat-set with an iron.  The back is a replica of a vintage print. 

When I need a break from artistic composition, I find crafting little hand-sewn things, crochet, origami, and other crafts that allow me to both focus and let my mind wander at the same time, very relaxing.  This is not possible with fast-drying acrylic paints and mediums, and other pieces of artwork, like collage, where the general idea might be planned in advance, but a lot of the decisions are made along the way.  These little crafted pieces are a respite from having to think-through each step.  It would drive me crazy to spend all my time with them, but every once in awhile, they're a real treat!

Oh, and I almost forgot...the reason this piece works for the challenge is because of the lace!  In fact, my first thought was what to do with the lace, and that's how I came up with "Jane".

Have a great weekend, Everyone!

Comments

[Sandy]

Wow wow wow wow I´ve missed again my words. Brilliant idea.
I love it.

Thanks Barbara for this eonderful entry to TGiF.

[rein.]

This is a lovely piece!

[Willy]

Wow... this is GREAT, Barbara!

[Trudie]

Very nice idea and beautiful work.

[jo capper-sandon]

What a fantastic idea. This is great- love the fact that its squashy... you made me smile when I saw 'normal people' crossed out lol.

[Lisa]

Jane is a sweetie. I so enjoyed the narrative, as I can relate to all the bits and pieces you have saved. I have an old tin full of my grandmother's sewing notions. I also have her scrapbook cookbook that I treasure.

[Dawn]

Hi Barbara
Aww this is wonderful!
Love it and soo cute!
Brilliant idea to..

[Rosie]

Considering I have a Marcie, this is yet another cutie!! I really loved your post... I have stuff from my MIL that I use on projects. The thin lace I used for this challenge I refer to as 'knicker' lace because it's a horrid flesh colour!!
Your Jane is really great and I empathise too because I always seem drawn back to sewing something or other!!

[carolann]

Wow this is so sweet hun well done xxxx

[faye]

I think Jane is absolutely fantastic. I loved your account of saving all those wonderful items from your mother and grandmother. I have a few too. I bet the spools you have are wooden ones and not the plastic ones that they use now. I admire your working with cloth like this, on tiny dolls. The lace is beautiful on Jane's tag.

[Char]

Darling little item. So cute.

[Janny]

Lovely!

[Barbara]

Cute little art doll. Go Jane Go.

[Uneekdolldesigns]

Very cute piece, love the vintage look of it!

[~*~ Patty]

Your JANE is wonderful Barbara, the laces are the perfect compliments! Enjoyed reading your back story as well, we are birds of a feather. Almost nothing looks like it should be tossed out, does it :) :) :)