its hard to chew a towel

So, if you dont know we have FOUR doggies:

1. Tula (papillion- big ears)

2. Lilu  (hound mix – looks like a doe)

3. Sammy (white mini schnauzer- like a lamb)

4.  Reuben (chocolate lab pit mix- sweet bear)

Anyway, we have a stash of towels that drive me crazy because I know they’ve been used to dry the dogs off, wipe dirty feet, etc.  I dont want to use these towels on my body.  I went and got 3 cozy white human only towels the other day and I was trying to figure out what to do with the retired towels.  Hmmmmmm, “ive been wanting to make some dog beds lately, I have good dye colors, towels would be hard to chew…”  So, there it is.    So far, Sammy and Tula have been good models.

Its on my etsy

more coffee

I know enough of people are making useful things with old coffee sacks and its really not that original, but it makes me really happy to work with these bags and combine them with my leather work.     Some people even say that the burlap sheds a little, but I only think its annoying if you are wearing black.  I have four dogs, so I guess I don’t notice a little burlap DNA.

My friend Carolyn had been waiting on me to make her one of these bags for about six months.  She actually held my favorite sunglasses hostage until I finished.  I met her at this great new restaurant in Decatur called Leon’s Full Service Bar the the exchange.    This is definately my favorite new place to eat + drink.  Its actually appropriate that we met there since they serve Counter Culture Coffee, which is the amazing company that I get the bags from.  Hi Byron.

I spy from the floor of my studio

looking around from the floor of my studio I see these words….book titles not included.  word lists.

AlphaSew

Clutch Motor

Singer

Peachtree Animal Hospital

Alternative

Cafe de Costa

People Driven Coffee

Patagonia

Atlanta, Ga

Paints

Dharma Pigment

Sony

Klipsch

Beaverton, OR

Prepaid

Marshalls

Earth

Bernina

Certified

Grace

Rowenta

Auxillaries

Bingo

Thank You

Hancock Fabrics

Shibori

Vectra

Bag Balm

Markers

Mulit-purpose

Vinegar

I have made many kinds of lists over the years.   My list making was inspired by a fiber artist who kept track of every single thing she ate for a year and stitched the words in red in a spiral formation on a quilt.   I will have to google her name.

coffee driven

My friend Byron Holcomb who is the Atlanta sales rep for Counter Culture Coffee has been bringing me the most beautiful coffee bean sacks I have ever seen.    Many of them are hand painted.  I started by doing my own bags and then ended up doing some projects for the company like using the coffee sacks to make business card holders for all the reps.   I just finished a wall hanging that is a collage of many of my favorite coffee sacks.  I did some hand stitching embellishment in my most favorite places.

Counter Culture Coffee

pin cushions

kelly ricks gave me this pin cushion for my birthday the last semester we were in school.  I still cant believe she was able to part with it!

note from A.T

the book of the bottom is one of my favorites Hawaiian Quilt Masterpieces.  Its what inspired me to

start making reverse applique quilts in college even though I had just learned how to sew.  A graduate student in the fabric design department named Meredith Re showed how to do some stitches and use the sewing machine.  My method turned more into stitch and slash rather rather than applique.  I wasnt about to turn under all those edges!   The first doll I ever made is one the wall in my studio too.  I refused to ever part with that one even though it was always everyone’s favorite.

I was just looking to see if I had a jpeg of any of my quilts to post, but all my art from those days is on silly slides.  I will have to get those scanned.

Indie Craft 2008.

The new location for the Indie Craft Experience was so much better than the last two years Ive done it.  There was heat, light (for most people) and clean bathrooms!   I had fun getting my setup ready with my white wheel barrow, and ladder.   I have been on a white kick after spending time in Natalie Chanin’s alabama universe.  I even painted my buddha white.  It just so happened that Anh keeps a role of pink duct tape handy, so we decorated the floor around our space.   It was a wall crawlers party at the ladder for most of the day.  Sweet Julie on her crutches.  thank you everyone for coming to see me and supporting what I do.  you’re all the best!  Mr. Matt Hanner got up at and helped us at 7:30am, moved our cars, and carried heavy stuff.   John Hur brough me a Baldinos Italian sub and his help loading up plus kisses later. By the way mandy, I got the hug you sent home with John tonight.  I enjoyed it very much.

This is what I did that night.  It feels really good to take some cold medicine and put this warm heater just on your feet.  I was as relaxed as I can be without being totally asleep.  I love that.  That heater is Korean by the way.