Rohling Studios

Turkey Feathers ~ Finish What You Have Month

I am really enjoying  the Turkey Feathers blog where there has been a challenge sent out to make June, the "Finish What You Have Started Month"!  I've pulled out several projects with plans to finally finish them!!!!  It has been a surprise to me how many projects I have let go for years on end!  I look at them all and it definitely makes me think I am a little attention deficit disordered!  I am passing this challenge on to all of you and please go visit Turkey Feathers!  Here are some pieces of hers that have inspired me.

They remind me of the work my Tonta Kern made. This is the last of the pillow cases I have made by Her!

She was a short little rotund woman whose ankles were as round as her knees.  Yet she moved with purpose and got more done than I do!  She canned, pickled, sewed and provided for an very large extended family.  She ran a boarding home with lots of small apartments!  It was quite the place to visit.  Most of my extended family lived in the building.  Lunch was served at a very long table with lots of laughter, baskets of her homemade bread rolls, soup, cured hams and her own canned pickles.  The tomatoes always came from her garden and you could see sunflowers growing outside her windows. All  of our kitchen towels, sheets, pillow cases, aprons and pot holders were made by her.  She once asked me why I hated skirts so much.  I told her, "because they don't have pockets".  She made me the greatest red corduroy skirt with lots of pockets everywhere!  It was my favorite thing to wear when I was in third grade!  I was so used to her sewing that I took it for granted.  I did learn to stitch from my Tonta Kern and from my Grandmother who always checked the back first.  She often told me that a good stitchery had a back that was as neat as the front....something I never accomplished! 

OK...here is one of the projects I was inspired to finish.  I started it thirty years ago! I CAN'T BELIEVE I CAN SAY I STARTED SOMETHING THIRTY YEARS AGO! I have always loved it because I feel my  Great Aunt and my Grandmother close to me when I worked on it.  I like the turquoise greenish color that borders it and the color seems to be coming back again.  I chose to finish this project first.  (And that's why there are so many pictures of it.)

Sometimes I really tried to make the back look nice. 

And then sometimes I didn't do so good....Sorry Grandma!

And these were the last bits of the sampler that seemed to take an eternity to get around to finishing.  Honestly, the signature was where I stopped.  I don't know if I hesitated to sign it because I couldn't live up to the expectations set by my ancestors or just plain not knowing what I would do with it when it was done.  And....Maybe knowing it will cost me a fortune to frame it had something do do with it!

 

So...here it is... this is my BIG project during which I raised my children, lost my Tonta Kern and my Grandmother, started a career, and have a house where I plant tomatoes and sunflowers, and make bread and soup.  Maybe I will try to can some pickles this fall.  I would like to have the large table full of folks that laugh at lunch but I am glad I don't have to make that big a meal at lunch time for everyone.  I finished the project, I am taking it to be framed.  These are the memories it stirred in me thanks to my friend over at Turkey Feathers .

Playing in The Studio

The dogs and I have been very content to stay home and play with stuff this weekend!  It has been raining and fairly cold but you wouldn't know it in here!  It feels cozy and I know spring is around the corner. I was trying to figure out what I can do combining my beads and ribbons.  I came up with some fun little kitschy alphabet pieces.  What do you think? 

I am also hear to dispel the idea that studios are neat and tidy!  After this project I had to spend a bit of time cleaning up all the beads that didn't stick to my hands!  They want to roll everywhere! 

Coffee or Latte anyone?  It will be fun to see what direction these take.  Sometimes I just have to put down my pen to play!  Have a great week everyone.

Moopy+Me

Who could resist visiting this blog with a cute name like Moopy+Me.  You have to go there for two reasons.  Firstly, you have to figure out for yourself who Moopy is.  Secondly, Carly (Nope, she is the "Me" in Moopy+Me) makes these darling softies!  Which leave her studio very quickly.

 

She uses vintage and retro fabrics to create these little characters for little folks and big folks too.

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This little Kitten's name is Terry because it was made from a terry cloth towel she found at a Thrift Shop.  I find it irresistable! 

 

Go visit this blog NOW!  It's fun and it makes you smile.

Elona's Wonderous Things

  I am telling you about this person because her work is exactly that...Wonderous!  AND....I tell you about her work knowing full well I will be bidding against you when her things become available on her ebay store, Wonderousthings and at the Primitive Folk Art Trinkets and Treasures Market Place.  She is one of those artists that you come across and go.........WOW!  I GOTTA HAVE THAT!  All of her work is one of a kind or no two alike.  And the only thing she wants the world to know is that she does NOT, I repeat, DOES NOT, do special orders, or actually orders of any kind. She's a true artist and she just likes to just make what she feels like making at the time. Here is a peek (or maybe I should say Peep Peep)!

 

These baby chicks are her own original design, and are made from yellow wool felt, with a blanket stitch embroidered edging.  They have a golden yellow wool felt beak, bead eyes, and wire, embroidery floss wrapped legs. It took her a WHOLE day to figure out those legs..... They stand on a 2" round, painted, zig zag edged piece of matt board.  Too cute!!!

These are examples of her Pinkeepers.  Elona has been making one of a kind Pinkeepers (or pincushions if you prefer) for quite a while now.  Her original design pinkeepers were inspired by the Pennsylvania German's "Make do's" which were pincushions made from whatever they had lying about.  Her pinkeeper bases are built piece by piece from wooden parts, then hand painted and once again....NO TWO are ever alike!

The detail on her work is just amazing! 

And that's not all she does!  Elona has lots of things that she creates.  Take a look at other things I tried to obtain! 

She has three cats of her own.

Are these too cool or what?!  Well, I wish you luck in obtaining her work...but most of all I just think you should be able to know these kind of artists are out here!  Take care, Elona, keep working your little fingers to the bone because you make fantastic stuff!

crafty mcgee

I just discovered the most wonderful Blog!!!  Hurry over to Rose's place at crafty mcgee!  I love this little fella she made to attract the season that is managing to escape us. (As I type, we are having a snow storm here in Wisconsin!  SOBBBB!)  This girl is sooo talented.  She does it all, art, crafts, needlework, knitting, photography, and printing.  If I had spent as much time creating as I did reading her blog I'd have a heck of a lot more art work!  What a cool place to spend some time!  I just love making new creative friends!

Tags

Just playing around with pattern, colors and tags.  Busy Busy Busy. The weather has been gray and rainy so bright colors are in order!  Tags are fun to illustrate.  There are such a variety of shapes and each one is begging for a new design...so many places to leave them, so many possibilities for illustration and fun to mix with other creations!