PIN PALS

Organic Cotton Tote

 World Folk Art

" Handcrafted by a women's weaving village in Laos, this is made with locally grown organic cotton and natural dyes.

These bags are made in the Ban Nayang Village, Nambark District Luang Prabang Province, Laos. The women there are from the Laos Lu Tribe and they have been hand weaving for many generations. The remote village just received electricity 2 years ago.

All the materials to create these roomy shopper totes are grown in their village, beginning with the cotton. Cotton is harvested, deseeded and then laid in the sun to dry before being spun into yarn. Leaves from the indigo plant as well as bark from the nearby trees create the natural, organic dyes used for these traditional hook pattern textiles. Setting up the loom can take up to 2 days, and when the women begin to weave, it takes them three days to finish a two meter textile...."

Posted By: Sam

*** We've hit a snag with our website when following a link or searching via google - the problem's been fixed -  we're waiting for google to deem us safe. We promise there's nothing malicious about us :) Thanks for your patience!

This and That

Works in progress

Posted By: Sam

Witch Craft

I'm over the moon on a broomstick to be a part of Witch Craft!



This is a very cute and spooky book guaranteed to satisfy your autumnal craft cravings.















Here is my entry for the book, Cross Stitch Witch and Friends. A set of instructions for earrings and a little brooch.





Published by Quirk Books, a house known for releasing books that truly live up to it's name, I couldn't be happier to be a part of such a talented group of crafters!
(Check back for a give away soon ^_~)



Posted By: Sam

Cool kids banner

 
 

Sam and I are looking forward to participating in Poppy Talk's online market in August.  The theme is "back to school" so we've had oxfords and band practice on the brain.  One idea was to make a banner of high school kids.

Another possible school related project are these hand drawn totes modeled by our studio mate.  They are one of a kind, signed and date.  "Sing it" is on Etsy and the rest will be up soon (^_^)

thanks Brandon!

Sing it!

Rain man and girl

Nervous Kitty

Valley of the Dolls

An exciting collaboration that I'm working on with the talented and adorable Supayana has led me to consider using Spoonflower for a few ideas I have brewing.  To be able to print drawings easily on fabric opens a door to a world of endless crafty fun!

Posted by: Sara

A wee bit new

We've been up to some things as of late and we'd like to share them with you!

 
Meet Joséphine, she's a new hanging paper doll, and I was lucky enough to receive the first ever of her for my birthday awhile back. I love her. Look at those pom poms!

The Joséphine's and their beau homme were Sara's entry in the Hiatus group show at the Long Haul.


My entry was a Cross-Stitched piece of a fictional ferris wheel called the Hiatus. 


We're gearing up for Puces Pop Printemps happening this weekend, so we've been stitching, and cutting and pasting away.
 
A couple of new barrettes include watermelon hearts and cat hats.






 Mini Joséphine's will be for sale this weekend, along with other spring Pin Pal goods.
We hope to see you!

Posted by: Sam

Bows and Whistles

and hats!  Meet Yvette,

I had the idea to make a paper puppet with a bright summer hat.  She has bare feet because she likes to feel the cool grass on her toes and she  wears a pretty folk bow like our other pal Beau Bear...

Sigh, a handsome pair, Yvette and Beau Bear.

I really can't get enough of this dead stock folk ribbon we've been getting from a store here in Montreal.  I want to buy it all and it saddens me that it will eventually run out.

This will have to do for now.  I will try not to let greed take over.  Yvette and Bear wear it well but I might have to create a bunch of other bow wearing folk... and sew a few bows on a few things of mine too.

Posted by: Sara

Harriet Powers

Read more here.

Posted by: Sam

Assemble Yourselves

As Sara alluded to in the last post, a very charming gallery and studio called Assemble Shop in Seattle, Washington commissioned some Cross Stitch pieces for their March ArtWalk.
These pictures are courtesy of Assemble Shop and show a cozy space brimming with creativity.






 The two girls behind Assemble, Andie and Emily (R-L) are as sweet as the store they run



For the art show, I decided to theme my work around the phrase "Welcome Home". 

"Welcome Home presents a glimpse inside the creative & cozy spaces we build around us. Each piece is designed and hand-stitched with the home in mind, along with the individuals who live there. From modern day samplers expressing the love of a dwelling, to small-stitched stories representing the quiet and not-so-quiet everyday activities. This series celebrates the indescribable feeling of creating surroundings that you can truly call your own."





If you are in the Seattle area tonight, feel free to assemble from 6-9 at:

Assemble Gallery and Studio
7406 Greenwood Avenue North
Seattle, Washington 98103

I suspect you'll feel right at home!

Posted by: Sam

Orbiting the Bead Planet

I finally went into this store today.









I can't believe it took me so long!

I walked around in a daze for the first 5 minutes, until finally, I realized I had a handful of loose beads and was in need of a basket. Even after acquiring the basket, I was tsk-ed at the counter for filling it willy-nilly without noticing the neat little trays full of tiny plastic bags, and loose pens to write down the individual prices.

Luckily, the woman behind the counter was very patient (a prerequisite when working with beads I believe) and took me through the store while I pointed out the little gems I desired, and she carefully wrote down information. 

Beads Planet is a marvelous way to counteract the gray February days, the sheer number of colourful beads, and variety of shapes, sizes and textures, is sure to make your head spin! 

***^^^***^^^***^^^***^^^***^^^***^^^***^^^***^^^***^^^***

On a completely different note, I have discovered the pleasure of ordering brooch and pendant settings online, and then receiving a package in the mail, and then rushing to the studio to fit Cross Stitch work into them.





It is much much much too easy and fun!

Posted by: Sam

Janvier

Today was a cold and blustery day.





The wind was howling through the windows, and the snow was coming down in thick white patches, covering everything in it's sight. 

I stayed warm by stitching the first of four panels for an upcoming show. This one is called, The Stair Climber, and while he's not completely finished, I think he will get along nicely with the rest of the "People Doing Things" gang.



Sara's been working on a little piece of magic which you can see a preview of here, and we'll be sure to post new items as we scheme them up.

January is easily a month to burrow yourself in against the wind, and resort to nothing but hot coffee and work, but there is also inspiration to be drawn from the clear, white landscape, and crisp, cold nights.



Posted by: Sam