Wasp Nest Pin Cushion

Yes, you read the title correctly!
A wasp nest pin cushion:

Apologies for the bad image, it's a screen grab from the Zoom!

The maker found a wasp's nest and wedged fabric scraps into the individual cells to make the pin cushion. Genius!

This was found by Steve Wiman, the owner of Uncommon Objects in Austin TX.
Yesterday, Atlas Obscura and Weird Homes Tour hosted a virtual tour of Steve's home:

It was a wonderful presentation!
It was recorded (I want to see it again). Hopefully, they'll offer it online.
Worth the price of admission!

I will close with this quote from Steve:

"If you're not OK with dust, you shouldn't be a collector."

Linking up with
Michelle's Creative Compulsions Linky Party

A Rug Weaving Adventure

Last Saturday, I took an online rug weaving workshop with Aneesa Shami.

[Aneesa's photo]

So. Much. Fun!

First I needed to clear some space in a location where I could prop up my iPad

I used 6/12 ply poly/cotton for my warp [which in retrospect, is too heavy] on the Purl & Loop loom that I got last year at a workshop with Brittany Wittman McLaughlin at Craft in America.

For my rug ties, I wanted to use fabric scraps. 

I cut an assortment, using Frau Fiber's yarn-from-teeshirt technique for the tie dye tee. 

I tore strips for the wovens.

Decidedupon an indigo + hot red combination

OK! I'm ready for class!

Starting with plain weave

then adding knots

Knotting is super relaxing

[apologies for the dirty thumbnail and ragged cuticles]

Finished piece!

I really enjoyed this workshop and Aneesa is a great instructor.
When she offers the class as a taped eCourse, I'll add the link.

Speaking of links, I'm linking with

Michelle's Creative Compulsions Linky Party

Shelbee's On the Edge of the Week

Clog Zoom

click to embiggen

What is this piece of silliness, you ask?

I'm participating in the fourth round of "Call and Response", an online art collaboration conceived by Kristine Schomaker and her team at Shoebox PR. (Click here to see Round 3)

The above is my response to the following, from my art partner, Kristine Augustyn:

View this post on Instagram

Watch with Sound!! My next response to @annembray.art for the @shoebox_pr and @kristineschomaker #shoeboxcallandresponse #videoart #spinning #sewing #around #art #video #digitalart

A post shared by Kristine Augustyn (@kristineaugustyn) on Jun 9, 2020 at 5:43pm PDT

I have enjoyed every iteration of this project.

I posted my Round 2 (which was edited into a single movie) and Round 3 on my new art website.

To see the Round 4 day to day collaboration for the next two weeks, follow my art Instagram @annembray.art

Linking up with

Shelbee's Spread the Kindness

Michelle's Creative Compulsions Linky Party

One Monthly Goal Challenge - June

I had fun spending May with the #mendmay Instagram Challenge. I focused my mending on the Crazy Quilt, my endless work in progress. I will continue to work on it, and to fill my scrap diary, a record I'm keeping of the new patches teamed with the patches I'm covering up. 

Will I finish it in June? Doubtful, if the Quilt King has anything to say about it.

Linking up with

One Monthly Goal
Creative Compulsions
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness

Creative Fever

I've been using the COVID-19 stay-at-home mandate as a stay-at-home art retreat.
For me, couldn't have come at a better time!

Three things I've been working on:
Stitching the World
My massive embroidery project. Dare I say my stitching is near completion? I've been showing the details, country by country, during the A-Z Blogging Challenge over on my Pattern Blog. Go check it out!
Better yet, answer the Four Questions for Stitching the World 2!

This is the back side of the Los Angeles region, after I stitched my [possibly] final LA French knot.

The giant blob of Los Angeles French knots. Will be doing a tally on Sunday.

Detritus Paper Weavings
I've been doing these on and off since January 2019. Originally, I was using reject printouts from the money job. Now that I'm working-from-home, I'm using ephemera at hand. This is a set done with junk mail and a random Chinese medicine book:

Call and Response art collaborations

View this post on Instagram

Introducing: Call and Response v2 with @izzoimages Day 7 The project premise: Artist no1 will create a piece of art within 24 hours and send a digital version of it to Artist no2. This can be anything. It can be poetry, it can be photography or video. It can be painting or drawing, collage or sculpture. It is about sitting down and being creative and interacting with someone. Artist no2 will then have 24 hours to create a response to it in any medium and with any tools available to them. They will in turn send a digital version of it back to Artist no1 who will create a new work in response. There can be up to 28 pieces to your collaboration. And that is ok!! “Call and Response” is a project organized by Kristine Schomaker and her team at Shoebox PR: Sheli Silverio, Emily Wiseman, Susan T Kurland and S. Vollie Osborn @shoebox_pr @artandcakela @kristineschomaker #shoeboxcallandresponse #collaborationatadistance #annembray #isolationcreation

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray.art) on Apr 23, 2020 at 9:54pm PDT

This is a COVID project dreamed up by Kristine Schomaker and her team at Shoebox PR. I'm in the middle of Round 2 and have signed up for Round 3. Here is a link to all the projects from Round 1.

I just signed up for an online weaving course with Brittany McLaughlin.
Tactile adventures await!

Linking up with
Creative Compulsions
Shelbee's On the Edge of the Week
Grammy's Grid