Deb Thuman's Blog

The Earrings I Made For Me

2012-01-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

I decided to make me some earrings. I needed some green earrings to go with my green clothes.

I loved the Laural Burch charm when I saw it and I turned it into a bellybutton ring for me.

The blue crystals are because I love swarovski crystals. It might just be time for me to replenish my supply.

Got Tired of Sewing.... So I Made Earrings

2012-01-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

I've been spending a lot of quality time in the sewing room lately and I guess I hit the sewing wall. I just couldn't bring myself to sew the last couple days. Today, I sat down and made earrings. The earrings pictured below are all in my etsy store. Just click on the headline above the photo and you will be magically taken to my shop.

Black & Red Earrings

2012-01-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

Purple Pearl & Crystal Earrings

2012-01-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Green Pearl and Crystal Earrings

2012-01-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

Green Pearl and Crystal Earrings

2012-01-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

Latest Sewing

2012-01-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

I've been spending the second week of my vacation in the sewing room. I've also been shopping in my stash. The blouse is made from rayon we bought at a flea market in Honolulu. I love how it drapes. The hat is from fabric Delores Hamilton sent to me. I've been a little down the last day or so and there's nothing like a killer bling hat to brighten a dreary mood.

Miami Beach, 401 Ocean Blvd, and a Cuban Restaurant

2012-01-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

The first night in Florida, we met up with a clay friend who I had met on line. We went to a Cuban restaurant and had a great time. The big surprise is it was COLD in Florida. It was mid 50's when we got off the plane. That wouldn't be a big deal, except I didn't bring any winter clothes. Fortunately, it warmed up.

The first full day in Florida, we spent exploring. We found two art stores and a French restaurant. Although it has been about 20 years since I needed to speak French, I gave a try at ordering my lunch. All went well. It was the second time we ate at the French restaurant that I discovered when I got stuck in French, my brain automatically switched to Spanish.

The next day, we explored Ocean Blvd. We drove by 401 Ocean Blvd, and as far as I know, both the sheriff and the deputy are still alive. We saw the art deco section of Miami Beach and we found a Cuban restaurant. I had a much easier time ordering my lunch in Spanish. Until.... I got stuck in Spanish. The waitress asked Jim in Spanish what kind of desert he wanted, and although I knew what she said, it took a few seconds for me to think of the English. This happens some times. The food was very good and so were the deserts. I tried Cuban coffee, and that stuff really will put hair on your chest. Even the decaff.

I did learn the following: decafinado (Spanish for decaff), decafinee (French for decaff), confiture (French for jam). These are important words to know.

After Miami Beach, we went to the Anne Kolb Nature Preserve in Dania (just south of Ft. Lauderdale). So that's what a mangrove forest looks like. I read the Doc Ford mystery series and the next trip to Florida will include Captiva Island.

The Everglades

2012-01-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

There is no place on the planet that is like the Everglades. It's an incredible place - but it's only a fraction of the original size. Many of the birds have been hunted to the edge of extinction.

I had read that one has to be prepared to battle mosquitos all year long. So, I came armed with Bounce fabric softener sheets and Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50. My massage therapist says they are both great mosquito repellants. I wouldn't know. We didn't see a single mosquito.

I'd like to spend more time in the Everglades and take a boat tour. We did see an alligator. From about 100 yards, it looked like a tire. It never moved the entire time we were at the pond so I have no idea if I could outrun one of them.

I had hoped to see flamingos, but I was told that there aren't that many and they are deep in the Everglades.

Key Largo

2012-01-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

We got about half way through the Keys before we stopped for lunch and turned back. We stopped at an overpriced sporting goods store that had a bar and a restaurant. Jim tried out conch and had a fish sandwich. I had the key lime pie - which was a rich custard with a graham cracker crust. All served in a large coffee cup. Very tasty.

A New Shirt, Some New Bling

2011-12-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

When I saw these charms, I decided they would make great earrings.

This concludes the flannel shirt making for me. I dearly love pink flamingoes.

Snow Day, Sew Day

2011-12-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

What was predicted to be a dry winter is turning out to be pretty wet. Yes, it's really that gray out. We started with rain yesterday evening and it turned into snow overnight. It's snowing off and on today.

My office is closed because of the weather, so I'm having a sew day. Today, I'm working on another flannel shirt for me. This one is yellow flannel with pink flamingos on it. Yes, there will be photos.

My New Sort Of Jeans

2011-12-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

I bought some denim fabric and used a scrubs bottom pattern to make sort of jeans. I wanted something heavier than plain cotton for walking through the Everglades. Just to show I'm alligator friendly, I used fancy thread and fancy stitches to make the little alligators on the hem of one leg.

I've Been Sewing

2011-12-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

I tested out a new shirt pattern on some fantastic flannel I bought on line. I also had fun playing with the fancy stitches.

This was supposed to be a "no sew" project.

But I decided it needed some fancy stitches and a fancy button.

Same shirt pattern as the flannel... but this time using some cotton from my stash.

At Least We Still Have Heat and Power

2011-12-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

When I woke up this morning, it was all of 9 degrees out. The weather prediction is that we will be below freezing all day. The roads are covered with ice, so I'm not going anywhere. Yes, the sky really is that blue.

It Snowed Today

2011-12-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

The back yard. There's about 2" of snow on the ground. It started snowing in the morning and by 1:00, the snow was sticking. It was not the most enjoyable drive home, but we both made it safely, thank God.

The front yard with much yard art.

This is all supposed to melt by about 10:00 tomorrow. I hope so. While I do know how to drive in snow, snow sticking around is highly unusual and the natives have never had a good opportunity to learn winter driving.

Hats With Flowers

2011-12-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

Jim Really, Really, Really Likes Playing In The Mud

2011-12-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

A New Hat

2011-11-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

I struggled with crochet thread and beads until I saw the buttons that came out of the kiln. Seed beads and swarovski crystals along with feathers.

My Latest ^05 Firing 11-23-11

2011-11-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Shabbot candlesticks. I used masking tape to mask off the white areas. Alas, I discovered too late that the masking tape should be removed before bisque firing.

This time, I removed the masking tape before bisque firing. I like the effect far better.

I wanted a box to hold the Shabbot candles as well as be a candlestick. Here's the result.

I wanted to try out a glaze experiment on the inside of the candle box. The glaze is a clear with crystals. So, I used a bright green underglaze to see what would happen. I'm not sure what happened here, but I do like what I got.

More Shabbot candlesticks. The drip cups are not going to be glued on. I want them to be removable for easy clean up.

This is the inside of the lid for the covered bread baker along with some of the buttons I made. I was playing with glazes. Buttons are great test tiles... .but not when I forget to label them.

Jim can't remember where he put the handle for the teapots. And so here's the handleless tea pot. It's made from mica clay and I'm thinking it will make a really nice cup of tea.

The bottom half of he lidded bread baker.

I've found when bread is baked in a lidded container, the bread rises better. I'm looking forward to the first loaf of bread baked in this.

The pot on the right has the same glaze on the outside as I put inside the candle box.

Bowl from my tribe. The Hebrew letters spell out the Hebrew word for bowl.

I wanted to play with the idea of surprise bowls. An underglaze on the inside and a funky glaze on the outside.

Jim's First Fully Manual Gas Firing ^6 Reduction

2011-11-25T12:03:00.001-07:00

Jim played with old stuff from the pantry, oat flakes, odds and ends of clay.... and made really fun masks.

Jim one-fired this piece - done in ^6 reduction.

Many of the textured masks came out with just texture. The second from the left on the bottom isn't colored or stained in any way. The oat flakes burnt off leaving what looks like oat flakes behind.

The extrusions will be a sculpture installation somewhere in the yard. We've got lots of yard art. That's part of the fun of living in the desert where you can leave sculpture out all year long.

Jim had never fired the fully manual gas kiln before. I gave him instruction, he went and fired by himself. When the kiln stalled during reduction, he took Mel's advice (thanks, Mel) and backed off on the gas. Solved the stalling problem. The cone packs, both top and bottom, showed extremely even firing. The kiln wasn't packed full - and that may be the reason for the really good results he got.

From The Clay Studio 11-20-11

2011-11-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Jim rolled out clay, added assorted seeds, oat flakes, whatever was old in the pantry, and then put the clay seed side down in a mold. Alas, where the slab overlapped a bit, the seeds created an air pocket and parts of the faces blew off in bisque. He still got some great texture.

I've been working on come mica bowls and making them extra large.

These are pots inspired by photos of poppy seed pods. I'll cut into them in a couple days and make them lidded pots.

Hanukkah bowl.

All of my pots are coil built and are made with ^04 clay. I'll be doing a firing later this week.

Latest Clay Work 11-15-11

2011-11-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

My new Shabbat candle holders. This is an underglaze that did fun things during bisque firing.

I borrowed a technique from Native American ceramics, then added a "symbol" from my tribe. The letters spell out the Hebrew word for bowl.

Jim's Latest Work 11-13-11

2011-11-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

Head sculpture in progress.

Only the extrusions are Jim's Oh, and the one mask. The rest belong to other students.

And after Jim extruded the last piece, the spring in the bumper jack extruder broke. They don't make bumper jacks like they used to. Yes, he can fix it.

Jim raided the pantry looking for old stuff so he could put texture on the masks. I can't wait to see how these look glazed. He's using ^6 for the masks.

The white extrusions are ^10.

Jim's Latest Pens

2011-11-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

Jim has been busy turning pens. Here are some of his newest.

Getting Ready To Fire

2011-11-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

Testing out a new to me underglaze on a pair of Shabbat candleholders. We'll see what happens. All of the pieces are on the bisque cart and will be glazed and fired this coming weekend.

I've been playing with underglazes. These are all velvet underglazes. The insides of the bowl get a clear glaze and the outsides get whatever glaze strikes my fancy. All the bowls are coil built.

Playing With Fabric Flowers

2011-10-31T22:11:00.000-06:00

I started playing around making fabric roses and adding them to hats. Once I got the technique down, it wasn't much work. I'm planning on doing this to a few more hats.

I think the very first hat will be a good hat for when I have to pick a jury.

What I Did In The Clay Studio Today 10-30-11

2011-10-30T18:31:00.000-06:00

I've been working on coil built bowls. I'm getting there. I decided to underglaze the inside of each bowl. I'll put a clear glaze on the inside and a funky glaze on the outside.

The first two pieces where I used the quilter's tape to mask off lines came out of bisque a tad less than wonderful. I have some glaze spots where the tape was. So.... I decided to take the tape off these before they are bisqued.

Today's bowls and some buttons. I know the holes are off center. I won't be using them for clothing. I thought they might make for some nice hat bling.

The latest attempt at Shabbat candlesticks with a box to hold the candles. This time, I bought a box of Shabbat candles, measured the box, added about an inch, and cut out slabs. The last boxes I had problems with the corners. So this one was two slabs that wrap around and overlap on the ends. I will make a lid with candlesticks the next time I'm in the clay studio.

CPAP Mask Wipes Dye Experiments

2011-10-16T11:24:00.000-06:00

I bought some cpap mask cleaning cloths. These are cotton and are supposed to be used once and then tossed. I couldn't see tossing something that could become fiber art. So... I washed and dryered the white cotton cloths then dropped them in dye jars to see what would happen. I can't see using these as fabric, but I can see using them as felting material.

8 years 2 months, 15 days to retirement and full time art status.

Dyed Crochet Thread 10-15-11

2011-10-16T11:08:00.000-06:00

I grouped like colors together so you could see the subtle differences. I happen to have 9 quart jars, and so I do 9 experiments at a time. I'm still working out just how much dye to put in each jar - I'm using less than 1/8 teaspoon of dye. This time, I rinsed out each skein, then used the washer to wash with Dharma Trading Company's version of Synthropol and put all the skeins in the dryer. Much easier for me, and I didn't seem to get any color contamination.

Another Hat In The Etsy Shop

2011-10-15T14:51:00.000-06:00

If you click the title, you will be magically taken to my etsy shop.

New Hat Listing on Etsy

2011-10-15T14:34:00.001-06:00

I'm starting to list my hats in my etsy store. I'll start with the plain hats, and then add one or two with bling.

If you click on the title, you will be magically taken to my etsy store.

Latest Crochet Work

2011-10-02T18:56:00.000-06:00

I've been playing with my hand dyed crochet thread again. This is one of a matched pair to be used under candlesticks to keep the candlesticks from scratching the table.

Itty bitty motif to be used on a hat.

Another one of a matched pair for under candlesticks.

Doily - just because it's pretty.

Reduction ^05 Firing or, Removing The Wild Hair

2011-10-02T17:59:00.000-06:00

I had been told that reduction firing wouldn't have any effect on low fire clay. It has an effect. I'm just not sure I like the effect. If I were to do this again, I'd start reduction at ^010 and start oxidation firing at ^08. I started reduction at ^08 and left it in reduction to ^05.

The short jar in the corner is mica clay. I can still see the sparkles, but I wasn't prepared for it to be black.

The taller jar is monzano red - a VERY red clay. It came out a gorgeous matt black. Both jars are raw clay on the outside. The mica pot is glazed with clear on the inside.

Jim's one fire extrusion piece is on the right. He used copper carb wash. I used the copper carb wash on the canisters, and I've decided I hate copper carb wash. I got little bubbles in the clear glaze, and the copper carb managed to explore the shelf and glue everything to the shelf.

Shivering. Jim had underglaze on both extrusions (blue and black) then glaze over the underglaze. For some reason, the white clay doesn't like underglaze.

Some of the candlesticks I had made.

Mica pot close up.

Too bad about the shivering because this is a really nice piece.

Now that I've gotten rid of the wild hair.... I doubt I'll do a low fire reduction firing again. It just wasn't that exciting. I won't ever use a copper carb wash again. It wasn't worth the misery of shelf cleaning and ruining other pieces.

Mica Clay Tea Pot

2011-10-02T17:37:00.000-06:00

I thought a tea pot made from mica clay would be a good idea. The mica retains the heat, and the tea would stay hot. I decided to make this pot with a bamboo handle so I put lugs on to connect the handle. I used a small spout because this kind of spout isn't supposed to piddle. I never have liked piddling tea pots.

What I don't like: I wish I could have put the spout higher, but I had already decided to have a bamboo handle. Next pot gets a ceramic handle and I'll put the spout higher.

What I do like: I like the shape of the pot and I like the way the lid fits.

Coiled, Lidded Jar

2011-10-02T17:31:00.001-06:00

Lidded jar made from low-fire clay. I want to buy some quilt tape that has 1/4 inch measurements on it. Then I want to apply the tape to the jar in specific places, and use the tape as a resist when I paint on an undercoat.

PB No J

2011-10-01T18:08:00.000-06:00

PB - pre bling. No jelly. The swirly black and white hat badly needs a black ostrich feather.

I spent Thursday sewing hats. I've got another six or seven pieces of fabric to turn into hats and I'll need to get some bling on some of these. Now that I'm going to have a bald spot for several months, I need a hat for all outfits.

Fired The Kiln Today

2011-10-01T17:06:00.000-06:00

The green looking piece on the top shelf is one of Jim's extrusions and it hasn't been bisqued. He wanted to try once firing. I know people do it, but I've never done it. So.... as I was firing the kiln, Jim told me he read that you have to be careful how you ramp the kiln with once fire. So I immediately slowed down the firing. Note to self: buy a digital pyrometer.

Jim and the kiln. On the top shelf in the back right corner are pieces that are unglazed on the outside. I wanted to try reduction firing for low fire and I'm hoping some fun stuff went on with the unglazed clay.

Jim made my cone packs for me and he didn't know that he should stick the cones into the clay about a quarter inch. I saw the cones fall over, not melted, just fallen over, while firing. Note to self: teach Jim how to make cone packs.

I was able to tell when to start reduction, ^08 down. I saw, eventually, that ^05 was starting to melt at the edges, so I opened up the damper, shut off the inner burners, and put the outer burners on 1/4 open and let the kiln just sit for 15 minutes. Then I shut off the gas, closed the damper and put the things in the peep holes. Tomorrow, we'll see if I guessed right.

Never heard of low fire reduction? What about raku? That's low fire reduction. Jim wants to try a test tile or two with raku glaze the next time I fire.

Jim playing with his extruder. He found a bumper jack at the ReStore for $5, and turned it into an extruder. He's using PVC pipe to hold the clay and the dies. The nice part is the pipe come off and it's easy to clean.

A few of Jim's extrusions.

Covered bread pan made from mica clay. It needs to dry and be bisque fired. The lid is behind the pan. The pan is about 7x10 inches and about 6 inches tall. I made covered containers a while back and tested bread dough in the containers. The dough rose more than normal and I got a great crust. The inside of the pan and the inside of the lid will be glazed. I'm not fond of baking bread in unglazed clay. If the unglazed clay isn't greased and sprinkled with corn meal just right, one needs a demolition permit to get the bread out of the pan.

I thought a teapot made from mica clay would be nice. The mica holds the heat so the tea would stay hot. I got as far as I could before I had to wait for the clay to harden a bit. I'm going to close in the top enough to suspend my tea strainer from the opening and I'll put a cute little spout like on a kerosene can on the pot. I'll put lugs on top and attach a bamboo handle.

Spending More Quality Time In The Clay Studio

2011-09-25T16:51:00.000-06:00

I like the bean pot I made, but I wanted to make a smaller pot - something more practical for cooking for two. These are the results. Can't wait to get this fired, glazed and fired again so I can cook in it. Because this is mica clay, I'll put a clear glaze on the inside and leave the outside as is. That way, there are lots of sparkles on the outside.

I'm still not going to buy something I can make. I want a covered bread pan. Ceramic bread pans make the best bread. I saw a covered bread pan in a catalog for $60. I'm going to build the sized up on this pan, make a lid. I had built some very small, one roll size, covered bread pans a few years ago to see how they would work. The bread rose higher and cooked nicer.

Working In The Clay Studio 9-24-11

2011-09-24T16:38:00.000-06:00

Ceramic buttons. I used the cap from a pop bottle to cut out buttons. Because I sometimes use buttons for garments rather than for decoration, I put terra sig on the back of the buttons so the button would be smooth and not catch on fabric.

Shabbat candlesticks. I put terra sig on the bottoms so the bottoms would be smooth and not mar a wooden table. I have some crochet motifs (see below) that might look nice under the finished candlesticks.

Checking to make sure the drip cups still fit the hole I made in the tops of the candlesticks. I'm leaning towards not gluing the drip cups to the candlesticks. If the drip cups lift out, they will be easier to clean.

Using the red art terra sig to put my initials on the backs of the buttons.

The Latest Anxiety Art

2011-09-23T07:20:00.000-06:00

My surgery was cancelled because the cyst had shrunk too small for the surgeon to see. Maybe the cyst will grow back. If it does, it will get removed.

Meanwhile, I have a bald spot the size of a hockey rink. Okay, so it's the size of a silver dollar when silver dollars were made from silver. I'll be wearing hats for as long as it takes for hair to grow back, assuming my hair will grow back. It may not until the cyst eventually gets removed.

And so it goes. Along with finding one of my old crochet books and finding a motif that is a perfect size for my hats, I've done some thinking. From now on, I take care of me first. I'm in this predicament because I scheduled surgery around a court schedule and considered the needs of my office before considering my own health. I can't continue to do that and I won't continue to do that.

I'll keep making hats, some sedate (for days when I have jury selections) and some with BLING for days when I need all the help I can get.

The one good thing out of this - aside from learning taking care of me comes first - is that I am psychologically incapable of blending into a crowd.

Spending Time In The Clay Studio

2011-09-20T21:35:00.000-06:00

I love the way mica clay cooks, so I made myself a covered casserole dish. Can't wait to have this baby finished so I can cook something in it.

I decided to try a different form for Shabbat candlesticks. The middle photo shows the drip cups and how they will look when the candlesticks are finished. I made sure I made the holes larger than the bottom of the drip cup. I haven't decided if I will glue the drip cups in or if I will let them just sit in the holes. I'm thinking about how they would be easiest to clean.

Then, because I'm having surgery tomorrow (removal of a cyst - nothing major) and can't really concentrate on anything complicated, I made lots and lots of buttons. The buttons will go on hats and anything else that seems like it needs a ceramic button or two.

Chasing Anxiety With Art

2011-09-20T07:33:00.000-06:00

I was running low on soap, so I got out the molds and the liquid turquoise color and played around a bit.

Yes, I know. It's a lousy photo. Earrings inspired by hat bling.

One of Diane's hand made buttons, bead bling and a crochet motif made from hand-dyed crochet cotton.

Adding Bling

2011-09-19T18:58:00.000-06:00

The buttons, hand made ceramic, are a gift from Diane Karmrol (I hope I spelled that right). Nothing like a warm hug from a friend. Thanks, Diane.

I'm a little worried about the surgery on Wednesday, so I'm covering up the anxiety with bling. I've got to buy more of the swarovski crystal cubes. I love the way they sparkle and reflect light.

Latest Hats

2011-09-11T18:58:00.000-06:00

Yahrzeit

2011-09-11T09:48:00.000-06:00

Looking forward, looking back and finally healing.

I heard the news on the Spanish radio station on the way to work. I went home at lunch time and made this mistake of watching the news. I saw bodies taking forever to fall from the upper floors and reach the ground. I saw the towers fall. I felt sick.

I tried to explain to my Spanish class mates how everything could be seen by people waiting for the ferry to take them to the Statue of Liberty. Families, adults, children – all watched all saw all could do nothing. I tried to explain what a square mile looked like (four adjacent houses in Sonoma Ranch subdivision) and the number of people in the buildings. A number equal to the population of Albuquerque went through those two buildings every day.

My reactions to 9/11 seemed to be running about 5 days behind the reactions of my coworkers. As they were starting to heal the raw feelings, I was starting to come out of shock and feel. So many people asked me if I knew anyone who had died. I was here in New Mexico and all my co-workers knew I was from Buffalo, NY. I still don’t know why they thought I was so cold hearted that I would come to work the day after a friend or family member had been murdered. And so I wore my New York City tee shirt. I had gotten that tee shirt from a street vendor when Jim and I went to New York City. I have a photo from that trip of Jim at the Statue of Liberty looking out and the Twin Towers in the background. The tee shirt has little drawings of all the famous spots to visit in New York City, including the Twin Towers. I wore the tee shirt then to show that I was tired of being asked questions. I was tired of people thinking I was cold hearted. I wore the tee shirt as a warning to others not to ask me stupid questions.

I’m wearing the tee shirt today. I’m finally starting to heal, and I’m wearing the tee shirt to celebrate that healing. I’m wearing the tee shirt as a tribute to those Jews who stayed with the recovered remains praying and fulfilling the mitzvah of accompanying the dead from the time of death to the time of burial. Although the Jews who stood watch and prayed had no idea to whom the remains belonged, if there was one Jew among the remains, they needed to pray. Rescue workers and those working on identifying the body parts were touched by the prayers of the Jews. I honor my fellow Jews for their commitment to our traditions and for their kindness to the living.

I constantly have to remind myself that 9/11 was caused by insane people who claimed to be Muslim. 9/11 was not caused by Muslims who happened to be insane. I must not judge or think less of a Muslim simply because the person is Muslim. I especially thank my Muslim friends for allowing me to share my feelings, and to learn from them. They have made it easier for me to remember that terrorists are insane people who just happen to claim to be Muslim. Muslim does not mean terrorist.

I still don't understand why this happened or what the terrorists hoped to accomplish. May He who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace upon us and upon all Israel. Amen

B'Shalom,

Devorah Leah

Jim's Latest Extrusions

2011-09-06T20:05:00.000-06:00

Jim's first set of extrusions got glaze fired. He got great results on the glazes. ^05 with a 5 minute hold on top.

I'm Having So Much Fun With My Hats

2011-09-05T16:04:00.000-06:00

These are the last of the hats for today.... I ran out of interfacing. Got 8 more fat quarters and a whole lot of bling left.

Hats!

2011-09-05T13:58:00.000-06:00

The day after I have my cyst removed, I'm wearing this hat to cover the owie. Ostrich feathers, rhinestones, and a great batik fabric. Would could be better for chasing away the blues, covering an owie, and feeling pretty? The feather is on a clip and it's removable for those days when I need to wear conservative bling.

I'm feeling depressed today, so I went into the sewing room and made hats. The bottom one is from turquoise silk that I had forgotten I had. The striped ones are fabric I found that I loved and thought would make for great hats.

I've got parts cut out for another three hats. After that, I have to go to Jo-Ann's armed with a coupon because I'm out of interfacing.

What I've Been Doing In The Clay Studio

2011-09-04T15:18:00.000-06:00

Although the top doesn't fit as nicely as I would like, most of that "space" is a shadow. I wanted to make shabbat candlesticks using a box so that the box would hold the extra candles (you buy shabbat candles in large quantities). Because it's extremely difficult for me to get the size of the candle holder part right, I made open tubes. I have ordered drip cups specially sized for standard sized shabbat candles. The drip cups will go into the tubes. I haven't decided if I want to glue down the drip cups, or leave them loose so that they are easier to clean.

Note to self: when carving words into the bottom of a lid, carve boldly.

This is the first of my canisters for potatoes and onions. I neglected to write down the color number of the slip I used, so I can't patch up the spots where the slip stuck to the plastic. I used a carving tool to make dots and lines. I used a hole making tool to make the holes. I put the holes in various places on the sides of the canister.

The first shabbot candlestick/box resembled a velveeta cheese box. So, I tried using different dimensions. It looks like a house. If I make this size again, I'll give up and make a mansard roof for it. Double chimneys were popular on large, 18th century houses. I could make something resembling a stucco house of New Mexico, but then the double chimneys would be wrong.

Third box and photos showing the process. I just butted the ends up for the second box, and I wasn't that thrilled with how it worked out. Although it's a little more difficult to use beveled edges, I like the results far better.

Jim made me a 45 degree cutter, and that's what I use to make the beveled edges. I put a roll of clay into the corners and along the bottom to add strength and to avoid glaze problems. The corners cool faster than the rest of the piece, and I've had glaze problems when I didn't put a roll of clay into the corners.

I rounded over the edges on the bottom so that the box wouldn't look like it was glued to the table. I didn't want to make legs for the box.

Coils in the corner before they get smoothed out.

It's been a while since I played with colored slips. I want to fire these pieces in reduction and slips do funky things in reduction. Yes, these are all ^04 and yes, I'm going to do a reduction firing. Anyway, I have problems with my brush strokes showing when I use slip. I wondered what would happen if I tried exploiting the brush strokes rather than fighting with them. I used a layer of pale green slip, a layer of blue slip, and a final thin layer of pale green slip. I'm hoping to get depth of color.

I put a couple layers of terra sig on the bottoms of my pieces so the bottoms are smooth.

Another look at the "house" box.

I'm Having More Fun With Hats

2011-09-01T21:45:00.000-06:00

I bought some serious bling today - turquoise ostrich feather, marquise hot crystals, great black trim with black feathers and black beads. I was looking through my stash, and found this silk that I bought a few years back in San Francisco. I had made a blouse out of it.

As I worked on the had, bling just seemed wrong, so I left the hat plain.

It's Finally On Line!

2011-08-31T15:29:00.000-06:00

My sketchbook from The Sketchbook Project 2011 is finally on line! If I did this right, you can click on the title, and you will be magically taken to the proper page. Then, you click on the artwork tab, and you can see my sketchbook.

I was looking earlier today to see if my sketchbook was on line yet. Nope. Then I got the magic e-mail and there was my sketchbook!!!

Thanks for checking it out. While you're there, look for anything that says Sketchbook Project 2012. Click on that, and you can be part of the next sketchbook project. I had great fun doing this and I'm looking forward to participating in Sketchbook Project 2012.

I Need A New Hat For Court Tomorrow

2011-08-30T21:19:00.000-06:00

Here's the hat I made to wear tomorrow. I've got a sentencing and a probation violation hearing in the afternoon, so I didn't want to go too far over the top with bling.

Bling, Bling, Bling, Goes My Hat

2011-08-28T19:47:00.000-06:00

I'll be wearing hats for a while, so I need to have a hat wardrobe. Here's Monday's Hat. I'll have to make another hat with beads. Maybe another with some fancy braid or ribbon around the edge.

This was fabric that I bought somewhere for some forgotten reason. After I got it home, I realized it was utterly wrong for a quilt. Fat quarter is just right for a hat.

Spending Quality Time In The Clay Studio

2011-08-28T17:27:00.000-06:00

Canister in the making. I saw a set of three canisters in a catalog. Each canister was white, had holes in it, two had lids, and each had beige writing: Potatoes, Onions, Garlic. $80. On sale. Plus shipping. For that kind of money, I can buy 300 pounds of clay.

I've been wanting to work with ^04 and do some reduction firing. This is the perfect opportunity. This is the first canister in process. I've gotten the sides done and I've got slip on the outside. I'll make the lid and do some incising into the slip for decoration and use my hole punch to put some air holes in the canister.

Lid for the box. I don't like making lips, edges and other things on lids. So I cut out a slab that's slightly smaller than the opening and use that to anchor the lid.

I thought it would be interesting to make a box with candleholders on the lid for Shabbat candles. The extra candles could be stored in the box. I've pained the inside with slip and I'll glaze the outside. I still need to fine tune the cleaning on this. I used a soap stamp to make the design on the front.

The first box resembled the box that Velveeta cheese comes in. Hmmmm.... I wonder how this box would look if I changed the dimensions from 12 x 4 to 8 x 5. Here are the slabs drying to the point where I can assemble them easily.

The first box, I used a 45 degree angle cutter and made beveled edges. I wasn't as happy as I thought I'd be with that. This time, I decided to butt the edges. This took a bit of math - so here are the instructions.

First box with lid. I used the same design on the top as on the front panel so I'd know which way the lid was oriented.

The second box assembled. It needs cleaning up and a lid.

Jim's Latest Clay Work

2011-08-28T17:08:00.000-06:00

Jim grabbed all of the ^04 and his extruder and started playing in the mud. I love the square pieces. When I saw them on the drying board, the first thing I thought of was skyscrapers in New York City.

I Hate To Buy What I Can Make

2011-08-27T19:27:00.000-06:00

I have a cyst on my scalp, and the cyst is leaking. This makes for a particularly unattractive spot on my head. I'm not much for wearing hats, but I have got to cover that cyst if I go out in public.

So.... I took a floppy brim hat pattern and used just the crown. I grabbed a piece of hand-dyed orange cotton and some interfacing. I cut two of everything so that the hat would be self lined. I used the serger to attach the top to the crown.

When I tried the hat on, it looked awful. I suddenly heard myself sounding like Tim Gunn and telling myself to make it work. I made the crown shorter. Ah ha! That worked.

I grabbed one of my fancy threads to sew the hem in the hat.

I used the same fancy thread to sew around the top and sew down the serged edge.

I will need to be wearing hats for about a week, so I'm going to be making a couple more of these. Much to my surprise, a pill box hat actually looks all right on me. I wonder if I could attach a pheasant feather to one of these.... Perhaps an ostrich feather... Beads, it definitely needs beads. And Swarovski crystals.

Trying For Peach

2011-08-15T20:53:00.000-06:00

Peach #2 - red and orange. In real life, it looks like a creamsicle.

Peach #1 red and yellow.

#2 on the left and #1 on the right.

A mix of green and blue that I hadn't tried before. I didn't get as much variation in the color as I got with the other dye experiments.

I'm trying to replicate a soft peach that I saw on a hand dyed tee shirt at the Farmer's Market. I'm not getting the soft peach, but I am getting colors I really like. I want to try some experiments where one end of the skein is in the dye longer than the other end. I'd also like to try maybe blue on one end, then mix the green in the dye and dye the entire skein to see what I get.

I suppose Dharma Trading sells a peach dye, but that would be too easy. Much more fun to play with color and see what I get.

Needs Some Work Still

2011-08-14T15:58:00.000-06:00

I did the machine quilting on the little quilt, and now I need to square it up and figure out what binding to put in it. This quilt was something to experiment with when I realized I was having problems with the six-pointed star quilt. I had been playing around with line drawings, and decided to translate one to a quilt.

The hand quilting is done with embroidery thread. The machine quilting is done with a metallic silver thread.

Dyeing 8-14-11

2011-08-14T15:49:00.000-06:00

I think I let this one go a tad beyond pastel orange.

I mixed bright green and sky blue and came up with a really pretty shade of teal.

Another attempt at peach. This time, I mixed red and orange.

I thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if I pulled part of the skein out of the dye and left part in to keep absorbing dye. I'm at the rinsing out part, and I can't see any difference in the color. Oh, well. It was an interesting idea.

Dyeing 8-13-11

2011-08-14T15:41:00.000-06:00

I mixed blue and orchid. On fabric, it makes a lovely, mottled blue violet.

I saw a hand-dyed tee shirt done in a lovely, pale peach. I am trying to duplicate that peach. I used red and yellow, used less dye, and left the crochet thread in the dye only for an hour. I got a more orange peach than I wanted.

The blue and orchid thread part-way wound into a ball. I'm going to like how this one crochets up.

I've also been reading bout using fancy thread in the bobbin of the machine and doing upside down machine quilting. I wonder how the crochet thread would work in the bobbin. Perhaps with a purple metallic for the top thread to give it a touch of sparkle.

When One Quilt Doesn't Work Out, Work On Another Quilt

2011-08-02T18:45:00.000-06:00

I tried to work on the six-pointed star quilt on Saturday, but I kept making mistakes so I gave up.

I had been playing with line drawings and thought some of the doodles would make a nice quilt. I played around a bit with this one. I'm using a deep pink for the outline and a pale green for the lines inside the outlines. I'm using embroidery floss and I like how the hand quilting is coming out. I will machine quilt the rest of the quilt.

Solving Sleep Problems

2011-08-02T18:37:00.000-06:00

I found a sleep CD on line. The music is designed not to hold one's concentration and to nudge the brain into deep sleep. And so I gave it a try. I downloaded the CD onto the laptop and left the laptop plugged in and the sleep CD running continuously all night. I did feel better in the morning. Alas, Jim hates the CD. He says it sounds like someone is vacuuming and it gives him a headache. Okay, let's try something else. I can't wear iPod ear pods because they are too big for my ears. So I bought this really cool metallic orange pair of ear pods that come with little rubber things to make the ear pods assorted sizes. I've got the smallest on the pods. The ear pods arrived today. Tonight, I'll clip the iPod to my tee shirt and pop the pods into my ears. I'm hoping this works as well as leaving the laptop on all night.

Keeping Clean

2011-08-02T18:30:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, I was having my own energy crisis. About all I could manage to create was some soap. I wanted to try out my new soap molds and the mica sparkly colorant I had recently gotten. So now, we have cute soap in the guest bathroom.

Blue and White

2011-07-27T13:00:00.000-06:00

This particular shade of blue does some interesting things when mixed with orchid. I'm considering dyeing a skein of crochet thread with this blue. Then, unwinding the skein, rewinding it on a different size ruler, and then over dyeing it with orchid to make assorted shades of purple.

It's amazing how much fun I can have with a few quart jars, a big ball of crochet cotton, and some dye.

Thought I'd Try Some Freeform Crochet

2011-07-27T12:54:00.001-06:00

I love what the dye did to this skein of crochet thread. I'm playing with some of my line drawings and freeform crochet. This piece is being designed as I go along.

Playing With The Dyed Thread

2011-07-19T20:59:00.000-06:00

I've been playing with the dyed threads and here's what I've made so far. None of the designs is original. I am using motifs from 300 crochet patterns and I'm using patterns I've found on the internet. I'm playing with small motifs and bits of edgings.

The brown dyed thread is the most fascinating. I never would have guessed I'd get grays in the variations from brown dye.

I gave up on filet crochet because it just didn't look right done in variegated thread. I still haven't figured out how I'm going to use these in a quilt, but I also haven't finished playing with the threads. I've got 6 more colors to play with.

Deb Thuman's Blog: What The Latest Colors Look Like

2011-07-10T17:55:00.000-06:00

Deb Thuman's Blog: What The Latest Colors Look Like

What The Latest Colors Look Like

2011-07-10T17:47:00.000-06:00

I unwound the skeins today and saw just what I created. I love the variegated colors and the bits of white. This wasn't quite what I was aiming at, but I like the results. Dyeing is not for the anal retentive.

Trying For Pastel Colors

2011-07-09T19:12:00.000-06:00

I tried for pastel colors today. Obviously, I didn't get what I was aiming at. The first dye batch used 1/2 teaspoon of dye per quart jar. This batch used 1/4 teaspoon per quart jar. Next time, I'll use 1/8 teaspoon.

Last time, I didn't scrub the skein of crochet cotton and it dyed just fine. I'm using the same crochet cotton this time. I had bought the extra giant size ball of white. This time, there are parts of the skeins that didn't dye so well. I'm going to get much more variation in the color which I think will work well when I crochet something.

No, I didn't make two batches of orange. One is orange and one is red.

Dyeing

2011-07-03T19:24:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to take some white crochet thread and dye it. So I did. It's not dry yet. I wrapped the thread around a quilt ruler, slid the thread off, and tied it in four places. This should make white spots here and there. Can't wait to use it to crochet something.

I did my dyeing in quart jars using about 1/2 tsp. of dye in each jar. That might be a tad too much dye. I'd like the yellow and the deep green to be less concentrated. Next batch of crochet will go into jars with 1/4 tsp of dye.

I've got an idea floating in my brain about how to use all these odds and end pieces in a quilt.

Some Experiments Work Better Than Others

2011-07-03T11:28:00.000-06:00

I made soap yesterday using the melt and pour method. This is goat's milk soap. I bought some stamps to make designs in the soap. Just a couple gentle taps said the ad. I hammered on these suckers and I'm not all that impressed. However, I really like the stamps and I know they will do fun things with clay.

The ridges in the back of the soap come from the bottom of the silicone meat loaf pan. I'm not big on meat loaf and Jim bought me the pan at the ReStore for very little money.

I'm Dyeing

2011-07-03T10:59:00.001-06:00

White crochet can be so boring. So... I did some math, converted 3 gallons of dye to about a pint of dye, and stuck a crochet piece in each jar. One jar has plain crochet thread in it. I'm seeing what the dye will and won't do and how the tread works up after it's dyed.

I put the pan full of jars out in the sun to keep the dye water hot. Or at least very warm. I'm thinking the dye will work better if the liquid is kept warm.

I'll take the pieces out of the dye in about 5 hours and see what I made. Then I'll post photos.

Another Crochet Sample

2011-07-02T09:55:00.000-06:00

I've got another sample to finish, then I hunt for the quart jars and start playing with dye.

BLING!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-02T09:48:00.000-06:00

16 guage Bling. I've no idea where one would wear it....

The pink and black bling was inspired by the flamingos in the Houston Zoo. When I was there in 1988, they had a huge flock of flamingoes - pink, black and white. It was a gorgeous sight.

Latest Crochet Samples

2011-07-01T07:12:00.000-06:00

Another of my crochet samples. It will eventually get dyed and be a dye experiment. Finally, it will go under a ceramic jar on my counter to protect the counter from any sharp bits that I can't feel but will mar the corian.

Belly Button Bling

2011-06-30T11:24:00.000-06:00

One day, I woke up with an urge to make belly button bling. And so I did. Here are the first three. On the second two, the clear bead in the middle is a swarovski crystal. The first bling is made from beads given to me by a beading friend.

When I get a few more of these, I'll put some in the etsy store.

Playing With Crochet

2011-06-26T11:07:00.000-06:00

I had ordered some "hurt" books from Interweave Press including 101 Crochet Stitches. Out of the 101 stitches, about 97 are new to me, including the one above. I started playing with crochet and started thinking. What if I took some of the cotton crochet thread and dyed it? What if I made something of crochet ad dyed it? I can see me doing lots of playing with crochet and crochet thread in the coming weeks.

Mezuzah Covers

2011-06-23T15:59:00.000-06:00

If you like the ceramic mezuzah covers listed below (keep scrolling, they are down a bit of a ways), please click on the title for this post and you'll be magically taken to my etsy store where you'll find mezuzah covers for sale.

If clicking on the title of this post doesn't work, paste the following into your browser:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/DebThuman?ref=top_trail

The 9th Star Appliqued on Background Fabric

2011-06-19T16:33:00.000-06:00

I was going to use the same fancy stitch to applique all the stars onto the background fabric. Now, I think I'm going to use a different stitch each time.

Can't The Mail Come Any Faster?

2011-06-16T17:13:00.000-06:00

I ordered some "hurt" books from Interweave - crocheting and beading. The books haven't arrived yet.

I ordered some soap stamps that were on sale. I want to use them both on soap and on clay. They haven't arrived yet.

My earring display racks, which should clear up the earring mess on my dresser, are shipped, but they haven't arrived yet.

I ordered Crocs on sale, but they haven't arrived yet.

A set of sewing machine needs from Nancy's Notions has been shipped, but it hasn't arrived yet.

All these wonderful things coming to me in the mail, and nothing has arrived.

Sigh. It's so hard to be patient.

My Latest Bead Work In Progress

2011-06-14T18:25:00.000-06:00

Spiny Oyster and they will be earrings when they are finished.

Denim Lapiz. I used blue delicas to make the transition between the iridescent beads and the very small white beads.

Ocean Jasper ready to be strung.

Ocean Jasper, but I can't figure out if I want the bead to be oriented this way, or to have it the way the one above is.