Favorites (sewing notions)

Posted on January 1, 2010 by Salley Mavor

This collection of sewing memorabilia has come my way via grandmothers and great aunts. Inside the Queen Marie needle book are several packs of gold and silver eyed sharps. Don’t you just love the idolized cover scene of 3 generations sewing together? I’ve used some of this rick rack and these hooks & eyes make hinges and door handles in my artwork. And, call me old-fashioned, but I always wear a thimble.

Queen Marie needle book

a selection of hook and eyes

buttons purchased at Gladding's for 10 cents

rick rack braid

family thimbles

Queen with Duster

Posted on December 30, 2009 by Salley Mavor

In the late 1980’s, my 97 year old grandmother died and we cleaned out her house in Bristol, RI. Along with drawers full of old keys and costume jewelry, I saved a stash of garter clips and kept them in wait for a future project. Their day came in 1995, when I started working on Queen with Duster.

“Queen with Duster”, fabric-relief, 10″ x 11″, 1995

I’m always on the lookout for small interesting objects that can be sewn down and I liked the pattern created with the garters lined up. The figure started out as a bride, but evolved into a queen when she was crowned with a bejeweled pin.

a collection of my grandmother’s garters

Her dress is made from an old wool petticoat of my grandmother’s that was washed so many times, it had become very thin felt. The silver hairpins were also my grandmother’s and she made the tatting on the bottom of the skirt. See “Pink House”, another piece made with my grandmother’s things, here.

my grandmother, Louise (Salley) Hartwell in the 1920’s

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Milkweed Pods

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Salley Mavor

The pods are light and almost have the texture of handmade paper. They open up in the fall, bursting with the most delicate, downy seeds and their boat-like shape and small size make a fitting bed for a little person.

This sleeping girl nestled in her milkweed bed is in my board book, Wee Willie Winkie.

For more ideas on wee doll bedding, visit my post about walnut shells here.

Christmas cards past

Posted on December 24, 2009 by Salley Mavor

Throughout her lifetime, my mother, Mary Mavor, made some beautiful Christmas cards,which she sent out every year. This selection spans many years, from the late 40’s to the 90’s. Some of her early cards were done in blue print, which she commonly used in the 50’s for reproducing small print runs.

by Mary Hartwell (Mavor), hand colored blue print, about 1947

by Mary Mavor, hand colored blue print, about 1950

by Mary Mavor, 3 color silk screen, about 1955

by Mary Mavor, hand colored off set print, 1990

Close-ups (Winter Trees)

Posted on December 22, 2009 by Salley Mavor

This group of trees starts with a paint and crayon picture I made as a child of 7. Next is a detail of a painting I did in art school and then part of an early fabric relief winter scene. The last two are taken from my book, Pocketful of Posies.

snowman and trees, 1963

from “Laplander Mural” 1977

detail from “Skating” 1987

from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

Note: See other posts in the Close-ups series archive here.

Snowy Monday

Posted on December 21, 2009 by Salley Mavor

We drove around town this morning, marveling at the snowy scenery, which made everything look like a Christmas card. Here are some photos of Falmouth and Woods Hole.

Falmouth Historical Society

Nobska Lighthouse, Woods Hole

Nobska Beach, Woods Hole

house on Falmouth Village Green

Crowell House, Woods Hole

bed & breakfast, Falmouth

Snow and granola

Posted on December 20, 2009 by Salley Mavor

I’ll add to the multitude of snow pictures being posted on the eastern seaboard today. We woke up to about a foot and a half of the white stuff this morning.

Rob got out his beloved Kabota tractor and plowed the driveway, while Ian and I shoveled.

For my friends and neighbors, I made a huge batch of granola and filled up a dozen quart canning jars. For the labels, I cut paper circles with wavy scissors and decorated them with stamps, stickers and a dye cutter that cuts out tiny leaves. Then I stick them to the canning jar tops with double sticky tape and tied ribbon around.

Three Kings

Posted on December 19, 2009 by Salley Mavor

In the early 80’s, I designed projects for magazines. I remember that the projects themselves were fun to figure out and make, but writing the directions was a big chore. You have to break the process down step by step and explain every detail. Sometimes it’s hard to tell how you did something in a clear understandable way. I work intuitively, so writing coherent directions was work!

Here’s a ticket stub to a production of the opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, which was performed in Falmouth by a local theater group in 1981. I designed the posters, program, tickets and costumes. The image of the three kings got me thinking about doing a nativity scene of cloth dolls. The thing about dolls is that they usually have legs, which makes it difficult for them to stand on their own. So, I gave these characters long robes and even put sand in the bottom to make them stay grounded. The kings were made from lush fabrics like brocade and velveteen, with metallic braid, and they carried bead and button gifts. Mary and Joseph’s clothing was more homespun, with woven wools and roughly textured cloth.

Creche scene from Better Homes and Gardens, 1981

patterns from Better Homes and Gardens, 1981

Favorites (Christmas)

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Salley Mavor

From time to time, I’ll be posting a group of photographs of my favorite things. These Christmas decorations are from my husband’s family in Pennsylvania. My mother-in-law would set up scenes on the mantle piece and window sills around the house. I love the way one of the Santas has a kid leather beard, instead of the traditional cotton.

There are seven metal reindeer left in the set, some with bells and some so lame that they need help standing.

These glass ornaments are so delicate and are still stored in what looks to be their original box.

This wooden angel candle holder is about 3″ tall. I love her little head wreath.

And there’s a flock of sweet sheep and lambs, with their wooden legs worn and exposed.

Fall Friends

Posted on December 13, 2009 by Salley Mavor

Fall Friends was made in 1995, in between book projects.

Fall Friends, fabric relief by Salley Mavor 1995

During this period, I used cotton velveteen quite often for the back grounds. In this case, I dyed the fabric for the sky and hillside. The clouds were made by painting on a rice based resist liquid that I can’t remember the name of, but I think it is Japanese. You get a softer look than batiking with wax, which can have a cleaner edge.

Detail from "Fall Friends"

The bush trunk is wool covered wire and the smaller wire branches are wrapped with embroidery floss. The border is made of upholstery fabric, with all of the embroidered edging done by hand. I used to do a satin stitch with the sewing machine, but found it to be too flat and mechanical looking.

Detail from" Fall Friends"

This is a drawing I did as a student at RISD in 1977. It’s pencil on layered pieces of tissue paper, which has yellowed over time from rubber cement. I think of it as an early example of my interest in experimenting with different working surfaces. Soon after this, I started combining materials and doing more and more 3 dimentional work.