Color and Technology Musings

Close up of a rose in sunlight (not photo enhanced)

I have just been taking a moment to see what is newly posted on Pinterest. As I am scrolling down the pages, my eyes are stimulated by the vibrant color. The contrast and lighting is so beyond what is normally seen. pinterest.com/mermaidslair/ (a link to my boards) I am new to Pinterest... and find very inspiring images.. (remember I LOVE pictures!)

Luscious moss in the forest (not photo enhanced)

Thinking to myself, I wonder how many of these have been color enhanced? Then, it has me wondering what impact will all of this have on the way we perceive color in our 3-dimensional world? Will we automatically detect color in our surroundings as more brilliant? Will we want more brilliant color in our home environments? Is the color we see enhanced on our computer screens creating a demand for more brilliant color in our textiles and print? Is this one of the factors of the popularity of the brighter colors in recent years?

Physiologically, will our ability to detect color change due to the enhancements available to us? My recent trip this summer, studying color, has me thinking if we spend more time on our computer than we do out in nature, we will definitely require more brilliant color in our homes and apparel. If however, we maintain our connection to nature, how will we perceive the green leaves and brilliant sunsets? Will our minds create the color enhancement for us? Will we evolve into seeing color more brilliantly, needing less light to detect the luminosity?

A serene sunset at Lake Harriet (not photo enhanced)

How does technology impact the way we see color? Recently Leatrice Eiseman posted on the neutrals, beige and taupe and the popularity they gained in the 1920's and specifically, Elsie de Wolfe's impact.  Did the acceptance of these tones coincide with the availability of film and entertainment? After all, more and more people were able to experience 'moving' pictures.. with color not being first seen until 1939 by mass audiences. (The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind) People spent their free time and escape from reality going to movies.. how many of us use the computer to escape and/or break from reality.. Facebook, Pinterest, Blogs, etc.? While a great way to stay connected, would you pick up the phone and call someone every five minutes to tell them where you are for dinner? There is staying connected and distraction.. would you pick up the phone every 5-minutes to share with people where you are for dinner? Doesn't it rather detract from the experience you ARE having, if you remove yourself from the presence of your experience to comment on it at the time you are having it?

Just a curios thought that came to mind, how our world is changing and how conscious are we of directing those changes.. any comments? What do you think? 

Painting upstairs is done!

The living room is painted! I am so happy to see those red walls go. The room size and exposure was not conducive to the depth of the wall color. I have happily painted all four walls, Revere Pewter. A Benjamin Moore color, pearl finish (I love BM pearl finish-there is more depth than an eggshell and not as much sheen as a semi-gloss.)

The hallway is painted the dark chocolate brown. It is almost a black brown. The artwork is perched against the walls where it is to be hung and this weekend that will happen.

Same with the living room. Pictures to be hung this weekend and the bookcases from downstairs are coming up. They are the bookcases that I painted a deep black/purple and silver leafed the face frames. The ultimate goal is to silver the sides as well, however, that will happen later, maybe even the next place.

Lovely little vintage chairs are coming tonight. Ideally, I would like them in the Living room, I will see if I can make it work.

There are no photos today of the progress as, it is all still a mess of boxes..

This afternoon, I will continue painting downstairs. Three of the four walls are done and I have edged the floor on the back wall. The floor is Glidden concrete Swiss Coffee. I just couldn't bring myself to do a darker gray, it is already rather dingy down there with the exposed ceiling. This way, I can keep it clean, as I will see anything on it.. (i.e. creatures coming at me...although they have been hanging out on the walls)

We may set up a stereo downstairs too. This apparently keeps the many legged's away... I have heard from several sources... Thank you sources!

I will have to learn to work with noise myself. I like to have it quiet when I working, although some projects require a bit of -swing! That would be good, I have a good collection of appropriate music..

Well, sorry for the lack of photos. I just wanted to let everyone know how the progress is coming along.  I found my tape measure and this weekend will go in search of the appropriate fabric for the windows. Next week there will be a post on measuring tips and accuracy, hardware and fabric selection.. These are the steps to proper window dressing design..

Later Peeps.. have a great weekend... 

Transforming a house into a home

Bathroom and closet doors in the hallway

Today, I am going to paint the hallway. I found a beautiful deep brown, that the current homeowner fell in love with when I showed it to her. The hallway is a small area and these areas are perfect for dark and or dramatic colors. HouseMate (HM) and I found a longer pull chain for the vintage light in there.  I doubt the owner or previous ones ever turned that light on as the chain was only a few inches long... and the ceilings are not quite 9' - maybe... my last place the ceilings were 113". They are definitely more than 8' here... but my tape measure is still missing, hiding out... most likely thinking this game of hide and seek is very funny, snickering quietly to itself in the little pocket of darkness it has found.







There is so much to do here and I know the hallway isn't the most practical, but it will feel like something is done.

Yesterday, I painted the wall by the kitchen window with the same paint that the homeowner has everywhere in there. Paint budget ran out.

Bathroom door and the disaster of my room off to the corner.. 

There are still boxes to unpack, HM and I need to go through kitchen stuff, purge and repack and label better then determine storage options. Oh, an I found one of the creepy creatures in one of my kitchen drawers yesterday. It decided to hide between the blender lid and the juicer plunger.. all of which have been throughly cleaned again. From my research the creatures eat spiders.. I have vacuumed up a great deal of spider webs in the basement, I suppose it has migrated to find better eatin's, I don't know what it thought it would find in the kitchen. I did a hands and knees cleaning on the floor, wiping out cracks and crevices of webs, spider 'debris'  and dog hair, so there isn't going to be much to eat for the creatures. I really don't want to see them.. they can take care of spiders for me... I just have a hard time working in the same space as them.. I wish that we had different shifts... they can work by night, which they are supposed  to be doing.. but I see them in the daytime... ok, enough about them.. this is a post about painting.. maybe they will not like the new paint... no, they still dance across the newly painted walls in the basement... HM says they will be addressed this weekend.. ok!

hallway and selected artwork

After the weekend, I will post interior photos of the little house by the river. This week is about transforming it into a home. The hallway will be done and artwork will be hung... that is the best way to personalize a space.

Creative inspiration in the News

This morning I had two new things in my inbox... that are dear to me, albeit, tucked away on a very packed shelf at the moment.

Remembering my trip to Bainbridge Island and color training with Leatrice Eisememan, a color connection of shared passion and knowledge.

Here is a link to the story about Leatrice Eiseman's home http://www.seattlemet.com/home-and-garden/articles/a-color-drenched-farmhouse-on-bainbridge-september-2012. Enjoy reading about her charming farmhouse and her passion for color... she is an inspiration to me and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to participate in her training week on the island.. a truly inspiring business model for me..

The other passion I am chomping at the bit to gain practice at is the following story of Spoonflower. http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/08/26/2292834/fabric-printing-company-a-cut.html
I also had the opportunity to learn with Steven Fraser, co-founder of Spoonflower earlier this spring. The result of that was the ever patient cherry fabric for the vintage apron... soon, I will get back to that!

I am committed to completing the apron before the end of september. There isn't much left on it, a few hours at best. It is just setting up the sewing space right now. There is a great deal of painting to be done in the basement studio for it to be a comfortable place to work. I am less than crazy to share it with the many legged creatures that lurk around down there in the whatever hours of the day they decide to stroll around ... EEK! And they are BIG ONES!! -Nope, not going to gross any one out with a picture of them.  I wouldn't want anyone having nightmares!

As you probably can tell, there is no shortage of inspiration for me and the greatest challenge is knowing where to put my time and energy. The distractions of life seem to get in the way... This week is about unpacking... next week, is another focus... TBD! -Oh, and those curtains are a must.. by the end of September as well... I seem to have lost my tape measure... :(

It may have fallen in a box... they are everywhere! (not tape measures- boxes. Hmm, I used to have lots of tape measures (4 or 5)... I wonder where they have all gone?

How do project inspirations occur for you? How do you choose which ones to pursue? Do you schedule time for them, or do you do them -oh, whenever.... ? At what point do they become work for you? or do they always remain an enjoyment, a respite from daily life and life surprises?

New Curtains in Order, determining Criteria and Design options.

Good morning, it is Thursday morning and I am exhausted, the sky is gray and the traffic is busy outside my windows.

All of my windows in my little house have woven wood blinds on them. I like woven woods, although, they are dark and not necessarily the first choice for myself, I appreciate that they have style and texture and match the natural woodwork quite well.

Woven woods in my bedroom

There are some milk chocolate colored hobbled roman shades in the Living room on the side windows, the problem is the two front big windows have NOTHING on them. So when my housemate, buses and cars get going in the morning often before me (about 4AM) I feel a bit like I am in a fish bowl!

http://www.illustratorworld.com/artwork/5873/

There are many things to take into consideration when designing window treatments.
The first question to ask is: Will these need to function or will the window dressing be purely functional?

In this case: I need them to function, they must provide privacy.

Will they stay permanently closed?
No, I want to be able to open and close them.

Where will I put the hardware?
The wood window trim is ALWAYS the LAST OPTION if there is no place else to mount the hardware! These windows have beautiful original woodwork and I am renting this house, most likely the walls are plaster, so if I don't need to go into the walls either that is preferred.

The hardware will be inside mounted. Because the woodwork is natural and the house was built in 1926, I will use a brass rod with tension mount ends, a very classic material and the brass will be less of a contrast with the wood than white would be.

The green arrows indicate where the drapery will go.

Because I need the treatment to open and close, ROD POCKETS are NOT an option. Many people choose rod pockets because they are easy and often times available ready made. With my background in window treatments and design, ready made does not find its way into my house. So that option is out as well. Another post will sing the praises of custom window treatments and compare them to other options... there are some I would consider... but that IS another post.

Rod pockets are for stationary panels only. For the pocket to fit snugly around a pole and look like a permanent part of the decor of a room, the drapery do NOT easily slide across the pole. If the pocket is made looser, the panels do not stay in place in the open position, they creep to the center and flatten out. Rod pockets in a situation like that tend to look home-made, cheap and easy.

So, what else is available? Rings, pleated drapery on rings. I will do an specialty pleat on small brass rings on a brass rod.

A quick 5 minute sketch of a possible concept.

 A 3/8" brass rod is classic. Because the rod will be inside mounted and temporary for the time we are here, I will use a 3/8" brass rod, with spring tension ends. The rod will need to be custom made, however, they are not terribly expensive and will be perfect for the windows in the Living room and the Bedroom. I will also do a small cafe curtain for the kitchen nook. The window faces east and sometimes bright morning sunlight may need to be filtered.

I may scallop the tops. There will be something different and decorative about each of them, however, they will be consistent in look from the street view.

Because they are inside mount, they will be sill length. This will also require the least amount of fabric.

Now I am excited to start going through fabric... purge and play... get rid of one-third,  one-third for projects in the next 10 months  and the last one-third is stash.
The one-third to keep are projects that I have everything I need to get them completed in the next ten months. The stash needs to be accessible for filler if I run into something I need to substitute, but no new fabric can enter my possession for 10 months. This new rule does not include muslin for fitting, draping or structural requirements. Notions are only allowed on an as needed basis.. oops sorry, getting ahead of myself..

Just one of the many totes filled with fabric, these are silk, most likely not going use  silk, maybe a nice linen....or linen blend.

I will post some fabric options from the stash in a future post. I want these curtains done and hung up no later than the end of September. This is a tentative date and I will need to schedule my plan... next post on this topic will be measure the windows and specify the hardware.

As always, you can count on the process being documented here... often times creativity is born out of necessity...

A day of New Friends...

Yesterday, I allowed myself to meet with some new friends. Others, who share my passion for sewing and Fabric!

My friend, P.D. who will soon have a blog of her own, may become a recurring character in my blog world cast of characters... she has already played a part, see the link after THIS post to go to THAT post. (there must be an easier way to do that, I just haven't figured it out yet)

Anyway, back to the day yesterday. It was a gorgeous day and J. H. presented a lovely Swedish style lunch of open faced sandwiches, a beautiful vegetable salad and refreshing summer wine, as well as a Swedish Zoft (I believe that is what she called it) made with currants.

We sat out on the patio under the umbrella all afternoon and talked sewing, buttons, inspirations, challenges, opportunities, fears, challenges, it was a glorious afternoon!

It is the type of community that I exactly want to create with this blog!

We all left the day feeling inspired, validated, refreshed and excited to have new delightful group of people to share sewing and creativity with.

I wish I would have gotten permission to photograph the beautiful day and the presentation of the delicious lunch to share with you all. You will just have to take my word for it.

Think green, sunshine, birds, chipmunks and a cat. Add vintage buttons, fabric swatches, photocopies of pattern envelopes, laughter and a great collaboration of ideas! EG shared her challenges and triumphs, what a wealth of fabulous ideas and innovation that woman has! I am fortunate to have found such talented souls to play with! That is what the day consisted of.

These are not JH's sandwiches, but her's were very similar..

The summer wine... very refreshing indeed

We have all agreed that once a month is a great opportunity to meet, share ideas and progress!
Now, I have a garage full of boxes I need to get out and sort!

Have a beautiful August afternoon... wherever you are... seek out like-minded people and you will believe in things that you never dreamed possible.. especially yourself! It is the most empowering thing you can do for YOU!

Vibrant Threads: Sewing Lessons Resume

Vibrant Threads: Sewing Lessons Resume