Lampshades

My first inspiration for these lampshades came from stained glass.  These shades are quite versatile due to the size and flexibility of shape and colour.  It is a lot of fun to play with the beading, colour, and create custom designs.  I also did some hand beading for a designer. The effect is beautiful and time consuming to achieve, but worth every minute. I like to use mostly cotton batik. They work so well with the light and are easy to handle. I also use antique sari ribbon, woven fabric, satins and silks.  Anything is possible.

Illustration: A Tale for Rose

I wrote a story a while back and shortly thereafter created the illustrations to go with it.  I was pregnant when I wrote the story, and the illustrations came when Rose was only 2 months old.  

I wanted the illustrations to be bright and vivid, not only with 

colour, but with movement.  I had a great deal of fun.

Illustration

These first illustrations were for a friend having her first child. I wanted to do something timeless, so I chose some Mother Goose.  It was quite a challenge to find poetry that was not dated.  

Illustration: Ride a Cock Horse

Illustration: Hickory Dickory Dock

  

Illustration:  Wee Willy Winky

Quilting

I absolutely love colour and texture. Quilting provides me with the opportunity to experiment with both. I like to use cotton batik, flannels, wool, and ribbon. I have made baby quilts, a king size quilt made of all warm fabric (flannel, wool, sherpa), and some quilts that have colours in them that just required putting together and displaying because they are so beautiful.

Woodworking

This piece started as a vague idea. I wanted to make a piece traditionally. So I started by drawing a design for the base. The top I was less clear about at the beginning. The outside case of the base is constructed with one piece of mahogany. The grain therefore wraps around the case. The drawer faces are consistent with the front board. The case is assembled with graduated hand chiseled dovetails, as are the drawers. Each drawer has a hand planed bottom tapered to fit snug and therefore not needing any hardware.

The right top for this piece kept me thinking for many weeks. I wanted this piece to look very organic. The base is so hard and solid that the top was going to need extra-organic if I wanted to get the look I was searching for. Finding the right wood was essential. I chose this sequoia for it's complementary colouring and for the relative ease of carving. After much chiseling, hammering, carving and sanding, a top was born. It is attached to the base using buttons.

The finish for this piece has to be of quality but also of durability. The base is 4 coats oil based polyurethane, sanded in between each coat with finer and finer sand paper. The top is 4 coats of water based polyurethane to prevent yellowing with age and to prevent cracking in the finish of such soft wood. The entire piece is then steel wooled, waxed, and polished with a clear wax. The end result of such a finish is silky soft. When you touch the finish, and I want people to touch it, you can feel the twists and turns in the wood. This is the kind of furniture that you will gently let your hand feel each time you walk past it.

This credenza is for sale.