Thursday, July 19, 2012

DIY: The Gladys Presley Poodle Dress

Look, ma, no arms!
 Today I can proudly say I accomplished somethings. That's right, plural. Most days I'm lucky if I can accomplish a good hair washing (which, ahem, today was not one of those days) but today I was all about finishing somethings off: decorating the thematic area of my art room (cannot wait to share that with you!) and this here dress.
Now you can see the real reason I was hiding my hands. And why I couldn't wash my hair today -- I'd never remember to pick up bananas if I did!
 You might recognize this dress pattern if you've been reading for a while. It's the same pattern I used to create my Empire Strikes Back dress for Star Wars Weekends. You remember, the one where I almost got Boba Fett's digits if hubs hadn't blown my cover. Take a look-see here if you need a refresher.
I'm currently on a big time 1950's poodle kick. When I share my art room decor with you, you'll see what I mean.
 You might also recall this little prissy poodle. This was my traveling DIY I worked on while overseas. I based the poodle off of the little pups found on the wallpaper in Gladys Presley's bathroom. You can read all about that and my trip to Graceland here.
How do you know when it's time to wash your hair? When hubs refers to it as "troll hair". Since when do trolls rock bump-its, I ask you?
 I was so excited when we returned from our trip to finish this dress. I've decided to create a couple of thematic dresses for this school year and this one ties in perfectly with one project idea I have in mind. 
A close up of the wallpaper in Gladys Presley's bathroom. Do you see the poodle I used as my inspiration? I added the beret.
 Despite the fact that I've now sewn three dresses from this same pattern (what? practice makes perfect-ish), I struggle with it every time. I blame bad memory and an inability to understand long sentences that don't involve multiple pictures. In color. With cute cartoon characters. Talking poodles would be good.

Did I mention that part of the problem might also be my undiagnosed ADHD?
Oh, look, I'm having another one of my pharmaceutical-drug-ad-photo-moments: If you suffer from the inability to read multiple sentences without talking cartoon poodles, ask your doctor about NotBeingaCrazyPerson. Possible side effects of taking NotBeingaCrazyPerson include: acting like a grown up, not wearing bump-its, and washing your hair. Use as directed.
 But it all came together. Finally. I can actually say that I no longer dread putting in the armhole facing-thingies. I mean, as a self-taught sewer (well, with the help of my Memphis bud) but I can easily say that sewing from a pattern really is just a matter of following the directions. And seam ripping. Lots of seam ripping.
I am so in love with this puppy print. I'm sending some off to the amazing Jen of Peachy Tuesday. I cannot wait to see what adorable hair accessories she creates with this.
 Along the way, I discovered this fabric designer: Tammis Keefe. Have you heard of her? This fabric is actually a reproduction of a printed pattern from many years ago. It's funny, without my knowing it, I have recently purchased three of her fabric designs. I love her style, it' so stinkin' cute.
El Fronto.

La Backo. Looks like someone needs to add a hook and eye to the top of the dress. Or just lay some dirty hair over it. Which is most likely.
 Well,  now that it's finished, I wonder what Gladys would have thought of my dress...or better yet, her hunky son...
Well, that looks like a wink of approval to me, E. Thank ya.
I keep having these dofus moments where I don't make it in front of the camera in time. Which results in these kind of shots. Whatcha think, E?


Yeah, it's a stare I'm used to.
Do you know this lady? Elvis did, if that give you a hint.
So, there you have it. My completed Gladys Presley Poodle Dress. Now, if I could get my hair to Priscilla Presley Perfection, I'd be out of Troll Hair Land and into Mushroom Cloud Hair Territory. It's good to have something to aspire to. 

Be sure to drop by within the next couple of days to see my art room. Here's a hint on the theme: it is Tres Magnifique!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Summer Adventure: TN Arts Academy

Warm Color Lady Bugs Buggin' Out by Emily Moseley of Memphis
One of my favorite annual summertime adventures (second only to this summertime fun) is Tennessee Arts Academy. I've already went on about it here, so I'll save you the displeasure of hearing me repeat myself (I'll save that for dear ole hubs). However, I did want to share with you some art lessons and techniques from the instructors and my fellow art buddies.

For the week of the academy, the art teachers are separated into two groups: elementary and secondary. Each group attends a two day workshop with one instructor and then another two day'er with a different instructor. For the elementary art teachers, we had the pleasure spending our first couple of days with the awesome art teacher Elizabeth Willett.
One of my favorite things is seeing the different takes on a single project idea. I love how this elementary art teacher incorporated nature into her sculpture.
Elizabeth has taught elementary, been a rep for Crayola and is now back in the classroom. She's also in charge of putting together the NAEA Conference which is in her hometown of Fort Worth. I've never been to Texas before, so I'm really stoked about the conference.
I was also thrilled with the lessons she shared with us. We worked with Crayola's Model Magic to create the insect sculptures that you see. All of the lessons Elizabeth shared incorporated math, science and language arts. We were given a fantastic bibliography and a ton of Crayola's Dream Maker's lesson plans. This lesson focused on science with the theme being insects and their surroundings.
Okay, I'm just gonna say it: whenever I attend these art teacher inservices I feel soo intimidated. And is it any wonder why? These art teachers are artists. What lucky kids their students are!
Another wonderful lesson was mask making. The mask base was one made from paper that I believe was picked up from Dick Blick. From there, themes about cultures and/or identity could be covered. Again, it was a thrill to see the assortment of ideas. The above was created with Model Magic which will adhere to the paper mask without glue.
My friend Ann Wolfe created this mask. She told me that she added the Model Magic and once that was stuck, she painted the entire mask with watercolor paint. The black accents were created with a sharpie and the texture on the paper part of the mask were created with the back of her brush.
I am working on creating a Venetian Mask lesson for my fourth graders this year and this lesson has given me so many new ideas.
Yes, those are paperclips protruding from van Gogh's hat. Just in case you wanna lend him an ear. Sadly I didn't catch the artist who created this piece.
This lesson was one that integrated language arts. The premise was that the children create a tin foil armature and attach that to the lid of a jar with masking tape. Flattened pieces of Model Magic are shaped over the armature to create the face. Paper clips are added to the head to hold words that are being learned. Once the vocabulary is mastered, the paper strips of words are placed in the jar.

Model Magic is a different world that clay. I found it to be like sculpting with a marshmallow (which apparently I suck at). This art teacher had the right idea by adding the 'Magic on in bits.
Just adorable.
This one was created by Nashville elementary art teacher Tina Atkinson. If you know her, you know this looks just like her! Minus the purple/pink/blue hair of course. You can see the vocabulary words on her paperclips here.
My friend Ann's adorable gyotaku.
For this lesson, Elizabeth focused on geography and took us on a trip to Japan. We sampled some food (sea weed, anyone?) and created these gyotakues on muslin. The Japanese tradition is to make a print of a fish that was caught to remember the size and the beauty of the fish.
Beautifully bound and decorated book by an elementary art teacher.
The following two days were spent with Bookbinding Pros David and Julie Williams. We created several books and learned many different bookmaking techniques. I learned that as much as I love embroidery, sewing these books up was more than my pea-sized brain could handle. Thankfully, I made some buddies that bound my books for me when I was busy thumping my head against the wall.
Stunning, right? I will never understand those that can watercolor.
Now, on to the secondary art teacher folks. Since I wasn't in their class, I am not sure what they were instructed on but their work was too beautiful not to share. For this class titled Mixed-Media Blitz, the had the super sweet and amazing Linda Peterson.
Pretty Poppy by Jo Ellen Thatcher.
Hilarious! Not sure of the artist but love this just the same.
Darling Dachshunds by Michelle Malencha
Linda Peterson, the instructor, is an incredible calligrapher. She showed me some calligraphy tips and she made it look so easy (and, honestly, it was!). For this lesson, a simple animal was drawn, calligraphy was added and shading was the final touch.
Created in two days. Wow.
The other instructor for the secondary art teachers was Sheri Treadwell. Sheri's class was amazing, I so wish I could have attended hers as well. She demonstrated creating a bust and adding a head. None of the artists were allowed to create a sketch prior to beginning their sculpture. This really helped the artists step out of their comfort zone and create something that even surprised them.
Love the snotty snout and the spiral repeated in the bun, the earrings and the necklace.
Sigh. Can you see why I just love the Tennessee Arts Academy? I was in my art room today with a bah-jillion ideas bouncing around my head. I'd say I can't wait until school starts...but that'd just be crazy talk.

TAA friends, if I have shown your artwork here but failed to recognize you, please leave a comment below with your name and I'll be certain to give you credit. Thank you!









Friday, July 13, 2012

What the Art Teacher Wore #25

Geez, Guess Who's Excited Monday: One of my favorite things about summer is being a helper (ahem, a facilitator) at Tennessee Arts Academy. If you dunno about the 'Academy and you are an arts teacher, you must check it out. It is by far the best professional development around. dress: vintage, picked up on my trip to Amsterdam; belt: made by me; sandals: old, Target
 Hi, friends! I hope your week has been Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I have spent the last seven days with the most incredible artists and arts teachers around. I cannot wait to share with you all of the art lesson ideas I've gathered over the last couple of days. I feel so energized (well, after a big fat hairy nap) and excited about the new school year. If you are an arts teacher, please don't pass up the opportunity to attend the Tennessee Arts Academy next summer. And don't let the name throw you, anyone from anywhere can attend. Registration begins in the fall, so visit their website often to secure your spot (okay, unpaid advertisement over).

The biggest highlight was having the opportunity to meet, listen to and hear the singing voice of one of America's greatest song writers. Richard Sherman and his brother Robert started their song writing career by writing the top 10 hit Tall Paul for the Mouseketeer Annette Funicello (this youtube link is a must see!). This lead to them being approached by the great Walt Disney to write some songs for a little movie project he was working on. But more that later...
Recognize this ride? It's one of my Disney favorites, from the design by Mary Blair to that little ditty that resides in one's head long after the trip around a Small World. Image found here.
 First lemme introduce you to the brothers that wrote one of the world's most recognizable Sherman Brother's tunes, It's a Small World. Richard Sherman shared with us the amazing story of how this song came to be: back in 1964, Walt Disney created this ride for the New York World's Fair UNICEF Children of the World pavilion...a mouthful, right? The Sherman Brothers thought so too.
Finally the Rain Comes Tuesday: dress: vintage with Naughty Nautical Girls embroidered by me; belt and hair flower clip: made by me; anchor sandals: Sperry, last summer

The design of It's a Small World is by one of my favorite Disney artists, Mary Blair. I think I need this image in my classroom this year since we are traveling the world in art.
They asked Disney if they could possibly shorten the name of the song and he agreed. He told them, 'it just needs to be about small children around the world and I need it yesterday!' The brothers set to work in a panic. Thankfully, they seemed to work well under pressure. While Richard sat at the piano, he and his brother bounced back and fourth: 
"Small Children..."
"Children of the World..."
"Small World..."
"It's a Small World!"
Tall Cassie Wednesday: The combination of 4" wedges and 3" hair had me leering over my good friend Debbie all day. We had quite a laugh and I enjoyed that I could easily put her in a choke hold when necessary. dress: vintage, thrifted; shoes: Anthro, sale; belt: gift from a friend with flower added by me

The opening of the ride in 1966. Image found here.
 Now when the brothers wrote "It's a Small World", they wrote it as a song. It was Walt Disney that put the song to that tempo that causes the song to stay with your for days, weeks and months. A pleasant reminder of a sweet song, says me.
Thursday, Darling: Every morning I was in a hurry to get to the Academy so my photos this week are a bit rushed. Notice I'm wearing my name tag in this photo, oops! dress: vintage, gift from a sweet friend; owl sandals: Anthro, last year; belt: Pinkyotto; sweater: ebay; headband:  from the best hair accessory maker around Peachy Tuesday

From left to right, Robert Sherman, Richard Sherman and Walt Disney. Awesome.
 Mr. Sherman also shared with us the story behind the songs of Mary Poppins: when Walt Disney first approached the brothers it was to work on these songs. Walt discovered the stories about the magical nanny through his daughters who adored reading the books of  P.L. Travers. Apparently, Ms. Travers was not an easy one to work with and obtaining the rights proved to be no small feat. But, as you know, Walt was able to and the rest is history.
From left to right: Richard Sherman, Julie Andrews, Dick van Dyke, Robert Sherman
 Mr. Sherman told us a little back story about the casting of Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins. Apparently, Julie Andrews almost didn't take the gig. She had her sights set on the role of Eliza Doolittle in the movie production of My Fair Lady which she'd performed on Broadway for many years. Hollywood decided that she was too much of an unknown and went with Audrey Hepburn instead. The moment Audrey got the role in My Fair Lady, Julie called Walt and said, "okay, when do we begin Mary Poppins?" Julie Andrews went on win an Academy Award for her role. Take that, Hollywood.
And Now It's Time to Say Goodbye: The last day of the Arts Academy is always a toughie. I make so many new friends and reunite with old ones, it's bummer to bid adieu. dress: Okay, don't hate me but I found this ANTHRO dress at GOODWILL (yes, this is worth shouting over). The original $298 dollar price tag was still on the dress and I got it for...$7.99. shoes: Anthro, sale

This photo makes me so incredibly happy! It is a Small World, after all!
After hearing Richard Sherman share these stories and sing his songs from Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang, Winnie the Pooh and, of course, It's A Small World, I was just completely star struck. Sadly, the stars were not aligned for me to meet him as the chance never came up. Until this afternoon at the final reception when I found him sitting at the table next to mine. He graciously agreed to a photo ("Well, sure, sweetie!") after I gushed on and on about how much I loved his songs. What an incredible song writer and gentleman.

Have the loveliest of weekends, friends! I hope you make it Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Monday, July 9, 2012

In the Art Room: Weaving, The Final Chapter

When weaving with children, you might be surprised to find that the boys enjoy this activity the most...as long as you don't call the completed weaving a purse, that is. 
 As I wrap up this weaving mini-series, I thought I'd leave you with the following: a little bibliography, weaving finishing touches and my secret to getting these pouches completed without taking half of the school year. In case you missed, here is Weaving, Part 1: Getting Started; Part 2: Learning to Weave; Part 3: Removing the Weaving and Part 4: Weaving the Cord.
My Weaving Bible: You Can Weave! By the amazing Kathleen Monaghan.
 This week, I'm currently at the world's best arts professional development: Tennessee Arts Academy. Several years ago, the author of You Can Weave!, Kathleen Monaghan, was a presenter and she was incredible. Her book is full of clearly written and photographed projects, tips and tricks. I can't recommend it enough.
The ole standby: Goat in a Rug
 I don't just weave with fourth grade, I begin weaving with first grade. You can see their completed weavings here. And the book I use to introduce them to the world of weaving is this one, Goat in a Rug. It's told from the perspective of the goat whose mohair is used by the Native American, Glenmae, to create a rug. It's the perfect balance of factual and funny.
Sometimes the best books are the ones found in the dollar bin, like this one, Grandmother's Dreamcatcher.
 With my second grade, we create quasi dream catchers. The kids love this book as they sympathize with with the main character who is cursed with bad dreams. The author does an excellent job of explaining the origin of the dreamcather and it's believed powers.
This is like the older kids' version of The Goat in the Rug: Weaving a Rainbow.
 This book is an excellent one in that it re-explains to the kids the process of creating wool yarn. This year, we had fun reading this book and dying our own wool yarn with Kool-Aid ice cubes during our science experiment time.
 Now, let's talk weaving finishing touches: Getting rid of that pesky warp tail. To do this, the kids will need a needle (I don't recommend this kind but it's all I had on hand. My kids use 3" plastic or metal needles) and a small folded piece of paper for a needle threader.
 We call the small folded paper the "hot dog bun" and the thread the "hot dog". Put the hot dog in the bun and slide the bun into the eye of the needle.
 Now pull the hot dog bun off of the hot dog thread and, viola!, you have just threaded a needle. No wetting the end of the thread and spreading nasty germs required.
 Now weave your needle in and out of your woven pouch until you run out of warp thread. Pull needle off and you're done. No knotting needed.
 For button sewing, I usually have a sewing circle. The kids pull their chairs up and we sew the buttons on step by step. We begin by threading and knotting our needle. Find a good place on the pouch to pull the needle through like you see in the above photo.
 Slide your button down the needle and thread. Sew a couple of stitches to secure the button. By the way, you'll notice that in the photos of the kids pouches, we use pony beads instead of buttons.
 Now sew a double knot in the back. To create a button hole, just separate the weft threads on the flap and force the button through.
 You can have the kids go about sewing the cord two ways, on the side, like I have done, or across. I began by threading and knotting my needle and pulling the needle through the cord, as shown above.
 Secure the cord onto the pouch with a couple of stitches. If you are sewing the cord across, you'll have a little more sewing to do.

 I will say that the end of this year sneaked up on me and I was in a real bind. The kids did not have time to do the sewing themselves as they had done in the past. Thankfully, I had some very kind parents that took the sewing task on themselves. If you don't have a Mom Army, you need to get one. They have been an incredible source of support in my art room.

Now, just how do we manage to get these pouches woven in 30 minute art classes? After I am confident that the kids understand how to weave, I let them take their weavings home. That's right, they leave my room with a giant zip lock bag with their loom, needle, twenty strands of yarn and a note home that reads something along these lines:

Dear Fourth Grade Students and Guardians, I would not be sending this weaving kit home with you if I did not believe you were mature enough to handle the responsibility. This weaving is not homework so work on it when you have the time. You are to bring this weaving with you each time you have art class. If you forget your weaving, you will receive one reminder before a phone call will be placed. If you lose your weaving, your needle or any part of your weaving kit, it will not be replaced. Have fun and weave!
I know what you are thinking: that would never work for me! Well...it doesn't always work for me either. There's always the kid whose dog devours their weaving, whose kid brother flushes it down the toilet, whose mom accidentally throws it away. So, you make exceptions. You quietly slip those kids a new loom or needle and tell 'em not to spread the word to their buddies that you are actually a softie.

I also promise a grand reward to those that remember to bring their weaving back the following art class (a blow pop is the preferred dangling carrot of choice). But I only do that once. After that, the kids become very competitive. "I have four inches woven, how many do you have?!" Which morphs into, "I finished my flap, what about you?!" This positive peer pressure pushes the kids toward finishing their weavings. 

It's not a perfect system. There are some kids that don't have time or care to weave at home. And that's fine. They can work on their weavings during in-between-project time in art class. As for the early finishers, the kids get to keep their looms and needles, so they can rewarp their looms and begin a second weaving. This year, I had one student that wove five pouches (with cord handles!) in her spare time.

I have been doing this weaving project with my fourth grade students for many years. This is a project they look forward to since the first grade. I believe that excitement is what makes this weaving unit so successful. 

I do hope you've found this weaving series helpful. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas. I look forward to hearing more from you!