Old but New Again..welcome Home , love Squiggee !!

Sometimes designs get misdirected..but eventually they land where they are suppose to be...the canvases at the top were designed in 2005 and were in the" by Gail' line....well the two on this series , shown above..."Mr. Jaques and Here Kitty " were updated here in Squiggeeland last year . The rest of this series, shown at the top of the blog will follow this year. These designs are based on old designs from the 20's and 30's........all they needed was a little updating and now will go through more transformation before they join the Squiggee Wholesale line....I have a love of Halloween and have two new Witchy Woos about to make their debut...It is funny here since the temperatures are still in the 90's as October approaches...but that will not deter us here..I will just turn up the a/c and imagine the crinkle of leaves...lol...so stay tuned....I already have a brand new Gingerbread Halloween house called Mr. Bones....and a model is being worked in Texas by MK as we speak...exciting....oh yeah !!!

Halloween Is Just Around The Corner !

To be honest...I think Halloween is my all time favorite holiday...it will be so strange living in an area where you won't smell the fireplaces , the nip in the air, the rustling of the leaves and the crunching when you step into the street on Halloween eve....when I was a kid this night was the biggest...bigger than Christmas....something about the spooky sky and being in costume made me shiver all over...
so when I look at a calendar and see that August is half over, my thoughts always turn to Halloween....
I have some new designs under wraps...which is always fun...and it is always best to burst forth when you have several, rather than the odd one canvas...Mrs. Frank Stein might even get a family this season...she has been lonely, but for the companion ,My Mummy, in the series...sometimes you get side tracked...but I have plans for the Stein family...lol
As promised a new Halloween Gingerbread house will be revealed...but right now it is off to be worked as a model...
I do sketches all the time when I have an idea, but time seems to be the enemy...now if I didn't have to sleep, I could get more done....today was filled with phone calls and one from a new shop owner...nice to see a new shop, as many older shop owners are retiring and closing their doors......without shops and the general public that purchase needlepoint I would just be some sad old lady designing shit that never goes anywhere...lol...anyway,it was nice to hear from a newbie....we laughed and had great fun talking about our dogs and her shop...
you know, you think you are strange because your dogs are a big part of your life...non-dog owners don't see it...this new shop owner told me how her friend had a Boston...and every Christmas they would put out the toy train around the bottom of their tree and load it with the dog's presents and watch the Boston chase the train and remove his gifts...and people say I am strange...lol....what a great visual I got from this story....so off to bed...early...our hours are all messed up...it is so hot you go to bed early so you can get a start on the day before the sun forces you to just call it quits...usually around 4:00pm...it is just sooooooo hot...
we haven't quite figured out how to drink gallons of water and not have to get up many times during the night...in a dry hot dessert climate, they really stress you drinking a lot of water...but I guess we will adjust..or not...I have tried to stop drinking in the early afternoon, but have awakened with no spit...really no spit...and when you are in spitting distance to so many things this is a problem...lol...just a little southwest humor !

The Devil Always Has Company !

As you can see we had two little devils in our house at on time...very scary........this was 2005 ! Miss Squiggee Buns and her older sister Miss Bubbles...

Something to get you in the MOOD !

Our First Doggie Halloweenie

I can remember it like yesterday...although it was October 1983....I was in a drug store in Frederick, Maryland ,buying some Halloween cards and there it was a little boo hat. I bought it, thinking how cute our first dog Woof Woof would look in it. He was four months old at the time and so cute. This tiny little papery hat started all our crazy dog snaps that have become an expected perk to our friends. Each and every dog has at some point had a silly Halloween picture taken, but Woofie was the roll model for them all. He was just such a perfect subject, letting me do all most anything to achieve a funny photo. Woofie would just sit still posing , calmly waiting for the click and then his treat. Most of our friend's children were disappointed that our dogs were not dressed when they visited as kids . ...lol... Noooooo....our dogs have always just been dogs, only dressed at the odd moment to amuse us and other the dog lovers among our friends.
FYI...Omar hasn't had his Halloween snap taken...I might have to drug him or tie him up...a little bondage snap...lol...he is not a fan of any kind of clothing... having to wear his collar was a stretch....oh well....but since he has turned into such a macho... always on alert dog...he has a new ID tag that just arrived with his new coming address...it is sliver and black...with skull and crossbones... kid you not...it was offered as a design...Miss Squig got a silver and pink shaped heart...after all pink is Squiggee's signature color .....
I have many Halloweenie dog snaps to share so stay tuned...

St. Charles ....ready set go.....

These two Little Halloweenies new from Squiggee designs are now on display at St. Charles.

Crane Cottage is having it's last cup of coffee now and in less than an hour will be open for inspection. They have a primo room right off the elevator, so they won't get lost in the shuffle.

I got a short email from Margaret and they are ready for action. I do hope they enjoy themselves.

Granted it is all about business, but face it, there are easier ways to make a living. But I am hoping Margaret will enjoy being on the other side of this trade. Till now she has been a consumer, which is a very good place to start. Sometimes I think the wholesale end of this business, forgets that it is the consumer that we all are out to please. Shops need to feel secure in doing business with someone that is down to earth and willing to make their experience non stressful. As a designer that has sampled all sides of this trade , and has been around since the early 70's, I have seen the trade grow and change, in great leaps and small little baby steps. My biggest concern always has been to be true to craft, with a fresh take on what is available in fibers and finishing techniques. Youngsters, would be horrified at how limited the fibers and finishing was when I first started. Like all art, it grows and is fueled by someone willing to push the boat out a little. Technology and programs that produce printed canvases, are fine , but there is one thing that must remain the same. The artist, that is the fuel that makes this business run. It is always nice to see a young new artist that is true to the craft, come onto the scene. By true, I mean being able to create a hand-stitch painted canvas that is concise and well executed, in design and color.

This is not an easy task. Ask anyone that has tried to paint a canvas, it sounds easy, but in practice, tedious and time consuming. One of the most underpaid and thankless jobs, is the painter that copies you original canvas...a stock painter. Believe me, if you want a job that is underpaid and boring you couldn't do better. That is how I started , and soon determined that I should master the canvas and get into designing. All designers at one time or another have had to produce a copy of their work, what if you were asked to paint 20 at a sitting, that is a horse of a different color ! I have a great respect for the nameless painters that take one of my designs and producing a flawless copy. By flawless, I mean such a precise copy that it is hard for me to tell it is not my own painted original. There again it is the copy artist that is the fuel that makes this business possible....two artists in tandem, the creator and the copier. There is no mystery to what I do , anymore than any other profession, talent plays it's part, but down to earth hard work is what it is all about. So people when you see the new designs in you local shops, take a pause to appreciate all that goes into that little canvas....artist, copy artist, wholesaler, retailer, and consumer. Your work as a needlepoint artist passes through so many hands , before it reaches you as the buyer.

Then the final phase, the fiber fairy and the amazing finishers ...that cherry on top. The finishers are artists in their own right, and if you dismiss what they do as just crafty, take a look at your piece when it comes back to you....it is a humbling experience...because I can create a fun design, pick fibers and work it, but if I finished it, it would be fit for my home maybe, but certainly not display....I actually want people to purchase my designs, and my finishing would be the big turn-off...lol

My my I do go on today......just chatty . I do have a serious side...so saying that

the purple spider canvas is called "Sixteen Legs", and the demented pumpkin is

"Mr. Jacques", I thought the sequin leaf eye brows made him look French ! Mr. Jacques was originally part of my line by Gail ....but he has had a make-over and joined the Squiggee family.

The Squiggee family seems to be growing these days, and think it all started with a little brass paw print charm on ebay......makes you almost believe in the tooth fairy !

Still Peaking at St. Charles

This is another New Squiggee Designs Halloween canvas that is headed to St. Charles called "Spooky" . Here in Squiggeeland we are getting all excited at the debut of our great new distributor, CRANE COTTAGE, soon to be loved by all that meet them. Squiggee Designs and gcHendrix Designs are distributed exclusively by Margaret Travis and David Crane. Brand new to the trade, Margaret has a real and true love of the craft. Both are striving to make this line accessible, with the an emphasis on customer service. Margaret and David are a delight, and so very organized, a big plus in this business. So, when you drop by to see them in St. Charles,................just say.............."hi .... Squiggee sent me !"

Peaking !

Here's another Squiggee Design that will be at St. Charles....called " here kitty !"....
this puss was from my line under by gail , and I took him and shaped him( he was tiny and on 18st.) and changed some colors and gave him some great little jewels in his eyes so he could join the Squiggee Family

it never hurts looking at past designs in a new light .....meowwwwwwwwwwwww !

Mr. Squiggee always sings .."what's new pussycat "when he sees this design !

St. Charles Sneak Peak !

Here is another new design that will be seen at St. Charles....It's called " Wickedly Green "....

A shelf portrait some days.....especially Mondays...anyway she will be in St. Charles adding her brand of Halloween spirits to Squiggee Designs....

FYI her beauty marks or moles...lol........are real tiny black crystals as is the tiny clear one in her eye.....just think the fun she would give you in picking the fibers, which is a particular favorite part that we here in Squiggeeland love............oooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww fibers !