Andrea Zuill’s Blog

Ranchita is a little high desert town East of where I live.  Often in search of hiking or just a drive we make our way to Ranchita.  The last 2 times I was there I noticed a huge Yeti between the store and real estate office.  The question that hit me was, Why?  Ranchita in in Southern California so even if there was a sighting of a creature it would probably be brown, like a big foot, not a white Yeti.  I Googled “Yeti and Ranchita”  and came up with the artist website, http://www.roadsidemonster.com/ .  On this site you can see more images of the monsters, why and how they where made, and, if you feel so inclined, you may purchase one. I just wish I was rich.

I am following your lead.  It looks like the fantasy creatures are very popular.  So, in keeping with that theme I present Spring Pixie.  For beginners, you don’t want to do this pattern too small.  It has a little more detail than I usually put in my patterns which can be difficult if you don’t have much experience. 

Click on the image to get the full size pattern.

Remember, if you use my pattern please let me know and I will post your stitchery on my blog!

Here is bunch of new paintings. 

Black and White Face, Oil on Canvas, 36″ x 36″

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Red Face, Oil on Canvas, 36″ x 36″

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Here are two more stitchers who had their ways with my free patterns!

Kat did the Love Bear.  You can see her blog at http://projectthreesixtyfive.blogspot.com/2008/03/84-love-bear.html

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Claudia Marchán stitched my Disgruntled Gnome on a Tea Towel and made a mate for it, on another towel, using a pattern provided by

doe·c·doe ( http://doecdoe.blogspot.com/) . 

 Take a look at Claudia Marchan’s blog at http://claudiamarchan.blogspot.com/

Check out Claudia’s  store at Etsy: www.stitchado.etsy.com

There is a great blog and more patterns to be had at doe-c-doe’s http://doecdoe.blogspot.com/

I just finished another painting.  It’s one of the native/tribal girls.

Girl with Large Headdress, oil on Canvas, 36″ x 36″

Henry Darger: Art and Selected Writings
One thing that I haven’t talked about much in my blog is my love for outsider art.  I love it because under the title of outsider you find the mentally ill, eccentric,  and people that don’t quite fit in with “normal” society creating in a entirely unfiltered manner.  As many of you know, the urge to create is pretty much a complusion for many of us.  Consider then, what if you where an outsider - and for the most part unconcerned or even unaware of the happenings of the world, outside of your own?

Such is the case of Henry Darger.  Darger was born in 1892 . In the 1930’s Darger moved into a apartment that for the next 40 years he would create The Realms of the Unreal and the Vivian Girls.  The book, Henry Darger, Art and Selected Writings by Michael Bonesteel, contains Dargers biography and the discovery of his life’s work, and of course, his artwork and writings. I won’t go into to much detail about everything in this book, but the artwork is weird, beautiful and unsettling.   

p.s. - One disturbing thing in this book is that the little girls have penises.  It is thought that he had no knowledge of the female anatomy.

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Two more wonderful people have stitched some of my patterns.  This is so cool.  It makes me feel like I have made a difference in the world, or at least there are a lot more embroidered unicorns and gnomes.

This Disgruntled Gnome (he is really not disgruntled, he just has gas) was stitched from the magical fingers of Amy of Early Bird Special/SewWabiSabi. You can see all about Amy at . . .

www.EarlyBirdSpecial.etsy.com     

www.flickr.com/people/sewwabisabi

http://ebscrafts.blogspot.com

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Meggan, from iopom, stitched up this beautimuss pegasus.

You can see Meggan’s blog at www.oipom.com

Hum, maybe my next pattern should be a gnome riding a unicorn.

      Well, I started my new quilt.  I am happy with the colors, but I will be playing around with the layout more.  It will be real interesting when I add that large white panels.  I never added large panels to a quilt before.

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I have several different novelty fabrics that I will never use and thought maybe some of you would like to trade.  All these fabrics have themes or are large print which I don’t use anymore.  I would be willing to trabe for small print, brightly colored fabric (1/4 yds or larger), or maybe something else fun.  I don’t want real vintage fabrics because they rot sooner than new fabric.  I have found 3 different fabrics so far, but I know that I have a lot more somewhere.

Click on the images below for a larger view.

Little Girl Print Cloth, 45″ x 2 yds.

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Screen Printed Fabric, 45″ x 1yd and 28″

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    The Queen quilt is dead. Yes, dead. I started on the embroidery and a little of the applique last night and I got bored. Quilting at night is one of the most soothing things I do all day. It usually excites me and challenges me. The Queen quilt is too much like my paintings. I need my quilts to bring different feelings out of me. So, the Queen is dead.
But, I think this next quilt might make it all the way to the end.

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