making yuma

Oh, Yuma, you sweet jungle kitty.

For each portrait, I throw together a scrap paper envelope to keep the pattern and fabric pieces together. Sometimes the envelopes become an extension of my journal. Yuma's envelope has a quote from George Malendez Wright, age 29:

"If we destroy nature blindly, it is a boomerang which will be our undoing. Consecration to the task of adjusting ourselves to [the] natural environment so that we secure the best values from nature without destroying it is not useless idealism; it is good hygiene for civilization.”

I was probably watching National Parks: America's Best Idea. I think Yuma could survive in our wild National Parks. He's an American jungle kitty.

Yuma is a smidgen bigger than the other kitties I've sewn. I knew his jet black face would look nice against his longer, rugged gray collar, and this size seemed suitable for the juxtaposition.

To create the collar, I sewed gray loops into the bottom felt layer repeatedly. I created a large loop with my finger, gingerly pulling the needle through but not tying it off. You have to be careful not to move too quickly, and end up pulling several loops through. If you do this enough times, the shear volume of loops creates stability. Finally, I went through and cut all of the loops, leaving whispy, long gray layers.

Hope to see you again real soon Yuma!

the story of yuma

Once upon a time, we called Yuma Baby Yuma. Baby Yuma is no longer a baby. He's a jungle cat. I've heard stories of Yuma climbing the tallest trees, jumping across fence boundaries, and bringing home the hunt. This beast inspires fear in his foes -- but he's a loving furrball to his hominid owners, Annie and Mike.  Mike is Dave's brother, and both Annie and Mike are very special to me. They live with Yuma in Tucson, Arizona, where Mike is working on his MFA. So I suppose he's more of a desert kitty than a jungle kitty.

When we first met Yuma, he was but a wee kitty. The four of us were at Renee's for a weekend around the holidays, and Yuma was in tow. At 1.5 lbs., Yuma howled like a lion when it was time to eat. He would get on his hind legs, howl from deep in his belly, and walk on two paws in a circle as if he had never been fed before in his life. This happened every 6-12 hours. Voracious little kitty.

He found a special place in my heart. Yuma was a wonderful pet to create - look at that mane.

Dave, Me, Mike and Annie - Torrey Pines State Park, CA May 2013

In June, Yuma's parents are getting married. Mazel Tov, Annie and Mike! Yuma will not be in attendance, but many people that I love and adore will be, as well as many new faces. I better get to making wedding gifts soon!

But before I do, I'll tell you the story of how I made Yuma - here's the 'making of' post.

the story of miso

Miso is a cocker-poodle. I don't know Miso very well. But I do know poodles are hypoallergenic, and I also know that they're one of the lovingest pups on the planet, so Miso is already a catch in my book.

I tried a new technique for the nose, and I'm very happy with the look.

What a sweet pup. Now, I am fond of this dog I don't know, but I have to make an example of his owner because I love my patrons and these portraits are expensive - I want you to get every penny of likeness of your pet. The picture above is challenging to make a portrait out of - the black haired dog is backlit, and he's blocked by a similarly-colored couch. I had to give my best guess at the right ear, and the mouth (your dog's smile that you love), is hard to see. The more likeness your picture has to the pet you love, the better my interpretation will be.

Here's a good example of a pet picture for my portraits:

This is Tilly! I love this picture for a few reasons: she is brightly lit - I see all of her curves and muscles, her color is rich, and that smile looks so natural - one that her owner probably recognizes very well :).

But I don't want Miso's owner to feel bad. That picture isn't bad. I'm just obsessed with making sure it's just right! :) Merry Christmas, Miso!

making R2

What a doll, this R2. Are you kidding me with that smile? Looking back on 'making of' posts, I thought that it would be cool to really show the making of - a relative step-by-step of the process. Just add 1 million hours of stitching to this, and the process is complete!

I tape the sheets to a window for a light box.

I used to draw the patterns free-hand. After my first three pet portraits back in 2009, it became clear that the construction and embroidery took long enough. Adding the extra step of drawing the pattern by scratch only complicates the part of the process that is not visible. Sizing the photo in Gimp and tracing at a window saves about an hour.

The drawing always looks a little funny. Sometimes the edge of the fur is not captured properly in the trace, and the animal ends up looking a little gaunt. This can be easily corrected with long tufts of "fur" (thread), but it's easier to work with more fabric than less, of course.

The next photo shows what may seem like an obvious breakthrough, but took me 5 pet portraits to figure out:

Why am I tracing the photo? I can just cut it. And I can easily print a replica if I need to make different cuts. At this point, pattern creating takes 10 minutes. Significant improvement from 1.5 hours! Duh.

I will say, though - I am working on a portrait now from a medium-quality cell phone pic. The dog has dark hair, so the print is terrible. This piece required some hand drawing of the pattern. I don't mind having to do this every once in a while, but having a high-quality photo means that more time will be spent on capturing the pet's look with the embroidery - the best part!

Luckily for me, Skye is an extraordinary photographer. She always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Which means lots of adorable dog pics. In the picture above, the first layer of the ears is finished. More was added to the ears as I introduced creams and whites to the face.

This is the part of the process when I become obsessed. Once the portraits start to resemble their subjects, I struggle to put them down. I am so eager to see where the piece is going to take me. I'm often surprised by them. I set out to capture the subject, but I never know how I'm going to do it.

Sometimes the stitches are very expressive. Others are detailed and deliberate. Sometimes I weave three different stitch types into one, and other times I aim to perfect a particular one. Because I'm all over the place - they always surprise me.

I keep envelopes of thread scraps categorized  by color. When I have to sew a detail, like the tongue, I never cut a new piece of embroidery. I look to the scrap envelopes for a suitable color.

I was so happy with R2. I decided to use him as a model for a pin. Even before this picture was taken, I had added R2's neck. Because I try to keep all components of the piece modular, I was able to remove the neck in a few minutes, and add it back after I was finished with the photo shoot.

R2 ultimately became an ornament. I tend to recommend ornaments to people because they can be easily handled. I've seen people add small hooks to their bedside and hang the portrait year round, or place the ornament in a plant on the sill year round. That way, you can grab it every once in a while when you walk by. They feel great in the hand.

the story of R2

R2 - the world's most adorable pup - belongs to a dear friend, Skye. Skye was my suite mate freshman year at MassArt. Photos of us circa 2003 are on an old computer, so instead I'll get straight to the cute and give you photos of R2.

Beautiful Skye and smiley face R2

OF COURSE I'LL BE YOURS!

R2 lives with his mommy Skye in Maui, HI. Baby R2 had to spend 6 months in quarantine before he could join Skye on the island (rabies does not exist on the islands, and they'd like to keep it that way...understandable). That separation seemed like a good reason to recreate R2. Though, truth be told, I got caught up making pet portraits for family, and it took me some time to get around to this little pup.

Skye is one of the most delightful folks I know. It's been wonderful stalking her on Facebook catching beautiful glimpses of her full life on Instagram. But now I'd like to come traipse through the Hawaiian jungles and volcanoes with the two of them in person! Look at that righteous surfer dude! Oh and it would be really nice to my old friend too :).

Dogs like this need accessories.

Happy to oblige. Miss you oodles, Skye! xoxo

making veronica

Veronica baby, you makin' me crazy.

Veronica was my muse. In November of 2012, I set a lofty goal of 5 pet portraits by Christmas. On the 25th of December, we were to drive from Massachusetts to Philly to spend a couple days with my boyfriend Dave's family. I knew this goal was ambitious, and at some point during a mild panic in mid-December, I decided I would gift his family half-finished pets. They'd get the eventually, and at least they'd see the thought at Christmas.

Part of the reason I was behind is that Veronica's fur drove me to distraction. Her complex fur composition had me distracted for weeks.

Veronica was composed of three fabric pieces. Her construction was quite simple. Her fur, however, is variegated and carries a lot of depth. Each strand has stripes of its own, creating layers of dimension. On top of this are many stripes and spots.

I was so excited to recreate her fur. I couldn't match the beige outer tones of her fur with the perfect fabric or embroidery floss. In lieu of the perfect color, I used color pointillism to create hue change in the beige where necessary. This helped to create the depth of color I was drawn to in Veronica's fur.

I made dozens of tiny stitches. I made so many that by the end, it was difficult to pierce through the embroidery floss web on the back of the piece.

Playing with the portrait. She ultimately became an ornament.

"I Love Myself" ~ Courtesy of TWPowell

Veronica, like many muses, wore me out. I grew tired of trying to capture the varied points of color accents. Embroidery has many limitations, and with a subject as detailed as Veronica, and a palette as small as my 1.3 square in. fabric cut-out, there's only so much that can be done.

This is where it's time to get creative. I am a detail person. I like to think about the details. But I also love problem solving. And this was a problem to be solved. I decided to focus on her most striking features, make them bold, and compliment them with pointed color mixing.

Ultimately, I grew to be most fond of her playful, tail-less sister Flopsy. But Veronica will always be the one who got away.

the story of veronica

Veronica: The ancient Macedonian name for "She who brings victory." It was a popular name amongst reigning dynasties of Alexander the Great's era.

Veronica here is the queen. Her regal coat is shiny and full, multicolored with distinctive spots and stripes. Her tail is long and swanky. She runs the show.

Mme. Veronica

She's earned her stripes as the temptress-alpha-kitty around the house. She's engaging and confident, has a swagger fitting of Manhattan. She knows how to get attention.

Veronica ~ Copyright TWPowell

Veronica is Flopsy's sister.

baby sista' kitties ~ Copyright TWPowell

These two are much bigger these days, but they've had each others' backs since day one. That's the way it goes in the West Village. You watch out for your own.

These lovely ladies have been through a lot together. Hurricane Sandy turned a lot of lives upside down, and these kitties had their fair share of struggles. All in their world is well now, thank the stars. And they're both wiser and stronger for it.

It should be said that Veronica is just as sweet as she is street. And sewing her was a treat: making veronica.

making flopsy

Flopsy loves to play fetch with paper balls, and she flies up in there like an acrobat. She's shy, and also a lovebug. She's playful, and funny, and a bit of a klutz. Of all her fantastic traits, I love her spot the most.

Flopsy belongs to my boyfriend's Dad and Step Mom ~ Tim and Ellen. Like her sister Veronica, Flopsy is one very loved kitty.

Finding inspiration for Flopsy and Veronica was easy. Tim is an extraordinary photographer ~ his technical skills are so fine, but his eye for a shot makes for a great scene in every photo. I had dozens of feline photos to choose from on Tim's website (we all balance our crazy cat personas by having other interests ~ Tim takes exceptional landscapes photos, and really great portraits).

Flopsy ~ Copyright TWPowell

I love the way people love their pets. Tim and Ellen love their pets. They are the kind of people I want to make pet portraits for.

Flopsy paper pattern. I did not capture the fabric pieces.

I cut the pattern for Flopsy and Veronica at the same time. Veronica, the vogue tiger kitty of the sisterly duo, caught my eye immediately. I wanted to capture her variegated fur, and play with
pointillism to abstract her stripes and spots. I began embroidery for Veronica immediately. After several weeks, Veronica (my muse at the time), had come to life...and I was ready for a break. More on the making of Veronica later.

When I picked up Flopsy's fabric pieces, something struck me.

Flopsy's spot begins at the right tip of the nose, down to the lip and cheek.

Unlike Veronica, Flopsy's smooth and simple coat allowed the pattern pieces to speak to her character sooner. Embroidery details were clearer because they were not buried in other details. I loved the little tufts of fur around the bridge of her nose, and the whispy long hairs above her eyes. Felt Flopsy's eyes were sharp in color, but soft in nature, much like Flopsy's eyes in real life.

Clockwise: Veronica, Flopsy, Duncan, Milo
Center: Yuma

Christmas and Hanukkah, 2012 ~
The group above is from the 2012 holiday season. Of these 5 creatures created in tandem, Flopsy was the last to be started and completed. She instantly became my favorite. It's not often that I am inclined to pet and snuggle with my pet portraits like a crazy person...but Flopsy stole my heart.

One of the reasons I love the group shot is the representation of varied stylistic approaches. Veronica is refined and detailed; deliberate and precise patterned stitches compose her markings. Milo and Duncan were stitched expressively; I made up braided stitches and weaves as I went, creating expressionist stripes. Hugo was fun and impulsive, much like his outdoorsy, survivalist hunter-type personality.

Flopsy was soft and approachable, realistic and playful; just like Flopsy herself.

Flopsy ~ January 2013 Prosodia Lab

Cheers, Flopsy!

the story of flopsy

Flopsy is a city kitty. She lives in the West Village, overlooking the Hudson. This city kitty hardly knows she lives in one of the most desired neighborhoods in all of the world. She doesn't know because she's chasing shadows.

Flopsy doesn't chase her own shadows. She likes others to project shadows for her to chase. Flopsy does not chase her own tail. She doesn't have a tail to chase. She has an adorable little nubbin that shakes while she poaches shadows.

I love the shadow on Flopsy's face. I also love her simple coat. She has a quiet, curious, playful nature, and it shines through her simple coat. She's a good kitty.