this and that

These balls, called "happy balls" in Vietnam where I bought them, were intended as dog toys, but they're too cute for that, and any dog I know would probably tear them apart in two minutes. I liked the simple structure and the intricate embroidery , and they were far too inexpensive for the amount of work that someone put into them.
More fine embroidery on this necklace, also done by minority hill tribes. These squares are only about 1/2 inch each, so they are miniature works of art. This was the most charming jewelry that I saw anywhere in Vietnam.
I guess these inspired me to do another scrappy journal, with a variety of dupioni silk scraps that I pieced, then , as is typical for me, I wanted to get it finished without too much difficulty. I could have stitched the signatures in, but since I had my sewing machine at hand, decided to try just stitching them in with the machine, which I think worked well. Sometimes my best inspirations come at moments like this
Car trips can be good for getting some projects done, and I always travel with plenty of hand work to keep me entertained. My friend Paula taught me to do this kind of wire crochet, and it is quite fun and seems to be more than the sum of the parts. I will further embellish them, maybe with silk ribbon.
This is what I spent most of my car time making. What are they, you ask? Little silk balls, made from the scraps of fabric that I begged from lantern makers and silk factories in Vietnam. I wish I had thought of it sooner, as I only gathered fabric in a few places. But they make luscious little balls I think. I really don't even know what will become of these but I have a few ideas. Stay tuned...