Pattern Writing

I really dislike writing patterns.  I've done it for wearable art jacket classes that I taught some years ago and I've written patterns for knitted accessories I've designed.   It's always the worst part of designing for me.  I've come to realize that my dislike of writing a pattern is what keeps me from designing. 

I enjoyed teaching the wearable art jacket classes at my local quilt shop.   It was fun getting to know the women and sharing a love of sewing fun garments that were wearable, but not run of the mill.  I had some students who became regulars in my classes.  Writing the patterns wasn't the entire reason I stopped teaching.  In fact I found producing the jacket patterns wasn't that difficult because I was there to explain each step.  But, I still liked to make the instructions as detailed as possible so, once at home, the student could continue working on the jacket without trouble understanding the next steps. 

This jacket was one of my first classes and one of the most popular.  I taught it several times over the course of two years.  I designed it so that each section was a unit that was then sewn together to create the back of the jacket and then the front.  The sleeves also had options for different embellishments or techniques.  That was basically what the class was about, taking the model and making it your own.  Once you had completed a section, having learned a fabric manipulation technique or embellishment technique, you could place it where you wanted it.  You could also use the technique on other garments or quilts or pillows.  It was popular because it gave the students options to personalize their work, while teaching them some new things.

Unfortunately, these photos aren't the best because, as I said, I was there to answer questions, and the model was in front of the students, so they really didn't need a spectacular photograph.  The written pattern came along with the class fee.

Well, after doing a lot of sewing and designing I began knitting again.  Since I had some success with my jackets I thought writing and selling some of my ideas for knitted jewelry would be fun.  Well, the first problem comes with my reticence to market myself.  I have a terrible time putting myself out there.  I've always been shy and marketing and shyness aren't really that compatible!  But, I also found that writing patterns that were going to be sold for people to work on on their own was another challenge altogether.  I wouldn't be there to explain how I did what they were trying to reproduce.  Well, with the encouragement of my family and a dear friend,  Terrie Voigt, I decided to go ahead with knitting patterns. They are fun, different accessories that are quick to make. But, writing, formatting, and photographing the patterns was not something I enjoyed.  My computer skills are not good, and my dear husband helped me tremendously, making a template for the patterns and photographing the pieces.  Without his help the patterns wouldn't have happened.  As it turned out we produced some nice looking patterns,  given that we were amateurs at the whole procedure.  I have to say that Terrie helped a great deal with the first pattern which was a scarf using her beautiful dichroic glass buttons in the center of the roses. 

This pattern led to five others, one of which was featured in the second issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.  I posted a picture of that piece in my first blog post.  I was emailing Ellen Sandin,  one day about a kit on her website, Earthfaire, and decided to ask if she'd be interested in the patterns.  I was delighted when she saw them and emailed back to say she would like to carry them.  All of the patterns she has have done quite well.

The Falling Leaves necklace was the first of the knitted necklace patterns.  What can't be seen in the photo is the peyote stitched tubes that are around the I-cord.  Also, I used my history as a sewer to create a closure for the necklace.  I ended the I-cord with a leaf.  I sewed a snap to the under side of the leaf and the opposite I-cord and that's how I solved the problem of a clasp for the necklace. 

The Belle Flower Lariat pattern, on the left, is the most popular one on the site.  It's a beaded I-cord that is fun to knit.  There are many variations possible with this pattern. Color, yarn, beads, and the way it's worn are all up to the knitter.  The last pattern that Ellen carries it the one to the right.  Once again I used the leaf pattern (I love leaves!) knitted into an I-cord and closed it with a snap.  Instead of knitting the beads into the I-cord, I embroidered them on in clusters around the necklace. 

I have one other pattern, a belt, written up and a few in mind.  I don't know if I'll write them out or not.  I'm considering it.  It's gratifing to have people like your work enough to want to recreate it.  I love the act of designing the knitting or sewing and then making what I've designed.  Its the writing and producing that makes it work!

I hope you enjoy your day and have time to create something you love.

Settling in for winter

Well, the holidays are well and truly over at our house.  My birthday is shortly after New Year's and it seems that we no sooner finish celebrating Christmas and New Year's then it's my birtday!  Now, I don't have a problem with that, but I never really feel that I can take a deep breath and settle in for a winter of creating until the big day is over.  This year, because it was a "milestone" birthday the festivities took a little longer to complete.  My wonderful husband, with help from our daughter and suggestions from our son, gave me a surprise party over the weekend!  It was a wonderful time, with family (our son and daughter-in-law came down  from Boston after just being here for Christmas!) and good friends to share the evening.  But, now, I can say it's winter and I can stay in and work in the studio!  I'm also hoping to post more to the blog.  So, this is just "note to say Hello" and I'm still here and you'll be hearing more from me now that life has calmed down, decorations are put away and the house is back in order. 

Hope you all are enjoying the calm after the holiday rush.  I'll say good bye for now with this picture of the birdfeeder out my kitchen window the day after our December blizzard.  It looks like a cherry tart to me!

Christmas Memories

Well, for the first time in memory we may actually have a white Christmas.  It snowed for 24 hours here yesterday and we ended up with about 20 inches of snow.  For December that's a record and it looks like its going to stick around for the week!  What fun!  Family and snow for Christmas!
My daughter and I spent the afternoon decorating the tree, listening to Christmas carols on the CD player and taking breaks to marvel at all the snow!  I love decorating the tree because all the ornaments have memories.  I used to make most of the ornaments for our tree.  I rarely make ornaments now, but I'm seriously thinking of trying to make at least one ornament a year once again.  I enjoy opening the boxes and seeing them, and remembering where we were or what was happening in our lives when I was making a particular ornament.   Many friends have given us ornaments over the years, and that brings those special people to mind.  Some of those dear friends are not with us anymore and seeing their gift brings them into our lives and our home at this special time of year once again. 

Of course, I have my favorites.  This cube is stitched on perforated paper.  Each side is a different color embroidery floss.  My son and daughter love this ornament and, when they were younger,  they would take turns putting it on the tree, very carefully, so it would hang  perfectly, and out of reach, so no one could grab it and accidentally crush it.

These are some of the other favorites.  The hot air balloon saying "Cheer" is one of the early ornaments, made when my husband and I were living in Jacksonville, Florida.  I can still remember sitting in our apartment watching TV in the evenings and stitching this balloon.  I loved it because I love hot air balloons!  The coral bargello ball was stitched a few years later, when we lived in Maine.  It was made in segments, each stitched with the same pattern, then carefully cut out of the canvas leaving a 1/8" margin.  Each segment was glued to a styrofoam ball and ribbon was glued down to cover the seams.  I made loops of ribbon and a finial out of a bead and pearl and pinned it to the top and bottom of the ball.  I liked this one so much I made another, in blue and silver!  The snowman peeking into the photo was one of my very first ornaments, a painted canvas I found in a needlepoint shop in Atlanta, Georgia back in the '70's.  Yes, some of these ornaments are over 30 years old!   So many memories.  There other needlepoint ornaments in this picture.  The red and green one, a yellow one stitched with a special overdyed floss that I loved, a flat bargello ornament peeking in at the side.  I have a lot of flat bargello ornaments.  They were great for "car projects" when we were traveling.  I would pick a color family of Paternayan yarn and either gold or silver metallic embroidery thread and put them together as kits to take along. I would decide on a bargello motif and stitch it on canvas.  When I was finished I would cut them out and glue or stitch them to matching felt. I would then edge them with the metallic thread.  One year I stitched about 10 of them and even did a workshop in bargello ornaments for my Southern Maine EGA chapter. 

Once needlepoint canvas became available in colors new possibilites opened up!  And, my techniques improved!    I used the lavendar canvas for this ornament.  I mounted it on a piece of cardboard covered with purple lame which glimmers through the open canvas.  I then coverd another piece of cardboard with lame and glued the front and back together.  I stitched a beaded looped fringe to the bottom with a small purple bead hanging from the point. 

And then there are the ornaments from home.  My mother bought this little elf at a craft fair many years ago.  She has a little brother who is dressed all in white.  My daughter has always loved these little charmers and she always puts them on the tree in a place of honor where they can be seen right away. 

Decorating the tree is always a special time for us.  My husband puts the tree up and gets it ready for us to perform magic on it, as he says.  This year it was a little more magical than usual because of the snow.  Another memory to add to the many we already have.  We'll take the decorations out next year and say, "Remember last year, all that snow"!  Christmas is so special for so many reasons, but mostly because of the memories it conjures up of wonderful Christmases past.  I hope you all have a most wonderful and blessed Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Well, my decorating is done.  I always love decorating the house for the holidays and I do a lot of it!  This photo is of the hutch in the family room.  It contains all my mother's blue willow and ironstone.  The blue willow dishes were our everyday dishes when I was growing up.  My mom would pick up pieces wherever she came across them.  So, the set was not matching and I love the fact that everything is a different shape and size.  Some of the pieces were "new" at the time and some she found in antique stores.  My mother and aunt used to go antiquing before it became the thing to do.  Consequently, they found some real bargains.   The ironstone is one such bargain.  They would buy pieces for a few dollars.  Now I see those same pieces in magazines and the prices are so high, at least for what the ones I own cost!  I love this hutch because it's home to so many memories. I would go on a lot of the antiquing excursions when I was a child and I remember when and where some of the pieces were bought. 

I always take great care in getting the hutch ready for Christmas.  Over the years I've decorated it in many different ways.  I've begun to simplify my decorating the last few years (my family and friends will laugh when they read that!), but I really have!  I also have discovered the joys of using the small Christmas balls that you can find in boxes at Michael's.  I have quite a collection of them in all different colors and finishes.  I use them all over the house, in arrangements of greens and in candy dishes on tables.  I also love to lay some fresh greens on a table or shelf and put a group of the ornaments on the greens.  So, right now that's my method of choice for the hutch.  This year I didn't even remove any of the dishware.  I just put greens in some of the bowls and added different size ornaments on top.  The greens are a nice cushion for the ornaments.

I don't get much accomplished in the studio once Thanksgiving comes, but decorating the house and wrapping gifts is my creative outlet for December!  I love doing it and my family loves seeing the results!  There are so many ways of being creative at this time of  year.  I hope you enjoy your days leading up to Christmas.  Make time each day for a break, have a cup of tea, look through a seasonal book or magazine, and enjoy the sights and smells of this wonderful time of year! 

Hello and Welcome!

Hello!  Welcome to my new blog.  I'm very excited about having a blog and being able to share my creative efforts with you.  Having a blog is something I've thought about for a long time.  I'm a real beginner, but hopefully you'll bear with me while I learn my way around.

I chose the name for my blog with  help from my daughter, Carrie.  Years ago a family friend nicknamed one of my aunts "Zingala", meaning gypsy, in Italian.  My aunt and I had similar taste and occasionally I would share the nickname.  A few years ago my husband bought me a doll ornament for Christmas because she was clothed in chiffon and beads and crocheted flowers in all the bright colors I love.  I immediately claimed her as my muse and named her Zingala!  She hangs near my knitting chair and I love looking at her and having her inspire me.  Since my daughter is helping me set up this blog, I asked her for input on a name. She thought of "Zingala's Workshop".  I love it and thought it appropriate given that it's a name that's been with me since childhood.  So that's the story of the blog's name.  I thought it needed some explanation.

The big news from my studio is that the Stampington publication, Belle Armoire, is going to feature one of my jackets in an upcoming issue.  I'm in the process of writing the article now.  It's very exciting!  I'll keep you posted as to which issue the article will be in.
I've been in the Salon section of the magazine before and I've had a piece of knitted jewelry featured in an article in Belle Armoire Jewelry.  It's called "Fantasy Floral Collar" and it's available as a written pattern from

Earthfaire or from me if you email me. 

Fantasy Floral Collar

Well, I think I've come to the end of my first post.  I hope to keep in touch often.  I love to talk about my ideas and projects that I have going on in my studio. 

Thanks for visiting.