Finally Organized!

I realized last week that I am finished - finally! - organizing the new studio. It has taken me about four months, due to everything going on around here, but it's done. While I still have to go through magazines, filing, and sort out some small containers, I can use the space and know where to find what I need. With the holidays approaching, it is just in time.

Even though it still looks messy due to the paper and containers that need to be processed, I thought you would like to see the new space. It includes not only my sewing studio, but all of my art and needlework supplies and doll-making materials. To my delight, I finally have a design wall. I was also able to fit in my books. All of this is a real blessing, since I no longer have to go to different levels or rooms to access needed items.

In the process of organization, too, I was able to identify the WIP's I am interested in pursuing, cull patterns and books that no longer work for me, and set up projects so that I am more likely to get them done. It bodes well, and I am looking forward to a creative and productive season. I hope you have one, too.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Seems Like Constant Motion

The grandchildren have now flown back home to be with their parents. They return to school in a couple of weeks. During the last few weeks they were here, we made the trip to the zoo. We also had another chance for a fishing trip, where each of the kids caught fish, which we then had for a late afternoon snack.

I have made a little more progress in organizing the studio, going through two sets of magazine subscriptions, and working on finding places for the things I need to keep. Additionally, I am working on an autograph quilt from the wedding. An example of the basic blocks, which my son's MIL, Jan, made from fabrics in both of our stashes, is shown above. (The example is not one of hers. I found it at Strawberry Patch Quiltworks.) I am making a center piece with embroidery that will also contain a picture of the bride and groom. Once I have that done, I'll piece the top and hand it back to Jan for backing, quilting, and binding. (She has a long arm machine.)

Seems like it never slows down around here.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Projects and Plans

The grandchildren are still in town, so we have had a couple of additional visits and hope to have two more before they fly back home. Grandpa wants to fish with them, again, and have their catch for lunch, if possible. We were able to meet up with many family members for lunch and a visit to a petting zoo (at the restaurant complex), where the kids got to feed the goats and llamas. A trip to the regular zoo, which has been put off twice due to the weather, looks like it will finally happen.

Our own yard continues to provide constant sightings of a variety of wildlife. The fledgling birds are beginning to learn to eat seeds. The new generation of squirrels is fighting over territory, and I am learning more about the way various species communicate.

On another note, I am carrying on with writing my mother's story. Earlier this year, one of my cousins' children gave me a wonderful gift. She had been sending me pictures from her mother's collection and included two of my maternal great-grandmother. Since I had heard stories about her sitting in her rocking chair and greeting the children but had never seen a picture of her, I was overwhelmed not only to see her for the first time, but also to have a picture of her in that chair.

I am persisting in my work on the studio, too. The new project cases are set up, and I have been putting away fabric that had been stashed for a project that changed. Some of the pieces I hadn't seen in years, and I am delighted with how beautiful they are. My hope is to be done sorting things out by the end of this month so that I can get to work on Christmas gifts.

I hope you enjoy the season and, as always . . .

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Celebrations, Visits & Living Life

It has been quite a year, so far. The wedding was beautiful. Everything fell into place, and the weather cooperated. The wedding party was composed of all the attendants the bride and groom had hoped for, including the grandchildren as flower girl and ring bearer.

Since then, we have had a few visits with the grandchildren, including a few days while their parents were in town when they stayed with us. Grandpa got to have them help him feed the birds and there was the obligatory fishing trip. We are looking forward to another couple of visits before they return home with their other grandmother.

The garden has been going through its paces. We have milkweed growing and hope to entice some monarchs to our yard. The lilies, both day and tiger, have been blooming profusely. In addition, we have a volunteer trumpet creeper that is blooming and will, we hope, attract the hummingbirds. (We do have feeders, but the volunteer is a nice addition.) The gooseberry bush produced an enormous amount of berries. The cherry tree was also prolific. Now the raspberry bush is beginning to set fruit.

I have slowly been putting my studio to rights. I've made some progress since the picture above, but not enough to call it done. One thing I am trying to organize is specific projects with the hope that it will help me to tackle them sooner. In addition, I have been thinking more lately about mending, both to take care of items and get more use out of them.

I've been reading a lot about the latter at pages instituted by Jen Gale. She has a blog at My Make Do and Mend Life. She had a Facebook page associated with a decision she had made to blog about mending for an entire month. While I was unable to fully participate in mending during that time -- it was right in the middle of the preparations for the wedding -- I did follow it and was able to contribute some, I hope, helpful tips. Now, I am thinking more about the issue, especially in light of my continued interest in downsizing and not having more than I need. I expect I will talk more about the subject in future posts. For now, it seems enough that I have finally gotten back to the blog.

I hope you are having a wonderful season. Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

Sprung into an Empty Nest

The last month and a half have been surprisingly busy. Our youngest decided he was ready to move out. The move was accomplished by the middle of this month, though he still has a few things here that he needs to clear out. Once that is finished, we will be remaking his room into my new studio, and my current studio will become a dedicated guest room. It means I will, hopefully, finally be able to have all of my studio tools in one place, though some materials will need to be stored elsewhere.

In addition, he and his fiance have finally set the date for their wedding - in June of this year. That brings another set of challenges. Obviously, there is the scramble to get all of the details taken care of, but I have not had to be involved in most of that beyond giving advice, especially on where to find information. However, I do need to find an outfit, and prepare our home for guests! Our older son and his family will be traveling back to town for the wedding and a short vacation. They will be staying here part of that time. As mother of the groom, of course, my outfit is supposed to complement that of the mother of the bride.

In addition, the grandchildren will be staying for the summer with their other grandparents. That means we will be able to spend more time with them over the couple of months following the wedding. So, I have been trying to plan things we can do with them that they will enjoy.

In the meantime, spring has been starting to make an appearance here. Our forsythias have begun to bloom, as have the hyacinths and daffodils. The lilacs are budding, and the grackles have arrived en masse. We have been talking about what to plant in the garden and are adjusting to being empty-nesters.

All told, it hasn't left much time for working in the studio, though I have done some organizing in preparation for the move to the other room, and while I have been working on my book, I haven't taken time out to blog. It may be hit and miss here for a while, for which I apologize in advance. I hope you will continue to check in, and I will try to get back to a normal schedule as soon as possible.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Thinking of Space

Last week there was a segment on the news about the buying patterns of new home buyers that suggested people are going back to the pattern prominent prior to the recession. That is, the report said people are buying homes that are quite large. When I looked at the information available on the Census website Characteristics of New Housing - 2014, I found that the average size of new single-family homes has been increasing without any apparent impact from the recession. The site gives the average square footage of homes from 1978 through 2014. Over that time, they increased from 1650 to 2506 square feet.

As someone who grew up in a house that was approximately 2500 - 2900 square feet with ten people around the dining room table every night, I can attest to the fact that one can live comfortably in 250 to 300 square feet per person. I never felt I could not find a place to be alone if I wanted it nor did I feel lonely if I wanted to be with people.

Part of the reason I have been thinking so much about this has to do with my intention of downsizing in the next few years. Another is my sense that we, as a country, need to think about our use of energy and materials. Someone pointed out to me recently that "Mother Earth" will be fine no matter what we humans do about climate change, but we humans won't be so lucky. Along the way, we are also taking other species with us.

There is another movement in the country, and apparently, around the world, towards building homes that are minimal. According to many of the people in the Small_house_movement, tiny-house-nation: the-tiny-house-movement, Tiny House Talk and Tiny House Community, tiny houses are 400 square feet or smaller. The majority of these appear to be movable, since many communities have restrictions on house size. Many of the articles I have seen on these homes indicate that the exterior views play a large part in making the homes feel comfortable, while the inhabitants have also scaled down the majority of their possessions to fit the space.

While I cannot see myself moving into a "tiny house," in part because I anticipate moving as a couple and also because I do entertain my family several times a year, I can see the logic in downsizing to a space that is significantly smaller than the 1760 square feet we now occupy. It will require rethinking what I actually need to have available to me and how much space to allow for every activity.

How much space do you feel you need? Why?

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Recycling Doll Parts Continued

One of my followers told me, in response to my request for suggestions last time, that it would be helpful to have pictures of the pieces. I was unable to post them until I worked out why my camera and computer would not interface. Since I have been able to work out that last issue, I can now include some shots of what I have inherited. I am only including a couple of examples, since most of the pieces are similar. The exception is the head with the dark markings, which my sister had marked as needing to be fixed, presumably due to a problem with the firing.

This is only a small range of the sizes I have available to me, but they are representative of the types and range of finishes. I did find I have a couple of jars of non-fire glaze in flesh tones, but have no idea how to use them, as I've never worked with them before.

On another note, I was motivated to reorganize my wet studio as a result of doing an inventory of the doll parts, This is how it looks, now, and how I have organized my supplies.

Once again, I'd appreciate any suggestions for using the doll parts and/or methods/products to use on them.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good things.

Priorities

Last week, Salley Mavor had a post about the “Needle Arts” magazine cover featuring one of her pieces: http://weefolkstudio.com/2014/03/22/needle-arts-magazine-cover/. In the post, she included a link to Mary Corbet’s post about the issue, so I had to take a look. After looking at Mary Corbet’s website http://www.needlenthread.com/, where I found a lot of well written articles on tips and techniques in addition to the other things she offers there, I was inspired to inventory some of the additional supplies I have in my studio, starting with patterns and embroidery threads. I also began looking through my stash of “Quilting Arts” magazines for ideas for experimental projects. That led me to begin looking at the other items in my inventory: specialty threads and yarns, fixatives, buttons, and more. I have been able to consolidate some supplies and organize others better.
 

What I have been thinking about, however, is ways to use more of the supplies that I have to create. At the same time, since one of my sons challenged me about how many projects I already have in process, I have also been thinking about how to make sure I put in time to work on those. I want to apologize here for the somber tone of the information I am about to impart. I hope you will bear with me.

The last few months have been difficult, both because of the weather and how the grieving process affects me. It has meant that I have only completed one piece since last November. Years ago I did some research on the grieving process. What I found was that, while each person ultimately addresses it in their own way, it generally takes five years to go through all of the stages of grief. Since I have lost eleven family members in the last eleven years (seven in the last 4-1/2 years alone), it is a significant issue for me. In addition to the grief, I have also been facing my own mortality in new ways, as two of the last three family members who died were quite close to me in age. In terms of my work, it means that I am considering how that affects my priorities. Since I recognize that none of us ever know when it will be “our time” to go, I could have decades ahead of me or no time at all.

Also within the last week, I came across this story about transforming wedding gowns into something for premature babies who don’t make it home from the hospital: http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/26/angel-gowns-babies/6924117/. It is a subject close to my heart because, 28 years ago, we had a son who lived for only a day. When we went to get him a burial outfit, even the smallest clothing available was huge on him, since he was only about two pounds. While the news story is about an organization in Texas that is doing this work, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) throughout the country are often in need of something similar. If you sew, I encourage you to consider whether this is something you could do. Additional ways to help are listed at such places as:  Newborns in Need, Grahams Foundation,  Bev's Country Cottage - Peds page.

I am off to work on that priority list and decide what to do next.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

Reorganized Studio

The last six weeks have been busy as, in addition to making the baby quilt I showed you in the last post, I have been working on reorganizing the studio. I resolved the question of fat quarter storage with paper covered boxes and Terry Atkinson's folding method shown on Sewing with Nancy. I'm quite pleased with the result. Thanks to all who offered suggestions.

Since that side of the room needed to be reorganized, a few changes also had to occur elsewhere. I cleared one of my worktables to use for working on dolls and other small projects . . .

 

 

I also added a rolling cart for doll-making supplies which meant I had to move the file cabinet and beading supplies next to the sewing table . . .

 



Obviously, there is still tweaking to be done, but the studio is much more work friendly. My supplies are all organized; I have a much better idea of what I have available; and I'm loving the expansion to the floor space, since it is a small room. I did end up keeping some bins, but they now hold WIPs (Works in Progress) and specialty fabrics (primarily recycled pieces).

One of the things that all this reorganization reminded me of was the post I wrote on Hopes vs. Goals last year. While there are still things I feel I haven't made enough progress on, I did complete or make progress on quite a few. That, in turn, made it clear that  making that kind of a list is a great help, not only in identifying what one wants to concentrate on in a given period, but also as a check in the future to identify how close one has come to one's hopes.

I find that I have also been inspired by the work of one of my friends. She has been working on building up a business over the last few years. She created the little box on the left of the bookcases.

You can find more of her work at Cross Stitch Treasures by CanvasFun. She has a wonderful eye for design and some interesting ideas. I hope you will check out her shop.

Until next time, I hope you will make progress on your hopes and that you enjoy peace and all good.

Studio Reorganization Question

I have been busy reorganizing the studio since we switched out a bureau. We purchased two bookcases to replace it. Like these:

Now, I have to decide what method to use to store fat quarters. I have been folding 1/2 yard and up fabrics and stacking those.

The shelves are 11 inches deep and 11, 14-1/2 or 16 inches high, so I am reluctant to simply stack the fat quarters. I want to have easy access and need to be able to easily determine the color range/theme. Does anyone have any suggestions? What works best for you?

As far as I can tell, my options include baskets, bins, plastic shoe boxes, CD cases, boxes of various sorts, and trying to fold the fabric to fit. Are you using one or more of these options? Do you have a preference, if you are?

I appreciate any help you can give me.

It's Natural

After storms that accompanied a system coming down from Canada, we have been experiencing cooler temperatures and beautiful skies.

Since I have decided to do more soft sculpture art dolls, I moved around some of the supplies in my studios this week to facilitate access. It seems reorganization is a constant these days, as is the fine tuning of ideas. However . . .

Nature continues to provide sources of beauty and inspiration . . . .

 

 

as well as the occasional, sometimes reluctant, live subject or two . . . .

  



It also provides food for thought.

 

One of my sons and his family are vacationing in California. When I spoke with him, yesterday, he told me the trees around Mt. Shasta are all brown and the waters of Lake Shasta are down 25 to 30 feet. It is a stark reminder of the severe drought most of the country has been in this year.

 

I came across this information yesterday, too: Sun Come Up - Trailer.  The movie depicts some of the world’s first “climate refugees,” inhabitants of the Carteret Islands just north of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. I was unaware that the seas were already rising, so it was enlightening.

The website describes some of the ways that people can address the problem of climate change through the "Take Action" tab at the top of the page. In addition, there are links for more information about the situation and the effects on people throughout the world. I hope that you will take advantage of them to see for yourself what the situation is for our planet.

For my part, I am more committed than ever to attempt to use materials which have the lowest possible impact on the environment to create my pieces. We already do what we can to reduce, reuse, and recycle at home, though I am always looking for new ways to do so. Any suggestions would be heartily welcomed.

Until next time, I wish you peace and all good.

Dreaming

It seems a barrier has been crossed. This week I had several vivid dreams of projects I want to do. One is a quilt series. Another was the beginning of a story, made even more incredible by the fact that it is in a genre that I have never considered working in before. Altogether, the fact that I am dreaming vividly and remembering the dreams is a reminder that I have attained access to an area of creativity that had been out of reach for a while.

Another thing I was able to do this week was go through a few of the items in my studio to weed out some of the things I will no longer use or which no longer interest me. The journey I have been making towards discerning my direction really helped with that, as I found it much simpler to distinguish whether or not something would help me towards my goals.

On another note, according to a report I heard today, the weather is five weeks ahead of schedule. The birds are all in spring plumage. I was lucky enough to catch one of the grackles in his glory this last week.

We have also been visited by cardinals, robins, sparrows, black-capped chickadees, and a red-winged blackbird, among others. Simultaneously, the apricots, forsythias, daffodils, and hyacinths are blooming, and the lilacs are beginning to set their flowers. It is all quite amazing, if rather scary, especially in light of the fact that the southwest and west are currently experiencing winter weather and heavy snow storms.

It has given me much to think about and will, undoubtedly, be incorporated into my artwork, at some point. For now, I am still slowly moving towards greater productivity and enjoying the creative process.

Until next time, I will you peace and all good.

Creativity

After a minor rearrangement of furniture in my studio, I started quilting the piece I am making for the Alzheimers Art Quilt Initiative. It is going well, but somewhat slowly since I am free-motion quilting and deciding on direction as I go along. In addition to thinking about the images themselves, I have been thinking about my mother-in-law, whose struggle with dementia was the catalyst for my desire to help this cause. I hope to bring some of her personality and inner beauty to the piece.

Since I am not quite ready to share the quilt, I thought I'd show you the nerve centers of my sewing studio . . .

and the wet studio. 

I am fortunate enough to have two areas to devote to my work, and yes, they are both rather chaotic. It seems that no sooner do I clean them up than I am spreading out more materials, so they never stay completely organized for long.

Until next time, I wish you happy creativity, peace & all good.

Sketching & Quilting

It has been an interesting and productive week. I have been reading Cathy Johnson's book,

You can find more information here.  http://cathyjohnson.info/bookpages/sketching.html  She is a marvelous teacher. She makes sure that her illustrations are clearly connected to her descriptions, and breaks things down into manageable chunks.

On another note, I got to see and spend time with the grandbabies last Saturday, when we met up with my son and daughter-in-law for lunch and a trip to ProBass Shops. (My husband and children are avid fishermen. I will fish, but rarely do.) In addition to seeing the babies, however, I was able to get a couple of things to help me with working on embellished quilts away from my studio.

This neat little number will easily hold spools of ribbon. While I will not be able to pull ribbon through the holes (they are sized for fishing line), I may be able to work that out, too. At any rate, I can take between six and eight spools on retreats or to classes.

http://www.basspro.com/Plano®-Line-Spooling-Box/product/97465/-1433314

The other item actually came in two sizes. So, I bought one of each. I plan to use them for beads. Each section opens individually from the top, which should be a great help in keeping beads organized and preventing large spills.

http://www.basspro.com/Plano-Round-Organizer-Utility-Boxes/product/10205144/-1528937

On a sadder note, I found out through Lesley Riley's blog entry, Jean Ray Laury, that the quilt world lost a treasure this last week, since Jean Ray Laury passed away. Lesley's blog is a great memorial to her. I consider my decision to attempt my business to be based on Jean's influence. My copy of her book The Creative Woman’s Getting-It-All-Together at Home Handbook is well-thumbed and highlighted.

Wishing you peace and all good.