Gosh!

I thought I was going to do better with my posting this month but I guess not. I'm just trying to get through each day one-day-at-a-time because making plans don't seem to want to work. I do have a list of things to do and I go through that list one project at a time. The past week I've been making masks for family and friends and right now, I don't want to see another mask. Some people are making them like gang busters and the masks are needed. I've run out of steam. I am grateful that in making the masks, I've gotten back to my sewing machine. And guess what? I think my iron is dying. Really? Now? When I can't get out to really check out a new one. Ugh!

There are days when I can conquer quite a bit. Then there are days when I just want to hide. The past few days I have been straightening up the art area. Putting away fabric I used for masks, finally going through a bag of antique lace someone gave me years ago. I was able to go to the hardware store and get a plastic container for the lace. After having that bag of lace for over 13 years, I'm finally seeing some of the really cool lace. Tatting. Teeny tiny crochet. Bits and pieces of things just the right size for dolls. Some pieces big enough to go onto costumes. So I guess that was a win.

I haven't been keeping up with my art challenges but that will change this week. While I'm still feeling pretty good. Time to finish some dollies. Start some new ones. Design others. And I've got two more short stories to work on.

Stay healthy people. Stay home. Contact others to say hi. We can do this.

September

It's been awhile. I have been recuperating from knee surgery. Four weeks now and PT (physical therapy is going well. Right now I'm about 75% functional. My PT therapist says I'm doing better than most who have had my procedure. Of course, I'm not a patient person and I'm working on not being hard on myself for not being further along. But I can walk without shooting pain and my flexibility is improving everyday. I even got more types of exercises to do. I'm planning on another tow weeks to see how things go and then I'll be ready to look for a new job. I don't know if I want to be on my feet all the time at the old job or deal with people this holiday season.

It's been rough trying to get creative again. Lots of starts and stops. Lots of tears. Lots of being mad at myself. I tell myself, one-day-at-a-time. Do a few things and rest. Think of all the cool and wonderful things I've done and celebrate. Put fear in the backseat and keep moving. It's hard. After being in constant pain for so many months, having the surgery, and not working, it is very hard. My self esteem is in the toilet and I just have little faith in creating right now. Once again I have missed out on several creative opportunities.

It's my favorite time of year and I'm working on enjoying it. The leaves are starting to change colors. I love that. The temps were cooler but we seem to be getting a late summer right now. All the fall and Halloween decorations are out in full force. I have to just look. Look at how people decorate their homes, both inside and out. I keep telling myself that one day, one day I will have my own home to decorate. Right now, that's kind of hard to hold on to.

I tell myself that each day is a new day. I've been trying to just get back to creating something. After surgery, all I could do was knit. So I made dish cloths.

I finally got a front page done for my Bullet Journal.

I started drawing mushrooms for a project I've been wanting to work on for over a year.

And I finally got back to my EPP (English Paper Piecing) using hexies. The mini ones below in the first pic will turn into something. I can see what I want in my mind but I don't know if it will happen.

The larger hexies have backings and will be appliqued down and eventually turned into pincushions. One can never have enough pincushions. Plus I'm trying to use up some of the fabric and other materials I have.

It's a start. I now have to finish them. Another big problem. Finishing things.

One Day At A Time. After all, I'm still healing. And I need to cut myself some slack.

Okay Then...

Yep, I thought I would be doing better at posting but this has also been a weird month. Heck, a weird year. The one thing I have been doing is keeping up in my Bullet Journal but the creative wheels are a turning. Since my last post I've:

• had 2 panic attacks
• took 3 days to clear out one room of my mother's house - still not done. Have to go through built in drawers and finish off the closet.
• got things together for an upcoming yard sale
• stuffed and put together 5 new dolls
• got a little knitting in - that kind of calms me down
• been doing some little sketches
• started making hexies for upcoming projects
• went on my first day trip of the spring/summer
• bought some doll supplies
• working on designs for a new doll
• figuring out which doll shows to do at the end of the year
• worked on a watercolor mermaid painting
• added my first piece to my wardrobe with a blue jean jacket (not new)

Okay, looking at the list, it hasn't been bad. There is always room for improvement. My blue jean jacket I got at The Michigan Antiques Festival and I love it. My first ever blue jean jacket. It was my first time going and there were also antique cars on display and I love the antique spinning wheels.

New Long Legs dolls.

The what used to be my art room. Knotted pine paneling. Those were the days. I used to pretend I was in a log cabin when I worked in there. I have to go through my books too. I washed the curtains, which I guess hadn't been done in awhile and when I pulled them out of the dryer, they looked like a tiger had gotten some claws on them. So... new curtains will be made. And a window needs to be repaired.

My version of Feegee Mermaids.

I'm making hexies. Using a template, they are made out of fabric. Because I have lots of scraps and some crazy ideas for these little things. I have seen some smaller than this and I'm seeking out those templates. Yes, that's a quarter next to them.

And this will be the second garment I add to my wardrobe. I read of one young lady who had so many different crafts she liked to do (sewing, knitting) that she decided to make one garment a month. I liked that idea and will try it. But the new garment will replace an old one.

So, that's my update. Will work on another post a lot sooner.

It's May!

April was okay. I guess pretty good. My first doll show went well and I sold several pieces, including some new pieces. After the show, the adrenaline rush crashed in a pretty bad way and I got a little depressed. Again, it was, now what? I did take a bit of time off to regroup and then life got in the way again. More hours at the job, taxes done, a good friend passed away, and I just continued to work on the new creative habits I started. I finally got my mini witches done three have already sold.

Now it's May and into the second quarter of the year. And got notice of another previous co-worker passed unexpectedly. Married for only about three years and had a six month old son. That kind of throws a whammy on you. Two sweet people have left this world way too soon. And I'm still struggling to get... something... together.

I have two new habits that are still going. After reading 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear, I liked how he said that it's not so much as how many days it takes to create a new habit but being consistent. And if you miss a day, get back to it as quickly as possible. Even if it's just for a short period of time. That way, does take the pressure off of working on something new. So I've been sketching more (it's been on the calendar on the refrigerator) and practicing hand sewing because I would like to make a Regency costume sewn by hand. I'm working out getting more consistent with my writing and I've started making hexies for some upcoming Halloween wall hangings. For my Regency wardrobe, I did find my chemise I made and my short stays that still fit. I will probably make another chemise with a lower cut neckline.

Hexies are a type of English Paper Piecing used to make quilts or appliques. I'm nuts and am doing very small ones. You get all of them made up and then sew them together.

I've also pre-washed fabric for a summer top I'm going to make. That way, I know things will fit.

And I'm ready to make more church lady aprons.

That's my update. I don't know if things will get to normal, whatever that is. I know what I like to do and what I want to do and what I get to do. Because we never know when our number is up. I found this quote from Roald Dahl (read a lot of his work):

"I began to realize how important it was

to be enthusiastic in life.

If you are interested in something, no matter what it is.

Go at it Full Speed.

Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all
Become Passionate about it.
Lukewarm is no good."

More Faces

The one thing that I'm staying abreast of is drawing these faces. So here are some more until Monday when I can really get back to creating things.

I also bought fabric for aprons for mom's church ladies. That's all washed and ready to be cut out.

This has been the weirdest month and a half for a new year. I don't know... the Polar Vortex probably messed up things. Can't truly trust forecasters because when they say things will be clear, there's more snow. Being stuck in has given me some time to think about where to permanently reside. That's a tough one.

#29faces

Hello There!

I'm really working to do more posts on my old blog but I am being challenged. The doll pins I recently finished, well, I sold seven of them so I will cut out more tonight. The next project to work on are my six mini witches. Yes, I get to a certain point and nothing gets done. Completed. I'm working on that too. I did pick out fabric for their outfits.

Not a very good pic color wise but I'll work on that too. But you can see the fall color theme I so love. I'm debating on coffee dying a few things. I know I will have to dye their bloomers because they are way too bright. I have also been sketching some new pieces too and forgot to take pics, so that should make me come back either tomorrow or Saturday. Well, time's a ticking. See ya soon.

Done

I finally got a project done. It is for my mother's church lady group. They wanted some aprons so I obliged. It's been marked off the list. Not my creative list but the master one. It was nice getting back to sewing human size instead of doll size. The sewing machine has been cleaned and needle changed. Next will be to finish the voodoo doll pins. I can't believe we're well into the first week of the month. Wow!

The aprons tie at the neck and at the waist. There are two pockets. I love the fabric my mother chose. I also have to straighten a bit so I can get to the next three projects. Have a good day.

Too Fast

This month is going by too fast. One expected even and one not expected and I've been thrown off the creative track. It's very difficult getting back on again. I can't seem to wrap my head around anything heavily involved. Right now I'm having a lot of fun just knitting dish cloths. That isn't helping out my wallet but I can do it and not think about anything else. I've always wanted to learn the seed stitch and now I know how to do it.

I finally found a quilt shop that's close to me. It's been in operation for six years and the owner is very nice. I went through a very old telephone book. Remember those? Yellow Pages? Yeah... half the shops were closed due to lack of business or the owners aging out with no one to take over. I would have to plan a day trip to visit the next closest shops. Thank goodness spring has sprung. Or has it? I started a fire in the fireplace last night. It got chilly again.

I was able to get some fabric for doll bodies and a pretty little print for some upcoming primitive dolls. Stay tuned.

Day 4 - Creative Challenge

I'm sticking to the schedule that I've started. So this is day 4. I did make a pattern for Raggedy Ann's dress last night but didn't get it posted. Here is the pattern and I did sew a mockup of the dress after work today. I don't have the original pattern but remembered how the pattern went and made up my own. The dress is cut in one piece. I remember when I did the first pattern in grade school, that gave me the blues. But I figured it out. The two long pieces are the front which is on the fold and the back which is cut in about 1/8" in from the fold. The sleeves look long but they will get a hem and elastic around the wrists and the length of the dress looks good. I will cut out the pattern in the nice fabric tomorrow.

I got the first Boudior doll cut out, sewn, and turned. She may be a bit too skinny but I won't know until I stuff her tomorrow.

And I finally turned my Cauldron Critter ornaments. After having searched for months for fabric similar to the original I'd bought years ago. They are also ready to be stuffed. Lots of stuffing tomorrow.

I still have time to edit part of a short story before bed. And I've got some reading to do. I'm trying to see how much I can get done when I work a good part of the day at the regular job. Right now I'm pooped but will keep going and get a few more things off my list. I have tomorrow off and the thing is that I hope I don't just take it off and actually stuff things. And get Raggedy Ann done. That's all for today.

It Always Seems Like I'm Starting Over

But that's okay. One big commission out of the way. I cleaned up the work space so I can mess it up again. I really do need to go back through all my supplies and really see what I have and what I don't have. Nothing like running out and buying something you already have but you've put it in such a safe place, you can't find it. Went through my meager fabric stash and picked some fabric out for some Wendland Witches.

I also reorganized my downloaded photos. Nice and neat in files. The house got a new cable/internet provider yesterday. It took all day, so I read a book. My quota for the year is 39. I don't know why I chose that number. Last year I read 27 books. I have read 27 books this year so far and it looks like I'll meet my mark. I think this is pretty good considering just a few years ago I wasn't reading anything at all.

That's the update. Gotta go and finish a hat for a witch. See ya.

Start, Stop, Start

Okay, this has been a weird six months. I relocated back to Michigan from North Carolina and I'm still adjusting. I'm now looking for some work and I'm okay with that. It was a big move and resources have been tapped. For awhile I felt like a failure and beat myself up a lot. But I've some wonderful friends who believe in me and my work and they have helped me get through a lot of things. I'm still learning about my new community but I'm ready to get back onto the creative bus. Train. Boat. It's time to put the big girl pants back on along with the tool belt and shoulder holster. And I'm working through one of my lists. Here's what I'm working on this week. Four projects need to be finished by the end of the week. Others need to be worked on.

I've got three cloth dolls to finish, two aliens to dress, a table runner to work on, a short story to retype, some doll dresses to make, and a purse to make. Wish me luck.

An Apron

My mother wants two aprons and I got the first one done. I was a simple one and I'm glad I did it because it's easing me back into sewing for myself. I couldn't believe some of the things, small things I forgot to do or look for. But, it's a start. One of those things is to make sure fabric is out of the way that you don't want stitched. Yes, that still happens to me. Next, if you're working with directional fabric, make sure it's cut the right way. I'm sure that will happen again, cutting directional fabric the wrong way. But she'll love. And the most important thing. Thank goodness for seam rippers. I need to buy a few more. You can never have enough of those or pincushions. Or fabric scissors. The ones only for fabric and if anyone else touches them you will put them in thumb screws. Off to the next thing.

What a Dreary Day

It's been raining, sleeting, and snowing all day. It's cold and grey and well, it's not spring yet no matter what it says on the calendar. Anyhoo, things are moving along. I sketched a few dolls and I like the basic design. I believe I can use that basic design to make different dolls. So happy that I have access to a printer that can enlarge things. Now I will refine the basic drawing and make a final pattern for new doll 1. The other little creepy dolls will be small pins.

I drew the Day of The Dead face directly onto fabric instead of using a stabilizer. This is my third piece of Redwork and it may get some other embroidery stitches. I don't know yet. It may even get some beads. We shall see. The previous two pieces had stabilizer and I didn't use a hoop. I also had a bit of a problem getting the needle through the stabilizer but it held the fabric well enough so I didn't need a hoop. On this new project, I will try it without the hoop. I think the fabric has a good weight to it to allow this to be done. I'm using Kona cotton and Valdani pearl cotton thread.

#redwork #embroidery #valdanipearlcotton #Frixionpen #dayofthedead #dolldesign #halloweendoll

Mug Rugs

I've gone a little crazy on my second batch of mug rugs. They don't look like much right now but I've got 27 of them. I'll cut out batting tomorrow.

Woo hoo!

What do you do when you wake up early on a Saturday morning and can't go back to sleep? Get your day going of course. Since today is supposed to be a scorcher in these parts, I thought I'd get started so I can be home when then sun really decides to make its presence. Along with his pal, humidity. We have slid past spring and landed right into summer. Even though I was born in the summer, I am not a summer person. I don't mind 80 degrees, even 90 as long as there is no humidity. Ha! Not happening. And, it's hurricane season. So, there ya go.

Got a few groceries. Wanted pasta with pesto, mushrooms, and sliced tomatoes. Then I headed to JoAnn Fabrics to get backing fabric for one of my mom's scrappy quilts, bias tape for the latest batch of mug rugs, and some patterns. My mom has been clearing out her fabric stash and sends it to me. I have fabric to make two pairs of Capri type pants and two tank tops. Because it's hot, humid, and icky, you go through more clothes. She even washed the fabric for me. Gotta love that. Then it was on to The Vitamin Shoppe to pick up some things for the body, The Dollar Tree (didn't have all that I needed, that's okay), and finally AC Moore. They were giving me bonus points in their program. I tell you, a ten dollar coupon at the beginning of each year is really nice to get in the mail. All before 11:00 AM.

The patterns were on sale 3 for $5. I picked up the hat pattern just because. Hey, Halloween is coming up. Be back later!

Nice Day Today

I went to the Catawba Quilter's Guild Show today in Hickory, North Carolina. It was really nice. 278 quilts were judged and on display. I saw every quilt but only took a few pics. And went to most of the vendors. I got some fabrics for upcoming projects. Some felted wool fabric and some cottons.

From the quilt show, I went down the hall to the woodworking show (which was free, can't pass up a free event) put on by Klingspor's Woodworking Shop. Years ago, I used to do woodcarving. I really liked it and want to get back to it. I'll have to figure out how and I did find out there was a woodworking club right here in town. I met a lady who had a table there who just wanted to show people what she did which was making her own rubber stamps. I couldn't believe the detail she got in her pieces. She let me try and I made my first rubber stamp using my own drawing. So many ideas are crowding my head.

Is that cool or what?

#quiltshow #fabric #feltedwool #rubberstamp

Today

I wrote this this morning and just getting a chance to post it now.

It's Thursday and my second full day at the new studio. I am excited. Still meeting neighbors. There's so much I can do to decorate but I've got other projects to start, work on, and finish. No running around on errands today. Lots on the docket.

• stitch down binding on a lap quilt
• start cutting 2 1/2 inch squares of scrap fabric for some paper piecing which I've never done before
• design some doll clothes
• cut out a few more Halloween dolls
• start some mug rugs
• figure out some Halloween/Christmas ornaments
• start a Tula Pink square from her book 100 Modern Quilt Blocks
• prep for NANO, yes, I'm attempting it again. I seem to hit every other year and this is that year.
• work on Sashiko

I've crossed over what I got done so far today. There are still a few more hours before bed where I can work on some other things after dinner. But, I do not like moving. I can't find a project I've been working on and I know I packed it but can't find it. Looked all over and nothing. Very frustrated. Of course it's a small project too. Ugh! Oh well, I'm sure it will show up. I hope it shows up now that I've figured out what to do with it.

Two and a half inch squares to paper piecing.

Colors selection for Tula Pink pattern number 9.

Moving Right Along

I had a day off on Sunday. The power went out Saturday night and came back on Sunday afternoon. Went riding with a friend to the mountains- Pilot Mountain, Sauertown Mountains, and Hanging Rock. Saw some historic sites along the way. Yesterday I finished a quilt top. A study in black and white with a little red thrown in.

Today there will be some clean up in the sewing room. Gets real dusty working with cloth. I'll load up a new quilt on Leonidas, cut out undies for my Gail Wilson doll and start getting clothes together for my Halloween dolls. It snowed yesterday and most of the night then there was freezing rain. But the sun is out right now and things are starting to melt and thaw. That's a good thing and the power is still on. Also a good thing. Time to get back to it.

Have a happy day.

No Pic Post

Gah! Midway through the first month of the New Year. Can you believe that? Didn't we just celebrate the New Year? Well, time waits for no one. I'm behind on certain things but I've been quilting up a storm. That's good. I will remedy working on other things on my list, like Kid Medusa who has been giving me the side eye but she understands that  momma needs to pay the bills.

A friend has brought me some of her scraps of fabric. She's got four granddaughters. Lots more creating will be going on.

I went to my quilt guild meeting last night and one of the members did a presentation of her quilts. Wow! She does art quilts and is so nice, she said that if I wanted to try it and had any questions to just email her. Is that nice or what? I'll probably attempt one at some point. But right now I have to put binding on my two scrappy quilts. And I will be preparing to cut out a nine patch. Onward!

Scrappy Quilt

I got my first scrappy quilt done on the longarm. I have three more quilts on deck. Why is the month going so fast?

#longarmquilting #scrappyquilt #blue