This I Have to Share

I received a small gift yesterday in a small bag with drawstring.  I hate sewing these.  Especially the casing for the string(s).  Will you look at how the Japanese do this - I am converting for sure.

So, What Have I Been Doing?

NOTE:  This was drafted on Nov 4th, so some items have already been posted.

It appears that I haven't sewn anything since my husband's Dr Who's scarf-inspired wall hanging (which is still in UFO status).  I have been distracted by www.500px.com, a website that allows you to post your photos, get comments, and perhaps sell them.  I've always wanted to put together a portfolio and share with my late cousin Don, but that didn't happen.  Now I have strangers commenting because they want to not because they feel like they have to.  I guess photography could be considered fiber art if you really want to stretch the word fiber.  Pictures are printed on paper, and paper comes from trees (or other plants).  But when you are formatting digital photos and uploading to a website, you really don't deal with paper.  So, back to fabric it is!

I've had two more deadlines to get me going.  One, a possible commission from a doctor.  I "drafted" two samples to show him at my last appointment to be totally knocked over because the blank space on his wall was no longer blank.  Procrastination and communication kicked my in the butt again.  That's all.  (But you already know about this project.)  Two, I needed to make a witch costume for a winery tour that some friends have been doing for years while I've been in Florida.  I made a blue cape and a blue/purple hat.  The hat was so much fun to make.  I'll post of pic of that soon.

Now that winter is approaching, and we're no longer in Kansas, I mean Florida, I need to make more curtains.  So I started today, thinking I had more yardage for the color scheme I was using.  So I pieced strips of about 7 different fabrics together to make 3 small curtains.  And then one strip wasn't wide enough, so I pieced some more to fill in the gap.  They look more like aprons than curtains, but I like the colors.  Patchwork is fun, but slow.  Can't really say tomorrow that I "whipped up" some curtains last night because they aren't finished.  But I had fun.  Isn't that what it's all about?

Introducing My Assistant

     A blog like this can't be complete 

without sharing photos of my partner, Rosie.

Fiber Anyone?

Words are good.  That's what blogging is about, eh?  But what about my fiber therapy?  

Has anyone ever experienced procrastination?  Well, if not, here's a good example why not to do it. One of my doctors recently changed offices and had a big blank wall.  Well, that had to be resolved. So I told him at each appointment that I could fix that.  Months went by before I finally did something. I prepared two samples to show him at my next appointment and voila!  His wife filled the void.  So I showed him anyway.  And now I'll show you too!  Mind you, they are "drafts" and are basically the background (or first layer on a canvas) for more to come.  There are two sets:  in each, first, my inspiration; second, my version.  (Don't know how to place these side-by-side.)

I also showed him "In Shangri-la", a work in progress that's about 90% complete, which I may share soon.  (Procrastination strikes again.)  I wanted him to see what these two could look like once more work was done.  He seemed to like them, asked if my work had been in a show and if was a member of a guild.  He observed both my excitement and let down and commented that there are more blank walls in the office as a whole.  I may have to follow up on this...like the children's story of a train trying to go up hill.  I think I can, I think I can.

Liz, My Inspiration to Start this Blog

I never really mentioned the person who gave me, unknowingly to her, the inspiration and motivation to start this blog.  Elizabeth Gilbert!  I was reading Eat Pray Love which is in fact a memoir and begins with an account of her depression.  Pretty brave I think.  And millions of copies of this book were sold, in many languages, and then it was turned into a movie.  Thanks Liz for your inspiration!!!

By the way, Liz has a Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/GilbertLiz.  And, if you make a comment, she will more than likely respond.  How many authors do that?  Gotta love her.  So, if you haven't read the book, please do.  Then you can watch the movie, but like most movies-from-books, read the book first!


And, if you have about 20 minutes, you must watch this video "Your Elusive Creative Genius" aired on TED: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA.

Enough said about my inspiration, for now.  Namaste.

Blog Rules

One.  I don't have to blog on a regular basis, but it would be nice.
Two.  You don't have to comment, but it would be nice.
Three.  I don't have to limit my blog to projects I complete.  This new option is nice.
Four.  I can change the rules any time I want, and this is nice.
Fifth.  You can start anything new at anytime.  Never mind the stockpile of UFOs.