Once the thread nest was flattened out with stitching, it was wider than I wanted it to be and the edges were more interesting than I thought they'd be. In the end, I didn't want to lose them so I took away from the middle by cutting out a 3/4" section. Then, the edges were butted and fused together with interfacing to add strength to the back and something for stitches to adhere to.
To join the sections, I stitched a row of zigzagging vertically through the middle of the design. When you get a full view of the finished piece (in January) you'll see that it's interesting and barely noticeable - just a little bit top and bottom. A nice bonus.
With textured pieces, I often think a formal binding takes away from the design. They are raw and scraggly and suddenly they're shut up tight around the edges. I prefer them open. Since I already have ideas for the next two pieces, I know that informal edges will work for all three keeping the series consistent. In the image below, I was painting the edges with copper. Once that was dry, I zigzagged over the edge with a wide stitch and copper thread.
The main focal point is this textured and painted piece of FoShape. It's a heat activated fabric that is often used for theater costumes and masks. For more info, check out the Dazian website. That's where I ordered mine from YEARS ago (more stuff from stash).
The tension point is these rows of tucks in the top one third of the design. They're evenly spaced although that's hard to see in this image. When the piece is attached to the painted canvas, they'll lay correctly. The tucks build on the theme of horizontal lines, another aspect that I want to keep consistent through this series.
This morning is arts & crafts club. I'm re-knitting my blue sweater. When the front, back, and one sleeve were complete, I realized it was going to be too small so I ripped it out and have started over. It was MUCH too beautiful to not be able to wear. A little tedious to do again but easy knitting - oh well.
Thanks so much to everyone that commented yesterday. Here are a few thoughts...
Charmion - At both restaurants, the waiters paid quite good attention to what I was asking for and made suggestions but there is only so much they can (or are allowed) to do. The VERY BEST restaurant that I have found for food allergies is Moxie's. They check every ingredient of every ingredient and will often cook my meal completely different than their normal way to ensure I'll be okay. I've eaten in several locations and in every one they have more than gone the extra mile. I really appreciate the service. It makes me feel special rather than a pain in the behind. Usually, I get to chat with the cook about whatever his idea is and I enjoy that a lot because it gives me ideas for at home. Unfortunately we do not have a Moxie's in Kamloops. The closest one is 2 1/2 hours away. Thanks for the link to BC restaurants. The ones listed are all in Vancouver. Next time I'm down there - 4 1/2 hours - I'll check one out.
Cassy - LOL, it's good to know there's a WONDERFUL end in sight. Thanks for your support.
Karen - I know of women who have had hysterectomies and then still went through menopause. It seems to depend on the type. You said you had a total hysterectomy and I think that's the difference. VBG - probably not a solution for me.
Lee - You asked why I am eating out. It is something I've always enjoyed. I like the ambiance and variety of different restaurants. I like exploring new places and I can learn a lot about them from popular local restaurants. I like not buying, prepping, preparing, or cleaning up a meal and especially not having to consider anyone else's likes and dislikes when deciding what I want to eat. I like trying new ingredients and interesting tastes and foods from different cultures. I like long conversations with good friends over coffee and cake. I like getting to know the staff and having them get to know me. Sometimes, I just want quick and easy. I could list a LOT more reasons I'm sure.
Eating out has been one of my more constant luxuries in a comfortable but not extravagant lifestyle. It started when I was a girl and would go for lunch with my Dad. Even as a teenager, I went for lunch with friends and when my children were just young, I'd take them out for breakfast or lunch (and still do) partly because their Dad travelled for work and it got us out of the house and into new scenery and gave me a break. Before my daughter started school, we would regularly get all dressed up pretty - hair and make-up - and go for tea. The boys and I have had similar outings. Just last Friday, I took my oldest son out for breakfast to celebrate his new car. I have many past and current memories around eating out. It's a huge part of my way of life and not all that strange in the culture that I live in.
Cooking is a language just as sewing is one. If you ask me a sewing question, I can quite easily answer it or figure out the answer. I'm not as familiar with the language of cooking. I know how to cook basic meals and that's all I've ever needed to know because I could eat the more exotic food that I love when I went out. The foods that I do know how to cook, I'm quite good at. Most people would say that I'm a good cook.
Not knowing the basic language, it's hard for me to understand the changes to a gluten free, dairy free diet. The points of connection aren't there. While I know some basic substitutions for flour in a gravy such as corn or tapioca starch, there are far more things that I do not understand than those I do. How on earth does one make a gluten free pie crust when one has never made a "real" pie crust? I've always bought pie from a local bakery; I've never made it. You see what I mean. I can't buy a gluten free pie so now I either don't eat pie or learn how to make one. The learning process is quite discouraging to say nothing of long and expensive. It reminds of when I was learning to dye fabric which, if I recall correctly, I said at the time was much like cooking. It makes a big mess and results are not guaranteed.
For me to cook the kinds of food that I enjoy eating in a restaurant requires tools and abilities that I do not currently have. Learning will be possible when I make that mental shift from having to over to wanting to. It would be a whole lot easier if this actually was a lifestyle change, as in a choice that I had made for myself, rather than one that has been imposed on me. It's not. However, since I'm not choosing to eat gluten-packed meals and be sick, that leaves me with very few choices within a life style that I really enjoy. I'm grieving the loss because...
... it's not just food. I'm being forced into giving up a way of life that impacts both my eating and my relationships. It stands to reason that if I enjoy eating out so much, my family and many of my friends do also. Eating out has been a highly social activity for me and especially wonderful because I am at home so much. It gets me out of the house. When I was "only" allergic to shellfish, it was already difficult for my friends. These additional allergies have made it darn near impossible. And...
... it's not just eating out. I've become very difficult to invite over as well. It's easy to say that if your friends are really your friends, they'll make the effort, but why should they? Not only are a lot of these ingredients expensive, my friends work hard and come home tired at the end of the day and most don't like to cook any more than I do. They're looking for easy - like eat out - as opposed to time intensive - like learning new ways to feed Myrna. I would be exactly the same way. I'd want an easy solution and... unfortunately... the easy solution is to buy gluten free foods only most of them taste awful. How do you graciously thank someone for that making the time and effort while telling them not to bother again? It's really hard. As a result, we're limited to coffee - no cake.
It's a curve. I'll figure it out eventually. But, it's not through choice that I'm not eating gluten or dairy or shellfish or bananas or fermented things. The choice is not to be in pain or have other symptoms - like the inability to breath. Breathing is good. If I could find a way to do that and keep eating these things, I would. So far, I haven't been bitten by the cooking bug although I am doing better.
I'm learning (attempting to learn) how to make the best of a "bad" situation until it becomes a good one. That's going to take time - LOL - perhaps a life time. I imagine I'll circle back through doing okay and feeling sorry for myself with intermittent whining. How normal! It's a good thing I realize that no matter what I am dealing with, I am blessed to go to bed each night warm, dry, safe, and fed. YES YES!
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful: Happy Birthday Big Brother - 49 - wow! I remember you teaching me to read and now look. LOVE YOU!
Myra,
ReplyDeleteI empathize with your struggles with the food allergies (mine are dairy, egg, corn, wheat & gluten). I just found your blog last week and am now reading through the oldest posts.