Slow Progress

We took the boys (young men) out for dinner last night while the viewers were viewing (an appointment inconveniently booked into dinner time) and when I got home, there was a message from Fabricland. This weekend, there's a member's madness sale with all fabrics 50% off including the bargain center plus Simplicity patterns are $1.99 and notions are 50% off. That's information I definitely did NOT need to know although I've used a lot of my zipper stash with this handbag project and would like a new thread stand to replace the one that toppled over and broke so I'll attempt to make it in and out with only two things in mind. On Friday. If I remember. Lately, I'm having so much fun playing in the studio that I forget about other events. This is good.

I've started re-reading Jean Ray Laury's book, The Creative Woman's Getting It All Together At Home Handbook. The copyright date is 1977. The book is written for female artists although primarily for female fibre artists and in particular married female fibre artists with children who are juggling many roles while making, or attempting to make, creativity a priority. The information is still relevant today.

It's interesting reading the book again from an un-employed and the mother of adult children perspective. I am juggling my hats differently than I was the last time through although I've never been dinner oriented so this quote on page ten from Beth Gutcheon still rings as true as ever - I take time to do my work well because it represents me. It is an integral part of my personhood, in a way that cooking dinner is not. Many people who are basically not very interested in quilts tend to remark, 'My, that must take a lot of patience.' Well, of course it doesn't take patience if you like to do it - what takes patience, for me, is trying to remember what's in the refrigerator so I can think of what to have for dinner. That is demanding work, in my book.

To write the book, Jean interviewed many different artists. At the front, there's a discussion about how those artist wanted to be identified - as artists, teachers, writer, designers, authors, quilters, stitchers, or weavers. That line made me think about why is it so important to have a label? Why do I need to define that I'm a stay at home wife or a kept woman or an artist or retired or.... ? Is it a question of finding where we fit or is it a question of giving ourselves value?

There were two young women having a discussion at the table next to me when I was writing at Starbucks yesterday morning. They were talking about being home with their children and about how that was their primary role. The one woman was a nurse. She had just finished her degree at the same time as she had a baby. She intended to pick up one shift a week but that was all she'd have time for.

Neither woman expressed any kind of angst over career or financial goals. I began to wonder if my generation - sandwiched after the women's lib movement and before this one that I was listening to - was the pendulum swing generation. Did we go too far the other way while this next group of women will be the ones to truly benefit from choice?

While I've never been hugely domestic, I always felt my children were more important than a career and yet I have also always felt a strong need to identify myself in some kind of career role. I'd like to let go of that because one thing that I have greatly enjoyed about the handbag project is creating for creativity's sake. There's something special and wonderful and filled with joy in that concept that I want to hold on to. 

One line from the book that I remember from the last time I read it is a piece of advice that the author's ( I think ) mother-in-law had given her. She said to always warp the loom and to never leave it empty so that it was ready and filled with potential instead of empty and standing barren. That one decision - to always warp the loom - would make it possible to move ahead with creativity in-between other responsibilities. It's good advice.

For me, thinking about the next purse has been fabulous only the next next purse is the ninth of nine. Soon this project will be finished. I've started to think about other projects - some pillow cases for our bed, bracelets, a tri-fold purse, more than one tri-fold purse, some desperately needed jeans, a lacy bra, t-shirts. It's not hard to come up with ideas although I want ideas that are as creatively stimulating as this project has been. I want to make sure my loom is warped. Do you plan what's next? Is your loom warped? With what?

It was slow progress in the studio yesterday although I finished the front and back sections and worked on the handles. The first three pictures show the three quarter triangles and the edging from the original quilt. I'm pleased with how they fit into the bag. In both cases, they've been made into pockets. The handles were padded with left over quilted strips from this project and from Susan's. The padding is enough to add weight and density to the handles without making them too stiff.

I started by cutting 1 1/2" strips of the quilted fabric and then stitched a 4" strip of the green check to one edge, wrapped it around, turned under the raw edge, and slip stitched it in place before stitching long rows in bright pink thread.

The handles were then sewn to the front and back of the bag and the mid section was folded in half and stitched through all layers. The buttons are decorative. They are coat buttons with a leather look that were in the same grab bag I mentioned previously. I've wondered when I'd ever get to use them especially as I rarely sew coats or jackets. This works. In the picture above, you can see the back of the bag and the top of the narrow "rotary cutter" pocket. It's 4" x 15" while the pocket on the front is 19" x 17". There are no internal pockets which means I'm very close to finished.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - warping the loom