Another Year Of Play

By the time I had finished exercising, studying, and writing and went for my one hour - but it takes an hour and half to get back and forth - acupuncture appointment and did a few chores around the house, the morning was over. It gives me a giggle when I've spent a whole morning going from one thing to another - including making a big pot of roasted vegetable turkey soup - and the thought crosses my mind that it's half way through the day and I haven't done anything yet. To me, doing something means being in the studio.

I've been keeping watch for any materials that could form a weighted core for the pendants. These disks are for stamping. They're regularly $29.99 for six and I bought them for $5.99 on sale at Michaels and then showed them to my husband and his friend who discussed how to cut and shape something similar and what materials to use. Along with the aluminum, copper, and brass options shown apparently there is a shim product used in mining that is a similar weight, inexpensive, easily drilled and cut, and just might work. They're bringing me a sample to see.

The aluminum cuffs that I purchased for bracelets are quite lightweight. You can see one of them by itself at the bottom of this picture. Apparently, the weight is perfect to allow for heavy beading when making beaded cuffs. Fabric isn't as heavy as dense beading so that's not a plus for me. I preferred the weight of the darker, thicker cuff at the top of the picture from Michaels. By doubling up the aluminum cuffs and using strong glue, paper-clips, and twenty-four hours to set, they have the same feel. The copper cylinders are from the plumbing section at the hardware store.  They have possibilities.

The cuffs are already formed. In retrospect, this may not have been the best choice because a flat base would allow me to stitch around the design before bending it into shape. I've ordered a few flat ones to test that theory. Either way, the inside curve becomes a 1/2" shorter than the outside curve once the bracelet is bent which means if the lining is the same length, once bent it'll be too long. I'm exploring stretch suede and stretch velvet for the lining with the intent that the inside fabric can stretch to fit the outside one when flat and condense to fit smooth without wrinkles when bent. Hopefully. What I want to know is where does that 1/2" go when the cuff gets bent? LOL - it was there lying flat.

Once I get going, I know I'll discover processes and methods that work for me and that the steps will get familiar and faster. Right now, things are moving tediously slow and there seems to be a lot of glue involved. I'm not really a glue person however... for now... I glued the cuffs together and then glued the bracelet design to the front and next I'll glue the lining to the inside and then do a beaded brick stitch around the outside to finish the edge. That's a step I'd rather not do every time so...

... with this second version, my plan is to wrap the seam allowance around to the inside of the cuff gluing it to hold and then glue a lining (like leather or suede) to the inside to finish. I'm not sure if that's the answer I want but it's the one I'm trying next.

Wednesday is going to be switch day - the one between things I'm doing for resale and things I'm creating for myself. I have an appointment this morning and then grocery shopping and a few errands and chores, and then the sleeve for the coat muslin and if those go well, the collar. I want to figure out the rest of the muslin and then put it aside until the beginning of March. Hopefully by then, I will be somewhat smaller and I'd rather make a coat in a smaller size so I can wear it in the fall too. The plan is to finish it for ArtFest at the end of March... or not... we'll see. All I know is that I wore my jeans to knit night yesterday and they were tight but not obscene and I didn't want to rip them off all night so I could breathe. This is progress. If things keep going in that direction, I'll wish I hadn't sewn the coat so big.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - large pots of yummy soup, leftovers

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Personal Growth - I'm working through Experiencing God section by section as opposed to chapter by chapter. It'll take a lot longer and that's okay. I can also absorb the information more fully. Whenever there's a question, that's where I stop. Yesterday, the question was: God revealed to me that He is all I need in _____ when He _____. The day before, in The Artist's Way, there was this sentence: one way you know that you are blocked is when there are artists you resent. Hmm...

Over the last few (long and excruciating, circling and often painful) years God has been revealing to me that what I thought I wanted is not what I actually want. When I see the success that some artists are enjoying, especially artists who have worked at their art for far less time than I did, I do occasionally feel a twinge of envy and resentment BUT... for the most part... having been there before... I know what's going on behind the obvious and the huge trade off - especially the loss of time to work on art without an audience. Most of a well know artist's time is spent teaching the classes she developed years ago and producing products that are known sellers. It's a lot of repetition and mass marketing focused on past developments with very little time for independent, searching, exploratory work.

When I taught on-line, I spent three to five hours a day, seven days a week, forty-nine weeks a year interacting with students and an equal amount of time - or more - developing new workshops, creating samples, and producing pieces for exhibits. There was no time for fashion sewing or for exploratory art. Because that work ended due to circumstances and not due to my choice, there was a lot of confusion and grief that seemed to go on forever AND NOW...  I have reached a place where I am thankful to not be doing that any more. I know I've cycled through that feeling before. I think that's natural. I also think I may be nearing the end of those cycles. How fabulous that would be. Right now, I'm grateful that I can go into my studio and create whatever I want to create without worrying about "they" might want.  While that feeling may change in the future depending on what happens with the bags, bracelets, and necklaces, it's true for this next year. What a gift. It's like another Year of Play.