Between Chatter And Inspiration...

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There's something about the light in our new home that these violets love. Before, they were on the kitchen window sill - a typical violet place - and bloomed so-so. Here, they're in the middle of the room between the frosted windows of the front door and the expanse of windows on the view side and apparently, combined, that's just perfect. They've been blooming non stop and plentiful.

In contrast to the days previous, yesterday felt completely unproductive, like a turtle moving backward. My trip to the dentist went beyond a check and into a filling because I broke a tooth on Monday morning. That delayed everything else BUT... in the end... Caroline's gift is all together. There are fifty large red corral beads, fifty black, fifty silver spacer, fifty pinkish red, and fifty purple tooth-like beads as well as two sets of beaded combinations that would look good at the ends, silk cord, a clasp, and tubing for behind the pendant depending on how she wants to attach it.  It's a fun combo.

There's room for improvement on the technique - however - for the first time exploring a new idea - this pendant is not bad.The five ridges represent each decade of her life. The one red corral piece looks fish-like to me and represents overcoming the odds, surviving, and thriving. The silver beads are not silver beads. They are black with dots of silver metallic paint. I couldn't find a silver that wasn't either too shiny or too antique so I sewed on forty black beads and then used metallic paint to tip them with silver. I wanted fifty but fifty was too much so I added ten more dots of silver along the edges.

For the workshop - we're to bring a half dozen patterns. I chose my favourite Burda skirt, and trusted New Look t-shirt pattern as a start as well as the Vogue dress pattern I've just sewn twice because I know it fits and it could easily be adapted to a tunic pattern. Having picked three sure bets, I threw in the Kwik Sew 3827 jacket that I sewed last year because I want to explore that gorgeous seaming in the back further, the Vogue 8714 peplum top with custom fit sizing because that's just easier than figuring out an FBA, and the Vogue 8637 skirt pattern of Marcy's so I can ask her about the fabric selection and possibly give it a go. We'll see what happens. We only have three full days and two partial ones. Between chatter and inspiration, how much sewing will get done?

Re-reading the notes, there are numerous directions we can go in depending on what we want to develop. I've decided to focus on the creative everyday wear aspect as that's definitely what I need in terms of clothes to wear and what I'd like to explore in terms of creative growth.

My inspiration file is ready. There's a variety of images with some from Suzanne's taken the other day, some from Crazy River Clothing - my favourite ladies dress shop - that were taken last year, and some from Anthropologie. All the images focus on knots, seaming, flounces, pleats, and simplicity. If we want...

... we can work in the surface design studio and stamp and paint and texturize yardage or a ready-to-wear piece. If I decide on that, I'll use yardage but considering how difficult it would be to do surface design until we add a counter space and laundry tub downstairs, I'm more inclined to focus on stitched aspects of design as opposed to painted ones. They are more likely to get done.

One thing I noticed - or confirmed might be a better word - looking through the inspirational images is my preference for monotone clothing with details. While I love color, I tend to love it either in the jewelry or in little details on the piece as opposed to a bright or printed fabric. My stash certainly shows that. It's mostly solids in medium to dark colors. That's what I'll do next. Pack fabric.

In the notes, Marcy suggested focusing in on one idea or color to make packing easier and to avoid over packing. I've decided to take a variety of mostly knit fabrics between denim and black - at least that's the plan - we'll see what happens when I actually get into the stash.

Talk soon - Myrna


Grateful -  the development of a creative can do attitude