At one time, I was intimidated by their ability and because I liked the way the things that they created looked, I felt that I somehow should be able to put together those types of presentations as well. And perhaps I could. But do I need to? We do ourselves much damage when we compare and when we base our decisions on comments and compliments rather than on what we know to be truth or how we feel. I think that's one of the lessons a person learns over a life time - with maturity.
Francine's birthday gift came in this box covered with hand painted watercolor paper and wrapped in an organza bow. Sitting on top, just under the lid, protecting the gift below, was another layer with a bright pink card and this quote by Maya Angelou - Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it. I like that quote. I also like this...
... beaded necklace that was a gift from my daughter. She emailed me several design possibilities and made this one using a Myrna color combination. I know enough about beading to know that this style of rope is a tremendous amount of work. The results are gorgeous and I'm incredibly proud of her abilities. This is the second beaded necklace she has made me and I always get compliments when I wear them and LOVE saying my daughter made it!
I'm glad she's just a little bit like me. Making things - particularly with fabric - is what I do. In an interview with Geddy Lee of the band Rush, Geddy was asked about the longevity of the band and replied that he and the other band members share this crazy innate drive to get better and that after 38 years together, they are maturing as a rock band just as classical and jazz musicians do and that they're paving a path for other aging rockers. They're loving their music even more.
Me too. After 38 years of sewing, I'm loving it even more. I'm intrigued by the boundaries I can push and by the techniques I've learned and the risks I take and the results I achieve and I love sharing those results on the blog - and then - every once in a while - I am reminded to pay more attention to myself and less to comparisons, compliments, and comments.
To be honest, I was disappointed by the lack of comments on the dress although, to be fair, the pictures don't look nearly as wonderful as the dress does in person nor reflect how absolutely amazing it feels on. It fits fabulously and is one of those dresses that hugs and flows and makes you feel feminine and thin and pretty and confident all at once - even if after seeing the pictures, I decided to line the sleeves. It took less than half an hour and now my biceps look a lot better with black behind the lace rather than skin showing through.
Hemming the dress meant two more long scraps 2 1/2" and 4" wide of the lace and the lining. That meant more thinking about zero waste. It's such a huge question because even this pile of yucky looking scraps above is useful in thread lace. They would add color and texture and stability with the serger scraps especially.
If one wanted, one could use up every part of the yardage only I couldn't work fast enough to prevent drowning in all that potential and yet I've begun to look at it not only from a zero waste perspective but from a frugality one. Another F word that I'm working on with extra energy in my fifties is frugal not as in being a tightwad but as in using my fabrics and my finances wisely. Opportunities to create something from "nothing" - as these scraps represent - would go a long way toward achieving that goal if I could store all that potential. What do you do?
I've been storing this looks like a cross between felt and interfacing fabric since 2004 when I ordered it to make a piece for an exhibit. It was tickling my brain as a potential way to make jewelry and yesterday I finally got to exploring that possibility by playing with pendant ideas.
The fabric is shaped and shrunk with heat and will take on the shape of whatever it is heated over. First, I experimented with a shape underneath and then with one in-between and that didn't work too well. Then I played with stitching patterns, adding fabric, and painting before heating and there's something else to explore in those ideas even though they weren't what I wanted right now. And then I tried tucks and loved the direction that took me in.
The shape of this piece above turned out particularly well. I've put it aside to explore further when I have a better understanding of the steps between a shape I love and a finished pendant I love.
My friend's pendant will be primarily black and red with silver beading. I tried painting red first and then black and then I tried painting black first and then red and then I tried adding purple to see how that went and experimented with glazes and realized that metallic paints work best. I've made a lot of samples and have one piece that I really like the shape of and am painting now with high hopes that it'll be the piece.
After my dentist appointment and getting ready to pack errands this morning, I'll finish the piece and put the gift together. More important than what I give Caroline - or what she gives me - is the time we're spending together because life is about relationships and I am incredibly blessed to have this friend of thirty-four years who not only cares about me but shares, supports, and encourages my interests.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - maturity
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