Curious Adventures

Curiosity is a good thing - usually - even when it leads you down some increasingly ridiculous aisles. Some of you might think an intervention is necessary now!

Using the quilted brown scraps, I made three pieces big enough to cut the lower half of the two center front sections and the center back. That left more scraps.

Some seemed still too big to "waste" so I cut straight edges and pieced them together with a zigzag stitch and ended up with a section 7 3/4" x 15" - the picture above - and then I found another 4" section in my purse from the trip to Fabricland to match zippers and added it and two smaller scraps to the end and now have a piece 19 1/2" long. That's the start of a purse. It's amazing what you can make from what would be considered garbage.

The two bigger scraps in this pile were added to the rectangle. The rest did go in the garbage although I just know I could find something to do with them if I allowed myself. Our inner artist is like that. She loves to play when we let her. It's a critical component of creativity. I've had to learn how to play. I'm still learning. Curious adventures like this are good for me.

Scrap following appears to be a never ending journey. These four pieces are left from the thread lace made for the bodice of the coat and there's a (relatively) large pile of quilted denim left from cutting out the rest of the pieces, enough for several purses... which I'll make... although...

... it's occurred to me that almost all the purses have started with a quilted fabric and I would like to make one that doesn't. Since I just cut up a light weight denim jacket that was embellished but not quilted that might be a place to start. Later. I need to sew a few clothes next.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - the Guatemala purse sold on the weekend - YES YES!

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Personal Growth - Sunday's sermon was about grace and in particular about the story of Abraham and Sarah and their long wait for a son who was born when they were 90 and 99 and how God tested Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his son. There are of course way more details to the story but what impacted me was how long they waited for a child, how they waffled in their faith, how God delivered on His promise, and what they were willing to do to follow God.

It's not sacrificing your son but I've realized that I need to put down a question and find a way to leave it down. It keeps popping back up. To a great extent, I am no longer employed in a job I loved and one that paid incredibly well because I took a stand for my faith and my family. That can't be changed. I hope I'd do it again even though it's been difficult and at every avenue since then - when I've attempted to be employed - doors have closed. After three years of door slamming, I want to accept that I'm banging my head against the wrong wall and that God has a different plan, one that requires waiting and patience - two things I'm not that good at - and lack of control, clarity, and a plan, which I'm really not good at.

I have no idea what the end will be but I believe it involves creativity and I believe that I'm in a prep period. I want to wait patiently and do the prep work which seems to be exploring what's in front of me including the concept of zero waste sewing along with step-by-step creating which I'm familiar with from my textile art and am now ready to transfer to clothing. I strongly believe that I was led to the workshop in Sisters and feel it's important for me to go back. The sale of the purse is a small start in that direction. It'll be interesting to see how God pays for the trip and more BUT... if we factor in the degree of resistance coming my way, it's very possible I'm on the right path and since I need to make a decision and walk in that direction, this is the one I'm making. Remind when I'm tempted to pick up that question again.