Odds And Ends

It's been forever since I felt like doing anything around here and - ironically - yesterday my mojo returned. Along with cleaning house and getting groceries, I primed the metal front door and the one to the garage. Both are in the front entrance way. Both were eighteen year old yellowed white. With just the primer, they look a lot better, as does the ceiling where I painted over the discolor from the previous light fixture, and the hall doors with new knobs. It's good. I also made soup and ran a gazillion errands and did other odds and ends and it wasn't until late - late - afternoon that I made it into the studio to look at patterns. There are three contenders although I'm going to look again just in case.

The larger leopard print view of Butterick 5498 has appeal. I'm not sure about the raglan sleeve and need to read how the fall at the front is faced. My fabric is one sided. The same with...

... McCall's 5241. This one is the most similar to the cardigan in the boutique but I'm not trying to replicate the cardigan, just to make a garment with the similar tucks which is why...

... I'm also considering Marcy Tilton's OOP Vogue 8088 - the view on the left with sleeves. The picture is out of focus which is really unusual for the Vogue website. I don't normally wear clothing with little shaping but - because my fabric is lightweight with drape - this could work and the larger pieces allow for play. Play is good - LOL.

I've mentioned before that clutter gets in the way of productivity for me. It sits on my nerves and niggles. While it's not exactly cluttered, there are a whole lot of things still undone in our house that are similarly niggling - one of which is the laundry room. Earlier this week, Home Depot had a cabinet sale with select units for $99 each. We bought some and hopefully they'll go up this weekend. It'll make a HUGE difference not only to what's stored where but to my ability to paint and dye fabric. We'll still need a sink and that's okay. We have plans for moving the one from the kitchen down. For now, just getting the cleaning supplies off the laundry room floor and the paints out from under the stairs and into the cupboards will be a massive step forward.

A few weeks ago a friend repaired my scratched oak dresser. The picture above is the scratch before she raised the grain with water and then rubbed it with iodine and the polished the dresser with coconut oil. The picture below is after. You can still feel the scratch but you can't see it. She always uses natural products and has repaired some seriously damaged furniture with this method. Bugs don't like coconut oil and it's natural, inexpensive, antibacterial, and something else I can't remember but it works. Yesterday, I oiled the counter top on the island since we won't be finishing it anytime soon and it looked so wonderful, I oiled a few other pieces too.

Thanks Kristin, Alison, Dawn, and Carrie for your comments on A Year Without. I'm definitely going to contemplate a year with. It's interesting being as old as I am. I'm far more clear on what I can and cannot do - like stop buying fabric - which isn't going to happen - but limiting fabric - it could. When I was looking through the patterns yesterday, there were quite a few I haven't gotten to yet and really liked which highlighted that there's no need to rush to this current 1.99 sale but I know in the future that I'll still buy new patterns that are more unique because unique is the direction I'm headed in.

Alison - life transition seems to be another word for pain and change and I do know from experience, as I'm sure you do, that transitions eventually lead to sunshine and something good but it sure isn't pretty in the middle. For me, the quickest way through is to let go of control only I'm not the greatest at that so I often spend forever regurgitating the issue. HUGS - best of luck. It will come clear.

In terms of creativity. It is truth that less can be a real push toward more because needing to do X but not owning Y enables you to start thinking differently. My year of play was very much that way and the zero waste concept I'm working with now has similarities. One of my favourite textile artists has lived substantially below the poverty line her entire adult life and creates amazing pieces from things people give her and thrift store finds. Her work encourages me to think differently.

Barb arrived late last night. We had dinner and chatted and this morning will start playing in the studio. In-between play I want to put two coats of paint on the doors because the weather is turning and soon they'll be too cold to paint. I'd rather it stuck. The roofers are a couple doors down now. I was right. They are going to be sharing our retreat. LOL - oh joy!

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - the mojo returns