There are so many titles I could attach to this post and in the end it would all boil down to talking about quiet creativity. For the past several years, I have been journal writing – praying on paper – about holistic health, about finding balance, and about being aware of both closing and opening doors and of my path to follow.
Lately, a lot of doors have closed - doors around expressing my creativity in louder, more public, even professional ways. I think at first that was hard for me to see, or accept, because of the role creativity has played in my adult and career life. Perhaps that’s the reason that I’ve been having so many technical issues lately. God wanted me know, for sure, that this door is closing.
In 2020, it is my 40th high school reunion and since I’ve gone to all the others, I assume I’ll be going to this one too. In 2021, it is my 40th wedding anniversary and – LOL – I’ve attended all of those as well and imagine we’ll be doing something special together. In 2022, it is my 60th birthday. I believe in celebrating each and every year and the milestone ones even more. Right now, my plan is to spend several months on the east coast of Canada. These are highly motivating events.
Several years ago, when I was doing one-on-one coaching with Diane, one assignment was to make a collage of the woman I was becoming. It started with the words so this is what sixty looks like and was created to encompass the years between ages fifty and seventy. The collage is on the wall beside my sewing machine and I’ve been looking at it a lot and thinking about am I actually becoming that woman, where do I need to adjust, and where do I need to continue moving forward.
While I can’t remember the year, I can remember where I was living when I started my first blog. After some major shifts in life, I closed that one and moved to a new blog and then I deleted all the posts after 800 and then again after another 800 posts which means that I’ve been blogging for more than seventeen years and 1,600 posts. And, it’s time to take a break…
… maybe even a permanent one. I can’t answer that question right now because I don’t actually know. I like to write and the thought of posting the odd essay has crossed my mind and I intend to still post about my studio and some finished projects but that’s not a promise I can make because I honestly don’t know how time will unfold. What I do know is that I want to focus on physical fitness in a more concentrated way and on changing food and financial habits and I want to experiment with broadening my interests and see where that leads me.
Part of getting physically fit will be to lose fifty pounds over the eighty-three weeks between now and the 1st of June 2020. I picked that date so I'd have two months to put together a wardrobe and a reunion outfit that I love. The 40th anniversary in 2021 and my 60th birthday in 2022 give me reasons to maintain the weight loss and I doubt I'll ever have three in row like that again. It's something to take advantage of to get where I want to get.
Although I'm going quiet, I'm certainly not quitting. My studio is set up for copper jewelry and knitting and sewing. Right now, I’m working on a coat and thinking about clothes that I can shrink in like longer, sleeveless, tunics over a t-shirt with tights. This week, I took apart a slipcover for an Ikea Ektorp chair to make a pattern so I can change my décor without changing my furniture. AND…
… I’m sewing some t-shirts for my daughter. Sewing for her is something I haven’t done since she was a little girl and right now, I both have time to sew and she needs a wardrobe boost and would appreciate help. It'll be fun and she’ll end up with a collection of patterns that fit for when and if she ever decides to sew.
Every platform has different extensions which can be rather frustrating although it makes sense in order to distinguish them one from another. Right now, my website is on Wix at www.myrnagiesbrecht.com. If I do post some essays, it’ll be at the blog associated that platform with the extension www.myrnagiesbrecht.com/blog, I am going to post this there as well and - hopefully - ways to follow although I did try to get the Bloglovin link and it wouldn't work. Go figure. I'll do my best.
Update - apparently Wix doesn't have a feed on its blog option - and I only barely know what that might mean but - so it can't be connected through Bloglovin. That means if I do post essays and updates at some point, they will be at either blog.myrnagiesbrecht.com or at myrnagiesbrecht.blogspot.com both of which you can sign up for in Bloglovin. My preference is the first one and I am trying to work out those technical issues. You can always find me at my website - myrnagiesbrecht.com.
THANK YOU so much for following my blog(s) over the years, for the creative conversation, and for your support and encouragement. I am grateful.
- Myrna
Friday 26 October 2018
Sunday 14 October 2018
Blogger Address Issues
When I moved back to this space, I accidentally changed the address to myrnagiesbrecht.blogspot.com which caused an issue with Bloglovin and those followers. Over a month ago, I sent an email to their tech support and have not received a reply so now I am trying a different way that will hopefully change the address of the blog back to blog.myrnagiesbrecht.com.
For most people, this will be great because blog.myrnagiesbrecht.com is the address they have linked. For a few, it won't be great but hopefully you get this heads-up before something happens and if you are a follower of myrnagiesbrecht.blogspot.com on Bloglovin, you can go there and type in the other address and become a follower of both versions of the name to make sure you get the latest posting.
I'm hoping to make the changes at the end of this week and next week to start getting back to regular posts which I've been avoiding while trying to figure out the address. It's very frustrating waiting for others to help so hopefully this new idea will work. We'll see.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - my domain registrar is usually extremely helpful so I'm hopeful this will be resolved this week
For most people, this will be great because blog.myrnagiesbrecht.com is the address they have linked. For a few, it won't be great but hopefully you get this heads-up before something happens and if you are a follower of myrnagiesbrecht.blogspot.com on Bloglovin, you can go there and type in the other address and become a follower of both versions of the name to make sure you get the latest posting.
I'm hoping to make the changes at the end of this week and next week to start getting back to regular posts which I've been avoiding while trying to figure out the address. It's very frustrating waiting for others to help so hopefully this new idea will work. We'll see.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - my domain registrar is usually extremely helpful so I'm hopeful this will be resolved this week
Wednesday 3 October 2018
Luxury Entertainment
It's officially fall which for me means sifting and sorting my spaces and evaluating what I have and what I want or don't want, what I do and what I want might want to do instead. Since the last post, I've been thinking more about holistic health and balance and in particular about physical health. A few years ago, I read a book about developing habits that said to eliminate a bad habit, or to develop a good one, work on one thing at a time, one per month. This month, I am concentrating on walking every day. This is a luxury.
When I moved here, I wasn't too worried about having a new wardrobe since I was new to the community and the environment was similar enough to wear my - then - relatively current wardrobe although I'd already worn it for a year or so. Only it's been three years now and my old wardrobe is feeling quite old indeed, especially as I have a minimal wardrobe to begin with.
Cleaning my closet, some things were moved along simply because I'm so tired of them that I don't want to wear them anymore however, if the garment was still in good condition, it went to the thrift store. If it wasn't, it became rags. And if I still liked the fabric, it was cut into pieces and put into stash for a re-make some time in the future. Having clothing options is a luxury.
I just finished reading Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food and have started on Cooked. Both talk about food from different perspectives and since food is a huge part of physical health, I'm interested to see how that may relate to my goal. The changes to food and how it's grown, marketed, and cooked in just my life time is amazing and not all good. Cooking is now seen as optional because food can be acquired in much quicker and less expensive ways other than making it yourself only those ways are not necessarily in our best interest socially, emotionally, or physically. What it means though is that cooking - like having clothing options - is a luxury.
And yet... I live in a community where I am younger than the average age and that gives me numerous opportunities to see what aging looks like and how two people of the same physical age can function in vastly different ways. I can see that holistic health including good food and regular exercise are a huge part of a positive outcome which leads me to question are they - cooking and exercise - really a luxury? One book I read recently put it this way - you can pay more now to look after yourself or more later in medications and health issues.
The number one excuse given for not cooking is lack of time. What does it say about us as a society when we don't have enough time to feed ourselves or our families the nourishment we need to function well - when our cars get better "gas" than we do. It's a question I'm asking myself because - even though I am a good cook - cooking has certainly never been a major priority for me. Perhaps it's something I want to learn to do better.
Sewing is another form of luxury entertainment. While it's still possible to sew some clothes less expensive than you could buy them - think advanced fashion - generally speaking it's cheaper to buy ready to wear. Only I tried that this weekend and I came home package-less and concerned that I remain in good health so I can continue to sew fun clothes that fit and flatter for the whole of my life. Besides the fact that nothing fit like I wanted it too, it was a sea of sameness, no individuality, no authenticity, so boring. Every time I attempt to shop, I am glad I sew.
I'm working on a version of - out of print - Butterick 6138. The last time I sewed this blouse - which is called an unlined vest on the pattern back, only I added sleeves, and called it a blouse, so it's a blouse - was almost three years ago in December 2015. At that time, my goal was to add design elements like trims and inserts. This time, it's to focus on the seams and top stitching and to create a monochromatic piece.
The fabric I used last time was a mystery blend, with fabulous drape, that kept shrinking every time I washed it... on cold... and hung to dry. This time, I'm using a quality cotton shirting, also in grey, that I've already washed several times just in case.
One of the things I love about this pattern is also one of the things that most people hate about it. It's cut out in a single layer, each piece individually. For me, that's the mark of a garment that will be fun and interesting to sew with lots of options for combining fabrics and adding details. It doesn't matter to me that the pattern is out of print. This too, is a luxury - to make what I want to make even if "nobody" else is doing it. YES YES!
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - luxury entertainment, holistic health choices
When I moved here, I wasn't too worried about having a new wardrobe since I was new to the community and the environment was similar enough to wear my - then - relatively current wardrobe although I'd already worn it for a year or so. Only it's been three years now and my old wardrobe is feeling quite old indeed, especially as I have a minimal wardrobe to begin with.
Cleaning my closet, some things were moved along simply because I'm so tired of them that I don't want to wear them anymore however, if the garment was still in good condition, it went to the thrift store. If it wasn't, it became rags. And if I still liked the fabric, it was cut into pieces and put into stash for a re-make some time in the future. Having clothing options is a luxury.
I just finished reading Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food and have started on Cooked. Both talk about food from different perspectives and since food is a huge part of physical health, I'm interested to see how that may relate to my goal. The changes to food and how it's grown, marketed, and cooked in just my life time is amazing and not all good. Cooking is now seen as optional because food can be acquired in much quicker and less expensive ways other than making it yourself only those ways are not necessarily in our best interest socially, emotionally, or physically. What it means though is that cooking - like having clothing options - is a luxury.
And yet... I live in a community where I am younger than the average age and that gives me numerous opportunities to see what aging looks like and how two people of the same physical age can function in vastly different ways. I can see that holistic health including good food and regular exercise are a huge part of a positive outcome which leads me to question are they - cooking and exercise - really a luxury? One book I read recently put it this way - you can pay more now to look after yourself or more later in medications and health issues.
The number one excuse given for not cooking is lack of time. What does it say about us as a society when we don't have enough time to feed ourselves or our families the nourishment we need to function well - when our cars get better "gas" than we do. It's a question I'm asking myself because - even though I am a good cook - cooking has certainly never been a major priority for me. Perhaps it's something I want to learn to do better.
Sewing is another form of luxury entertainment. While it's still possible to sew some clothes less expensive than you could buy them - think advanced fashion - generally speaking it's cheaper to buy ready to wear. Only I tried that this weekend and I came home package-less and concerned that I remain in good health so I can continue to sew fun clothes that fit and flatter for the whole of my life. Besides the fact that nothing fit like I wanted it too, it was a sea of sameness, no individuality, no authenticity, so boring. Every time I attempt to shop, I am glad I sew.
I'm working on a version of - out of print - Butterick 6138. The last time I sewed this blouse - which is called an unlined vest on the pattern back, only I added sleeves, and called it a blouse, so it's a blouse - was almost three years ago in December 2015. At that time, my goal was to add design elements like trims and inserts. This time, it's to focus on the seams and top stitching and to create a monochromatic piece.
The fabric I used last time was a mystery blend, with fabulous drape, that kept shrinking every time I washed it... on cold... and hung to dry. This time, I'm using a quality cotton shirting, also in grey, that I've already washed several times just in case.
One of the things I love about this pattern is also one of the things that most people hate about it. It's cut out in a single layer, each piece individually. For me, that's the mark of a garment that will be fun and interesting to sew with lots of options for combining fabrics and adding details. It doesn't matter to me that the pattern is out of print. This too, is a luxury - to make what I want to make even if "nobody" else is doing it. YES YES!
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - luxury entertainment, holistic health choices
Friday 21 September 2018
A Really Good Question
One of my favourite things is a great conversation, especially if it results in a really good question to take home and ponder, such a good question that it has the potential to change how I think or act.
A few weeks ago, some friends and I were talking about new energy and about how a change to the staff or board of directors at a business - say an art gallery - can change how things flow and feel. That led to pondering the flow of, or lack of flow of, energy in my own life. There are things I've already done that I don't want to revisit again, that I have no energy for, and others where I've discovered that my energy is limited. A good example of the later would be teaching.
Putting together curriculum, writing text, creating samples, developing illustrations, formatting lessons, publishing handouts, and - especially - marketing a workshop on the hope that people will sign up has such heavy energy that even though I've said often that I want to teach again, I haven't taken action. After this discussion, I realized that if I was asked to teach a specific workshop, it's highly like I would because I absolutely love teaching however, at this point in life, I'm not at all into spending precious time on that type of potential. I'd rather do something in the present, something tangible now. That's a huge awareness, the kind that can change directions and have one seeing truth differently.
This week, I had another great conversation about what title should we put on our business cards. I've had this debate before over the term art quilter versus textile artist and how they have different connotations. I used to put textile artist on my cards and eventually shifted to artist and probably would have stayed there until this conversation. As my friend said, everyone is an artist lately and the term has begun to lose its meaning.
She was advised to put what she did on her card, which is landscape painter, and before we parted company she challenged me to figure out what word I would put on my card. That opened up Pandora's box. I can't begin to tell you how many thoughts have been shifting around in my head over what word and why and could I live with that word and for how long and is it really the truth about me and what I do and what I want to do. So much shifting has gone on that I haven't ordered the cards yet.
Several years ago, I set a goal to improve my holistic health referring to emotional health, spiritual health, physical health, financial health, relational health, and creative health. I have since realized that this isn't a goal I can achieve and check off. It's a goal that will continue to evolve and develop over a lifetime.
Just as a chain is only as strong as the weakest link, these areas of holistic health connect to each other and when one is out of balance, they are all out of balance. Some areas are easier for me, like spiritual health with my journal time every day, and others are more difficult, like financial health where I'm still learning to live more responsibly.
In thinking about my holistic health chain, it occurred that a link I thought was strong may actually be pulling everything else out of balance and, surprisingly, that link is creativity, especially in the last ten years when I've been trying this and that idea to see where I want to go next. If after ten years I am still not sure what's next, perhaps I'm looking in the wrong direction or it's time to change directions ! ! ! ! Isn't that an interesting awareness.
Have I come to any conclusions? No. My mind is still shifting however I have the feeling that if I work on some of the weaker links and strengthen them that some of the stronger ones will give space and better balance will come into being. I personally don't think we ever get into optimum balance and stay there. I believe that there are moments of great balance to be enjoyed and stretches of working it out - that finding balance is an ever evolving aspect of our ever evolving lives.
LOL - and now about the images.
The first images are of the heart made using air dry clay over a wicker base. Once it dried, I painted it copper and then rubbed it with blue and black. It came out really well and, even so, I learned that I do not like working with air dry clay and I do not want to do pieces that need significant amounts of painting. I've never been fond of doing what I call "glue and sequin" crafts where I can't get that sticky sparkly stuff off of me. This is in that category.
The second images are of the finished necklace using the textile pendant I showed in the last posting. I am really happy with the way the pendant turned out. It's the most dimensional textile one I've created in all the years that I've been working at sophisticated textile jewelry. I do think it's a bit dark and perhaps needs some more definition toward the edges. I'm debating that. The chain is only okay. One thing I learned is that you cannot put beading wire in the tumbler - it breaks - and that resulted in having to rebuild the chain after the fact which was more difficult to get neat. I will most likely create a new chain for the pendant.
AND.. the third images are of the necklace I was wearing in the last posting. It's a combination of a found object heart, two wicker hearts that I bought at the dollar store and embellished, and a piece of knit fabric wrapped around cording to create the chain. With a tassel at the end. Again, I'm quite pleased with how this turned out. I wore it to Art Walk recently and one woman asked me to stand still long enough for her to "steal" it and then asked where I'd bought it and then wanted my card when she found out I'd made it. That's fun.
Two of the Pandora's box questions that are shifting is how do I want to approach jewelry and what do I want to do about the Year of 52 Weeks? These are goals and goals need to be flexible so that they work for you and not against you.
I've realized that 52 new things is too many new things for me, that it won't allow me to learn how to do something well before adding something new to the mix. I plan to focus on my wire weaving skills and textile elements ideas and let the rest go until that technique becomes important. What I mean by that is I will learn resin when learning resin is critical to what I want to accomplish and until then I'll let it go.
AND... I want to approach jewelry from a fun and learning perspective. I only want to make statement necklaces because that's my favourite form of jewelry and I only want to make pieces I would actually wear because otherwise why bother and if it starts not being fun or I reach the edge of what I want to learn sooner than I expected, that's okay too. It's a taste test, to see what I think, to see if I want to take it further or not. I'll see what life and holistic health, including healthy creativity, all bring to the mix.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a really good question
A few weeks ago, some friends and I were talking about new energy and about how a change to the staff or board of directors at a business - say an art gallery - can change how things flow and feel. That led to pondering the flow of, or lack of flow of, energy in my own life. There are things I've already done that I don't want to revisit again, that I have no energy for, and others where I've discovered that my energy is limited. A good example of the later would be teaching.
Putting together curriculum, writing text, creating samples, developing illustrations, formatting lessons, publishing handouts, and - especially - marketing a workshop on the hope that people will sign up has such heavy energy that even though I've said often that I want to teach again, I haven't taken action. After this discussion, I realized that if I was asked to teach a specific workshop, it's highly like I would because I absolutely love teaching however, at this point in life, I'm not at all into spending precious time on that type of potential. I'd rather do something in the present, something tangible now. That's a huge awareness, the kind that can change directions and have one seeing truth differently.
This week, I had another great conversation about what title should we put on our business cards. I've had this debate before over the term art quilter versus textile artist and how they have different connotations. I used to put textile artist on my cards and eventually shifted to artist and probably would have stayed there until this conversation. As my friend said, everyone is an artist lately and the term has begun to lose its meaning.
She was advised to put what she did on her card, which is landscape painter, and before we parted company she challenged me to figure out what word I would put on my card. That opened up Pandora's box. I can't begin to tell you how many thoughts have been shifting around in my head over what word and why and could I live with that word and for how long and is it really the truth about me and what I do and what I want to do. So much shifting has gone on that I haven't ordered the cards yet.
Several years ago, I set a goal to improve my holistic health referring to emotional health, spiritual health, physical health, financial health, relational health, and creative health. I have since realized that this isn't a goal I can achieve and check off. It's a goal that will continue to evolve and develop over a lifetime.
Just as a chain is only as strong as the weakest link, these areas of holistic health connect to each other and when one is out of balance, they are all out of balance. Some areas are easier for me, like spiritual health with my journal time every day, and others are more difficult, like financial health where I'm still learning to live more responsibly.
In thinking about my holistic health chain, it occurred that a link I thought was strong may actually be pulling everything else out of balance and, surprisingly, that link is creativity, especially in the last ten years when I've been trying this and that idea to see where I want to go next. If after ten years I am still not sure what's next, perhaps I'm looking in the wrong direction or it's time to change directions ! ! ! ! Isn't that an interesting awareness.
Have I come to any conclusions? No. My mind is still shifting however I have the feeling that if I work on some of the weaker links and strengthen them that some of the stronger ones will give space and better balance will come into being. I personally don't think we ever get into optimum balance and stay there. I believe that there are moments of great balance to be enjoyed and stretches of working it out - that finding balance is an ever evolving aspect of our ever evolving lives.
LOL - and now about the images.
The first images are of the heart made using air dry clay over a wicker base. Once it dried, I painted it copper and then rubbed it with blue and black. It came out really well and, even so, I learned that I do not like working with air dry clay and I do not want to do pieces that need significant amounts of painting. I've never been fond of doing what I call "glue and sequin" crafts where I can't get that sticky sparkly stuff off of me. This is in that category.
The second images are of the finished necklace using the textile pendant I showed in the last posting. I am really happy with the way the pendant turned out. It's the most dimensional textile one I've created in all the years that I've been working at sophisticated textile jewelry. I do think it's a bit dark and perhaps needs some more definition toward the edges. I'm debating that. The chain is only okay. One thing I learned is that you cannot put beading wire in the tumbler - it breaks - and that resulted in having to rebuild the chain after the fact which was more difficult to get neat. I will most likely create a new chain for the pendant.
AND.. the third images are of the necklace I was wearing in the last posting. It's a combination of a found object heart, two wicker hearts that I bought at the dollar store and embellished, and a piece of knit fabric wrapped around cording to create the chain. With a tassel at the end. Again, I'm quite pleased with how this turned out. I wore it to Art Walk recently and one woman asked me to stand still long enough for her to "steal" it and then asked where I'd bought it and then wanted my card when she found out I'd made it. That's fun.
Two of the Pandora's box questions that are shifting is how do I want to approach jewelry and what do I want to do about the Year of 52 Weeks? These are goals and goals need to be flexible so that they work for you and not against you.
I've realized that 52 new things is too many new things for me, that it won't allow me to learn how to do something well before adding something new to the mix. I plan to focus on my wire weaving skills and textile elements ideas and let the rest go until that technique becomes important. What I mean by that is I will learn resin when learning resin is critical to what I want to accomplish and until then I'll let it go.
AND... I want to approach jewelry from a fun and learning perspective. I only want to make statement necklaces because that's my favourite form of jewelry and I only want to make pieces I would actually wear because otherwise why bother and if it starts not being fun or I reach the edge of what I want to learn sooner than I expected, that's okay too. It's a taste test, to see what I think, to see if I want to take it further or not. I'll see what life and holistic health, including healthy creativity, all bring to the mix.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a really good question
Wednesday 19 September 2018
Trends In My Stash
Just to see what might be the case, I researched this fall and winter's trends and was surprised to see how many qualifying fabrics I had in my stash, plus boots, even some with a Western overtone. Who knew! It's completely accidental since I much prefer individual style over trend but... since I had them... I decided to make a couple pairs of pants using some trends from my stash.
With wide hips, I've never thought of myself as a pencil pant person however it was recommended I try them a couple years ago and since then, I've made several pairs. The ones above are a denim fabric with a black flocked leopard print. I lengthened the pattern by an inch and would have liked it longer so I may take the hem down a bit. It's 2 1/4" so I have room. On the second pair...
... I added another inch in length and refashioned some fabric I'd sewn into a skirt earlier this year. The fabric is quite stiff and the skirt felt like shuffling in a tent so I wasn't wearing it. There were enough remnants left to cut out the backs in one piece and for the fronts...
... I pieced them by cutting out the top section and then sewing, pressing, trimming, and flipping fabric strips with the pattern piece continually pinned in place until both fronts were done. The fabric design is so busy that you can't actually tell it's pieced unless you get way too close but I'm thrilled to have saved it because it's souvenir fabric I bought in Germany several years ago.
I used some remnants of the Germany fabric, along with others from my painted stash, to make this heart shaped pendant that I later combined with copper elements and a knitted copper chain. I'll get a picture of the full piece for the next posting along with details of the three heart piece I'm wearing in the first picture.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - my most dimensional textile pendant so far. YES YES!
With wide hips, I've never thought of myself as a pencil pant person however it was recommended I try them a couple years ago and since then, I've made several pairs. The ones above are a denim fabric with a black flocked leopard print. I lengthened the pattern by an inch and would have liked it longer so I may take the hem down a bit. It's 2 1/4" so I have room. On the second pair...
... I added another inch in length and refashioned some fabric I'd sewn into a skirt earlier this year. The fabric is quite stiff and the skirt felt like shuffling in a tent so I wasn't wearing it. There were enough remnants left to cut out the backs in one piece and for the fronts...
... I pieced them by cutting out the top section and then sewing, pressing, trimming, and flipping fabric strips with the pattern piece continually pinned in place until both fronts were done. The fabric design is so busy that you can't actually tell it's pieced unless you get way too close but I'm thrilled to have saved it because it's souvenir fabric I bought in Germany several years ago.
I used some remnants of the Germany fabric, along with others from my painted stash, to make this heart shaped pendant that I later combined with copper elements and a knitted copper chain. I'll get a picture of the full piece for the next posting along with details of the three heart piece I'm wearing in the first picture.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - my most dimensional textile pendant so far. YES YES!
Thursday 13 September 2018
Week 52-7 - Air Dry Clay
This past weekend, I attended Art Walk near Kelowna, BC, about an hour from my home.It was their twenty-fifth celebration this year and both delightful and encouraging to see an improvement in the quality of the work shown since my last visit at least five years ago. One of my friends was a vendor and we are meeting to talk about her impressions over coffee this morning. She thinks my jewelry would do fabulously there and I am seriously thinking about the possibility as a two day show, once a year, would be a good option. Assuming that I was juried in that is!
Sue Hall was another vendor. She makes the most fascinating figures as part of The Gatherers Series. Many of them wore necklaces made from air dry clay beads which was inspiring to me since I had a container of the clay waiting to be tried.... which I did... on Tuesday.
I find having somewhere to start an important in to doing new work so I chose a heart theme that included three metal and one wicker hearts. These are broken parts from the thrift store, not at all precious.
I put the two larger hearts together back to back with clay in the middle and then embedded embellishments onto the surface. As the clay dried, some of the embellishments fell off and kept falling off the more I worked with it. Not good.
With the wicker heart, I applied clay to both surfaces, poked a hole in the top, used the end of a paint brush to make impressions, and hung it to dry. It cracked. Again, not good especially for pieces I might want to sell. I took a wabi sabi approach going forward because who knew, the cracks might have been exactly what I wanted except it seems I needed to wait longer for the clay to dry. The paint wouldn't adhere in spots and looks quite ugly right now. Hopefully, I can update that some time soon with an improvement. I'll try painting it again when the clay is more dry.
Above left, I made two beads and stuck some copper scraps into them. If the copper extended from both sides of the bead, it could be part of a chain and if it extends from one end, it could be a dangle. This has potential worth following up especially to make textured beads or ones in bright colours although...
... above right, you can see how the air dry clay did not stick to the metal bracelet form and how easily it is breaking up. When I pulled on the copper wire, it came right out although the coil did stay put. My initial reaction is that this is not the product for what my goals although I will give it a bit more time.
Another product I want to try is Apoxy Sculpt which is a two part resin clay. From my research, it not only dries faster but is far less fragile than the air dry clay appears to be and the resin clay sticks to virtually everything but plastic. I'll continue to practice with these pieces because even if I end up using a different clay, experience and learner are always positive.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - back in the studio
Sue Hall was another vendor. She makes the most fascinating figures as part of The Gatherers Series. Many of them wore necklaces made from air dry clay beads which was inspiring to me since I had a container of the clay waiting to be tried.... which I did... on Tuesday.
I find having somewhere to start an important in to doing new work so I chose a heart theme that included three metal and one wicker hearts. These are broken parts from the thrift store, not at all precious.
I put the two larger hearts together back to back with clay in the middle and then embedded embellishments onto the surface. As the clay dried, some of the embellishments fell off and kept falling off the more I worked with it. Not good.
With the wicker heart, I applied clay to both surfaces, poked a hole in the top, used the end of a paint brush to make impressions, and hung it to dry. It cracked. Again, not good especially for pieces I might want to sell. I took a wabi sabi approach going forward because who knew, the cracks might have been exactly what I wanted except it seems I needed to wait longer for the clay to dry. The paint wouldn't adhere in spots and looks quite ugly right now. Hopefully, I can update that some time soon with an improvement. I'll try painting it again when the clay is more dry.
Above left, I made two beads and stuck some copper scraps into them. If the copper extended from both sides of the bead, it could be part of a chain and if it extends from one end, it could be a dangle. This has potential worth following up especially to make textured beads or ones in bright colours although...
... above right, you can see how the air dry clay did not stick to the metal bracelet form and how easily it is breaking up. When I pulled on the copper wire, it came right out although the coil did stay put. My initial reaction is that this is not the product for what my goals although I will give it a bit more time.
Another product I want to try is Apoxy Sculpt which is a two part resin clay. From my research, it not only dries faster but is far less fragile than the air dry clay appears to be and the resin clay sticks to virtually everything but plastic. I'll continue to practice with these pieces because even if I end up using a different clay, experience and learner are always positive.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - back in the studio
Tuesday 11 September 2018
The Old New Blog
This is my new old blog or my old new blog depending on how you want to look at it. The original first post was so long ago that I don't even remember when it was although I do know that in November 2012, after eight hundred posts, I deleted the earlier posts and started over because both my personal life and my creative life were going in new directions. I called this shredding the blog. It didn't go over well with readers.
Shredding is part of how I approach life. I sift, sort, clean, clear out, organize, re-purpose, recycle, let go of, and move on regularly in most areas of life. I love the way a good clean creates new energy and flow with new purpose and passion injected into the same old, same old. With fabric. With yarn. With jewelry. With words. And blogging is no exception.
Earlier this year, in April, I felt a need for new energy in the blog. Because of how unpopular shredding had been the previous time, out of courtesy to my readers, I decided to start a new website and blog. Once it was up and running, it was interesting to note that only five percent of readers followed me there. The numbers had me thinking about what I was willing or not willing to do for other people and wondering about whether I wanted to continue to blog, and if so how and about what, and more importantly - since I needed to order new business cards - where.
A new direction for my creative work right now is exploring jewelry design and in particular statement necklaces. At even a slow pace, there will be far too many pieces for me to keep and I'm already researching selling opportunities. Knowing that, I have decided to develop my reputation under my name and am returning to my original website - MyrnaGiesbrecht.com - and to this blog which will be shredded and redesigned over the next few weeks. I'll be moving some posts over from the other blog and then continuing with new ones here. I know this will upset some of you. I'm sorry. I felt that it was the only way for me to inject new energy and to continue to blog.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - clarity of direction
Shredding is part of how I approach life. I sift, sort, clean, clear out, organize, re-purpose, recycle, let go of, and move on regularly in most areas of life. I love the way a good clean creates new energy and flow with new purpose and passion injected into the same old, same old. With fabric. With yarn. With jewelry. With words. And blogging is no exception.
Earlier this year, in April, I felt a need for new energy in the blog. Because of how unpopular shredding had been the previous time, out of courtesy to my readers, I decided to start a new website and blog. Once it was up and running, it was interesting to note that only five percent of readers followed me there. The numbers had me thinking about what I was willing or not willing to do for other people and wondering about whether I wanted to continue to blog, and if so how and about what, and more importantly - since I needed to order new business cards - where.
A new direction for my creative work right now is exploring jewelry design and in particular statement necklaces. At even a slow pace, there will be far too many pieces for me to keep and I'm already researching selling opportunities. Knowing that, I have decided to develop my reputation under my name and am returning to my original website - MyrnaGiesbrecht.com - and to this blog which will be shredded and redesigned over the next few weeks. I'll be moving some posts over from the other blog and then continuing with new ones here. I know this will upset some of you. I'm sorry. I felt that it was the only way for me to inject new energy and to continue to blog.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - clarity of direction
New Business Cards
It's been a month since my last post although I hadn't intended for it to take that long. I exhausted myself with too much physical work in the yard, had another fall that severely bruised my leg, and ended up in a dilemma about ordering new business cards. Who knew!
As I've explained in a previous post, it's in my nature to do a clean sweep every once in a while and start again fresh. The first time I shredded my previous blog, it didn't go over well so when I felt the need to shred again I started this new blog as a courtesy to my readers. It was interesting to observe that less than five percent of them followed me here. While I appreciate every one of you who did come, those numbers had me thinking about what am I willing or not willing to do for other people and do I want to continue to blog, why, how, about what, and - as it came time to order new cards - where.
A huge part of my creative work right now is exploring jewelry design and in particular statement necklaces. At even a slow pace, there will be far too many pieces for me to keep and I'm already researching selling opportunities. Knowing that, I have decided to develop my reputation under my name and am returning to my original website - MyrnaGiesbrecht.com - and the previous blog - myrnagiesbrecht.blogspot.com - which will be shredded and redesigned. If you followed me here, I hope you'll follow me back and if you're a new reader, please do join me at my new/old blog.Thanks.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - clarity of direction
As I've explained in a previous post, it's in my nature to do a clean sweep every once in a while and start again fresh. The first time I shredded my previous blog, it didn't go over well so when I felt the need to shred again I started this new blog as a courtesy to my readers. It was interesting to observe that less than five percent of them followed me here. While I appreciate every one of you who did come, those numbers had me thinking about what am I willing or not willing to do for other people and do I want to continue to blog, why, how, about what, and - as it came time to order new cards - where.
A huge part of my creative work right now is exploring jewelry design and in particular statement necklaces. At even a slow pace, there will be far too many pieces for me to keep and I'm already researching selling opportunities. Knowing that, I have decided to develop my reputation under my name and am returning to my original website - MyrnaGiesbrecht.com - and the previous blog - myrnagiesbrecht.blogspot.com - which will be shredded and redesigned. If you followed me here, I hope you'll follow me back and if you're a new reader, please do join me at my new/old blog.Thanks.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - clarity of direction
Saturday 11 August 2018
Sitting And Knitting And Thinking
Last Sunday - as in a week ago - I woke up to excruciating pain in my left foot, particularly in my big toe. Apparently, with all the bending I'd been doing I'd been over-extending it to the point where it'd had enough. This is not any kind of glamorous sports injury; it's a repetitive motion energy - and one that makes me feel like an old lady hobbling around fretting about her toe.
The work that's waiting involves either more bending or climbing ladders and reaching upward so I've been mostly sitting and knitting. Right now, there's a huge thunderstorm rolling overhead and the sound of the rain on the roof is quite beautiful. The drops are so huge I even managed to photograph them and the pond is getting buckets of fresh run-off. Perhaps the rain will also help the fire situation. I hope so.
Sitting and knitting would be more accurately described as sitting and knitting and thinking. I've had a lot of time to ponder the creative work I'm waiting to get to as well as think about the women who have influenced what I'm doing. Three stand out. I met Marcy Tilton and Diane Ericson at the first two Design Outside the Lines retreats that I attended in Oregon, USA. They were a wonderful teaching couple as they approach their work from different but complementary angles. I met Katherine Tilton - Marcy's sister - at Sew Expo in Seattle Washington shortly after. She designs many of my favourite patterns - in that architectural style that I really enjoy.
While I've never studied with Katherine, we were both students in the same class earlier this year and I took two retreats with Marcy and numerous more with Diane as well as working one-on-one with her for several years. Through them I discovered a way of being creative that I'd been searching for for a long time. Together they gently - and sometimes not so gently - pushed and encouraged me toward finding my authentic style and working in the way that is me. I am forever grateful to them for guiding me along that path and for continuing to encourage and support me. Who are you grateful to?
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - inspiring mentors
The work that's waiting involves either more bending or climbing ladders and reaching upward so I've been mostly sitting and knitting. Right now, there's a huge thunderstorm rolling overhead and the sound of the rain on the roof is quite beautiful. The drops are so huge I even managed to photograph them and the pond is getting buckets of fresh run-off. Perhaps the rain will also help the fire situation. I hope so.
Sitting and knitting would be more accurately described as sitting and knitting and thinking. I've had a lot of time to ponder the creative work I'm waiting to get to as well as think about the women who have influenced what I'm doing. Three stand out. I met Marcy Tilton and Diane Ericson at the first two Design Outside the Lines retreats that I attended in Oregon, USA. They were a wonderful teaching couple as they approach their work from different but complementary angles. I met Katherine Tilton - Marcy's sister - at Sew Expo in Seattle Washington shortly after. She designs many of my favourite patterns - in that architectural style that I really enjoy.
While I've never studied with Katherine, we were both students in the same class earlier this year and I took two retreats with Marcy and numerous more with Diane as well as working one-on-one with her for several years. Through them I discovered a way of being creative that I'd been searching for for a long time. Together they gently - and sometimes not so gently - pushed and encouraged me toward finding my authentic style and working in the way that is me. I am forever grateful to them for guiding me along that path and for continuing to encourage and support me. Who are you grateful to?
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - inspiring mentors
Wednesday 1 August 2018
Where A Tickle Will Take Me
This is my third summer since moving to this house and I'm still in the processing of making it mine which has involved learning a lot of new things - like how to build retaining walls and decks - and how to landscape and create gardens. New is good. Trying new things builds on what I already know and stretches my brain in different directions.
Last week, I finished the deck on the upper back level and so far this week, I've been landscaping around it and moving plants from different parts of the yard. It's probably too hot for moving plants but now is the time that I have and they'll either live or not and I deal with that then. They're being watered regularly. This should help.
This garden moves down the hill to the left of the deck. This is the access for the jewelry studio when it is finished.
The 12 x 16' shed came with the house and I love how it looks like an English country cottage. It was a previous owner's wood working shop. The first time I saw it, I thought studio. At the moment, it's not level and sits on a rather sketchy foundation. Once it's properly placed, I can put in the brick patio between it and the retaining wall and then determine the height of the stairs which will then let me finish the walkway. For now, this is as done as it can get.
One of the main goals for this summer was to convert the shed into the jewelry studio and instead I seem to be doing all the other things that have to be done first. My current project is to paint the door and trim around the stairwell to the suite so I can advertise and get a new tenant. Thankfully, I haven't had one while all this work has been going on as I'd have felt bad about the mess and noise. While I'm at it, I'll paint the "studio" door at the same time - a start.
In his book Listening to Design: A Guide to the Creative Process, author Andrew Levitt writes "... we need only one idea to start and having one idea is more productive than having many" and "... in our techno society, with so much information available at our fingertips, the greatest adventure can increasingly be in the not knowing".
When you get a tickle, do you try that idea or do you find some way to talk yourself out of it looking for a better idea or a sure fire success or a known result? At one point in my life, I was always looking for the one right answer and for guaranteed success and now I enjoy the mystery of the unknown, following the path of a mistake, and seeing where a tickle will take me. I'm warm, dry, safe, fed, clothed, and loved. I need an adventure more than a guaranteed success.
Burda 7546 is from their Burda Young series. Young is relative depending on who you're standing next to although I doubt they intended young to be 56. However, in my case, that's what young is today. I have no idea if these pants will work for me but I'm intrigued to see if I can work it out. I'm testing the pattern using remnants left over from two other projects and some bits of elastic. Nothing is lost following this tickle and something will definitely be learned and that something will be a stepping stone to the next something. It's an adventure. What sewing adventure have you taken lately?
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a shorter to do list
Last week, I finished the deck on the upper back level and so far this week, I've been landscaping around it and moving plants from different parts of the yard. It's probably too hot for moving plants but now is the time that I have and they'll either live or not and I deal with that then. They're being watered regularly. This should help.
This garden moves down the hill to the left of the deck. This is the access for the jewelry studio when it is finished.
The 12 x 16' shed came with the house and I love how it looks like an English country cottage. It was a previous owner's wood working shop. The first time I saw it, I thought studio. At the moment, it's not level and sits on a rather sketchy foundation. Once it's properly placed, I can put in the brick patio between it and the retaining wall and then determine the height of the stairs which will then let me finish the walkway. For now, this is as done as it can get.
One of the main goals for this summer was to convert the shed into the jewelry studio and instead I seem to be doing all the other things that have to be done first. My current project is to paint the door and trim around the stairwell to the suite so I can advertise and get a new tenant. Thankfully, I haven't had one while all this work has been going on as I'd have felt bad about the mess and noise. While I'm at it, I'll paint the "studio" door at the same time - a start.
In his book Listening to Design: A Guide to the Creative Process, author Andrew Levitt writes "... we need only one idea to start and having one idea is more productive than having many" and "... in our techno society, with so much information available at our fingertips, the greatest adventure can increasingly be in the not knowing".
When you get a tickle, do you try that idea or do you find some way to talk yourself out of it looking for a better idea or a sure fire success or a known result? At one point in my life, I was always looking for the one right answer and for guaranteed success and now I enjoy the mystery of the unknown, following the path of a mistake, and seeing where a tickle will take me. I'm warm, dry, safe, fed, clothed, and loved. I need an adventure more than a guaranteed success.
Burda 7546 is from their Burda Young series. Young is relative depending on who you're standing next to although I doubt they intended young to be 56. However, in my case, that's what young is today. I have no idea if these pants will work for me but I'm intrigued to see if I can work it out. I'm testing the pattern using remnants left over from two other projects and some bits of elastic. Nothing is lost following this tickle and something will definitely be learned and that something will be a stepping stone to the next something. It's an adventure. What sewing adventure have you taken lately?
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a shorter to do list
Friday 27 July 2018
Black Chairs Pretty Cushions
This summer seems to be a combination of more visitors than I've ever had - all welcome though - and endless yard work... which wasn't what I intended to do... but has been a domino effect. In order to do what I did want to do, parts X, Y, and Z had to be done first which may mean that what I really wanted to do - convert our garden shed to a backyard studio - will most likely be next year's project.
With all the bending, twisting, lifting, pulling, digging, placing and so on, I'm exhausted and sore all over. The sore part is really bugging me. After three months of working hard, I feel my body should have adjusted and my doctor says no, it's my age. At fifty-six, I am so not willing to accept that and I'll be doing some research when I get a minute. Any ideas?
I've decided to only show finished projects on this new blog so while these chairs were started months ago, today is the day that I finally finished the last element. I bought the frames at the thrift store for $5 and then spray painted them black - an immediate improvement.
The bottom cushions are filled with outdoor foam that is mold and mildew resistance and the fabric is outdoor fabric bought on sale. The long narrow cushion is filled with an inexpensive bedroom pillow still wrapped in plastic. It firmly in place and the plastic doesn't crinkle. The 20" square pillows were finished today. While I'd sewn the covers earlier, I was waiting for an end of season sale on outdoor cushions to use as the filler and since they were going to be recovered, they could be ugly and still work. I found those this morning.
The chairs are sitting on the deck that I've been building on the upper level of my backyard and face out to the pond. I had hoped to finish the deck last night only the drill mysteriously stopped working only to equally mysteriously start working this morning. Strange. Perhaps I needed a rest.
The piece above left is by Indigo And Oscar and the one above right is by Jamie Spinella. Both are a wonderful mix of elements, unique shapes, and texture and quite inspirational. I'm glad that different parts of the yard are beginning to complete because although I'm enjoying the on-line inspiration, I am more than ready to start the design process with my own pieces.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - finished chairs, an almost finished deck
With all the bending, twisting, lifting, pulling, digging, placing and so on, I'm exhausted and sore all over. The sore part is really bugging me. After three months of working hard, I feel my body should have adjusted and my doctor says no, it's my age. At fifty-six, I am so not willing to accept that and I'll be doing some research when I get a minute. Any ideas?
I've decided to only show finished projects on this new blog so while these chairs were started months ago, today is the day that I finally finished the last element. I bought the frames at the thrift store for $5 and then spray painted them black - an immediate improvement.
The bottom cushions are filled with outdoor foam that is mold and mildew resistance and the fabric is outdoor fabric bought on sale. The long narrow cushion is filled with an inexpensive bedroom pillow still wrapped in plastic. It firmly in place and the plastic doesn't crinkle. The 20" square pillows were finished today. While I'd sewn the covers earlier, I was waiting for an end of season sale on outdoor cushions to use as the filler and since they were going to be recovered, they could be ugly and still work. I found those this morning.
The chairs are sitting on the deck that I've been building on the upper level of my backyard and face out to the pond. I had hoped to finish the deck last night only the drill mysteriously stopped working only to equally mysteriously start working this morning. Strange. Perhaps I needed a rest.
The piece above left is by Indigo And Oscar and the one above right is by Jamie Spinella. Both are a wonderful mix of elements, unique shapes, and texture and quite inspirational. I'm glad that different parts of the yard are beginning to complete because although I'm enjoying the on-line inspiration, I am more than ready to start the design process with my own pieces.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - finished chairs, an almost finished deck
Wednesday 18 July 2018
I Can Work With This
One of the previous owners - most probably the same one who brought in dump truck loads of rock - hid a whole bunch of broken concrete behind the fence at the bottom of the yard. People walking along the trails could see it but no one from the house. It was ugly....
... especially with the tarps underneath and the weeds in-between. Now that I've taken down the fence and am not replacing it, I wanted to clean up that area only there is no way I'm hauling away loads of concrete so instead I am using it to support the small wall I put up at the back of the yard (for raising the dirt level when I dig out under the patio) and to support other, more decorative, rocks for show.
I've only completed this one section so far. Walking from right to left across the back and coming up the path, you'd see the image on the left and walking from left to right, you'd pass the tree and then see the image on the right. In that picture, you can also see the small wall, the fence line in that image, and the first row of concrete slabs that I've already placed.
One of the neighbours walks along this path every morning and on Saturday, we were discussing what I was doing and how at one time I'd have looked at the broken concrete and seen junk. Now I think to myself, I can work with this.
I didn't have that ability before. It has come directly from problem solving in my studio for so many years and from responding to my favourite questions of how can I and what if. I love how it has transferred to all areas of life. A few weeks ago, I thought I'd bought some dishcloths when in reality I had bought tea towels.
Since they had the waffle weave of the dishcloths I like, I cut each towel in half and serged in one go around with a square start and stop and three curved corners. Now I have twelve dishcloths. I didn't bother taking the towels back and trying to replace them as I would have done years ago since I already knew the store didn't have anything else. Instead, I thought, I can work with this.
What have you learned in your studio that has transferred to other areas of your life?
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - fresh dishcloths
... especially with the tarps underneath and the weeds in-between. Now that I've taken down the fence and am not replacing it, I wanted to clean up that area only there is no way I'm hauling away loads of concrete so instead I am using it to support the small wall I put up at the back of the yard (for raising the dirt level when I dig out under the patio) and to support other, more decorative, rocks for show.
I've only completed this one section so far. Walking from right to left across the back and coming up the path, you'd see the image on the left and walking from left to right, you'd pass the tree and then see the image on the right. In that picture, you can also see the small wall, the fence line in that image, and the first row of concrete slabs that I've already placed.
One of the neighbours walks along this path every morning and on Saturday, we were discussing what I was doing and how at one time I'd have looked at the broken concrete and seen junk. Now I think to myself, I can work with this.
I didn't have that ability before. It has come directly from problem solving in my studio for so many years and from responding to my favourite questions of how can I and what if. I love how it has transferred to all areas of life. A few weeks ago, I thought I'd bought some dishcloths when in reality I had bought tea towels.
Since they had the waffle weave of the dishcloths I like, I cut each towel in half and serged in one go around with a square start and stop and three curved corners. Now I have twelve dishcloths. I didn't bother taking the towels back and trying to replace them as I would have done years ago since I already knew the store didn't have anything else. Instead, I thought, I can work with this.
What have you learned in your studio that has transferred to other areas of your life?
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - fresh dishcloths
Wednesday 11 July 2018
Prick-A-Skirt
Last Friday night, I went to the opening of a new gallery that I had been invited to join as a jewelry artist. I turned down the opportunity because the timing was not quite right. I'm still in the learning stages of jewelry, exploring the Year of 52 Weeks, and not at all ready for any pressure to produce what-so-ever. I want to play first and before that I need to finish the yard.
I did - however - want to support the other women by attending the opening. It's an all female art gallery which I think is a great concept. I wore the silver top I showed in an earlier posting with a self-drafted version of a skirt that I originally bought at a consignment shop in Calgary while shopping with a friend. Some of the clothes I buy second-hand are to wear, some are to refashion, and others are to create a pattern from. The later is why I bought this Eileen Fischer skirt.
When I tried it on, I liked the way it fit through the hips, the waist was way too big, and the length was completely unflattering. IMHO - a skirt should never be shorter than it is wide. I will eventually refashion the original. The fabric is a fabulous metallic linen.
If I'm not going to wear the garment, I cut it in half and use half to create the pattern and half as a sewing guide. If I'm planning to refashion the garment, it stays intact until I know what I'm doing and what size pieces I'll need. To develop a pattern, I start by laying each section on the work surface with paper underneath and then pin around the seam lines pricking an outline into the paper that I then connect dot-by-dot. The image above right is of a pair of Oska pants that I am also copying. The lines you see are the sewing lines and the seam allowance needs to be added. With the skirt, I added 6" of length and replaced the zipper with an elastic waistband.
I sewed the skirt in a black textured polyester and then fine-tuned the pattern further to make this denim one with cream topstitching. I like the skirt. I'm not so sure about the top - not the colour - the fabric. It's perhaps a bit too revealing. The shoes are Fluevog which I also bought at a consignment store. They're a fun colour.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - everyone safely out of the cave in Thailand
I did - however - want to support the other women by attending the opening. It's an all female art gallery which I think is a great concept. I wore the silver top I showed in an earlier posting with a self-drafted version of a skirt that I originally bought at a consignment shop in Calgary while shopping with a friend. Some of the clothes I buy second-hand are to wear, some are to refashion, and others are to create a pattern from. The later is why I bought this Eileen Fischer skirt.
When I tried it on, I liked the way it fit through the hips, the waist was way too big, and the length was completely unflattering. IMHO - a skirt should never be shorter than it is wide. I will eventually refashion the original. The fabric is a fabulous metallic linen.
If I'm not going to wear the garment, I cut it in half and use half to create the pattern and half as a sewing guide. If I'm planning to refashion the garment, it stays intact until I know what I'm doing and what size pieces I'll need. To develop a pattern, I start by laying each section on the work surface with paper underneath and then pin around the seam lines pricking an outline into the paper that I then connect dot-by-dot. The image above right is of a pair of Oska pants that I am also copying. The lines you see are the sewing lines and the seam allowance needs to be added. With the skirt, I added 6" of length and replaced the zipper with an elastic waistband.
I sewed the skirt in a black textured polyester and then fine-tuned the pattern further to make this denim one with cream topstitching. I like the skirt. I'm not so sure about the top - not the colour - the fabric. It's perhaps a bit too revealing. The shoes are Fluevog which I also bought at a consignment store. They're a fun colour.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - everyone safely out of the cave in Thailand
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