Thimble Friend

Traveler Trousers 03/2013 #127

The weather here has been total crap this week.  It's been snowing this first week in May.  Wintry mix, they call it.  It's depressing, whatever it's called.

Even this eagle at the National Eagle Center on Facebook is mad.

I've started a new assignment at work which is challenging.  I am temporarily stepping into a job with more responsibility.  It's my old position and involves some light patternmaking, which I have not been doing professionally for several years, so it is a bit of a stretch for me.  

To help with the lousy weather situation, I have been enjoying Janelle Monae.

And this interview and concert (on NPR, of all places) with Iggy Pop helped some too.

Traveler Trousers 03/2013 #127.

Anyway, it took Ms. Monae to help me to cut out these trousers from my Burda magazine.  I am still trying to use up fabric in my stash so I am using stretch twill even though the pattern does not require stretch fabric.

And Iggy helped me out with some journaling.

I was in a much better mood after this, despite total crap weather.

I just cleaned up my fabric scraps a bit and bundled them up neater. I kept some and threw some out. Feels so good to clean out a bit. I know most people who craft and sew like to think that "he who dies with the most fabric wins", but not I.

Card Trick Quilt Is Finished!

Well, I had to set a self-imposed deadline in order to finish this monster, but IT IS DONE!

 

 

I started this quilt in the summer of 1997.  I was quickly overwhelmed, and it was worked on sporadically from then on.  During my last hiatus from work, I decided to finish it (or else).  I had a few outer squares and the entire grey border left to hand quilt, as well as adding the binding. 

 

 

I certainly have a new appreciation for people who do this.  When I started it, I thought that becaused I did a lot of hand sewing in my regular work -- making clothing for the stage, where we do lots of hand tailoring -- I could whip this up in, say, the time it might take to make a hand tailored suit.  Sure, maybe if I'd been doing this at work, for work.    And if I'd stayed interested in it.

 

I had never even been interested in making a quilt until I saw the a book written by a couple of French women: Patchwork Basics,  by Marie-Christine Flocard and Cosabeth Parriaud.  There was just something that was more interesting to me in that book than any other quilting books I'd seen at that time.  I thought I'd try it out and this is the result.  It's not as artistic as theirs, but an accomplishment nonetheless and I am satisfied.

IKEA Fira Thread Storage

This is something I've been meaning to do for quite some time--paint or decoupage this  set of IKEA Fira drawers.  I wish I'd bought more of them, since they are no longer available.

I painted the main compartment with some Martha Stewart craft paint that was on clearance.  It is a light grey.

Next, I painted the drawer fronts with some Martha Stewart chalkboard craft paint.  It is a darker grey.  (I wasn't particularly neat about the  inside areas of the drawers.)

All of this painting took many light layers to complete.  I did it while I was hand-quilting feverishy in order to finish that quilt I am determined to get done by the end of March.

Now I have written on the front of the drawers which colors are in each drawer instead of trying to remember and ending up opening practically every drawer when I need thread.  Slowly, but surely, I will get organized.

I really like the color more than I thought I would.  It goes well with the grey dresser on which it is placed.  It also goes well with the silver on the radio which sits on top of it and the general color scheme in that corner.  Sometimes I surprise myself.

The Never-ending Quilt--Borders

I'm getting very close to finishing this quilt!  I have been working on hand-quilting the borders.  Not much left to do; only one more edge and then I can bind it off and it is done!

 

 

 

Bathroom Vanity Update

Thimble Friend has been absent for a while.  She's been working on stuff around the house and others life things.

 

Recently I had to replace my bathroom faucet.  The bathroom is 90's brass-tastic everywhere, and brass is not what you find in faucets these days.  That's okay with me, as I hate it.  However the mirror trim is also brass (coated in plastic, I think).  

As this faucet was an unexpected expense, I needed  "dollar store" solution to the mirror trim.  Framing wasn't really and option at this point, and I'm not sure I really like that look.  

The faucet that started it all.  You may notice the trim is a different color.

I decided to attempt to  paint the trim silver.  The prep work took more time than the actual painting since I had to tape and paper all around the trim on all of the edges.

Before painting with Rustoleum silver  Artist's Touch paint, I had to treat the J-channels with plastic primer.   Here's the trim before removing the paper and tape.

After the tape and paper was removed.  Not too bad.  

A shot of the ceiling corner.

I also painted the brass light fixture.  I'm not crazy about the style, but at least it is no longer brass.

Visual Journal--Past and Present

About 2 years ago I tried out a 365 project with Noah Scalin's book.  I did not make something everyday, but it did get me to try out different  modes of expression and a few crafts.  It led me to try out collage, albeit in a very primitive form--no high art going on here.

I just started pasting stuff right in the book quickly, so that I at least did something that day.

Eventually I found my way to Lisa Sonora Beam's book, The Creative Entrepreneur, and the practice of visual journaling.  This is a page from my journal.  I think the exercise had to do with people that I admire.

 

 

As I tried to find out more about visual journaling, I ran into many books and magazines about "art journals".  These were informative and confusing.  Also, one can get overly gung-ho and buy a bunch of art and craft supplies that one really does not need.  Some of the books I have found to be useful and interesting (and also overwhelming with techniques) are:  1000 Artist's Journal Pages, The Journal Junkies Workshop, and The Art Journal Workshop.

Recently  I took Lisa Sonora Beam's online class Creative+Practice .  It was so very helpful as it distilled the practice down to something simple, a daily creative practice.  It took art out of the process and emphasized the journey.  The process was more important and helpful than the result.  It was exactly what I needed!  Thanks so much to Lisa!

The Never-ending Quilt

Just a few photos of the quilt I've been working on (on and off) since 1997, I think.  It wasn't worked on at all for several years, but I pulled it out last year, determined to finish it.  I didn't.  Here it is again.  Still.

 

 

 

Learning To Use Full Page Images In My Journal

Just a bit of sharing from my Creative Practice workshop.

I was wondering how I would cover up the advertisement's words when I discovered what I needed in a copy of one of our assignments.  I was inspired to use Lisa's own words .  

 

Findings for My Sketchbook Project

As part of my online workshop Creative+Practice with Lisa Sonora Beam I am attempting to organize some of the magazine clippings I have been collecting for visual journals.

I bought these little clear envelopes awhile back for this purpose.  I'm not crazy about them, but will give them a try.  It seems marginally better than the jumble in the scrapbook case.