I just went clothes shopping. For once it was so successful I thought about putting my sewing machine up on TradeMe. Thanks Anneli! It is nice to have a good ready-to-wear experience.
Unfortunately my greed for variety is larger than my wallet so that will have to power the scissors to the stash and the foot-pedal to the floor. No matter how good the shopping is, to this long-time seamstress it seems like too easy a win.
Making it myself is always that bit more effort, that bit more stress of will it all work, the risk of cutting.
When I'm in the zone it all comes together easily. A few month's break is enough to lose that sewing fitness - last week's garden-party suit nearly failed through the dozy decision to cut knit on the bias. What was I thinking? Just enough fabric to cut a second skirt on the straight and recycle the first failed skirt into a jacket. Patchwork came to my rescue there.
Somehow I think the garden-party suit will be in my wardrobe longer than the 3 new off-the peg shirts. Nothing like a challenge!
Are we piecing?
Does this writing piece us together, or am I making a wholecloth?
As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! And if we've never met in real life, leave me a comment of your favorite post I wrote and why it was your favorite.
Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
Blog-tag, KFB!
As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! And if we've never met in real life, leave me a comment of your favorite post I wrote and why it was your favorite.
Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
Blog-tag, KFB!
Taking up the needle again
The 4 quilts were finished on time. I was pleased to have the opportunity to photograph them - I like to work LARGE and it's rare for me to see my finished work spread out
After all the rush to finish I couldn't look at quilting for weeks. My lovely sister-in-law faithfully sent me our joint project ahead of schedule... and it waited over a month to even be layered and basted. Talk about "give away your contingency" because I couldn't face going back to that pressure. Funny how we set ourselves up to repeat problems time after time.
Now I've finally started it and it's going OK. It's going to be a very pretty, classic quilt and after the great unveiling I may even post a picture.
But some days I despair of finding my own vision and voice... there is always something conventional or at least pre-planned that I could work on and know how it was going to turn out. Once again setting myself up to repeat my earlier experience of not stretching out to the most original work I can do.
Repetition must be the theme for this month - because there are some really good repeats along with making the same old mistakes. I picked up my hand weights and blew off a year's dust. Who dusts anyway. Then I took off all but the smallest disc... and I've used them every weekday since. What an amazing difference it has made to the start of each work day - to force the bloodflow and count. I've even re-started making a simple list at work each day. Another amazing difference to what happens, a simple reminder of what my earlier, smarter self decided was the most worthwhile thing to do for the day. Like getting a time capsule from myself.
So I can learn, even if it is the same things over and over again. We are what we do - I was thinking of Aristotle "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit." but look what I found http://www.wearewhatwedo.org/ Cute!
After all the rush to finish I couldn't look at quilting for weeks. My lovely sister-in-law faithfully sent me our joint project ahead of schedule... and it waited over a month to even be layered and basted. Talk about "give away your contingency" because I couldn't face going back to that pressure. Funny how we set ourselves up to repeat problems time after time.
Now I've finally started it and it's going OK. It's going to be a very pretty, classic quilt and after the great unveiling I may even post a picture.
But some days I despair of finding my own vision and voice... there is always something conventional or at least pre-planned that I could work on and know how it was going to turn out. Once again setting myself up to repeat my earlier experience of not stretching out to the most original work I can do.
Repetition must be the theme for this month - because there are some really good repeats along with making the same old mistakes. I picked up my hand weights and blew off a year's dust. Who dusts anyway. Then I took off all but the smallest disc... and I've used them every weekday since. What an amazing difference it has made to the start of each work day - to force the bloodflow and count. I've even re-started making a simple list at work each day. Another amazing difference to what happens, a simple reminder of what my earlier, smarter self decided was the most worthwhile thing to do for the day. Like getting a time capsule from myself.
So I can learn, even if it is the same things over and over again. We are what we do - I was thinking of Aristotle "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit." but look what I found http://www.wearewhatwedo.org/ Cute!
far too busy stitching to write
there's nothing like a deadline to get things finished! Highway 16 Quilters have our biennial exhibition this weekend. Come along to the Kumeu Community Center between 10am & 4 pm on 21st or 22nd June.
With any luck there will be 4 quilts by me on display. If I can complete the 15 metres of handstitching binding in the next 3 days...
Last weekend would be the most boring for a long time - a whole king-size quilted between 8pm Friday and 4pm Sunday. I love to machine quilt, but that was a bit concentrated even for me. The best part was that all my problems with needle-breakage and thread snapping seem to be over - so that was all stitch-time!
See you at the show!
With any luck there will be 4 quilts by me on display. If I can complete the 15 metres of handstitching binding in the next 3 days...
Last weekend would be the most boring for a long time - a whole king-size quilted between 8pm Friday and 4pm Sunday. I love to machine quilt, but that was a bit concentrated even for me. The best part was that all my problems with needle-breakage and thread snapping seem to be over - so that was all stitch-time!
See you at the show!
...and redo
I just discovered how easily a blog can be deleted (not mine!) and that there is no backup. this would fill me with horror in my professional life, but here, it's like cutting the fabric - there is no turning back. You can piece it back together from scraps, iron-on mender if you're lucky, but the seams will always show.
Sarah
Sarah
Rip out and re-do
Happy new year!
Far too busy stitching to write... the strawberry sundae suit, perfected pants, a custom-fit top for HennyPenny.... and so much more. The fabric shopping is still staying ahead of the making, I've made good use of the sale at my current favourite store, New Lynn Fabric Barn
Night before last I completed the quilting of my group's annual raffle quilt, now just need to find a volunteer/victim to bind it. I'm standing down as group president, I hope that will give me a new lease of life for quilting projects rather than running meetings.
Maybe some photos next time, Kathryn :-)
Far too busy stitching to write... the strawberry sundae suit, perfected pants, a custom-fit top for HennyPenny.... and so much more. The fabric shopping is still staying ahead of the making, I've made good use of the sale at my current favourite store, New Lynn Fabric Barn
Night before last I completed the quilting of my group's annual raffle quilt, now just need to find a volunteer/victim to bind it. I'm standing down as group president, I hope that will give me a new lease of life for quilting projects rather than running meetings.
Maybe some photos next time, Kathryn :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)