The world is full of amazing opportunities for crafts and self expression. Sometimes there are so many opportunities I start five things at once…okay, often I start five things at once. I have made some progress on my aunt’s quilt, right now I am using clear thread to ensure that her applique is solid on the first set of flowers. I think that the center looks good, I’ll see if I can ask my cousin when I see her at the Funeral.
I am trying to find a pattern with Celtic meaning and a lovely phrase to commemorate my Uncle that passed, I’ll make three (one for each of his kids and one for his widow…maybe one for his ex?). Mostly that is adding the elements for the design and getting them stitched out.
My library is kicking off their summer reading program in two weeks and I found out last week that we will be having ‘spirit days’ that week. I will not be at work for two of them, however I will be at the library to volunteer at a booth for one of the guilds I belong to. This means that I need at least ideas, if not projects, for each of the other five days. One of them is for a piece of art or inspiration by an artist. I am currently working on an applique design for a t-shirt I purchased. Hopefully that turns out.
I am still low-key working on my Fey piece, it is currently percolating in the back of my mind as I sort through my fabrics, tulle, lace, etc.
There have been some great sales on embroidery patterns, I sort of need to lay off of purchasing those until I have made some products and sales.
In addition to all of that I have started playing around with Notion as a way to keep my projects organized and my inventory/purchases recorded. All of this is on top of my work stuff, a class I’m teaching this weekend, the funeral, and preparing for summer reading. I’ve bitten off a lot to chew, I hope I can keep up with it.
I did take time one morning before work for an artists date to the beach. Even though it means waking up super early I love going to the beach for sunrise, I got a great photo of the moon before it set.
Due to my Irish heritage I have always been drawn in by the idea and images of they Fey, or Fair Folk. At H&H Americas I expressed an idea that had been percolating in the back of my mind for quite some time, a multi-media textile art piece that features a dark Fey. I bought some silk fabric samples and spun some black silk thread.
Two weeks ago I received a call from my cousin. (Since I’m not using names and my Dad had 10 siblings this is a bit confusing, the two cousins are not from the same immediate family, their Mothers are Sisters to my Dad who is not with us.) She told me that our other cousins daughter, who was living with her parents, had decided to take her own life. This was devastating. I did not have the opportunity to get to know her much in life, we had only seen each other a few times and she was not outwardly expressive…I would say shy except that I think that this was a conditioned response to years of mental abuse. My Aunt was the one to find her. This was horrible, my cousin called me and I told her that I could be there 6 hours from then. She called on Sunday and I cancelled the spinning class I was supposed to teach and arrived Thursday for the Saturday funeral.
It was both horrible and lovely. I had a chance to see family I had not in a while, I helped create 4 posters…okay I cut some of the white off of the edges of printed pictures, and generally we kept busy. I was an ear for my cousin, a shoulder for her daughters, and a buffer for her mom and dad. My other cousin, the father, had been in town all week. He was mourning in his own way…not talking with anyone, communicating through text and his girlfriend, hanging up on my cousin…you know. She finally told him to ‘Grow up’ and then the whole family was dis-invited from the funeral. Her sister managed to smooth things over to the point that my cousin was the only one not invited, so I stayed with her and her husband, daughters, and a couple of other family members that decided to stay. I spent Sunday with my cousin and headed back that night, which was hard for her older daughter who had been sullen all day. I had to explain that my social battery was drained (I had just been to see them 4 weeks ago then H&H, then COVID, now this) and that I did not want to subject them to the bad mood I could feel coming on. I drove home, taking two breaks to nap for 2 hours at a time, arriving home at 5 am after leaving at 8:30pm.
Last night I had inspiration, that will be explained in a post that is coming out later this week (I superseded it with this post for reasons I will explain soon), and began on a sample or small scale version of my Fey.
The young lady that decided her life was not worth living had a small collection of beads, she enjoyed arts and crafts, that my cousin gifted me. I decided to incorporate those into this memorial project, you can see one bead and sequin where their eye is going to be. I was pleased to get a start on this project, I had all sorts of ideas running through my head, I planned on spending this weekend, after work, between machine embroidering on my (other) aunt’s quilt, draping different fabrics and exploring what colors and textures I want to bring to this piece.
This morning as I was washing up and getting dressed for work I received a phone call. I did not have the number saved, that has been rectified, however I knew that I had family in that area so I picked up. It was my Aunt whose quilt I am working on…one of her brothers (my uncle) passed away last night. I think I was in shock and forgot to ask if there was anything I could do. Admittedly I was not very close to my Uncle, however I loved him and I love his 2 children, my cousins. I cannot cancel another class for the same guild. My finances are stretched thin, so I think a card is going to be all that I can send, maybe a memorial mini quilt or something…Oh, I’ll embroider some good Irish sayings on a piece for each, they might like that.
What keeps running through my mind is that these things come in threes. I know it is an old superstition, however, that does not make it wrong. I am waiting to talk with my sister so we can figure out what to do. Into every life a little rain must fall, rest in the loving embrace of the family that came before you.
Sometimes life happens and you see it coming from a mile away, more often you will never see it coming. The first important thing in this short, devastating tale, is that my dad was 1 of 11 children and I love all of my cousins we are a very supportive family. One of my cousins had a daughter, very long and heart breaking story, but she graduated from high-school while living with an aunt in Alaska (not her grand-parent). She decided that she wanted to come back to the lower 48 and live close to her dad’s immediate family (and far away from him) so one of my aunt and uncles decided to welcome her into their home and lives (not her grand-parents).
She was finding her footing, trying out different jobs, figuring out what she wanted to do with her life and generally just getting used to a supportive environment. She had just completed her entrance exams to community college, and well, given the past tense I assume you can guess what happened.
She was caught in a fight between her father’s beliefs that therapy, medication, and mental health concerns were not real, and her family, my aunt and uncle and cousins that she was living with, telling her that they all go to therapy and take any medications needed to keep them healthy. So instead of teaching a how to spin yarn class this weekend I will be attending a funeral. It is so tragic and senseless. I can tell myself that even if she had gotten on anti-depressants that likely would have triggered at least an attempt, but that is not really helping me. Everyone in my work and personal life is being very supportive and I am trying to be supportive for the family members that lived with her.
So my May has been a series of dramatic ups and downs. Going to H&H Americas, getting COVID. Getting my home finally cleaned up so I can get started on creative projects, going to a Funeral. I am certainly hoping that this is not an indication of how summer is going to go.
Remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract, and seek out mental health counseling. It is a sign of strength to admit that you need help and weakness to pretend that everything is perfect.
It is fascinating to remember that without my ADHD Medication (it is on backorder due to manufacturing and regulations) I am still capable of being creative. I’m not as capable of completing tasks, however I hope to look on the bright side and get tasks started/thought of/planned until my medication arrives. I am very lucky that since I was diagnosed in my early 40s I have well developed coping mechanisms to employ that allow me to still get my work done, and come up with crafting ideas. There is, of course, a downside. I’m attempting to get ready to attend H&H Americas and will be leaving on Tuesday. This means that if my medication has not arrived by then I will be attending my first Craft Industry Trade Show…un-medicated. I’m sure I will get through it, I already have notebooks prepared and my cell phone brick charger ready so I can take digital notes as well. There was a rabbit hole that I fell down, I was thinking of getting a mini fridge that would plug into my car’s lighter/12v charging port…however when I spoke with my sister she let me know that the functionality was not great so it would be a waste of money.
Speaking of Rabbit Holes, Dollar Tree has new (to me) gel pens in a wide variety of colors and some even have glitter. I purchased a set of the ones I had not seen before and after testing all of them I was pleasantly surprised that there was only 1 dud out of 6 packages (of various quantities).
I have not made much progress on my pencil rolls, first because I will not be able to make as many as I would like to use as giveaways, second because I am at a tough part where I need to figure out the best way to create the pockets and what material I would like to use for the backs. Of course, this did not stop me from going down another rabbit hole.
I decided that I wanted to make a bag, not just a bag but a duffel bag with my ‘brand’ on it. Frankly, it did not go too badly at first. I was able to cut the panels out, quilt them, figure out the embroidery, make the pockets, add the zipper, all with minimal problems. Then came the assembly, and the fact that I completely forgot to add handles. As far as I can tell the pattern required the completed sides and bottom to be sewn together…this made for some very bulky sewing. I really think I did something wrong, or I need to read the pattern more carefully next time I attempt this. Since I am leaving in a few days I am not going to take the time to remake the piece, however as I learned during the Quilter’s Summit, no one gets everything right on the first try.
I am looking forward to my first industry event, seeing what is upcoming as well as what goodies I might obtain. It will be a ton of fun to meet people with a passion for craft. Spending 7 hours spinning will also be a ton of fun. My wheel needs a tune up this weekend and I need to make sure that there is enough spinning fiber. I should also look into packing clothes and making sure that I have the toiletries I need.
Until next time remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!
At present I am trying to build my ‘side hustle’ into an actual business that brings me some income, joy, and purpose. To that end I have started batching some of what I have decided I want to create as well as signing up for some amazing opportunities. One of the major challenges, and ultimately advantages, that I have is my ADHD. Due to my body’s inability to produce the proper chemicals that induce focus it is either very hard for me to focus on a particular task, or it is too easy for me to go down a ‘rabbit hole’ and lose complete track of time. The latter has not really happened for me since I got out of Grad School, which unfortunately means that I have not been able to do any of what is referred to as ‘deep work’ since that time. After my diagnosis, at age 40, I was put on medication. The first was too strong, and had adverse side effects. My current medication allows me to focus on tasks, remember side thoughts, and come back to those side thoughts without having to write them down or keep repeating them with a single minded focus lest I completely blank on what I was supposed to be doing. It is a singularly unsettling feeling realizing that people can go around knowing what they have to do without blanking when they reach their destination then having to retrace your steps and thought process so you remember what you thought you should do two minutes ago.
Recently, I have learned how to utilize my ADHD, medicated state, and newfound purpose to create systems where I can batch my projects. I have two running at the same time currently. With JoAnn Fabrics closing they are having some serious sales. This is allowing me an opportunity to purchase craft felt at a very discounted price. I am using that felt to create pencil/pen/paintbrush rolls. With the scraps I am creating corner bookmarks that I am hand embellishing with a variety of techniques, embroidery, beading, etc.
To effectively batch my tasks I find that thinking about what the next step is going to be at night before I go to sleep gets me interested and motivated the next morning. That is not going to work for everyone, however it is the method that is working for me. I will walk through my creating pencil rolls as an example, each * indicates a day/morning so you get an idea of how long this is taking me:
*I had some leftover fabric and a lot of pens/pencils/markers. I wanted a way to take them with me in case I decide that I want to try my hand at being ‘artistic’ while taking walks on the beach. I did a quick sample and liked how it looked. Then Joann fabrics had a lot of craft felt remnants for sale for literally pennies on the dollar. This felt is both sturdy enough to hold pens and light enough to roll well. An idea was born, also I plan on going to a conference in the near future and would like something that I can ‘give away’ to promote my business.
*I started batching, the first step was to cut the felt to what I thought would be the correct dimensions. I took a few hours to cut all of the pieces that I would be using to very similar sizes.
*The next day I pressed all of the felt out since many pieces were wrinkled and I had over 30.
*I decided how tall I would like the pockets to be, out of fleece fabric I had in my stash and picked up on clearance, then cut them to the same length of the craft felt. After that, and on the same day, I folded over the top about 1/2″ and did a quick straight stitch hem to have the top looking nice.
* I took the tallest pen that I had to make sure that the felt would be tall enough, I discovered that the back and pockets were both too tall.
* After some frustration, I chose to cut down the felt and resize the pockets. Thus began my second batch project. I took a day to cut these down, while realizing that it was not realistic for me to plan on making dozens of these rolls in time for the event. That is alright, I already have an etsy store and I can bring some to gauge interest. The felt will be great for corner bookmarks.
* I cut down the felt to the correct size for the corner bookmarks and then cut some of them diagonally to create the flap for the page to sit in (thus making it a bookmark).
*During the evenings or when I have a few free moments and feel creative I use various threads to embellish the corner flap of my bookmarks and do the stitching that holds the two pieces together. Beads, buttons, thread, whatever I can get my hands on and whatever stitches I think of are being used to embellish these.
*I did a sample of the slots for my pencil wraps, using a seam ruler I placed it inside the pocket and that became a hard guide for my presser foot. This sort of worked, however I hated how it looked since there was a ridge in the middle of the slot where the ruler stretched the felt a little.
*After some thought I realized that I could use tailors chalk to mark the ruler spacing on the back of the felt and sew along those lines. I have completed one and like how that turned out.
*I had some faux leather and cut that out the same size as the felt so I could create a waterproof backing for the pouch. Placing the faux leather face down on the pocket side of my piece, I sewed along three sides leaving one open to turn and place the cord.
*I pressed the piece once it had been turned right side out. I hate how the leather looks since it just about refuses to lie flat. This could be in part because my iron is set to synthetics, however, perhaps not. I used sewing clips to flatten out the edges some as well as holding the open side so that I can use a top stitch to close that up, as well as inserting the cord.
This is as far as I have gotten, I just put the clips on the faux leather sample yesterday evening. I plan on sewing the sample closed as a demonstration piece. Fortunately I have quilting cotton and thin fleece fabric that I can machine embroider on, this should create a cleaner finish for my pencil rolls while having an embellishment to draw attention.
I am not working quickly, I am trying to be both efficient and produce lovely products with minimal waste. This is a great chance for me to explore different stitches with the bookmarks, play around with my embroidery machine, use up thread and cords I had lying around, and (hopefully) create beautiful projects that people will purchase to help fund my exploration.
I hope that this helps some of you who might be stuck trying to figure out how to get bulk products out the door. While I certainly took my time by taking each step one day at a time, there are ways that you can batch these tasks and do them within one day, for example cutting the felt and fleece to the correct sizes could have happened on the same day, even cutting whatever you would like to use as your ‘pretty’ fabric for the outside of your pencil roll.
I hope that this is informative and possibly helpful. Until next time remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!
So, I drive with my right foot working the gas and brake. About a year ago I decided to take a 12 hour round-trip drive in one day. Ever since then my ankle has been bothering me a little bit on and off. When I went to my annual appointment, they suspect that it’s a strained tendon and the only way to heal. It is by staying off of it for a week as much as possible. I did try wearing ankle braces for about a month, however that hasn’t caused the pain to go away entirely. After discussing it with my supervisor, it was decided that my taking off work would be the best way to heal.
This sounds like a great dream right? Well for me it was a stark reminder that I have some form of task paralysis. There is the majority of me saying, I really want to get back into reading so I’m going to download some books that look good and finally get those two books by authors that I know I will love. Then there is a little niggling voice that says, you’re already listening to the murder podcast you know you like, what if you don’t like the books you’ve chosen…that author was doing something fishy at the end of the last book do you really want to be let down…etc.
This amounts to, a week later, having read/listened to none of the books I wanted to. I did manage to get two projects completed and some progress on the third.
The first is a handspun shawl that I finished knitting.
This has not been washed or blocked, those two steps should open up the lace a little bit and straighten out the edges. I’m very pleased with how it looks, very spring!
I also managed to hand stitch a set of applique coasters from a kit I had not touched in quite a while.
I love how they turned out, I deliberately used larger stitching in a contrasting color to give them a rustic look. I think that the intention translated well.
The final project I made progress on is my Tula Pink Nova Quilt.
The pattern is Tula Pink, the color selection is mine. I had intended for it to look space themed, when I showed my cousin she called it my ‘Halloween Thing’. So I hope that the last two rows help the Space Theme come together.
I think that is all that I have to report, sorry it has been a while since I have posted. My ankle is feeling better and I now know to take more frequent breaks even if it makes the drive longer.
I hope that your crafting is happy, you are healthy, and you remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract
Just a super quick update. I managed to get the inside of the dumpling bag soon and I’m working on pinning the outside of the handles so that I can sew those shut tidily. Since I am still coughing though it’s much better. I have not made any progress on my Aunt quilt.
This weekend, I’m going to concentrate on trying to get better and relaxing and reading some. Somehow, I’ve been scheduled for three weekends in a row off, which is just about unheard of, so I am planning on thoroughly enjoying them and hopefully getting some work done around the house.
Until next time, please remember that self-care is self love and extremely necessary. Remember to live life a little more abstract.
No Real Crafting Content in this Post. I will admit I started this post 2 weeks ago. I purchased some amazing shelves from Ikea, the Lavia bookcases. I love that they are about 5″ taller than the other option I was considering. I do plan on painting them at some point and likely putting a backboard on them. There are L brackets on the top and bottom inside to keep these shelves from Racking back and forth, I recommend doing this with any bookcases unless they are custom built from hardwood. I put them on the bottom side of the topmost shelf so that they do not get in the way of any books.
These two shelves are filled up and I do have a 3rd that I need to assemble. Unfortunately that is the last of the progress I was able to get done on these shelves. I finished getting my finances straightened out, then a pipe in my basement froze only to burst when the plumber was here. That resulted in an unexpected plumbing bill. A couple of days after that I woke up with a sore throat and I have been coughing ever since. The cough has lasted a week now, hopefully it lets up in another 3 days or I will have to make a visit to urgent care, another expense I did not plan for. Yay.
All of this to say that I have not been doing much crafting at all. At the end of getting my first two shelves filled I did find some pieces that I had cut out for lined dumpling bags, so I was able to get the first 3 steps of assembling those done in bulk. Right now they are pinned up waiting for me to sew the inside pocket hem that holds the two pieces together prettily, then I need to stitch the outside of the handles. I plan on doing that by hand simply because I feel that I can more easily control the end appearence and the smaller handle is very difficult to manuver on my home machine. I do have a special project that was sent to me by an Aunt, I did manage to get it pressed before I fell sick. I’m trying to avoid all of my crafts until this cough goes away, which means I’m watching too much YouTube and playing too much Stardew Valley.
The theme for next week is, rest, get better, don’t make too much of a mess that you will just have to clean up later!
I hope you have an amazing week and remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!
This post was started 2 weeks ago, however I am going to continue adding on instead of starting anew. I have decided to start 2025 strong and do my best to keep up my momentum throughout this year. Prioritizing connections, with friends and family, as well as keeping myself safe physically, mentally, and financially. Crafty Content will begin after the ****** line.
Yes, I know, lofty goals. The last thing that I did in 2024 was to visit my cousin about 6 hours away, it was so much fun and low key. For this first weekend in 2025 I am visiting my sister about 3 hours away. *Edit, the visit took place the following week, it was lovely.* Admittedly, that is more because she is planning on moving 1 day and 14 hours of drive time away from me, so visiting will be more difficult. I hope/plan to continue this trend by visiting my friend in Texas sometime before September. The most exciting for me is that I am going to be able to rejoin my weaving and quilting guilds. This will start in March, I already have the time taken off. My cousin invited me up for their Easter Egg hunt so I hope to make that as well (I already took the time off).
I am trying to minimize my craft spending this year. That does not mean that I will pass by an amazing deal (see the 7 zippers I purchased for less than $3), however I will pass on fabric, etc, that I will not actually use, or that I will store for ‘someday’.
The major obstacle that I have for this is not knowing what I have for each craft. To get things organized I purchased one of the photo keepers from Michaels, on sale for $13 from $40+, and have used this to get my sewing supplies organized. Needles in one, hand stitching thread in another 2, pins in another…well 2, safety pins in 1, etc. I do still have one of the units empty within the larger case, but that will get filled up soon enough. I used an amazing label maker to add a label on the edge of each mini case so when I open the unit I can see what I have in each one rather than pulling them all out to find what I am looking for. This has been so handy I am thinking of getting another, but not until I know what I would put in it…though Jewelry supplies looks like a good idea at this moment.
I mentioned earlier that I visited my Sister in Pittsburgh, this is also the location of the closest IKEA to me. We visited IKEA, this was great for me as it gave me an opportunity to see the various shelf options and organizers in person. I did purchase a couple of bookcases that I am using to practice some personalization options on, then they will be great for storing my craft supplies where I need them in a visual way. I’m not going to show you that process until I have it more refined.
Until next time remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!
This last quarter has been healing, however part of healing is recognizing the wound, lancing it, and draining out the…well you get it without me getting too gross here. The wound was recognized and lanced, however that just left the gross parts, taking care of the home that I had neglected in my lethargic/depressive state. This was eye opening, I had not realized my kitchen had gotten that bad. This means that work, financial issues (that should be completely resolved in January 2025), and getting my house back in order have taken all of my time and energy. Crafting has fallen by the wayside while I get myself and my home into a state where crafting is a possibility.
To that end I do not have any fun updates to give you as the year comes to a close. I am very lucky in so many ways that I cannot count them all. Family, Friends, and whatever higher power you believe in have been very kind to me and I hope that I have reciprocated that kindness.
I hope that 2024 comes to a kind close for everyone and that 2025 only brings good things to your lives. Remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!
A Little More Abstract 