My library, where I work, is closing our doors for a month while new doors are being installed. This will really only effect the presence of the public in our building, we will still be working however patrons will not be allowed in. This is going to be a great time for me to get my personal space organized, and a lot of work done on projects that tend to fall by the wayside while focusing on patrons and other things. I just came off of a vacation where I mostly spent my time trying to rest and recharge my social batteries. This worked out really well. Prepping for the closure is going to take a ton of time, energy, and social battery next week. Next Saturday I will also be holding a spinning class, this again is going to take a ton of my social battery.
The second to last day of my vacation was spent with the Weaver’s Guild I belong to making cord wraps with handwoven fabric, these will be given out during a fiber conference in October. I found out that the type of buttons I have been buying, with the little teeth, is not going to work with any of my presses (despite the fact that some came with one of my presses.)
I also found out that I needed to add some extra width to my shirt pieces, I cut out a triangle of fabric to add to the seams on the sides. I have them pinned together and hope to finish sewing them soon.
These small crafting projects have been great for me to dip my toe back in. I have also been doing a lot of cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of items that I do not need/use.
I hope that the weather continues to be good, and that you remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!
I am still very much on my cleaning kick. Thanks to some help from my family. I was able to get my kitchen completely scrubbed clean so that has set me off to wanting my entire first floor where I mostly live to be as clean and tidy as I can get it. Because of this, I have not done a lot of crafting however, I have started utilizing some tips and tricks to make my house a little bit more tidy.
The top photo shows my first trick which is using scraps of furniture cushion, purchased from the store to elevate the second layer of paperbacks. This can be used with any sort of shorter book to ensure that you have plenty of space that you can also see all of your books.
My second and final tip and trick for right now is to add L brackets to any wooden furniture that you assemble as some kind of bookcase. This is an IKEA shelf and relatively stable on its own however, with the addition of the brackets, it becomes a lot more stable.
OK, so I did get a little crafting done. While sorting and organizing, I found a linen shirt that I had cut out, but never sewn together. Here you can see the back with the center seam that I plan on hand French seaming I believe it’s called, to hide the same as well as the front with the collar turned under twice which I also plan to hand fell.
Until next time, I hope that everything that you do goes wonderfully and that you remember to live life a little more abstract
No crafting content in this, unless you count gardening as crafting.
At the beginning of April I asked the utilities companies to come out and mark where I can and cannot use a rototiller so that I can turn my yard into a natural garden. Then I had 2 funerals to attend, work picked up, my mood plummeted, and I had a bad invasion of flies. They filled up 2 long fly strips as well as a Zevo pad, and that is after Orkin came. The temperatures have also been fluctuating between 80-100, which for my area is very hot. All of that to say that my lawn has not gotten the attention that it should probably have.
I do have a couple of native plants that have decided to grow in my front yard, of course they are leggy and so look like weeds. There was a couple of days near garbage pickup when I had some of my shelving units out for anyone to pick up or to be recycled. This was when the city decided to respond to a complaint about my yard. I actually do not blame whomever reported me, the yard really does look a mess right now. There was not a date filled in for when I need to have it fixed up, only that I need to tell the inspector when I am done. At present I have purchased a cultivator online and it should arrive Monday. Since I am not working next weekend I will have time to get my yard completely dug up so I can begin to reseed it the way I would like it to be.
This is likely not what the person complaining had intended, however it will ensure that there cannot be an complaints of my grass being too long, lol. After the grass has been dug up with the cultivator I intend to lay down clover seed until Fall arrives. In the fall I plan to plant spring blooming bulbs, in the meantime there are apparently a few vegetables that thrive in the heat so I may be planting some squash and the like.
There is someone arriving at my home early tomorrow morning to scrub down my kitchen floor, and clean around the appliances, which involves moving the appliances. After this is done I will feel much better about ensuring that my home is as clean as I can get it. There is a wide swath of selling off items that I do not use or no longer need, so that is helping my ‘decluttering’ quite a bit as well.
Until next time please remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!
I love how my Fey piece is turning out. The wings are tulle, the crown is made from beads that the person is for had purchased. I think I’ll add some red thread to the other side to signify their pain and death, then bind it.
You’re getting to know me and side-quests, these keyrings are my current side quest. They are faux cork with specialty ribbons as the loop. I love how they have turned out. At present they are being glued together then I’ll top stitch around the sides. I’m going to see if my sister wants one of the sparkly rainbow ones, or if I’ll put them all on my shop.
I am finishing up the three memorial pieces, rinsed off the top stabilizer this morning so I’m waiting for the other two to dry so I can do the fold over binding. I’m also using a tiny bit of fabric glue to ensure that the stitches on back will not destabilize, then I’ll whip stitch a couple of jump rings so that they can be used as wall hangings.
I am going to be seeing a lot of my family on Tuesday that I have not seen in years, if not decades. I have no idea how this is going to go. One of my relatives has offered me a place to sleep on the way there if I want to start out Monday night. Another has offered that I can stay with her and her daughters so I don’t have to leave immediately after on Tuesday. So I think I will head out early Tuesday morning the way I originally planned but then stay with my Cousin, I let her know I have to head out at 6am, so that should be okay.
I also randomly decided that I was going to sew a mask and a reversible hat for myself. I purchased nose pieces for masks when they were on clearance, so think that will be good for me this summer. The hat is more because I realized that with my thin hair my scalp can get sunburned easily and I need to prevent that.
I only have two more flowers and two more branches to hand sew before I can start embroidering the commissioned quilt again. All in all I have had a very productive week so far. I’m proud that I have gotten quite a bit of the items that I wanted to do complete. There are other things that I really do need to get working on, putting things onto my Etsy site, seeing about getting a couple of quick makes to set up an in person craft booth sometimes this summer, and so much more. At present the weather is going to be really hot and then thunderstorms so I don’t think I’ll be doing too much outside…though I did finally get my lawn back under control.
Things could be so much worse, I have no real room to complain. Given that until next time I hope that you Live Life a Little More Abstract!
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.
For a couple of years now I have been seeing layered paper creations, the layers add depth and the paper makes them easy to cut out using something like a Cricut. Then, right before H&H Americas I saw that Snuggly Monkey was selling patterns for felt creations, some where animals with beautiful layers, while others were Hobbit Doors. I fell in love and picked up two patterns and some felt. I was lucky enough to encounter more felt when I stopped at a JoAnns on my way to H&H. I tried to cut one set out, and found the pieces small and fiddly. This is entirely a me thing, with my larger fingers I’m not great at tiny detail work. I hope to get back to it in the near future. This did get me wondering how people managed to create the separate layers however. I could see creating several copies of an image, getting an Xacto knife to cut out different elements for the layers and working with them from there hoping that you did it correctly and things would work together. Then a colleague of mine decided that they were going to go through our filing cabinet of older office supplies and dropped off some Carbon Paper to see if I can do anything with them.
I believe that I wrote earlier about making some reverse applique work and an art quilt, I plan on using some inspiration images to get different elements to create a whole. Well as I was looking for inspiration, something struck me. I can use a printout of an inspiration image and then use the carbon paper and a mechanical pencil, without lead, to trace the elements I would like in each layer. This also allows me to embellish them and make notes to myself. I did find out that the carbon does not rub off of fabric, so the Fey image I traced on white quilting cotton is not going anywhere, but I can use that to my advantage to make sure it is completely covered. Fortunately, the carbon does not ‘bleed’ through the weave either. I realize that this is just the very first step on my journey with these new creations, however I am very excited to see where it might go. Hopefully I can create a small sample soon. If I plan on doing this out of quilting cotton I will need to make sure that I properly applique the edges.
Until Next Time Remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!
I have two ideas for projects that I would like to see through. The first is taking a stencil pattern, or a pattern that has large pieces that I can then ‘turn into a stencil’ to do reverse applique in the style of Alabama Chanin. My thought is based on the paper that children tend to play with where it is a black top and when you scratch at it with a stylus a colored background is revealed. I hope to have a very colorful fabric laid down first, sprayed with temporary adhesive, with possibly a thin batting and then the plain top fabric, all of these would be face up and have the temporary spray adhesive on them to prevent shifting as the pattern is drawn on. Draw the pattern on and stitch around the entire pattern either with a machine or hand stitching. The next step would be tricky, cut away the top fabric and batting within the stitched pattern without cutting the backing fabric at all. I suppose, writing it out, I could trace the pattern on the top fabric with the batting adhered and cut it out (probably spraying with fray check) before putting it on the backing fabric. At this point I would need to reassess and decide if the ‘raw edges’ with stitching is sufficient to keep the piece from fraying or if I should do a turned edge reverse applique to keep everything looking tidy.
The second idea I have is an art quilt. I love the look of Dark Fey and other gothic inspired aesthetics. At present I plan on creating the main image with applique, likely a figure, and using other textile and fiber art techniques to create the accessories, background, and other objects within the piece. This is likely to be a very long term project, though I am extremely excited to get started.
The email also included a new line by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics called Color Wheel. I’m having a hard time deciding if that would be better for my reverse applique idea, or a new quilt for my trans sister…or both. Oh, to have unlimited funds, lol.
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!
I did have to work on Saturday so I did not get as much time to enjoy as I would have liked. I do get this upcoming weekend off. Despite working I did manage to get eight book sleeves sewn together, however two of them are too small to fit a paperback so they are not available on the shop. The fabric unraveled a little more than I thought it would so I had to redo a couple of seams.
I always find it fascinating to look at the lunar phases after I notice a pattern occurring. Right now we are entering into the full-moon phase. This is a time of new beginnings, and a little bit of madness. The madness started earlier this week with some really strange interactions with patrons at work, and since next week is the actual full moon I expect the strange to continue. It is also a time of renewal in projects that interest me. I am loving making these book sleeves and I have some ideas for projects that I can take to a very special thing I am doing in May (though I really need to get a start on those).
All in all I am finding this time to be one of renewed interest and starting new projects despite the cold outside. I had hoped it would be warmer so I could get a bit of a start on my garden, alas that is not going to happen, though I might find it in me to get some seedlings started this weekend.
Until next time remember to live life A Little More Abstract.
A Little More Abstract 