I did a thing

A Very silly thing

It could be the mess that is still outside my window throwing off my groove.

and the studio that continues not to be built 

because the yard hAs to be clEaned up fiRst    -.-

So It started as a standard boring straw hat,                             that I have had in the closet for decades and haven't worn in at least that long. Why do I keep things like this?

I don't know, may as well ask why I bought knitting needles, I never use them either!

I wanted a wicker witch hat so I bought another straw hat and disassembled it.

Then spent two days re rolling it into the aesthetically pleasing rumpled witches conical hat you see complete with rolling pointy tip.

But it looked lonely and barren, so I added some flowers and foliage and a couple of beaded bees

Which looked good bUUt................

...........................it needed more cowbell.

hence the geese.

they came in a package of 3, so

I had to use all three right?

One day I will be a real faerie godmother and now I have the hat!

I need to start thinking about wings........................

The skirt challenge

 

So I used to make/repair costumes, cloths and other stuff, for friends and my many, many odd jobs.

but most everything I made for myself over the years, 

after 3 kids, 

I have outgrown, 

by a lot.

The question keeps bouncing in my mind, can a 55 year old get away with wearing a Victorian costume made from drapes?

I've been watching copious Vlogs on history bounding and cottage core, can you tell?

I did all his stuff, 40 years ago, in High school and instead of collage, 

waaay before it was at all cool. 

Now they have all sorts of stuff you can source anywhere online to make corsets, 

 and vlogs and places like comicon and costume college to show off in your stuff. 

I started out in ren fairs and the beginning of the cons, in the late 70's & 80's.

When your source was the public library and mAbeeey a passing museum collection, the local specialty fabrics and whatever resale/junk shops (you all call 'em "vintage" now)you could find.

Thanks ma!

Where are those pictures? there must be tons of them! nope.

I have no pictures of any of it, because who has the time or the $$ for a camera, film and processing?

What I have is from mom's collection of

"Wait let me get the camera!" photos

So now, armed with big idea's

sketchy knowledge, somebodies old drapes

and an excess of time

I'm trying my hand at something new

When will I finish it? 

Who knows.

It's been on the mannequin for 6 or 7 years. 

It can wait a little longer.

We don't always start these things with an end in mind.

Things I know to be true

never wear your skirt before you have sewn in the pleats.

Unlike a pineapple, It needs sleeves. 

The vest needs work.

extensive work.                      

                       and a bustle pad

  

                                                      and some feathers

I made a thing

I'm workin'here!

 more specifically I made a CQ caddy out of a plant holder thing.

It started life as a planter for herbs as the side says

it ended up getting in the way and holding nothing

Being a person, incapable of throwing away something,

 that might possibly be useful in the future.

It kept getting in the way until I had an apiffany (epiphany)

one day whilst looking, yet again for my scissors and the stiletto poker thingy

I ran over this thing again

and thought, as one does, I wonder if I can sidetrack myself for an entire day AND

make this thing usefull

two empty tins, some heat-n-bond double stick, screw in hooks, a couple of fat quarters and a magnet later,

VOILA!

Heat-n-bond is magical stuff! I use it by the yard just measure, outline, peel stick and iron.

tAA-dAA!

Everything all at once! 

even on the inside

Just the way I like it!

Then I looked at all the extra space where little things could get lost 

and thought, pouches to fit in between! Excellent!

The tricky bit was getting the scissors case stuck to the side of the handle. 

I covered and old janky case inside, with enough hanging out to stick outside, 

then covered and positioned it, so the HNB would cover the inside of the handle and hold the whole thing up after repeated use.  

It's been two months and so far shows no signs of wearing out or falling off, so, I WIN!

The magnet on the right side is for my tiny pliers,

'Cause sometimes you need some extra grip n' pull.

Now I have a thing, I can tote around the house, that has all my tools in and a few extra bits and bobs.

Clever me!

 

Sharon Boggins template holder

So now I can finish anything!

                                                    RIiiiiight...............

Life in the time of corona

We have been locked down in our home since march 6th , except for occasional carry out dinners and grocery trips.

While I realize I am lucky nay privileged enough, to have to have a property big enough that there are enough things to do to keep busy. I also have a lovely stash that I have picked up over the years, for my many hobbies and a few dozen books that I haven't read yet.

I must confess to not wanting to do any of it.

Things I have found difficult to do? At first, everything.

It has gotten better over time, I can bully myself into finishing things I started before the lock-down happened but it is not a satisfying finish.

I confess to having an overall mental malaise that keeps me from enjoying this new life.

It's aggravating.

I have all the time in the world to do the things I love doing, My dear darling Husband is here for every meal and at hand for any consultation I may need, while he works from home.

Another Privilege!

I find myself chiding my soft whinging. I have become a spoiled brat, complaining of boredom, surrounded by her wealth of toys.

I'm laughing now. silly rabbit. getting that all out even if it is only to you all, makes me feel better.

Because you see, I know I am not the only one. I know there are others out there who are having a hard time. Who cant concentrate, who can't motivate. Who probably can't even get up the energy to clean the house because  I did it already, I'm bored, or whatever. I'm here to tell you, It's OK.

Really!

It is!

This time we have been forcibly given is full of aggravating, horrible, senseless and ridiculous news.

Some of us are hurting in other ways too. It's OK to not be able to wrap you head around it all. It's bewildering, crazy making and exhausting! Its OK if you don't know what to do, to comfort yourself by making tea and staring out the window. We are all in this together, at different levels, apart but we can still comfort each-other by being, if not present, at least out there, trying to get through another day of weird

uncomfortable news, staring at the parts of our latest project or out the window.

Keeping others safe by not making the problem worse.

Wash your hands, wear a mask, stay home, be safe, make a cuppa.

I'll be here, while you are there. 

Dealing with life in the time of carona

That's all we need, right, a way of doing things. A way to think or behave, until we have more information so we can improve, the way we think and behave.
Something that has always made it easier for me to create, is to think of a person I am creating for, or the story I am trying to tell.    I have always been good at telling myself stories, of finding a fabric or a bead or a picture, that triggers something and I can see what it will become.
It is an integral part of my creative process and my stories have dried up.

All this uncertainty in the world, the dangerous, not danger, we all seem to be in. The News reporting, with its constant reiteration of what we have already heard, might be peppered with some new fact but it just as well might be the same as yesterday.
The constant pronouncements of, "Nah! It'll all blow over and we can get back to normal, tomorrow!" Coming from a WH, where we have been programmed to think the best news comes from and is right now betraying our trust in it, on a daily basis. Is only adding to the uncertainty we all feel.
The worry that our loved ones might get this and they might die but maybe not.
We now all live in a Schrödinger world

I know the science behind this Novel Corona virus. I understand it is brand spanking new and we have no immunity to it, which is why we should be taking all the precautions we are taking.
I also understand how, in this day and age, we feel we as a society have progressed so far, our science is so advanced, we should have come together and fixed this by now, right?
I mean whats the use of all this advanced technology, if we cant just whip up a cure at a moments notice?  TV cop shows and Hospital dramas tell us daily DNA analysis and labs come back within the hour and the crime or disease is solved, by the end of the show. Magic!

 And there is probably where we get all caught up in, what we think we know, about how science works. MAAAAP! No. That is TV science, there for the entertainment of you so our heroes keep you coming back, week after week. Real science takes time.
Real science it hit or miss, mostly miss. If we are very lucky and some much smarter than I am person, hits on the solution, It will still be months before there is a solution. Any pie-in-the-sky reporting or pontificating from the podium on a daily basis o0, will only make you more anxious than you need to be.

Right now our monkey brains are overloaded with, Danger, Danger, Danger Will Robinson!
And we are all quietly panicking about ourselves, our loved ones, our friends and our world and there is nothing we can really do about it. Because as advanced as we have become and as smart as we all are, with the amazing technology we have at our finger tips. We are still just monkey's.

So after all that what is my solution? How do we stop the panic? How do we cope with this new scary world? My way might not be your way but I go find something else to pay attention to.
Something not news.
Since I cant seem to find the brain-space to read or sew, I garden, clean the house, again.
Listen to music, I watch TV or waste time on you tube. I try to give myself a break from the nagging at the back of my head that keeps telling me, I'm not doing anything useful or worthwhile.
Mostly because none of us are doing anything useful or worthwhile either, it kinda takes some of the edge off not creating. So give your monkey brain a rest, and give yourself a break.
After all when was the last time you were told you could help save the world, by staying home, doing nothing?

Life in quarentine or for my own mental health

I may not post for a while. Anyone who is a regular here knows this happens from time to time, when I get overwhelmed with other things to do or loose the mojo to do. It's a thing with me.
I battle with a mild form of Anxiety and depression that I don't tend to advertise because people (not you guy's, you're great!) are judgey. I just don't want you al to worry if I drop off for an extended period. I'm OK. I hope you all are OK too.

When life gets overwhelming I self-isolate (convenient, no?) and retreat into the things that make me feel better. I sew and binge-watch, or garden or read. I have cultivated many, many hobbies to cope with being overloaded emotionally or mentally.
I think we can all agree the news lately is worth a bit of whelming.

I try to keep politics and religion out of my blog but it seeps in from time to time, again those of you who come here often, pretty much know my proclivities. I am an Atheist Leftist.
I have received a few comments that I have erased for being nasty and hurtful. I don't expect everyone to agree with me and I don't expect everyone to fall in lockstep, with every idea I espouse.
I can handle dissent and I welcome debate but there is no space here for abuse.

Funny, how people who accuse you of being a snowflake, that can't handle a different opinion are the first ones to rant and rave when you challenge their beliefs. I have no place for that in my life anymore. My step-father was abusive in many horrible ways and my ex was a narcissist so I have done this already, I won't allow it here.

I apologize to anyone for whom I have offended with language or ideology but I will warn you all

That Is Who I AM

I do swear like a sailor, (and if you think I'm, bad you should hear my mother) though I do try to tamp it down in public.
I will speak my mind and it won't always be politically correct.
And if someone deserves it, I will tell you why you are incorrect and why I think this.
I like a good discussion on many subjects, a bit of argumentation is OK but the minute people stop listening to each other you are no longer in a discussion, that is the minute the discussion ends.
I refuse to apologize for being myself, I did that for 45 years. I'll not be doing that anymore.

I felt the need to get all that out into the world of my blog.

More thoughts-It gets better?

Yeah, life as we know it has gotten very simple and very complicated at the same time, so we are in a pattern of waiting. Waiting is hard on a human. Anticipation even worse. Then you throw in uncertainty in government and you get a witches brew of antsy unhappy people second guessing every decision and snapping at who's left at home.

I have said this before and it bears repeating, I am afraid of my government. Before even when I hated who was in charge and I knew they were wrong, there also seemed to be enough people out there who had our back, who would stand and be counted, who would be that voice of reason.
While yes, we have those voices out there now, there seems to be less of them, more muted this time, less strident.  The government, more unhinged and willing to throw the country away, remake it in their short-sighted, self-centered image, full stop.

The deluge of contradictory information coming out of the government and the media does not help anything. I worry now that saner heads will not prevail. That those with selfish agendas will lean toward those with religious agendas and create an evil, to potent to put down by simply voting it out. The fault lines this time are not as clear as north and south, they are muddy, sneaky and deep.

Those in charge talk but I am watching what they do and it is at odds with what they say.

And now we are all stuck in our homes and that same government is trying their damnedest to take what they can, while we are distracted. The DOJ wants to strip us of habeas corpus so they can throw who they want in a deep dark hole with no recourse. The senate is trying to fleece the taxpayer of hundreds of billions with no oversight, under the auspices of "relief" but the wording  blocks us from knowing, to whom they will give it

Local municipalities are begging the government for aid and being told, to fix it themselves, when the resources to do so, are still locked up under control of a wh unwilling to cede it. Its the equivalent of telling someone, to fix a bridge and then locking the tools in a shed.

It is no longer a case of could we/should we. It is a case of we can but we won't. It is become evil. Malevolent and if it was unconscionable before, it has become untenable now.

With us all stuck in our homes and Isolated. To the worriers amongst us who know, not only history in general but our own in particular, this is a very uncomfortable place to be.
To strident a call to action sounds crazy, like an over reaction, to those who still trust that the government has rules. To little and we are in the same uncomfortable place, only sharper because our conscience will not willingly let us be silent for long.

We know the government is taking advantage, we understand the stakes, we are trying to fix the bridge with out the tools, we simply don't know what else to do.

These were my thoughts last week, I didn't post them because I thought, wow, that's too dark.
Too depressing in a time when we are all, probably, at least leaning towards depression.
But do I feel any better this week? Well, good question. What has changed in a week.

The president has become, yet again an international embarrassment and a domestic impediment.
I am no more inclined to trust the government, than I was a week ago. The republicans are showing us, in vivid detail, the depth of their contempt for the average american. When they show you who they are, believe them. Key democrats are a glimmer of hope and have managed to pull an emergency bill out of the pork fat but how long will their spine last?

Several Governors are being the leaders that we need. Loudly proclaiming their willingness to do what is necessary, despite the financial consequences.  They are the soldiers on the ground for this battle. They are the ones we should listen to. "All politics are local" or so the saying goes. And since we have no help coming from the big G government, we must look to the little g. This makes the scope of all this a little more easy to comprehend, maybe.

I am still pessimistic but the fatality of it seems to have passed. Still locked in, same as everyone else.
Trying to look at things in a more, what I have, as opposed to what I haven't.

So my advice, if you are feeling helpless and claustrophobic is, do something. Even if you have a million and 10 backlog of old projects that need finishing. Start something new.
A new project always makes me feel better. It's full of possibilities. Pulling things out of your stash to coordinate, picking a pattern, working on it and that feeling of accomplishment, when it is done.

I challenge you all out there who read this, go do something new.
It doesn't have to be big, in fact start small. Do something that can be done in a day, a table runner, a pin cushion, a needle book.  Just give yourself a kick-start.
Then you can go do one of those many UFO's, you have laying around.
I want you to feel that "I have accomplished something" good feeling.

Life in the time of Corona Virus

It seems we are all headed to the same place for a time, confined to our domiciles in fear of the virus now sweeping our country. I am fortunate in that  live in a more rural area and getting out of the house for a walk and some fresh air is easy, peasy. I also have plenty of projects to keep me busy from quilting and other crafts to getting the garden ready and a spring clean (Oh no!) if absolutely necessary.

I understand being mewed up at home seems an untenable situation right about now but we have all sorts of newfangled things we can do and share, from our public libraries to virtual garden and museum tours. Social media has made it so much easier to share with family and friends and keep in touch.

So instead of struggling against our shackles and railing against the tyranny of A shelter in place order, we all take stock of what we have been putting off because we didn't have the time to do  it before.

 Maybe time to catch up on all those books I buy and never have enough time to read.
Or all the project books I collect and never seem to have enough time to do.
All the stash I accumulate and never seem to use.
All the movies we have to watch and never seem to get around to.
All the chores around the house that never seem to get done.
It seems I have a plethora of things to keep me occupied.

So why do I feel this urge to break out and run away?
It might be the little rebel in me that hates to follow the rules.
That chafes at the whole idea of a mandatory confinement.
Its that mental thing we do as humans in which it is fine for us to stay at home doing nothing but binge watch the newest tv show but the minute someone tell us "YOU MUST" we all revolt in a fit of "You aren't the boss of me!" like the 5 year old, we still sometimes are.

I'm a homebody at the best of times and spend much of my time in solitude, not speaking to anyone other than the cats. So this is not all that different than a normal day, for me. Other than the addition of my dear husband, who no longer needs me to take him to the bus every morning or be picked up at night. We spend our days in not dissimilar ways from before the virus came to town.

I think we are lucky in that. Those who's lives are busier with Children, friends and family may have a much harder time with the solitude of Quarantine.

We are all in the same boat here, piecing together the what and how from available information has become easier and at the same time difficult because of our media and social networks. not to mention the conflicting and erroneous information coming from the government who is supposed to have a handle o this and so very apparently does not.

I have no answers either, only suggestions. Listen to the experts the scientists and epidemiologists, they say this will get better if we all stay home and limit our interactions with others.
It may go against every doer and shaker out there but it is what has worked for china which is on the other side of this so far.

Introverts unite! Separately in your own homes!

Be well my friends

resolution or list?

I'm not much for new years resolutions. I've tried them in the past and they last about as long as my attention span, which is another way of saying, not long.
 I am, however, a fan of lists and organizing and blogging about my thought process and why I do things in the way I do them.
I find this helps me to put things into perspective. It also helps me when I can put an actual name or a why to feelings and thoughts.

so this year I decided to write all this down and inflict them on you people.

1) What makes me most productive? (sounds simple enough but sometimes it just helps to write it down)
    a) having the tools I need to do my project (duh)
    b) having an organized place to do my project (it doesn't have to be 
clean, just organized so I can find stuff)
    c) light (double duh)
    d) an Idea of what my project will be when its done (sometimes this is very important, sometimes not so much. depends on how creative I'm feeling that day)
    e) emptying my head of useless thoughts (pertaining to the project)
    f) staying the hell off Facebook! (Oh yeah!)
    g) starting work in the morning when the light is the best ( I work best in the morning)
    h) bloggong about my process (hi there)
    i) a good breakfast (car works best when full so do you)
    j) being comfortable (try getting something creative done when your not)
    k) keeping hydrated (water keeps your tummy from distracting you with demands for junk food)


2) What projects do I want to do? Ha! what don't I want to do?
    I suggest making a list of projects, including the yard work and house work you want to get done and revise as needed. 
you know what you need to do, writing it down puts in front of your mind 
and it works on that, instead of what so-and-so said about whatever.
Chances are you have just as long a list as I do so it should keep you too busy to worry or agonize about the other stuff. 

3) How best to accomplish these projects? (AH, introspection)
    a)have a routine
    b) exercise ( get those grey cells moving)
    c) put a time limit on social media distractions ( go ahead and surf just don't do it all day)
    d) keeping my tools organized ( can't use it if you can't find it)
    e) make a plan and stick to it (it helps, really)
    f) give myself time and space when my creativity wanes (sometimes you just need to walk away from it)
    g) if its not working GO DO SOMETHING ELSE (really, go for a walk, or scrub something)
    h) sometimes its ok to do nothing (the world will not fall apart if you sit your butt on the couch and potato for a day)
    i) give yourself a break ( and not just for lunch)
    j) clean off your workspace every once in a while ( just saying)
    k) organize your stuff so you can find it( you'll be surprised what you might find, again)
l) Have a place you can put your project when it goes dormant ( because sometimes your muse just gets up and goes on vacation)
 

4) What inspires me? ( sounds simple enough but is a good practice to get into reminding yourself what makes you tick)
    a) Pictures- mine/ other peoples (research)
    b) books- pintrest- paintings (more research)
    c) sketching it out (part of the planning)
    d) research (learning the history of an idea helps)
    e) deep contemplation (looks like taking a walk, sitting on the couch or cleaning but is so important)
    f) exercise (can't stress moving the grey matter enough)
    g) cleaning house/yard (something to do when your brain is on the fritz)
    h) gardening (ditto, with fresh air)
    i) music (thought distractor, get up and dance, you know you want to)
    j) reading (sometimes you need to do something else)
    k) poetry (it gives me ideas)
    l) CQ Wednesdays with girlfriends (we do lunch and kibbutz)
    m) organizing my space (so i can find stuff)
    n) gathering the materials for my project (cant use it if you don't have it)

5) What stifles my creativity?     
    a) Facebook suckage ( ever been on that thing and next thing you know dinners pizza, again?)
    b) brain fry (sky blue, tree pretty. that's it. that's all I got)
    c) anxiety ( and who isn't after this election?)
    d) too many thoughts that are self deprecating/non-productive (youre wonderful, just not all the time and that's ok. now go have some chocolate)
    e) anger at things I have no control over and can not change or effect ( this election for example)
   f) not having the tools I need when I need them (clean off your desk dummy)
   g) not being organized (can't find it, don't have it, I just had it...)
   h) not being set up to work (I put it away and now I need it, sigh)
   i) not having a plan (sometimes intuitive creativity is a good thing and sometimes you sit there and skive the day away)
   j) being stuck on a part that is nOt working (walk away)
   k) discomfort (bad chair, bad posture all bad for creating)
   l) not being able to find what I need (stops me in my tracks sometimes)


so there you go. the basic questions are good ones to think about.
my thoughts with commentary in blue, I don't know about you but I have this sarcasm fairy in my head, who can't let a thought go without commenting on it.

I am blue-gray today

It's so easy to become depressed here in the great northwest, when the weather has been put on constant drizzle for weeks, the sky is gray with black roiling clouds  and the temperature is is cold, wet damp and clammy all at once.
when all those places and people I know well are in Chicago and I am here in the gray drizzle. I know-I know I wanted to come here and truth tell, most of the time I don't mind being solitary, I don't mind that I am the only other person I know in washington and I do love it here but....
I have no freinds here. no-one I can call up out of the blue and say lets go do..
no-one I can run across in the store and chat with over this and that.
I need the sun to come out and play, for today, I am blue-gray .

doing the odd stupid thing

you know how you feel right after youv'e done something fabulously stupid?
I'm there.

I'm not generally into self mutilation but I do, do the odd stupid thing every now and again.  usually it's a live/learn sort of thing, this time I was just being lazy.
 

we have a lovely fireplace and I do love a good fire.

while making kindling from chips too small for the woodpile,
i cut myself along the knuckle of my left pointer finger with the ax.

don't get all wobbly on me it was just the little 3lb hand ax and not the big ol'12lb solid steel one. my DBF just sharpened the damn fool thing too.

but boy howdy! OWwie! I forgot how much fingers bleed!

I doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would and it's all bandaged up, disinfected and what-not but its all swollen and discolored. eew.

note to self-#3478.6 wear gloves next time, dummy.