bee creative

#84 stay in motion

From my journal: 

Arrangement, how things come together. To make one arrangement, and then cut and rearrange. To rearrange the furniture. To change you mind about how you want something arranged. To be fluid and flow with the current. Current: what is timely or what is the motion of water or air moving in a similar direction….

Earlier this week I finished rearranging the pieces I had cut and found myself really liking this arrangement...not quite what I had in mind. 

Okay.  Let it be something else. I am going to use it as a book cover.  A bit more stitching to add and I will start gathering pages.

Widget and the boy band have had a few meetings.  Mostly going well.  They want to explore and Widget wants to play chase.  Sometimes I let them both out for a bit, other times one at a time.  It will take a little time but I think it is going to be okay. 

Field notes:  first storm of the season on the cusp of summer and fall.

Rain.  Wind 17-22 MPH with gusts possible to 33 MPH tomorrow. Possibly thunder showers. Temp: 52 F.

Sunrise,  6:49 PM               Sunset, 7:17 PM

 

#82 advice to a stranger

Sometimes when I journal I write to myself, other times to an unknown person. Thinking about that.  Adapted from a journal entry:

At the farmer’s market on Saturday, I was talking with someone I know about Alaska. Their family goes up each summer to fish. The person next to me commented about our conversation and I asked her if she had ever been to Alaska or lived there. Her reply was no, but that she had just moved from Hawaii and was finding the transition difficult. That where she had came from was small and a close community.

Even though it has been such a long time since my family made that move, I knew exactly what she was talking about. Living on an island is different.

It made me think about moving to Seattle in my twenties, something that was out of my comfort zone and seemed overwhelming at times. I moved to a neighborhood I was somewhat familiar with, into an apartment for the first time (it had great light for houseplants).  The first weekend there, I went to a park I had been to a few times before.  

I don't know that I was very brave, but I was brave enough. 

And the only thought I have, is start small and build from there. Know your neighborhood and move out further, go a little further, and then farther, but not too far all at once. And maybe only so far.

Boundaries and edges are not always a bad thing.

#80 comfort

Reading:

Preparing:

(in the dehydrator)

Making:

Imagining:

 

 

#63 just cut the sleeves off

The arm holes were a little bigger than I wanted so I cut the shoulder seams as well and will resew.

Also adding a third pocket to cover a bleach stain.

Now to get some thread.

P.S.  I don't sew facings anymore but love the pattern piece for altering necklines, arm holes and some other things too. More on that later, 'cause I just realized that's something I need to look at more. 

#56 transform

Sometimes it's good to find a field to stand in (or even on the edge of).

This one is across the street from where I work. It had a "For sale" sign up but that's gone now.  There was a petition for it to be used as a park as it's on the edge of a public trail but a lot of areas like this here are used for apartments. It's pretty amazing that it's been like this for as long as it has.

It would be a good place to stretch your wings (and there are many that already do). 

I hope it does become a park.

A good place to take a deep breath.

We all need that.

I've finished updating my summer/hot weather wardrobe and am starting to re-imagine clothing that isn't worn much or scraps from the stash that have potential to be transformed. 

 

 

#52 try things

A few more new things for the wardrobe. Two more versions of the top from The Act of Sewing by Sonya Philip.  These were both made from the top pattern.

Fabric: Cotton voile

Construction notes: Ruching on the shoulders with elastic. It gathers up the fabric to create a ruffle. 

Thoughts: Supper comfortable to wear on a hot day. I added the ruching as an afterthought.  It made the shirt fit better.

 

Fabric: Cotton knit

Construction Notes:  Cut two of the back pattern pieces to have a shallower neckline, otherwise the neck opening can be too big.  

Thoughts: A knit fabric drapes well and is flattering.

Notes to self:  Remember to use clothes pins when hanging this shirt to dry.

 

#51 tell a story

 

Do we create our own story with the things we make?

Storyteller as a personality type.

Thinking about the story a wooden spoon, homemade apricot jam and a dress might tell.

Fabric: rayon

Pattern: Top and skirt from The Act of Sewing by Sonya Philip. I overlapped the two patterns to make a dress. 

It swirls in the breeze. 

I can't help but think of a dance.

#26 keeping looking

The moon was there to make...

So I did.

This is the "ink" dripped on the paper from my last dye project, doodled on and then picture taken.

There was only a filter added to adjust color.

This other moon was already made, but there are other things to do; like stitch around the edges of each square.

#9 make a garden shirt

Loosing fitting so that I stay as cool as possible, but covers more than a tank top.

I cut apart a shirt that was a bit shorter than I liked and a pair of pants that didn't fit very well, and added a scrap leftover from the original sewing. A french seam was used for all the piecing.

The pocket fabric was a gift from Mom and Dad.

The details: It's made of two squares about 36 inches wide (my shoulders are about 24 inches), plus the pocket. The neckline is from another pattern, cut on the fold.  The arm holes are about 14 inches.  It's four seams of sewing to put it together: along the sides from arm hole to hem and the shoulders.   The neckline is finished with bias tape.

That's it.

As for the garden,

it's rose season again!

#7 it's easier to be green than you might think...

Day #5's goal is met:

Four squares, zero waste as the fabric cut for the neckline goes in the collection bag of scraps saved for stuffing pillow forms.

It's the robe pattern that Jude shared in one of the Boro classes with a lot more ease across the shoulders + it's a pullover.

India Flint's classes have really inspired me to play with patterns and/or sewing with an idea and measurements.

I am also piecing scraps together to make garden tunics with pockets and doing the same thing...sort of.

More on that later.

And

As I was reviewing today's pictures I realized it was the same color as...

Beans!