Crafting my heart's desires

Long time no see? Yes, it has been forever but life is so busy and fun. I have been crafting like crazy the past few months and want to share all about it. What I love the most about the crafty things I do, is that it is mostly sustainable. I try to re-use as much as possible (getting all those scraps in order is another post all together). If I cannot do that, then I try to put a lot of thought into commissions. My only hope is that my creations are loved and cherished for years to come.

Critters galore! The craze started when my sis asked me to make a mobile for my second niece. Now I have a whole assortment of little guys and plan to make many more:

OMG I finished my first pair of knitted socks! Of course I had to go fancy:

Some commissions: 

warm knitted hat and wrist warmers; purple couch reupholstering; 
Oompa Loompa costume; Sam the Snowman vest

   

And what would this post be without more cuteness? An outfit I made for my niece:

Contemplating next cute adventure!

Well, off to find something else to craft! More owls? Another cute outfit? 

Maybe some more filing of scraps, a favorite past time of mine :)

So much more to craft, so little time...

Hand crafted intentions

When I created this blog last year, I had every intention of keeping it up and posting as much as possible. As with most intentions, life got the better of me and I have totally slacked. But for good reasons. Many involve opposites: injury and healing, working and not working, craftiness and laziness, old home uprooting and new home planting, family hardships and celebrations, elevated and depressed moods, functioning and non-functioning technology, and really just a lot of yin and yang going on, as is normal.

With a slow-down in life's big changes and a time for reflection before things start growing in spring, I hope to create some hand crafted intentions for the upcoming months.

First of all, making space for crafting is just as important as the craft itself. I am inspired by Craft Magazine's Make Space for Crafting photos on face book, featuring rockin' craft rooms by amazing crafters. It really makes me want a craft room that inspires and makes me feel good about crafting. The whole point for me when creating something is to get fully involved in it and make it from the heart. I cannot do that when I feel like I am in the midst of chaos. My craft room is coming along after the big move, so now all it needs is organization and some personal flair.

I also want to use time management and organization in my favor, getting things done, rather than let it all slip through my fingers. This sort of thing is not easy for me, since I have a tendency to create lists then lose them or throw them out or just plain ignore them. Ideas come and go like waves. Projects hardly ever have solidity on that list, so they remain ephemeral until I really get them into a form I can work with. I think that is why knitting has become such a friend to me. For smaller projects, it is easy to pick up some yarn and just start knitting. Sure, I usually come up with a plan first, but once it is in motion, things flow and you begin to see the final product rapidly. With sewing, on the other hand, there is a lot of planning and things that have to be set in motion before you can even begin a project. I have made lists of things I wanted to sew, only to find the list months later with hardly one item even started. This has got to change.

In an effort to make this a solid plan, I do believe wording everything in present tense will help.

This is my crafty self:

I have a neat and tidy workspace to allow creative juices to flow.

I clean up after every project and put all the supplies away in an orderly fashion.

I make short, easy to manage lists.

I begin projects with a solid plan in place.

I work on projects as soon as they are fresh in my mind, to remain inspired.

I spend more time in the craft room than on the computer.

I have obtained an awesome camera and take good pictures of my stuff (or pay someone).

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Well, that seems like good, hand crafted intentions for now. I know things will happen and this may not be set in stone as much as I would like. But it is so helpful to add this to my mental hot tub and let it soak in a bit.

Time to heal

Yet another month has passed since my last post. And what a whirlwind of a month it has been.

In my last post, I was excited about my sister's upcoming wedding in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Well, my husband and I made it to Mexico and spent three lovely days there in the sun, sipping pina coladas, swimming in the ocean, visiting Mayan temple ruins, and enjoying the company of family. Unfortunately, my husband had a bad fall and broke many bones in his face. An ambulance took us to the local hospital, and then to a hospital in Cancun because he needed emergency surgery. We had to miss the wedding and spent ten days in the hospital while he recovered. My mother was with us, which helped me cope with this horrible and traumatic ordeal. It was very difficult for my husband because he was in so much pain and could not see nor talk because of his injuries. The language barrier did not help. But we managed because the doctors knew English and we could communicate the essentials with the nurses and staff. I vow to learn Spanish before heading back to Mexico. I am very grateful that we just happened to be sent to a hospital with one of the best plastic surgeons in Mexico. He did a great job repairing my husband's shattered mandible, broken orbital and maxillary bones, and many of his nasal bones as well as some external damages.

We got back to the states with an upgrade to First Class because of his injuries. We have been in recovery mode for several weeks now, visiting with friends and family and incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love from everyone. He still has a long way to go before his fractures heal, then he has a lot of dental work which will require even more healing time. Things come into perspective when dealing with time in this way. There is no speeding up recovery, and there is no need to because all things take the time that is needed. Just as a craft project will suffer with impatience or frustration, our health suffers when we try to do more than our bodies allow. I am thankful that my husband's will is strong and that is contributing to his successful recovery. He will be back in top shape before we know it.

Through this time of stress and uncertainty, my level of love, strength, and compassion has surprised me. The strands of connection that continually show me the way in life run deeply through my veins. I am incredibly grateful for those connections and the pulse that keeps them alive. Much love to my husband, family and friends; for without them, nothing really matters.

Progress...in increments

Another post, only a month later. My time here will more than likely be more frequent as soon as I finish celebrating. See, I just graduated and am taking some much needed time. Time for celebrating not only my accomplishments, but also my sister's wedding. As usual, I had to make my maid of honor dress. I will hopefully post a good picture of that after the wedding itself. Because I was finishing my master's project, I was sadly unable to make her wedding dress. In an effort to still be involved, I made her two garters and thoughtfully stitched my well wishes.

It was actually pretty fun making them and figuring out how to make the something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue fit in. I never did this for my own wedding, partly because I was unfamiliar (and a little naive) with wedding customs and I was also not interested at the time. Now that I have found more meaning in symbols and the art/spiritual practice of living, I felt the need to do this for her wedding. The old part symbolizes our heritage and something the new bride can carry through to her own marriage. The new part symbolizes what the bride will gain in her newly wed life. The blue part symbolizes purity and the borrowed part symbolizes the transfer of happiness to one happily married woman to another.

For the first garter, I made it out of a beautiful silk satin and a silk crepe (new). Then I put some lace on it from my grandmother's baby bonnet (old). I put these sun and moon charms on it with a blue silk embroidery thread (blue). I will get to the borrowed part...

For the second one, I used the same silk (new). Then I added a button from my grandmother's baby booty (old). I made a satin silk bow, then wrote B & E in a heart on one part, and 2009 in a heart on the other part (in Blue). I also added the same sun and moon charms, to symbolize the feminine and masculine.

For the something borrowed, I am going to ask her if she wants to pin the yellow satin cord I used for my wedding corset (way back when) inside her dress (or perhaps put it in the bouquet). After 8 years of marriage (and 12 of being together), I feel this is the perfect way for me to give her well wishes in her own marriage (even though they have been together for 11 years now).

First weave on a rigid heddle loom

I spent a whole afternoon threading up this loom and then I just could not stop weaving. My neighbor just happened to have this loom under her bed and agreed to let me use it for a while. I just love the feel of the hand-dyed and (I believe) hand spun yarn that was given to me by a friend. The colors so matched my mood that day and I so enjoyed seeing the pattern come to life with each and every swoosh of the shuttle. There are only about 30 warp strands across (about 6 inches), I have woven about a yard of it, and it is probably going to be perhaps 2-3 yards long. I will certainly run out of yarn before then...perhaps I can get creative and weave in some other yarn that I have made. I got my hands on this yummy Targhee wool that is exceptionally soft beautiful shades of purple and blue.

I am so blown away by this craft and I have amazed myself by not ever really noticing weaves before. Now I see it everywhere. Even in my own couch. Now I understand why they built entire weaving cabins to hold the larger looms for which they made all the cloth used to make all the clothing and linens for the whole family. Talk about chores! I only hope it does not become some sort of chore for me. Unless it is some huge project that I decide to embark upon, regular bolts of woven fabric such as cotton will more than likely be found at a fabric store...or better yet in thrift stores or the back of my closet. There is so much stuff already out there, I still hesitate to NEED anything new ever again. That is why I love repurposing things so much, because it makes old things new again. Anyway, weaving is my new, colorful and relaxing friend.

Speaking of Sheep...

Two weeks ago I went to Ardenwood Historic Farm two Sunday's ago to see some major sheep action.
From shearing the sheep, carding wool, spinning yarn, weaving cloth, or making felt the day was certainly a learning experience. I do feel a little bad for the sheep, because of the weird position needed to get all the fur off. But I think with the hot weather coming on, the buzz cut is a welcome change. The amount of creativity coming from the fur of an animal just astounds me! Wool has never been something I was attracted to until I learned more about the process and all the different things you can do with it. Plus, the sheep were cute and beautiful in their own way. I got to feel some fresh fleece, right off the animal and it was fascinating to feel the lanolin oil and softness.

The carding and spinning ladies were busily making yarn and looked so happy and content with this ancient craft. There were too many people around them to take a good photo. On display were two small looms showing how cloth is made from the freshly made yarn. Seeing little kids trying out the loom was adorable.

And the felt making was beautiful in and of itself. I never knew that wool felt could be as strong as leather if it is made right. And now I understand why wool is such a joy to work with. I want to give thanks to the sheep and all the sheep ancestors...they have certainly been a part of human history for a long, long time.

Sheep and Weeds

The SF/Bay Area is filled with artists and sustainable enthusiasts working towards creating unique art that speaks to our need to protect and honor the earth. I am continually amazed by this passion motivating people to do great things that are also fun, interesting, and beautiful!

I just wanted to share this event, Sheep and Weeds, in Oakland this Tuesday, May 12. It is a dinner and art opening showcasing the fiber artists, Ashley Helvey , and Sasha Duerr , who work with organic wool and natural dyes. Along with a local chef and artist, Jerome Waag, they have created a slow dinner to go along with the art. After the dinner there will be an art opening with free snacks and drinks. I cannot wait to see the art and meet and greet the artists!