slow and steady
I’ve been slow at getting started this month
all the work takes time and nothing exciting is being accomplished
in the evenings I spin – natural grey Icelandic 2 ply
fine 2 ply linen that I plan to use for warp in the next tapestry
if it works I’ll spin more
the December tapestry is going very slowly
it will be the final monthly commitment for this year
what’s next? – or will I do a monthly project again?
using woven scraps to make small bags
I started with this piece woven about 15 years ago
cut in half to make two bags
they are like soft boxes with square corners
lined with fabric samples from my interior design days
it is my own pattern
so to start I stitched a paper pattern and then adjusted the size
I wanted to see if they could be made from a woven tapestry piece
the lining is quick and easy, it is hand sewn to the zipper opening to make a neat finish
making them has become addictive and they use up precious handwoven scraps
still working on a second boro stitched pillow
it too is going slowly and is hard on the fingers – I have a serious puncture hole in one finger
and finally the loom is warped
more 8 harness, advancing twill tea towels
they will see me into the new year
I have read the cautionary tale above and shall take good care of my hands. I have recently started to work just an hour on one craft and then swapping to something else.
I love the boro work. Having tried to do some in a recent workshop I now realise how hard it is to do running stitch so it looks good. I shall persevere , after I have finished my current lot of projects.
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Cathy = so much of the work we do with our hands involves the same repetitive movements it is wise to be aware. I love the boro but am usually stitching through several layers which is heavy work. True boro was done for survival, it did not involve perfect stitches and making “art”.
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Don’t think of it as slow, think of it as mellow. Your projects all seem lovely and mellow to me. I have a goal to learn to make small zippered bags sometime this coming year so I can use up some small woven pieces, too.
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Kerry – oh, thank you, mellow sounds so much nicer. I keep those small woven pieces for years, it is good to find a use for them.
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That boro piece is looking beautiful, but I know what you mean about the hand stitching being hard on the fingers. I have finally lost my hand quilting calluses and it will be a trial building them again for the next full quilt.
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Kate – our hands are crucial to what we do and we don’t fully appreciate them until they start to give us problems. I can’t knit anymore because my little fingers swell up (knitting the English way they are tucked tightly into the palm of the hand) it is frustrating but a wake up call. I now take better care of my hands.
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I find my grip is no longer good, especially on my right hand thumb. In earlier centuries I’d have been dead by now, so I’m grateful for many more years of whatever creativity I can still manage. Thankfully a needle is still in that category…
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Kate – 🙂
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