I
finished beading the sun this week and debated whether to stop there,
making the sun the one focal point, or continue beading other parts of
the collage (and if so, which other parts). Knowing when to stop and
when to keep going has always been a challenge when I create. As I
pondered what to do, I realized if I stopped, I'd never know if adding
more would've improved it. If I add more and don't like it, I can undo
it or toss it. At least I'll have tried and in the process, practiced
the skills I'm seeking to improve. My theme this year is practice, so the decision was then easy. I kept beading. I don't yet know if I like it, but I'm not done. 😉
This is my current WIP - beading a landscape fabric collage. It's my first venture into sewing (other than mending) for many, many years. A friend who quilts gifted the fabric scraps to me, I watched a couple instructional videos and got started. Once the fabric was all sewn, I decided it needed more oomph so out came the seed beads! I haven't applied seed beads to fabric for over 30 years.
My mom was an excellent seamstress and I now have her machine alongside mine. I feel her with me as I venture back into sewing, and I remember the younger, more carefree me as I bead. The project is not just fun, but therapeutic.
It's been 3.5 years since my last post. Much has happened, including breast cancer, closing my business, returning to the corporate world (new role in a new-to-me company) and the loss of my mother. The experiences sparked a lot of self-reflection, especially my cancer and losing Mom.
One thing I realized is how much I missed making things. Not being in the craft room much in 2016 or 2017, I set a goal to create at least 10 hours per month in 2018. It worked so well I kept it as a goal for 2019 and added an element of learning something new each month. This one is a bit dangerous, because I already hop around to various mediums so frequently that I don't get good at any of them, so learning new things seems like giving vodka to the drunk, but my goal is to learn from others instead of trying to figure out everything on my own. My hope is I'll settle in on just a select few mediums and focus my energy on them. The more I practice them, the better I'll become.
So why take time away from learning/practicing/creating to blog again? Because I believe it will help hold me accountable to my goal. I'd also like a record of what I'm doing so I can see my progress over time. So, while I'm putting this online for anyone to see, I'm doing it for me. If you stumble upon this site and have a positive or encouraging word to share, feel free.
