trying not doing

Nope..not happening. And I knew it wasn't happening when I first stuck that reconfigured chambray shirt up there when what I really want is another linen jacket to hack up. Wishful thinking won't get it done.
 I have recognized the difference between the work that  springs from a spontaneous confluence of mood, intent and materials, and the work that just tries too hard.

Looking back over stuff, I found perfect examples.
"Frida Brings Home the Bacon" literally fell out of the scrap jar when Jinx gave my glass fish bowl scrap jar a nudge and it smashed on the floor. I remember picking up the pieces one by one, shaking them over the trash basket for shards and laying them out on the table. 

I was really hooked on watching Frida and Diego on the Owl cam at the time, despite the tragedies,  I quickly wanted to follow up with another piece showing the chicks.  Contrived and studied is all I can see in the results, as cute as the little buggers are.

So the lesson for me today?  Fuhgeddaboudit trying to get from A directly to Z. Side trips, getting lost and stops along the way are mandatory.

first day of summer

Really? It's seemed like summer here for a long time. A pool day for sure, I brought "Ocean Homes" outside to check the color of the water  and it's perfect. This one is going to be for sale as soon as I can get some good detail shots. If you want it for the wall, I'll make a sleeve for it. Right now, it's bedware.




Colin captured one of the first recruits at my dragonfly training camp. The Braves are busy loving the heat and humidity at Yankee Stadium and I am going to be missing my nap.
Oh well, there's always coffee.

I miss my lifeguard.

lone find

When I went to Goodwill this morning I was looking for another linen blouse or jacket to dismember and reassemble as a base for my next piece. Instead, I found this dress. It's lightweight linen and flawless, as if never worn.

 I cackled gleefully when the clerk told me that it was 50% off today, $3.79 please! At that moment I still intended on taking it all apart, starting with picking off all the mother of pearl chips sewn to the bodice. She was appalled.

Once I got it home I made the mistake of putting it on.
 It's so Not Me that it might as well be a Chanel suit but looking at myself in the mirror wearing it was a surprise. I started imagining what I could do to make it right.

I have so few occassions to dress up that I need the yardage (and there are acres of it - it comes down to within inches of my ankles and all those pleats!) more than I need another dress. There are enormous shoulder pads tacked in that will be gone before the beads. I'll be taking that schoolmarm neckline to dizzying depths and maybe cutting out the tops of the sleeves. Those points on the bodice could be extended and the pleats stictched down to the hip maybe...I checked and linen will take the dye ...hmm, deep purple, teal, golden brown... What makes me think I'm a dressmaker? If it goes down in flames it can still be part of the Art.

Consolation

I got a lot of stitching done on this one over the last few days. Despite the many layers of cloth, four or five in some places, this one is easy to needle.

The act of stitching itself has been a much needed mental place of refuge - the buzz rarely fails. I've learned to recognize the pitfalls of zoning out while stitching and have had only one or two episodes of having to pick out lengths of "stitching crazies".

 I'm still debating with myself about if and how this one is going to be shaped at the finish. The "skin" shaped linen is one option, with folding and stitching a rectangular shape around the skin and base is another.

I have to set it aside now, dress and get off to the post office. Heads up Felicity, El, Bea and Kara - your packages will be on the plane at Hartsfield by 4:00 pm today (or so they tell me).  The sale will continue until this Friday at midnight. Thanks to everyone who jumped on board early.

Grace, you are right. The usual shelves seem to be bare here as well. It must be my timing. I had no luck in the usual places the other day but have a special stop to make tomorrow.

Happy Father's Day

...to the co-author of my two finest creations. 

 and none of this would have been possible of course, without my Dad, here with my baby brother..