It’s been a good and productive week, mostly. Daughter is settling into a work pattern and studying for her big tests – hopefully, she’ll get the score from the practice test this week and can schedule the real one. Kid is loving being outside, finally. And me, I am moving between sewing, quilting, planting, digging, sorting, sketching, even a bit of painting. Yep, that about covers it. And, at the end of this post, I want to share a personal note of why I make a big deal of finishing tasks and more.
The sun is coming out more and the weather warming up has been inspiring. We went and bought some tomato plants, even though I haven’t had much luck with them in the past. We have a tiny porch, and it became our garden. I had a quilt top, the second of the angles quilts, ready to be laid out on the table and basted, but the weather turned cold again, so I brought the plants in and the best place to put them was on my work table (mentioned in last post). Instead of getting frustrated that I couldn’t move to basting and finishing the current quilt project, I got excited that it was necessary to pick my next project based on it being something that would fit in the tiny space left on my table. I started on a jelly roll quilt I had in my stash that meant I didn’t have to wrangle larger cuts of fabric. And, it’s almost together! The plants are back outside, so I’ll finish this top and get to the quilting soon, maybe on the other one, maybe the new. Choices! Sometimes, I think I’ll set one back as a practice piece for when I get a long arm machine. Which basically means it would be placed in the quilt coffin with the tops that were here when we moved in and the one I need to do a little correction on, and the one I made several years ago. But now that I’m finishing projects, and having a long arm is still an idea WWAAYY out there, I don’t want to set a good top aside. So, more to finish. But I’m thinking that binding may have to be set aside for summer. It’s nice to have a quilt in my lap as I do the hand finishing… when it’s chilly. (Too funny – just checked the weather as I am proofing and preparing to post this and the temp is going to be dropping through the day, down to about 40 degrees! May sneak some more binding work in.)
We recently went to two activities, unrelated, and a week apart, that gave us little evergreens. One, from a funeral home at an Earth Day event and another from a nursery, where it was the prize for a kids scavenger hunt. The Earth Day tree was one long stem, less than a foot tall. It has been a fun one to watch as it’s little new growth bristles emerged. That’s the one she’s holding. The second is a taller plant. She picked an odd shaped long needle one that I wasn’t sure was healthy, but it was her pick and it’s doing well. If you look at the background picture, you can see one branch goes up and there is another peeking out from under her pic. It has one long arm that shoots off to the side. She loves it and I’m getting kind of fond of it too.
We’ve been digging and trimming in the front yard this week. I looked the house up on Google Maps hoping to see what it looked like when the Master Gardener lived here. Well, let’s just say, I am no longer embarrassed at the current state of disorder and lack of beauty. What I saw was the horseshoe shaped rock wall covered in tall and wild grasses, it all looked unkempt. Not what I had imagined anywhere in the tiny yard. And, by the way, if anyone needs some garlic, I have plenty dug up, along with a few green onions. It smelled like an Italian salad every time the kids ran through, and ours is the main yard they play in. The neighbor kindly mows the small flat patches of grass on either side of the walk, but he wouldn’t get near anything else due to the overwhelming smell when he cut it. I cling to the hope that someday I will own a house again, or live in one my daughter owns, that I can fix and freshen to my heart’s content – oh, and have room for that long arm machine!
I’ve been sketching this week, too, which always feels good. I go through spells with that. I like doing faces and working with what I consider spiritual words, or words that inspire me. I finally got brave and decided to play with color on one of the more whimsical child-like faces I did a few months back. I used acrylic paint in the past, but switched to other supplies this time. It was fun and I want to do more. I have a couple of sketches I’d like to paint on fabric and quilt. It’s on my list, but there are three projects ahead of it, until I decide otherwise. Maybe that’s what I’ll do till it is binding season again.
The new quilt is another bright one. Again, it is something I purchased during a sale with the idea of it being fun to practice on. I want to quilt different patterns in the lines. The columns are done, shown here as I checked arrangement, so it is trimming and sewing them together.
I took a morning break from the routine stuff to make another pin cushion in a can. I wanted one for the area where I put pieces together, and by the sewing machine where I take the pins out. Yes, same table, so not a big deal to move the pin cushion I have but I don’t think about it til I have started sewing and come to that first pin, so I took care of it! I love when minor frustrations are easily eliminated. They compliment each other in looks, but the old one has steel wool and stuffing, while the new one has a pillow of ground walnut shells covered with batting scraps.
Not necessary, but in the interest of deep sharing with you, of process and tools, I take a daily pill that helps with focus. I have long known there are cycles of creative thought and process, then there are times of working it out. That pill can also cause some confusion when everything is more clear. – Wow, that didn’t make sense. Try again… the ideas are crisper and more well thought out as the brain works faster, but in a creative cycle, the list can grow, making it difficult to pick a direction. One thing that has helped, is having the bullet journal. Creative cycles have great ideas, but they get lost in tiny notes jotted down wherever I happen to be. I needed something more like Pinterest where you can keep boards with ideas from the internet, but for my own thoughts and the ordering of them. With the bullet journal, I have a calendar, pages of post it notes to move around and other pages that are indexed so I can find the idea again, like a page of fiber art ideas, or bathroom decor, then I can add to them as inspiration strikes. Even the kid has a page. She has started reading a book series and is keeping track, in my book, of which numbers she has. Then, we have it with us when we go thrifting, or I can send a pic if she is with mom. A sticky note idea of clay ornaments I want to make has moved from the sticky note Possible Project Page to the November page as I remain interested in that project and we’ll see how it fits in when we get there. It has taken a few decades to get more real about time and what projects will add to my life rather than just take up brain and work space. That’s why sometimes I tell you how pleased I am when I finish a project or can fine tune one. I haven’t always been on top of that or some other basic to do’s. Age (experience and understanding), the pill for focus, and the bullet journal are my tools.
There is one other piece. Several years ago, my daughter was having some lab work done and it was discovered she was hypothyroid. They told her it is genetic and, sure enough, I was found to have it also. Getting that treated, another daily pill, cleared up some brain fog itself! It explained why I appeared depressed but didn’t feel depressed. Hypo is lack-of, but I wasn’t showing the usual signs, in fact, when I told a doctor friend I was going to get checked, he said he’d eat his hat is I had that condition. Ended up I had it, significantly. I have never been one to rely on medication, even as I moved from spiritual energy healing to work to the medical field as a nurse (with the misguided notion I could blend them). But the two pills I take every day have allowed me to embrace, order and accomplish more.
I do believe what covered and “treated” the lack of focus and energy was meditation. As I moved away from that being a huge part of my life, the thinking became more muddled and a bit inharmonious. What a journey! I truly hope you will embrace yours in all it’s magnificent colors and flavors. And if something feels off, find what puts it back together. Myrtle Fillmore, who founded the Unity Movement with her husband, said, “First to God, then to man as God directs.”
Love always. Take care of yourself. Drop me a line if you have the time!
Cathy
Busy Cat Studio 