Art, Craft and Needlework, September, 2023

[Harriet]

"It is a happy talent to know how to play."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

What are you playing at lately? In what activity are you finding whimsy and creativity?

We hope you'll join us in this thread - we'll sit and create together, show off our work to each other! Let us know what projects you're starting, continuing or releasing.

[Nancy]

I got some butterfly print canvas fabric for a table cloth, got the seaming done before the fringe got it done now it's in
place in the butterfly room now. Because there are butterflies on the wall paper.

[Harriet]

I didn't really know you had a room you called the butterfly room, Nancy. I think fabrics with butterflies on them are great fun. Or dragonflies.

Today my new clear acrylic cake dome came. It has a fitted plate underneath to stay fresh and away from anything inappropriate. And a way to use for cupcakes, too. It sits on my own (kind of old) clear pedestal just fine.

I am wanting to stop making cakes only when there is a deadline, barely in time, and as soon as anyone sees it it's cut up within minutes, unrecognizable! ( smile ) I'd like to make baked goods simply because it is a wholesome and encouraging thing to do, and let them hang around a while, looking pretty. It's creative.

Also, even though it is creative, it doesn't have to be a big deal that is just devastating if it flops!
"Make mistakes! Get messy!" said the teacher from The Magic School Bus.

[Nancy]

Harriet my creativity room is the same place as the butterfly room it has wall paper on one wall for an accent with butterflies on it.
I am pleased to have it "dug" out till I start sorting stuff a gain I've moved that to the spare room.

I started a dish cloth this afternoon.
I worked on it some more have 4 points done on this one now.

Painted on some rocks today they need a seal coat on them next.

[Harriet]

Found - the series of 5-inch patchwork blocks I was working on when we moved, plus all my carefully drafted patterns for them. What a relief. It was the one missing project since then, and irreplaceable. I just knew I'd labeled the box well, using a photo of the work on the quilt design wall that I took before moving. But when we all worked together bringing boxes over, this one was put in the very middle bottom of a two-rolling-doors closet, so that it was kind of covered no matter which way you opened the closet to look. No doubt my own eyesight contributed to overlooking it.

Ironically, I find it on a day I'm considering something completely different.

I've been brainstorming about dd25's wedding coming up in 8 1/2 months and considering a quilt gift. They will have the attractive, rustic venue for one long day. There is so much space that it will seem bare even with decor, so more backdrops would be welcome. They can decorate beginning in the early morning with everything taken down that night. Now that they have chosen their colors of green and purple, I know this is not a project for which I would have any start. I have seldom worked with purple so I'm thinking this would be from scratch.

The young man will be over tonight on other wedding-planning errands and help with thinking about this. Except for saying, "not too traditional", Dd25 has deferred to him because his expertise is graphic design and he does display all the time. Plus, he finds quilts new and different, not having grown up with them all over the house.

We may drop the idea as too ambitious. It's not as if the rest of my responsibilities have been well taken care of over the past 6 months to a year, of course. I have catching up to do. If he's enthused, I know it would be a lot of fun. I would make the top, but have it quilted - I'm not crazy.

Dd43's wedding quilt I made is hanging in her LR right now. Ds' quilt, made as the decor for his first-baby shower, has been packed away "for good", never to be seen again, lol. You never know how these things will be received. The only quilt I've made specifically for dd25 was ABCs when she was little.

[Nancy]

Unknitting is what I've been doing today and now had less than when I started on this dish cloth.
sigh no worries but I put it down to work on another day.
I got that dish cloth done.
Just two more in fall colors in this batch.
1 of two fall color dish clothes done now.

[Harriet]

Unstitching a project is kind of a thankless task, Nancy. Nobody knows but you yourself that you tried that hard to get it right. But it's satisfying when it's done.

I was glad to hear that Cathy found some pleasant time with her knitting group after some awkward times.

Elizabeth says she's back to planning a Halloween costume again, so that's going to be fun to hear about.

The wedding quilt is somewhat set now. I was not thinking of something so modern as dd and her young man chose, but that's fine. There will be a few unusual patchwork constructions, but I've done it all before. Just have to practice a little and I'll remember. Later some applique.

Until materials are gathered, I'll just continue to organize and simplify what's out in the sewing room. I need a lot of clear space, so even things that normally would be fine left out need to be put away. The part of the fabrics I already found online has been shipped today, the lady says.

First thing after that will be prewashing at least the dark fabrics, maybe all.

[Twins' Mom]

What fun to have a satisfying project underway, Harriet!

[Nancy]

Wa hoo got the last dish cloth* for this year! I got 14 and I have them on the two tiered tea tray for now.
Not sure what is next but I have been looking forward to getting these done!

*Edited to add ...
all are star shaped. *

[Harriet]

I imagine that looks satisfying, Nancy - good job getting those done. Were most star-shaped or all kinds?

Thank you, Twins'. Yes, there will be fun, I hope! And I hope you are thinking up some fun in your card-making studio!!!

And also, I'm hoping for feelings of success in a project and kinda proving to myself I can still do some difficult seams, or even drafting if necessary. There's a pattern for some, memory for other parts, and then stepping out onto optimism that I can pull it together, lol.

The P.O. says that some fabrics arrive tomorrow. Even the pattern, which "knows" that dark fabrics will probably be used, suggests that some quiltmakers don't pre-wash fabrics any more. Hmmm.. ... I know they are easier to work with. I also know that if you work hard and then they just fade into each other with first washing, you can't go back and make a better decision! They say maybe you could just "test" a sample, but it's been my experience that you can miss the extent of the problem when you're looking a small piece only. I still think I'll pre-wash the super dark or any with red. After I get these here, I'll know better whether I need to actually purchase anything else or can use what I already have.

The sewing room is clear-ish and there's room to spread out. Dgs12 is probably right that I need to use an entire desk surface for cutting/assembling and move the sewing machine to the smaller table. I suppose I need to break out the old, regular size ironing board that HRH didn't throw away when we moved. (I had suggested that we let it go!) My trusty half-board won't work as well on a large scale.