Art, Craft and Needlework, November, 2023

[Harriet]

Are you cozy-ing in for a November of creativity?

It makes me feel so comfortable to work with textiles, but even when I work with other materials and supplies like paints or other imaginative crafting, just being creative gives me a warm feeling!!

It supports our sense of self, I think, to be able to express something in our own artful way.

Do you have deadlines happening? Big plans of crafting for a holiday of crafting? Do tell!

I am still hopeful that BookSaver may be able to join us again. She said she never intended to stop posting, really, but her life became so busy. Maybe she can come back and tell about her doin's!

Elizabeth will have stories to tell about her Halloween crafting, I'm sure. And she may be making more stuffed crochet creatures for gifts, too.

Sunny may be doing needlework, Twins' may be "doing paperwork" ( what a dreadful pun ) and Cathy has started to feel free by changing up her involvement in knitting groups to emphasize the positives. (I am sorta jealous of the chance to have IRL groups - none around here.) I know Nancy is always WAY ahead of me in finishing projects. And then, of course, The Most Important Person is being SO very interesting out there!

Happy November!

[Nancy]

This month my focus is on writing craft for nonoromo.
I do not write fiction more of self help genre is my focus.
Did a chapter in my work book for Prayer.
Wrote in my SJ [Spiritual Journal] aka faith planner.
I still have a day planner I do an entry of my done list for tasks and activities.
I started a sheet of prayer req. that I can put in my prayer planner, got a verse to write in it too.
I am trying a time blocking planner for Nov.

[Nancy]

Day one time blocking was perfect
rest of the week life happened not perfect but worked on my projects.
MPP / My Prayer Planner is coming together sort of slowly but progress is happening.

SJ + Spiritual Journaling is under way.
Hit a snag like on day 3 had to work through that.
Hoping for good stuff next.

I have been adding to my rewards list.

[Harriet]

That's wonderful that your writing and time-blocking is going so well, Nancy! Yes, rewards are an important part of changing habits, I think. They make a difference.

The verdict on the smaller number-8 needle - NOPE.
The first time I used it mending with a thicker fabric briefly, and (I admit it) hit a pin, it broke. The number-9s never break in my use, even when I hem jeans or whatever. They are just much more sensible. I always try to avoid pins but every so often I do hit one, and with 9s it's always been no big deal, but not this time. Anyway, that's replaced with a new 9.

This quilt top starts out with constructing a 36-inch center and I'm 2 out of 4 big steps done on that part. That will leave a 16-inch portion in the middle to be constructed and appliqued inside that. It will take similar steps to make it, but in the smaller scale. Everything is cut for all this except the big applique piece, which shouldn't be too scary. So, more cutting will be up next after about 6 or 7 more steps.

Working on this large scale to start a quilt has been so unusual. I've used stickers to label pieces with numbers, but then as I would sew, they would fall off into my lap as they were pulled by the machine across each other or my clothes. So, I used a micron marker instead on the wrong side of fabric and that has been a relief. All I need is to keep them in order until they are finally all sewn together. For some reason, sewing the same thing in a smaller scale is not as mind-bending.

Having the design "wall" (the panel of house insulation covered with a flannel sheet) has been a lifesaver. My brain couldn't "see" to hold it all if not for that.

My iron fell ( ) and in this house I don't have carpet where I'm working any more. It actually broke this time, as far as the window with the interior lever that tells you what setting you've put it on. Unbelievably, HRH used all his patience and fixed it! But we bought a new one anyway, because I could find a very reasonable price and this old one was truly old. The new one is the Black and Decker "Allure", which is a little smaller than my old ordinary Sunbeam - a brand you can't find now. I haven't used it yet. I thought hard about buying one of the very small ones which seem so helpful when you watch youtube sewing DIYs. But it's a pricey decision, and what if I decided the machine needed replacement next? I guess I'm cheap.

[Nancy]

Yea so glad you got a new iron Harriet.

I have been doing my writing project for a week now. It is helping me with issues I chose to work on for this year for nano.
I have not gotten the decision made on my rewards but have some on my wish list to pick from thinking I will do them all at once.
Unless I do a smaller one. Got the work book part finished for the Pray part. Yea that was hard.
I have gotten in to the flow on the journal daily summary.
The how did it go log needs filled in for today I was to busy with the actual writing to do that yet today.
Glad for this day's progress made some good head way and feel like I've made a break-through.
Trauma triggers and getting past them is my focus this year.
Ok I picked a mead comp type note book only has thicker pages for my reward for notes a dollar general store purchase.

[Nancy]

X Joy Journal
X SJ / Spiritual Journal aka Dear God dairy. 3 pages.
x Bujo / Bullet Journal
x Daily planning & goals pages

MMP Micky Mouse PLanner where I put my child hood memories stuff & issues thoughts growth notes ect. I do this in the afternoon.
x MPP My Prayer Planner / add a verse on project plans

Evenings
x Recap
x Reflection
x Daily Summery
x Nano Writing progress log

[Harriet]

Took a little time out to make a last-minute bookmark gift:

little panel of fabric (teapots was 6 x 2.25 inches)
bordered by strips ("steam" fabric was 1-inch)
cut a matching-size back.
sewn with 1/4-inch seam with an opening at "top", turned.
ribbon through a wood bead, held inside "top",
top-stitched around edge and inside border
done in about an hour - several at once would each be faster

Bookmark2023Teapots.jpg

Bookmark2023TeapotsBack.jpg

It's nice to have a pieced panel, or put in batting or interfacing, but not necessary and might even be a little thick to put between pages. This works for a bookmark fine. I left the bead and ribbon sticking out of the greeting card since I was hand-carrying it. But you could seal the envelope if you didn't use a bead. Sometime, I'm going to try to fold back enough of a pocket in the backing to use one as a money gift holder.

It helps a lot to have everything for sewing already out, and the thread in the machine a good match, lol.

[Nancy]

Oh Harriet those are lovely! Thanks so much for sharing!

Today I did some writing and talked with dd.

[Harriet]

Nancy, you are doing great to keep on with your writing project straight through this time when your community has not had gas so you don't have heat. (Brrrrrr) I think you were expecting that you'd have it back by tomorrow and I hope so. Glad for the times it hasn't been as cold, but I know some nights must have been an adventure!

Needed plain, sew-in interfacing (most is fusible now) and it's downright difficult to find! I ended up buying some that was more expensive since I was having to shop for the few I could find online. Another one that was less expensive was criticized for being easy to tear or distort, and I didn't want that, so, oh well, went with the more expensive. It's a little bit frustrating, though. I used to buy it at a now-gone fabric store for a song, right off the bolt. Distinctly remember that they didn't even re-shelve it because people bought it so often. It stayed out on the table. Times have changed.

I also decided to spring for some of those colorful sewing clips to use instead of pins when they might work better, and some better fabric glue.

The quilt top is slowly growing. Made the freezer paper pattern for the center of the large circle, and it seems to match the size of the outer patchwork, so yay for that. I just had to use scotch tape to get it big enough. I'll iron most down, working around the tape, and then gently peel some tape away to get a little more of it secured. This works in my head!

[Nancy]

I have done my writing and got ideas and input from others struggles, said that frame of mind is not helping.
But I can reframe it in a perspective of prayer or what I learned from a similar feeling.
2:00 still no heat but 68* inside now I am okay. They ran into a snag up north of us.
Dd is borrowing a heater from a friend that has electric heat.
I walked and that was great for perspective and to see the colors very inspiring.
I sit here and wait and I write.