Art, Craft and Needlework, April, 2026

[Harriet]

Nancy has come in and hit us over the head with thinking. Careful of that link, dear friends. I didn't get out of it for a while - an art classroom concept turned on its head, so interesting. Then I came back by reversing into this page feeling downright inadequate, lol, and thought I should SAY something. So, Nancy, here is what my brain did - I noticed that several of our posts on our first page would be brain-busting thought pieces if we lifted them out into illustrated art journaling like that teacher asks. What if Kittykatt's thoughts beginning, "There is no law which states ...", or, "I arranged the tiny blue tea set..." were art-journaled into a hand-created page? What about Twins' Mom's thoughts, "the sewing machine came here... .. most went into a box of tangled thread".

Whoa, I can see those. That's deep, man.

So, now, from the deep thinking on creative starts to simple satisfactions of finishing up a plan.
I was able to record in my planner/diary that I quilted the straight outer border lines of this section, so I'm very close to having 14 out of 30 sections done.

Also, have to agree with Kittykatt that appropriate light is always best for housekeeping.

[Harriet]

Nancy, good idea about the marble composition notebooks - with that type of art, the background horizontal lines would nearly disappear, but they would have given a little guide here and there. Gardening art is perfect for it, color and different images - you will have fun. I think I'll show your link to dd27.

Kittykatt, I wanted to do more than just tease you about the electric lights, lol. I'm glad to know you are back to rearranging in dollhouse creativity, so imaginative.

And I do need to tell that it's not like I'm bored. I have some more interesting, curving lines of quilting coming up. There are stars across the top border but the large size of the piece to be quilted won't let me consider parts individually - I'd go crazy with twists and turns. So, I'm going to quilt in sort of sweeping lines across this part and think of it like a background of sky. Just wondering if now is the time to switch to blue thread for some.

[Nancy]

TY Harriet
I ordered 5 books by this author! LOL!
Most were used one maybe two new.
It's so inspiring and fun!

[Nancy]

Trying this link again
Richard Feynman 30 min vid.
on knitting displaces worry.

Code: Select all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtM-hB2oe4Q&t=1s

video

[Harriet]

Nancy, I didn't have any problem just copying the e-address and going to it. But I put a clickable link in under your post anyway.

I think (not sure) that you can go into your post with the "edit" icon (pencil in upper right) so you can see what I type to make a clickable link. I just type it, but you can also use the icon that looks like a set of dumbbells to me (I guess it is supposed to look like links?).

That sort of makes me wish I could knit - I wonder whether crochet would do the same. But I was chased away from yarn crafts by those awful hand cramps. Maybe will try again sometime. I wonder if the use of sewing machine, the speed, foot peddle, hands to guide fabric, etc., is anything close to that kind of efficient displacement. I don't think I could honestly say it makes me avoid stress completely, maybe some.

Still, it's fascinating to learn this. And bonus, the scientist speaks in a Scottish accent, which always makes me think the person is smarter, lol.

[Nancy]

Crocheting too is mentioned in the vid. and sewing anything that used 2 hands.
Other ideas are in his other vids. I've been listening to one a day or E.O.D.
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I'm declaring this Art Retreat weekend
I've read 3 of the for books loads of pick and pretty big print in at least one.
They are not PG just saying a few pics. it's been for collage age students.
I have one more book to read.
So far the one that was the best for ease of reading and understanding was Making Comics
the print and instructions are so much better and bigger. More like for a grade school teacher or art class I think.

Had bfast for my break and we've walked.

[Harriet]

Hope you are enjoying art retreat time, Nancy.

I just can't make any of the blue threads I have work, so I've ordered another 100 percent cotton quilting spool in blue, telling myself that it's certainly a wholesome kind of purchase, at least! Was very torn between weights, but decided on one not so thick. Again, something that must be ordered, not at stores here and won't arrive until Thursday. Hate to be delayed waiting on it, so I could go ahead and layer the last part of the top. Or - starting to add the thin outer borders is possible. We'll see. As usual for late spring, many things taking up my spare time anyway, and time devoted to catching up on the house monthlies would not go to waste, either.

[Nancy]

I have had a good art retreat.
I looked in my journals that I have not used for one with dots on pages and found that!
Also have a grid one. Comp. note books. also have a 7 x 9 classic planner size hard bound one with dots instead of lines.
choices choices choices.

Read the 4th book.
Got notes, lots of em, ideas, and projects I can be thinking about too.
I'll be starting a new comp. note book my other one is almost full.

Today I was in the sewing room and sorting yarns to declutter I also ordered that were not right.
Some others wondering if I should label them hand spun ones.

Located some fab. in boxes for project strips for bags I can make for summer art class...
art bag of supplies, word bag / lists on file cards I think of nouns, and for picture envelopes they are for story ideas.

Got a card stock piece of paper for invoices I've whited out and thinking I can put the weekly and daily assignments on it.

Bonus prize I found the file container I'd put saved seeds in! A puppet was on top of it making it hidden!

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Daily art habits: in comp. note book / 7 things I saw 7 things I did 1 thing I heard;
Do a daily sketch / doodle draw in one area in comp. notebook apx. 2" x 2"
On file card one sketch of me full body not just face date the back.

Assignment #1 they went to the building on campus lib. or central some thing to draw people
on a stack of file cards with a non photo blue pencil.

Future projects / assignments
Word Bag ~ found one I'd sewn. It took me reading 3 of the books before I figured out it's just nouns!
Picture Envelope Bag - emptied one I made that had yarn in it.
I had envelopes 5 x 7 manila color. I have a template I can use to make em maybe with the
pages I'm done with for coloring or what ever.

To draw Art Supply Scavenger Hunt / made up this one on my own.

Seeing quail in my tree out the Window now instead of squirrels.

[Twins' Mom]

I got in some stamping time yesterday - was trying to figure out a pop up style card and wasted a lot of card stock. I think I have it figured out - think instructions may be off a bit. But I got it to work...

[Nancy]

I am enjoying my current knitting project,
especially that I have the next color to work towards and a new stripe of color
to look forward to. Jewel tones are my favorite!