on the other side now

Feels the same, looks the same. (Except for the GI infection i had on New Year’s day and yesterday, mild fortunately!)

It’s also the time of year when i get Butterfly Brain, that state when every idea is good, gets sampled, but doesn’t always go anywhere! You know: “Really have to use more of the beads, wait there’s a lace piece i thought i los– what issue/book was thattechnique inbut look at this velv==, i found a great old sample of manipula—, there’s cotton in here, i know i had some gnatshairsilk why did i buy this where’s the”…………………………………….

Settle down. Add some Method to the Madness.

1. I remembered i have a backlog of Threads issues to dig through. I haven’t bought the magazine in years as it switched to mostly “how to knock off/create couture wear”, but when it was first around, i bought every issue, and was quite bereft when i couldn’t find it: it had a lot of great articles on manipulation, hand techniques, zero waste fashion, historical use and contemporary adaptations, and cutting edge things we now take for granted! I have a backpack i made from one of their pages, that has served well for 24 years (and is still in use!), i learned about “compost dyeing” in 1995, i used a ton of their tips when i had my wearable art business (shoulder pads anyone, hand inserted zippers, princess seams?). And i still have all the index pages for issues 39-104 issues so i can find things 🙂 I did however have to dig up everything near the bookcase, so i could get TO the magazines……. I’ll be doing a couple of posts about the gleaning of these, as i go through them. (You can access their archives of this magazine, to date 188 issues, but it costs 80bucks for the first year.) Then i’ll be donating all of the issues i have to some worthy “cause”.

2. What happened to the Summer of Madder Study? It was very productive, but in November i thought about the end “goal”, the creation of a garment made entirely of hand stitched and embroidered, naturally dyed cloth (predominantly madder, obviously)–which i would not wear, due to my “lifestyle”. Some of those pieces ended up as moons, others will be incorporated into other work, and i have a lovely stash of madder cloth to work with, so it was a good summer in that respect!

3. I MUST get back to Samara. I know i’m headed in the right direction with her, though at this point she has been hanging around the studio, yelling at me.

4. My studio is in a constant state of disruption and chaos. I don’t foresee or want a picture perfect workspace (those books/magazines where obviously more time is spent prettifying the space than working in it…), but i do want territory where i can find things, store things, put things away easily and neatly, and MAKE “things”. It might be a time for a major overhaul/reno. Not the kind that costs money or prettifyin’ time, but honest appraisal of what i do and don’t need/use/want/make.

5. None of these are Resolutions. I do spend that week of limbo, the time from Dec 26 to January 1st, thinking about what i have done, or not done, usually because all of the important projects have ended by the 25th, but i know none of these are silver bullets, cure-alls, or Magickal Thinking that because it’s a new year, all will be well. I expect the constant struggle i am, regardless of the exterior appearance.  🙂

6. Que sera, sera.