It all started years ago, at a local surplus store. They had a wide variety of things for sale, and it was always a mix of the practical, the interesting and the completely insane. I loved going in and seeing what I could stumble on for art projects, and you never really knew what would be available. And one day…they had eyes. Not just a few, but huge bins full of shiny glass taxidermy eyes of all colors, shapes and sizes! Some taxidermy business had decided to dump off it’s whole collection of them, and artists like me scooped them up by the handfuls and carted away as much as we could carry. I used them in polymer clay dolls, in pendants, in strange jars with eyes in the lids, on rocks that I mailed off to friends for no reason at all. I gave some to friends to play with. They were a bonanza, a complete wonderland of possibility…
it took years for me to whittle that pile of glass eyes down. But I finally did, And I was down to just a tiny handful, augmented by a few pretty glass and acrylic human-style eyes given to me by a friend, as a thank you for the handful of glass animal eyes I gave her. And as I was poking around in my embroidery stash, I found my small bag of leftover eyes, and thought to myself, “Hey, wouldnt’ this be really pretty surrounded by needlework? ” So I started to play around with the concept, with felt and leftover bits of old leather and beads and floss. And it turned out…pretty damn great!
When you look at my art, sometimes it looks back at you…
So I needed to make more! And that meant I had to dig around online, since those magical bins at the surplus store were long gone, now filled with wooden beads or auto parts or Baby Yoda heads. So I dug. And like most things on Teh Interwebs, the quality and pricing were all over the map. I learned I could get handfuls of cheap eyes, or a pair of antique German porcelain eyes for eyewatering amounts of cash. With some assiduous hunting, I found some lovely dolls eyes in various sizes, just right for my projects. I also had to refresh my memory on things like peyote beading, and assesed my embarrassingly large stash of beads. And I started to stitch…
I called them Guardian Eyes, since I felt like I wanted them to be (mostly) benevolent watchers over a space, with possibly a good side-eye to energies and presences that were unwanted. You know how a stern look from a parent or older loved one could make you stop in your tracks? That’s pretty much the idea…only magical, with an extra dose of love and sparkling thread and beautiful beadwork…
And it’s been such a gratifying thing, to see how much people seem to appreciate what I’m trying for and eagerly giving them homes, where they can look out over their new domains and keep a gentle watch. I plan to keep them coming, along with all the other interesting things I like making. And now that the Pandemic is starting to slow a little, maybe sometime soon I can go back to that surplus store and see what else those magical bins are holding, now that all those wonderful eyes have gone…
It’s funny, really. I taught myself some embroidery basics out of a library book when I was a tween, ages ago, and only really started up again a little over a year ago. I consider myself still to be a raw, rank amateur. But with lots of practice and a mindset that says, “Well, lets experiment with a thing and see if it actually works” it’s been a wonderful journey so far, And recently other people have been asking me for advice. Me?! I mean, I’m still new myself. I make mistakes all the time. And yet, those mistakes have been schooling me in The Art of Stubborn Problem Solving…
Okay, so maybe I’m not a rank amateur anymore…
So after all those mistakes, I have a handful of helpful embroidery tips I can share which are actually helpful to other people. How about that?
First off: Sourcing supplies. I started getting my supplies in thrift stores before the Pandemic, and they”re still not bad places to stumble on treasure troves of floss and sewing bits and bobs, or even fabric if you have a good eye and a little luck. One of my favorite finds was a scrap of eggplant-colored silk, which made an astoundingly good backing for various pieces. Of course you can hit online sources for a lot of your starting up supplies, and online marketplaces can be useful if you keep your wits about you, but it can be nice to save a few bucks and run across colors and tools you never would have bought otherwise. Estate sales can be goldmines for embroidery and beadwork as well, and a good haul can last you for years. Obviously if you’re going to thrift stores and estate sales be mindful, wash your hands, wear a mask. These days I do most of my shopping as online as possible due to the Pandemic.
What kind of supplies? I’m glad you asked…
Fabric: I’m a bit lucky here; since I don’t really crossstitch, I dont’ have to rely on Aida cloth for my stitching. I prefer tighter fabric as a background, and neutral or dark colors. Usually a good cotton will work just fine, and I really like linen–a little of it can go a long way for me, though it can be expensive. Fat quarters for quilting can be your best friend, but if someone you know has leftovers from making clothing or something it’s worth having a gawk at the scraps.
Floss: I’m mostly a DMC girl, though I’ve been learning over time that sewing threads of all kinds can be adapted to hand embroidery with a little patience and experimentation. I prefer the sewing metallics to the embroidery ones, since they’re smaller and a bit easier to use. Keep an eye out for spools of machine embroidery thread on sale; they can be used by hand if you double or triple them up, and they’re often durable and shiny. The cheaper flosses seem to work just fine too, but for darker colors like reds and blues and purples you want to wash a quick sample on a swatch of fabric to see if they bleed, and how much. The nice thing about DMC is I’ve had zero problems with bleeds, and they also ship extra needles when you order floss packets from their company, which is always a delight. There’s silk floss out in the market of various qualities, and again, watch carefully for bleeds when your fabric is washed. Also? Floss conditioner can be super useful, especially if, like me, you often run into snags and knots from your floss while you’re working.
Hoops: I like looking everywhere for hoops to work with. Wooden ones are my favorite for framing, since I can paint them or wrap them with ribbon. Plastic hoops are everywhere, and they’re cheap, but they’re ugly and I find them a little frustrating. Often you’ll see “wooden” hoops that are actually rubber that squeeze into a frame, and they’re surprisingly good for projects, so snap them up when you see them. Be careful online; while there’s a huge upswing in what’s available since embroidery has become more popular, sometimes the quality can be disappointing. Often a good hoop can be a little spendier, but here quality can make or break your mounted piece. You can see I’ve got a weakness for the small frames, and they’re all over the map for quality, but if you keep an eye out for the things you like soon you’ll have a feel for the hoops that work best for you.
Patterns: My best recommendation is to start hunting down Facebook groups and Instagram creators that you like that offer patterns. it’s way more fun to have a pattern from somebody whose work you already really like, and to give your money to small creators that work hard to give you something special.
But what if you don’t like patterns? What if you want to make up something cool of your own? Well then, you will need some of my very bestest friends when it comes to designing an embroidery pattern: A small light box, copy paper, the humble graphite pencil, and a handful of water-soluble pens, which will often come free with a wide assortment of online embroidery supplies. Copy paper is useful because it’s so thin; and you can work out your proportions and design without worrying too much about the paper. once you have something you like, you can trace it onto your fabric with the light box and the pens, and if you don’t have a light box you can easily use a window and a bit of tape instead.
So, now that you have your happy compilation of stuff, a design you want to stitch and some free time, what other things are good to keep in mind? Some of the things I’ve found useful for my projects are short floss lengths so they don’t tangle as much, sharp needles, a pincushion you really enjoy, and some catnip to distract any overly-helpful cats you may happen to have around. A tasty beverage is always welcome, and maybe a podcast or two to keep you company. (I really like “On a cold Dark Night” for a lot of my stitching time…)
Once you’re finished, there’s the fun of washing and mounting your new lovely thing. Washing veeeeeeerry gently in cool water and a touch of gentle soap will extend the life of your piece, so it’s a good habit to get into. Ironing it afterward can be helpful for creases, but watch the heat. When it goes back into your hoop, tighten it up as much as you can to take out any wobbles. I like to do a running stitch around the backside of my pieces, tighten it up, adjust it until I like the way it looks, then stitch a felt backing to the back to keep things neat. (It’s also a nice place to put a signature for your piece.) A ribbon for the top, and voila! Ready for hanging…
I know this list is hopelessly plain, and there’s loads of things I haven’t covered, but I think this a decent overview for someone starting out. I hope it’s helpful, and feel free to ask questions in the comment section. Happy stabbing, my dears!!
The Pandemic has been teaching us a lot of hard lessons, every single one of us. I’m no exception. This last year I’ve been doing things I don’t normally do, things I’m not always comfortable with. Driving, for one. For years I didn’t drive, though I kept my license up, mostly because when I was single it was the choice between owning a cheap vehicle that I’d have to keep paying to fix and park and gas up, or rent for a decent apartment and having some savings. I chose the neighborhoods I did partly out of love or civic virtue, but also for decent mass transit or walkability to stores, work, friends. That instinct paid off in the beginning of the Pandemic, since mass transit became less safe , and happily I could walk to my job for a while. But once my sweetheart had his stroke, I was the only one that could drive, which scared me since I was so out of practice. It also scared me because when I was young I lost a family member to a bad car accident, and it imprinted on my young brain early on that Driving Was Serious Scary Stuff. So every time I got into the car, my first feeling is always a deep sinking in my stomach and a quiet voice going, “Ohhhh shit oh shit oh shit…”
I’ve gotten better, with some practice. But I’m still really nervous, even with small victories like Parking Garages and Driving In Uptown and A Decent Parallel Parking Job. I keenly feel my imperfections. I had a minor meltdown when I got done with a driving run to Matt’s doctor’s appointment because I ran an unexpected stop sign because a streetlight was out. Lucky me, nothing bad happened, but I felt so disappointed in myself. It took me a while to realize that today was the anniversary of that family member’s death, so naturally driving was going to freak me out a little more than usual. It helps a bit knowing that. And that imperfection doesn’t have to be tied to things like mortality…
This fear of imperfection happens in other things I do. Paintings, embroideries, yarns, knitting. Sometimes projects just go wrong. Sometimes it’s an easy fix, sometimes it’s just time to throw in the towel for a while, stuff it in a bag and forget about it until you’ve got the strength to look at it again. But it used to be so much worse. Oddly enough, I have the Pandemic to thank for that switch in how I approach all of that now. When it really kicked in how much trouble we all were in and how long we would be locked down, I looked at a lot of my art supplies, stuff I was “saving for something good” and said to myself, “Well? You have to start using it up now, because there’s a good chance you may not get the opportunity to later if things go badly.” And it didn’t matter as much if I messed something up. If I didn’t do something with what I had, it wouldn’t get done at all. When Matt got sick, I had a similar thought that kept coming back.”So what if you made a crappy dinner, or didn’t park perfectly at the doctor, or any of that? It’s better than nobody doing it at all, isn’t it?”
So even though I struggle with the concept of imperfection, that’s my mantra now. Even if it’s a hot mess, it’s way better than nothing at all. Things will improve. You will improve. I will improve. And if we don’t, that’s going to have to be okay, because there’s not a lot of choices sometimes. Perfection can be the enemy of the good. Don’t let it be your enemy too…
(Edit: In this post, I’m using the phrase, “Perfection is the enemy of the good” outside of it’s original context. While I appreciate it’s original message, personally it’s a message that isn’t doing me any favors lately, so I chose to flip it on it’s head. It seemed to confuse a few of my readers, so I figured I’d address it with an explanation. And also…imperfection. That’s me, all right…)
When I was young, I was often scolded by adults for my scattershot approach to things I wanted or needed to do, (Mostly for things like drawing during my math classes, which is probably why I’m still math-weak to this very day.) I would explain that I was indeed paying attention, (and I was) but that I was also doing this other thing, which needed doing, thank you. It never really went over, but as I got older I found that my strange puttering had a name. Multitasking! And it was not only a useful skill, but sometimes the only way I could get done all the things that sat there, demanding attention. For example, while I’m writing this post, I’m also making tea and lunch, working on an embroidery, waiting for some photos to finish loading, checking on a cat or two, and listening for a delivery. Obviously I’m not the only one doing this sort of thing, not on Planet Pandemic. Everybody is still cobbling their lives together any way they can make it all work, and our concentration is still not great, and we all still have a big raft of worries we’re all floating on, trying to make it to friendly shores. It honestly makes me wonder how many people actually tackle things that need doing in a linear fashion. I mean, who has that luxury? Almost nobody I know, really.
For years and years, I’ve done what every other artistic person I know does–they hang on to a day job to pay the bills and keep a roof over their head while scrabbling together projects in between everything else. Which often meant I had a few projects going at a time. It was handy, especially if I was tired or low energy, because there was always at least one easy project within reach I could make a little progress with at least.
Jellyfish heaven is a lot like L.A…
It’s been a useful habit, especially when I had a few projects that were almost done at the same time. There is such a rush when I can present a handful of pretty things that actually took a lot of time, thought and energy to get together. It makes me feel like I’m so much more productive than I actually am. People don’t know that the pretty yarn I just finished making had singles stored on bobbins for a week while I was busy knocking out something else. Or that the painting I just finished sat for a month on a table, while I figured out what it needed to be.
This yarn had to sit a while before I realized what it needed to be complete was delicious jade colored beads…
You would think, now that I’m home all the time and trying to make a go of this Arting From Home Business that these habits would change. And they have, a little. My concentration has improved tremendously, but I do have other things to distract me now, like the unmistakable sounds of a cat barfing somewhere, or a delivery, or a needful errand. I still find myself with a handful of little, half finished embroideries and a bobbin of yarn that still needs a friend, or a painting that needs its first washes put down. And I’ve’ come to accept that this seems to be my process, and this process isn’t actually a bad thing that needs to change drastically.
This last week I felt like I was less productive than the usual. I had other things that needed taking care of, and this last Friday I got my second Covid shot. I was and am beyond grateful for it, but it did knock me down for a little longer than I thought it would. But even then, I still did some spinning. It helped with my poor sore body and it distracted me from some of the symptoms. So I was a bit surprised when I actually had a few things to list in the shop, a painting to put into Redbubble, some really nice Icelandic wool that was clean and de-burred and ready to spin up and a fun jellyfish for a friend. Where did all this stuff come from while I was on the couch, binging Youtube videos and drinking gallons of herbal tea? Oh yeah. My weird multitasking ADHD self, doing a little bit here, a little bit there…
So don’t be hard on yourself if your way of doing things isn’t the way people told you it should be. Especially now, when all bets are still off and we’ve got a long way to go before Normal is a thing. It all adds up in the end. And sometimes it’s such a good, good feeling when it does…
Hello, my dears! I know, it’s been a little while since I posted anything here. Mostly I was enjoying a quiet break here at Chez Cohen with my sweet fellow, my sweet cats, and my growing pile of things to make. I’ve been kept very busy with little projects (and big projects) of all kinds, and I’m absurdly gratified by all the kind friendship and out-and-enthusiam when I present something new. Because of all of these people, I’ve been able to not just bring in a little money but also to keep my spirits up. December was rough for everybody this year. It was cold and dark, lonely and seemingly never-ending. We were away from our friends and family and loved ones, and trying like hell not to get sick. More and more of us have lost friends or family or colleagues to Covid, and we’re all still attempting to navigate this world now so full of obstacles. So the things that have been getting us all through are sometimes small, quiet moments of fun…
What counts as those moments for me? Well, there are the usual bits. I have new paints to try out and appreciate and make a mess with. The cupboard is well stocked with tea from Society du The’ and Mrs Kelly’s Tea. I’ve been trying to read to Matt before bed, since it helps us both wind down and sleep. (The book at the moment? “Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters”. ) Besides scouring Netflix for distractions, I’ve also been avidly hunting down Youtube channels and stumbling onto wonderful, rare gems worth sharing. Pinsent Tailoring, Dominic Noble, Rachel Maksy, Cathy Hay and the Banner siblings (Bernadette and Dani banner) have really made my days brighter, and taught me so much. Cinema Therapy is a great Youtube series, walking us through all kinds of relationship woes using movies. When I need a lift, I go play something from Gunship’s youtube channel, and their videos are an 80’s nostalgia joy. On Spotify I search for all the 80’s Goth channels when I need to get out of my head and into a mopier time where I wore a *lot* more eyeliner than I do now…
Recently I’ve been trying out online crafting days with friends, which has gone enormously well. There’s a whole lot of lockdown still going on out there, and a lot of crafting supplies to use up. It’s just really nice to have that company, catching up with everyone and seeing what they’re working on in real time.
And now that it’s January? I feel like we have things we can hope for. There’s more vaccines out there. Spring is coming. (Not soon, not exactly. But stil! Spring!) I’ve been wallowing in seed catalogs, trying to imagine what the back yard could look like this year. I just had a birthday, and turned 50. Fifty!! It blows my mind that I’ve made it this far, especially after this last year. And today I watched the swearing in of Joe Biden and Kamela Harris, which made me so very, very happy. Better days are coming for us all. We just have to keep going on, finding our joys and cradling the things we love to us…
A drawing I did recently was of Arachne, one of the patron spirits of spinners, weavers and anyone who loves the fiber arts. She became a spider, after contesting with Athena at weaving, but has learned to appreciate small beautiful webs in quiet corners, away from chaos and unfairness and grief. Not a bad lesson for the rest of us, as least for a little while…
How did I get into embroidering things? How did I learn to spin yarn? How did I start knitting? Why do I have a big honking weaving loom all of a sudden? How did I get *here*?
So many creative people ask themselves that question. More of us now than ever, since the Pandemic has given so many of us more free time to explore activities we hadn’t had the time to consider before now. And there’s lots of us that have creative interests that slide into one another, or start out as one thing and surface as another. I feel like it’s the mark of a curious mind. You toy with one art form, and think about how you could combine it with something else, or what to do to get an effect you want, and before you know it, you’re up to your eyebrows in yarn and embroidery floss and hot glue and gold foil. One art form very easily bleeds into another, and sometimes you need those combinations to reach out to the vision in your head that demands to be a real thing.
For example, I started knitting as an extension of some beadwork I was doing, a very long time ago. I saw a knitted purse with beads strung onto the yarn, and loved it so much. But I didn’t know the first thing about knitting! So after a couple of library books and a quick tutorial or two from a coworker, I had begun to knit small, simple things. And it was better than fun, it was glorious! After exploring lots of beading and knitting possibilities, I tried stringing beads on a thread and knitting it along with a yarn. Which was fine, but lacked structure. What if…I made the yarn myself, spinning in the beads? So that means I’d have to learn to spin, shouldn’t I? Where’s that dowel I know I have, and that old CD I don’t listen to? I bet I could make myself a crude drop spindle with those…
And before I knew it? Boom! A spinning wheel in my living room that I learned to fix up from a book. Lots of possibilities for yarns I couldn’t afford or never knew existed before. New friendships with local fiber farmers, who were kind and generous to a new customer. An astounding flexibility when it came to knitting projects. Out of a yarn? I could make more, however I wanted! And knitting friends wanted some too. So…time for an Etsy shop and more fibers to play with. And, wasn’t that color of fleece just a little bit dull? And aren’t you craving a wonderful plum color? How about trying out dyeing fibers next?
What’s in that pot, Maus? What is it? Wool, you say? You sure? It looks…not good…
Dyeing fibers leads to playing with the concept of felting, if you agitate the dyewater too much. And taking a knitted hat that’s waaaay too big and felting it made for a sturdy little hat with lots of structure for…embroidery? Why not? Hey, where’s that embroidery book you learned from when you were a kid? And it ends up being an excellent way to use up handspun odds and ends that aren’t enough to knit with but are too gorgeous to toss out. Also, weaving is good for things like that too. How about trying out that rigid-heddle loom for a big honking shawl?
And then…the Pandemic hit. And not only did I have my own art supplies to plow through, but also supplies I inherited from my mother, who had loads of crafting stuff I hadn’t really explore before now, Woodburning tools, a really large and imposing hot glue gun, crochet hooks of every size and…whoa. Loads of embroidery floss. Now, where’s that old bamboo hoop I used to have?…
And that’s where I am these days, now that I’m home full-time. I just finished a pair of wristwarmers that I embroidered, and a felted hat, and some hooped embroideries with swearing in them, and I’m almost done with a green alpaca yarn that might need some beads. All of these things are complimentary to each other, and none can really crowd out my love of any of the others. And I’m hopeful that this winter more of us will have the opportunity to try out something they haven’t had a chance to do but always wanted to. Or reaquainting themselves with an art form, like meeting an old friend. Winter’s good for exactly this sort of experimentation, and this yearning for a new way to express creativity is such a good way to work out problems and anxieties. It helps me stay away from my phone for a while, and stops the doomscrolling and the worrying for a little while…
What will you have by springtime that you didn’t have before, and never realized could be something you could do?
Welcome, my friends, to December!! Usually the time of year where we crowd together for warmth and cosyness, share gifts and food, and see who gets taken out first in the glorious game of Whammagheddon! Sadly, this year is a little different. And it should be. The Covid numbers are so high in my state right now, the only sensible thing to do is to stay home, mask up and try like crazy not to get infected. And those of us who are trying to do exactly that are doing their best to make their homes a little more comforting and welcoming, to get us through this season. Here at Chez Cohen, we put up our tree a little earlier than usual, because we both love the twinkly lights and the fun of putting on or making ornaments. And, while I appreciate the wonder of a well-curated tree…my festive offerings are a little more,shall we say, whimsical. So, behold the Gothmas Tree!
Yippee ki-yi-yay…
Every year is a little bit different, but it’s always weird. There’s usually at least one skeleton hiding in the branches. There’s always at least one Cthuhlu ornament(and sometimes several), a couple of angry (but festive!) Daleks, and a wide variety of ornaments made by us or by loving friends. This year, I added green blinky eyeball lights to the purple and white light scheme we’re using this year, and as the month chugs along I’m planning on making more ornaments. (maybe with still photos from other films I consider “Christmas” movies, like “Prometheus” or “The Thing’) It definitely makes our living room a little more fun, and if you peek in the windows at our tree, you’ll find our tree peeking right back at you…
Making Gothmas, Making Gothmas, Lalalaaaa!
What are the other holiday plans? Good question. Mostly being very quiet, making as many interesting things as possible, and staying healthy. This moment in time feels a lot like the interlude in any zombie movie where people are holed up trying to distract themselves any way they can while the shuffling undead hordes roam around outside, howling and hungering. All I want for the holidays is for as many of us to be safe and well as possible. Anything else Santa brings me this year is frosting on the cake…
Hello, my dears! I’m hoping like crazy that you’re home, and comfortable, and about to be very, very well fed. This year it’s just going to be me, my sweet husband and the cats for Thanskgiving, just to keep everybody safe. It’s hard to not see friends and loved ones this year, but I wouldn’t be able to bear it if somebody I cared about got sick at some shindig at my place. So instead I’ll pester them on the phone and on Zoom, and share photos of cooking and mayhem, and decorate The Gothmas Tree. We put it up a bit early, though it’s still very much in the early stages at the moment. (I suspect the Gothmas Tree will need it’s own post this weekend. There’s a lot of ground to cover there…)
I’m also planning to knock out some spinning and knitting this weekend, since I have a commission to play with and some really great fiber to spin up. There’s so much alpaca, people! So much! And now that my knee is recovered from whatever the heck I did to it, I can go back to the spinning wheels (carefully) and make some really fun natural and dyed yarns. Some of the shades of blue and purple I got from one shepherd are so perfectly beautiful, and I can’t wait to play with them all…
Also, I’ve been doing a few sketches for funzies, like the Jackalope I painted recently. It’s been hard to draw rabbits of any kind since Shamu the Bunny passed on; for the longest time I just didn’t have the heart to do it. But now it’s easier to embrace the memory of a sweet rabbit and bring his expressions to other pieces of art. And I’m also not sure why I wanted to draw a little bat hugging a tree ornament, but he really did turn out fairly swell…
Stay safe, my dear friends, and stay well, and I hope you’re planning on a tasty dinner and a thankful, quiet moment, and possibly a huge nap. I’m thinking about you all…
I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting this autumn and winter to look like, way back in March when things started getting crazy in earnest. I know there was a big difference between what I was hoping for and what was actually going to happen. Sure enough, another lockdown seems to be barrelling it’s way towards us, and even if it isn’t formally announced, I think the smartest thing to do is to hunker down again. Anything I can do to help keep people safe seems like a no-brainer to me, and I’m still frustrated and frightened by all those people out there who can’t even do the most basic stuff to keep other people healthy. Not least because we’re such a vulnerable household right now. This is the time period I was the most nervous about when I was still working with the public, and right now I’m grateful beyond words that I can stay home over the winter. I realized it’s a lucky, priviledged position to be in, and while I feel some real guilt, I fight it with relief that my chances of giving somebody I care for Covid are so much less this way.
So I’ve been preparing with Matthew for a long, quiet winter. It’s mostly the usual winter prep, with caulking and plastic over the older windows in the house, and leaves and burlap over the more sensitive plants outside. The pantry just got restocked; I have canned peaches for ages. The fresh stuff gets delivered to the house, and wiped down carefully. And apart from doctor’s appointments and whatnot, neither of us go out. Thanksgiving and Gothmas are being spent here at home, pestering our loved ones on the phone as much as possible. I’ll miss my sweet people, but what else can we do?
For extra cosiness and a spot of cheerful light for the darkest part of the winter, I’ve been putting plants in the dining room, with a full-spectrum light for the really dark days, it’s turned into a pretty cosy place to eat or write or play with various crafting supplies.
Yeeeees, I put an Audrey in the dining room window. It’s going to stay there all winter long!
I’ve also been busting out extra crafting supplies for projects over the winter. I stressed out my knee, so instead of using the spinning wheels for a bit, I thought I’d have some fun sculpting a few things, like toadstools…
*Not recommended for ingesting. Because you’ll break your teeth.*
So I feel like here, we’re ready to hide from the world again for a while. At least this time we don’t have the shock of the first lockdown, wondering what was going to happen. We know what’s going on a little better, and with the new vaccines coming up there is a light at the end of the tunnel, if we can get there. But first we have to get there, which means staying the hell out of the way. Please, everybody, please be careful, I want to see you all again soon. You all deserve good health and safety, and I can’t wait to see you all online until we can have better days…
My dear friends, I gotta say, I’m grateful beyond words that I have so many requests for embroidered fun! Quite a few people have gone into the shop lately and messaged me with things like, ‘Hey, where are all those delicate swears you keep making? I don’t see any!” That’s because they seem to fly out the door as soon as I can make them! (If you *are* craving something you’ve seen me doing and don’t see it in the shop anymore, drop me a line! I’m happy to make something, just for you!)
Honestly, I need all of those flying F’s I can make. And apparently others do too.
It’s a comfort to me, besides all the swearing and stabbing. I am the luckiest duck that I can stay home right now and do this, After saying that, though, I will admit that there it’s still a bit spooky for me. My proper “working life” was so regimented, and I’m still adapting to this new life, even months later. I have a fair amount of anxiety anyway, so sailing in these uncharted waters is such a departure from the life of a uniformed Guardian of Culture. I still have dreams about going back to work at the museum. I miss the art, and my coworkers. But the payoffs are better than I expected. I’m up to my eyebrows in commissions, Redbubble sends me a check every now and then, and my sweet fellow’s health improves every day. I have a lot to be grateful for.
And all of you sweet people are part of this strange new life. I’m grateful beyond words for you. Because of you I get to experiment, and play with new art forms. And every day I learn a little bit more, and can bring that knowledge with me into some new idea that probably never would have happened otherwise.
Acorns? Acorns! Alas, this pretty thing already has a home. But I’m definitely making more!
Anyway, thank you. Thank you so much for your love, your anticipation of whatever strange idea I come up with, and your company. It’s always better to travel an unfamiliar road with friends…
