Processing 2012

1. X2Y4–6Z8O20(OH,F)4: Front, 2. Organic Imperfection (front), 3. Love in a (Snowy) Mist: Front, 4. The Arty Zig: Front, 5. Rainbow Challah Cover, 6. Warm Spring: Front, 7. Spring Green, 8. Topo Map: A Quilt, 9. Curves, 10. Berry Lime Sublime (front), 11. Circle Up, 12. Sand & Sea, 13. New Pillows!, 14. Foxy (front), 15. Challah Cover, 16. Orbs Away, 17. A Zig and a Zag Table Runner, 18. The Accidental Living Room Quilt, 19. Triangulate: Complete, 20. Scattered Color Pop, 21. Good & Plenty, 22. A Little Spice, 23. Sebastian, Literally, 24. Washi Dress!

I think of 2012 in two halves: the traveling half and the quasi-settled half. Despite a lot of roving dissertation research, I still managed to squeeze in quite a bit of sewing time last year. Not in a diligent, disciplined sort of way, but in an unrestrained, furious sort of way.

And so it is true: I am a binge sewer. The latest example merely illustrates my habitual tendencies: I didn't touch my sewing machine for about a month this fall, from Thanksgiving to late December, and then I pieced and quilted like a madwoman for a few days in late December. I finished three quilts (all of which need to make their way to their new owners before debuting here), I started two quilt projects, and I migrated some design ideas from head to graph paper. Then I cleaned up, hosted friends for New Year's Eve dinner, and crossed back into dissertation-writing (and less sewing) land. That's my way, my pace, my pattern, my flow, and it's not going to change. It's imperfect, but it works.

Likewise,  I've settled into my quilting style; I adore minimalism, negative space, and saturated color. Shapes matter, graphic sensibilities predominate, and color preferences drift between warm and cool. I don't think this will radically change, but it will stew, evolve, and mature. I'm starting to concretize a sartorial style as well. Sewing a dress for myself helped me think more about how garments fit and, most importantly, how I want them to fit. I saw a dress I wanted to make, and when I asked a friend about possible patterns for something comparable, she exclaimed "that is So You!" At which point I realized I know what I like and I can identify what will look good on me (a revelation many have before age 32, but late blooming is blooming nonetheless).

But here's what I don't know: where this style will take me, the views it will show me, the people to whom it will introduce me, the ways it will change me, the ideas it will instill in me, or the possibilities it contains. So given this: to curiosity, discovery, and fresh ways of thinking, doing, working, and living in 2013.

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Scarfing

Last week was a scarf-filled week for some, though not for me. I missed a workshop on scarfing -- the art of wearing scarves. So scarfing wasn't the actual workshop topic, but it turns out scarfing can be an effective way to promote events when the speaker is an expert scarf-er (some women are very talented in the art of scarfing). And although not the main topic, scarves were displayed and discussed. Later in the week, I got in trouble for wearing a scarf at the archives. Well, I got in trouble before entering the archives as the security guard (very nicely) told me I had to remove my scarf and return it to my locker as "no scarves allowed" prevails in the archives (silk kerchiefs, however, are acceptable). That day was a little chilly.

My current work situation therefore curtails my scarf-wearing. But I really do like wearing and making scarves. I made my own version of Anna Maria Horner's infinity scarf with some voiles from her Little Folks collection. I adjusted the tutorial in a couple of ways: I chose voile for both sides, I used 9" cuts (rather than 18"), and I machine-sewed the scarf closed. I'm sure velveteen would make for a rich winter scarf, but I don't own any and the voile version is great year-round. I found 9" to be just fine: I can wrap the loop around 4 times and it takes up plenty of room as is. An 18" version seems like it would be ginormous (which could be a benefit). Finally, I lack the patience to hand-stitch anything. I therefore machine-stitched the very last step and used three parallel lines to make it look finished. Frankly, given the way the scarf loops around one's neck, it's hard to find, much less see, the sewn section. I've had this for a few weeks and love it.

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The Little Things

 

"I came back to get my stuff after class and saw that you're stuff was still in the office," my friend remarked to me the other day. "Still at the office" referring to 9 pm, an hour at which no one should be in an office. It's been one of those weeks, of long hours of working and staying late to try and get everything done. It's been stressful and overwhelming at times. 

But it's Thursday night and, finally, for the first time in a while, I'm starting to see some light. A major deadline comes tomorrow, and I'll meet it. Several large piles of books stare up at me, needing to be read by Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, respectively. And, with a lot of work, I'll get through them. I have an email in my inbox, with a long paper attached, waiting to be edited. And I'll get to that too, next week. 

And then, in a week's time, I might even sit down at my sewing machine again. I can't wait. I have so many ideas swimming around my head, wanting to become real live projects. I have a mess of fabric piled on my cutting mat from the last time I played with fabric. I have a pile of blocks on my ironing board, waiting to be joined together in something more. I have a chain of squares sitting in my sewing machine. Lots to look forward to enjoying.

As hard as it can be to work for hours straight, to be so busy I forget about the little errands I need to run, to be so immersed in work that I forget about fixing the clogged toilet (any tips on plungers? It turns out I'm not so good at wielding them?), it's also kind of nice to be so absorbed by what I'm doing. Also, almost every day this week has been brightened by something -- the wonderful blog coverage earlier this week, a compliment, a juicy email, students truly engaged in the reading assignments. This week, it's been all about the little things, little things that make me smile for a moment and encourage me to keep working when I'm tired, when it's cold, when I want to stop. What little things have motivated you this week?

Oh, and that picture above? More coming soon!

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