Rediscovery

When I was in high school and the first couple of years into college a lot of my time was devoted to art. I was a full time student and worked only part time, so I had a reasonable amount of "free time" (even though it didn't seem like that at the time!!!).  During that time I don't remember struggling with the creative process, quite the contrary, I couldn't turn it off.  I was constantly thinking up different projects, and was sparked by the world around me. I would have a hard time settling on which of the dozens of ideas I'd had to start on. It felt like such an integral part of me.

Fast forward a few years and my life shifts. Slowly, I lost touch with my creative side. I rarely sketched, painted even less and let all my supplies gather dust. I was just much "too busy" to do work on anything. I think periodically I would long to create something but couldn't figure out where to start. I just wasn't "creative" anymore.

After my son was born, I had even less "free time", I continued on my life with very little time spent taking care of 'me'. My job can be extremely stressful. I work in a residential psychiatry program, we work with kids whose mental illnesses and behaviors are severe enough to prevent them from maintaining in a less restrictive setting (i.e. home). Although they demonstrate a gamut of high risk behaviors, they stay with us for months at a time to develop the skills they need to manage their illness and behaviors so that they can thrive outside of a locked unit. Seeing as how we serve these children for months, in many ways we try to make this as home-like as possible by allowing them to bring personal items and we get an opportunity to really develop relationships with these kids.
The reason I am going on about this is because it's the round about way I rediscovered that creative spark.   

Several summers ago I started working with Ms. M. This girl was sweet, talented and a hot mess. She was incredibly smart and did well in structured settings, not so much outside of locked walls. She would sit for hours and crochet and she was damn good at it. I was fascinated and remembering doing a little hairpin crochet with my grandma when I was a little girl. I asked if she could teach me and she agreed, in a role reversal of sorts. I caught on quick and had a hard time putting it down. I loved it. I crocheted everything (including lots of things that have no business being crocheted). I had a particular affinity for crocheting bags, but these bags needed to be lined and hand sewing was a bitch. So I scoured Craigslist and scored a free machine from a kind gentleman and his wife. I swear it was a hundred years old and only straight stitched but that was all I needed. 

Lined bags are one thing but hey, I can sew a straight line, why can't I sew something else? I made some hideous curtains and enrolled in a class to sew a shirt at JoAnn's. I was the only one in the class so I basically got four hours of sewing lessons for the price of the class. The shirt, although it looks like its supposed to, was very unflattering and something that I will never wear, ever. What that class did teach me was how to read a commercial pattern, and some sewing basics when constructing items that aren't flat pieces of fabric.

I found myself wanting to do more and more, I bought some commercial bag patterns and muddled my way though them. The first couple were riddled with mistakes but I completed them.  After I had done a few I started learning more about the process, and was able to start adjusting little things here and there. I tried a few more shirts, with varying degrees of success. 

Enter Pinterest. So many fantastic sources of inspiration in one place. Who would have thought?!

At this time I was still trying to kindle this little creative spark, I loved finding these tutorials and re-creating these projects but was still struggling to feel that sense of creativity. I felt kinda like I was just copy-catting. Although, I would never steal someone's idea and claim it as my own, it still in my minds eye wasnt "creative" because it wasn't me that came up with it to begin with. Why can't I come up with my own stuff?! I struggled a lot with this. I was convinced that I was no longer creative and was doomed to a life of replicating other peoples great ideas. 

I made more and more and tried to learn some new things, the more I learned, the more I wanted to make. The more I made the more confident  I felt. The more confident I felt, the more I felt empowered to make adjustments on the way. The more adjustments I made the more "creative" I felt. I started to come to the realization that this idea of "creativity" was not this tangible thing, you can't quantify your creativity by some sense of originality. The creativity was in the process. 

Once I had this epiphany, the gates opened. The more I quit worrying about having these completely original ideas and started looking at these sources of inspiration as ways to spark the creative process and realized that in making these items and adjusting them to my tastes, needs, wants etc was no less a part of the creative process.  The more I operated on this idea and quit putting myself down, the more I wanted to make. 

I felt liberated in a way,  and then I started having more of the original ideas that I wanted. Coming to the realization that you didn't need to reinvent the wheel to be "creative" allowed me this sense of creativity that I had been seeking. 

Now, I want to do so much, I'm back to that can't turn it off drive to create. I once again feel inspired as I go about my day but seemingly random things and I'm constantly thinking of new ideas. Now the problem once again is picking out just one thing to do. 

Once I quit allowing myself to be constrained by the vague idea of creativity, I found that I had what I was looking for all along.  This was just my way of rediscovering that side of me. I still don't sketch or paint much these days, and I find that I miss it less than I used to, probably because that creative spark has gone a different direction
and I'm ok with that, I feel like I've reconnected with a part of me I didn't realize I missed so much.

Charmed Bag and is it spring yet?!

In my last fabric order, on impulse I bought a charm pack. I really like the Mama Said Sew line and when it arrived in the mail I spent more time than is reasonable just looking at the little squares of yummyness. While this may seem reasonable for a quilter, I am most assuredly not a quilter. What on earth was I going to do with a bunch of five inch squares? (42 to be exact). 

I asked myself that same question every time I would look up on the shelf above my sewing machine: "why on earth did you buy that? What are you gonna do with it?!". I'd pick it up, look at the pretty squares, and set it right back on the shelf. 

Until last weekend. A friend of mine made a request for a black and red bag. I cut out all the pieces for her bag and thought, " I kinda want a black and red bag too." Then the lightbulb, I can use the charms for a bag! Perhaps if I had any experience quilting, I could have done some fancier piecing but I was not wanting this to turn into something I couldn't get done RIGHT NOW. Once I get started on something, I have a hard time stopping so I was impatient to get my bag done. 

Initially my plan was to have a recessed zipper, but I ended up liking it on the top of the bag above the exterior. Can a bag have a popped collar? This one does. I added a pocket the length of the bag inside so I could use it as a divider, as this was initially planned as a work bag. I also added a "C" appliqué on the front. 

I love how it came out and I'm so happy I found a proper usage for the charms! I have about a third of the pack left and I may use them in an itty bitty hexie project. 

Hexies

I can never leave well enough alone. Just when I seem to have enough things to fill my brain and my time, I start something new. Enter hexies.

These awfully cute fellas are deceptively addicting. I sat down with some paper hexie templates and a couple tutorials right after the holidays but quickly put them aside for other projects. At that time, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. Sure they were great scrap busters but much too time consuming.

Then one of my favorite things in the world came back, The Walking Dead. Yup, I'm a complete sucker for zombies and I look forward to Sunday nights like a kid longs for Christmas. I'm that dork. The show has movie like suspense and to keep my palms safe from my fingernails I must have something to do with my hands. I usually crochet but right now I'm infatuated with knitting. Unfortunately, I'm also not very good at knitting and it requires a lot of concentration for me still. The solution to this dilemma? Hexies! 

My hubs is having knee surgery tomorrow, so my day will consist of a lot of time sitting around. I'm hoping I can start sewing these together into something potentially useful. I've tried various conglomerations of placements and I think I like the random the best. Maybe I'll just start sewing them up and see hoe it turns out! What they will end up as? I have no idea yet! 

Paper pieced clutch

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of testing a lovely pattern by Sara from SewSweetness. It was my first attempt at paper piecing and I was a little apprehensive about it initially. The pattern is suitable for someone as a first time paper piecing project but there were a couple of emails back and forth to Sara for some help getting me started and she was wonderful about helping me out and giving me some more resources to get the process down. Ultimately she directed me to a series that she had hosted on her blog about paper piecing and there were some great tutorials there, especially one writen by Sara herself.

After the process clicked with me, I kinda felt like a dunce for it seeming so difficult at first. I guess I have a tendency to over complicate simple things some times.

Since this was a Sunset clutch, I wanted the fabrics to be reminscent of an actual sunset. I dug around in my stash and found some yellow polka dots I had picked up from Hobby Lobby and a Thomas Knauer print that seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Once I got the process down, it came together quickly and I ended up with the four panels for the clutch:

After a trim:

Now that the "hard part" was overm it was time to actually construct the clutch. Sara mde some great recommendations for interfacing choices, but I went a little rogue and decided that I wanted a bag with a LOT of structure and I went with some Peltex 71. I wouldn't say that it was a terrible choice, but it wasn't one of my best ideas. The stabilizer is so rigid that when working with a smaller bag like this, it was the equivalent of wrestling a baby alligator to negotioate some parts of the bag through my machine.
I ended up ripping out all the top stitching at the top of the bag because it was virtually impossible to get a clean even top stitch with the small nature of the bag combined with the peltex 71. After all was said and done I decided to do some by hand with some embroidery floss (not pictured), which did turn out well but my poor fingers hurt for the whole next day.


However, I am overall happy with how it turned out. I love the fabrics together and it is really a GREAT pattern. Even though I tested the "rough" draft, it was so well done! Easy to follow with great pics along the way, this was such a fun project, I can't wait to do another one.

Valentine's Swap

Wow, it's already February and Valentine's day is right around the corner! I feel like we just recovered from Christmas! Valentine's is never a big holiday round here, the hubby and I typically just keep it low key but with a little one around, it's fun to get a bit more into the festivities.

This year I signed up for the Valentine's day hosted by Sew Caroline and Rags to Riches

I had seen several other swaps in the past but never was able to participate either to not having a blog or simply being too shy to sign up. So, when I ran across this post about a Valentine's mug swap, I knew I wanted to give it a shot!

I was given Chrissy from Hoot Designs and once I saw that her favorite candy was twizzlers I wanted to put together a totally pink and red valentine's basket of sorts.

I Started with some festive heart fabric and some plaid I had in my stash. I knew that I wanted to make some festive but functional gifts, so I decided on some scrappy pot holders and a tea towel. I found this cute embroidery patten from Hudson's Holidays and made an embroidered tea towel backed with one of the fabrics from the pot holders.

Since the whole theme was about mugs, what better than a pink travlers mug?! Add in some candy and fun pair of socks and you have yourself a valentine's basket.

This is what arrived for me in the mail today!!! How awesome is this mug?! Chrissy sent me this adorable package with the cutest mug, some chocolate, a beautiful journal, some flower embelishments, mod podge
and the essential lip balm! I was so excited to get my swap package and I LOVE it!!! Thanks so much Chrissy :)



I had so much fun putting this together and getting my goodies! I will certainly be participating in more swaps!

Happy V-Day :)

Valentine's Pouch

After participating in the Valentine's Swap hosted by Sew caroline and Rags to riches, I wanted to also put together a little gift for our sitter. She is abosultely wonderful and she throws prties for the kids for each holiday and b-day and I thought it would be nice to put together a little something for her.

I had some V-day fabric left over and whipped up a quick pouch to stuff with goodies! I haven't decided to stuff it with candy or maybe some candles and smelly stuff yet.

To make the pouch, I just made a basic zippered bag, which there are about a gazillion tutorials for and I just boxed the corners at the bottom. I did interface the exterior fabric so it has a bit of structure to stand up on it's own.

I'm knitting...I think

I ran across this blog post last week, about her recent knitting projects and her process of learning to knit and was isnpired to give it another go. I went back and forth with this idea throughout the weekend and come Monday I had wrestled the "you can't do it" demons into submissions and decided to cast on again.

Angela at Fussy cut said she was a crocheter too, so that made me think that maybe I could learn too.
I learned to crochet about three years ago and was immediately hooked. I loved the versatility and the soothing nature of working with yarn. I made blankets, scarves, bags, sweaters, hats and anything else I could get a pattern for. This love of crocheting lead to my love of sewing in a round about way.

I still love to crochet, but I always found myself admiring the look of knit projects. Although there are some beautiful crochet stitches, for apparel especially, knitted items can be exquisite.



I have long admired the look of the heringbone stitch...I mean look at it

I longed to learn to knit but was repeatedly bombarded with the "if you learn to crochet first, you'll never learn to knit" and "knitting is much more difficult to learn that crochet". So I belived it, I would never be able to knit and that was that.

This winter I remember seeing a Pin for this gorgeous cowl, and being sad I couldn't do it.







So, I gave it a shot for a couple of days and although I did learn how to cast on, knit and purl it was tedious and it just felt awkward. I was able to complete the stitches but not in any comfortable fashion. It was tedious and ugly.  I tried for a couple of days and then let those "you can't do it" demons get to me and I crocheted something instead.


Then, I ran across Angela's post. She said she was a crocheter and learned to knit, her stuff was gorgeous AND she said she enjoyed it? WHAT?! I wanted it to be true but, was sure she was some crafty genius and it would just not apply to me. It simply couldn't be true.

So, I kept reading. Contential knitting? I was intrigued. I followed her links to http://www.knittinghelp.com/ and watched the tutorials contential knitting. Maybe I COULD do this. I spent Monday absorbing all that I could on the internet...Thank goodness for youtube. Tuesday I spent working on knitting and purling. Wednesday I figured out how to bind off and practiced the seed stitch. So, I was convinced I wanted to try and put this all together and start my first official project.


So, I set off for JoAnn's and purchased my very own circular needles and a skein of Bernat's Chunky roving yarn. Then I realized that I had no idea how to use them. So, another reference to http://www.knittinghelp.com/ and I cast on the circular needles.

So I've been rocking it off and on all day. It's far from perfect and doesn't even begin to look as polished as my inspiration but that 's ok. I'm still learning and I am feeling like maybe I CAN do this. It's amazing what you can learn from the internet. I do hope that I can keep improving and maybe really learn something I had written off as impossible :)