Dispatch from the studio

A week of baby steps on things I've been meaning to get to.

I abandoned my first attempt at reviving a dried sourdough starter for several days and it became a feast for mold. I had to order a replacement pack and start again, this time I kept close watch and it worked.

Focaccia success!

Let’s see how long this hobby lasts. Knowing myself, my time as a sourdough baker will last approximately one more week or until I get really busy and overwhelmed. Whichever comes first.

These wee baskets were the only order that came in this week. Thanks to this special customer for keeping hope alive! The online shop has been wildly inconsistent for the past year. I’ve been humbled to say the least and incredibly thankful when anyone chooses to spend their money with me.

A slow week of basket making means lots of time for other projects though! I made huge leaps on this Ssamsol Jogakbo curtain for my studio. I started this in April (or maybe March?) and it feels good to be at least 30% into it. One thing I’m loving about this particular project is that I can see very clearly my skills improving. My stitches over time have gotten more consistently spaced and I can tell early sections from more recent ones.

Some painting experiments while I listen to podcasts.

I don’t think I wrote this in my goals for the year, but I want to get better at drawing. I’ve had pretty low confidence in my drawing skills for years and I want to change that. I’ve been working through this book: Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner by Claire Watson Garcia and it’s fantastic so far. I’m going quite slowly through it, but feeling better and better about drawing! Also shout out to Wendy Mac and her Grown Ups Table Substack for keeping me motivated to draw more.

This is my neighbor’s favorite flannel jacket. I saw the holes in her elbows and reached out to see if she was interested in having it repaired. It’s my first mending project for someone else and I gotta say sorry Kath! This is taking significantly longer than I expected. I also am realizing that mending is probably not a viable business move unless I want to make less than minimum wage or I can find people willing to pay hundreds of dollars for repairs. Definitely a skill worth learning for yourself though! This episode of Life Kit covers the basics.

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Thanks to reader and longtime friend Keeley M for sending a link to Self Assembly. Self Assembly is a website that showcases critical thinking about design / consumption and provides instructions for various pieces of furniture for your to make yourself. Right up my alley!