Three projects
One failure, two wins.
The mornings are crisp, the evenings are cool and dark. I have time to work on the things I want to work on and also time to make the money I need to make. Projects are snowballing around here and getting done, the studio is actually cleaned up, and I’m feeling ready to hunker down and winter.
Perpetual Calendar
This was many months in the making and to be honest I’m a little disappointed in the outcome. The idea was to make a functional perpetual calendar for the cyclical timelines we experience regularly: seasons, moon cycles, sun cycles. I thought I would be able to turn these wheels day by day and month to month as the cycles well… cycled but this particular construction isn’t working great for that function.
Luckily, the actual act of sewing these pieces was a total pleasure. The time I spent on it does not feel wasted. I’m still interested in exploring the topic of cyclical time and trying to create another piece that functions the way I want it to. I learned a lot about constructing soft sculptures and plan to pursue this further. At least half of my tedious stitching is hidden by the very structure of this piece (photos below). I have some ideas for how to make this again and when I build up some motivation I will try again. After a long-term project fails like this, I need a little bit of project rinsing before beginning again. In the meantime I’m making some smaller projects and working on a couple of quilts while I build up gumption.
Portable Altar
I spent a few days making this portable altar, originally inspired by a Tatter class which I just could not afford this month. I did a little googling and found a digital zine download in which the author explains much about portable altars, their history and how to make them.
A small project is such a pleasure to me. The end was in sight as soon as I began. It’s just a little something for myself, no pressure. These seem like great potential gifts for friends who meditate or exhibit any level of witchiness.
LINKS:
Tatter Class Oratorios: Portable Altars
Bits and Pieces
I keep finding myself working on these small reverse appliqué / patchwork pieces. I have no plan in mind for them, but they are a great small win and something I can do in-between the million other things that must be done around here! I’m leaning into work that can be done in very small bursts… while the dinner is in the oven, or in the hour between my son’s bedtime and my own. The art work can fit inside the other work (the life work) if you choose something simple enough!
Talk soon,
Bekka