Crafting with words

I haven't done much textile crafts this week as I've suddenly really got back into my creative writing groove, which I'd slipped out of for several years and it was actually starting to get to me! I had visions of being a writer when I kid and I never really lost that....one day i might even get the courage to publish one of my stories on here.

On the textiles front, I have a biscournu half stitches, 2 handbags like the red one to make, and a padfolio to make as well....and I need to figure out how to do satin stitch on my very basic machine!

Photos soon! Enjoy the bank holiday weekend all!

My first biscournu

I was inspired by this lady at Garden of Stitches to make my first biscournu.
I found the pattern here and changed the colours slightly to suit me better.
The bottom I did with just some squares of stitching.
I used the instructions here on how to put it together!

I'm off to design my own now!

Inchies Photos

These all went in the post today!
Flame
Sand and Sea Glass
Maroon, Sage Green and Silver
Red.

Would you believe each one of these took me around an hour to embellish. Who would have thought something so tiny would take so long!

Busy few days

Well, I've had a busy few days recently.

Wednesday I started my new job - this one is a maternity leave job so its at least a 6 month contract.Its going well so far.

I finished my inchies - photos as soon as camera batteries are charged. I left the damn thing on again and its runs them dead.I need to get some jiffy bags tomorrow and will get them sent out tuesday afternoon hopefully - So I'll only be a day late on the deadline! Thats pretty good for me!

I've also made my first biscornu. Photos of that tomorrow too!

I've also realised the reason I'd hit a creative standstill with my door project is because I didn't like the way part of it was going, but I think I've found a way to remedy that...update you on that soon too!

Rejoined Sparkpeople

Ok, I fell off the diet wagon completly, so am clambouring back on the wagon again! I've resigned up to sparkpeople and start my diet again in earnest tomorrow!

Things are starting to move again

Well, I've started sewing again after my little slump....I'm still working on these inchies and have started doing some cross stitch for the biscornu I want to make..

Photos as soon as I remember where I 'tidied' the battery charger for my camera and have charged them.

Today I will carry on doing a bit of sewing and then I need to start gathering bits and pieces for the dayschool I am going to on saturday.

Thankyou.

Thankyou to all the people who have responded to my post I made yesterday, both in comments and in emails.

Everyone has been very kind and helpful and made suggestions as of how to break the back of 'artists block' and I will be doing my best to try and put some into practice ASAP.

I need to sort out the pieces I need for this upcoming class in the next day or so, so I can use that to sort through my stash and sort out the bits I don't need/won't use and bought in one of those 'Well, I _might_ make something out of it....' moments.

That should start the ball rolling and I may find something to inspire me.

I think I have too much stuff and its cluttering my brain as well as my work room.

So, after that I will start experimenting again. A couple of people mentioned that I should cut up pieces that didn't quite work the way I want them to and make something new with it...I think the main issue is that I don't really do experimenting..

I'm stuck in a post art college rut of having an end goal to a piece of work and not having had the room to experiment as I probably should have.

I would love to take some of the classes and buy some of the books people have mentioned but at the moment, for the most part, if I can afford the classes I can't afford the equipment, and with us needing things like a new (secondhand) sofa and some new pans I won't be doing anything along those lines soon.I am in the process of starting a savings account in view to doing my C&G some day but at the moment its all a bit of a pipedream. Hopefully I will get something sewing related for my birthday in september.

At the moment the thing that is bothering me the most is all the wonderful paint effects and FME I am seeing - My college only taught fine art acrylics and I only really learnt watercolours at home (and I never could get the depth into my paintings), and although I am doing well at loopy designs in FME I'm still learning when it comes to the more controlled approaches.
I've also got things like angelica, puff paint and tyvek fabric and sheet that I don't really know how to use. I really want do so some stuff like Suz has been doing with her dragons and fairies but know I don't have the metal or space!

Sara pointed out to me that everyone has times when we don't think our work is as good as everyone elses and that people don't see all the trial runs beforehand!

Val pointed out something so very true that it made me cry (which I think I needed to do anyway, and she shouldn't feel bad about it! ) -which was this "I think you are your own worst enemy. Stop beating yourself up - what have you done to deserve it?! Think positive young lady, and eliminate the negative."

I do this all the time. Its part of the ongoing battle with depression I have, and as usual I haven't noticed myself slipping into a depressive state again - this at the moment is also made a lot worse by the presence of the rollercoaster my hormones go on at this time of the month. I'm a lot better than I used to be but sometimes the negative thinking creeps back in and settles in before I can catch it.

I always expect far to much of myself and then take it very badly when things don't work out the way I wanted them too. Part of it was the fact I've been learning embroidery stitches for a year now and I want to actually make something finished.

Anyway I've made a list of things I need to finish:
My Inchies - These are half finished!
My Door Project

And a list of things I want to make, mainly for myself:
Purple bags for me and S.
A box for my ATC's to go in.
A running stitch bookmark like the one on Dy's blog.
A Pincushion because I need one.
A Biscournu because I've been fasinated by them for a long while now!
A Padfolio because they are interesting.
As an ongoing project i really need to crack on with some ATC's!

Anyway, I am going to go and make some toast and a cup of tea, watch Calamity Jane and do some sewing on my inchies. If i finish those I might start doodling about one of the projects I've noted up there.

I think I will buy lottery tickets this week in the hope I'll win enough for me to do some courses!

Thanks to everyone who emailed or commented here. As isolated as I am (thats another story)its nice to know people care!

Pottering along

I've having one of those duldrums periods again where I don't know what I'm doing, or where I am going with my stitching...

I have all these things I want to do and have completly lost confidence in myself. Stitches aren't turning out the way I want them too and I am always feeling that what I've made somehow isn't good enough.

I know I can be a perfectionist at times but I'm suffering from a lack of direction. This isn't helped by my missing my Embroidery Guild meeting yesterday because of stomach cramps. This hasn't helped my mental state at the moment either.

I've got all these wonderful materials like puff paint and angelica and tyvek and for the most part no idea what do with them, I've been experiementing with them but still don't know if its all going right or anything.

I joined my textilechallenges group to help get some direction to what I was doing but I'm still feeling a little out there on my own.

I've got a dayschool at Embroidery Guild on saturday which I'm looking forward to, so that should help but I still wish I knew how to do some of the amazing stuff people around me are doing. There are lots of courses and dayschools but till I'm getting paid regularly again, I can't justify it.

Part of this is I have lost confidence in my abilities again. This happens sporadically but I don't seem to be able to pull myself out of it at the moment. I don't seem to be able to get my normal inspiration from the things around me. Its starting to really get to me!

Hopefully I can get back on track soon but I just don't know where to start!