Post #21: Holly Berries for St. Patty's Day & Me, NOT Stuck in the Middle

   Here is a preview of a project I've been working on for Holly Berry, who is the medium-sized dog companion of a very talented fiber friend. If you've read my earlier posts you've probably seen some of my dear Alice's embellished collars that I've made for her. One day while at one of the four fiber-art-related groups I attend regularly, I felt the impulse to ask this friend what size her dog's neck was and if she had any old collars lying around that she could spare...and would she mind if I either built a new collar on top of it or took it apart to reuse the hardware? Of course, she said yes, brought it the following week, and I've been working on it (on & off) ever since.
   I recently started on this new jaunt in this, the middle of my middle-ish decade, nearing the center of what some would term my double-nickle year, that time which struck fear and horror on the faces of some who have gone before me, but, not me..oh, no. For me, it only brings a sense of boldness, of testing the waters, and I find myself signing myself up to do things that I may have time or inclination to do...or not. But I sign up to do it anyway. I question myself. But I do it anyway. What I'm referring to is deliberately following my instincts...listening to the spirit within me...going with my gut...leading with my heart...call it what you will I try hard, well, that's not exactly right...I relax into not second-guessing myself. Maybe deliberately wasn't exactly the right word, but then again, maybe it was, given all my past conditioning to "go against my gut." Anyway, many times these days I don't quench what I feel led to do, and boy, it feels great! I simply go ahead and make the commitment, not really knowing the direction this will lead.
   That's quite a switch for a former manufacturing planner and scheduler who had to know every last detail ahead of time and have everything worked out in advance. All of my boxes had to line up, my numbers had to add up, my squares had to be filled in, the lines had to be straight, etc. Then, wouldn't you know it? I decided to try quilting some years ago, and I loved it. It was the late-90's and I was sewing quilt tops on a machine and doing some hand quilting and some machine quilting, but mostly on the machine. It was so anal-retentive and precise, all of the lines were so neat and the measurements were so like my old planner job. Really, I'm not kidding. But I honestly have loosened up (ever so slightly, but I feel the top is about to blow off the volcano any second), and I'm enjoying my newly found playtime. All of the tight rules of perfection have boxed me in too closely and it is time to color out of the lines a bit. I NEVER did that as a child. It's about time I did. However, I don't wish to abandon all the rules, for they do have their right and just place in our physical world, for what good would any collar be to Holly Berry if it was only 10" long, even if it was the prettiest collar in the land? I promise, Holly Berry's new collar is the specified 15-1/2" from buckle-tip to  buckle-tip.
   The only problem my freedom has created is that now I tend to have an even harder time making decisions, always changing my mind, auditioning different colors and materials, trying new techniques. It seems I've gone from one extreme to the other. But I am also learning to be more patient with myself in the process, and that ain't so bad either. Maybe my rubber band will bounce back toward the middle again. Haha, the middle, kind of like me!

In these first nine photos, the top collar was her original collar. Of the other items, only the blue leather, the cream leather braid, and some of the crochet made it into the final collar, which is now complete. I will post pictures very soon; I just don't feel I should post them here until after Holly Berry and her faithful fiber-lovin' companion have seen it first.

Finding peace in creativity,

Meryl

Post #11: Dog collars & fabric & beads, oh, my!

     My dear hubby had been complaining lately. He's not really a whiner, but there was this one thing that had been bothering him for a while, and he simply couldn't let it go...so I finally took action, and now dear hubby is happy again. You see, our little dog has a spiked collar. She is a miniature pinscher and the pink leather with the stainless steel spikes looked so cute on her. But being a small and cuddly dog, she sleeps with us, and sometimes, those spikes hurt!
     I went into my closet and got out my “dog box” where I keep all sorts of things and mementos related to, well, my dogs: Fido, Queen of the Pillows, who was with me for almost 17 years, and now Alice, who has been a part of our family since May of this year.
     I didn't mean for this blog to be about dogs; I really intended to stay on subject and focus only on crafting and fiber arts, but anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I am completely obsessed with my little dogs, past and present. But this is related to crafting, really! I promise. Anyway, in the dog box I found an old cotton collar that was Fido's. The fabric was faded and torn and I had kept it only for sentimental reasons and because I'm a crafter who figures “maybe I'll use it someday.” Well, this time I did.  

Fido, Queen of the Pillows, 2 yrs. old

Fido, around 13 yrs. old

Fido's old worn-out collar

     I proceeded to cut all of the pink fabric away, completely dismantling the collar, leaving only the plastic hardware to be reused in the making of a new collar for Alice. I had just shortened a pair of Lucky Brand jeans for dear hubby and the strips of denim I had cut away were just laying on the table waiting to be used. I do not care for nylon or other synthetic material for dog collars; they used to rub Fido's fur off around her neck, and I discovered that natural materials of either cotton or leather did not cause this problem. 

     After I cut, folded, and stitched the fabric on the sewing machine and held it up against Alice's dark fur, it just didn't show up, dark denim against black, so I decided to trim it with some lime green quilting cotton. On one side I hand stitched a gathered piece to add some texture. Then I got out some glass beads and hand stitched them on securely. 

     Dogs are funny when they you put a new collar on them. They're probably just reacting to your excitement and taking their cues from you, but Alice sure acted like she thought she was something special when I put that new collar on her. And you know what? She sure is!

Finding peace in creativity,

Meryl

Post #3: Beads on the Vine and a new UFO: Beadweaving bracelets

Somewhere around 9 or 10 years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a glorious time in San Luis Obispo, CA, which is in wine country. I was there to attend Beads on the Vine, which is a multi-day workshop held in a winery overlooking the beautiful scenery of the vineyards and rolling hills. Each of the three days featured a different instructor and a different beadweaving project. The three world-renowned teachers were NanC Meinhart, Carol Wilcox Wells, and Cynthia Rutledge. If you're not familiar with their work I highly recommend you search for them on the Internet. Their work is awe-inspiring.

In Cynthia's class I made a peyote stitch brooch of Delica beads adorned with semi-precious stones.

In NanC's class I made a right angle weave cuff bracelet with a frothy fringe.  

In Carol's class I made a bracelet of chevron chain with lots of sparkle added.
 

I am happy to report that I completed all three of these projects at the retreat. What an accomplishment! (Maybe that's because I don't drink wine)?

Now for the UFO part(s):
     The clasp on the bracelet I made in Carol's class broke at some point. This is such an easy fix, I have no idea why I have not done it yet! I love this bracelet and it fits me perfectly as long as it has a working clasp. That may be one of the things I hope will come of me writing this blog. Maybe it will motivate me to move on with some of the things I have been stalling on. Maybe not. We shall see....
     The cuff bracelet I made in NanC's class closes with three large snaps and fits around your wrist so that it doesn't spin around too loosely. After the retreat I lost quite a bit of weight and it was huge, too huge for me to wear without making some adjustments. This would involve removing the snaps, running some beading thread through where I want the bracelet to now end to secure the beads, cutting away the excess, re-securing the beads, and reattaching the snaps for the closure. It really would not be a big deal, maybe an hour or two if I take my time. Once again, why have I not done this? Do I sound like a crazy person? Sometimes I'm such a procrastinator. I can't be the only nut who keeps moving on to the next project. Am I?
     Fast forward to 2012, yes, this year! I pulled out another one of Cynthia Rutledge's kits that I had purchased long ago and started the project. It was going along quite nicely. Really it was. Here are pictures (at least, pictures of how far I've progressed, so far):

That was sometime back in the spring. I'll keep you posted if and when I get back to it.

Peace in creativity,

Meryl