it's what's been keeping me busy

there is nothing quite like keeping up on the maintenance of three vehicles to keep one busier than a lonely, one-toothed beaver during the rainy season! i keep thinking there have been many lost opportunities for impromptu manhandling of cloth...usually after washing my grubby hands. ha!

namaste'

a most amazing thing

this amazing new concept sewing machine created by british designer, sarah dickens, is the most amazing innovation in sewing machines i have yet to see.  if and when the alto hits the market, i will be camped out over night to be the first in line to get mine! (my mom will be rolling her eyes right about now as i have more sewing machines than i currently know what to do with...but this beauty is a piece of art and functional delight)

in an interview, dickens says, "i want to encourage people to have fun recycling and customizing their own clothes, rather than throwing them away."  where do i sign up??  shortlisted for the dyson award in 2012, though i have not been able to find any further info on this marvelous machine, i am hoping against hope that she finds a manufacturer and the machine hits the market soon. i can already see a myriad of applications for fiber artists and quilters alone....not to mention for me! ha!

namaste'

will it never end?

it seems every time spring attempts to assert herself, winter blows in another round of snow and arctic blasts of air.  the upside is that it provides another day or three of excellent stitching weather!

namaste'

road trip

"if you don't imagine,

nothing ever happens at all."

-john greer, paper towns

it's a bright, sunny morning and the ideas are percolating for something fun in black. but i don't seem to have much by way of black salvage fabrics at the moment. nor do i seem to have any black dye. guess it's time to fire up the beast and go in search of something dark and wonderful and crow-like!

namaste'

visual therapy

sometimes i get stuck. sometimes i get overwhelmed. sometimes i get worn out. out of focus. in times like these, i like to spend some time just soaking up color and texture by getting out my collection of hand dyed and vintage threads. nothing particular in mind except to enjoy the color and delight in the texture. this doesn't need to lead me anywhere creatively. it is more a form of therapy. color therapy. tactile therapy. a moment of sheer visual and textural joy amidst the chaotic cacophony of my life!

namaste'

morning chill

a frosty morning descended upon the countryside here outside rural billings. the ground is crunchy. so is the air. it's a good day to stay inside by the fire and get some stitching done...

namaste'