The things you can do when you don’t have television….
When you’re living in the countryside with no cinemas, cafes, bars or…well…people around it’s a wonder what a productive mind finds itself drawn to.
For a while I was doing some whittling, and I really enjoyed making things with wood. I made a bracelet out of a jasmine root and I made a little figurine of a hedgehog out of an avocado pit (they are really excellent for carving if you haven’t tried it. They’re really soft at first and then when you let them dry in the sun they end up with the color and consistency of wood.) Then, about two weeks ago, I got a yearning to sew. I think it started when I was helping clean out the sheet cabinet and saw all of Madhu’s beautiful guest sheets from India which had a hole here or a tear there making them unusable for guests but leaving a large bulk of material that pained me to see go to waste. So I thought I’d make a simple lightweight dress for working in the garden. I’d never made a dress before but I had brought one with me and I rather liked the fit of it so I painstakingly outlined each panel of the dress, made some modifications, sewed it together, ripped it apart, sewed it together again, and…viola…in a mere six days of working on it every night and a weekend I ended up with a dress that I like very much! (That’s Mira, the sweetest dog on earth, posing with me)
Emboldened by my success with the dress, and seeing that Madhu had tons of fabric remnant pieces given to her by a woman at the market who makes French provincial-style curtains, placemats, tablecloths, etc. for sale, I decided that a patchwork wrap-skirt would be lovely and definitely in order. Besides, I needed more color in my life!
Pertinent side note: the “high five” patch on the front is not French provincial (surprisingly) but is a patch sent to me by my wonderful friend Mary, hand-made and printed at a groovy cooperative in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’d had it with me looking for something to put it on and decided it deserved a front spot on this amazing skirt creation.
This took only three nights of work and one weekend day to finish it. Hey, what I lack in speed I make up for in enjoyment.
So there it is, evidence of how great it is to find creative projects to fill vast spaces of time. I’m done with sewing for now, piecing those damn squares of fabric together kind of made me cross-eyed. I’m looking for a new short term hobby now. Saddle making? Basket weaving? Rug braiding? Who knows. But I’ll put pictures up when I figure it out! 🙂
Cheers!
Tags: June 2008, Tag Index
seeingspain
June 16th, 2008 at 10:15 am
oh shit! that patch looks amazing-as do you~
that dress is killer-i never knew you were such a good seamstress!
June 16th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Your new clothes are beautiful!
Well done.
June 16th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Becky,
Good for you; your talents have sprung to the forefront. I can feel your enjoyment of the present; keep up the meditation. love, dad
June 16th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
christine- you look so beautiful and happy indeed in your new clothes. maybe you can teach me how to sew when i’m there 🙂 let me know if you are interested in ice-cream making for a new hobby. i have a fabulous vegan recipe for peanut-butter coconut ice cream- no ice cream maker required! love and miss- annie o
June 20th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Christine- awesome! Love it!
PS. Can I get my hands on that recipe for vegan ice cream- no maker required?
June 20th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
oh after my on heart you found my joy it is nice
patterns ,prints,textures,shape and flow welldone my darling also thanks for the tip about the avocado want to see your Jasmine what about drop spindling with sheep and some of Mira’s hair? luv and kisses
June 20th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Now I am collecting avocado pits. They’re lined up on my kitchen window sill. Hmmm, what to carve…….maybe something like one of those Chinese carved ivory balls? One inside the other. OR perhaps something a little less ambitious to start with.
Your sewing talents are impressive considering you never sewed at home – oh yes, one Jr Hi project of a small sofa pillow (which I still have). Your carving talent might have come from your great-grandfather (paternal grandfather on my side). Carve yourself a flute and take advantage of your musical abilities (great-grandfather was also a band leader).
June 20th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
wow, I’m super impressed! You’re very inspiring, I am very motivated to plan m next outing. Thanks!
June 28th, 2008 at 9:45 am
That skirt is amazing! Be careful or the next thing you know youll be in paris designing clothes for duran duran, paris hilton and members of the luxemburg royal family. Im glad to see one of my canine brothers is watching over you. I miss you guys so much yo! Love!
July 9th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I love your skirt! You can make me one if you get bored. So…we’re going to be in Rotterdam on July 17 and 18, and then Amsterdam for maybe 4 days after that, and then Utrecht for 2-3 days after that…and then France and Germany…how and when will we meet up with you? Email me!