i have been wanting to do this daily blog for over a year.

everyday i plan to post and go through the day planning each post to the point of taking the photos and writing the post in my head.

i came to a realization the other day after getting upset with myself once again. i had promised myself that in the new year that i would do a post every day. needless to say this is not happening.

here is the realization:

i have a fear that i will fail...i know that many people have this fear. i have just let it win. i can accomplish goals if i think that something is not permanent, or out there to be judged on a grand scale. i have been like this for as long as i can remember. i am committing to this as the beginning of the end of the fear. i promise myself to move forward and to stop wasting time with fear...to push on and make mistakes! i have put it out there. let's see if that does it.

thank you to all who inspire, support and have patience with me. i hope to have today be the beginning of a new adventure.

SQUAM Art Workshop is online today. what an amazing offering this year. 5 options...how to choose? i had such an amazing time last year and met so many creative, warm and nurturing women. i can't wait to return this year.

i have been wanting to make an apron for a very long time. i wear them a lot, but have had other priorities since i learned to sew.

i'm going to an auction tomorrow night and needed to bring something to auction. so i thought this was the perfect excuse to try.

this apron is made from re-purposed fabric. the base is a sheet, the bottom embellishment is a curtain valance, the waistband is the top of the fabric that holds the rod from the valance, the pockets are fabric samples from a design center, the rick rack i did purchase last year, just because i've always loved rick-rack. my grandmother used it often when she made us clothes. rick-rack and that ball fringe reminds me so much of the 70's as does this apron, the colors and the fringe.

sorry the picture is so dark. i couldn't wait to upload it. helen would like to model it again tomorrow when it is lighter out.

my niece taught my daughter how to finger knit when she arrived for thanksgiving, then they could not travel without yarn all weekend. they were so cute, we went to see their cousin in a christmas story playing at Geva Theater they knit through the whole show. laughing and knitting. love this. we had a really great weekend. wonderful food and company.

the path to class

felting class

my first class was felting with another new creative friend and house mate betz white she has 2 books that you need to check out.

Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects
Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials

my felted project in process

i wish that i had taken more pictures in this class. everyone made very unique things. i was really feeling challenged with my design and my sewing skills. with so much support in this class i pushed on and ended up with a nearly finished bag, nothing short of a miracle. one of the big goals is to complete projects. this was the only class that i did not do some initial prep for.

creative characters

i did get to take one of mirsa's classes. yippee! as soon as i signed up for this class we started to discussing what types of charcters i could make. i asked helen if she would make some drawings that i could use to make some characters. in the end, i used a drawing that my husband and i love very much that she did before i even knew about squam.

meet shy horse.

this is the pattern that i made from helen's picture in the process of cutting the pieces.

this is the pattern all cut and pinned and ready to sew. it went just fine. marisa was so encouraging. i so enjoyed my day.

i stuffed it was some buckwheat that helen loves and sewed it up. i still need to work on the embellishments but shy horse is all together! helen loved her.

i am very excited. i can't wait to make more of these from her drawings. i think that this is going to be something very fun that we can do with her friends too. so much of this project the kids will be able to do. i think they will love picking out the fabric and embellishments.

here are most of the other creative characters from my class. again incredible creative.

block printing fabric

the last class that i took was block printing with incredible lizzy house

i don't want to seem redundant but she is yet another amazingly creative new fabulous friend from nirvana.

we really clicked. i am just sorry that i missed the first two days with her. but we had fun after that.

here is lizzy giving us the printing demonstration

i made blocks from helen's shy horse and another older picture that she had done called "baby bird in a tree"

here is the take home of my creations from my time at squam.

the second night that i was there when we were visiting in nirvana and sharing some wine i was able to make some bracelets for breast cancer. the other two night that i had left i was so exhausted from creating during the day, eating and the evening events that i didn't have any energy to make more bracelets.