This Is A Good Week

Posted on by Sandy Webster

How wonderful to get two stuffed envelopes from Australia. From Madeleine came this fun map of Australia to play with and a postcard of the Flinders Ranges tucked in with her very kind words and memories of my times having her in classes. And from Jan a card by famous Nature artist John Wolesley, a stunning hank of six strand cotton thread and more kind words…even an inquiry of whether I needed a resupply of malt extract that is rarely seen available here in the states. Thank you both so much and also those who keep me up to date on their artworks during such trying times of lockdowns and closed borders down under.

Patches who rarely gave me the time of day now wants to stay close to me, even sleeping between me and the edge of the bed.

And a whole crowd of turkeys feeding outside the dining room window.

This morning it was back to the dam for a walk.

This week I have met with a builder/developer of a retirement village not far from here. I have selected the house plan and the extras I think necessary. It is within walking distance to so many things I now drive to. By next Spring I should be selling this home of so many memories and be settling into a new place with new neighbors. Those I have met seem keen to have me join them. It will be different for how Lee and I have lived but at least I get to see another house built around my needs and wants. Our children are both in agreement that it is time to take this step. Almost every home Lee and I have lived in during our fifty odd years together was a home we built to our needs at the time. Now I get to do it one more time…once more smelling fresh timbers being put into place.

There is lots more to clear out of this house or box up to store in closets until I move. Much of it will go north by way of movers and into storage until our kids get into larger homes.

For now I play around on paper where my furniture will fit and how much studio equipment is really necessary…..funny how I want my old drill press but not the bigger etching press. Times change.

This morning I finished up a new shirt/blouse and now all the fabrics are stored in the old shoe makers chest with buttons and notions. It feels good to have related things in one place.

When I finish off The Home Maker, all four of my autobiographical head sculptures will be completed. In the new house they will be placed in museum cases along the top of the old Brasstown Post Office Table….a constant reminder of who I am. Not much of The Traveler anymore, but The Writer, The Printmaker and Home Maker are all still here. I plan on having my own artworks around me and let some of the collections go.

But always there will be drawing and stitching.

Tonight I am actually being picked up to go out to dinner. It has been maybe two years since that has happened. Even meeting two more friends for an outside lunch tomorrow. Invitations have been scarce since dementia and then Covid took over our lives. I am now combing my hair (well sort of) and putting in earrings for such occasions.

Til later….

 

Sewing Tips for Those Who Have Lowered Their Expectations

Posted on by Sandy Webster

If you can thread your needle on the first try, easily lick your finger to roll the thread over to spin into a solid knot, and know exactly what the outcome of your efforts will bring, then this may not be the blog entry for you.

My thinking is that I may not be the only one who just needs to make a few stitches by hand to get the clothes a bit more wearable. I looked in the closet and asked why am I not wearing this?

Alterations was the answer.

So this first pair of heavy linen black slacks were just too wide in the leg. Solution: take a good one inch off the side seams and one long inch from hem to hem through the crotch on the inseam being careful to not take that much in right at the cross seams in the crotch because that fullness there might just be why they ended up coming home to sit in the closet.

To do this the hems needed to be unpicked but only enough to grab an inch or so from each side of the existing seam to get it positioned under the sewing foot. Next remove the excess seam allowance and press the seams to flatten. It really does not matter which side you press them to. Once you have them on who will notice or care.

Now back to those opened hems. They need sewn back up by hand. These slacks are black. Black thread, though somewhat easier to thread into a needle because you can actually see it, is almost impossible to see where a stitch has been made into black material. I chose a charcoal from the only sewing basket upstairs. And how fun is that! To paw through old threads, a pincushion you haven’t seen in years that brings back even more memories, and a whole packet of sewing needles you can see the eyes in!

Now back to the hemming. You will have to take my word for it that these slacks are the blackest of blacks. I think the Iphone took pity and tried to make them match the thread. So next you get enough thread to make it across the distance needing sewing, thread the needle (for me that is not less than three times trying), and try your best to make a knot at one end. Sometimes you may have to give up on that licked finger way and just treat the end like a piece of rope, put the needle down and use two hands to get that other end knotted.

Also what invariably happens is that the thread you are pulling through will knot up. Give it no more than thirty seconds to come undone and then just shove the wad into the hem and stitch down tight to make sure it does not work its way free. Make sure there is enough unknotted thread to make it to the destination before shoving wads into the hem or you will have to face threading that needle for the one inch you have left to travel.

Now that the hems are sewn back up, press the slacks. It is here that you will quite often notice that between the machine stitching up the sides and the hand stitching has caused an uneven hem at the bottom of the pants. Let it go. Only your cats are going to see this. Who else is that close to the ground? If a “friend” mentions it, consider that you were not so selective in some of your relationships.

Now moving right along to another problem piece from the closet.

This was a contact printed shirt I made after coloring each pattern cut piece separately just to find some sort of order to it all. It is a favorite pattern with a cowl collar. The last time I wore it was to my doctor’s office and she commented how comfortable it must be. I am not sure that that is a compliment. In fact when she said the matching shawl was interesting, I knew that it might need altering. That was not a shawl but a constantly growing cowl collar.

So let me add here that I am not such a fan of the leaf printed clothes. After a few washes, we all begin to look like Mrs. Haversham’s sister who escaped the attic only to be keeping house in the trunk of a tree. Okay, I said it and am aware that it is a look some strive for….just not so much me except in scarves and socks.

So back to the big collared shirt. I started by grabbing the back seam of the collar and sewing a new seam that took out some of the fullness….maybe four inches total by the time I got out to the hem.

Next I rolled the hem under and pinned it to the French seam that should have ended up on the inside of the shirt but because of overthinking and overworking ended up on the outside. It boggles my mind trying to figure out what is going to happen to that lovely seam before I begin sewing…and half the time get it wrong.

Once that has been hand stitched in place I noticed that the back seam of the collar was a bit wonky. So it was never a consideration to rip anything out. I simply wadded more into hiding. There is likely enough excess fabric to make Barbie a matching shirt but at least it is going to stay put.

Again, if a “friend” pats the back of your collar and asks what happened here, ignore her. If it bothers you, just do some embroidery over it and call it a feature. Actually I just did that with a shirt I made from a sari I bought in Bali. An unfortunate darker section of the batik appeared on one breast, looking like spilled salad dressing.  I took white thread to stitch over the darker spot and now it looks better…well sort of.

I think that is enough of helpful suggestions on sewing. For some of you it might be helpful. There is only one person I see locally and she would not dream of being critical of my sewing methods because I recently made some clothes for her that she seemed quite pleased with. This blog might have her turning them inside out though.

I have kept up with the drawing and textiles book.

In the meantime I am hanging in there like this tree as the river rushes past leaving little to hang onto.

Til later….

 

Some Long Pauses Between Spurts of Doing

Posted on by Sandy Webster

I really like the mysteriousness of this river. It moves slowly and stays quiet. A very good place to think. Such clarity comes shortly after dawn….a sureness that falters as the day goes on and the sun tries to coax in other directions. Isn’t that word “coax” funny looking? Now a word spelled the same way has two syllables and has something to do with technical wiring. The way the letters are arranged doesn’t even remotely look like a word that means gentle persuasion. I am not going to use it again in written text…it just looks odd and isn’t even trying to be gentle.  From now on it will be “persuading with kindness”. Just look at that word “persuading”. Say it out loud and you almost see a hand reaching out to take your own while the word “coax” just sits there like a peculiar lump. I won’t use it again.

Aside from that diversion and getting back to the river…an odd pair enjoying each others’ company.

This morning at the dam I saw this. We shared a knowing of aloneness with a slight nod of the head, then went our separate ways.

Mostly under the overpass at the river there are just rocks but a few times there are small bibles or books offering comfort and an offer to choose another way. This offering caught my eye with the addition of an empty pint of a short-lived diversion.

By the next day half of us will believe someone picked them up in hopes of being saved and the rest of us will think they have landed in the litter bin. Regardless within the week more will be placed under the overpass by a true believer offering salvation.

I have been busy drawing. The fish wine bottles hung outside my studio.

The pocket finds from the river walks.

And my cats, Patches and Sadie.

They watch me closely waiting for me to say things out loud to stop the quiet of being here by ourselves.

Today I mended some clothes and began sewing on my last cut out shirt. I read a bit of poetry from Ted Kooser’s book, Kindest Regards. It is a lovely book of memory and observation. And it feels like a poetry book should feel. Like someone coated the cover with talcum powder. The two hundred plus pages inside are that soft ecru color that just beg to be turned and thumbed and paused over.

Lee is the same. Not as many falls as last week. He keeps to his wheel chair and pushes himself up and down the halls. He eats by himself if the food does not require utensils. The nurse told me that this morning she put his French toast together into a sandwich of sausage which he finished off in no time.

Well I need to go talk to my cats and locate something for dinner.

Til later

 

Clearing A New Path

Posted on by Sandy Webster

This little fellow showed up yesterday with his twin to pick through the greens in the front yard. They did not eat that much and I find it matters less if they do. I am thinking within the year I will have moved from here.

Marla and I walked the trail and looked up toward the studio on the right side of the lower level. We cleared out so much from there that went to the trash or into her car to take back north.

There is even a weaving loom and accessories in there. The things not in the car went off to the trash in two trips. We made a list of the furniture that will go with me and the pieces that won’t, the artwork I want to live with and the pieces that go elsewhere. We removed the gate to prevent Lee from falling down the stairs in the night.

In between we had wine, scotch, fairly good food and lots of laughs. I also showed her how to do white line printmaking so she could have her own interpretations of our two different morning walks.

 

I patched the wall and thought of all the other patching that will have to happen before I sell the house. It has had so many fun memories for me and now should start to make more for the next occupants. I have picked a new path and intend to step slowly and carefully along the way. Many months ahead of more sorting and packing before I leave this behind.

Next thing on the list is finish digging out whatever I put under my work tables in the studio. The Richeson etching press will not be going with me so I will sell it. The bed is 13″ by 36″ , comes with the stand and I am thinking $1200 is a good price. There are still two flat files of papers to go through. Why do we think we need so much paper! When I was teaching workshops at home and within driving distance it seemed practical to have some handy but not now!

So now my mind is on fresh starts.

And remembering and recording the past.

It is time for lunch and a good ponder on where to start next. Or maybe I will just ignore the clearing and cleaning today and write. It has taken me a while to get used to options again.

Til later….