busy little bee...

it's been a busy week... after appearing in the storque for a few days. but things are slowing back down now, as they always do. i have a few special orders for the next week though, and i have so many things i want to make besides that. too many ideas... my brain gets overwhelmed and i end up completing so few of them. my brain is faster than my fingers unfortunately, especially because i hand sew everything. this can be a good thing sometimes, because it forces me to think about what i am making... and often gives me the opportunity to make changes. a lot of my work is trial and error. i spend forever on each piece... great for the creative process but not so great for making money!

so, i have much planned... more lions and tigers. giraffes and peacocks too. mushrooms and pumpkins and leaves... and on and on. i'm working on a new idea for trees that i have been playing around with in my head for quite some time (i'm also obsessed with doilies right now).


this is only the first stage. deciding on what materials i want/can use to make it work. the simple "mechanics" of putting a new pattern together. i'm sure it will look very different after i have worked at for a while. it might look nothing like this tree does now.. who knows? that's the fun.

i don't draw very well, and since everything i make is 3 dimensional i tend to work more like a sculptor i guess. i draw the simple forms i will need, but often the piece i make really come to life through my scissors. i cut and shape, and throw it on the floor, and start all over again. i feel like i often use my scissors as a kind of chisel, if that makes sense? my scissors, needles and fabrics are my most important tools. i am trying to be better about writing down clear patterns. some are created from scratch others i adapt from vintage patterns i find (often so much they barely look like the original). i hardly ever read the directions to patterns... to me the fun is figuring out how to fit everything together like a puzzle to achieve the image in my head or on the page... or whatever surprise may come.

the trouble comes when i go to make the same thing again, and i'm searching all over for scraps of paper tucked here and there. i've learned not to bother even keeping patterns for ears and beaks because they always get lost and it's easier just to cut them free hand anyway. i have been trying to collect all my general patterns and trace them in a book, and attach each already cut out pattern to the same page. maybe i'll take a picture of that to show you next! i would be embarrassed to show you my actual work room... that should really be my next big project!