08.16.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:23 am by deRomilly
I am very definitely stressed right now. I’m in a situation where my goals are on hold until the family life straightens out a bit. Not that there is anything going dramatically wrong, either. Just little, petty wild fires that sap my energy and keep me from accomplishing much on the creative front.
On the other hand, my Studio Journals class kept me at least a bit active, and I’ve tried out several things, some of which have been inspiring, and others complete failures. But it’s kept me doing at least a little every couple of days, if not daily.
Some of the things I have actually accomplished follow: (since it’s always a good idea to list what you did accomplish when feeling inadequate)
- The designs for the samplers discussed in Disappearing Act.
- Playing with cut paper designs & snowflakes.
- Playing with more geometric motifs for cross stitch.
- Sketching bellydancers.
- Taking photos with my new camera — mostly macros. And realizing that I really do still know what I’m doing.
- Researching designers programs with suppliers.
- Playing with paints and pastels.
I’m frustrated with the last because although I enjoy working with them, I never seem to be able to achieve any results I like with that kind of colored media. The exceptions to this are thread and colored pencil, both exceedingly fussy and time-consuming techniques that don’t particularly lend themselves to quick sketchbook work. I also can’t seem to get results I really like with the computer. But the last may well be simply because I spend so much time on a computer in my day job that using it as a design tool — even for simple pattern manipulation — is a pain in the backside.
So wow. I have accomplished a lot! It’s just that pesky stress thing making me think I’m drowning and not progressing.
And yesterday evening, after I wrote the draft of this to here, Dear Husband reminded me that no matter how stressed I am right now, there’s actually a final date give or take a month or two that I can plan for. So as of today, my plan is to start sorting and emptying my supposed studio space (now a muss of storage that I try to work around). Then the full remodel can begin on January 2. He promises me bookcases, real drawing tables and drawers for my bits and pieces. So I can put things away, even if I do often like to work in a creative disaster area. Right now it’s just a disaster area, not creative at all… This is going to be fun. Planning hat on!
And just to finish on a happy note, here is one of the photos I took that I’m really proud of. One of the last of the summer daylilies out by Dad’s apartment. My Dad and I were playing “one upmanship” with our cameras. I won. Click to embiggen.
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01.30.08
Posted in General, Uncategorized at 3:05 pm by deRomilly
I really meant to be blogging more now that I’m back from my visit to the Pacific Northwest.
First, I want to say that the past week has proven to me that I am truly blessed. I may have been kept from blogging (more on that later) but I am very pleased with the outcomes of all the adversity. I want to apologize for my absence. I won’t go into details, but the quick and dirty story is as follows:
- Went to Seattle to discuss health issues with my aging father. He’s agreed to move out here, and now we’re just trying to figure out how. In the process we drove down to my old haunt in Eugene, OR and I got to talk to Mindy and her family at the needlework shop, as well as many of my old friends. It was like I’d never left!
- Last Friday, my husband and my godson were in a car accident, and while they are fine, the schedule’s been kind of messed up as we’re down to one car for transportation again.
- I entered, on a lark, drawn by the promise of Sharon Boggon’s handdyed threads, her contest to guess how long her sampler has become now that she’s stitched all of them together. Six inches wide and 33 feet 2 inches. I guessed 33 feet, and along with two others, won! I’ll post pictures of the pretties when they arrive!
Back at the beginning of the century (hee, that sounds so… ancien regime!) I wrote an article on stitching with overdyed and variegated threads. I found that article yesterday, and am working on two things. I’m updating it a little bit with some new products I’ve noticed since then, and I’ll post it as several blog entries AND a downloadable pdf that you can put in your personal library. It’s got a couple of small patterns I designed in it to try out some of the techniques as well.
Hopefully I’ll be able to get that posted soon, as well as updates about the trip, and where we go from here!
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10.24.07
Posted in Dance, Uncategorized at 10:57 am by deRomilly
Last Saturday I performed at Blue Moon Dance Company’s Haflaween. It was sold out way back in July and I got the last performance slot! The show was a blast. And since the community has several photographer/dancers within it, there were some very nice photos taken. Even of me, and I RARELY like a photo of me.
All photos by Megan H. Freeman.
Like this one, wrapped up in my veil…
Or this one, caught mid-flourish!
There was even a close-up portrait that I like! I think the hat suits me, don’t you? (I stole it from the photographer… ok, BORROWED it. I did give it back, even if I considered running!)
Now it’s back to stitching and designing for a while, though I do start the next teaching session next week. Enough people for class, so here we go!
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09.12.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:23 am by deRomilly
To quote my nephew, ah, maaaaan!
Linn Skinner still has a couple spots open for their yearly needlework tour of London. They leave on October 7. I really really really wish I could just drop everything and go. But no passport yet, family balancing issues, and a release date at the day job just keep me from dropping everything and going. Durn it.
For anyone that doesn’t know her, Linn Skinner is an amazing woman. She spends a lot of time hanging out in European museums when she’s not stitching or paying her bills, and she communicates that information freely in a way that makes you hang on every word.
If you are remotely interested, have a passport, and can drop everything and take one of these spaces, I highly recommend it. The trip will be worth every penny.
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08.27.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:36 am by deRomilly
So if you are looking for Sharon B’s blog, you will want to change your bookmarks. I’ve changed the link in my blogroll, and you can find her HERE. She may be moving the stitch dictionary soon as well, so keep an eye on her site for updates.
Nephew started back to school today, right after coming home from his family reunion yesterday. Life’s been a bit stretched over the past three weeks, but I hope to get back to some semblance of a pattern of blogging soon.
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05.25.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:28 am by deRomilly
I am feeling quite guilty right now. It’s been a long month, and I’ve managed to get not a whit actually posted, as getting to the computer at home has been a bear. Nephew had End of Grades and writing exams, sister using computer for her programming homework… I have worked on posts on my lunch hour… had several finished except for photos that needed added, and then proceeded to lose my flash drive before I could get them transferred to the home computer.
So what I am saying is I apologize. I’m going to go out on a limb and blame one of the theiving cats for taking the flash drive… The thing does, after all, have a wonderful string toy for playing with. I’m sure I’ll find it at some point.
In the meantime, I’ve got an old backup of the to-be posts, and if I can ever get them finished again, I’ll be back up and running in the next week or so.
In other news, however, I have restored the backups of my old cross stitch patterns, which I hope to get pulled into a new website in the next few months and make available again, as well as a couple of new knitting patterns and some new needlework patterns. Watch this space! (I’ll be posting more often. Really I will!)
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03.21.07
Posted in "Freestyle" embroidery, Dance Accessories, Uncategorized at 5:09 pm by deRomilly
When you still like the effect of the stitching when you reach the halfway point!
The sample I posted about last time I was here is becoming a final piece of fabric quite quickly. I’m about halfway done with the first fat quarter. I’m guessing I’m going to need to stitch about three, maybe four fat quarters to make a full belt and bra set. I’m thinking it will be really pretty with a white vest and skirt.
And it’s pulling together in a way that I really like. It’s cotton, but the beads give it a shine that make it appropriate for a casual costume. I think it’s going to be interesting, and definitely different from anything any other dancer has! I did decide to switch to green and pink beads to match the embroidery. The entire thing is much lighter than the photo I posted would lead you to believe.
The problem is, since the herringbone stitch is so durn easy to do, and I’m a bit achey, it’s pretty much ALL I want to do right now. This kind of cuts into the enjoyment of the day job. And the husband would prefer that I help him maintain the house where we live as well… and there’s that garden that now needs to be planted…
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