Maker In Residence

 And if you are a creative type, you know I'm not talking about little green men. UFO = Unfinished Object.   A little suncatcher I finished on the weekend. First a disclaimer: I do have many UFOs in my house, in boxes or lying around. I also have several projects 'resting' on my craft table. But these days when I start something, I try extremely hard to finish it. Finishing projects (or not) is a huge factor in how my mental health is travelling. (I'll write another post on this tomorrow).   A bag of 'scumbles' which need to be crocheted together as a freeform crochet ... very much a UFO. So first off... what causes MY UFOs? When you look at the reason for a problem, it can help you tackle it. So here's a list of reason's my projects go off task; 1. I've discovered I don't yet have the skills to get the result I want. 2. I have the skills, but it's still not turning out how I envisioned. 3. I've decided it needs something else and I'm...

 I've been blogging and vlogging for about a month now and my cousin Libby has followed along. Hi Libby! Libby is my dad's cousin (so my first cousin once removed - I had to google that). When she saw I'd been crocheting, she told me about my Great Gran (her grandmother) doing the fine lace too. And she offered to share some of the precious things Great Gran left behind. The package arrived a few days ago and I was so excited. Inside, carefully wrapped, along with a bundle of photographs, were these items; Libby made me the cute mug mat herself. She has inherited the creative gene too. Here it is with my first tea of the day. Cheers Libby! Inside the pencil case I was delighted to find 4 antique crochet hooks. Three of the hooks have caps to protect their tiny ends. And tow of them have etched designs. Even the shaped end of the hooks is exquisite. I was also thrilled to discover that the hooks have a bit of a point to the top curve of the hook. I was just saying to Mike, m...

 Does it bug you as much as it does me that people refer to Mental Health like it's a bad thing? Mental Health is an area of health, not a condition. Positive or Negative Mental Health is the condition. Ok so I'll hop off my soap box now and write about the real purpose for this post. My progress on this Bruges Lace is such a positive mental health booster because it's a physical measurement of my achievement, of the time well spent and a new technique learned. This is what it looked like after using a full ball of thread. About 26cm. This is what it looked like this morning. That's about 37cm if you count the bottom half. And even more satisfying is the decision I made about what to do with this lace. I have a short black skirt that I will embellish with this lace. So now it has a purpose and I have a target length. Like I was saying to my wonderful Life Coach, Judy, yesterday, it's one thing to make something lovely, but so much better if it gets finished and turn...

 The lock down in NSW has been terrific for me to upskill ...not sure I like that word for creative work, but it does describe what is happening. Can you think of a better term? Anyway, I've been learning a lot. Yesterday I followed a video on how to make Bruges lace and I've started a piece. This is a very basic piece really, and this is the level I'm aiming for ... (Sorry i don't know who the maker is, of this lovely lace. It's a picture from Pinterest) As you can see, I've got a bit of practicing to do. But I'm very lucky in that I pick creative skills up really fast. I wouldn't be producing lace like this for a table, more for wearing, like this...    Though I wouldn't crochet the entire outfit as is done here. I'm also learning a lot about running a creative business. I went to a webinar last night on Creative Marketing Strategies for Creatives. I learned a lot, though I never really intend to creative work to be my sole income. It will need...