52 Weeks of Play: Weeks 49-52

There are 52 weeks in a year but what a year this has been! This weekly project stretched a bit longer than one year. Between the usual chaos of the holidays, selling the shop, and then the impact of covid-19, there were a lot of things that kept me from a strict timeline. But I am happy to say that I stuck with it regardless of the 14 months that it took me to complete my 52 Weeks of Play. As a serious type A personality, I can be rigid in my discipline. I am thankful for that in so many ways; I have been able to achieve many of my dreams and feel more comfortable in the structure of my routine. But there are times when forcing discipline and commitment are not the best way to go. The standards and expectations I put on myself have always been far greater than the ones put on me.

Learning to have some grace with myself has been a conscious effort. Slowing down I have begun to notice the subtleties of the leaves as the wind knocks outside of my window, the quantity of Cardinals in my own backyard and the gift of stopping in the middle of the day to just go for a walk. I hope to take that lesson into the future and remember to slow down even as life becomes more full again with places to go and things to do.

Week 49: Garment Sewing

I purchased this beautiful fabric in NYC months ago and it was just waiting to be something fabulous but I wasn't sure quite what.  I kept imagining a coat with a crazy faux fur collar and a leopard lining a la Versace pattern mixing style. I decided to make a long structured vest so I hacked a pattern and added a lining. I love how it turned out!

Week 50: Silkscreen

Silkscreen can be intimidating to people because it seems like you need a lot of fancy supplies. That is simply not true! There are many easy ways to make a DIY silkscreen! I used contact paper and organza with some acrylic paint. An old gift card made a great squeegee and that was it!

I have been working on a quilt that was inspired by a very vivid dream I had in February about a flock of geese. Since then, geese have been showing up in my sketchbook and I can't stop thinking about them. The geese silkscreens were cut out and will be stitched into a larger piece that I am working on.

Week 51: Dyeing with Kool Aid and Rit Dye

I have dyed fabrics in many different ways. As much as I enjoy it, the preciseness of measuring powders and chemicals to get the finished product tends to keep me from doing a lot of it. Since I work with smaller pieces of fabric and do not need to replicate my results from dye bath to dye bath, I am always looking for alternative ways to add color. This week I played with Kool Aid and Liquid Rit Dye. Both are found at the grocery store and easy to use.

Week 52: Painted Coffee Filters

I love working in layers...collage, lace fabrics, encaustic... so I started playing around with coffee filter art. This was so fun! And you cant get much cheaper than a coffee filter! After I created my art, I cut out the image and added it to my art journal.

Now that my 52 Weeks of Play are over I am going to continue in this direction. Taking time to focus on process over project has been fun and informative! It has helped me add new techniques to my art toolbox that I am excited to incorporate into more of my art. Follow along on instagram @the_meditative_stitcher