finally catching up

August 16, 2009, originally uploaded by jennifer noland.

The last three weeks have been filled with work, creating, more work, birthdays, and some other fun things. I've continued with Project 365. Click on the photo to see what I've taken.

I began a quilt for a friend. I'm about two thirds done with the blocks. Two months until the deadline looms over my head. I think I can finish in plenty of time as long as I don't get sidetracked.

It's hot and time to go swimming.

week #1

          

August 1, 2009, originally uploaded by jennifer noland.

My daughter went to sewing camp last week and finished two projects. A skirt with gathers, elastic, ribbon embellishments and a zipper. And an owl shirt with three elastic casings. Everything has finished seams. She went to the same camp last year and made pajama pants. 

This bag is for a friend's birthday. It was made from an Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing book. 
Swimming on Tuesday.
Owen got some new toys.

The Berkeley Kite Festival was last weekend. The sky fills with string and color. It's pretty amazing walking through, always looking up. 

Project 365 - the second time round, is off to a good start. This next year shows promise. 

Project 365 - Round Two

It's been a tough week at our house. Suki Enid Monroe passed away on Thursday. That's 2 cats in 6 months. Needless to say, we are sad. I personally wake with a feeling that I need to commit more fully to my goals, which I need to redetermine so it's easier to commit. 

In that vein, I've decided to do Project 365 again. When I finished my first 365 days, I felt a bit empty. The project was fun, irritating, daunting, satisfying, and on and on. It also kept my desire to create somewhat nourished, even when there was little time to do anything.

July 26, 2009 is a good day to start. Give me a few days, and then watch my progress.

another gocco swap

two in one, originally uploaded by jennifer noland.

Sarah at cloth.paper.string had another gocco swap. I actually met the deadline and everything is out. I'm somewhat surprised because I left for the Grand Canyon the day after the mailing deadline. I always love to cut things close. I guess I work better under pressure.

My daughter learned to draw celtic knots and braids this past year, and I was reminded how much I like them. That's where my inspiration came from for my design.

I've started receiving some pretty cool pieces in the mail. The best thing about swaps is the anticipation and getting parcels without bills attached. Thanks Sarah.

Gold Rush

dresses, originally uploaded by jennifer noland.

Many things have been happening since I last stopped by. I finished the gold rush dresses, all four of them. The funny thing is I never took a picture of them. The one above is the closest I have. The brown dress on the left and the white one, third from the left are mine. Aprons too. The other two are adult dresses.

The trip was a success. All the kids had a blast. The parents too. We saw a deer swim across the rapids of the American River. None of us knew deer could swim, or chose to.

wardrobe re-fashion

I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved

items for myself for the term of my contract. I pledge that

I shall create and craft items of clothing for myself with my own 

hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract.

I've resigned to participate in the Wardrobe Re-fashion that starts May 1. I pledged 2 months. It was fun the last time and really made me think about spontaneous purchases. I discovered that I made more of them than I realized.

The first project I'm going to take on is sewing the Gold Rush outfit for my daughter's end of year trip. I've had everything waiting for 5 weeks. My second project will also be for her, something white to wear to the May Faire. Her class is dancing the May Pole this year and are supposed to wear white.

After all that, I plan on tackling the pile that needs mending. Maybe I should've signed up for 4 months. Hmmm.

rainy day

It's raining again. It's really good, we need the water, but it's ruined our plans. So much for plans. We'll go to the Exploratorium instead. We get to drink out of toilets, paint with our shadows and alter our perception of things. That's always fun. 

The rain has interesting timing. I've been on vacation at very rainy places, only to have it rain while I slept. The days were clear and beautiful. It seems that when I'm home, the rain comes on the weekends when I have outdoor plans. 2 weeks ago, there was a deluge and we were going to go camping. We ended up camping in the house. No campfire though.
I really enjoy watching water fall from the sky. Constantly changing it's density. Right now, it's steady and gentle. When we leave the house, it'll probably get more intense. I wonder how many clogged sewers we'll pass?

back to the real world

December 30, 2008, originally uploaded by jennifer noland.

I've returned from my holiday trip and now it's time to get back to reality. It was a lovely trip and really nice to visit with everyone. It had been three years since I'd been back.

The one thing I'm not missing is the cold. I'm not used to cold snowy winters. More like chilly, rainy or foggy winters. I walked on frozen water that was not in a rink. It was a wonderful novelty. My daughter thought it was one of the greatest things.

We now have enough chocolate to last the rest of the month. There is a part of me that wants to ration it, but I know I won't. It's too delicious.

Time to get back to work. Until next time...