I'm still having fun playing with Christmas Stocking Designs Created out of my Old Burlap Sacks that had fallen apart during laundering. I've found that each bag makes four Stockings with fabric left over to make Rosettes and Burlap Ribbon Strands.
After laying out Designs, fabric, bits and bobs several times I've finally settled on this {pretty much} for the Style of Stocking #3.
So I'll be sewing this one together after Work one Evening this week. Since I'm not getting any more days off until after Christmas... it is very likely that all of my Burlap Stockings won't be made in time for Christmas, but that's okay, I'm enjoying the Process of Creating them.
And I'm still playing with the components of Stocking #4... and the possibilities... but right now I'm not "feeling it" as it looks with these particular components together, it's NOT working and I don't like it... and will definitely be making changes in what I'll be using until it feels right.
You see, though the Creative Process is a complete Joy for me as it unfolds, I do have one frustrating aspect of it... one that perhaps you can relate to? I have an abundance of materials that I could use... ones that would be absolutely perfect for each Project... BUT... I can't always locate them when I need them!!! *Gripe!*
I have stuff in my Studio... which The Son lives in... I have stuff in the Guest Room... which I'm currently utilizing as Studio Space & Artistic Supply Storage... I have stuff in the Diningroom, where I often Create and lay things out on the Harvest Table as I'm Designing them... I have stuff in my Bedroom where I often curl up in Bed to sew. Not to mention stuff in Storage or Closets! *Le Sigh*
And... in my mind's eye I know exactly what WOULD work... IF only I could find it! *Grrrrrr... it gets my head to spinning sometimes as I wrack my brain to try to remember...* I knew this fabric swatch wasn't working & I had a perfect Doily... somewhere... and I knew I needed Crocheted Trim for the Cuff Fabric... but where oh where did I put those items??!??! *Insert furrowing of brow & total brain lapse... and fruitless searches for quite some time!*
I've got great Storage in the form of Antique Trunks, Baskets, Chests, Suitcases, Carpetbags, fab
Built-Ins that this Old House has that are perfect... and I try to be as Organized as possible... I abhor a disorganized or chaotic mess to attempt to Work in... I prefer Order over Chaos in all things... but sometimes I do find myself in what appears to be Organized Chaos! *LOL*
But my Memory at this Season of Life apparently requires a more Intensive Organizational System that will jog this failing ability to remember things. *LOL* Things get fuzzy, lost and out of focus easily now in the depths of the Memory Storage Compartments of my Brain, in the Natural process of aging I suppose... but nonetheless frustrating! So I've tried different approaches as Memory Prompters... sometimes they even work... *Winks* I also try to be habitual because repetative habits are easier to remember now... *Smiles*
And since one of my Character Traits is Tenacity... well, I usually won't rest until I've located whatever it is that I've got on my mind and have Vision for during a Project. *Smiles* And THAT can be very frustrating to the rest of the Crew here as they endure my Intense Mission to Locate MIA items I want to Work with! *LOL* Especially if I want to get them involved in the Mission... *Insert loud sighs and/or everyone running for cover so that I can't find them either... Winks*
I'm single minded and relentless when it comes to seeking that which I want or need... which is probably why I've always been a successful Junquer... especially for those elusive items on the Wish List... I rise to the Challenge of the Thrill of the Hunt! *Smiles* And so tonight was the Intense Mission to Locate desired items to Style Stocking #4 properly. To replace unsatisfactory swatch of fabric with the Doily I knew I had but couldn't initially locate...
And which, when finally discovered *Whoo Hoo*, had perfect droplets of melted wax in different colors affixed to it... I like quirky elements like that that give my pieces a Story... I'm Ecentric like that! *Smiles* Imperfections appeal to me far more than Perfection.
I find Perfection to be quite rigid in fact... and I've never Lived my Life rigidly... so I don't Collect or Create that way either. If everything had to be Perfect I seriously doubt I'd be comfortable with that Standard nor would I find it as appealing, interesting or have that sense of being used and well Loved... which is how I prefer things to be.
I've never been one to have the "Good _________" that is only used on Special Occassions {you fill in the blank}... each day should be Special... and an Occassion... and in my World it is. *Winks* And it was really an Occassion to Rejoice and Celebrate when I discovered not only the elusive Doily, but the Crocheted Vintage Trim I was looking for too without too intensive a search, so that I wasn't stalling on the Stocking Creation Process, which was on a roll! *Whew*
Now I'm perfectly satisfied with the Styling of Stocking #4 as well and it gelled with me... and felt right... finally... and so now that I've played with the Christmas Stocking Designs sufficiently... it will now be Time to Create them and get them ready to be hung... Will there be a Stocking #5? Yeah, I'm pretty sure there will be... I've still got a pile of some of the Burlap Sacks that came adrift while being laundered... and I'm not out of Ideas for great Burlap Christmas Stockings... and getting the Idea out of my head and Created is always a Rush...
Dawn...The Bohemian