Hitting My Stride
I haven’t had much luck getting into any theater groups locally, though I can’t say I’ve tried super hard at it yet. I’ve mainly been going to the gym a lot, and taking cello lessons and piano lessons.
The gym has been personal training three times a week, which is kicking my butt, but also making me a lot stronger. I used to be afraid I’d get to muscley if I started lifting heavier stuff, but I’m old enough now that I kind of like the idea of being more physically intimidating. The worst thing about losing weight the last time was that I felt so vulnerable all of the time. Now I’m starting to feel like I could hold my own if I had to, which feels pretty good.
I’ve made a few things in the last year, and really started hitting my stride a few months ago. First up was my Halloween costume. Russ and I decided to go as Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryan.
I found some broadcloth on sale, so it wasn’t too expensive to do. I also got a chance to use some of the fancy stitches that came on the Husqvarna Viking Russ got me in the midst of his guilt over making me move. It’s a great machine, very easy to sew on, though it wasn’t much better than the Singer at sewing heavy upholstery fabrics, as I later found out. This was the most advanced clothing project I’d ever made. It’s not perfect, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.
Next up was Christina’s bag. I’d promised her one before we moved, after she saw my Seneca Creek Bag and asked for one for herself. It’s a fantastic bag, particularly because it can be worn like a belt, so it’s nice for social events when you don’t want to leave your bag behind, but still want to keep your hands a bit more free.
I sent her some pictures of fabrics I had, including one I’d bought for her, but she picked a dark blue upholstery fabric I had, and I picked a glow-in-the-dark skull fabric for the lining.
There was a bit more excitement later in the year. After being cooped up working from home, not socializing as much as I really need to, and just generally feeling like I was trapped on a deserted island most of the time, Russ took me on a couple of mini-breaks. The first to Boston to see Ovo, by Cirque du Soleil, and then to NYC for my birthday.
I love NYC more than almost any place on earth, honestly. We only had a couple of days there, but we managed to pack in a lot of stuff! Shopping at Mood Fabrics and the Penhaligon’s sample sale, the Winter Market at Bryant Park, as showing of Cats, Los Tacos #1, and enough walking to give me a sprained ankle that complimented my sprained ass from the gym perfectly.
I also had a chance to go up to Burlington to see Abbie’s show, Rip Cord. We rented a hotel room after the show, and I hung out with Abbie and Rachel until the wee hours, then we had breakfast before I headed back home. It was a quick trip, but every visit with them is medicinal to my soul.
Since the last thing on earth I need is more stuff, I decided to have a fundraiser for the ACLU for my birthday. We raised over $300, and I had a drawing at the end to pick a name and make a custom bag for someone. I drew my friend Jilly’s name from the jar, so we picked out fabrics and a pattern together.
She picked out the Snowdrop Satchel, which was a pattern I’d bought but not made yet. She also picked some fabulous fabrics! A bright pink floral, with pink polka dot lining, and a black vinyl accent. It was the most challenging bag I’ve made yet, but it turned out beautifully. I think I’m starting to feel like I can generate a bag worthy of selling, so I’ve been thinking more about making bags to “sell” for charitable donations.
I haven’t quite worked out all of the details yet, since I’ll have to figure out how to set it up as a proper business and manage all of the bookkeeping so I don’t get taxed on money I’m just going to turn around and donate as soon as I know the person is happy with what they’ve gotten. In the mean time, I have some friends who are starting to talk about commissioning something, so for now I’ll just take their donation receipt as “payment”, and they know there’s no real refund option, though I’m sure we’ll figure something out if it comes up.
I’ll probably also do the fundraiser thing more often, too. I don’t like the idea of my bags only being available to my friends or people I know with more disposable income in their hands. Having a drawing gives my friends a chance to get a bag they’ll love, even if they can only afford to donate a couple of bucks. If I balance it out between direct commissions and fundraiser drawings, I can spread the love around a bit.
The last bag I finished was the Companion Carpet Bag, which I LOOOOOOVE to pieces. I have a deep and abiding fondness for clothes and bags made out of fabrics that look like couches, so I have tons of fabrics I can use to make these things. This one is made from an upholstery fabric remnant I picked up at Mood Fabrics during my birthday weekend in NYC.
It’s the first time I’ve made a bag with a frame before. I went back and forth on the lining fabric, but ended up going with a punchy little red-orange floral pattern, and I feel like I definitely made the right choice, because it really freshens up the whole thing. I got the frame, handles and purse feet from 3DAN on Etsy. Their stuff arrived quickly, and it was exactly what I was looking for.
In the midst of all of this, I managed to get my craft room organized. Of course, at this point, it’s also my music room, my office, and my socializing space when I have friends over, so I’ve taken to calling it the Room of Requirement.
I’ve also taken an interest in leather working, so I’ve started my first project in that avenue. I got a few boxes of remnants at a steep discount so I can experiment and not worry too much about messing up any of the leather. It’s not enough for a big project, but I’m using a pattern for a “Lady’s Wallet” from the book 46 Leatherwork Projects Anyone Can Do.
I’ll know better when I’ve finished at least one thing, but so far I really love the book. The patterns were a bit of a pain in the butt to get printed, but once I finally found the right Staples, it turned out okay. The patterns are beautiful, though, so I think the stubbornness will pay off in the end.
Santa Claus (who is still feeling guilty about the move) bought me an industrial machine for Christmas, so I can make bags with thicker things like vinyl and leather, but a lot of leatherwork is better done by hand, because you can’t resew it – once a hole is there, there’s no undoing it. But that machine has already been able to sew things that even the Husqvarna was choking on, and it’s a magnificent beast. I just need to find myself some of the vintagey sparkle vinyl I’ve been dying to play with.
It was so tempting to go out and buy a big hide to make the backpack in the book, but I forced myself to start small so I can get some of the techniques down first. So far I’ve cut out and mounted the pattern pieces, and cut them out again; used an awl to poke holes in the pattern where the sewing holes need to go; traced the patterns onto the leather, then marked the hole positions with the awl; cut out the leather pieces; used the hole prong and a mallet to pound the holes into the leather. It’s a very pound process, which is strangely therapeutic. Sort of like kneading a pizza dough.
Our realtor from when we moved helped me get involved with a local group called Party with a Purpose, which formed after the election and is working to support Planned Parenthood. It’s pretty much all upper middle-class white women, but I’m hoping that maybe being active with them will give me the opportunity to inject more intersectionalism into the group and hopefully make it more welcoming, or at least make sure that it’s focus and it’s mission don’t exclude anyone. Now that I’ve dug out of the emotional pit I was in for a long time post-move, I’m hoping to get more and more active in the new year. I’m going to the Women’s March in Albany in a couple of weeks with some of the new friends I’ve made, and I’m following some other local groups, so I just need to get myself out there and doing it.
