I purchase this remnant about four years ago. It has been left out to make my memory remember (is that an oxymoron?). For some reason, I bought this and I want to know why. It reminds me of something and it won't come to the surface. And it has been four years. Well, fortunately for me, I have a teacher. Right in this house. He came to show me that what is past is past and what is now is all we have.
The discussion began slowly and with great clarity but it soon became a little frantic.
This magnificent card is a Mother's Day card that I received so many years ago that I have forgotten. But I have not forgotten the card. I used to have it in the shop, so I could look at something beautiful, something that would distrait me, lighten my mood, make me happy. I received this card from my darling niece and her family (Bill and Annie). I hope that you enjoy this card as much as I do. This is a magazine illustration from 1924 from "Gasette du Bon Ton". The title is "Le Parfum de la Rose".
It came together and surprised me with the ease. I think that this one came together easier because of my repeated practice with the first Grosgrain purse. The beads are Amber. The feel and look of Amber is very Human friendly. It feels warm and also it is easy to work with.
The purse measures12 inches wide and 8 1/2 inches high. It is lined with orange taffeta. It is light and opens wide.
Now, if I were to order a pot that would hold all my tools that I need for cutting fabric and would stand up to "Cat Town Races", this would be the perfect pot for me.
And it is mine! It was given to me by one of my favorite people, Annie. She came down this week with her Mother. It was a very fast trip but Annie had to come to see the "Kittens" (we still call them kittens but they are really cats) and she needed to tell Frida that she loved her. Don't you love those reasons for a visit?
Her Mother needed to make a visit to FIDM, one of our favorite stores. She bought some fantastic fabric and has lots of future plans for new clothes. I hope that the next visit that we will have more time to leisurely travel through life. The pot is perfect. It was "thrown" by Annie. It was also painted by Annie and the weight is perfect, it won't travel off the cutting table when the cats jump up and rattle everything. Don't you just love it?
After I finished the purse last weekend, I felt empty and bereft of a friend. It always seems like when I finish something that took a lot of work, thinking, and effort, I just feel depleted. And the other thing I have found out is that just resting makes me very nervous. So I went to my fabric vault (a chest of drawers that I put some of my fabric in) and just took fabric out. I looked at the fabric, ran my hands over the fabric. I was like I was gaining energy from my source! Well, I did gain energy. I took what I learned in one bag and now I am proceeding to the next one. The completed vision is now plaguing me for its existence in this world. Here is a close up of my "quickie frame" and what the colors look like:
Since childhood my sister and I made our own Christmas cards. It just seemed like the thing to do. It meant that we really cared about our warm wishes for a wonderful Christmas. I still remember our discussion about it. I would imagine had an adult listened to us that would have thought those young people were a little to full of themselves but we did make them and send them. The other thing we did was to never show or discuss what we were going to do so that when we showed our completed card to each other, we were able to enjoy the effort. In later years I stopped doing it because I had no time left in the day but Annie kept up this lovely tradition. The date I wrote on the back of this card is 1999. It is a special card by the date alone. But it also shows my sister's sense of humor and her involvement with stamping. Also, it shows her lovely hand writing. That is something of which I was always envious. 4 hours later: The mind is a funny thing. It meanders a path and finally comes up with a coherent thought. When I awoke today, I knew it was my sister's Birthday but it was not a conscious choice to put one of her cards up today. But I am awfully glad I did!
I happened to find a cache of Grosgrain Ribbon. There were a variety of colors and for a long time I looked and studied the beauty of pure color. I finally had an insight. I made a frame and wove the many varied hues. Just doing that gave a great pleasure. But once that happened, the next idea came to me and I thought that what a splendid idea, not knowing that this simple idea was what all simple ideas require: an expert hand to implement this simple idea. For without good hands, it comes to nothing. Well, this is why I call this my Nemesis. What I was to attempt, challenged all my abilities. At all times the ribbons threatened to fall apart and the fact that I had never sewed on leather with such dedication to exactness made me frustrated and exasperated.
This is the third one. I ripped repeatedly and threw leather away. But each time I started over, I learned. So, I really can't complain because knowledge hard earned is knowledge valued.
The inside of the purse is an amazing sky blue Raw Silk. How I have saved this beautiful silk. I squirreled it away for the perfect project and this is what I chose. It is the purse for its intended use:
I've been a Daughter, Mother, Wife, Sister, Aunt, Granddaughter and friend. I've been the student, an employee, a designer, a caregiver and for the last thirty years, the owner and operator of a business.
I purchase this remnant about four years ago. It has been left out to make my memory remember (is that an oxymoron?). For some reason, I bought this and I want to know why. It reminds me of something and it won't come to the surface. And it has been four years.
The discussion began slowly and with great clarity but it soon became a little frantic.
But in the end, I got the point.
