A Little "Hand"-iwork

First a quick "eye update" - the first eye was operated on and is doing very well.  The doctor said that the incision has healed nicely and the lens is well aligned.  So - Yaay!  The second eye is scheduled for surgery.  

Meanwhile, I have been very limited in what I can do - and with all the eyedrops that need to be put in each day, and extra time to rest, I haven't gotten a whole lot done.  

Still, the handiwork is a necessity sometimes. And it is a great way to occupy myself while listening to audiobooks.  As long as I can thread the needle, I can manage to stitch. 

Here is what I have accomplished. 

The fabric has distorted slightly, but I think once I fuse it to some batting and quilt it, that won't be a big problem.

Now to decide more stitches to fill the other areas.  If I am gone for a while don't fret.  I will return. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A Little Check-In

So many of you have sent well wishes that I felt like I need to check in.  My first cataract surgery went very well.  The doctor told my driver that it went "better than expected."  Of course, now I wonder what he expected.......   For now my eye is red - as expected. But I can see at a distance  with no correction. When I wake up in the morning and remove the shield that I place over it each night, I can see the clock across the room. I can see details in the wallpaper border.  It is amazing. 

Another amazing thing is that color are so much more vivid.  The doctor said that we remove the worst one first. But, I can see, by alternating which eye I look out of,  that there is a remarkable difference in the shade of things. It is most obvious looking at something white. The repaired eye sees "white" while the eye that still has a cataract sees a tan-toned off white.  It is a stark difference. 

So what have I been doing?  Much less than usual. Ha ha.  I realized (too late) that  I can't weave because the loom weighs 32 lbs and I am not supposed to lift over 15 lbs.  My loom folds and is stored folded.  I would have to lift it to move it to a location where I can weave.  (Oh well!)  A friend stayed with me for the first day, but at that point I was just resting.  Now I am alone and doing well but with limits.  Bending over is also a no-no as it puts pressure on the eye.  Fortunately these are temporary restrictions.  Once the eye is full healed I can go back to life as usual - hmmm,  semi-usual I suppose since we are still in a pandemic.

I decided to paint a few backgrounds to doodle on. Here those are for you to see. 

I think this was recycling a piece from another painting- I just added paint.

The last one is a page to doodle on although it isn't a background. 

I watched a video where the artist used these types of "blobs" to 

create birds and fish.  I think I need to go back into these and add

more/different colors to make them interesting.

However, it is all just fun creative play. 

I also won a pre-printed "hand" fabric from Laura Wasilowski at ArtFabrik.  Since it doesn't require

heavy lifting, I decided to try embroidering on it - even with my wonky vision.  After adding a layer of a thin woven interfacing to the back of the fabric, I started the outline of the hand. 

I am not so sure about my thread color choice, but it has a good contrast.  While listening to an audiobook from my local public library, I completed the outline. 

Next up for this is to fill in the hand with embroidered design stitches. You can see an example on Laura's blog here.     While I will look back at hers for ideas,  I hope I can manage to make this one my own creation. 

Meanwhile,  I am putting drops in my eyes four times a day.  I can't get too busy doing anything else. Ha ha.  I am taking some  naps  time during the days to rest my eyes also.   

 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

What Did People See?

This little photo of my watercolor background really sparked a lot of imaginations. 

One of my lovely readers emailed with a suggestion that I post what everyone said. 

I thought that was a fun idea, so I took to my personal social media to ask friends

and family to weigh in on this also.  I was reading them to a buddy on the phone.

His response was "What are those people smoking?"  

FYI - HE said that the picture is upside down, but when you rotate it

he saw a cat.  

So here is a list of some of the responses. 

Many people saw an OWL - that is what I saw  immediately. 

Several saw a frog - one of those was very specific and said 

"I see a skinny frog sunbathing."

Another said "A Squished Frog."

At least two people saw a Bunny Rabbit. 

One or two saw a Mouse. 

A couple saw a Mother with a Baby. (I can't find that one.)

Some saw a Face. 

One really surprised me when he said "I see the Continent of Africa."

Another surprise "A lady leaning back on a dragon, like in Avatar."

"A Victorian Lady" 

"Something Floral like phlox or delphiniums"  

"A girl either praying or looking into a crystal ball"

And to think, all I saw was the owl. 

My skills at sketching with a computer mouse are not that great.

But you will get the idea. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

It is a FINISHED Mat

After finishing the quilting on my little table mat, it was time to bind it.  I have to say it was fun to play with quilting designs on this mat.  The only person that I wanted to please was ME.  I officially declare that I am pleased.  

I am very grateful that my sewing machine has a threader on it. The blurred vision would have made threading a nightmare -if not impossible right now.  Having good tools is a concept that I was taught by my art mentor.  I called her Nana even though we were not related. She insisted that I use good brushes, quality paint, and good paper or canvas for my paintings.  Once you see how good tools help, it is easier to invest in them for anything you plan to do for a  long time. 

For the binding, I chose a print fabric that I just like.  The colors were good for both sides of the project so I went for it.  

Here is my finished table mat. 

The quilting was fun and I think that binding plays very well with the fabrics. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A UFO becomes a project

Most quilters have UFOs (UnFinished Objects) that they intend to finish someday.  I decided that this one had found its someday.  Even though I had a lot of the fabric scraps left, I had a table mat that got damaged.  (I think I can fix it though)  Why not use a small UFO to replace it?  I pulled out the piece and measured it against the table.  It needed a bit more at each side. Using the background fabric, I added a couple of strips to the long sides and it was good.  I layered it with a backing (more about that later) and some batting.  The quilting began.  I want to say thanks to all of the free-motion quilting teachers who stressed practicing to build up muscle memory.  Even though my vision is a bit blurry,  the muscle memory made it work.  

That was as far as I got before needing a break. I took the photos and left it for a while. 

Now about the backing fabric,  I used a piece that I bought in Mexico a few years ago on one of our adventure trips.  As a  quilter/artist/crafter it is almost impossible to avoid a bit of recreational fabric shopping on vacation - Am I right? You know I am! 

Here is the piece of fabric that I chose to use as the backing on this. 

It didn't strike me as much then as it does now,  those words are not Spanish, I do believe they are French.  I had a year of French in high school, but I honestly didn't learn much. I do remember that Fleur is flower in French, while in Spanish it is flor. (plurals FR-fleurs  SP-flores) 

I just thought this fabric would be fun on the back - and it would finally use a piece of it for something I will use. 

I am hoping for a finish tomorrow. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

What do you see?

There was an ugly attempt at art on my painting table. It did not make me happy at all.  This piece started as something else that had failed.  That was painted over with gesso.  Just so you know, you can paint watercolor over gesso, but it acts differently.  If you try it be aware that it is very unlike painting directly onto paper.  The next step was a watercolor background over the gesso.  That looked okay.  Flowers were attempted - they looked horrid. What to do?  

After it sat there for a several days, I got tired of looking at it.  Painting loosely only to create  a colorful background that maybe I could doodle over, I covered it with barely diluted tube watercolor.  

I left it to dry.

When I went back later, I saw this:

I know what I see, and will probably enhance with some doodling.  

But what do you see? 

Please don't read the other comments first. 

Just tell me the first thing it reminds you of. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

A Couple of Watercolor Doodles

While doing some organizing last evening, I found these two little doodles that I did on watercolor backgrounds.    This is an activity that is fun for me. There is no expectation of creating great art. It is simply playtime.  

For these, the background is painted first with no intention of what it will become.  The paint is put on the paper and allowed to dry.  Then, maybe days later, I take the small painting and start drawing on it with various marking tools.  I love seeing what appears.  In the case of the flowers, it started with one flower.  

With the funky little bird,  it started with drawing around some shapes. I think the visual texture also acted as a prompt.  The color placement -which looks planned- was a lovely coincidence.

One thing I can do when my eyes are healing and I can't see well, is to make these backgrounds. 

Some of you who are familiar with cataract surgery may wonder why I won't be able to see well for some time.  The doctor explained that with my extreme nearsightedness, there will be a visual disparity between the two eyes.  I will be wearing glasses with only one lens and the other eye should be near 20/20 vision.   As he explained, this will cause "issues" with the perceptions -although different people adapt differently.  While I am hoping for the best, I am planning for contingencies.  (FYI - In my career, I worked with emergency planning.  Thus it is ingrained in me to "have a plan.")

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Eye See

Life gets interesting as the years roll along.  Almost everything that I love doing involves my eyes and my hands.  And speaking of "eyes" here is a partial face that I painted in watercolor. I love that eye. 

Since long ago (third grade to be specific)  I have worn glasses because I am near-sighted. That has gotten worse as the years progressed. Although in the past 3-5 years, the change in prescription has been minimal or non-existent.    

A couple of months ago, I started to notice that my left eye vision seemed blurry.  I knew that my yearly appointment with the ophthalmologist was in early October. So I watched and waited.  The day of my appointment when the tech did the "over-refraction" we saw that the left eye vision was horrible. I mean seriously, the big E was blurry.   She then did an optic nerve scan to rule out that possibility. 

Finally the Doc came in.  (FYI - I love this guy's way with patients.) He did a lot of looking and then told me the "bad" news.  The cataract in my left eye has gotten a LOT worse.  

Frankly, at this point, I considered that good news.  The optic nerve looked okay, no problems with the macula, retina, or any of the other eye structure. We can fix this.  

Now the surgeries are scheduled and my eyes have been measured for the replacement lens which will correct for distance.  I will be able to walk in the rain without blurry vision. Yes, that is such a simple thing, but I am counting it as a big blessing. I will need reading glasses, but I will be able to do many things without glasses. 

As an aside, when the office called in the prescriptions for the drops I will need, they warned me that the price could be prohibitive even with insurance.  Ha ha!   They said I should call if that was the case and they could prescribe something less expensive.   The price?  It was more than half my monthly income.  I called.  Working with them and the pharmacy, by using alternate drugs we got the price down to less than $35.   

Moral of the story, don't be afraid to call the doctor and say "I just can't afford that medicine. Is there an alternative?"

So I may be Missing In Action for a while - I may not be commenting as much since my eyes will need time to heal and rest.  But I am most likely going to be just fine.  

By the way if you have any suggestions for things I can do without "looking" a lot - drop them in the comments.  I have a few ideas but not enough.
 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

I have been away

I have been away - from the blog, but I have been at home.  The last day of September was my birthday. We were planning a small socially distanced family gathering and we had to wait until Saturday to do it. 

Some of you may know that I am the baker in the family. I usually make the birthday cakes for all of the family birthdays.  They are not always lovely, but they are always delicious.  

How did I get this "job?"  The honest truth is that I love doing it. My paternal grandmother had a stroke when I was a child.  She and my grandfather moved to a house next door to us.   One of her traditions was to have five cakes made for Christmas- and the week before. If anyone came by, they were offered cake and coffee.  After the stroke, she was unable to do the physical work of making a cake.  But, I was a willing assistant.  She gave directions and I was her "hands."  Her mind was as sharp as ever.  All of the recipes were in her head.  I sincerely wish I had written them down.   After I did this for a few years, I became very good at making a cake.  Some of her cakes started with a humble cake mix. But, the directions on the box were considered "guidance" not rules.  

"It says 'two eggs," I exclaimed. "We are putting three in there, it will be better!" Granny reassured me. After that, I just did what she said - of course I probably asked "why" a few times. 

So, I am the "cake baker" for the family, even on my birthday.  I am always thinking "what can I do differently."  This year, I made a dark chocolate cake with an Ermine Icing and filled it with cherries. Then the rest of the cherries and "sauce" went on top.  It was/is fantastic. 

The icing/frosting has a grainy look but it is delicious.  Of course, I "did a granny" with the recipe and added some of my "chocolate covered cherry" preserves to it. 

Hopefully, I will be showing you some new creative things soon.  But then, making a cake is a creative venture. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Dyeing to Weave +Art Play

After dyeing the warp for my loom and absolutely loving it, I decided to dye a couple of skeins of thread/yarn.  A yarn swift is a device to wind skeins of yarn - and also to put a skein on to wind it into balls.  Setting up my swift,  I wound two skeins of yarn.  One was a white rayon or cotton/rayon blend, I am not sure which.  The other was a gray cotton.  

Both were dyed with the same colors in the same dye bath.  But viva la difference!  

The photos don't show it as well as it looks in person. The gray is much more muted and has no shine. While the white has a beautiful sheen and the colors are far more jewel toned.  Both of them will were allowed to dry after dyeing.  Then, one at a time, they were put back on the swift and rolled into balls using a ball winder.  These are center pull balls which means they are a bit easier to use without rolling around or getting tangled. 

The swift looks like this 

The ball winder looks like this 

I did one fun little art exercise from a book.  I realized later that the author intentionally painted two paintings that worked together for her version.   I took two not so great paintings from my stack of "what do I do with these" paintings.  I cut them into strips, keeping them in order and wove them together. Thus I created a woven painting - combining two of my hobbies into one. 

I put a mat over it to crop it a bit.  I wish I had photos of both pieces prior to the slicing.  I do not think it will win any awards, but it was an interesting exercise. 

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.