Tag: Kathy

Saving Things/Kathy

I used to watch reality TV shows about culling your stuff and your life. I loved watching them and the end result was always a sweet and refinished room or rooms that the producers did overnight and surprised the owners with on the next day. The show was called Life Laundry and was broadcast through the BBC. I learned a few tricks that worked for me.

One show featured a young gal who had inherited her grandmother’s items. She had a box of printed cotton aprons that went over the shoulder with pockets and looked homemade. She didn’t want to get rid of them as they represented her love for her grandmother.

The show host was always understanding and explained that a box of aprons would only remind her of her grandmother when she wore them or brought them out of storage. He suggested that she pick her three favorite aprons and cut squares of each and then frame them. Hanging them in the kitchen would bring her memories back everyday. What a great idea!

Recently, I gave my baby quilt that was made by my grandmother to my friend Corrine. It was in tatters and the cloth was very fragile. Corinne makes all sorts of thing with old and reused materials. She has a way of embellishing that is amazing. I did keep one square but haven’t framed it yet. I recently retired from teaching and Corinne came to my party and presented me with a needle book that I use almost everyday. It was a perfect way to save and enjoy this keepsake. Thank you Corrine!!

Circles: Kathy

I am not sure when I became fascinated with circles. I remember having a polka dotted jacket in eighth grade. I once was dressed at Halloween as “Dot Polka” wearing a read and black polka dotted dress and painted the continuation of the dots on my arms, legs and face. No photo,before cell phones. In college as an art student I loved the colors and shapes of Kandinsky. I still do. My Pinterest account will attest to that! Small circles or dots have found their way, as a design on many of the folk art items my husband and I create. So, it is not really a surprise that I like circles in my retirement as I create fabric art.

Below are two circle inspired designs showing the beginning and completed mate. I started out with wool, cotton, yarn, wool roving and of course fused them together with Corrinne’s fabulous felting machine. Then I added hand worked material such as embroidery, buttons and extra fabric.

Collection of Shells: Kathy

I come from a family of collectors! My father’s shop was filled with many tools and materials to make boats but also contained anything that was free and might be useful. I say might with a grain of salt. There were buckets of hinges, nails, bolts and many glass jars full of odds and ends. Most of this collecting was based on cost and resulted in them actually being abandoned and FREE! I hate to say it but I still slow when I see a free sign on the side of the road. Your roots never abandon you!

Now in my retirement, I am working on handwork and mostly use recycled, donated items and of course found items which are the most exciting. In January I started walking my regular two mile walk on the rural road in Brooklin, Maine. We had had some large rain amounts and the brooks and road had been affected but this. As I was walking I noticed some large shells in the small brook by the side of the road. Curious, I looked to see what was there. They were huge hen clam shells. Many of them! The first day I just marvelled but by the next morning I was ready to touch. I brought home six after straddling the brook and pulling them out of the sand. The next day I walked by again. Then with a shopping carry bag in hand I filled the bag. They were free, beautiful, and good for something!

My friend Corinne of course got some of the shells and made something of them.

What We’re Working On Today

Truthfully, today our primary focus is working on our blog, but we have other things we are doing this morning (or planned on doing). Here they are: (Kathy’s in photo1, Corinne’s in photo 2)

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