Senior Moments by FiberPhyl

A UNIVERSE OF HANDMADE THINGS

2009-09-01T15:17:00.003-04:00

A UNIVERSE OF HANDMADE THINGS
I'll be opening my Etsy store as soon as I build up an inventory. My user name is fiberphyl and the blog is titled Sr. Moments by fiberphyl......there will be a variety of goods to choose from.
Phyllis
fiberphyl

Mr. Squids Handmade Moment and announcement

2009-09-01T13:05:00.003-04:00

Mr. Squid's Handmade Moment

In my Etsy Store....to continue on from the above blog, I'll have lots of dry felted wool created by hand and machine. There will be animals, birds, gnomes, a wizard,and other small critters. (note the picture at the top of the page...a small sampling of my
handywork in needle felting by hand.) I will also have good luck totems and da-das and be in all sizes and shapes and home made fabric beads for those embellishers out there. Just too much to mentions. It will depend which path my muse leads me down at the moment. Prices will be varied, to suit the budget when looking for a one of a kind hand made creation.
I'll have the Etsy store open in plenty of time for Christmas shopping (October) and will make the announcement on my blog.
Because of my interest in many kinds of fiber arts I'll be adding to my selection all the time. Such things as primitive landscapes
comes to mind. So much to do.....so little time.
Phyllis
User name on Etsy: fiberphyl

Welcome to my new knees!!!

2008-10-05T13:28:00.002-04:00

Time for an update--where does the time go? I'm progressing faster than anyone expected through my double knee replacement surgery and have been driving now for a week! Oh-the joy!
I'm an independent cuss, and although my Son and Daughter were a huge help when
I needed them, I'm so happy to be tooling about on my own.
If there's anyone out there with two bad (bone on bone) knees like me.....get them both done.
You won't regret it. The healing for two is the same as for one and getting both done stops
you from depending on that bone on bone leg to do the work.
'Nuff of that boring talk.
I'm getting back into my class routine and will be teaching an art pin class this coming Tuesday.
I'm also going to be moving into my final and permanent address the end of this month.
Then this hectic year will be over. Holy Cow!......will I be happy :-)
I'll be posting some new photos of my work as soon as I can. I've spent a lot of time healing
in bed, then on my recliner and have been crocheting farmers market bags to keep busy.
Now I hope to get to working on lots of my unfinished projects after I move.
Cheers everyone!
Phyllis

2008--a year to remember!

2008-09-16T11:28:00.002-04:00

Oh my gosh.....what a year! Lost my condo and all contents to a fire in Jan. Moved into an apartment in Feb. and just got both knees replaced in August! I think that's enough in one year for an old broad like me!. I've got several weeks of physical therapy and can't drive until October, so am pretty much house bound until I can jump in my little Saturn and get back to teaching my classes at a local quilt shop. In the mean time, I have 3 on line classes to take, several class samples to create for my new classes and a bunch of telephone work, getting ready to move to a manufactured home community before Halloween. Then----after all the smoke has settled, I'll really welcome some sort of a stable routine...and will even welcome the quiet stillness that winter can bring.

My Son and Daughter have been helping me with my grocery shopping and hey!!!! I have a perfect excuse to live in p.j's and a robe all day! Eventually, I'll be adding some new pictures to

my blog and will be all caught up by years end. No time for the wailing and gnashing of teeth---I have new knees to look forward to......and walking like a "normal" human being.....pain free!

Thanks to all your encouraging messages.

Phyllis (aka Fiberphyl)

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SLOWLY GETTING MY LIFE BACK

2008-05-21T12:37:00.002-04:00

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I think it's time for a new entry. 4 months have passed since the fire. All

the units were so badly destroyed that the association members voted not

to rebuild. So far, State Farm has taken good care of me and I'm comfortably

settled in an apartment until further action takes effect as to the mortgage

payoff and more insurance claims, etc.

Every day I think of something I lost that was precious to me and impossible to

replace.......then I have to remember my favorite Grandma Moses quote:

"Life is what you make it. Always has been and always will be"..... or words to

that effect.

So, it's time to do just that.... make my life, starting at a new place and continuing

on from there.

I'm teaching my classes at the local quilt shop and keep busy with my post card

swap groups and enjoying my life's blessings of a wonderful family, good friends and great children and grand children. After all, when it comes to the bottom

line, these things matter the most.

UP IN SMOKE

2008-02-01T14:46:00.000-05:00

On the evening of Jan. 20th, everything I owned was lost in a fire that took down all the units in both buildings of my condo complex, putting over 100 people out on the street. The fire started from a short in a bathroom ceiling fan in a unit in a seperate building from mine.

I was insured, and but for that would probably be totally at odds and not knowing my next step. My insurance company stood by me...put me in the Marriott Residents Inn and cut a check so I could meet my immediate needs of food and clothing.

My Son and Daughter and Daughter in law were and have been of enourmous help to me and I've had my sisters for long distance support as well.

I've discovered that I'm a very fortunate person. My former workplace collected quite a bit of money for me (I've been retired for 3 years now)...and I've received wonderful cards and packages from my post card groups. A few nights ago my local art group held a "shower" where I received so much fabric and notions that it took me 3 trips with my car (which came to no harm in the fire)to get it all to my efficiency suite. It's now filling a coat closet!...bags on bags of stash builders.

I regret the loss of all my photos and some special gifts given to me by family and friends....but the rest, I've discovered is replaceable and rather fun to shop for.

I can't waste my time feeling all sorry for myself...it won't change the situation or bring things back. As soon as I saw my condo unit on fire, with the windows blown out from the heat, I had to resign myself to the fact that things would be different for a while.

I've never been one for antiques or precious jewels and furs....

anyway, as you can see, I've already replaced my computer and am back up and running.

I'll move into an apartment while waiting to hear if the condos will be re-built and once settled, will be fine and dandy.

So...take a lesson from me. Be insured!..it's the only thing that's gotten me through the financial end of rebuilding a life.

A work in progress

2007-10-25T14:36:00.000-04:00

I'm working on a piece of embellished wall art. It's hard to see the wrapped

pipe cleaners and Tyvek heat tortured pieces, so I'm showing this from a kind of side angle.

It's not complete so may still change. The fabric is from Kaufman's "the fire within" series which I love, love, love.

I used yarn to couch in a faux piping on the border.

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YOU CAN'T BEAT MOTHER NATURE

2007-10-24T09:30:00.000-04:00

This was taken 2 nights ago from my 3d floor balcony of my condo. The smaller tree is a Ginko that I occasionally will pluck leaves from for my next sun dying experiment. Who could ever mix their paints more beautifully than this?
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An art doll

2007-09-29T07:40:00.000-04:00

A UFO finished. That always feel good.
Several months ago I took a beginning art doll class with Beth Ann Williams and at the end of the class I took home a doll body on a wooden skewer.
She didn't tell me who she wanted to be so I put her with the rest of my UFO's and once in a while I'd run across her and still ....... nothing.
I spent 3 years living in Libya (before Kadaffi) and was evacuated out of there during the 6 day war in the 60's. We ended up going back there after 3 months in which my Sister Jean and her husband and family opened their already busy home to me and my 3 children. All of a sudden, while looking at an old newspaper picture of me and the kids arriving at the air port in New York, it dawned on me that Fatima was calling me from my UFO bin.
Starting at puberty the typical Libyan woman put on her baracan, allowing only one eye to be exposed whenever they were out of the home. They generally held it in their teeth, leaving their hands free to take care of their children or gather bundles of fire wood to carry on their heads or on the back of a donkey. Once in a while I'd catch a glimpse of them and what was under the baracan, especially when they would be on their way to a family wedding or other important event and I'd see a flash of their pretty clothes and jewelry or henna markings on their forheads when they passed. I used to give them aspirin for their occasional tooth aches and so they considered me a friend.
They would look around to make sure I was the only one who would see them and then release the baracan so that it opened and they would smile and wave and show off just a bit.
Such pretty, hard working women and girls that wore everything valuable to them under that simple covering.
So......meet Fatima. My art doll who finally spoke to me.

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Fun art pins

2007-09-14T19:29:00.000-04:00

I love making these little cuties. They are a fun art pin that I've seen here and there in magazines/books....and just had to make some ----plus, I gave them a house to live in. Getting into that first house can be very difficult.

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Tyvek beads

2007-09-01T10:06:00.000-04:00

I made these beads from Tyvek paper that had been colored using Shiva oil stiks....yes, stiks is how Shiva spells it.
Fun and easy to make for such a dramatic result. I'll be using them for future embellishments.

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My clothesline purse

2007-08-18T16:01:00.000-04:00

I just completed a purse made by using cotton clothesline that I wrapped in 1" strips of cotton batik. I've also made some small bowls and coasters using the same thing. Guess it's kinda the "hot" thing and I wasn't going to be happy till I tried making the purse and lining it. What, after all, is a purse without a lining and several pockets to put our "things" in.

So, here's the result. I included a picture of the start of it for those who don't know what the heck I'm talking about.

BEING 70

2007-08-06T18:32:00.000-04:00

The following are exerpts taken from an article written by author Barbara Holland, author of "When all the World was Young" (Bloomsbury, 2005). It has put into words better than I could ever do it.
"My 70th birthday didn't feel as breezy as my 60th, not half as cocky and capable. Face it, 70 is old. For a woman, the only plus side is that we can stop worrying about how we look: we look old, and suddenly there's not much use spending time, money and energy on our looks. Just try to make sure our clothes are buttoned and zipped and our hair is combed before we go out. Forget all those creams and colorings. It's a relief, in way.We accept limits. Limits are always nasty, but we hold our noses and swallow them anyway. Meeting challenges is said to be good for us, but how often must we meet the same challenges, overcome the same obstacles? How often do we have to climb Everest? Is it time to look for someplace easier to live? Admit limits?All of us, waking up in the morning, forget for a moment where we are and decide to paint the living room ceiling or go pony trekking in Iceland. By the time we've brushed our teeth we remember that we'll have to be content with ceilings already painted and treks already taken.They make good musing. I know we aren't supposed to dawdle around in the past, they tell us it's healthier to live for the moment, to look to the future. But the future shrinks:how will our great-grandchildren turn out, what will happen with global warming? We'll never know. One of these springs, and then for many more springs, the wild rhododendrons by the chimney will bloom and I won't see them. It's annoying. The past, though, expands, and what we've already done improves the view. It lifts us up a bit higher every year. Great granite building blocks under us, all those people and places, summers and winters, everything we've learned and the songs we remember, all solid to climb up and stand on for a grand view of our world. Our personal, hand-made world.
All happy people have self-protective memories, but if we'd rather be miserable, we can choose to haul along with us the tears and betrayals, missed chances, and lost loves. We can remember not the happy trip to Mexico with a friend and the margaritas we drank, but only that the friend is now dead and the margaritas now give us heartburn.We can do what we like with our past. It's ours, and we've earned it. We can stand on top of it, taller than most, and admire our view.

SPRUCING UP AN OLD THING--AND I DON'T MEAN ME!

2007-08-06T18:12:00.000-04:00

This is an old black fleece vest that I needle felted a quick design on. I figured if I goofed up the vest it would be no great loss as the darned thing is getting nubby and picks up everything but men !!!! Trust me.....at my age.....that's not a problem.
I teach embellishing classes for beginners on needle felting and like to show them what's possible and within their reach with just a bit of yarn and roving.

"COMING HOME"-WALL ART QUILT

2007-07-15T11:08:00.000-04:00

I've just finished this piece. I call it "Coming Home" and it will be my entry in my art group's showing in mid August. It's not complex or fancy, nor is it abstract. I like my pieces to tell a story. Coming home can mean many things to many people. The gulls come home in the evening, children seeking comfort or aid come home to their parents, we all end up coming home in the end (where ever home is for us).

So....anyway....this is it.....like my sister says, "kiss it up to God and send it out".

I tried to make the center glow out beyond the confines of the picture and into the border.

It measures 15x17".

This is all done with un altered fabric. The background fabric in the picture is hand dyed, but not by me. It was the inspiration for the piece.

Another Padfolio done on the Baby Lock embellisher

2007-06-29T14:30:00.001-04:00

The cover for this padfolio was a "no sew" piece that was done on my Baby Lock embellisher. I used canvas as a base and co-ordinating fabric for the cut pieces and just punched the devil out of them so they'd hold tight to the canvas! So easy !

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the new DIVA cord maker

2007-06-21T22:15:00.000-04:00

I've purchased the Diva cord maker from Joggles and here's my first cord. It's much prettier in real life. It's laying on some coffee stained fabric.
It was made on the medium size "maker" and used 3 yds. each of seven different yarns.
See them on the left side of the photo.
I'm totally hooked. It's addictive. I'll make a skinny cord next. You can even add beads.....I haven't reached that level of patience yet.

MY WINDOW BOX

2007-05-27T20:46:00.000-04:00

I JUST FINISHED WORKING ON THIS PROJECT THAT I STARTED IN A CLASS LAST YEAR.
THE CLASS DESIGN CALLED FOR FLOWERS IN A WINDOWBOX, AND I WENT A BIT NUTS AND ADDED THE TALL LEAVES AND ALL THE BUGS AND MADE THE FLOWERS OVER FLOW THE BOX. I ALSO THREAD PAINTED EVERTHING WITH NEON THREAD FOR AN EXTRA "PUNCH". IT FEELS GOOD TO COMPLETE A PROJECT. I SHOULD DO IT MORE OFTEN !

FELTED FLOWERS ON SCARVES

2007-05-24T10:44:00.000-04:00

I've been playing with my Baby Lock Embellisher more and more. This time I took a strip of 100% wool and using yarn, I free hand embellished flowers on the ends of the scarf, then loosely outlined them in free motion stitches, finally doing a decorative cut out and adding beads.

I included the backside photo to show the "water color" look that's on the reverse side.

The wool used for the scarf is smooth and soft and light weight.

ANGELINA EXPERIMENT CLOSE UP

2007-05-13T09:04:00.000-04:00

Oh dear.....this posting is backwards.....but I decided that the first picture I took of my Angelina Fiber experiment (the picture you see below this one) didn't show much detail and I wanted to correct it. I should really think these things through before publishing them.
I applied rows of machine stitching to the surface in 4 patterns, and 4 colors.

ANGELINA EXPERIMENT

2007-05-13T08:52:00.000-04:00

Last night I was playing with a sheet of Angelina that I had made earlier.

I was lucky enough to record a show with Christopher Nieman (the pillow/purse guy) and he used this method on a decorative pillow. I'm not "into" decorative pillows all over the place, so don't know what I'll do with this piece.......another padfolio perhaps?

DRAGONFLY PADFOLIO

2007-05-13T08:45:00.000-04:00

I just finished this dragonfly padfolio. I'll use it as a class sample and eventually keep it for myself

Orange shoulder purse

2007-05-04T22:34:00.000-04:00

This purse is felted wool, fully lined, zipper top and embellished with yarn, beads and a machine sewn cord.
I love doing these bags and embellishing them all in different ways so that they are all individual.
I hope to sell them locally.

Black polka dot bucket bag

2007-05-04T22:31:00.000-04:00

This bucket bag is made of felted wool and embellished by me with wool roving.

A FELTED BAG

2007-04-28T12:18:00.000-04:00

I just finished this bag. It's made entirely of kunin felt, with the exception of the handles and lining.

The design is a pattern that mimics a Clarice Cliff pottery design. I put 3 pockets, a car key clip and a magnetic snap.

I felted it on my Baby Lock embellisher.

One thing I learned from this was that cheap felt doesn't needle felt very well. If you want to tackle a project like this, you need good quality felt.

ANOTHER PADFOLIO

2007-04-28T07:12:00.000-04:00

I love these PADFOLIOS.

Sue B. http://suebleiweiss.typepad.com/ was kind enough to share her pattern with those in her fiber art group and having made 3, I'm hooked.

Sue B. also teaches some very creative classes on www.Joggles.com

I made the button with paper clay and braided ribbon and yarn for the tie. I also attached 3 "inchies" that I made to the ends of the ribbon.

The fabric for this is a leaf print, embellished with metallic thread painting and covered with a sparkle black tulle.

A very impressive way to take notes at a meeting. It contains a 5x7" small legal pad.

MORE ANGELINA FIBER

2007-04-28T07:05:00.000-04:00

This is a bowl I made, using 2 colors of Angelina.

When I first saw this fiber I thought "how pretty....but what can it be used for?"

I'm finding out now ! The more I play, the more I see how much it adds to fiber art.

The fish on my wall hanging (shown in a previous photo) are made using Angelina.

ANGELINA SAMPLES & PADFOLIO

2007-04-28T06:54:00.000-04:00

I recently made some samples of fabric, using Angelina fibers in various different combinations.

The flowered item on the right is called a padfolio. It contains a 5x7 pad when opened. The flower head applique was purchased, and the flower center face was made by me. The leaves are all combinations of colors of Angelina.

Another phase beginning

2007-04-25T21:16:00.000-04:00

You know, I just begin to think....well, this is it....I'm busy, I'm happy what more is there for me to do.
I left the after school program and miss my kids, but was getting way too many colds for an old
patoot.....and was proceeding on, taking lessons at the local quilt shop....learning more about fiber art and surface embellishment....trying to figure whether to list on Ebay or give Etsy a chance, when out of the blue, I was asked if I would be interested in teaching some classes at my local quilt shop!
I almost fell over.....but decided I'd give it a try. I'll be holding classes in making fabric postcards, needle felting by hand and machine and some other special techniques "mini classes". So....another phase begins. A fun phase for me, and hopefully for my students.
The programs are just getting started and I hope that they will be successful.
Later this summer, a new branch will open and I hope to teach there as well.
Now, every day is busy and creative and just flies by!....(which, as my age isn't the best thing...the flying by part, that is ).
I belong to several creative on line groups with members younger than my own children and admire that they are handling jobs, families, parents and still are able to set a small amount of time aside to be creative and clever. Maybe that's what keeps them going.
Nope, no complaints from this old broad.

My CREATIVITY MANDALA

2007-04-19T20:20:00.000-04:00

I have recently joined an on line group who has chosen "the Artists Muse" book by Betsy Dillard Stroud, to discuss and work on assignments together. The first challenge is for us to create our own mandala. Well, I'm gonna tell you, I had no idea what a mandala was.....so I googled it and got some sort of an idea as to what it was all about.

We could make our mandala using any medium we chose and I chose fabric. Now---the subject---another tricky one.

After the recent horrific events at VTech. I thought of gun control....man's inhumanity to man....peace....ethnic cleansing. JUST TOO MUCH TO CONTEMPLATE .

Luckily I found some fabric in my stash that represented what I wanted to portray, which was to describe my own CREATIVITY.

The back ground piece represents the swirl of imagination and ideas that constantly run through my mind. Wanting to try new things....learn new things....be artistic and develop my skills. Where do I start? What do I choose to do next?

The larger circle is a kaleidoscope, where individual ideas are beginning to form as I slowly turn them in my mind till they begin to confirm their own identity.

The center circle is where these ideas finally end in a cohesive design that's ready to express itself through the artist.

This proved to be an interesting challenge and I look forward to seeing all the other mandalas that the group members come up with.

I'll finish quilting this piece and hang it in my studio as a reminder that eventually all of the ideas that want to be born will eventualy happen if I let them grow.

Bathing beauty sewing kit

2007-04-14T12:09:00.000-04:00

Here's a sewing kit I made for our "baby" sister, who is now living in Florida with her husband and livin' La Vida Loca......and....who also happens to be a red-head. The scissors stores in the toilet tank and the needle holder is under the bath towel, with a pocket behind the sink for odds and ends.

This is an Elinore Peace Bailey pattern......just couldn't resist making it ! :-)

A different style post card

2007-04-14T11:59:00.000-04:00

This card was the result of a "sketch to stitch" challenge. It's made of several materials, including metal mesh and sewn on to a pretty buff faux suede cloth.

Belonging to a postcard swap group allows you to explore all different techniques and apply them to 4"x6" pieces of art that go out in the mail.

A felted fiber postcard

2007-04-14T11:44:00.000-04:00

Here's a postcard I made of hand felted wool with a hand needle felted spring lamb.
This card would never make it through the mail, as the lamb well exceeds the 1/8-1/4" card width limit.

A New Job

2007-04-13T08:21:00.000-04:00

I've recently been asked if I'd like to teach needle felting, by hand and machine as well as some surface embellishment and postcard classes, at my local quilt shop. Since they will be opening another branch in a couple of months, I'll be teaching at the two shops.
I'm thrilled to have been asked and am now planning the dates of classes and preparing samples to show at both shops.
I love the Baby Lock embellisher and need to devote some time to making some awesome samples that will bring in the students and hopefully encourage them to purchase an embellisher for themselves.
I hope to catch up with my blog and add some photos of what I'll be doing with the embellisher.

The final, finished wall hanging art quilt

2006-09-27T19:44:00.000-04:00

Here's the final piece....with a blue border taking the place of the green.
Now....what the heck to do with it.!
Looks like I'll have a show and tell for a few quilt classes.

Wall hanging, part 3

2006-09-27T19:39:00.000-04:00

Part 3...I added a piece of netting over the whole thing....then the border pieces and finally attached strings of "seaweed" on the outside....made of various yarns, ribbons, beads and hand made fabric beads. I wasn't happy with the green border, however.

Step 2 of the quilt

2006-09-27T19:31:00.000-04:00

This is step 2 of the fish wall hanging...
The bright colors on the fish bodies are all
pieces of fused Angelina fiber.

The initial idea is started

2006-09-27T19:27:00.000-04:00

This is the beginning of a wall hanging that I made. At the time, I didn't know quite where I was going.

SANTA FE SUNSET

2006-09-18T12:51:00.000-04:00

THIS IS A PROJECT THAT I CREATED WHILE ON AN ART QUILT RETREAT IN MAY. I FINALLY GOT IT OUT AND FINISHED THE BORDERS, PUT A SLEEVE ON THE BACK AND IT'S NOW A WALL HANGING.
I LOVE TYING UP LOOSE ENDS. NOTE: After finishing this, I donated it to an Earth Day Auction, benefitting GREENPEACE. My postcard swap group, SURFACE DESIGN, donated 23 items to the auction and raised almost $800. I miss the piece, but the cause was good.

BACK TO DOLL CLOTHES AFTER A FEW DECADES

2006-09-18T12:38:00.000-04:00

My sister Jean has been kind enough to "lend" me her little 5 year old grand daughter to end my frustration about wanting to sew a doll outfit, but having no little girls to make one for. The last time I sewed it was for my daughter, who is now 42, and it was Barbie ponchos and bell bottom pants!

So--- I picked up some lovely faux suede, faux leopard print and faux fur and the pattern for the American Girl doll and proceeded to cut and sew and follow a pattern that was sadly lacking in it's instructions.

I can only credit Ms. Schuller for her sewing classes that I took in school, never realizing all she taught me over a 4 year period.

I truly enjoyed making it.....for all of its fuss and feathers and will probably make more-----someday----and sell them on ebay for next to nothing, because that's all the ebay buyers of hand made things want to pay.

For now, my craving is satiated.

THE UNIVERSE ON A POST CARD

2006-09-01T00:29:00.000-04:00

I saw a program
on the science channel.
Scientists talking about
the string theory of the
universe.
I don't pretend
to begin to know what
they were talking about but the idea was fascinating.
This 4x6" postcard is my interpretation of the universe and the string theory.

Crabapple Hill hooked rug

2006-09-01T00:22:00.000-04:00

I occasionally like to try my hand at hooking rugs.
I've hooked rugs using wool yarn and wool strips.
This particular primitive was made with wool strips. It's called Crabapple Hill.

I'M GETTING BRAVER!

2006-07-11T18:17:00.000-04:00

I just joined a postcard swap group named Surface Design...and oh boy, have they stirred up my creative genes (whatever is left in me).
Challenges have been thrown out there that I had to try. The first being to create a card that showed a mythical creature. I chose the Phoenix...thinking of 9-11 in part and of other things in my life...
The second challenge was to create a card in monotones....I settled on a mystery planet where everything was green, and the sea was inhabited by creatures...

A PATRIOTIC POST CARD

2006-06-19T18:23:00.000-04:00

This will be my postcard for my FabriCardArt swap group. I'll mail them in time for arrival on the 4th of July. The 3 stars represent the fact that this will be the
third swap of our little group.
It's paper pieced, using Robert Kaufman fabric that I just fell in love with. I had every intention of going in a totally different direction with my card...but once I purchased those 5 fabrics I just had to use them in something.
I've lived in enough foreign countries to have formed the opinion that whatever complaints there may be about our country, there is no better place to live.
Bless the young men and women who are putting their lives on the line to protect her.

BEING 70

2006-06-13T12:22:00.000-04:00

The following are exerpts taken from an article written by author Barbara Holland, author of "When all the World was Young" (Bloomsbury, 2005). It has put into words better than my own, my own feelings and musings.

"My 70th birthday didn't feel as breezy as my 60th, not half as cocky and capable. Face it, 70 is old. For a woman, the only plus side is that we can stop worrying about how we look: we look old, and suddenly there's not much use spending time, money and energy on our looks. Just try to make sure our clothes are buttoned and zipped and our hair is combed before we go out. Forget all those creams and colorings. It's a relief, in way.
We accept limits. Limits are always nasty, but we hold our noses and swallow them anyway. Meeting challenges is said to be good for us, but how often must we meet the same challenges, overcome the same obstacles? How often do we have to climb Everest? Is it time to look for someplace easier to live? Admit limits?
All of us, waking up in the morning, forget for a moment where we are and decide to paint the living room ceiling or go pony trekking in Iceland. By the time we've brushed our teeth we remember that we'll have to be content with ceilings already painted and treks already taken.
They make good musing. I know we aren't supposed to dawdle around in the past, they tell us it's healthier to live for the moment, to look to the future. But the future shrinks:how will our great-grandchildren turn out, what will happen with global warming? We'll never know. One of these springs, and then for many more springs, the wild rhododendrons by the chimney will bloom and I won't see them. (In my case, it's the lilac bushes outside my studio window.)
It's annoying.
The past, though, expands, and what we've already done improves the view. It lifts us up a bit higher every year. Great granite building blocks under us, all those people and places, summers and winters, everything we've learned and the songs we remember, all solid to climb up and stand on for a grand view of our world. Our personal, hand-made world. All happy people have self-protective memories, but if we'd rather be miserable, we can choose to haul along with us the tears and betrayals, missed chances, and lost loves. We can remember not the happy trip to Mexico with a friend and the margaritas we drank, but only that the friend is now dead and the margaritas now give us heartburn.
We can do what we like with our past. It's ours, and we've earned it. We can stand on top of it, taller than most, and admire our view."

Hello out there to women of all ages. I hope you are as happy as I am when you reach this part of your life.
Phyllis

A FAVORITE BLOG

2006-05-23T10:35:00.000-04:00

http://www.fabricaffair.blogspot.com/

My journal cover

2006-05-23T09:57:00.000-04:00

I just completed making my journal cover, complete with a mojo doll. She's there to encourage me to use my new journal for sketches, notes and all things of interest to me. It's the result of my weekend retreat with my most favorite and talented fabric art teacher and a beading class.

ANOTHER RETREAT PROJECT

2006-05-18T12:17:00.000-04:00

One of the lovely, creative women I met on my retreat suggested that I post a picture of this project, that I made. It was a kind of "pull it out of the air" idea. I really enjoyed watching it develop over the day.
Thanks Linda.....are you gonna post your creations?

MY BEADED MOJO

2006-05-18T12:05:00.000-04:00

I just finished making this mojo good luck doll. The latest in my learning endevors
from my weekend retreat. I find that when I'm taught something in class, I have to take the idea home and chew on it for a while before I can "spit it out" into a finished project. That's why I love classes...I learn the technique....ponder over the ideas presented, then try to do my own take on it.
So--take classes in whatever interests you, my friends. You'll be paid back many times over.

STORY TELLING WITH FABRIC

2006-05-13T21:09:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of attending a weekend seminar at The Hermitage in Three Rivers, Michigan...about 76 miles south of Grand Rapids.
There I learned to kick start my creativity in fabric art with the assistance of 2 wonderful facilitators and 8 other Quilters.
Fabric art is not like quilting as you might think of it.
I could never call myself a traditional quilter....I guess because I'm not good at following hard and fast rules and patterns, and I'm a bit sloppy when it comes to finishing the work. I admire all the beautiful quilts I've seen and the people that create them. Anyway, I'm not even close to "showing off" any work I've done...in fact I'm just scratching the surface of all that fabric art has to offer.
I'm reading books and taking classes and trying to figure out where this new art form is going to take me. It's like starting with a fresh clean page and whatever I want to put on it will be all mine.

My opinion and I'm entitled to it !

2006-03-22T21:57:00.000-05:00

FiberCardArt

2006-03-12T19:32:00.000-05:00

Here are some fiber art cards I sent out to my swap group of 25. I decided to do a Lake Michigan theme since this is where I live and thought that it would be a good way to greet the new members. We hope to have a second swap, starting in April.
It's a wonderful way to be creative in a small space, and to share that with others with the same interest.

One of my favorite blogs

2006-02-21T21:24:00.000-05:00

http://julaine.blogspot.com/
This is one cool fiber artist and teacher. I found this blog purely by coincidence, and it's fascinating.

HERE'S THE LATEST FABRIC ART POSTCARDS

2006-01-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

I JOINED A SWAP GROUP OF 25 FABRIC ARTISTS AND WE ARE CREATING WHAT WE CALL FABRICARDART.
We are creating our own postcards that we send through the mail to the other members of the swap. They have to be hand cancelled and go through the mail without a protective envelope....just like a postcard is sent. We have fabric artists from all over America and even England and Denmark!. We've been given 3 months to create and send our cards, with whatever theme we wished.
Since I'm from Michigan, the "Great Lakes State"....my cards are all scenic lake landscapes, representing the many moods of Lake Michigan. Doing this kind of miniature fabric art is really a good practice in creativity. I find that one idea leads to another, etc. and am already looking forward to my next swap.
The people participating in the swap are friendly and helpful and encouraging. What more could one ask for?
My sister and I are in the same swap and are always exchanging ideas and techniques.
So...here they are..some of my post cards. They were fun to make and they challenged my creativity.......and that's
A GOOD THING.

FABRICARDART

2006-01-20T20:13:00.000-05:00

Were times simpler...or were we too naive?

2005-12-16T11:44:00.000-05:00

I often find myself thinking "what did I do to keep busy before T.V.?"
As the eldest of 3 sisters, I was 14 when we received our first T.V. What a thrill ! Included in this wonderful cabinet was a radio and record player that played all my 45's and 78's. No more hoping for an invitation to my friends house to watch "Uncle Miltie". But what did I do before that Motorola entered our home? hmmmmmmm....
I never remember saying the dreaded 2 words I hear all the time from little ones...."I'm BORED"....horror of horrors ---- bored!!! Oh my God..that must mean you're a bad parent!!!
I remember riding my bike to my friends..."be back when the street lights come on" Wow!!! how did we get around on a no speed no hand brakes bike.. I could take that whole bike apart and put it back together by the time I grew out of riding it.
I found the whole Wizard of Oz series at my Grandmother's house and spent one summer vacation reading them all....sometimes sitting on the porch...sometimes sitting in a tree....but enjoying the whole series.
I remember sitting on that same porch in the glider and making a list of every word I could find in the letters of a long word that Mom gave us.
Best of all, I remember NO HOMEWORK through the first 5 or 6 grades....all books were left at school. I got all A's and B's. Hmmmmm...
Those of you that are younger and happen to read this are saying "yada-yada-yada"...I know, but this is MY blog and I can say what I wish.
Life certainly wasn't perfect.....but it certainly wasn't "BORING".

More "Stuff" I love to do

2005-12-15T09:47:00.000-05:00

I love trying new things and going in new directions. I find it difficult to find one thing and stick just to that. Admittedly, sticking to one thing would give me the opportunity to fine tune the technique......but that's no fun. The thing I love doing best is talking to my Sister Jean in New Hampshire and discussing our latest venture......oh yes, we are birds of a feather when it comes to learning new things. Jean got me into ebay so that we have an outlet for all the goodies we enjoy making.
There are still people out there that love unique, hand crafted items and all the hours that have been devoted to them. They are the same folks, I think, that frequent their local gift shops and look for things that aren't mass produced.
Thanks to all of you that do that !!! So many of the arts have been compromised because of skimpy school budgets. I live in a state that used the support of schools to get a lottery voted in and after several years of all these so called lottery contributions, the schools are worse off than they were before. Oh dear, I'm up on that soap box again....... sorry.
Our latest venture into another medium is the creation of 24 fiber post cards that we will create and mail to a list of people that has been generated on the internet. Some of the members live in foreign countries. I'll put pictures of them in my next posting.

Things I love to do

2005-11-27T15:38:00.000-05:00

Here's an example of something I love doing. It's called dry needle felting, which is sculpting with wool roving and a barbed needle.

Senior Moments

2005-11-26T22:35:00.002-05:00

Hmmm.....blogs....what can they be used for?.....why would I want one?...what can I possibly write that would be of interest to anyone but my family?
Well, guess I'll find out.
I finally was able to retire in January of this year. I'm still enjoying every morning that I don't have to hear that cock-a-doody alarm clock!
It didn't take long before I discovered that Social Security will never make you rich...so I took on a little part time job as an assistant care giver in an after school program. I had forgotten all the energy that's bottled up in those little ones and have learned a new respect for the teachers (although I've always been a big fan of them). When that final bell rings and the doors fly open and the kids spill out into the play yard (weather permitting) I wish that I could bottle up all that energy and sell it as a new source of power! I love the little cutey patooties and all their stories, excuses and tricks. I love helping with their homework, or an art project or just reading to them, using my "voices".
I'm into all things creative and am always seeking out new art techniques. I try to take classes in whatever is around that's appealing and love the process of learning. It's fun to pick and choose what I want and what I love and what interests me! Sounds selfish, huh?....well, I've had my card punched....worked hard supplimenting the family income with grunt jobs and raising 3 wonderful smart, generous children while traipsing all over the world with a military career husband.
So, this time is my time....grandchildren grown, and not needing care....decent health still mine, and most of all curiosity about so many different subjects.
So, those of you out there that are getting close to retirement.....don't be afraid!!! There's a lot of living to do out there. Lots of things to keep you busy and your mind active. Don't dread the down time, enjoy it.
Now to figure out how to add more to this blog......