Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

Category: creativity

bits of inspiration

flutter, hummingbird,
from flower to flower, give
what they need to bloom.

arthur sage!

This morning I whipped up the latest Arthur, Arthur Sage. He’s made from a finicky woven fabric; the weave is so loose that it likes to ravel like crazy! But I managed to hold him all together okay.

Then I taught another sewing lesson; my pupil made an adorable tote to use as a backpack next year. It came out really well, which was very encouraging for me as a first-time teacher. It’s hard to describe how nice it feels to share my favorite art form…. but it’s lots of fun.

And I’ve spent the last half hour or so “stumbling” around the web, and collecting bits of inspiration. have a taste!

cereal box books kool-aid dyed yarn really cute chair
cereal box books, kool aid dyed yarn, really cute chair

big kid shoes

to master an art
is one thing; to teach it well
takes much greater skill.

rick rack display (paris shop - montmartre)

Tomorrow I am teaching my first official sewing lesson! A cousin of the kids I’ve been watching this summer is potentially interested in fashion design, but obviously needs to have some sewing knowledge. She’s in seventh grade, which is in the perfect age range. I’m excited, and a bit nervous… sewing just pours right out of me, it’s a wordless communion between myself and my machine. I think explaining it all to someone else will be a delightful challenge.

I’ve been tidying up the house for a good portion of the day: unearthing the living room from the mess of yard sale + college shopping goodies, stripping tons of WIPs from the dining room table, and making sure my sewing table is clear. And, of course, when I can’t make any new messes, I get the urge to try all sorts of crazy projects.

But my Gocco is in my room on a little table, so it’s safe. I have to think of some things that would look nice and that I can draw (a rather large limitation), and hopefully soon I can start printing. I also have to research more on how to clean screens, etc… I’ve read that it’s best to print as many as you can in the first run because it can be hard to save the screens. With their large price tag that is growing larger as supply diminishes, I’m hoping I can hold on to them.

It’s a lovely Sunday: good songs at Church, one of which I knew the alto part to (so much fun!); a cloudy but nice day with some wind, and I saw a cardinal right outside my window! Hope you are having a lovely day as well!

it’s here! it’s here!

hello, hello, my
little gocco! so glad you
could make it to me!

label from japan!I was sure I’d have to wait out the weekend, convinced that little Gocco wouldn’t make it to me until at least Wednesday. I could draw this out a lot and create suspense… but my title’s already given it all away. It’s here!

I had a yard sale this morning (which was rather successful, but would have been more successful if I lived near more crafty-types) and, despite the 92-degree forecast, I wasn’t too badly off in the little pocket of shade I found in my front yard.

The mail came at 11, no packages. I wasn’t surprised. But I was surprised, ecstatically so, when a second mail truck showed up at quarter to 12 and the mailman walked up, asking me if I was Samantha. I said yes, and excitedly chatted with him as I signed various slips, exclaiming, “this came all the was from japan!”, to which he replied, “yep.” He wasn’t quite as excited as me. As if a Gocco’s a run-of-the-mill package… psh!

pretty box

So after dismantling the yard sale, cluttering up the living room, taking down signs all over the neighborhood, and generally hustling about, I opened my brand new lovely baby Gocco. I have not yet created anything amazing with it, but that will come soon, don’t worry!

After watching the (slightly goofy, I did laugh a few times… but I was also really tired) instructional video transposed from VHS into an MPEG, I took a nap, showered, and went to my roommate Hannah’s birthday party: a John Williams concert at Wolf Trap! I know, like there wasn’t enough excitement in my day.

all unpacked!

They played selections from many of his film scores, including Jaws and ET, and of course my favorites: Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones. They didn’t play my favorite John Williams music, Jurassic Park, which I think is my favorite movie score ever… but the rest made up for it. When they played the Indiana Jones theme, I can’t imagine what my face looked like… I was grinning like an idiot. It was just awesome. And there were all sorts of guys dressed up in costumes: lots of storm troopers, a TIE-Fighter pilot, Boba Fett, a Jawa… somebody even had an incredibly realistic, life-size R2-D2 remote control bot!

And, we had lawn seats. And it thundered, lightning’ed, and rained in some form for almost the entire thing. We were soaked, huddled under umbrellas, and having an amazing time.