Side by Side (Weekend Reads)

With March Break in full swing here I've been looking for creative ways to spend time with the girls. I've also been looking for a way to prioritize my time with them, while still fulfilling my creative needs. I was hoping that this book would provide a bit of inspiration.

Side by Side from Tsia Carson is not your typical craft book. She pitches it as projects that you can do with your resident crafter. Not so much about setting them up or doing all the dirty work for them. That's the goal.

To be honest, I'm not sure she really succeeded in that. There are definitely projects that work very well when parent and kid work as a team. And some that show great parallel activities so that both get something interesting and appropriate for the skill level. But it didn't really read any different than most craft books to me, other than some language about working with your kidlets.

And the projects? Well, many are things I've seen before - with some notable exceptions. I'm trying to convince my husband to do some guerilla gardening in the park across the street for the Living Willow Tree Teepee. And my kids loved the Giant Newspaper Snowflake. But pom poms, making stuffies from your kids drawings, and hand sewn pillows I've seen many times over.

My other issue with the book is the inconsistency in project instructions. In some cases they are so basic. And that's fine, if you know what you are doing. In others they are nicely detailed. It reads like a reflection of the author's own skills. If she knew how to do it, she assumed others did. If she had to research and figure it out, she spelled it out for readers. There is, however, a detailed technical section at the back of the book for the skills needed for the projects, like crochet stitches. It's pretty handy.

Carson's website is Supernaturale. I love the site for tidbits of inspiration and ideas. The book,  I suppose, is the same. Tidbits that are good for picking.

I do think this is a good addition to my library, despite my criticisms. It serves as a good reminder to be with and work with my kids a bit more. And I'm positive that once the kids devour it I will be pulling out pom pom makers and fabric paint and staplers to craft with them, at their insistence, not mine.

Just Sit Down

There are times in life when we need to push ourselves, when the teacher becomes a student, when the one who can't top talking needs to shut up and sew. This pillow serves a reminder to me to do all of that.

After my two days of teaching at QuiltCon I had the pleasure to take some classes. The pillow is the end result of my class with Yoshiko Jinjenzi. I jumped at the chance to take a class with her, even though I wasn't thrilled about making a pillow with sheer fabric. Whatever, it was Yoshiko Jinjenzi.

Turns out we were making a project from her book, Quilting Line and Color. I have the book, I constantly pull it out and drool, but I've never been inclined to make anything. The instructions seem fussy and overly complex. Well, this pillow was actually dead easy to make. We had a total of 5 minutes of instruction from Yoshiko and then we set to making.

As our first step we got to go and dig through scraps to create our own bits and bobs to highlight on the pillow. Every single person in the class had to resist the urge to squirrel away extra fabric. We were cutting little bits so it was quite fun to think about this fabrics on a very small scale.

After we picked our fabric, cut them to whatever size and shape we wanted, and laid them out on this gold fabric she provided we layered it with a sheer gauze. Some basting stitches to hold everything in place then we set to quilting the heck out of that sandwich.

That is, when we weren't crowded around her fondling the quilts she shared. It was half pillow class, half trunk show. But it was when she was showing her quilts that you saw the potential of this layering technique. Something I was quite easily dismissing at the beginning of the class suddenly provided inspiration. Of course, the intricacy of her work and the extreme attention to finishing details might have also had something to do with it.

In the end, I did get my pillow almost done. Despite the distractions of the quilts and my neighbours Marianne and Leanne and my SIL (way to represent Alberta in Austin!) All but the actually turning it into a pillow. Just as soon as I could I turned it into a finished project, minus the tassels. I knew that if I let it sit it would never get done.

This pillow is so far removed from anything I would normally make, from something I would likely every make again. Gold? Sheer? A Pillow? But it serves as a good reminder for me to just shut and sew sometimes. And for that reason it will keep a place of honour in my heart, if not my room.

Friday Favourites: Kate Inglis

There was a day, a few years ago that I came across this beautiful blog. Full of honesty and light and pain and creativity. Captivation at first blush. Fast forward a few years later and that loverly lady is in my house, threatening to steal my baby and chasing my girls with screams of zombie underpants. And I was totally okay with that because she was also taking pictures for my book. Ethereal and beautiful pictures of the projects, of kids, of my family. I can forgive almost anything for her beauty.

Kate Inglis is a writer, photographer, Mama, teacher, and more. She is a quiet, reflective soul who has a different set of eyes in her head for seeing the world. We love her first novel, The Dread Crew, in this house. I love her boys and all their energy. When we get together we can get lost in tangents about whiners who claim they have no inspiration to creative expression to Lego to old windows. Then there is the work.

I was, and still am, blown away by the work done for A Month of Sundays. Seriously folks, the photos are incredible. For a sneak peek head over to her blog.

The 5 days Kate and I spent together photographing the book were INTENSE. In between downloads and nursing sessions and breaks for cookies and lunch that my Mom made us we lived those projects. We drank wine at the the end of the day to just take a moment to breathe. Kate made friends with all my friends. I don't think I could convince her to leave her lovely home on the East Coast, but I'm thankful that she has family here and a potential excuse to visit beyond me kidnapping her.

Creative Thursday (Weekend Reads)

A book with with pretty and cute, as well as some gentle kicks in the butt and encouragement for living a creative life. A short and sweet summary of Creative Thursday: Everyday Inspiration to Grow Your Creative Practice by Marisa Anne.

It's no secret that I've been a big fan of Marisa's for years. I've taken her on-line classes, participated in a creative community she led, and even created works inspired by her own. She's also been a big supporter of mine, sending me fabric treats and lovely prints when I order other ones. I'll be honest, I'm surprised I like her work so much. I don't generally go for cute and sweet, it just isn't my thing. But Marisa, and her work, radiate happiness. Positivity isn't something I instinctively grasp, but it is impossible not to smile when you see her work. I imagine it is the same thing when you meet her in person.

This is gushing, I realize that. but I do have to give Marisa credit for reminding me that happiness is sometimes a choice. It really is and choosing happiness makes a world of difference in getting through life.

Marisa's book is also about choosing creativity, about the active decision to live with creativity as a daily part of your day. Personally, this isn't a problem for me these days. I know that I thrive when I get the chance to write, sew, doodle, play with fabric, colour, and daydream. But it took me a long time to realize that I needed it as much as I did, longer yet to make the time for it. For people just beginning that journey Marisa walks them through it. No, she walks beside you, as if she's got a lollipop in hand and having the conversation right with you. All the way from intentions, resistance, to habit formation.

For people like me who feel very comfortable in their creative existence the book is still full of ideas for enhancing your practice as well as good notes on the doubts and conflicts we come across. The discussions about resistance we create and face, as well as the ever present comparison and competition issues are great. For me they are great starts to a discussion I know I could dig into with many a colleague and friend.

My biggest complaint about the book is her publisher's insistence on putting their website on nearly page. It's rather distracting.

This is Marisa's book, so the artwork is all hers and it truly is a reflection of her creativity practice. Don't expect a more general outlook on creativity. If you aren't already a fan of her work, you will be. It's hard not to get captured by her energy.

Note: I purchased this book myself.