Bits and Pieces Full of Smiles and Memories

 For the past two weeks, Day of the Dead skeletons dancing and celebrating, along with a rainbow of vibrant colors has been living on my design table and in my heart. The quilt I just finished was special for lots of reasons, but mostly, because the customer had a dream of a quilt and had been collecting fabrics for years waiting for the perfect moment for it to come to life.  So, I've cut, stitched and created a beautiful quilt out of them that I hope she enjoys and comes to treasure. I know for me personally,  each block was special and each section completed made a memory for me to cherish.  I hope that as the new owner opens her quilt and as she begins to look over it her memories return of finding each fabric and she begins to smile and fall in love with her own blocks and sections of the quilt and then finally the whole quilt. 

So, for now it's time to put all the fabric away folded and sorted.  I see a bit here and a bit there as I zip up the clear bag and a smile comes across my face as I dream of skeletons dancing on my design table again.  

Hearts

Have you ever gotten a heart?  You know that big red round beautiful heart that says I love you?  It might have been just this past Valentines or maybe you remember when you were a kid and you got a whole envelope of them from all your friends on Valentines day.  Maybe you've gotten one on an anniversary from your lover or mate, no matter how or when, you love um.  You can't help but love um.  They make you smile and feel warm and fuzzy.  Well, on Etsy you can get hearts too.  It's amazing to come home from an afternoon of fighting traffic, because I was driving a car and not riding my bike, and everywhere you want to go there is construction of some sort and it just about made you go crazy.  Then, you come home, check your email or your Etsy account and find you have a heart or two from someone you've never even met.  They love you quilt or your sewphie or maybe they love the whole shop, zowie... what a rush.  Ask anyone who has an Etsy shop and they will say the same, or they are lying.  It's an incredible part of being in business for yourself to see people who love what you do.. and they get to tell you by checking the favorite button which sends the shop a heart.  how many jobs have you ever had that gave you hearts on a daily basis?  Yea, I thought so.  Well this is the best job ever and I recommend it to all my friends... So, to all who have taken the time to check out my shop and send me a heart, thank you from the bottom of mine.

What Do I Think

Recently I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I want for Mama Jean's Kind Threads.  I cut fabric and I think about it, I sew and I think about it.  People ask what's new or how is it going, and I think about it.  I realized today, I want to just dream more about it.  I need to dream the future I want to see and stop thinking.  Thinking has never really been my strong suit.  Feeling, got that one in the bag. I love the feeling that something wonderful is going to happen and that I am on the right path, feeling this was the direction my life was taking long before I knew I was traveling on the road even.  Feeling confident in my abilities to create beautiful things for people that they will love and adore and feel the magic that's been spun in the threads that hold it together.  To feel like magic is back in my life.  That those whispers in my heart will sing out for all to here and I will feel successful.  To feel that at the end of the day, I have done all I can towards creating a bright and happy future for myself and for those I love.  To feel I am listening to my dreams and allowing them to fill my life with their magic.  So, today, I think I will feel. 

Mama Jean's Threaded Words: Organic Quilting

Mama Jean's Threaded Words: Organic Quilting: " The process I love most in creating quilts, is what I have come to call, organic quilting. No, it doesn't mean that I ..."

Organic Quilting

  The process I love most in creating quilts, is what I have come to call, organic quilting.  No, it doesn't mean that I have gone over the deep end.  Some may question that but it means I love to start with an idea; we'll call that the garden plots.  Now I need to make sure that everything is ready toil and I till over ideas in my head I see colors playing with each other, are they playing nice or should I save some for next time.  Then, I usually have a theme or color to start with; Day of the Dead on of my favorites is my current organic quilt.  I have beautiful seeds, pieces of fabrics all reflecting images of skeletons dancing and celebrating, this will be a happy garden.  Then I collect other seeds to work with, fabrics of colors to compliment the original fabrics I started with.  The garden bed is ready to begin, but where to start.  Some grow from top the to the bottom, others grow visa versa.  My latest, started in the middle and worked its' way outward.   
I love to take a block I have created from fussy cutting out images from the original fabrics and begin to build around it.  

 Strips, blocks prints all start to find their way around each block and the blocks start to come together, then I start to frame groups and before I know it, the top of a quilt is laying on the bed finished.  I revel in its colors and beauty and that one area that catches my eye for a moment and I linger remembering the steps to create.  The times I took it apart because the colors weren't right or the strips around it were too big or small. Then my eye finds another and another.  It's such a part of me at that moment, I have spent hours creating and designing and with those hours have thought of the new owner of the quilt through out, sending good wishes and blessings for happiness and joy in their life.  That maybe the magic that is woven through out the blocks and is found hiding in the stitches that weave all around would spill into their world. That maybe when they look at this quilt they smile and are happy and that they feel the love and good wishes all around them.  What more could a gardener want than for others to revel in their garden?

 

To Treasure

In Etsy, you can create treasuries of things that you love, like or think of as just a bit off the plum as they might say.  It's a fun way to sort through the thousands of beautiful handmade items created all over the world.  They make you feel more, see more and dream more.  You can get lost in the beauty of one artist for hours or laugh out loud when you fall into a shop of whimsy.  It inspires you to strive a bit more for the work that lives just beneath the surface of what you knew or thought you knew.  It can inspires you to continue, or it can coaxes you out of the little slump you might have found yourself in one afternoon when the rain kept falling,  just outside your window.  But to treasure ah, this is the quest, to treasure those who love you and care about who you really are, to treasure the moments that fill each day with laughter and joy, and to treasure the opportunity to continue in your quest to create beauty in this world for yourself and others.  And to treasure the hearts of those, who will one day, on a whim, create a treasury of the most amazing, beautiful creative objects of art personified just for you to find.  Thank you Etsy for treasuries. 

Mama Jean's Threaded Words: Quilts Created From Magic

Mama Jean's Threaded Words: Quilts Created From Magic: "Starting a new project is always so exciting. To lay out the new fabrics and see them all start to play together on the table is amazi..."

Quilts Created From Magic

Starting a new project is always so exciting.  To lay out the new fabrics and see them all start to play together on the table is amazing.  But truth be told, the process started long before then.  I think it's the same for many creative hearts.  Some of us aren't the type that follow outlines and rules and have date books, in fact, I can't tell you how many calendars and organizers I've tried over the years and before you know it, I can't remember where it is or that I even owned it.  It's not that I'm un-organized it's just not recognized by most people, the creative style that I have and many of my friends that are artist have as well.  That's where I found a bit of piece about it, in the arms of others who create and also can't find their calendars or organizers and work to the deadline not the time line.  We all tend to work odd hours often late into the night, in fact I somethings think it's the most creative time for me. When the noises from the world have quieted down, and you can almost hear the whispering sounds the universe makes.  The hours between 2 and 6 are like magic.   As I've gotten older, I will admit that it's harder to find myself in those hours working away, but every now and then you might hear the hum of my sewing machine if you are listening to the whispers too.  So, to all who might not know the exact day it is or hour for that matter but has their heart buried into a project, I support you and will send you nothing but good vibes and some evening when it's late and your eyes are burning stop and take a breath and listen to the whispers. 

A Day of Rest

Daylight savings time always feels a bit out of sorts for me.  I know it's all an allusion but still losing that hour, where does it go?  I am trying to learn balance between working and resting.  Working from home it' s easy to pop on the computer and work on a needful project or check and see what's happening on your site but then your mind begins to think of other things you haven't finished or started and you start to get pulled into your studio and before you know it you've worked through the day and the evening takes over.  Now don't get me wrong, working for yourself there are plenty of nights your work but just the idea of giving yourself permission to rest and take a day off is tough.  I want to find the balance.  I want to feel it's ok to laze away a Sunday morning, so this morning even though I am writing I am going to put my computer down, walk away and spend the day with my daughter, strolling through an open market looking at treasures and having fun building memories with her,  Maybe I will see a treasure I must have for Mama Jean's but that will not be the reason I am there, the reason will be to enjoy the beauty I find in the smile of my daughters face.

Recreating

Recreating is to give back life not only to the object but also to the world, and working with recycled materials fills me with passion. Over the years I have collected fabrics from antique stores, estate sales, resale outlets to take the old and make into new is magic to me. Last year I discovered a group of artist working together to bring reclaimed and recycled products to people and became a member of Trillium Artisans. A dedicated organization that supporting local artist and reclaimed art.  I started by creating a creative project kit for kids using reclaimed fabrics and trims in hopes of inspiring a new generation of sewers.  Then I took my love of old used a vintage baby bootie pattern with Pendleton Wool blanket scraps and created felted baby booties.  My Sewphies were next.  An old pattern I loved and created with in the 70’s updated and brought to light again using reclaimed fabrics and stuffing to create adorable and unique Urban Chickens for everyone who loves to sew 

Recreating clothing is also magic.  I love to take bib overalls and make them into dresses ­reminiscent of the 70’s style of clothing.  They are strong durable and stylish to boot. One man’s scraps, is this woman’s treasures. 

Recreating can also happen to people.  After years of working in education, I find myself creating and designing from the heart daily.  I linger over a stack of fabric and dream of the possibilities.  Life is about creating and recreating. Such a delightful thought. Dreams really do come true.

Creating Dreams

To create something from a dream isn't easy.  It's amazing how much work it really takes.  You first have to have the courage to believe and then to begin to create you must find ways to navigate your fears and doubts and the lies you tell yourself before you can even begin to find a glimmer of a path.  Dreams don't just happen overnight, no pun intended,  they begin to become real when you first catch a peek at the possibility.  Creating Mama Jean's has been a dream brewing for several years.  A spark here, a spark there and I began to wonder if it was really possible.  Having someone who believes in my dream as much, or maybe even more than I have or could has been a gift and not one I  take for granted.  It's allowed me to take the time to reflect and begin the process of dreaming in the light of day.

So what do I want Mama Jeans Kind Threads to be?  Ah, that is the question.... I want it to be fun for me and for those who are in my life, it should be full of passion for what I am doing and reflect that passion as well.  It should be bright and colorful and full of life and love and joy.  So often we allow life to be less and I no longer want to live with less.  I want the people who purchase something from me to  enjoy it and sing it's praise because it brings them joy wearing it or owning it.  I want to be successful from a soul position and I want to be profitable as well.  I want to know that around town Mama Jean's Kind Threads can be found in small shops that support artist who are working to support their families and support a different life style.  For this to happen I must find my courage to approach the owners and present myself and the products that I create. 

Artist Worth

February 28, 2011

Whenever I receive a special request from a customer or potential customer I find myself getting a bit twitter patted as the old expression goes.  I want to make them happy,   I want to have fun and create.  I want to make enough money to cover expenses and make money to help live in this world . I want to build my self confidence to be able to trust in the work that I do and the craft that I create that people will want to pay what the item they are buying is worth because they know that it's made well and it's one of a kind.  I really like knowing that I create one of a kind items for people to own.  I suppose there is ease in creating 10 of the same thing and that you can stream line the work, but then it's not just yours.  Funny how important that is to me.  Wonder if I need to try and create a limited edition and then I could create a few of the same but know that it's one of only say 5 and that each is signed and numbered.  Can you sign and number quilts?  Seems a good question. 
I also found a place to create my own fabric and I am soooooo excited about the possibility of working with artist I have found on line that create amazing images that I love  I would take the image and use it to create fabric and them build custom quilts. Wow how cool would that be?  I shall continue to strive for the balance of all.

Posted by Jean Abbott.