sketchbooks

You guys were all so nice when I posted pictures of some of my sketches in a recent post, that I thought I'd give you a more in depth look into my sketchbooks. That, and I have nothing sewing related to show you as I'm waiting on the mail. You know how it goes...

Drawing in a sketchbook used to seriously stress me out.  I never used to feel like my sketchbooks were private (this is because they weren't, they were always looked at by professors and classmates, critiqued for content, or else I was being told to draw in them more...) My relationship with sketchbooks always felt rather forced. It wasn't until I gave my entire studio practice a rest that I started to realize that my sketchbook didn't have to be for anything. And it could be really really ugly, and that was okay. This was of course the sort of thing I was always told in school, but perhaps it never sank in because of the environment (or my own pride.)

Now my philosophy on sketchbooks are pretty relaxed. Sometimes my grocery list ends up in there. Sometimes my drawings end up in the notebook I use for work. I draw when I feel like it, and I don't even think about it if I don't feel like it. 

I occasionally make technical drawings, or drawings of clothing - sometimes copied from somewhere, sometimes just imagined. Usually if I'm working through a design in my head I'll make a few different sort of drawings, some with measurements or mini pattern pieces. And sometimes I just can't quite see a design clearly in my head and I need to draw it out. This is helpful for me when I'm deciding what pieces I want to make. Something can sound good - you put the right pieces together - but when you actually sketch it out you might see that the shape is all wrong... its like a pre-curser to making a muslin.

Some of these ideas are still in the running to be made, others have been nixed...Usually when I draw clothing it's more for a purpose than making a nice drawing - like walking through a design. I might make notes or include elements of color or things that might be inspiring me.  But sometimes I just want to draw for the sheer joy of it, and this is usually when I sit still for awhile and do some observational drawing. My husband and I are still drawing each other, and lately it seems all I want to do is draw my plants...

Do you guys feel like drawing is a useful tool for you in your sewing process? Do you find the prospect of drawing intimidating (I can relate)? Do any of you just draw for the heck of it? 

For the record, it's still hard for me to make a drawing and not judge it as "good" or "bad" - even the technical drawings.  But thats not what it's about.  Just a little reminder to myself...

xx

life lately

sometimes i get surprised by how sewing-centric my blog is. when i started it my intention was to have it be far more well rounded, however perhaps thats just an example of how sewing obsessed my thoughts are! its true that much of my free time is spent behind my sewing machines - or else on the internet devouring everyone else's sewing creations. but like everyone else, i have a life (sorta). so this post is dedicated to all those other little things that have been meaning so much to me lately.

the daily bread:

while i enjoy cooking a good meal, my heart really belongs to baking. recently i've started baking our bread for the week. i use this recipe which, while more time consuming than some bread recipes, yields two large, lofty loaves that have a great yeasty flavor and a nice chewy consistency with a crunchy crust. we eat a lot of bread in our house (atkins be damned!) and we had gotten into the habit of buying our bread from a local bakery, which while utterly delicious, was sort of expensive for a loaf of bread. and as often happens with me i tend to get a bit rammy (i am an aries, afterall) about that sort of stuff and declare " i could make that!" then i jump in blindly, guns a blazin....

should you imagine me as some sort of baking goddess - i assure you, i am not. i spend most of my time in the kitchen with my hands covered in flour darting about like a mad woman and occasionally exclaiming "good god! the loooaaaavvveess!!!"

care for that skin:

for the past several months i've been experimenting with my skincare, trying to weed out chemicals and in the process heal my hormonal skin. i decided to give the oil cleansing method a try, and after much trial and error (and pimples) i think i've finally found a formula that works for me. i use this in the evenings as its perfect for removing makeup. i use rose geranium or just plain rosewater as a toner and concocted an oil serum specifically geared towards healing scars. my husband jokes that the bathroom is my favorite room in the house - and truthfully he's not too far off! I get some sort of witchy satisfaction from playing apothecary and blending my oils and essential oils and flower waters and clays and whatnot into my little concoctions, storing all in my lovely jars and vials. in the mornings i still use good ol' cetaphil, but after reading this blog post i'm very seriously considering trying to find a new, mostly chemical free alternative. if anyone out there knows of a nice, mild, non-sudsing cleanser of the more natural variety, i'm all ears.

in which we draw each other:

when my husband (then boyfriend) and i first moved to TX a few years ago we used to while away our evening hours drawing each other. we've recently picked up this past time again. its a lovely way to reconnect at the end of a day. one of us will assume a comfortable position and sit still while the other one sketches away. sometimes we chat - but most often we sit quietly this way, and then we switch.

*note* i'm only posting the pictures i've drawn of him since i don't know how my husband would feel about me posting his drawings. i suppose i could ask him but he's not home right now and i don't really feel like waiting...

contrary to what this drawing suggests, my husband is not a winking cyborg. but he did keep falling asleep while i was drawing him so one eye got drawn open, the other closed!

we have very different drawing styles, but i think we both enjoy seeing ourselves rendered by the other person - its sort of like reading and writing love letters for two un-eloquent people! ha! it has been such a long while since i've drawn anything i was a bit worried that i had "lost it". while i felt a bit rusty at first, i think its starting to come back to me. i love to draw, and i've always thought of it as my secret friend, always there for me whenever i should need it.

hunter/gatherer:

because i'm not sure i can write a post without mentioning sewing... this weekend we headed up to houston to buy some of those things we can't find on the island. for me this included a visit to the fabric stores (and whole foods to pick up my favorite hippie shampoo!). i'm in the process of gearing up for some spring sewing. as i know i mentioned before, its a bit hard for me to get sewing supplies without ordering it online which can be such a pain when you have to wait for it to ship. so i went to houston with a big fat list of fabrics and notions to carry me through my spring sewing. pictured here are some things i've received in the mail recently too, including my two purchases from tessuti - they're gorgeous!!!

and because no "life" update post is complete without it - here's a gratuitous cat picture for you...

mr. muscles was being a very curious kitty while i was wandering around the apartment snapping pictures, so i figured i'd snap one of him too, and he sat very demurely for me!

well i hope you enjoyed this little peek into the dusty corners of my life - you know, the parts that happen after i turn off the sewing machine!

xx

cat. hat.