The last time I worked on this project was back in January of 2015. I was stuck. It has been awhile.
I decided what I needed was time and some space. Since I would have 30 or so uninterrupted hours at the CQFA Retreat, I decided to bring it along. It wasn’t a UFO I was intending to finish, but it was a good opportunity and I grabbed it. Finished is finished, right?
I gathered up all the pieces and parts and looked it over before I left. I also brought a couple of drawers from my scrap cabinet and a variety of other supplies. Clearly, I got serious about this project.
At the Retreat. I started cutting out fabric to match the pattern pieces I had made from fusible. It wasn’t long before I had all of them done and the piece was ready to sew. I arrived at the Retreat at about 2pm and had all the fabric in place by the time we went to dinner at 6.
Serendipity Lady – redy to sew
The fusible got too old, so I ended up using a Sewline Glue Pen. It isn’t ideal, but it keeps the pieces down long enough for me to sew them. All the fabric is in place and I just have to zigzag.
When we returned, I started to sew – zigzagging down the edges. The state of the fusible was one reason I started to sew down the edges. I didn’t think it would last long.
We had a discussion at the CQFA social on Saturday about Workshop projects and how they are not always the kind of projects one wants to finish. There are a lot of variables going into the workshop -the right fabric and supplies, working in an unfamiliar environment, etc. – that conspire to make you learn something, but not always like the end result.
Serendipity Lady – Beginning Work
That is not the case with Serendipity Lady. I have wanted to do this design ever since I made stained and leaded glass panels back in the dark ages. Caroline’s workshop at CQFA last spring (?) gave me the means in fabric and the inspiration to make this dream a reality.
The problem was that my piece had so many small pieces that cutting out the pieces straight from the fabric became an issue. I went back and tried a few times and failed – or didn’t succeed as thoroughly as I would have liked. I didn’t want to simplify the pattern and I didn’t want to blow it up larger either. Struggling with the mechanics of making a piece does not make it fun. Finally, I put it aside to mull over.
This was disappointing, because I came home so jazzed about this project after the workshop. Creating is a struggle, but for this one, I just wanted it to work. Sadly, that is not the way ‘making’ works.
In the mulling process, I came up with the idea of making templates for each piece. I was about to embark on that line of thought using the kind of cardstock (tagboard??) I used to use for cutting the templates for stained and leaded glass panels when I had lunch with Maureen and Dolores.
I mentioned my problem to them and how I wanted to use templates and asked their advice. They both immediately went to freezer paper and patiently explained how to use freezer paper to make the templates. I couldn’t really envision the process in my head. It became clearer when they kind of walked me through the process, reminding me to trace the design backwards.
What Process Looks Like
Again, I was really excited so I came home, taped the design to my sliding glass door and retraced the pattern backwards. Then I traced the backwards pattern on to freezer paper and sat in front of the TV and cut it out.
Again, those tiny little pieces were not my friend. At the moment I have them all paperclipped together, but that is only because I keep forgetting to get an envelope each time I go downstairs.
Serendipity Lady – Weekend Work
Next I started applying freezer paper to fabric. Then the real fun began. I threw out some fabrics after putting them near other fabrics and the picture really started to take shape. I am not done and I haven’t glued down the pieces yet, but I really had a lot of fun making some serious progress.
My mind is whirling with the possibilities of adding a few beads, embroidering the eyelash, etc. Fun!
I didn’t think I would actually start with fabric, but last week was a challenging week and I did! I had about an hour before life started in again, so I stood at my cutting table, cut fabric and glued it to my pattern. Having a limited amount of time was good, because I didn’t get overwhelmed with the thought of starting.
I know she looks like a big helmet haired weirdo, but I promise she will get better. I am putting all the dark pinks on parts of the hair that are supposed to be farther away and lighter fabrics on hair that is supposed to be closer. That is what my research told me to do, so hopefully it will look ok.
I am making the roses (perhaps some other flower, but I think of them as roses) blue and am working with the same principle.
So far all of the fabrics are from my scrap bin.
Two products you MUST try: Karen Kay Buckley Perfect scissors and Sewline Glue Pen. DH bought me the scissors for Christmas. I don’t do much hand work and thought this would be a great project on which to use them. It is! They are a fabulous tool! They are sharp and precise and you absolutely need them. I recently spoke about being interested in the Sewline Glue Pen. I came across one and bought it. Again I thought it would be good for this project and, again, it is perfect. The glue is just sticky enough to keep the pieces down. It is also very smooth, so it doesn’t pull as much as a glue stick. I feel like I got a lot done in a short amount of time and these two tools really helped.
