A few weeks ago, my UU fellowship started a women's spirituality workshop focusing on the intersection of spirituality and creativity. We've been using Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way as our text.
Now, I'm getting a double benefit from this. I'm finally, FINALLY starting to heal from all the psychological wounds since Mom's failed craniotomy. I'm also finding that I'm losing a lot of inhibitions about my fiber/needle arts creative clothing jones. A good thing, one might say, given that I've started this new fiber and needle arts studio.
Really? A good thing????
HEH.
WYFP is our community's Saturday evening gathering to talk about our problems, empathize with one another, and share advice, pootie pictures, favorite adult beverages, and anything else that we think might help. Everyone and all sorts of troubles are welcome. May we find peace and healing here. Won't you please share the joy of WYFP by recommending?
I have more projects and ideas than I have time, money, or the proper equipment to make. Frankly, my creative brain has A*S*P*L*O*D*E*D*.
I have ideas for clothes to make for myself and to sell that will take a lot of doing. I want wools, velveteens, waleless corduroy, nice thick linen, cotton jerseys, batiks, laces, fabric paints and every color of Sulky machine embroidery thread made. I have ideas for floral embroideries that would vine up seam lines and anchor lace detailing. I just don't have the money for the fabrics, the notions, and the good Jacquard paints.
Oh, and did I mention that I do not have an embroidery machine?
BTW, have any of you ever priced an embroidery machine before? ZOMG!!! The very best manufacturers' machines that can also do quilting start at $7,000.
There's a Brother that's pretty good, an all-purpose machine that can handle quilting and regular sewing and embroidery for around $700, with one caveat -- it won't do multiple colors in one module. I'd have to rethread and recalibrate the pattern. The professional model, though, is north of $9,000.
Then there's the state of my serger. It's a fifteen year old Singer, and it's hung in there pretty well and taken a fair amount of abuse, and Singer isn't what it used to be, quality-wise. But it's not able to embroider a chain stitch, and it's well past its prime anyway. It's time for an upgrade.
Then there are some other things that would be extremely helpful -- a couple of adjustable dress forms, pressing hams, velvet press boards, a new adjustable height sewing table (Ikea has the perfect thing), and a steamer. None of it is in my budget.
I have ideas for weaving, including tartans, rag rugs, tapestries, and lace weave shawls. The rag rugs require linen or cotton carpet warp, and all sorts of materials. Now, when it comes to some of the other things, I do have the yarns I've spun up, and some other fleeces that need to be carded or combed and spun. Hand-carding is not my thing. I need a drum carder. I also need dyes.
I designed my studio logo, which you can see on my studio's Facebook page. And I have my pricelist set up for alterations and custom sewing, and even have it saved in an Open Office document. But I am struggling to get that damn pricelist formatted properly in a brochure format. There are some really different things about Open Office that are less easy to navigate than in MS Word. And have you seen the price of brochure kits at Staples? Eeeeeeeeeek!!! I spent about $15 on the business card kit, but the brochure kits are more.
I did some cool stuff in Paint Shop with the logo, and there are some amazing effects that would make gorgeous Tshirts. And I bet I could design and sell Tshirts, bags, etc. with the logo silkscreened on them. There's only one thing: I don't know how to cut a silkscreen. I only did one once, about 35 years ago. And I haven't clue one where to buy the stuff I need for doing this.
Keep in mind, to do all this stuff, I need about three lives. Or a 72-hour day. Or to not need sleep and have my very own domestic service person to cook, clean, and grocery shop. And to read the news to me every day while I get busy with all these fab projects. It's an embarrassment of creative riches, while there's no money and insufficient time to accomplish everything.
It is driving me bonkers.
And that, my dears, is my fucking problem tonight!