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Happiness in Readiness
Cubist’s Delight Off the Loom
The weaving is complete! Now “thread management” begins. Clearly there’s a lot to do. It is been a busy week for me with my store and with my kids. So, once again, my artistic life has been “squeezed” in when time allows. On a personal note, lately I’ve felt that there is never enough time, for ANYTHING. It is like a mantra I hear myself saying throughout the day, everyday. I realize it has become a theme that now characterizes my life. I’ve decided I am done with that. I believe wholeheartedly in change. Yet, I do resist and procrastinate. Nonetheless I can see that I am just fed up with what I’ve been feeling. I am ready! I believe that I can improve the quality of my life and lessen the sense of “lack of time” by getting myself more organized and being more efficient with my energy and how I live day to day. Towards this end, I’ve spent the entire day cleaning out my closet and drawers. It is a start for living with less chaos and more peace. Like these dangling threads that require attention, I still have a lot of organizing ahead of me. However, I am optimistic that one day at a time, I am going to make the changes I need.
Wishing you all the happiness in readiness that comes just when you feel FED UP!
Julia L. Hecht
Poppyfield Bead Company
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Leaps and Bounds!
There’s nothing like a great class to get unstuck! I am beading a necklace in my loom bead weaving class that is full of increases and decreases. Now that I’ve been taught what to do, I am just amazed at how simple it is to add that kind of complexity to a design. I chose colors and used them in my sampler to test them out (see my last post). I decided to go ahead with the palette and I just LOVE how it is working out in the necklace. I have to admit that warping with 6o threads was a bit of a jump after my little 10 and 20 warp bracelets. I got so distracted by the counting that I forgot to move my warp bar down and I just started beading. Fortunately, I don’t think I need to rotate the warps at all…I do believe I’ve got enough space on just the front threads. I am weaving away in hopes of having it ready for class on Sunday. Meanwhile….
I am making progress in leaps and bounds!
Julia L. Hecht
Poppyfield Bead Company
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Beginning Embellishment – Social Market for a Mirrix 2014 – by Julia L. Hecht
As I mentioned in my last post, I was inspired to try off loom bead weaving embellishments on my loomed piece, Deco Diamonds. Here I worked on adding a border using brick stitch. I am pleased with the outcome. But honestly, it was very time consuming, and I am bored with it. So, I have put it aside for now. I feel the need for a creative jump start, and some more technical hand holding. So I found a loom bead weaving class in my local community. I will be taking it June 22nd and 29th. It requires 7 colors, and I am using Miyuki Delica beads 11/0. I plan a sampler to see how the colors work together. I know from experience, that I can be surprised and not in a good way. Going to warp….
More on my sampler next time…
Julia L. Hecht
Poppyfield Bead Company
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Enjoying Imperfection – Social Market for a Mirrix 2014 – Julia L. Hecht
Almost Aligned
As a “recovering perfectionist” I strive to accept the misalignment of much of my life. I see what isn’t “how it should be” and it bugs me. Of course, this discernment makes it possible to create beautiful, technically advanced, high quality beadwork. But, outside the beading sphere, it threatens my serenity. I am making huge strides towards enjoying the imperfection and mess that makes up most of life. I pray “May I be happy just as I am, May I accept whatever comes…” and such words do offer me peace. On Saturday, I spent the entire day doing yard work in preparation for a Mother’s Day gathering at my home. On Sunday, the winds blew strong, and threatened to undo the order I created, and the party I had planned. It was a perfect opportunity to “Accept whatever comes…”. I love to use my art to bolster and celebrate my own healing and validate my struggles. This pattern is a modification of a square “tile design” I purchased on the internet at beadiefriends.com. What speaks to me is the load of colors and how they come at each other in beautiful misalignment – not quite right. I separated the “units” with geometric “order” in black and white, both to contrast the beautiful chaos, and to pull it all together. I do believe in a mysterious “order” that I may never fully perceive or understand. But I am learning to live (and thrive) in the colorful mess that makes this life truly worthwhile.
Julia L. Hecht
poppybeads.com