February's Word of the Month #WAMSAL2023

#WAMSAL2023

February

February - the Month of love... Well that's what the grating card and chocolate manufacturers would have us think as we celebrate St Valentines day.

But, what does February really make you feel and think?
February is supposedly the last month of winter and there are signs of spring beginning to reveal themselves if you look carefully.

The first snowdrops are all ready out with their tiny white heads hanging gracefully over their fresh green stems - the local churchyard has a glorious sweeping carpet of them, as do many of the road sides along the old road over the tops that was once a packhorse trail. I had heard once that the reason for this was traveling people and gypsies many years ago would plant snowdrop bulbs as they went so as they grew and spread they could harvest bunches to sell along their route - I hope that is true, its a wonderfully romantic tale.

Not far behind are the crocus and daffodils adding their splash of pinks and purples and all the shades of yellow - and I always seem to buy more flowers for the house in February and March, almost trying to encourage spring to hurry up and arrive - but February can also supprise us with Snow and Ice, heavy rain, wind and mud - It is said if February has snow and ice at the start, there is more winter ahead than behind - If it thunders in February, there will be frost in April, but if there is Fog in February we will have frost in May! I know I remember Easters where we had thick snow and others when I got sunburn!
I love the folklore around weather.

Imbolc or St Brigids day is on the 1st February, it marks the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox - St Brigid is the patroness Saint of Ireland and worth looking up and reading about her story.

I often find I am at my lowest ebb in February - in past years when I have made those January resolutions, started the diet, joined the exercise group etc I often get to February feeling burned out and wondering why on earth I thought it was a good idea to take so much on - and inevitably I give up on most if not all of those goals.

This year - I am hoping that after spending January dreaming and embracing the cold dark months by not taking on those unattainable goals in the first place, taking a more considered approach to the whole season that February won't be quite such an endurance test!

And so, February's word is PLAN

As nature begins to make the first tentative steps into spring,  the sap beggins to rise in the sleeping trees and the buds of the new leaves begin to form, as the hybernating animals step out to look for food and a mate, then from the dreams we had last month, we wipe the sleep from our eyes and stretch our limbs and we can begin to formulate our plan for the coming year.

So I am asking the same questions...

What does February mean to you?
What images does it evoke?
Is there a colour you associate with February?
How does February make you feel?

You may be a huge fan of Valentines day, do meals and flowers and dates and chocolates, the colour of February for you may be red, evoke love and joy, or you might avoid it at all costs, have no interest in it whatsoever and have other significant events you celebrate, or maybe February is just another month to be endured until spring arrives. Make it relevant to YOU, not what social media, supermarkets and advertising tell you what it should be about.

Remember to take it at your own pace, and do no more than you have time or feel necessary - of course if you want to spend hours and hours on it, that is absolutely fine too!

This month I will be demonstrating couching.

Head over to my YouTube channel to see a demo and listen to my ramblings! 

(please understand I am very new to videoing myself - they will get better as I go along and I have joined a course to help me improve, but that was after filming this one!) 

https://youtu.be/ym_BgmtuQNc 

Welcome to #WAMSAL2023

Hello! And welcome to #WAMSAL2023! 

I have been plotting and planning, procrastinating and putting off - but sometimes you just have to say "sod it" and do the thing.

Who is up for a little stitch along? 

I wanted to make a start or a restart to my little JuicyFig business, but with all the to dos regarding Etsy at the moment, having no idea how to set up a website and looking for the perfect platform to set up my shop - well, it might take me a little longer than I anticipated - so to kick start myself I thought a nice gentle sew-along would be nice.

This is not a subscription or anything fancy, just somethingt I wanted to do myself and share with others, then I thought people might also like to join in as well. 

It is a  project, not a challenge. 

And - it is open to anyone at any time - I thought it would be nice to start in January and make it last a year, but it will be something you can do at any time.

It also won't be a strict "this is how it should be done" kind of project - basically I am trying to make a project even my own AuDHD brain can cope with.

So what is it?

It is a fabric book! 

Each month I am going to choose a word - you are welcome to use the same word, or choose a word that speaks to you personally.

The word is supposed to encapsulate that month - for me when I think about each months I have a a mental image, often a colour, a mood, a feeling or a desire of what I'd like that month to mean. 

Then, we will stitch a page of the book. You can incorporate the word, or suggest it as an abstract or literal image, and embellish it as much as you want or as much as time allows - if you have lots of time and want to work on it all month -- do! If you only have half an hour, then keep it simple. 

I will try and incorporate a particular stitch or technique with a tutorial so if you want to try you can do. 

At the end of the year we will then assemble the pages then the book with a wonderful slot technique paper book makers use and the amazing Anne Wood uses for her fabric books too.  (I think I have managed to work out how it's done with the amount of pages we will need)

The project is intended to be done by hand sewing, this way you take the time to slow down from the frantic pace of life. A machine sewing can be used if you want of to make certain bits quicker or easier, but it can all be done by hand if you don't own a machine, bondaweb and glue - all fine if it helps make it easier - and if you don't sew at all and don't want to - it could be done on a good quality paper! 

I will give a list of basic materials needed for what I will be doing each month, and a basic list to get you going. If you have scraps to use or even recycled textiles like clothes etc even better! (best of all if don't need to buy anything and use what you have - and keep your eye out in thrift stores and charity shops for amazing vintage supplies!) 

You can choose a colour scheme, make it bright, multicoloured, monochrome, whatever gives you joy

Each month I will be writing a blog post with my suggested word, explaining why I have chosen it, what it evokes for me - and a hashtag so you can share your work on Instagram or on my Facebook page 

#WAMSAL2023  #WordAMonthSewALong2023 

Interested?

I will be posting my First word etc in a few days but for now here are some suggested materials and equipment you may need.

Page fabric - pages will be approximately 13cm x 13cm this includes the seam allowance for when we assemble the book. 

You will need 16 (this makes a cover as well) in a woven fabric (not a stretch or knitted fabric) for stability. 

You could make these all the same fabric and colour or a different fabric and colour each month.

If you like to use an embroidery hoop you may need to cut them larger then trim to size after.

Scraps of other fabrics 

Embellishments - e.g. Buttons, lace, ribbons, rikrak, charms etc.

Sewing thread

Embroidery thread, crochet cotton, wool, whatever you have to hand

Bondaweb (not necessary but handy)

Pins

Sewing needles

Scissors

Embroidery hoop (not essential but may need one if you want to learn any of the embroidery stitches) 

Iron and ironing board/pad

Cup to tea or coffee.

So far January has been far busier than I anticipated so please be patient if I get a little behind.

Hopefully this week I will be doing a short video with January's word, what I will be making and some instructions on the stitch I am featuring this month for anyone unfamiliar with it. 

If you are joining in please show us your progress either on Instagram using the hashtag #WAMSAL2023. If people want me too I can also set up a Facebook page to share your work - just ask!

See you later in the week 

A fresh Perspective

If you have followed me for a while on this blog or on Instagram you will know how many times I have tried to make my own little business out of what I love...Textiles.

I have made random items to sell, decided I needed to focus on one area, got bored with repetition, changed tack, started again and again and again, done courses, qualifications, training... You get the picture.

One thing getting an ADHD diagnosis has done is send me down the rabbit hole of researching everything about it and trying to relate it to my own life, and future.

Something that I see repeatedly is how suited us ADHDers are at creativity and self employment

All I read in the forums is just how difficult ADHDers find it to find the focus to actually start and then be consistent within that business, and when tasks that don't stimulate our dopamine need to be done...we ultimately give up and give in.

I knew this was something I had always struggled with without knowing why - but now I know the why I need to work out the how - just how can I make a business that satisfies my own needs but also engages potential customers, and also keeps those customers returning?

I have found the kind of self employment I have been doing for the past ....years works because the work I am doing has deadlines and set times etc that I have to work to in order to get paid, but working entirely under my own steam as I have tried with the crafting means that without those deadlines and set times and routines I just procrastinate the bits I don't enjoy, get distracted from tasks and also end up being the person who gets called upon time and time again to provide support (elderly parents, family etc) they know I don't work 9 - 5 so assume my time is my own or flexible. And while I do want to help and rescue, and support (as we often do!) it eventually drives me to burnout, meltdowns, and feeling like I have no life to do what I want - and don't get me started on the distractions of social media!

Recently I have had to rearrange my entire week to work with my son at school, he is only in for 2 hours a day at the moment and unfortunately his new teacher said it was OK for mummy to be in the classroom with him when he asked on his first day back. I now have no chance of leaving him now, but I sit in a corner so he knows I am there and the only resource I can take with me is my tablet and note pad (neither of my other 2 jobs can be carried to a classroom, and neither need a computer!) 

So I had to decide what to do with that time, as doom scrolling Facebook was not an option, I had to make it productive!

And so I have picked up the research I was doing in my degree, I am working with how my brain and hyper focus and distraction etc effect me and I am making a plan!

I know my "shop" will be random, but within that random will be the textiles theme interwoven in every fibre of it (see what I did there?) 

I know that I will lose focus on certain areas and plan to have kits, instructions, tutorials etc in place to enable others to create their own items, or to learn new skills or techniques while I can work on the next project 

I know there will be a lot of learning for me, there are new tools  and tech available that I need to learn as the ones from only a few years ago I used in my degree have already been surpassed. Social media much as I loath it and love it in equal measures has also changed a lot in recent years so yes, lots to learn and navigate.

What I won't do is put myself under too much pressure - Hopefully in the New Year our school situation will have changed, but if and when that happened I may have to give up one of my other self employed jobs just to fit in school runs and support, and that seams like a nice time line to bring this new incarnation of The JuicyFig to reality. 

If you would like to follow my misadventures on Instagram I am at @the_juicyfig and soon I will hopefully have a shop etc so check out @juicyfig_makes

And..you never know, I might remember to blag about it all too! 

shouldering the burden

For over a week I have been feeling very sorry for myself. An old shoulder injury came back to haunt me and I have been fairly immobile and full of painkillers, wincing and moaning and feeling generally crappy.

It is easing away now, and just in time as over the next few weeks I have to work long hours doing 'piece' work for a rush order of plastic flags for a company in the village. It pays well but is rather sporadic. It's not what I want to be doing, but at the moment is a necessary evil. Today is my last day off for a while!

I was so glad the sun shone this morning. 

 

I have had to lay off the knitting for a while as it aggravates my shoulder, but managed to finish off the squares for a cushion cover - all laid out ready for assembly.

The Country File photographic competition is upon the nation once again. So I set out with my camera for a short stroll round the field a couple of streets away - just me, the dog and the cat. Always a strange sight!

I don't think I managed to get any winning shots - and the animals are as far from wild as you can get - but they are so cute I can't help myself. 

I suppose I am going to have to get all extreme with the weather of the time or the situation to get the shots I really want! 

Poor old Jemmy having yet another rest. 

Spring 'Time'

Due to lack of funds we have not been out anywhere very much lately.

The only social event has been a friends wedding, but to be honest, after rather a wild youth I am more than happy to sit in front of the telly with a pile of knitting or crocheting to keep me busy.

Baby fig and I have managed to get to the odd jumble sale and at craft and vintage fairs we are usually on our stall avoiding spending money and trying to sell our wares.

Today all three of us went to Clitheroe to a vintage fair. I had not taken a stall as it was almost double the cost of other fairs we had done, but now I wish we had! It was packed with people, and the stalls were just gorgeous! We also found out why for the past few weeks there has been a distinct lack of vintage loveliness in a couple of the charity shops in the town. Both Age UK and Cancer Research had stalls with all the goodies I would normally look for but twice the already expensive price. I know, it is for charity - but I thrive on bargains and have no money! 

There was all sorts I could have bought, mainly useless things like glove finger stretchers (I don't ware gloves) or a shoe last, wooden skittles, more sparkly jewelry, or a grammar phone that only played wax records. but in the end I paid my £1 to get in, and came out without buying a single item.

I did come out with some inspiration however. So straight up to the sewing room and 2 hours later I had listed this on etsy. 

Now I am going to hunt for some extra thick socks and snuggle up on the sofa with my latest crochet project and the 6 balls of wool purchased in another of Clitheroe's vast abundance of charity shops for the princely sum of £2. Bargain.