Relaxation sure helps knock stress levels down.

Today is a new day.  It's been raining, sprinkling off and on.  It's a great help for keeping the area wet.  I looked at a news article about the wildfire in Arizona threatening some ancient sites.  I'm not following the news all that consistently.  Checking out headlines can get me off on a tangent that keeps me from doing what I need to do.  

I chillaxed yesterday afternoon.  Watched TV, cooked a fast supper, made some inroads on a project I need to have finished by tomorrow.  Tried to get the portions on my plate to easily finished sizes.  Trouble is sometimes the number of dishes presented for consumption make it hard to decide what to take and what to leave.  


Well, relaxed too much, methinks.  Here it is the 18th already.  Started my blog, then had to work on the beading project that landed in my lap.  Got one feather done.  Started on the other one.  Now I need to finish that one before 1100 because the powwow grand entry is around 1300.  That gives just enough time to get there from here.


Turned muggy for a couple hours today.  Hope it stays nice this weekend.  Dancing in wet moccasins: not my idea of fun.  On the other hand, dancing when it's muggy isn't fun either.  The only fun thing when that happens is getting to visit with family and friends.  Eating fry bread and wild rice.  Watching the dancers, specially when they dance for fun, for the sheer joy of dancing.  Then it's fun to watch, then checking to see who misses the last beat.  Hah.


It's great when the singers try to outfox the dancers.  There are quite a few dancers who miss.  I rarely miss.  Then made the mistake of telling one singer that it's something in their voices that signals the end.  Missed a couple more times.  Now I look for the signal they use.  Ahhh.  Fantastic sights and sounds, groans from those who miss, smirks from those who don't, congratulatory smiles and heads nodding.  Yes.


Sitting around the table when we eat is an occasion for teasing, laughter and more visiting.  Sometimes, a new relative is discovered.  New relative...long lost isn't quite it either because they've always known where they're at.  Can't think of the word.


Ahh.  Coming home from powwows was relaxing, even with a long drive.  The sound of the drum stayed with for most of the trip home, or until I fell asleep.  Carry those memories with me to this day.  

Unfinished Business

Today's almost half over.  I don't think I've accomplished much of anything this day.  And now, it's a full 3 hours later. Took my "old lady" nap.  Just had an interesting conversation with my son that had a new term "chillax" and thought that's cool.  My sons are both in their thirties, play video games and generally keep me up to date with the latest gadgets.  Several of my nieces and nephews also help me be "cool".  


I figured out why this day seems to be off.  I'd have had this posted by 0600 this morning.  Went out in the predawn hours and got back around 0610.  That's it.  Glad that's figured out.  I have almost hit the required time for the unwithering of my crops.  There are some few other things I would have had done by this time.  Still that doesn't fully explain the sense of unfinished business. 


I didn't have any goals, objectives or tasks set for the day.  You ever have the feeling that there's something missing?  That's just how this day has been.  And now it's almost time to fulfill my daily obligation that puts food on the table.  Maybe that's the reason.  I switched from days to midnights, have totally different days off and my sleep patterns have changed.  And just when I get used to that, I'll switch back.  


Went looking for beads to start a project.  It's a fairly simple one, not too time consuming.  Beading should help me to relax and see things in a clearer light.  I can use my "creative talent" to design the beading for the yoke I'm doing.  Since I will be doing the outfit one piece at a time, I'll have to visualize the whole thing.  Step one, then move to step two.  That could also have contributed to the unfinished-ness of the day.  I'm used to having the whole amount of the beads I need to do a project.  This time I don't have that.  Now, the store will be closed until Wednesday.  Must figure out something else.  


I have enough size 13 beads, quite a bit of size 11, some 12's and very few 10's.  Size 13 are too small to get the requested first part of the outfit done in time.  The other sizes are in the wrong shades.  Generally, I try to keep at least 1 pound of each basic color used in our traditional attire.  Slipped on that somewhere.  


White and black are so necessary that I grab at least 4 hanks when I'm shopping somewhere.  Then red, green and blues are next.  Those aren't needed at this time.  Yellow and orange aren't needed yet either.  Rarely use browns, purple or pink, though that depends on my mood.  And whether I have something in my head that just must be used.


Inspiration comes from such places as this.    

I have some difficulty in getting the colors I'd like to be able to match the blue of the sky, the different greens.  


I carry a lot of pictures like this in my head.  It's nice to be able to use a camera and just look.  These are day shots.  I have memories of sunrises, sunsets, how the lake looks at different times, even night ones.  I sit and look at the sky at night, try to see if I can identify any star besides the north star.  


Well, got myself in a better mood just looking at those pictures and thinking about beads.  I still have a slight unfinished feeling.  Think I will take another "old lady" nap and ponder the situation.


Photos: Mildred R Holmes.

Beadwork thoughts

The other day I received a message from my cousin. She wanted help with some projects she wanted to do for herself. I told her I didn't have time to do work for her. The last message I received said she'd found a pattern and would do "trial and error" learning.

I learned how to do beadwork by watching my mother, my aunts and others in the village. I learned by "trial and error" because they couldn't do the work for me. The work takes practice, practice and more practice. Learning how to maintain tension while sewing the beads to the cloth, choosing the colors, deciding on a pattern all take time and patience.

Perfection in any craft doesn't happen overnight. The first couple of years I did beadwork, I felt like quitting because the pieces didn't look like my mentors. I know they got impatient when I whined about it. One day, I decided to put together everything that I had watched and just work the piece. The project that finally made the grade was the start of years of making pieces for myself and others.

Many times, I sat and put beads on cloth and enjoyed watching the colors come together. Whenever I felt stressed, I'd sit and work with beads and let my thoughts wander. As I got into the work, it soothed me and let me relax. I knew that this was something that I alone could do, I alone could make happen, I alone could finish or not. The finished piece was something concrete for me to see and feel good about, especially when everything else was in chaos.

Designing my own patterns is something I look forward to now. Getting the exact colors in the exact places I want them and seeing the design flow within the restrictions of tradition is challenging and fun. All I can do for those who want to learn is the same that was done for me.

I encourage people to keep trying, be patient and learn from what you are doing.

Efficient use of time

Here is the end of the month. The last two weeks have passed quickly. The election was on the 12th, and I have been working on the belt and yoke for my cousin's granddaughter. My sister was home for a week. The swearing ceremony was on the 25th and school board filing started on the 26th. All the latest gadgets are available for me to make more efficient use of my time. Hah! I need to narrow my interests is what I need to do. Doing Beadwork and reading are the most important parts of my life. Althooough, I did spend a good part of the last week surfing the Web. I haven't done that for quite a while. I spent a good deal of time in the craft store looking at projects that I might do in the future. Like three or four years from now. This winter I will be working on traditional clothes for my sons. They are in the 3XL size and over 6 feet tall. Oh joy of joys. Contemplating the ribbon shirts is what is daunting. I make a lot of traditional items and they are all hand sewn. I am learning to use a machine. When I bought my Brother machine, all I cared about at the time was that it sewed a straight line. I was making cloaks for my son and neice. I made one for one son's friend and it still needs to be hemmed. He says he's here and will stand still to be measured. Like yeah. Sewing ribbons on by hand isn't my idea of fun. I have a hard enough time with bias edging. My mom looks at me when I am struggling with something, then says she is going to lay down for awhile. Maybe I should use patterns. My mother doesn't have to use patterns. She looks at the cloth, cuts it and then sews. It works out fine. Maybe she has to fit it to the person once in a while. That's all she does. The boys are not picky about what they wear, as long as the clothes fit. I'm going through several designs in my head now and hoping the vests will work out. I asked my youngest for one of his shirts and he almost refused to let me use it. He thought I was going to cut it up. Children. My oldest is happy with most items as long as they are not outlandish; lime green and pink comes to mind. My dad suggested I put a big G on the back when I told him that I was going to get green velvet. He is a Packer fan. I laughed. Using patterns doesn't always work for me either. I used a dress pattern for my jingle dress. I couldn't find one with the style of sleeves I wanted. My mom (the look, cut, sew person) said to make the sleeves the way I wanted and use the pattern. Okay, I did just that. Then I tried it on. I forgot to adjust for the different sleeve and that part of the dress didn't fit. I had to take that part of it out and make do. It's almost enough to make everything using leather. Then it's too hot to dance in. But using a machine will make things go a little faster for me. I must learn. I think about how long it took to get my beads on right and console myself with the knowledge that one day soon, I will conquer the sewing machine.

Doing Beadwork Patterns

Today marks another day in my quest to master the art of cutting five petal patterns for our traditional applique work. It only took me three tries compared to my usual "Mom, I just can't get it" whereupon she'll cut it for me.

I showed her the second one I did and she handed me a star that she had cut. I used this once again. I got the folds even on my second try. After cutting, it looked like I had ten petals. She examined it and told me I had cut it down instead of leaving it even. Now, when I mark it on the velvet, I need to remember to go straight across. I put "straight across" on the petals so I wouldn't mark it wrong. One of the hazards of working with velvet, you need to make your mistakes on paper first.

I usually work from the inside out on the wild rose pattern. I want to know how to make the patterns in case I need to show someone how to do this. I rarely use patterns for applique. When I do use them, the finished product doesn't look anything like my pattern.

One of other things she does, is use the backing for the edging, sort of like the edges sometimes used to finish quilts. Another project I need to master. I use the store bought binding and hand sew the edges.

I started this project yesterday. It took me 12 hours to cut the velvet. I got the measurements perfect and then looked at it. Finally, I made the first cut and it turned out okay. Next cut is the neck hole and back. The should be easier. I am going to baste around the part to be cut and then make the cuts.

It might take a couple hours to get up the nerve to do this part. At least I should have the beads on it. I don't mind using velvet for my own projects. Then it doesn't matter how many mistakes I make with it. I can always make something out of any scraps. It's when I'm doing something for someone else that I get nervous.