34 days until Christmas. Just thought you'd like to know too! I wasn't so happy with that info because I really dislike Christmas. With my current health issues, I'm not going to be doing a whole lot of anything for Christmas this year, though I did promise my son that we WILL put up the tree this year.

I'm only thinking about Christmas at all today because for the upcoming meeting of the fibre arts group I belong to we are asked to bring in a Christmas themed art piece that we've done. Simply, I've never done one (though I've considered making a beautiful Christmas tree and then cutting it up and piecing it randomly back together...).

I'm not a total scrooge though. There are things I like about Christmas like...ummmm...cute fuzzy animals covered in snow-you know, like bunnies and polar bears. I like the patterns that ice makes in a frozen river, spiced rum and fireplaces, snow covered pine trees....

Except none of those are specifically "Christmas" I'm being told. Those are Winter themed! Okay, fine-I'm challenging myself to find something to make that's Christmas themed and get it done by Christmas (or maybe even by that Innovative Threads meeting!)

I haven't made any new art lately, none since Candy and the necklace for the fabric challenge, but my hands and sewing machine haven't been idle. I made my nephew's hats for a parade. The theme was Where The Wild Things Are.

I also had to attend a friends wedding and decided to make my dress. I learned I don't really enjoy making clothing, but I think I would like to make another of these, with the skirt being made from pieced scraps of hand painted and dyed fabrics.

What To Do With the Ugly Fabric

I don't seem to finish too many projects. I get close, get them almost done, but rarely finish them in their entirety. So, I am thrilled with myself that I have finished, completely finished, 2 projects recently, and finished them by their deadline! First was Candy, who I've already shared her in the last couple of posts (in case you missed her). Candy was all I intended on doing for the ITK challenge, but...well... things changed. Someone had asked me what I made for the challenge, and I replied, "an ugly doll". She replied back that she was sure my doll was just beautiful the way it was and that I'm too hard on myself.

That's nice of her to say...but I wouldn't call Candy, "just beautiful" by any stretch of the imagination. I've embraced her and I'm happy with the outcome, but beautiful isn't an appropriate descriptor. Ugly fabric, ugly doll was my thought on this. (Even the free quilt pattern from Hoffman for this Petal Punch fabric line uses only 7 small squares of this particular fabric) The more I thought about it though, the more I figured that maybe I could use that ugly fabric and make something I can call beautiful.

After having cut it into thin strips and wrapping it around Candy's legs, I thought the fabric wasn't too bad like that. So, I cut in into thin strips again-very thin at 3mm wide. I wrapped those strips around some wooden ring beads, glued and sealed with them with ModPodge and set forth to string a simple necklace with a pendant.

You'd think that I would have learned by now that nothing ever works out "simply" for me. First problem was the pendant. I wanted to do a rubbing of a simple flower on the fabric and then seal it in resin on a flat-backed bezel. I discovered that I didn't have anything floral that would be suitable enough for a small rubbing, but that problem was solved by Susan who provided some flower buttons (thanks again, Susan). I made my rubbing, but then found out that none of the local shops carried a flat-backed bezel. I couldn't find a bottle cap the right size to substitute for the bezel either. Finally, just as I had resigned myself to removing the pendant from the necklace design, I found a double sided picture frame pendant that I thought suitable. Double sided just meant that I'd have to make by rubbing double sided. With some fusible web and another circle of fabric, double sided was easily achieved. The reverse side has the same button that was used for the rubbing, used as a stamp. One side is muted and subtle, the other bold and bright. I prefer soft and subtle myself, so that's the side that I'm going to have out for display.

Second set of problems came from the simple stinging of the beads into a necklace. I started stinging, got to the first fabric bead, and realized that my fabric covered wooden rings aren't beads at all, they have no holes. After muttering a few unpleasant words, I pulled out the drill and the tiniest drill bit I have and tried to drill through my rings. After a few more colourful words and a cracked ring, I had to accept that the rings weren't going to be able to have holes (well duh. If they were able to have holes in them, the bead store probably would have sold them with holes in them, right?! Sometimes I'm so obviously blond its scary.)

I persevered, and went on to the only other solution I could think of. If you can't string it on, you have to crimp it on...no matter how much I hate crimp beads. I'm sure my crimping is less than perfect, and all you jewelery making people are ashamed of me, but I like it. The red stringing wire blends with the rings and you can't really see it looped around the rings, and the whole piece is staying together. I've successfully worn it a few times to make sure that none of those crimps were loose.

I call the finished piece "Retro Rings". I think I can also safely call this one things like "fun", and maybe even "beautiful". Whatever it's called, I've completed the challenge. Now I can move on to projects (or more likely go back to projects) that use some nicer looking fabric!