Let me introduce you to my amygdala

I have about a thousand sewing projects rolling around in my head at the current time and since we are in the process of moving every single thing from our bedrooms and living space in order to accommodate new carpet in two weeks, my crafting space is completely buried. Now, when I’ve been faced with issues such as inaccessibility in the past, I’ve just pulled down some of my knitting or quilting books, my personal “porn”. I can’t do this now since ALL MY BOOKS ARE PACKED AWAY AS WELL.

What are some of the projects I have brewing in my amygdala? (Side note: Most people have their craft impulses in their cerebral cortex. I believe mine is in my amygdala as I get way to excited about the creative process to be so “Spock” about it.

I have a couple purse handles that need to have a purse attached to it. I have a very cute black fabric with white outlined people all over it, very cute. It will have a totally bright/unusual lining to it and I’ll use my handles that are bamboo hoops.

My other ideas are to make up some softie toys out of the myriad of fat quarters and delicious scraps that my fabric mentor Nancy gifted me. I’d like to make a few practice ones and then start making some creative ones to donate to the local hospital. I’m really drawn to the weird critters and the “Ugly” dolls but I don’t think that would go over quite so well with the volunteer services people at the hospitals. Can you imagine approaching a screaming child in the E.R and handing them a softie monster toy with one eye and three hairs on its head? Now, frankly, I think it might make the kid actually stop and take a breath and LOOK at what they are being handed, but then they just might start crying harder. Yes, cutting and edgy can be fun, but not when others may be traumatized by the shrapnel.

Another delicious morsel that my friend Nancy gave me is a whole bag of Christmas material. A few years back, I made over 60 Christmas stockings and then solicited area businesses to donate items to stuff the stockings with. We made stockings for men, women, teens, girls, boys, and babies and then, we donated them to area organizations that gave them out for the holidays. It was very fun but it was so much work! I did all of the sewing and soliciting and then I brought it to Yarn Harbor and then my Charitable Crafter volunteers put them together. It’s been awhile since we did it and perhaps I have recuperated enough to start sewing some more stockings. I’ve done a stack and wack quilt since then and I think I would end up cutting out a stack of stockings and then chopping them into about 4 pieces, shuffling the “deck” and then sewing them back together. It makes it a little more involved than if I were to just sew a one piece front to a one piece back but I also think it would mean more to someone if they got something that looked like someone actually took the time to make it look nice.

I also purchased bear and bunny patterns yesterday that I will have to take for a test drive. I won’t be able to get anything made for Easter but that’s ok.

Also, I have a couple patterns for handmade skirts which I will be more comfortable wearing at my new job.

But the first thing I think I want to finish is my wall hanging for the kitchen. I have 9-10 inch squares of kitchy repro kitchen-centric fabric that I thought I would just sew together for something to hang on my bare walls but I just discovered (thanks to Nancy-are you getting sick of hearing about Nancy yet?) about a fabric sheet that you can run through your printer and have the image printed directly onto the fabric instead of having it printed on an iron on sheet. That brings a whole new aspect to my thought process…I have a couple of old cookbooks that I think I will make copies of their covers and print them out and include them as patches on this wall hanging. It will look repro but it will have a bit of a modern twist to it.

The last thing that I thought of when I was cleaning out my house to re-carpet was, what do I do with all of the old kid-type art work that I found from over ten years ago? What about using the above copy-fabric and make it into quilt fabric? And then I could scan a bunch of their old photos and use them as well?

Ahhh, and then I could make it into a wall hanging and we could put it up in the living room which will actually look like a living room once we get it carpeted.

Snap!

I have always been horrible at decorating my surroundings. I never really realize what a dark hole I live in until I visit other people and see their cute decorating ideas, and I love the whole trash to treasure scene, I just never get around to doing it in my house. Now that we’re kind of gutting things, I find myself tapping my chin and saying “Hmmmmmm.”

It would certainly be a unique focal piece and in all honestly, I am not a person that hangs up photos. There are two photos on my tv of my kids and that is the sum total of my decorating ability. It would also be fun to get the kids to pick out their favorite photos and I could also include photos from my family and my husband’s family as well.

AUUUUUUUGGGG!!!!! My amygdala is burning with the fire of a thousand creative suns!!!!!!

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, my amygdala is quite the drama queen.