June in the Studio

Stitching inspiration and new endeavor

Good morning! It’s hard to believe that we have already turned the calendar page to the month of June. Outside my window, it is gray and rainy, not typical for a summer day in Oklahoma, but I will take it! We will have enough sun and heat in the coming months.

Here where I live, the middle of the day in the summer can be oppressive. It’s best to get out in the morning, or in the evenings, if you’re going to be outdoors. I find myself putting on the Christmas music to cool down (at least mentally!) and working on holiday art gets me through those Dog Days of Summer!

Now that school is finished, I find I’ve been unwinding the tight coils of my brain at the sewing machine. I recently cleaned out my sewing room (how do these spaces always become a heaping nightmare?) and have joined the weekly sew-along with Farm & Folk.

My squares are wonky, slightly uneven, and a bit hit-and-miss, but we’ll just call that folk art! I’m using fabric and scraps I already have, and have been enjoying seeing the squares come together and how they look when pinned side-by-side.

When I haven’t been sewing, I’ve been enjoying seeing my garden come to life! May was the month of roses, and while that first flush of profusion has ended, there are still so many pretty blossoms opening up daily. Just look at these little faces! This is the Lady of Shalott rose:

Honestly, I have been painting just a bit these days. I haven’t felt terribly inspired to do it, but I know myself well enough to know it’ll pass. It happens! To me, this feeling is a sign to start ‘filling my well’ of inspiration, by trying and doing new things. Like the quilting….I know sooner rather than later, sewing fingers will start itching to be painting fingers! And my time with fabric and thread will lead me to my paints, it’s just a matter of time. So I’m enjoying this process, while I’m in it!

Something else I’ve been enjoying is doing my own summer studies and preparation for my son’s homeschooling. My daughter graduated last month (!!!) and now I’ve just got one little birdy left in the ‘folk art homeschool’ nest!

We’ve been endlessly fascinated with different artforms and history of Japan these last several months, and it has even inspired some art! It has also led me to realize I love thinking about, planning and chatting about learning in general (not just about school, but crafts and history as well) and so I created a little Substack dedicated just to these ideas, called Take Joy Learning. If these topics interest you, I’d love to have you subscribe to get updates, just as you do with this substack.

Well, my coffee cup is almost empty, it seems time to truly begin the day. Thanks so much for taking the time to read! I appreciate you so much!

Take Joy-
Heather