2020: Over and (just about) Out!

 

. . .

    ~ and Season's Greetings to you, too ~

 

Acedia: the lost name for the emotion we're all feeling right now*

   *from theconversation.com

image of Acedia by Hieronymus Wierix

 

     It begin as a deceptively slight shift in thought, or rather...a quick succession of thoughts that distract me from my right mind.  I've been working too long and need a break; maybe I should read a mystery novel to clear my head.  I tell myself I'm too weary to concentrate.  I tell myself that it is a matter of respecting my limitations, and of being good to myself.  If I manage to read one book, and then return to my other obligations, no harm is done.  But often, one book does not satisfy me.  My "rest" has only made me more restless, and as I finish one book, I am tempted to pick up another.  If I don't check myself, I can slip into a state both anxious and lethargic, in which I trudge through four or five paperbacks a day, for three or four days running.  I am consuming books rather than reading them.

 

    I may have begun with a well-written novel, but soon I am ingesting whatever I can get my hands on.  Morbidly conscious of the time I am wasting.  I race feverishly through a book so preposterously and badly written that it nauseates me.  If I pick up a more serious book, something that might bring me to my senses, I am likely to plow through it so thoughtlessly as if it were a genre thriller...My days are not lived so much as wasted in compulsive reading.  I stop answering the phone and getting the mail, ignoring everything but the next page, the next book in the pile...

 

     It amazes me how quickly acedia can deaden what has long been a pleasure for me, and with what facility despair will replace the joy I once found in the act of reading.  But my dilemma is less literary than spiritual.  If my torpor is left unchecked, I lose the ability to savor not only reading, but life itself.  I develop a loathing for fresh food, letting salad greens and strawberries languish in the refrigerator while I fill up on popcorn... 

                                                                                from Acedia & Me by Kathleen Norris

        

I couldn't believe when I read the above passages!  It was exactly what I've been doing/feeling.  I've read several books on the topic, and this one has been the most comprehensive thus far.

 

 〰

 

As for as Kondo-ing goes, I'm completely stuck at art supplies.  

 

I did finishing going through my books and unloaded all my art therapy books, psychology, women's studies, fiction and art magazines.  Kept all my art books.   That ended up being about 25 boxes to the Salvation Army.

 

Papers were a real drag.  I got rid of about 10 boxes of papers. 

 

And that's the way it is/was

 

Ever Onward

...in the midst of everything, 

I've been tidying and/or escaping by reading novels.  

 

~ rare needlework instruction book, Dublin 1833 with samples of sewing, embroidery, knitting and miniature clothing ~

 

But I did finish going through all my clothes (which included tops, skirts, pants, dresses, jackets, coats, scarves, hats, gloves, socks, undies, pjs, shoes, boots and bags).  Oh my.

 

 

~ Guerra de la Paz ~

 

Let me give you the stats.  

I got rid of 32 big garbage bags (to Goodwill). It me took about 3 weeks to go through all the clothes, and then reorganize what I kept and put it in place.

 

I'll break it down by category: 

 

4 bags of tops to go, 4 big piles to stay, took 2 days  

3 bags of dresses/skirts to go, 3 big piles to stay, took 2 days 

6 bags of pants to go, 3 big piles to stay, took 1 days

3 bags of jackets/coats, 4 big piles to stay, took 2 days 

0 bags of hats/gloves/scarves to go, all stayed, took 1 day 

4 bags of socks/undies/pjs to go, 3 piles to stay, took 2 days 

8 bags of shoes/boots, ? to stay (just enough to fit in my available  space!), took 6 days 

4 bags of purses/totes, ? to stay (I stopped counting the keepers), took 2 days                                               

 

 

Then I went on to books...

                                            ...but that's another story.

    

Quarantining and KonMari-ing

 

The perfect match.

 

 

~ Quarantine Collection, Fedora and Florals, Han Cao ~ 

 

 

 

Yes, I was feeling swallowed up by all my things after being sheltered-in-place for the last 5 (or was it 6?) months now.  

~ "Paisajes" series, Cecilia Paredes, multi-media artist ~

Especially by my hand-made clothes and that unrelenting fabric stash.  Oh, my.

 ~ Phyllis Galembo, Fine Art Photographer ~

 

 

 So, after reading Marie Kondo's Spark Joy and starting with her first step of tidying,

I pulled out all my clothes in one place...

  

~ Song Dong, installation artist ~

No, I didn't make an art installation out of it (darn!), it was more like a mountain overflowing the bed.  I did, however, manage it somewhat by excavating one sub-category of clothes at a time.  That would be "tops."  I did want to be able to sleep on the bed every night after all.  And I have a lot of clothes. 

No, I don't have any pictures of the process.  I was too involved in it.  You're supposed to gather all the clothes from wherever they might be in the house.  (Excluding those of my spouse.  He has the bare minimum anyway.)  

 

I did include my mother's stuff that had been left untouched in the so-called guest room since she passed away 6 years ago.  And the enclosed back porch off my sewing room which contained all the clothes I was going to recycled.  aiyiyi.  You can't imagine.

 

 I actually ended up trying on everything to see if I liked it, if it fit, if I would wear it, and most importantly if it "sparked joy."  If it did, it went into another pile in the adjoining room for saved "tops."  The discarded items went into a black garbage bag for Goodwill.  My husband put them in the car right away so I wouldn't be tempted to go through them again.  They went to Goodwill at regular intervals.

I kept track of how many bags went out and how many piles stayed in.  Tops: 4 out, 4 in.  Of the 4 to keep: 2 summer, 1 winter & 1 to mend.  The whole process for tops took 2 days.

 

Stay tuned for the next update.

p.s.  I started tidying on Wednesday, July 8, 2020!

 

Outfitting for a Plague:

〰LOCK DOWN〰

*

                                                               ~ from Kati Koos Shop, Modesto, California

And my first outing during the Plague...

                                                                                                            ~ thanks to Elaine for the photo

...with my True Love, no less.

                    Alas, I didn't have the recommended ensemble at my disposal.

*The protective suit of the Plague Doctor consisted of a light, waxed fabric overcoat, a mask with glass eye openings and a beak shaped nose, typically stuffed with herbs, straw, and spices. Plague doctors would also commonly carry a cane to examine and direct patients without the need to make direct contact with them.  Due to the primitive understanding of disease at the time, it was believed this suit would sufficiently protect the doctor from miasma while tending to patients.  (wikipedia)

MMM'20: For Art's Sake!

~ You may be wondering what's up with this ~

But hold on, it's a good story...

~ about Damien Hirst's famous dotted painting in a Bristol Museum ~

That was painted over by street artist, Banksy


You can read about it and my response here

~ here's my rendition ~

~ painted on pieces of canvas, sewn together to make a top ~

~ as worn by me in 2012 ~

~ and now in 2020 ~

~ titled with homage to Magritte, if you get my drift ~

Happy trails...

MMM'20: Slip Slidin' Away

~  a not getting up day ~

~ and a not getting dressed day ~

~ plus a definite cat napping day ~

~ it must be Caturday! ~

With a song to listen to...

...that says more than I can.

p.s.  I did make the nightgown using The Sewing Workshop Collection Cityscapes Dress pattern with a lovely knit print.   Last seen here.

Until we meet again...

MMM'20: Tina Givens Velvets

on a Winter's Day

~ or at least it feels like it ~

~ I actually bought the velvet from Tina way back when ~

I was making her Bethany dress pattern at the time, last seen on me here in 2015.  As you can see, I later changed things up by removing the bodice from the skirt.  I just never wore it as it was.  And do as it is now.   (I have yet to decide what to do with the skirt part...)

Since I still had leftover velvet, I also made TG's Phoebe pants shown above, using other scraps of velvet for the cuff and side inserts.  I've made at least half a dozen of these pants.

The stretch mesh shirt I wear a lot too.  It's made from Vogue 8450 with slight modifications.

 And it all goes deliciously with my Doc Marten's from ebay

~ yesssss ~

~ and the Masked Mug Shot of Yours Truly ~

'til later,

MMM'20: Housedresses for the Win!

~ Housedress with Baseball Cap and Mask ~

~ I'm on the PAO team ~

~ it was too big then ~

I made this dress out of challis from old, old stash so look ago, hmmm.  Let's see if I can remember...ah yes, thank goodness for the blog.  Last worn here in 2015 and it seems I made it up as I went along.

~ and it's too big now ~

Fits comfy, like a housedress should.

~ worn with plaid Mary Jane Doc Martens from ebay ~

~ and today's hair-in-my-eyes Masked Mug Shot ~

Until tomorrow,

MMM'20: It's Cold, Windy & Wet

with scattered cat napping.

~ zzzz, purrr, zzzzz, purrrrr ~

~ Sweet Albertine ~

'til tomorrow

MMM'20: Whatever...

Do I have On?

~ Yes, that is the question. ~

It's a hodgepodge of all sorts of things I just kept piling on.   An old chiffon dress that I attempted to retro-fit and never finished.  A chiffon shirt I retro-fitted that's now too big (so is the dress, by the way).    A refashioned pair of gauze shorts extended into chiffon bloomers.  Complete with a recycled necklace made by a friend.

~ I was shocked at how big everything had become.  ~

~ hmmm ~

~ I also found out there's still pins in this thing. ~

Tell me, do you think it's actually wearable?  Does it need to go back into time out for another several years?  Maybe some re-layering would help a bit? 

~ rain boots from the neighborhood thrift store ~

Attempting to show off my camouflaged necklace here:

~ with the masked mug shot of the day ~

And that's a wrap.

MMM'20: A Handmaid's Tale

When I was undressing last night 
and saw this red dress without the overdress, 
I realized I had everything I needed:  cap, mask, boots 
and even St. Corona gloves.  

Well, those were a bonus.  

~ for my version of a Handmaid ~

~ Don't you think so? ~

~ here's a back view of it all ~

The dress is from Katherine Tilton's OOP Vogue 6334 made in a mesh stretch knit.  

I copied the hat from one I bought from Secret Lentil, but apparently she's closed right now.  You can see the one I purchased from her, here.  I know she has more of the same style in a variety of interesting colors.

You can see the one I made out of a thick canvas last worn in MMM'19, here.

~ Handmaid in her docile, subservient role ~

~ and here she is not taking it any more ~

~ with Doc Marten combat boots ready for anything ~

~ an extra large masked and capped mug shot ~

So you're able to see the details of my decorated St Corona gloves. 

I was seriously compelled to make these after reading Catherine McEver's Corona posts.  I liberally combined several of her ideas, techniques and fascinating information from Stuff You Can't Have.  

A truly must read blog for our time, or any time.

Hope to see you soon,

MMM'20: Chocolate Maraschino

~ as my costume for the day ~

I'm wearing a double dip of two dresses: 

a chocolate embellished corduroy made from Tina Givens Clara Kaftan pattern over

a cherry red mesh knit made from Katherine Tilton's OOP Butterick 5986 dress pattern. 

I eliminated the back center doodad as well as the front slit on the kaftan, added pockets in the flanges, and chiffon rolled up cuffs to the sleeves.  

You can see previous wears here and here.

The red dress has only been worn a few times.  

See other reiterations here and here.

~ with some fav shoes from ebay ~

~ and Ye Olde Masked Mug Shot ~

Later,