Yesterday, Wednesday, I noticed I would be leaving for Australia in exactly two weeks, but the NZ$ was falling and falling. And because my hip was pop-popping again, I culled the different piles of collage material, then started wondering if two of my themes were too similar, causing me confusion. I sent Seth yet another email; I think I've used up my question quota but I started looking for an alternate theme for either, and I may have one.
Also yesterday I found out we may want to make/bring small swapsies; we were shown links to "short" videos which altogether would have taken over an hour to watch on how to make charms. I'm not a fan of goodie bags, and I'm not keen on exchanging trinkets, however wonderful they are, and I know some will be fabulous. Of course these are voluntary and one can bring as many or few or none to swap; we were even told one woman in the US gives out pencils with her website on; my kind of trinket.
I was looking for tranquility in these workshops, thinking about Dad and my family and what we lost last year, instead it sounds like it's going to be a jovial, convivial, noisy gathering and the thought was getting me down. Plus, for the last couple of years I've tried so hard to give away my mostly-Japanese trinkets and I didn't want to spend money to buy things people probably didn't need. Or want. And there are around 50 attending.
Gifts, to me, require thoughts and personal-ness.
Well, this morning, I decided to give away the buttons I made for the exhibition two years ago. I dug up more button making kits, made buttons, got out business cards of all vintage, and made 47 of these. And ran out of time to weave or to select photos for class. Maybe I won't get to the towels.
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The buttons on the three back rows are from the exhibition, so they are lined; those on the two front rows I didn't line so the metal underneath shows through close up, but the small buttons in the front in particular were so tight I couldn't line. And some buttons got sections of the fabric with long floats so I strengthened the edges with glue. These are trinkets so I hope they'll be acceptable; I must remind everyone when I swap how fragile handwovens are.
But I made them. And you can't buy these anywhere. That's good.
3 comments:
I share your reservations. I am not a fan of goody bags either, and would be feeling quite stressed if I was suddenly expected to provide 50 thingummies! That's going to be a whole lot of goodies when they're put together.
I, too, am not a big fan of "swapsies" as I feel obligated to provide them when, in fact, I don't want to RECEIVE them. I'm aiming for less crap in my life, not more.....I'm using the term "crap" loosely here. 50 people is a lot and I know I wouldn't necessarily want to remember all (or maybe hardly any) of them. So why would I want some doodad from them? I wouldn't. But that's just me. Good on you for deciding what you wanted to share, and for making them up. I'm sure the recipients will enjoy them.
Oh, to clarify, nobody forced me, it was optional, and certainly nobody told me to come up with nearly 50. Perhaps I was wrong in going to a workshop for some quiet time - home might have been better. I AM looking forward to every aspect of the trip and the workshops in particular, but I now think I hardly have enough alone time and this is so foreign to the way I live or travel. But I'll enjoy it all.
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