Bari J.

 

Crikey! (Don't you love that word? I once said it in a play.)

It's hard to write a post when everything you are working on has to be reserved for it's Big Reveal Date. And, what's worse, is all this stuff gets done so far in advance of the time it gets released that it could drive a woman mad. Just sayin'. Seriously, I might start showing you what I'm cooking for dinner cause I got nothin' else. Oh, I forgot. I haven't been cooking much in the way of dinner. And I warned the people in this house that there wouldn't be much of that coming from me for a bit longer. Thank goodness for Super Husband. He's saving our souls around here lately. Pretty much. Except laundry. (I don't know what's up with that.)

None-the-less, I'm going to throw out a big little unauthorized hint about my upcoming fabric line. Which I learned this morning is scheduled to ship to stores in (I told you things get done in advance) late April. Actually the 25th. The day after my 41st birthday. 

So here's the hint: At least one of the pieces was inspired by soap. This soap to be exact. And that nest.

I can tell you that I will receive the discs with the final prints and colors tomorrow, will be creating cards, and probably just before I head off to Quilt Market (Oct 9) I'll give you the low down.

In the meantime, let's talk book. This is kinda' a funny and sorta' sweet story. Last night I'm chatting with Mr. Scott over at Blue Nickel. And he asks me who was writing my "Foreword". I didn't even know I needed a Foreword. 

Panicked, I emailed my "editor" (LOL that sounds silly), to ask, "Uh, do I need a Foreword? I know who I'd ask. And I think she'd say yes." . And apparently I don't NEED a Foreword. But, power of suggestion, after Scott mentioned it, I WANTED a Foreword. Yeah, I told him he is a turd. A nice, sweet talented turd, but at that moment, a turd. 

All that said, there was really only one person I wanted to ask to write my "Foreword". She's inspired me, encouraged me without even knowing it, and without her I would never have had the wonderful exposure that I've had (that was a hint). Plus, she writes (that was also a hint).

So after much hesitation and prayer (Because holy toledo! What if she said "No."?) I emailed her. Then I sat on pins and needles and prayed some more. But guess what? She said yes! Guess what else, I don't think I have authorization to tell you who it is. Arggggghhhh! That would sorta' give away the heart of the book, maybe. 

But I can tell you I am Thrilled-To-Pieces about it. And you know her, and you love her. That's all I'm sayin'. That and, it's not Martha or Oprah (I don't have their email addresses).

I've been wanting to do this forever! 

What I don't know (is under there) won't hurt me.

 

Recently, I started running. Just to prove that I can. Here's the truth. I CAN run. I just don't LIKE to run. But I am running even if it is a run/walk thing that takes forever and people walking their dogs and pushing strollers zoom right past me when I am "running". And even if I am on my fourth week of this run/walk thing and I still can't go more than 2 minutes "running" because my knees and shins feel like they may pop and it doesn't matter how much I stretch and that I have new shoes.

As kids we are told. We are told what to do, we are told how to do it. We are told who we look like, what we are good at, what we are not so good at. We are constantly learning, evaluating. That's what we are meant to do.

I decided I couldn't run in the 3rd grade because I was the slowest one at the 50 yard dash. Seriously. That's why I decided this. But just because in the 3rd grade when I was eight years old, I was slower than the other kids, does that mean I could never ever run or be a runner? Maybe. I truthfully don't think I have a runner's shape, but does that mean I can't run?

Through our learning and understanding about the world around us, our place in it, our place in our own families, we come to believe certain things to be true. And a lot of times, these things aren't the nicest of things, and probably a good portion of the time our evaluations of ourselves especially aren't even true. 

Even if I was pretty correct about the running thing, why I personally chose to believe some of the craziness I did, I'm not sure. 

I hear my sixth grade teacher saying, "Bari Palles, if your head wasn't attached it would be long gone!". Hence the belief in my perpetual disorganization. 

I decide that since my sister and my brother are good at art, that I am not. I'll be good at something else. I'll be good at singing, acting, dancing. (I was too!)

I decide that since in the second grade, I'm struggling with math, I must not be able to do it. I'm just not smart enough. I avoid it from there on out.

I decide a whole bunch of other not-nice-to-myself-negative-self-image stuff too.

And I hold these truths to be self-evident. For a very very long time.

But as you know, over the past few years, I decided to knock these beliefs off their dirty dusty old shelf. And create new beliefs.

I've totally put holes in my laundry list of "things I can not do." Even math... although a good algebra class might help that situation a lot more if ever I should feel the need to torture myself in that way.

Write a book is one of them. Pretty cool. I'm getting there on that one.

Today, I put holes in the "I can not illustrate" belief. How I thought I could draw two whole fabric lines and more but not illustrate sewing diagrams is sort of unbelievable when I say it out loud, but there it is. Ok, so, I can sorta' illustrate stuff. And I really like it too.

So, what (self) truths do you hold self evident. And why? 

How much ya' wanna' bet it's not true?

The thing about creating patterns for handbags and "one size fits all" aprons is... there's no grading involved. Throw in a piece of clothing and uh oh! You gotta' grade. Now, I know that I could hand it off to someone and say, "here you go, grade away," but there's something about learning the skill myself... I love to just Know. 

Today, I went to a sewing "lab" which actually turned out to be an almost private lesson in pattern making as there were just two of us due to summer vacations. Thank goodness because, boy! Did I ever need help. 

First of all, I learned that I absolutely must have one of these. You gotta' have this for sleeves, hips and more. Here I was just matching things up and curving the way I thought they should go, and come to find out there's a much easier (and apparently... ahem... standard) way.

I also learned that I know even less than I thought I knew. Which wasn't much.

But more importantly, I learned that really, it's not rocket science, it's definitely a skill that I can acquire. And though I'm glad I'm learning how... I now know that it takes a Whole Bunch of Time ... time I could spend in other places. Like, oh, I don't know... Creating, writing, spending time with my kids, getting to that stack of laundry... stuff like that. Stuff I can't get someone else to do (and wouldn't want to).

So, next time I'm just gonna' have someone else do it. 

But there really is something to be said for "knowing how", isn't there?

 

I've been one lucky chicky lately, and have been somewhat remiss in handing out the Thank You's... at least publicly... I always write a nice email and feel guilty that I haven't hand written a note, but ...

I do think some pubic displays of affection are in order! Forgive, the length. I've been really lucky and grateful to be featured, and I'm also late enough posting about it that they have piled up. 

First, today, I was featured on Today's Creative Blog! Sweet. I've always wanted to be featured on Kim's blog! Picture dancing going on... Cabbage Patch. Thank you so much, Kim! I'm going to add this to my side bar right away. A blinky! Yay!

And then in no particular order (because I can't remember the order)...

Thank you to (three more Kim's or Kimberly's)

Kim at True up for the wonderful interview that you can find here! 

And Kimberly at Spoonflower who also interviewed me... here.

And Kimberly at Kimberly Shaw Graphics (to die for water color tea cup... be still my heart... cards) who won a fat quarter stack and blogged what she did with some of it here! I loooooove this!

And the ladies of Fat Quarter Shop put up a little post I wrote... here. (((Note: hours later... Kimberly Jolly owns The Fat Quarter Shop!!!!)))

And my family over at Windham posted a little blog entry I wrote too... Like the header? I may have designed it... ;) 

 

Plus, one more, and if I'm forgetting anything, forgive me... I'm sure to remember right after I hit "post".

The Laura Zarrin (an incredible illustrator) also won a stack and wrote about what she was doing with it.

Thanks, you all!!!

PS... AGGGGG! Damnation! I did forget a very important thank you!!!

Thank you to Bowie at Print & Pattern!!! How could I forget that? I practically begged for her to feature me! Been reading Print and Pattern since I started Bari J. in '04 or was it '05?  

Thank you, Bowie! 

Messes can be very pretty, especially fabric messes. I started cleaning and folding and organizing in here, but some of the heaps (individually) looked so pretty I had to take some pictures. Now, if I showed you the whole thing, you might get sick, but just these little bits... I kinda' like 'em.

But now it's time to get things off the ironing board, fold up the scraps and get organized. 

So that I can make a new mess tomorrow.

Murphy's law. I call it "Magical Thinking". And as a rule, I'm against magical thinking. What I mean by that is that I think that things don't just happen. I think that we make them happen. Just sayin'.

But over the past week, a series of unfortunate events (really just a couple) have caused me to look at that Magical Murphy's Law. {{{BTW, an aside and another reason not to like it... It's a negative law. So in the way of magical thinking, I think it's a bummer. If I'm going to think magically, it should be good things. Not: "if anything can go wrong it will.". Seriously, that's ugly.}}} But none-the-less here's how things went down:

1. I'd been rushing like a demon to meet a deadline, sewing and writing away when ... POOF! The circuit board on my sewing machine decides it's time to call it quits. 

I looked over my shoulder. Murphy, are you there? 

No. No. No. No magical thinking. At least not the negative sort. 

I called The Sewing Machine Shop in Walnut Creek, and happened to get the owner when he came to pick up the mail. He was just stopping in as he just had knee surgery. Anyways, I explained my situation, and he graciously lent me a machine until he can fix mine. 

The result of which is... this infinitesimally small peek (you are looking at about two inches of it) at this project... See that pretty Laura Gunn fabric?! To die for.

2. I lost the pen to my graphics tablet which is my life line to drawing. Of course, I really needed it right then. I had to think quick in order to save one of my favorite designs in fabric line number two from the cutting room floor... which is a cute story in and of itself and I'll tell you about that when I can show you the whole line in a finished form... which I think is really really soon. But I digress... Murph's law had me loosing a pen just when I needed it. Was I actually going to let him get to me again?

First of all, dear Murphy, I'd drawn my little hand off about a week ago, and found the perfect element I'd already drawn and finished to add to a pattern. (I'm sticking my tongue out and blowing razzes here.) Ha. I saved the "fabric pattern from having it's little head chopped off. 

(a peek at somethin' or another in the works, but it's not the one that almost got chopped.)

Then even though I knew it was a trick, I decided to use this so-called law in my favor. I figured this was the best way to find my old pen. I was already on the magical thinking tear so what the heck, I'll give in... I ordered a new pen that afternoon, and wouldn't you know... found the old one the next day. I'm keeping the new one as a back-up.

3. After Murphy had wrecked havoc twice in a week, I got a letter from my child at overnight camp that started "As I write this I am crying...". So of course this causes a flood of tears from me. (I don't know where my daughter gets her dramatic streak.) I wanted to rush right up there and get her. But. I think. And I realize that this note is written the first night of camp, she's tired, she's in new surroundings. And Murphy's law would tell me that by the time I got up there, she'd be having a grand old time and wondering what all the fuss is about. I'll wait a day. And I was right. Today's letter from her had a really happy tone. She's canoeing, hiking, and told me not to worry because she is drinking enough water and eating the food.

Ha. Magical thinking, Murphy's Law ... You've got nothin' on me.

PS... Just so you know, if that letter hadn't come today, I'd be in the car right now, feeling guilty that I left her there for an extra day. Murphy's law be damned.

 

In honor of Tara Frey's new book, Blogging for Bliss, we're havin' a bloggy party hosted by Kari at ArtsyMama! Lots of wonderful bloggers are featured in the book, and I'm lucky enough to be among them. Tara has been one of those encouraging, positive and fun people I've met during my blog journey and I'm constantly wowed and inspired by her. 

Here are my thoughts on why blogging is "bliss"!

~ the creative process of writing and telling stories is joy, joy, joy to me!

~ blogging keeps me motivated to keep going

~ blogging keeps me honest: if I say I'm going to do it here, you all will hold me to it (i hope you will, anyways!)

~ it's a place to get feed back

~ it's a place to jump for joy

~ it's a place to sit back and sigh, and tell someone, "I haven't had such a great day today"

~ it's a place to share experiences and inspiration

~ let's face it, blogging is good for business

~ it's a place to be connected to people who "get me"

~ it opens doors that I never knew existed

Go ahead and check out the blogging for bliss blogroll over at ArtsyMama and read why others think blogging is bliss. Feel free to join in on the celebration too!

And again, Tara, you are an inspiration to all of us! Thank you, and congratulations!