The alarm went off at 6:30am and I automatically hit the snooze button. At 3am I was awake, trying to get back to sleep knowing full well the alarm was set, and reading a book I wasn't enjoying. Why am I reading this book? Because there'll be a treasure hunt in New Orleans for a witch spoon somewhere down the road. At least that's what the book's back cover told me. And why did I have the alarm set at 6:30am? Because its HOT here.
September is supposed to be the month when cool breezes begin to blow. Campuses are covered with overburdened students and trees shedding their cheerful colors as if scattering rose petals before hurrying feet with promises of the future.
September is the month of change and transition. More than a quadrant of months ending in 'ber, that will end with a new year. It's the month that signals the end of summer and a
return to business. The pace picks up as the holidays approach. Shops filled with the promise and promotion of the next coming holiday.
There's a scent to the air that is earthy and old. The dark of night creeps in earlier each day. Autumn falls upon us on the 22nd, and pumpkins dot the porches with bright, warm color. And I love it all. Fall.
Why on earth was I shaken awake by the shrill of an alarm clock at 6:30am? Because its hot and I needed to hike my dog, Brighton, this morning. The goal is to slog down a fast cup of strong tea and be out of the house by 7. It doesn't happen. No way. There's a force in me that refuses to rush a morning no matter my good intentions. Brighton gets his hike, and I accept that I will sweat. What will the rest of day bring? My desperate need for a few minutes of patio time in the shade while I gather my thoughts and plan my day.
However, like the ginger cat in the window, I simply watch with little bother and interest. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It's called being uninspired. It happens. When inspired, I'll work constantly and consistently. It's something that I've learned to live with. The wave will come again, and I'll ride it like a pro. I hope.
As the holidays approach, I realize that there are gifts to make, and I don't wish to be caught up in the frenzy of meeting deadlines. Yet, until that knock on the head arrives, you cannot push creativity.
I was thinking the other day of a creative writing class I once took where the teacher would ask us to write a poem, a story, something abstract. The only way I was able to produce something worthy of being read, was the pressure being put on me to perform. At present, there is no pressure. Just pleasure. The pleasure of watching the shadows lengthen and stick around longer as the sun begins to sit ever lower in the sky as the season
changes.
September is birthday month. I promised myself that I would not celebrate it this year. But of course, I will. I always do, but this time, more quietly than normal. It's a marker of time. A marker that tells me I'm one year beyond what I was last year in hopefully the most positive of ways. It's a time of reflection. It's a time of planning. It's a day that reminds me I am still here, and there's no time to lose, so get busy and enjoy your life!
Yesterday I was visiting with my wonderful friend, Betsy, and we once again talked about the little hats she'd sent to me a few of weeks back. One was damaged, one she wasn't pleased with, and the other needed embellishments since those that were previously on it, didn't suit her tastes. These were not doll hats that I made, but I was tasked with making them nice for her. IF I could. NO biggie, if not.
And that was the challenge. I was still uninspired. But then she mentioned that in two weeks' time, it would be my birthday, and she never forgets my birthday. I would wish a friend like Betsy to everyone. She's generous to a fault, but more importantly, she simply wants to make sure that I know I'm loved and treasured. And boy, if that isn't a kick in the butt motivator! Well, it was for me. I was going to get these hats presentable no matter what.
This little pink hat, her favorite color, is a Hitty hat. She wasn't pleased with its sloppy construction on the inside. The bias tape was glued on carelessly creating bumps. I thought I might add something inside to cover them.
The second Hitty hat had fallen apart when she tried to put in on one of her dolls. Good grief. And it came without ribbons to tie under the chin of the doll. These hats were purchased just this summer for her while I was at convention, but I wasn't inspecting them as she would have.
The third one was for an Izannah Walker doll, and the embellishments had been ripped off, but the silk covered hat was still good.
I started working on them after they arrived, and immediately repaired blonde straw hat. Then they sat as I tried without success to figure out what to do with the pink one. If it had been yellow or blue, it would have gotten tossed. But pink! Her favorite color. I'd figure something out. In the midst of that, I'd pinned the ribbons to the top of the hat so I could work on the interior. Big mistake. Once a pin is in this kind of silk ribbon, a big hole happens. Lucky me, that I found, after a few hours of serious looking in my stash, the exact pink ribbon to replace them.
The question of what to do with the interior had been dogging me for weeks. I considered and tried pleated silk. I considered and tried pink gathered edging. I tried a few other things, and finally in a fit of giving up, gathered some pretty lace and glued it into the crown of the hat. Not bad. I then replaced the decorative ribbons and will hope for the best. She asked me to toss it, but I just could not do that.
The straw hat is actually a stained or dyed buckram and I restarched it, after fixing it sewn by hand, then added the ribbon ties.
The green silk bonnet received silk-satin ribbon and vintage forget-me-nots in pink. One of the things I picked up a couple of years ago, was this clever way I saw someone make beaded patches. She sewed the beads to a piece of buckram, which would then get applied by hand to the garment. So that's what I did with the forget-me-nots. I colored the buckram piece black first so that it wouldn't show on the black ribbon. The effect was nice.
So yes, this is something else I do besides agonize over making doll clothing, and needle felting. I fix things. And there is very little I wouldn't do for Betsy if she ever asked. Back that up. I never say no. I might grumble, but I'm good a grumbling. The finished hats are below in photos along with some favorite images of autumn and what September visually means to me. Virgo with her sheaf of wheat, apple orchards ripe for picking, fall leaves and pumpkins, the advent of Halloween, and harvest moons.
And I just found out that there'll be a full moon on the 18th! Now that is something to anticipate and get excited about. There ought to be a wake up saying on one's birthday, like saying "Rabbit Rabbit" on the first of each month, for good luck. I'll contemplate this and let you know what I come up with. "Happy Birthday" just doesn't cut it when it should be something a bit more magical, mystical. Speaking of which, I just had to include the cover of my childhood ghost story book. I still have it. The stories still stand the test of time, as a good ghost story should.
And now onto the other project I've been dragging my feet on. I think I'm ready. I just needed a good kick in the seat.
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