Hobby Juggling

How many of you do the old hobby juggle? You know, doing projects in 2, 3, 4 or more crafts at one time. like painting in the morning, sewing in the afternoon, gardening in between, crocheting in the evening or drawing while watching TV?

A lot of us I believe. I feel like I have been doing it my whole life. 

No day has ever been long enough. 

Even when I'm totally focused on one big project, all the other ides or WIPs are in the back of my mind waiting for their time to come into the light.  

In the last couple months I finished up an old idea and work in progress and one of those random new ideas that you just have to try right away. And along the way kept working away on a  painting project that I haven't decided how to use yet.

The random new idea:

Not that new really.  Just another bookbinding project, but I wanted to try using metal latches for a change. I learned something about installing latches, how to buy the right size and quality of latches, and got more practice doing this neat longstitch bookbinding pattern.

 

The old half done idea finally finished: Half Square Triangle Design Blocks. 

Half Square Triangle Tile design is a method that has literally been done for centuaries in different cultures for different purposes. I became facinated with one such method decades ago after reading the book "Half Square Triangles Exploring Design", 1987, by Barbara Johannah.   I've created designs by by hand using graph paper and pen, I've used various programs on a computer or iPad, and now, just for fun, I made a pile of 74 painted 2" blocks to unleash some creative fun in a much more organic way, even three dimentionally. 

Painting all the blocks took some time. Six sides but only a couple at a time, drying time in between, two coats of white, taping off all the areas for black triangles, clear medium on the tape edges to get crisp black triangles, finally the black triangles.

A pile of Design cubes to play with:

 

 

 

Making the designs:

 Examples:

 

Finally, the on-going painting project with no end game:

Just old pieces of denim painted according to whatever mood I was in and with whatever paint happened to be within reach. Trimmed and stacked in a pile waiting for the next inspiration to strike. Maybe mini book covers, maybe cut up for an art mosaic, maybe sewn into a pouch. 

That's all for now.

Thanks for reading.

Aileen