For such a small picture, the stamp is taking a lot of sewing! It has been an interesting little project from start to finish; finding the subject, and working out how to recreate it. I've a couple more decisions to make before I take it out the of ring, press it, cut it out and sew it on to the 'postcard'. (I'm fairly sure I am not giving anything away by showing the reverse!)
I took the picture to show how quickly a small amount of embroidery sewing can overflow out of its box. I've already moved up a size once. The purple felt on the right holds all the part used lengths in different colours. As long as I am gentle I can ease out the colour that I want without worsening the tangle. I have found that the felt is just fuzzy enough to hold the threads securely when I fold it over.
I think it took less than a week for the neatly arranged items in the box to become and apparent muddle of threads, pens, bits of cloth and notes.
Mind you, I do tend to work in a cluttered environment. This is what the piano looks like;
The laptop is open ready for the next zoom, and I also have a cheap Kindle fire to the right, out of shot, in a clamp, so that the students can see me in one screen, and my hands on the keyboard in the other. Although they can glimpse a little of the chaos on the dining room table right behind me, and the cat asleep on the chair even further behind me, they overall impression they receive is more orderly than the reality!. The pink stickers stuck along the piano lid, above the metronome, are invaluable; I use them to mark up my copy of the music as they are playing so that I can go back and ask about the F# in bar 6, or sort out a rhythm problem, or comment on how neatly they managed that tricky bit at the top of the second page...
The state of the dining room table appeared frequently in the days when I was teaching about 10 or more class lessons a week, on clarinet, ukulele, recorder, djembe drums, samba drums and keyboards as well as upwards of 30 piano pupils. Within a few weeks of term starting I used to give up trying to clear the accumulation of lesson plans and song books and administration folders and let it all pile up until the next break.
Somehow, I was nearly always at the right school on the right day with the right instruments, equipment and lesson plans; there were a few narrow squeaks; for example the first five miles of the journey for two schools were the same, but on Wednesdays I had to remember to turn right at the roundabout, but on Thursdays go left. Then, for some reason, they would swap days...
Noah's ark
yesterday - worms
Job 21;23-26
One dies in full prosperity, being wholly at ease and secure...
Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having tasted of good.
They lie down alike in the dust, and the worms cover them.
These worms look remarkably athletic. Do you think they may have been 'charmed'?
Video of the UK worm charming championships from Willaston in Cheshire
I like the appearance of your piano. Ours is covered in piles of music and cards! My music room at school (when I had one- SOB) was covered in piles of stuff! The kids were used to it!
Sitting here looking at My "Postcard Project Box" smiling - I too have had to go to a larger box!
ReplyDeleteI forsee 'box tidying' appearing on my to do list....
ReplyDeleteI like the appearance of your piano. Ours is covered in piles of music and cards! My music room at school (when I had one- SOB) was covered in piles of stuff! The kids were used to it!
ReplyDeleteOccasionally I read blogs about 'perfect piano teaching environments' with pictures of tidy and organised studios - that's never going to happen here!
ReplyDelete