handmade solar eclipse christmas ornamenthandmade solar eclipse christmas ornament

…it made such a big impression on me, I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Every year I like to add new ornaments to my tree at Christmas celebrating special places or experiences, so I started thinking about how I wanted to represent the eclipse…this is what I came up with in the end. Hand-embroidery, needleturn appliqué, and beading on reclaimed fabric; the hanger is two different yarns that I twined together — the color of the sky in totality, plus a little sparkle 😉

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Wonderful news: #MendMarch, the annual month-long Instagram mending challenge spearheaded by the incredible Kate Sekules, is back on for 2025! Dr. Mend (as she is sometimes known) had previously announced that this year’s event would be the last, due to some changes Meta has been making to Instagram’s hashtag functionality. However, the creative workarounds she employed this year were successful enough that she’s changed her mind and decided to keep it running for the foreseeable future! You can read more about her decision here. I’m so glad this event will continue — not only is it kind of a kick in the pants to get my mending pile under control, but it’s always so cool to see everyone else’s different approaches and get new ideas/inspiration!

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One reason I haven’t been quite as involved in (the final? 😭) #MendMarch as I would have liked is that I’ve been spending a great deal of time doing some much needed tidying and setting up practical systems to support my creative work. It’s hard to get very much done when you’ve misplaced critical supplies, or when bits and pieces of multiple projects have overtaken all of your work surfaces… Collecting all my arts & crafts books together in one location has been particularly rewarding, so for #MendMarchPractical, here is a glimpse of my studio library, full of working notebooks and creative reference materials (including, of course, a mending section!).

#MendMarchPractical #MendMarch #mendmarch2024 #personallibrary #antilibrary

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A little piece of history I revived for #MendMarchHistorical... I (again) forgot to take any before pics, but there were a couple of holey places along the hem/cuff of this vintage robe where the batting was poking out. I found some shimmery fabric in my stash, patched it up, and recreated the quilting pattern on the newly-repaired areas. Good as new!

#MendMarch #mendmarch2024 #visiblemending #repairdontreplace #vintagefashion #loungewear #quiltclothing #quiltcoats

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handmade patcheshand-embroidered denim patch

Today’s mending mail: these incredible little patches from my swap partner Erin @wrenbirdmends 🙂 I’m super excited to decide where to sew them! This was my first time participating in #MendAndMakeFriends (the second photo is the patch I made for the swap) and it was such a fun experience all around. Many thanks to @gatherwhatspills for creating and continuing to facilitate this event! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

#mendandmakefriends2024 #visiblemending #patchswap

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handmade pieces for sorry! board gamehandmade pieces for sorry! board gamehandmade pieces for sorry! board gamehandmade pieces for sorry! board game

I have not been organized enough lately to really participate in #MendMarch (although I’ve been having fun watching everybody else 👀 and yes, working through my own perpetual mending pile) — but I had to submit this for the PLAY prompt, even if it’s a little late!

I thrifted this vintage Sorry! game in great condition, the only thing wrong with it being that it was missing two pieces. When I was looking at it in the shop I hesitated a moment and almost put it back for someone else to find, but then I thought about how I could solve the problem! It would have been simpler to just replace the missing pieces with a couple of beads or something, but I got really excited about the challenge of making my own replacement pieces. So that’s what I did! I used a scrap of fabric, a bead, and a nickel (to weight the bottom) for each piece.

#mendmarchplay #mendmarch2024 #visiblesmending #boardgames #repairdontreplace

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dog paw on a damaged quiltdamaged monster quiltmonster quilt being mendedmended monster quilt

Here’s a little peek at a quilt I’ve been repairing — recreating the pattern while mending the damage is a fun little puzzle! The quilt is showing some wear in other areas as well so I’m sure this will be an ongoing project. I kind of think it will be cool to see the design continue to evolve as more and more of the original printed fabric becomes patched over. Special thanks to my studio assistant for holding that quilt down for me!

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The Friends of the Library are hosting a big sale at Porter Memorial Library tomorrow (Saturday, June 10) from 9am-3pm and you’re invited! This is a multifaceted event: local art, used books, plants, and yard sale items to browse. This event is on rain or shine, so come check it out! 92 Court St, Machias, ME 🙂

Can’t get to this one? Catch me next time! You can see all my calendar events here or sign up for email updates!

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I’m so excited to be getting more involved in my new community’s local arts scene! The Machias Arts Council has organized a series of First Friday Art Walk events all summer long. Plan on coming out First Fridays June-September to meet a variety of artists and musicians and support local small businesses!

Can’t make it? Catch me next time — you can see all my upcoming events here or sign up for email updates!

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