Day 5 - 31 Day Blog Challenge 2020 - First Projects

Today's subject is first project. I've decided to share some of my first creative projects.

I'm going way back for these! 

The first one is from 1964. I guess I have always liked this little pinch pot. It is unfired clay, painted with tempera paint and shellac. Does anyone remember making these? I don't have too many early projects, but this is one I've held onto! It is even signed!

2nd project I'm sharing is my hand stitched pin cushion. I made it in Brownies. My mom was the Brownie leader, and later our Girl Scout leader. I was a shy kid, so having your mom for a leader was comforting.

The last project is an embroidered pillow case. I believe I was about 9 or 10 when I made this. My stitching skills had improved and I was careful to follow the lines! 

We all start somewhere when we create. I know my skills have improved quite a bit since these projects! Though the embroidery may have been more carefully executed than what I create now! It is fun to look back at creations from the past, they always seem to provide comfort to me in my life.

Hope you appreciate your past creations!

Denise A. Buchwalter-Losczyk

Day 2 - 31 Day Blog Challenge 2020 - Sewing Space

Hi!

Today's Blog subject in the #31DayBlogChallenge2020 is Sewing Space. I am very happy to have a wonderful Studio space, which I use for sewing, quilting, and also designing and other creative endeavors. I also spend time designing on the computer a bit in our home office. (Then there is knitting in front of the TV at night!)

I haven't always had a big space to create in. Though, I've always made room for creating. As a teenager I would sew on my mom's older machine, and draw and paint in our basement space (putting away materials between creating). 

When I lived alone I would create anywhere in my living space. Usually a small table in the living room, and one time in my kitchen. After marrying, my husband made sure I always had a room to create in. 

Any space will do to create in, and if you have to you can always have a portable space. It is wonderful to have a room or space to call your own, but don't let limitations of space limit your creativity! Find a portable project you can work on - perhaps a small hand sewing project, a drawing journal, a lap desk to set your project on while working. A small basket for holding supplies is nice when your space is portable. I often hand sew at night in the living room, keeping my supplies in a small container or basket.

Enjoy your space (however big or small) and create!

Happy Creating!

- Denise Buchwalter-Losczyk

You can visit my Instagram page at @dblosczyk, to see additional photos of my creations, and some of my studio space, if you like!

Resettling and Creating

I haven’t written in a while! Sometimes life gets in the way of creating and writing. We recently had the good fortune to sell our real estate property. This lead to packing boxes of belongings and donating and tossing items no longer needed. You don’t realize how much you have accumulated, until you have to pack it all in boxes. I plan to downsize some more this year and hopefully it will become a habit!

We were lucky (blessed!) to have a wonderful real estate agent who helped us through the selling process. I highly recommend Kiki Ress, of Coldwell Banker, if you are planning to sell or buy a property in the Chicagoland area. She handles both commercial and residential properties and is a very knowledgeable, caring and helpful agent. She truly takes the time to assist her clients and maintains a positive, cheerful and professional manner. Her assistance made the process much less stressful than it could have been. You can read about Kiki Ress and Coldwell Banker at: http://www.coldwellbankeronline.com/real_estate_agent/8109/Vaciliki-Kiki-Ress.aspx.

Even though I’ve been busy with moving and resettling, I find myself still needing to create – I recently finished and submitted an entry for Piecework Magazine's Annual Pincushion contest. The design I submitted is a new variation of my yo-yos cubed pincushion. My yo-yos cubed pincushion and ornaments pattern can be purchased and downloaded from the Craftsy.com and Patternspot.com websites. You can view them by clicking the links on the side of my blog page.

For my entry in the Piecework contest, I used fabrics I had hand painted, and added hand embroidery embellishments. I plan to experiment with painting additional fabric in the weeks/months ahead, and I hope to post photos of the results here on my blog.

I love creating and entering challenges. I believe I’ll complete some creative projects this year, even though life has gotten busy in a good way. Taking the time to create art can also bring joy to life and enhances it in a very good way.

Hope you will take time to create and enjoy life!

Denise Buchwalter-Losczyk