Day 50 of #The100DayProject

And how I'm rethinking my newsletter schedule.

Hello makers,

I’ve been so used to sending newsletters out twice a week that I almost felt lost taking a break from it! Luckily (well not really), my kids have kept me busy with getting sick every five minutes, having their birthdays less than two weeks apart, my son signing up for a basketball tournament over Easter weekend (which is also my daughters birthday) and two weeks of school holidays.

It has been a wild few weeks! I’ve barely held on and to be honest. My mental health has not been at its peak; probably from a lack of exercise :(. I love getting out and walking in our local hills but the days are getting shorter and colder and I’ve just been exhausted juggling the kids, work, and home life.

So, how has this affected my 100 day project you ask? (haha as if you are keeping track of my progress, you have enough in your own lives to worry about!).

But seeing as you (sort of) asked, I have missed some days.

BUT…

I did not let that stop me this time. I gave myself the grace and kindness to accept that I missed a day or two, and got back to it when I could. This is something I’ve never done before and it was partly helped by the easiness of my project and accessibility of the tools I’ve used to create each design with (usually raiding my kids pen/pencil jars).

To begin with, I made a couple of handy little concertina-style notebooks from a single piece of paper.

And then when those ran out, I started using the notebooks I made when I spent a month looking at bookbinding and handmade notebooks last year.

There is something about seeing them altogether that feels pretty nice, like a mini accomplishment :)

The stats:

• Out of 50 days of the project, I have done 45 days; my longest absence was 2 days in a row.

• I have drawn/painted 52 little textile art ideas/designs.

• 69% of my designs I used coloured pencils (downside is the pencil transfers onto the opposite page)

• 17% of my designs I used watercolours (I didn’t have the patience for the drying time or any sort of skills in using watercolours).

• 6% of my designs I used felt pens (I love the vibrant colours but I don’t have many choices of colour in this department).

• 20% of my designs started with a prompt from one of my kids; thanks guys!

What my 100 Day Project has led me to make so far.

I’ve been working on developing a collection of textile wall hangings inspired by the organic shapes, movement, and colour variations found in bird feathers and tails. I’m still trying to get my ideas working with the fabric I have, but here are a couple of early trial wall hangings.

Test Wall Hanging #1:

Test Wall Hanging #2:

What’s Next on Seek To Make.

In the tiny gaps of time, and when my brain has had a pinch of capacity for it, I’ve been thinking over my newsletter schedule and pondering some changes. Posting twice a week was too much so I’m taking my newsletter to the cutting mat and trimming it down to 3-4 times a month. And because I value my time and my ideas, some of those posts will be paid-only. I’m still working out what this will look like, but I hope to create interesting and inspiring content for everyone.

I’m going to share more of my own journey here too (eek, that’s pretty out-there for me!) But my goal is to connect to people through our struggles with living a creative life. Surely I’m not the only one that is worriedly meandering, somewhat lost 90% of the time, down this creative path??

Our next theme?

Well, just a sneaky little hint for you today. Next month, we’re turning our attention to the kinds of creations that move with you through the day. Pieces made by hand, with intention, and that are an exploration of your style. Ooh so intriguing, who can guess what it will be??

Until then,

Esta