Mission

You will notice that I've added a brief blurb about Meandering Design. Trying to encapsulate what Meandering Design means to me was a bit challenging. I hope that I have summed it up. If you have any thoughts please let me know. 

Space

I have been blessed with a second bedroom that I can use as a workspace. It is one of my favorite rooms in my apartment. Initially when I moved back home I was not sure about the color that my sublettors had chosen, but I decided to live with it for a little bit. Eventually I decided to leave it on the walls and I am glad that I did because it is not a color I would have chosen, but it has worked with everything I have added to the room.

My cousin was in town for thanksgiving and offered to help bring an old school locker that I had bought almost four years ago and was storing at my grandparents to my apartment. Thank goodness he did because old school lockers are made out of steel and they are very very heavy. I rearranged the room and now I have a workplace, a spot to curl up with a cup of tea and storage.  I have a couple of things to frame and hang against the wall next to Mrs. Palmer because that wall is a bit bare. I am also going to get the French Victorian chair reupholstered. My attempts at upholstering were an epic failure.

This is the storage locker and Mrs. Palmer with her fabulous new fascinator. I may have to borrow it from her. Yes, I will wear it out in public. 

This is the corner that will get some pictures hung on it. The desk and chair was "loaned" to me from my grandfather. It is from the 1930's and he pulled it out of a building in Chicago that they were about to tear down. 

I like this shot because you can see the Matryoshka dolls hanging out on the windowsill. 

The top of my locker. I love this collection of things. The print of the woman gazing out into the distance is called "Expectations" and I bought it at Josie's Antiques outside of DeKalb, Il years ago. The other print is by an artist who's name currently escapes me. The round bit of embroidery is a kit from Wool & Hoop Crewel. The little enamel orange clock is also from Josie's Antiques. It  does not work and I do not mind. The wee Kewpie dolls are naked, except they wear little animal hats. They are ridiculous and I love them. The round metal thing is actually a hat form that I found at Salvage One years ago. 

To the left is my French Victorian chair that is in need of some love. Another find from Josie's Antiques. Right behind the chair are a couple of old mason jars that are full of buttons. I can never pass up buttons at antiques stores. Give me a jar of buttons and I will be happy for months! The curtain hanging in the back left is also from Josie's (it is a little difficult to see in this picture). The picture frame (yet another Josie's find) is from the late 1800's and it used to hold a class photo, but I replaced it with a copy of my star chart. Yes, there is a star named after me. Below the star is one of the theatre seats from the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb. 

The rug I found in Turkey and is hand dyed and made out of camel hair. Hiding to the left of the chair is a turtle footstool that my mother got for me at a garage sale over ten years ago. He holds my magazines and tea for me while I sit in my chair.

What you do not see is the chaos that is hiding behind the curtain. In the closet are piles of fabric, sewing supplies, sewing machines, the ironing board and bins filled with all the bits and bobs I use. The locker holds crafting supplies as well, but it is starting to get filled up with some final products.

Looking around this room I realize the reason I love it so much is because everything in it has a story. From the items I have found to the small gifts that people have given me, or the large ones they have lent me, the room is full of history.  It is this history that I want to incorporate into Meandering Design.

The business end of things

I was debating whether to be a sole proprietorship or a limited liability corporation (LLC). After doing some research I chose to start with the sole proprietorship and if need be in the future I can convert to an LLC. I have started the paperwork and so hopefully very soon I will have confirmation that Meandering Design is ready to go.

In the meantime I have been crocheting. 

Prototypes

I am currently making things and giving them away for free. I know it sounds crazy, but there is a method to my madness. First, I need to make a mock up of ideas in my head and see what works or what doesn't work and then write down a pattern. I have to say the bulk of the crocheting and sewing I have done has been done off the cuff. If I am going to make more then one though, I need to be able to recreate my creations. My other hope is that people will see my work and covet it for themselves.

This little beauty, which is being modeled by Mrs. Bertha Palmer,  is the loop de loop neck warmer.

I started it while watching horror movies on Halloween so I would not have to pay attention to the blood and gore on the screen. It was a good diversionary tactic, but while crocheting in the dark I did not realize how long it was. This one is a little too long and three loops is bit excessive. Next one will be shorter at only two loops, but a bit thicker. It is going to a classmate of mine and I hope it helps her stay fashionably toasty this winter.

This divine bit of fluff is the infinity loop. It is another thing I just kind of made up and hope I can recreate. It is going to another friend of mine. While I hope it keeps her warm, I also hope that people who see how glorious it looks on her will want one of their own. Now you see don't you my pretties.

Here is a closeup so you can see how interesting that stitch is. I kinda just made it up. There is a thing called a double triple stitch. So, I kept adding a loop around the needle. I just looked up the double triple, or double treble as it is called and there is another stitch called a treble treble, which is apparently what I did. Regardless what its name is, it makes a relatively open weave and has a very geometric interesting design.  Below is a closeup of the treble treble infinity loop. Say that three times real fast.

Thank goodness I fell in love with Mrs. Bertha Palmer at the Chicago Antique Market. If I did not bring her home with me you all would have to come and be my model so I could take pictures. Speaking of pictures, my new iPhone takes really good pictures, but it would help if I waited to take them in the day time. I just could not wait to share. 

Inspiration

I could not sleep one night and so I created an inspiration board. I did not want anything cluttering up the walls in my study and so I put it on the closet door in my kitchen. I have been tearing out things that catch my eye for years now. In fact I think some of these tear outs may be more then a few years old, but in my eyes they are timeless. That is a bit of what I am going for. A feeling of being just a little out of time.
It was hard to get a picture due to the glossiness of the pictures, but here is my overall inspiration board.

I love the women below in the top left. The layers, the big hand warmers and hat with the oversized bag. It all feels well put together, yet effortless and it looks like something I would wear. I love the color combination in the center of teal and red. Brilliant. Of course I like any and all capes. 

It is hard to tell, but the top left picture below is a jacket made out of an old quilt. How delicious would that be? I also adore the bottom right photo that has an orange jacket with a pair of golden yellow pants. Mmmmm.