Stations Journal Journey #19

September 2, 2025

It’s been a very full month! Thankfully, there were four camping days off in the middle which were a change of pace and location (met several amazing people!), but it’s hard to believe August is nearing completion! My husband, a principal, has been back to work for almost two weeks already, getting ready for a new school year. I am deeply grateful that Mike has been the chief cook and bottle-washer this summer.

Station 8 is also nearing completion. I had high hopes of achieving two stations in August, but #8 brought some technical challenges. For one, Pellon, the company who makes a fusible, paper-backed web called Wonder Under changed their product. I use this in all my art, which has made for a slowed summer process. The new product, which may have been ‘shrink-priced’ or some such thing is less opaque for tracing, more plastic-y for fusing, harder to write on with pencil, and curls frustratingly when cut in pieces - of which I have an average of 160 per banner. Lots of moans and groans coming out of the studio this month! Thus far there is no response from Pellon about the changes. I did manage to find 11 glorious meters of the old stuff in a tiny fabric and fiber store on my camping trip - Laurel Tree in New Denver!

It strikes me that each of my designs, completed many years ago, are getting more and more challenging. Clearly the artist in me thought it was necessary to keep upping the ante with each new design. Station 8 involved the use of organza overlay. I love the effect, but the new (stickier) Wonder Under product stuck to my ironing board through the white silk organza and left some dark spots on it. Now that I have completed that part, I know what I would have done differently, but on this one the dark bits remain…sigh. Art is very human! In addition, when making the organza bits, I have to cut out the middle portions of the Wonder Under so that it is a floating piece of fabric, only adhered at the edges where I will stitch. Technical, yes.

Thankfully, my main satin stitch sewing machine (an industrial Singer 20u) is working beautifully and I give it so much thanks, kudos and credit for giving me beautiful stitchwork.

SO…I have 5 more Stations to finish, and 4 months to the end of the year. A pretty big challenge, no doubt about it! I am going to have to begin culling even more from my life to achieve this monumental effort by the premiere in January. It has been a God-given gift to have the supporting people come along as needed this year. A media assistant, a virtual assistant, and a blessed studio assistant who regularly tells me they believe in me, I can do it! Together, as a team, we will do it.

And for today, that is what I trust!