✉ What Am I Passionate About These Days? - Catherine E. McLean

Today author Catherine E. McLean takes over our blog to tell us about what she is passionate about these days. A novelist, her latest release is Revision is a Process (26 April 2017, Rimstone Concepts LLC, 122 pages), a Non-Fiction Self-Help book.

"Excellent book. Catherine explains things clearly and leads you through the editing process with ease. Her book Is very educational and a excellent tool." ~ Lou Gross (Amazon Verified Purchase)

"this book was so well organized and clearly written that I was motivated to pull out an old abandoned story I had attempted earlier. That story had proved difficult to revise and Ms.McLean's book now provides the guideposts I need to get the revisions completed. I definitely recommend this work to any writer (beginner or experienced) who needs a simple, direct road map to revising their written project." ~ Willow (Amazon Verified Purchase)

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What I Am Passionate About These Days?

by Catherine E. McLean

Sewing. Not quilting.

I have been sewing since I was seven years old. If you count embroidery, which was the first project my mother taught me to do, I was likely six going on seven.

As to the sewing, I grew up poor, but from a hard-working family who had a greenhouse and made their living growing tomatoes for market. Back then, I was able to buy four yards of fabric for a dollar. Oh, how times have changed!

Now, my mother didn't sew, but she cashed in on my desire to sew and gave me her treadle sewing machine. In those days, my clothes cost pennies compared to purchased ones. I joined the Jefferson Dainty Stitchers 4-H club and went on to become its leader. When I married, I moved to Pennsylvania and started a sewing 4-H club. In 2016, I retired as a 4-H leader having been part of some 350 kids' lives. All though those years, I also competed in the sewing divisions of whatever fairs were near where I lived.

Sadly, in all the years, none of my sewing ever took a Grand Championship. That's because the Grand Champion is chosen from all of the needlework departments. That means the sewing has to be outstanding enough to beat an afghan, crewel pictures, quilts, knitting, and crochet work, and so on.

My passion for sewing now includes costuming for a 18.5" fashion doll. You see, two weeks after the publication of my sci-fi adventure (space opera) novel Jewels of the Sky. I found a doll named Raven. She looked like Darq, the book's starfighter pilot. Call it kismet, but Darq's pilot name was Raven!

The premise is that Darq is visiting me here on Earth as an ambassador from her homeworld. Since she gets invited to all sorts of events, I sew her wardrobe. I've created Erte- and movie- inspired outfits, her uniform, her native Indian ceremonial dress, etc. Sewing those clothes is not an easy task since all I have to go on is an artist's sketch or a picture from a book or I see something interesting at Pinterest.

The most challenging outfit so far was the Erte-inspired wedding cape-dress. It's 1.5 yards from the center back hem to the ends of the front pieces. I also do the backgrounds and props for the pictures.

Oh, and one thing I discovered about Darq is that she is a shoe-aholic. She loves shoes. Every outfit comes with new shoes.

If you'd like to suggest an outfit for Darq, post a comment here or at my blog.

Catherine E. McLean

Revision is a Process
Available NOW!

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