Wednesday, November 05, 2014

Penny Higgins is a Vertebrate Paleontologist who sews

Penny Higgins1) The day you stepped into your current creative space for the first time, did you already know how you wanted your studio to look like or did the design evolve from the actual space?
When I first walked into my workspace, I had no idea what it would morph into. The original plan was to have a space where I could store and work on our vast camera collection. Then I put a big computer in there so I could do some office work from home. Next came the sewing machine and boxes on boxes of fabric. The rest is history.
The room itself is a strange space. It once was an over-the-garage apartment, so has a bathroom (non-functional) and did have a stove and refrigerator. The stove and fridge have been removed, replaced with storage. The space also has low vaulted ceilings, so nothing tall can go in there.
All told, it’s an awkward space, but well enough removed from the rest of the house that I can work in peace when things need to get finished.
Pourpoint
2) After the work is done, do you clean up after each piece, after each day or whenever you can´t find the table anymore?
I’m the person who tries to clean up daily, as I never know what I’ll be working on next. That doesn’t always work out, of course, but I do always clean up when a project is complete for sure. Sometimes, the mess gets so big that I have to clean up multiple times in one day, especially if I get tired of one project and move on to another for a while.
Mother and Son Costumes
3) Which is your best time of the day to create? Do you have music on or do you prefer to work in silence?
I find I do most of my work in the evenings and into the late night. Whether that is because I function best then, or because that is the only time I get is unclear. Whether there’s music or not also depends upon what I’m doing. Sewing, it seems, requires a’ Capella. I can’t have music when I’m writing, otherwise I just transcribe the lyrics or sit and listen while doing nothing.
Dress
4) Which is your next project?
I always have far too many irons in the fire. I’m mostly in sewing mode. Right now I have the following sewing projects in progress:
  • A Marth costume (a character from the Fire Emblem video game series)
  • A short cloak, that’s medieval-ish.
  • A pourpoint (14th century tunic of sorts), made using an authentic pattern and near-period materials.
  • A light tunic for day-to-day medieval wear.
  • A quiver for archery, because I’m tired of having to set down my arrows.
In addition to sewing, I also have several writing projects in progress:
  • My Stink Bug story, to which I add a ~500 word ‘chapter’ to each week on my blog.
  • National Novel Writing Month in November, during which I’ll crank out 50,000 shiny new words on a brand new novel. I’m in the planning process now. You might not be shocked to know that the story is speculative fiction set in medieval times.Gambeson
5) Where can we find you on line?
My author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PennilynHiggins
My Instagram account: http://instagram.com/paleololigo
My Educational YouTube account (videos made by my students):https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0fQSOk8Xc-A6XKCdoeHl4A/videos

And now Paula´s layout for Art Every Day Month Day 04
double scrapbook layout

2 thoughts on “Penny Higgins is a Vertebrate Paleontologist who sews

  • November 6, 2014 at 2:24 am
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    I’m running late again, but wanted to compliment you for finding another really interesting person to interview. What a wealth of knowledge in this post, and she really DOES sew, it appears from the projects she has in progress.
    Reply
    • November 6, 2014 at 1:06 pm
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      Thank you! Penny does so many things I could interview here for the whole year and never run of themes to talk about! 😀

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