Adrift

Adrift is 7 1/2 x 9 3/4". The batik background has an embellished piece appliquéd to the front. I love the batik with all of the circles and the combination of colors.

South view of cabin which will face the pond. Do I love this wrap-around porch? Oh, yeah!

squirrels , dryer sheets, and seed pods

The dryer sheets kept the squirrels out of my flower pots for about a week, then the holes reappeared. Took another dryer sheet, tore it into sections like before, and put them in the pots, and the little devils are leaving them alone again. Not a perfect solution, but better than before.The seed pod for the Texas Star hibiscus appeals to me in both shape and color.The Raft Bayou cabin is coming along at a remarkable pace. Some of the workers are even working weekends. It may even be ready for Thanksgiving! We spend a good portion of every weekend down there, and since the weather has finally cooled down, it is even more pleasant. All of the children and grandchildren are excited and looking forward to its completion; it will provide a "home place" for all of us...from baby Bryce who won't arrive until December through the the cousins, nieces, nephews, and the three siblings and our spouses. The big cabin will have two bedrooms, but there will be plenty of places for people to sleep, and eventually, we will have 3 small "bedroom cabins" to provide us older folk with a little more privacy. Mother and Dad would have loved it.

Elder care

(cross post from A Garden Carried in the Pocket, my book blog)

After posting my review of Dr. Rubin's 60 On Up: the Truth About Aging in America, I received a google-alert and went to Seniors World Chronicle, edited by Ravissant, where he had posted my review. Ravissant's blog is a look at all sides of the world of elders: informative, inspiring, innovative; there are daily articles gathered from across the globe that are of interest to the "60 on up" generation.

Since I spend a fair amount of time at The Cottage (where my father stays in an Alzheimer's unit modeled after the Johns Hopkins' Green House Model), I see how much these individuals enjoy and appreciate people who seem interested in them. One of my father's joys right now is the interest that an occupational therapist intern has shown in him. And believe me, this young man has gone way beyond the call of his internship.

This article, which was originally published in the Los Angeles Times and which Ravissant picked up, describes how gerontology students at the University of Southern California live in Kingsley Manor, a home which cares for the elderly.What a great idea! Learn and serve at the same time. The students provide 16 hours a week in volunteer services (teaching tai chi, helping with activities), and in return, get a free room and meals close to campus. Since Kingsley Manor is not, as The Cottages where my father resides, dedicated to dementia patients, the elders at this home benefit even more from the presence of the students...and the students benefit from real relationships with the segment of the population they eventually hope to serve. This is the kind of program that I think Lillian Rubin wants people to consider when thinking about ideas and policies that will improve the situation for the elderly.

Thanks, Ravissant, for providing a source of interesting, informative, and helpful articles!

Embellisher Trouble and Scarf? Muffler?

The center needle in my embellisher won't stay in. I've tried everything, and I guess I'm going to have to give up and take it to the shop. Which is WAY across town. It works quite well without it, but I get frustrated when I put it in over and over, thinking maybe it will work this time. It needs to be seen by an expert...maybe just a change of the screw.

Received more from roving (Merino) from Try Our Designs, and it is so much finer than the Corriedale. Although it is just as wool as the Corriedale, it has such a silky feel to it. Plan to play with it some today, but have several projects going right now and new fabric from Equilter, too.

Here is the scarf/muffler I just finished. Instead of using batting, I used muslin as the middle layer. The strips of Asian fabric had been cut long ago for a possible coin quilt that never got started.
I've taken all of the machine quilting out of Circles & Squares and am now hand quilting this at night as I watch television. When I get tired of it, I put it away and take out the little embroidery piece and put in more running stitches.

This and That, Again

I'm getting ready to go to the grocery store to get the ingredients for a really simple crock pot recipe Robin gave me. And dog treats. :)

I tried a felted flower from a tutorial on Homework, although I didn't have any silk hankies to serve as a base. This one is just thin felt. I may order some silk hankies from Dharma Trading and try again . It is sitting on comfrey leaves and is about 4 x 5" across.Matthew and Mila (the weekend of Amelia's shower) before they played in the dirt. They had a wonderful time down at Raft Bayou, riding on the rhinos and four wheelers, and playing in the dirt. I loved the way the sun came through the wings of this monarch.

A Felt Box and Tips for Dryer Sheets

The piece of felt in yesterday's post just didn't appeal to me. So, as I was browsing on line for something to do with it, I found Homework: Create Every Day where there are all sorts of neat ideas for felting, including this felt box and a tutorial. She also has lovely boxes and other cool stuff on Flickr.

Perfect! I add a little decoration with the embellisher, sew some seams, make a box, and feel much better about that "uninspired flat felt" --which now serves a purpose. And I've a new spot for inspiration! The box isn't as lop-sided as it looks; I took the picture at an angle and didn't straighten it up.
I love lists like this: 25 Alternative Uses for Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets. I actually thought

every single one was good, although in some cases I'd definitely use sheets that had already done their dryer duty because the smell would be too much. Here is one that might be useful and could certainly be used full-strength:

2. Keep bugs away: Tuck some in your picnic basket or under lawn furniture to repel bees from your juicy flesh and encourage them back to the flowers, where they belong. You can also rub a sheet directly on your bare skin to discourage would- be buggers from leaving their mark.

and

21. Repel rodents: Use dryer sheets to keep out mice, skunks, squirrels, rats, etc from your basement, garages, boats, campers, and clubhouses.

(I'm trying this #21 this morning. Squirrels are digging in my flower pots; let's see if a dryer sheet or two might discourage them. And rabbits? Would this work with rabbits? What a garden lifesaver! Maybe cutting little pieces staking them around the garden would be a deterrent to squirrels and rabbits...)

Making felt: an attempt at a tutorial

Felting supplies and tools: roving (wool or silk), a bamboo mat, bubble wrap, tulle or some sort of netting, plastic bag, and towel.Slowly, pull thin layers of roving and lay horizontally on plastic (to keep the water from getting to0 messy). Lay a layer of roving (still in thin, wispy pieces) vertically on top of horizontal layers. Continue putting down layers, alternating between vertical and horizontal layers. I kept forgetting about the camera, so I'm not sure if I put 3 or 4 layers, but I was going for a thicker felt than the previous items.Decided to add a layer of yellow.I added one more layer of yellow , then some other colors on top.Cover with the netting. At this point, it is several inches high and very fluffy.Using VERY hot to boiling water (I used my electric tea kettle), and a few drops of liquid soap, begin wetting down all of the layers. You can apply the soap to the roving or into a bowl to which you add the HOT water as needed. Keep wetting until the surface if flat and thoroughly wet.After it is completely wet and flat, the soap will make your hands glide over the netting, helping the fibers to being attaching to each other. My hands were wet, and I couldn't take a picture of this, but you gently circle your hands over the entire thing to help the fibers adhere. Every once in a while, raise the netting to keep the fibers from felting to it.

Lift the netting, and pinch the felt--if the entire piece lifts up together, it is ready for the next step. This wasn't quite ready as the yellow lifted apart from the blue bottom layer. So I covered it with the net again and continued adding hot water and swirling over the top with my hands until the entire piece lifted when pinched.
The next step is fulling. This piece was larger than the bamboo mat, so I used the bubble wrap for the fulling.

Place felt on bubble side. I covered it both ways, then got the trusty old rolling pin and rolled it and rolled it and...
then picked up the felt and placed it the other way and rolled it and rolled it. It needs to rolled both vertically and horizontally, so you have to turn the piece. I continued the fulling until it was small enough to put on the bamboo mat (the hot water and the fulling shrinks the wool). One source said roll about 150 times. I have no idea how many times I rolled it -- either with bubble wrap or bamboo mat. Until it no longer stretched when pulled, though.

Then rinse all the soap out; first using hot water until the water runs clear, then with cold water.
Roll in towel to absorb most of water, then let dry naturally or throw in dryer with a load of towels . I tried the dryer with this piece because it was so thick.It would have been better to have the yellow layer thicker, but I did achieve a thicker felt that would be strong enough for slippers...if I had a big enough piece. :)
These are the instructions I printed out a year or so ago when I first tried felting. I wish I'd found them again before doing this last piece! I notice several differences between this and the method I used...not sure how much difference, but I'll be adding a few things next time.

A Fresh Start? And Congratulations All Around...

Louisiana has a new governor! Way to go, Bobby Jindal! With 54% of the vote, there won't even be a run-off. I feel more confident about our state's future than I have in a long time.Happy Anniversary to Fran! Debra is preparing to host some quilters for the IQF...hate that I won't be able to make it...always a dream, never a reality. Rian needs a name for her new quilt!
Kay's ghost orchids are just lovely. Rhonda has completed a knock-out quilt for the "stay at home challenge." You know, for those who aren't able to get to Houston. I love Karoda's new circle fabric. And Gerrie has enough energy for about 3 people. ACey has been posting pictures of autumn in New England...someday, I'll get there to see the gorgeous foliage. Jude always has a needle in her hand and an imagination that makes me smile. And Marie on her beautiful island continues to inspire.

Since making my resolution to work on something that is in some way sewing/craft related each day, I've been fairly successful. Since I've not been feeling at the top of my game with this cold, about the only thing I've done in the last 3 days (besides sleep) has been play with felting. When the medication kicks in and I feel better, I play...then I rest for hours. :) I've taken some pictures of the latest attempts and will post later. Still tired and sneezey, but better.

Cuffed

Yesterday, I ended up sleeping or resting most of the day. Thought about going to the doctor, but didn't feel like going. Right now, I feel OK; stopped up and as if I have a bale of cotton between my ears, but no achy feeling.

The only thing I accomplished yesterday was to cut a piece of wet felting in half and bead it to make wrist warmers/cuffs. The green was applied with the embellisher later, after the eggplant had dried for 24 hours.
First picture of cuff without beading.
With beading.The cuffs should be useful in the winter; the can be worn with a coat, sweater, or just under a long sleeve tee. There is also a possibility of the fingerless gloves out of felt, which would come down closer to the knuckles.

Jane Ann gave a link to a felted notebook cover, and Deb H. made some suggestions about other uses for the felted items.

We'll see what today brings...

Sort of Sick and Tired

I've been feeling a bit tired all week, and yesterday was so tired and uncomfortable that I decided to check the thermometer. Sure enough, running fever. Cold or sinus. Blahh.

Anyway, although very tired, I didn't feel too bad and medication helped so I continued to play with the embellisher and wet felting, slowly.

Both of these are wet felted, but on the second one, I added additional colors with the embellisher...originally it was black with purple. Remember that I'm still learning ; I have a long way to go. Both pieces had thin spots.

What will I do with them? Not sure, may just keep them as samples, may work on them some more with the embellisher and free motion quilting.

Below: I took a bunch of tiny scraps from various projects and, using the embellisher, needle punched them onto muslin. The process sort of "aged" the fabric, making it appear more vintage.
Rian asked about a tutorial, and I may try some more of both embellishing and wet felting today, and will take pictures of the process.

"Sleep, that knits up the raveled sleeve of care"

I've been playing with the embellisher some this morning; yesterday, I did some wet felting. I haven't done any wet felting or hand needle felting for a year or two. Even then, I was just experimenting and didn't pursue it for long.

Here are some pincushions needle felted by hand when I first got my hand needles.

Journal quilt of a lion in the style of those used for the Chinese lion dance that was needle felted by hand then quilted in March 2006.

And this is one piece of wet felting that I then free motioned over.And this was needle felted by hand, then quilted and embellished for a still life challenge in 2005.Will take pictures of some of my experiments from yesterday and today and post them later, but I'm eager to hear of any hints or tips about using the embellisher...the instructions and possibilities included with the machine are extremely limited.

After reading this article about the importance of sleep, especially on children, my mind turned to MacBeth and his comment; he calls sleep the "Chief nourisher in life's feast" (2.2.35-39).

Here are a few excerpts from the article (emphasis is mine):

Using newly developed technological and statistical tools, sleep scientists have recently been able to isolate and measure the impact of this single lost hour [of sleep in children]. Because children’s brains are a work-in-progress until the age of 21, and because much of that work is done while a child is asleep, this lost hour appears to have an exponential impact on children that it simply doesn’t have on adults.

The surprise is how much sleep affects academic performance and emotional stability, as well as phenomena that we assumed to be entirely unrelated, such as the international obesity epidemic and the rise of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A few scientists theorize that sleep problems during formative years can cause permanent changes in a child’s brain structure: damage that one can’t sleep off like a hangover. It’s even possible that many of the hallmark characteristics of being a tweener and teen—moodiness, depression, and even binge eating—are actually symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation.

and

With the benefit of functional MRI scans, researchers are now starting to understand exactly how sleep loss impairs a child’s brain. Tired children can’t remember what they just learned, for instance, because neurons lose their plasticity, becoming incapable of forming the synaptic connections necessary to encode a memory.

A different mechanism causes children to be inattentive in class. Sleep loss debilitates our body’s ability to extract glucose from the bloodstream. Without this stream of basic energy, one part of the brain suffers more than the rest: the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for what’s called “executive function.” Among these executive functions are the orchestration of thoughts to fulfill a goal, the prediction of outcomes, and perceiving consequences of actions.

and

Convinced by the mountain of studies, a handful of school districts around the nation are starting school later in the morning. The best known of these is in Edina, Minnesota, an affluent suburb of Minneapolis, where the high school start time was changed from 7:25 a.m. to 8:30. The results were startling. In the year preceding the time change, math and verbal SAT scores for the top 10 percent of Edina’s students averaged 1288. A year later, the top 10 percent averaged 1500, an increase that couldn’t be attributed to any other variable. “Truly flabbergasting,” said Brian O’Reilly, the College Board’s executive director for SAT Program Relations, on hearing the results.

Another trailblazing school district is Lexington, Kentucky’s, which also moved its start time an hour later. After the time change, teenage car accidents in Lexington were down 16 percent. The rest of the state showed a 9 percent rise.

and sleep and obesity:

Three foreign studies showed strikingly similar results. One analyzed Japanese elementary students, one Canadian kindergarten boys, and one young boys in Australia. They all showed that kids who get less than eight hours of sleep have about a 300 percent higher rate of obesity than those who get a full ten hours of sleep. Within that two-hour window, it was a “dose-response” relationship, according to the Japanese scholars.

In Houston public schools, according to a University of Texas at Houston study, adolescents’ odds of obesity went up 80 percent for each hour of lost sleep.

The article is long and there is a link to another article, but both articles are well worth examining.

Amelia was certainly "showered"

The shower was lovely, and Amelia received wonderful gifts for the baby. Below: Robin, Katie, Maggie, Teresa, (Erin & Mila are looking at a photo).Mila liked this little outfit a lot.

Cousins - Erin & Katie with Mila


Brook, Amelia, and PaulaPoor K.K. had to keep track of the gifts. Almost all of Amelia's friends are pregnant or have recently had babies.

Cousins - Maggie, Erin, Mila
I wish I'd taken pictures of some of the gifts. Times have certainly changed, and I love seeing all of the baby things that are available now.

After the shower, Erin, Mila, and I went for lunch. Then, after a brief rest, everyone headed down to the country for a cookout.

Sunday brunch at Giuseppi's with the kids, then Erin and her family headed back to Baton Rouge, Amelia and Chris went home to try and organize all the gifts, and Fee & I headed back to the country to join Marty & Robin and dream about our cabin. The slab was down, and we tried to picture where everything would go.

Yesterday, Robin and I left about 10:15 to check out fixtures, faucets, flooring, lighting, etc. at a number of different places. We didn't get home until after 7:00 and my feet were killing me. Fee fixed a cheese soup with crawfish, fresh corn, and other good stuff in it and served it to me as I relaxed in the recliner.

In a few minutes, off to take Laddie to another appointment. Tomorrow, a meeting downtown. Thursday is dedicated to playing with my new embellisher!