Bayou Quilts

2012-05-24T09:30:00.001-05:00

Continuing to work on these blocks.

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I've been reading like a maniac again. Two favorites in the recent batch of mysteries: As the Crow Flies, a Sheriff Longmire mystery by Craig Johnson and The First Rule of Ten a mystery about an ex-monk who joined the LAPD and has recently resigned to become a private investigator-- by Gay Hendricks and Tinker Lindsay. Both were great reads. I've just posted a review of As the Crow Flies on my book blog and The Rule of Ten is scheduled for next week.
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Our friend Teresa has been busy for the last few weeks preparing for the Highland Blooms Garden Tour which was held this past weekend. The Highland area in Shreveport is an older neighborhood with many Craftsman-style homes, and complete with an old-fashioned/quirky/creative atmosphere. Teresa and Ricky have been active for several years with the Highland Restoration Association for several years, and Teresa is the current president of the association that seeks to restore and revitalize the area.

Since I was unable to attend the Garden Tour, I've enjoyed seeing the pictures Teresa posted on her blog, Views from My Highland Cottage. Stop by and visit!

Monday Musings

2012-05-21T08:29:00.011-05:00

Good Monday to you! My gosh, it is already May 21; where does the time go? I've been trying to catch up on book reviews over at A Garden Carried in the Pocket and have several scheduled, trying to catch up with Karen's class, trying to catch up with blog reading, just trying to catch up!

I need some potting soil, so today I'll be running various errands. If I have to get out for one thing, then I may as well take care of several others. And, uh, my library books are overdue. (note to self: make list of books so I won't just wander around for 3o minutes)

I also want to check for some larger waste canvas since I just can't see the very small blocks in size 14 well enough to do a decent job. Of course, once I get to JoAnn's I will find other items that I "need."

The white work continues:

I still have such a long way to go in filling the blank space in all of the blocks I'm working on. A long way. Very slow cloth. Maybe I should work on just one section at a time so that I could at least have one block completed, rather than going back and forth between blocks.

So many things that I love in Sophie Blackall's home! Sophie is an illustrator, and she does have a blog, although the pic comes from Design Sponge.

via Design Sponge

I want to make a quilt like hers--already trying to decide what poems and which lines to use.

Dylan Thomas, of course, offers a multitude of choices. I could probably do one based on his work alone. Or maybe I could use the poet/lyricist Paul Simon. Now, to decide--mix and match or one poet, many lines? Not that I'll be getting around to this anytime soon!

Do you have favorite poets, poems, lines, or quotes?

Saturday Thoughts

2012-05-19T07:37:00.001-05:00

This has been quite a week. Our first grand nephew, who weighed in at 1.1 lbs, arrived Wed. afternoon and is holding his own. They tried to delay his arrival to allow his lungs to develop a little more, but circumstances dictated differently. Megan didn't get to see him until yesterday afternoon, but mother and child are improving, although Jack will be in NICU for a long time. What miracles modern medicine can perform!
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I've continued working on the white on white for Karen's class. Here are some of the bits I've been working on.

Ruching--used a silk gauze for this section.

I worked a piece of twine with cotton a broder and added it.

The thing is--you can just keep adding and adding to these blocks. I've added some little tufts and some cut work (still working on that), some applique, and I keep adding to seam treatments. I think I have 5 different blocks that I'm working on, moving from one to another. Will take some more pictures soon.

I have lots of blogs to catch up on since I haven't been on the computer much this week!

Mother's Day

2012-05-15T07:28:00.000-05:00

A full weekend! A wonderful Mother's Day with both of our girls, our son-in-law, and our 3 grandkids. Too much good food (I have a food hangover today).

We looked at old pictures and discussed days gone by. After Amelia and Chris left, Fee dragged out another box of old pictures, and Erin and I went through them and laughed at hair and clothing styles. No matter how stylish we may think we are, in 10-20 years we will wonder what we were thinking!

We found the program for the Mikhail Barishnikov and Peter Martins performance (my 3oth birthday present from Fee in 1979 & the best ever). We still marvel at seeing those two in their prime: they were enough to make you think you could fly, and I had trouble keeping my heart in my chest during that performance!

I didn't take enough pictures...I was drinking Mimosas and eating and going through old albums and forgetting to pick the camera up. Erin played with Fee's grandfather's accordion. Mila and Bryce Eleanor ate blackberries, blue berries, and strawberries...on the bed.

I've done my morning yoga and finished watering the garden. I've still got some chores to finish up, but after Erin and the kids leave, I'll be back upstairs stitching and remembering what I have to be thankful for.

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:) I wrote this post early yesterday morning. Erin and the kids didn't leave until around 4:00 yesterday afternoon. They did a little shopping, then just hung around, giving Erin and I a chance for a nice long visit.

After they headed back to B.R., I wemt upstairs and worked on the white on white blocks for Karen's class. I got about 5 hours of stitching in before going to bed.

I'll take some pics today to show you how the blocks are progressing.

Warhol on Art

2012-05-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

“An artist is somebody who produces things that people don't need to have.”
― Andy Warhol, Andy Warhol, Thirty Are Better Than One

I love that whimsical description of what being an artist requires--nothing more than producing things that people don't need. Not that all of those useless "things" would qualify as art, perhaps, but that there is an artistic temperament required to steadily turn out things that no one needs.

In the physical sense, of course, we don't need art, but after the physical needs of food, shelter, safety, etc. are met, individuals begin to climb Maslow's pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is not only creativity (morality, etc.), but a genuine appreciation and need for beautiful, creative, inspiring things.

One of my favorite poems comes to mind, Peter Meinke's Advice to My Son. Meinke explains the need for balance in life in such visual ways. We need roses and tomatoes; we need bread and wine.

S

5

10

15

20

Advice to My Son by Peter Meinke
The trick is, to live your days
as if each one may be your last
(for they go fast, and young men lose their lives
in strange and unimaginable ways)
but at the same time, plan long range
(for they go slow: if you survive
the shattered windshield and the bursting shell
you will arrive
at our approximation here below
of heaven or hell).

To be specific, between the peony and the rose
plant squash and spinach, turnips and tomatoes;
beauty is nectar
and nectar, in a desert, saves--
but the stomach craves stronger sustenance
than the honied vine.
Therefore, marry a pretty girl
after seeing her mother;
speak truth to one man,
work with another;
and always serve bread with your wine.

But, son,
always serve wine.

I have no idea what happened to one of my favorite tees, but two small holes appeared in it. My solution, as it has frequently been before, was to embroider it. The holes are still there, but at least They look deliberate. I may make more holes to give it a more unified look.

Where is this one? Haven't seen it for a while--my favorite color and favorite stitch.

Now, I'm going to have to do some serious searching.

Garden Gossip -- dug up two more boxwood yesterday. Have a few more to go.

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I paused in working on this post and browsed some of my favorite blogs. As often happens, serendipity magically sends things my way, and I found this post by Peregrine Blue.

Oh, the wonderful quotes and photos she included in this post. Please drop by and see them!

Studio Chaos

2012-05-10T08:43:00.003-05:00

I'm having computer problems. Still. It may be time for the Geek Squad.

I love the color and airy texture of dill.

Note from the Universe:

Remember, you will always have friends, guides, and love, Jen, but no one is coming to "save you."

That's the adventure package you signed up for.

The one that comes with all the superpowers, guaranteed rebounding abilities, and the all-powerful scrunched-nose-when-you-smile.

Your 5 Star Time-Space Adventure Tour Agency Manager,
The Universe

Darn. I really wanted someone to come "save me." I get tired of doing it myself...I'm not very good at it. I procrastinate even on that-- or cause bigger problems.

Right now, I could use the Universe stepping in and cleaning up my studio space. It is chaos at the moment. White fabrics, vintage linens, lace, doilies, tatting pieces, etc. all out and in various piles for auditioning for the white on white pieces for Karen's class.

Even on the design board.

And at my embroidery work area-- there is floss, perle cotton, cotton a broder, shades of white and ivory floss and threads...everywhere.

Time to put together one or two more sections, and then fold up the fabrics and put them away for awhile. I have 3 sections that I'm working on now, and two more sections will be enough to keep me busy for a long, long time.

I've also been learning that counted cross stitch is too hard on my eyes, at least when using white on white. Maybe I should have gone with a larger size of waste canvas; maybe I should get magnifying glasses. Tuesday night, I stitched and pulled out. Stitched and pulled out. My eyes wouldn't focus on those tiny cross stitches well enough to find where to put my needle, but it was easy enough to see the problems when the stitches were done. Counting those tiny squares is difficult visually and frustrating emotionally.

May try again today, but no matter how much I love the way it looks, I may not be able to do much of the counted cross stitch.

Oh, and Universe, I could use some help with the computer.

In the Mail

2012-05-08T10:30:00.004-05:00

Several weeks ago, Debra Price from Artisun, asked if I sell my work. She was interested in the encrusted pieces I was working on a while back and wanted an example to show her art classes.

As I've mentioned before, selling seems like a lot of trouble, and although I occasionally think about opening an Etsy shop, the work involved would be time consuming and would require a great deal of effort, and I'm not good at that sort of thing.

Knowing that someone is interested in your work, however, is thrilling; it gives the finished product a worth beyond the pleasure of the making. So I sent Debra one of the encrusted pieces as a "thank you" for her interest and appreciation.

Yesterday, this lovely candlestick and beeswax candle arrived in the mail. You can imagine how thrilled I was to take this out and examine all the details! Picture a big smile all over my face.

Thanks so much, Debra, it is a real treasure and will be proudly displayed!

And now, for a few more details:

Gorgeous! Even without being able to see the lovely sheen that adds to the beauty, you can see what a beautiful piece this is.

detail of candle

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I've been adding to the embroidery on the seams of the first section I've been working on for Karen's class. She recommends double and triple seam embellishment, and I'm happy to oblige.

You can also see that I've been playing with fonts.

The garden received some rain last night, but the sun is out this morning. Cooler, too.

My two little art quilts for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (minus the one that was 1/2" over in size) are in the mail. One more thing checked off the ever-lengthening "to do" list.

Gardening

2012-05-07T08:46:00.011-05:00

Yesterday, I decided to move some things around in the garden. So many plans and ideas flit in and out of my head that I often sit and stare rather than actually getting around to the more physical stuff.

The rosemary in front of the fountain had gotten too large for that space, so I dug it up and moved it to the opposite side of the garden in front of the fence. It is a big plant and needed a big hole...I was expecting a little back strain from moving it, but nothing so far.

Now, what will I do to fill in the space the rosemary left? That will require a little more thought, but as the area around the fountain needs revamping as well, it is time to browse through my gardening books and check out some garden blogs.

A pot of begonias in the early morning--

I love the graceful, airy blooms of parsley.

Dead-heading is a tedious and boring chore, but the dianthus is in dire need,

so I pinched faded blooms for a while yesterday and will get back to it today.

In front of the dianthus, oregano functions as a nice ground cover.

Yarrow, given a little leeway, will take over with a wild abandon-- so while I was in the digging frame of mind, I moved it to a couple of pots (where its growth will be circumscribed) and to an area that is pretty bare. If it goes wild and spreads there, it won't be much of a problem; the hardy, drought-tolerant yarrow will do a nice job of filling in without requiring any care.

I had some serious hand-scrubbing to do last night before playing with fabric.

P.S. Do you have some favorite garden blogs?

2012-05-05T07:26:00.003-05:00

Finished the seams on the first piece, but may go back and add another layer for some of them.

I'll try to get some better pictures later, but this is the only one that is half-way decent.

Second piece pinned.

Oh, the slow work of embroidery! I can spend hours and have so little to show for the effort--a few inches of French knots over the thickness of prairie points was not a smart move on my part. When hand stitching over as many as 8-10 layers of fabric, don't choose a mass of French knots--'cause I'm here to tell you, it will take a while. A long while. And a lot of effort.

Initially, I was going to place a few scattered French knots on that seam, but the effect was not what I wanted. Added a few more. Still, not so hot. More. Now, I think they look great, but from this day forth, all stitching over prairie points (or rouleau loops, for that matter) will be utter simplicity. I used two colors and thread thicknesses.

Although my computer has been cranky lately, I hope my husband has fixed the problems.

Last night, Bryce Eleanor came for a visit. Before she went to sleep, I gave her a back and leg massage and said (as I have done many times before), "your mother and your Aunt Erin loved to have their back and legs massaged when they were little."

She looked puzzled for the first time. She's heard this so many times before, but never seemed confused by it. Finally, she said, "I don't remember. Where was I? What was I doing when my mommy was little?" (Oh, my dear, you were just a promise of the future. You weren't there.)
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This morning, I got some blogging done and scheduled my post for Tuesday Stitchers before 7:00, but then B.E. woke up and the world began anew.

It is 1:35, almost time for a nap, but Chris is supposed to pick her up for a birthday party. I hope he has some clean clothes for her because...she doesn't look as fresh as she did when she got out of her bath around 8:30 this morning.

Classwork

2012-05-04T06:46:00.000-05:00

“Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”

― Andy Warhol

Stephie (Peas in a Pod) is having a great give away. Stop by and see the wonderful May baskets Mama and Sweet Pea made for Sweet Pea's friends! Leave a comment to be entered in the give away.

Wednesday, I made some prairie points out of some white on white fabric and some rouleau loops out of a fine pima cotton and more of the white on white.

Yesterday, I spent almost all day working on the first section for Karen Ruane's class. First, washing and pressing some of my vintage linens, then trying to find a pleasing format for piecing them together. It was difficult to cut into the old handkerchiefs, especially as I'd been able to get out some of the stains in one of them.

I finally--after a great deal of dilly-dallying, adding and subtracting, arranging and rearranging--came up with something that pleased me. I pinned and basted the pieces. I added some French knots around the edge of the hankie on the bottom left, then remembered that I wanted to take a picture before doing the rest of the seams and hung it up--you can see the hoop marks from working on that first seam.

After taking the picture, I got back to work on the rest of the seams, and that was what I did off and on all day and into the night. Downstairs, vaccuum. Upstairs, seams. Downstairs, clean and straighten. Upstairs, seams. Downstairs, put on laundry...

I've also pinned together another section, but haven't basted it yet.

This morning, my husband looked out the window and said, "I really like your prayer flags hanging in the garden." Fee is always so nice about whatever I do, but I wasn't sure he liked the look of the flags in the garden, and although I've enjoyed looking at them, I wasn't completely comfortable because I thought he was just being his usual sweet self.

Our decorating styles are not at all the same. I'm kind of shabby (without the chic); he is usually more spare and sophisticated. Our house reflects that lack of unity as we try to accommodate each other.

Now, that he has said that the flags make him feel peaceful, they mean even more, and my day begins on a high note.

Errands are in the forecast for today, but the pull of the studio is keeping me from getting started. All I want to do is go upstairs and stitch.

Grin and Share It!

2012-05-02T19:49:00.007-05:00

Looks like fun! Found via Dixie Redmond's NorthDixie Design s.

Too hot and humid for that right now--back to the studio.

Oh, I forgot to show you the round address labels I ordered from Moo a while back. They can be used for other things as well. I chose 8 of my photographs to use on these stickers. They would also, depending on the information you might choose to include, be good for those of you who have Etsy shops, etc.

I made prairie points and rouleau strips this afternoon while watch Red Riding Hood with Gary Oldman. It wasn't very entertaining...the film, I mean. The prairie points were actually far more interesting.

A Novel Introduction to Dye Plants

2012-05-02T08:35:00.000-05:00

January-April found me stitching almost every day--until the last week of April, that is. At some point, I lapsed into a reading cycle and began neglecting the stitching.

I've got several books yet to review on my book blog. One of them is Hush by Donna Jo Napoli, which I'd hoped to count for the Once Upon a Time challenge. Napoli writes for young adults, and her Zel (a retelling of Rapunzel) is excellent.

As it turned out, I'm not sure that Hush qualifies for the Once Upon a Time challenge, and while it is by no means as good as Zel, it caught my interest immediately because on the first page it mentions Brigid's cloak, dyed with woad.

woad from Wikipedia

madder - Wikipedia

weld- Wikipedia

A few pages later it mentions Melkorka's red cloak, dyed from madder root, and her linen tunic, dyed yellow "from the weld plant." I couldn't locate the passage where Melkorka describes the treatment of woad to create the blue dye, but it is brief and accurate.

I love it when a novel serendipitously evokes my other interests. As a novel, Hush had some disappointments, but the historical tidbits of Eire in the 10th century, dyeing and knitting references, the making of vellum and illuminated manuscripts, the Viking attacks and Norse lifestyle...make this YA novel well worth the reading.
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A slow cloth on eco dyed fabric that I've been working on when I don't have another project going. Working on projects requires thinking, but working on this slow cloth in between projects allows me to stitch with no destination in mind.

Karen Ruane's May class has begun, and I haven't even watched the first video! I'm really going to have to put my books and gardening on hold and work on the class.

AAQI May Auction

2012-05-01T14:38:00.000-05:00

The May auction at AAQI is in progress. I have my eye on one or two; fingers crossed.

After laughing at Michele's April Fool's joke about having her AAQI auction quilt disqualified because it was too large, I was registering the quilts I'm about to send in and had to pull one because it measures 9 1/2 x 12"! I know how it happened, but didn't realize it until now. Over by half an inch. I knew it would have looked better as a pillow!

The magnolias are in glorious bloom right now. The ones across the street have been for several days, but ours, standing as it does in the side yard, began blooming at the top and working its way down. Now the blooms on the lower branches are within reach.

A Little Stitching

2012-04-30T09:01:00.002-05:00

I did get around to a little stitching this weekend. Using Sassalynne's beautiful variegated perle cotton and a bit of raw silk, I embroidered a square that will eventually be a pocket.

I'm not sure if it will go on the quilt that I had in mind (which, of course, I haven't begun yet), so there may be another pocket in the works tonight. The next one will be a quilted pocket with batting to add that quilty cushion that I crave.

Last week's TAST stitch was the wheatear, and I added that to the spiral, then lots of French knots and seed stitches. I love running my hand over it and feeling the texture.

I found the above at Kailana's blog. A Pinterest Challenge that encourages Pinterest Addicts to Create (or DO) something they've found on Pinterest and post their accomplishments.

The origin of this Challenge can be found Here at Love, Laugh, and a Touch of Insanity .

The Details:
1. To participate you will choose your level and then make (or do) that amount of pins during May 2012. Challenge ends May 31st. (can be new pins or old pins...doesn't matter)
2. Report back on your Pin It and Do It success. Ideally this will come in the form of a blog or tumblr post. Or you can post about it on Facebook or Flickr if you don’t have a blog or tumblr. Or create a board on Pinterest for this challenge. If none of the above, report your success in the Wrap-Up Post comments.
3. Anyone is welcome to join. If you need an invite to Pinterest, let me know your email address and I’ll send an invite.

The Levels:
Timid Pinner: 1-3 Pins
Pinterested: 4-7 Pins
Pin Obsessed: 8+ Pins

Some Pinterest Etiquette and Courtesies:
--If you create a pin from a post, make sure you are pinning the true URL of the post and not the main website so folks can easily find the link again.
--When you create a pin, try to include the website in the description of the pin.
--Do not include the entire recipe or instructions in the pin description.
--If you embed a pinned picture on your own blog, make it clear that it is not your original picture--a link back to the original blog post is always appreciated.

And other little tidbits...this does not have to be a food or crafting challenge. Saw an interesting photography lesson? Click! An outfit you'd love to put together? Yup! Organizing idea for around the house? Go for it! A workout Regiment? Kick butt! Really this challenge is endless--you just need to tell us what you pinned and what you did. Make sure to note the original pin wherever you complete your wrapup (or if you do progress reports) to give the originator credit.
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What I SHOULD do is pin recipes and try them, but that might prove too much of a challenge for me, as cooking doesn't interest me much. On the other hand, it might gain me some Brownie points with my dear husband (who accomplished several "honey do" chores this weekend).

Or maybe...I should try some of the organizing ideas; however, every time I try to organize, I lose things.

Anyway, I think it is an interesting challenge for all of us who spend inordinate amounts of time looking and drooling to actually use the information/inspiration.

I haven't joined, but I am thinking about it. Maybe I could manage the Timid Pinner category. Surely, I could manage 1-3 Pinspirations.

The formal challenge ends on May 31 (I just discovered it), but a personal challenge could extend it throughout the year.
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Whenever my brothers and I reminisce about our childhoods, our memories of events are often askew. We remember things differently in both large and small ways. It's funny and kind of entertaining to see the wildly different versions of the same events.

When I found the following quote at the smallest forest, I couldn't help but smile.

Maybe that’s all that family really is, a group of people who all miss the same imaginary place.

—Zach Braff, Garden State

So Saturday

2012-04-28T08:49:00.002-05:00

I'm finally catching up on some of my book reviews over at A Garden Carried in the Pocket. I only have 3 more to go.

Since I've neglected my stitching and my experiments with cloth this week, I really hope to get something done today. I haven't done the TAST stitch (wheat ear) this week; guess I need to catch up with that.

The only cloth related work I've done this week has been with rust dyeing. Our friend Ricky gave me some rusty old horseshoes a while back, and I've been working with those and a few other rusty items. The pieces have gone through two alterations so far, and a third is in progress this morning.

Another pic of the banana bloom. I just love the colors.

I love The Adventures of Claudia!

I've already wasted 2 1/2 hours piddling: deadheading dianthus, wallowing in Pinterest, wrapping the 3rd incarnation of rusty fabric, working on book reviews, and communing with stray grey cat.

Time to go upstairs and get busy. Sometimes I marvel at my own ability to delay. Looking at it a certain way, I'm a Champion of Displacement Activity.

Grandparents' Day

2012-04-27T21:00:00.001-05:00

This morning was Grandparents' Day at St. Joseph's where Bryce Eleanor goes to kindergarten. We picked her up about 7:30 and took her to school, visited in her classroom, attended the program, picked out a book at the book fair, and then back to the classroom for refreshments before checking her out and bringing her home with us.

Fee went back to work, and B.E. and I went to Target I needed a few grocery items, but honestly, B.E. chattered so much, I couldn't remember just what. She chose a watermelon (a small "personal-sized" one), bananas, blueberries, and jello.

A few more hours of playtime, walking, playing hide-and-seek, riding her bike, and then we both took a long nap before Chris came to pick her up around 5:00.

Bloom on a banana plant!

No stitching at all this week...very strange. I've been indulging in a reading frenzy, however, when not working in the garden or catching up on chores. Tomorrow, I intend to get back to some work on fabric in one way or another.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

2012-04-25T12:45:00.000-05:00

hens and chicks

I've been having trouble keeping up with my blog reading lately. Of course, I try to visit everyone who leaves a comment and to send a reply to anyone who leaves a comment and isn't a "no reply" blogger, but keeping up with my LONG list of book blogs, craft blogs, quilt blogs, and eco dye blogs is sometimes just too overwhelming.

Even though I prune my lists fairly regularly, I also continue to add more blogs. There is simply too much inspiration to keep up with each day; some days, I try to visit a few blogs on each list and to leave a comment when something charms me, but often not even that gets done. If I weren't so darned nosy, being unable to visit all of the blogs I love each day wouldn't be a problem, but I AM nosy and hate to feel like I'm missing something.

I've also found that between this blog and my book blog, only one takes precedence. Sometimes one, sometimes the other--but they never get equal time. Usually, this blog gets the most time because writing the review of the books I read always seems more of a chore.
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Henry Deulberg salvia (this morning, a hummingbird was worrying the heck out of the salvias)

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Each morning, I drink my coffee outside and write a little "to do" list in my journal. The list always include a mixture of what needs to be done (laundry, vacuuming, groceries, etc.) and what I want to do (try a new embroidery technique, start a new prayer flag, experiment with....). Guess which items get marked off.

Yesterday, I knocked off one item that has shown up over and over for about two weeks: Put suitcases on top closet shelf. For two weeks this task seemed like too much trouble (to get the stepladder and take the very few minutes required to get this done??). But I finally did it, and my self-congratulations knew no bounds.

This small success has encouraged me to do some of the other items that I've avoided. The bill and junk mail drawer is now clean and ready for a fresh accumulation, the laundry has been put away, the check deposited, cat toys retrieved from under the sofa and stashed in little hide-aways for them to search out, holes drilled in the new planter....

I've accomplished several of the past couple of weeks' procrastinated chores, and now, instead of continuing, it is time to rest on my laurels!
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I do not like the new blogger template. Not at all. Running through my mind is the old nursery rhyme: "I do not like thee, Dr. Fell/ The reason why, I cannot tell,/ But this I know, and know full well, I do not like thee, Dr. Fell."
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Weather and Some More Resist Experiments

2012-04-24T09:16:00.001-05:00

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change." --Darwin.

We had no real winter this year, and our spring was especially early and warm. I was already dreading our long, hot, humid summers, when suddenly we find ourselves experiencing lovely spring-like weather. Not that our summer won't be long and hot and humid--it will be, but at least we are having our brief opportunity to experience a genuine spring.

This has been, however, the worst allergy season I've ever experienced. My eyes itch, my eyelids itch; hell, even my eyelashes and eyebrows itch. My eyelids are swollen and pink. I've sneezed so often and so violently that I'm surprised the top of my head remains intact.

As wonderful as this unexpected second-chance at spring has been, working in the garden has been a challenge. Actually, my suffering begins before I even go outside. Wahhh!

Complaints aside, the days have been so beautiful, and I have more basil, parsley, and dill to plant. I bought some potting soil yesterday for a big pot, and as soon as my antihistamine has a chance to kick in, I'm going to get busy.

Last week, I worked on some more flour resist prints. Here are the first versions.

This one is on linen.

This one on a pima cotton.

Then I decided to give them a second coat of resist and a second application of paint. Here they are with a second, thin coat of resist.

This is one of those situations in which it might have been better to leave well enough alone.

I don't like this second version as well as the first.

This one is...better than the first version. I think.

So...now where do I go in these experiments with resist?

Practice and Experiments

2012-04-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

The prayer flags in the garden have survived two serious thunder storms and some very sunny days. I expect the blues from the red cabbage are going to seriously fade, but so far they are all holding up pretty well.

I signed up for Karen Ruane's class in May and have been experimenting with some of the techniques I've seen on several blogs. Since I don't have any scrim (ordered some, but it hasn't arrived), my experiments with free motion have been with various loose weave and gauzy fabrics. Love the effects, although more practice is needed.

I haven't done any free motion quilting in such a long time; definitely need to work on it.

I'm liking the grid best because straight lines are easier to control. :) The above grid is the one I used in the latest prayer flag from the previous post.

Can't wait for the real scrim to arrive so I can play with it. These practices pieces have gone into the odds and ends basket for the time being.

From the garden:

Jasmine

yarrow

begonias

Another small grey cat has been hanging around, and if Edgar is out, he follows Edgar like a shadow. Will have nothing to do with me; although over the last week, the distance he keeps has become much less. When I go out in the morning, he has been keeping my chair seat warm, but then dashes off without waiting for thanks.

I pretty much took this past weekend off and did no stitching or experimenting. Mostly I worked in the garden (getting swollen, itchy eyes), did mundane chores, watched my latest Korean television series, and read. Despite the problems with eye allergies, I couldn't resist walking in this beautiful weather, so I toured the neighborhood to see what was blooming elsewhere.

Today, Tai Chi (if I get up from the computer and get ready), a meeting scheduled, a trip to the grocery store, and maybe a trip to Michael's with my coupons. Ha! Doubt all of it will get done.

Open -- Says Me

2012-04-21T11:00:00.001-05:00

The newest prayer flag "open" -- to new ideas. I intend it to encompass listening with a more open attitude, to refrain from settling into any particular mind set, something I'm inclined to do.

I've been practicing stitching on gauze-like fabrics (I'll be taking Karen Ruane's class in May and this is one of techniques I really like, so I decided to practice a little in advance.

Stitched a grid onto the fabric, cut a square out of the muslin, and attached the grid. Then some feather stitching on top. You can see right through the sheer gauze. Does it look like a window to you? It does to me, so I decided to use "open"as the word for this flag. Open a window, let in some fresh air.

I've stitched on three of these pieces so far and will be doing more--maybe today. The other two are more lacy, and at least one, would be great for costuming a doll.

However, the creative steam may be running out. Not the steam for experimenting, but the ideas of what to do with the randomly stitched and fabric-resist cloth. What to do with them? They are currently joining all of the other pieces that I loved making, but find myself at a loss when considering the next step... of using them in some way.

The door to my storage cabinet is covered with stitched and eco dyed cloth of various sizes. Some have been there for about 6 months. They still please my eye, but are waiting for inspiration.

Rain yesterday, lots of it. After checking the fountain this morning, it became evident that a lot more bailing will need to be done (Murphy's Law), but since it is fresh rain water, I should be able to use it for eco dyeing. Except...I'm feeling really lazy and unmotivated today and may retreat to my reading chair with a book. :)

The Waiting Game

2012-04-19T22:04:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I showed you the fabric with the flour resist that I did using Jane LaFazio's tutorial. I painted over the flour resist and took pictures while the paint was drying.

I let the paint set for 24 hours, then gave it a good rinse to get rid of the flour paste, and then washed it in the washing machine. almost like it better before rinsing off the flour paste, but I'm pleased with the outcome.

Some details:

I debated giving the strips another coat of resist and another paint job, but decided to leave these.

Today I worked on two more pieces using a thinner coat of resist. Not sure how they will turn out, but I think I'll try putting them through the process again, just for comparison.

Below are some of the cabbage leaves that I showed you the other day, now wrapped in silk around the coffee can. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the prints will work. The bundle is silk wrapped around the cabbage stalk. Will I be able to refrain from unwrapping for a month?

See how sheer the silk is? You can see the

leaves right through it.

Finished bailing out the fountain for its spring clean up this afternoon. Lots of leaves soaking in there from the recent thunder storms, and some gravel and stones that Bryce Eleanor added on various occasions.

Glad that job is done!

Monkey Mind

2012-04-18T16:03:00.006-05:00

I've never used a laying tool, and I've never been happy with my satin stitches, but today as I was browsing through one of my favorite embroidery sites, I found that Mary Corbet of Needle & Thread uses laying tools and has instructions for how to use one. She even has a video tutorial. Gotta' try it!

I've done a bundle and a wrap around an old foil-covered coffee can for the eco prints. My fingers are crossed that I'll get a good set of prints of the cabbage, yarrow, and birch leaves on the silk. The problem is the waiting. I'm so impatient, and this could take a month of waiting...if I can restrain myself. I've taken some pictures and will show you tomorrow.

What else is going on? I'm in the middle of trying the flour resist on fabric. Jane LaFazio has a tutorial on her blog, and since this is something I've wanted to try for some time, I was inspired to go ahead.

Another waiting game. It takes hours for the resist to dry, then you paint, then wait for the paint to set, then rinse off the resist. And then, maybe another coat of resist, paint, etc.

It has taken about 24 hours for the resist to dry completely, the above photos show that in the darker spaces, it wasn't completely dry yet. I may have put too thick a layer of resist on the fabric.

I'm so deep into so many experimental projects right now that I'm not finding time to read, or review, or keep up with my book blog.

Gotta' go now, the resist is dry enough to paint

What have you been up to? Tell me, give me another project for my ADD to latch onto!

Tuesday Thoughts

2012-04-17T13:30:00.000-05:00

After pulling up the exhausted ornamental cabbage plants and throwing most away, I found two that I'd left in the front bed. Hmmmm. Wouldn't they be good for eco printing? And why didn't I think of that before?

I guess because my current projects aren't leaving me much time for thinking about going through all the reading and preparation for eco dyeing and eco prints.

I tore off some of the leaves and am flattening them out in an old phone book. Isn't the stem beautiful?

So now there is a little bit of silk soaking in a mordant bath of alum and cream of tartar.

Something I just realized after getting out the silk -- on all of the prayer flags that I said I used habotai silk...I meant raw silk. I do know the difference, but for some reason, "habotai" is what I typed on every prayer flag where I used silk. And ALL of them use raw silk.

The texture, rough and nubby, of the raw silk appeals to me, and while I do love the sheer silkiness of habotai silk, it must be the word itself that I love. I'm not going back through all of those posts to change it, but habotai silk is in the mordant bath, and all of the prayer flags use raw silk. Duh.

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My friend Thomas has gotten me hooked on a Korean television series, A Tree with Deep Roots, and now I'm having to do much slower stitching because I'm having to read the subtitles, and I'm so entranced with the series that, in spite of my determination not to, I keep returning! Beautifully filmed and with engaging characters, the story line is loosely based on the Korean king who created the alphabet for the Korean language (instead of Chinese). It was so much simpler that a person could learn to read and write within a day.

"King Sejong presided over the introduction of the 28-letter Korean alphabet, with the explicit goal being that Koreans from all classes would read and write. He also attempted to establish a cultural identity for his people through its unique script. While creating the alphabet, King Sejong encountered opposition of courtiers. First published in 1446, anyone could learn Hangul in a matter of days. Persons previously unfamiliar with Hangul can typically pronounce Korean script accurately after only a few hours study."

The series has mystery, political difficulties, corruptions, romance, and, uh, wonderful costumes. Yes, I love the costumes.

AAQI Quilt Collage

2012-04-16T08:34:00.000-05:00

Finished the new AAQI quilt I've been working on, except for the label. I just began putting items from the odds and ends basket, embroidery scraps, eco dyed scraps, etc. onto a piece of linen that Debra sent me.

The worst and most time consuming aspect was my mistake of using a thick fleece instead of batting. The needling was difficult, and when I was ready to bind it, I just couldn't face needling through it again. I usually love applying binding by hand, but not this time. Thus, a pillow case kind of backing/binding.

I won't make that mistake again. Other than that, I love using scraps and left overs, the experiments for the fun of it that have no purpose at the time, recycling what didn't work somewhere else, and I had fun with this quilt and all of the running stitches that work as both embroidery and quilting.

Several years ago, I discharged lots of fabric, experimenting with the process, then bundled up all of the smaller scraps. I made the little "brooch" in the bottom right-hand corner at that time and have kept it on my design board (which is really a place for things I like, but don't know what to do with at the time). Now that little discharged and embellished piece has a home.

Here is a quilt from 2005 using some of the discharged fabrics. I made a bunch of post cards from some of the discharged fabric, too.

I now have 3 little quilts ready to register for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. Maybe one more?

You may have already seen this video, but it's mighty catchy!

If you like cats, you will love this video of Henri. A cat with a serious case of ennui. I think I'm in love with another cat. (via Ms Uncertainty Principles)

I have half a dozen projects in the works at the moment and at least a dozen more things I want to try!

Have a great week, y'all!

Asteya Prayer Flag

2012-04-14T10:22:00.000-05:00

Asteya is the third of the yamas and means non-stealing. Steya means to steal, asteya means not stealing. Asteya means far more than refraining from taking physical objects--it means not taking what is not freely offered, i.e. attention, ideas, or time.

When we impose on another by taking up their time or attention (when not freely offered), it becomes a form of theft. I read somewhere about a yoga teacher saying that being tardy or late falls into this category of theft of time. Of course, there are times when being late is unavoidable, but if it is through laziness or carelessness or done deliberately, then it violates the precept of asteya.

You know what I mean. Have you ever told someone to be present at a time earlier than you told everyone else--in hopes that the entire group wouldn't have to wait?

Asteya also means we should refrain from taking another's ideas, thoughts, words, or techniques and claiming them as our own original ideas, etc. Taking credit when it belongs to someone else is a form of theft. When these things are freely offered, we can take advantage of that generosity, but not claim it as our own original ideas.

Asteya is honesty, in any and all aspects, tangible or intangible.

There is so much generosity on the web, so much sharing. Most of the people who share ideas and techniques aren't saying they "invented" it out of thin air, so to speak, but more that they have "embellished," "developed," "expanded," --have taken a technique further in some way and shared it freely. We are all grateful for this generosity, and ideas and techniques spread outward, rippling through various communities.

Building on a foundation is wonderful, as long as we don't claim to have built the foundation.

2:37. When the yogi has subdued the stealing tendency in

human nature, material existence endeavors to serve

him. Thus it seems that all precious things become

available to him. --Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

:) I got a little carried away on this one, and I have 2 more yamas to go! Bear with me, and I'll skip the niyamas.

Today, I hope to finish the AAQI quilt I've been working on.

Namaste.