Bayou Poste & Craft

I've strained all of the birch bark out of the dye pot and added some fabrics.  As I suspected, the brown has a pinkish tinge to it, not the deep brown or grey that I wanted, but I've have some other options for those pieces.

I love the way the birches shed their beautiful bark.  I used birch bark in some fabric art pieces about five years ago; flattened and treated the bark (which has a kind of paper layer to it), then sewed it directly on to batting and backing for fabric postcards.  It quilted nicely after being treated with either gel medium or ModgePodge.

Below is the red cabbage before going into the dye pot.  I have some silk dupioni and gauze mordanting in a plastic bucket.

We will see what happens.  Hard to imagine getting the blue I want from the purple/red of the cabbage.
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I've been reading lots of resolutions and goals on various blogs, and one item that crops up in the top 5 or 10 pretty consistently is organization.  And I, willing but not able, read them all with fervent good intentions.  I particularly like the ones with titles like "20 (or 15 0r 10) Ways To..."  If you could see me, nodding like a bobble-head, at some of the excellent ideas, you would most likely be snickering to yourself at the very idea of me following through.

In the same way that I love reading about neuroscience and quantum mechanics, I find the complexity and methodology of organization fascinating, and yet am unable to incorporate the concepts into my own thinking in any meaningful way.

 Yes, yes, nod, nod.  I understand this sentence, this concept, this technique! then 5 minutes later... Say what?


Not that I don't make lists, have good intentions, and frequently tackle the problems of organization.  I do.  Usually with some short term success, but never with consistency.

Nevertheless, I'll give it a go...again.  And, of course, I'll fail again, but here's the thing:  I always feel good about the effort!  First on the list?  Our bedroom closet.  Last on the list?  May be our bedroom closet.  This project has to be done at least twice a year because I start using the closet as handy storage space.  The larger the closet, the more junk can accumulate.

I love this little postscript on today's Notes from the Universe:  Why not just celebrate that you're alive, Jen, every single day? After celebrating that you don't need a bike to get email, in January.


My little stack of prayer flags are awaiting the announcement of the first Take a Stitch Tuesday 2012 Challenge embroidery stitch.  Tomorrow!