Tie Bag Giveaway....

i've decided to have a giveaway for the two tie bags i showed you last week. this giveaway is open to everyone, near and far, regular commenter or not. just leave a comment with your choice 'brown kangaroo' or 'purple bird'. i'll pick a winner a week from today....next Sunday, November 3rd.

BROWN KANGAROO

PURPLE BIRD

good luck to all of you. please leave your comment no later than Saturday night, November 2nd.

more black bean dyeing and....

this second round of black bean dyeing turned out even more gray....but gray is good. i like the grays...
this time i kept adding new liquid every few hours from the black beans soaking. 2 jars had a copper pipe within and one piece of fabric was bundled with copper wire around it.  here is a picture showing the comparison from the first batch.

click on the images for close-ups.

not as obvious in this picture but the last batch (in the corner) had more blue and purple. the mottled effect on the one piece was created by stuffing the end of the cloth in a black pipe with a hole in it. i like the way that turned out.

i decided to cut up my 'magic diaries cloth' that i worked on in one of Jude Hill's classes and use a piece of it to cover a new journal. nothing to see yet within. i started it to record the constant inspirations that occur on a daily basis just so that i don't forget. the journal idea came from the book 'Refuse to Choose' which talks about people referred to as 'scanners' who are constantly inspired to try new things....sometimes more than they can handle. i am definitely a scanner. you can read more about the book here.

journal cover. hand dyed silk with embroidery. originally part of a large cloth with a 'time' theme.

i did pull out my Fun Times cloth and have been working on it this week. just touches here and there and made the final panel with a ruffle. still needs lots of embellishment before all the panels are stitched together. i am anxious to finish this one.

another ruffle and a couple of prairie points.

for those of you who like to try new knitting stitches, i tried this 'rank and file stitch' this week. real easy to do and gives an interesting effect. i didn't pick the best yarn to sample this so i added the picture and here is a video, if you want to try it. the link is here.

rank and file stitch

the weather has been absolutely beautiful this week. mild temperatures and very pleasant to be outdoors.
have a great week and check back tomorrow or the next day. i'm going to have a giveaway of the two bags i made from ties that i showed you last week. you can see them here.

ties and teacups....

my lace teacher shared a pattern for a little pouch made with ties. i can't resist another pouch and one which is made in a unique way with old ties....i have a huge box of them. a good way to recycle them.

click on the images for close-ups.

i followed the directions when making the first one. added a leaf button for embellishment on the front.

the back

i made the second one with a different type handle.

i used my fasturn tool to make some cording with the material left over from the ties used.

the back

the front

also played with paper this week inspired by Karen Ruane...
i started out just collaging some tissue paper. then decided on the teacup inspired by Ann Wood who provided a template. i used her template but went in another direction with the embellishing.

it started out with tissue paper collage and then some free motion embroidery where i added the lace and then some hand embroidery.

formed the cup and gave it a base

and it needed a hand and a saucer which still has to be given some hand embroidery.

i really enjoyed doing that. hope to make some more some day with some different pattern designs.

last time, i showed you the results of my black bean dyeing. i've tried it again. did it a bit differently this time and added copper pipe and wire to the liquid, hoping for a deeper blue. i'll be checking it later today and will post the results next time.

it's nice and cool here today, in the 50s, and it feels so good.

wishing you all a great weekend and a productive week ahead.

the cooler weather inspires more creativity...

i left you last time with some cloth in a black bean dye solution. i'm pleased with the results but expected deeper blues. the cloth was a purple/blue color when it was removed but after being washed, they are all a bluish grey.

click on the images for close-ups.

i think the velvet turned out the prettiest color

i've been stitching on the white dupioni silk that i showed you back here based on the watercolor painting. i made a patchwork lining out of bits and pieces of leftover cloth. lots more stitching and embellishing to do before putting it together.

cotton lining of bits and pieces and white dupioni silk with bumpy bits

i've been wanting to try putting silk velvet through my pleater and did some experimenting this week. i ran it through 2 different times with a different number of needles and pulled the threads out both times and steamed it to take out the holes made. i liked the effect but the pleats were not pristine enough to be able to do smocking. the velvet is just too thick for that. i wound up doing the honeycomb stitch by hand.

the color is off here. it's actually soft pink. i marked the velvet in ½" spaces

when i was in New York several years ago, i visited a yarn shop and couldn't resist this beautiful cranberry colored lace yarn. i finally decided to do something with it. i got to use my new yarn swift to make the yarn cakes and am knitting the scarf pictured here. a different texture than shown in the picture as the yarn is much finer but i think it will look good once rinsed and blocked.

hard to get the actual color of the yarn

the yarn is a linen, mohair and a bit of nylon and so soft

the weather is cooling down slowly....cool mornings in the 60s and in the 80s by afternoon but beautiful and pleasant. wishing you a good weekend.

the first sign of Fall...

CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR CLOSE-UPS

this was the only leaf lying on the ground. all the leaves on the Chinese Tallow tree are still green and in tact. the first one to fall...

such an unusual configuration of color

i did finish the small silk piece that i've been showing you. i'm now working on the edge...some crocheted dangly bits. hope they will be finished by my next post.

15" x 15" habotai silk squares with an embroidered cotton backing

another idea for a toggle and some ball buttons...

did some weaving on the back threads of the label and added some hand dyed silk edges

2 more ball buttons for my fun time cloth...with piping this time

i watched a very interesting video this week on the history of knitting in the UK. thought you might enjoy it. you will find it here. for some reason, it starts near the end, so just move the bar all the way to the beginning. it is worth watching the whole thing.

i did promise you another knitting sample. this one is for double knitting. the pattern shows up on both sides so it's a double thickness. there is no wrong side. and you will find the tutorial videos for double knitting here.

double knitting...i drew a graph for a checkerboard pattern

i'm doing black bean dyeing today so hope i can show you some results next time. the beans soaked for 24 hours and the liquid has been drained off. i'm getting ready to mordant the fabric with alum and cream of tartar and then into the dye bath.

 

the temperature has started to cool down so the days are much more comfortable. hope you are all having a great weekend.

blogger is not cooperating today so some words and images might be oddly placed.