bundled avocados...

I posted about Peggy's idea of dyeing with an avocado a few days back. Check out her post here. I just couldn't wait to try it. I did mine a little differently and hope I can hold out because I'm already wanting to undo the bundles. Here is what I did:

I soaked some habotai silk and silk organza in vinegar water

I cleaned out the avocado skins and shaved off the top layers of the pits (they immediately turned orange).

I sprinkled the shavings onto each piece of cloth and wrapped it around the pit and put it inside the skins. I turned one of the skins inside out. I then wrapped each one with with cheesecloth (in case it fell apart in the water) and tied it with string.

I dropped the 2 bundles in boiling water for 2 hours and then let it sit in the water for awhile.

I put the bundles in a tightly covered glass jar and put it outside in the shade.

 and now the hard part....just waiting...for weeks, if I can hold out that long.


Karen Ruane's class started today and I'm already loving it. Hope to show you something in the next post so stand by...

things are calming down...

Was happy to hear on the news that the east coast is now in tropical storm mode and things are calming down. Hope all of you affected are doing well. We in central Texas would give anything for some of that rain.

I'm doing better with my spinning practice but couldn't wait to try using it in knitting so I prepared a small hank, soaked it in hot water and hung it to dry. It made a larger piece than I thought it would. I like the unevenness of it so if I never get real good at spinning, that will be ok with me.
                                                                                               

                                                                                         

Karen Ruane's class, Embroider, Embellish, Create, starts tomorrow and I've been gathering all my white cloth, lace, trims, etc. I'm anxious to get started. I think she has a couple more openings if you're interested. Class registration closes sometime today.

I'm sure you've noticed that my blog format is quite different. I had no intentions of changing it but when trying to fix just one thing, I hit the wrong button and my old blog was gone. I'm not quite happy with this one yet so it will be getting some tweaking as time goes on.

gathering feathers...

Jude has been gathering stitched feathers for the Magic Feather Project. I have started collecting actual feathers. Maybe a feather book will develop. There are so many beautiful patterns. I never realized this until recently. My glass jar holds feathers from friends who have shared some with me.

roosters, doves, flickers, pigeons

turkeys, just love that curved rooster feather

My friend Anita gathered some feathers from her yard and shared some with me. Can anyone identify that
 top striped feather?

feathers from Anita

Couldn't capture the beauty of some of the colors with the camera. Click on the images for a closer view.

vulnerability...

I just watched this video that Linda Mathew's posted on her blog and would like to share it with all of you. I think all of us can relate to some of what Brene Brown says. If you agree, why not pass it on.

and I found Peggy's post this morning very interesting. A unique way to dye cloth with an avocado. Check it out here.

adding to the magic cloth...

I pinned this picture of a bobbin lace leaf to my lace pillow and laced up one for my magic diaries cloth. It was a challenge but I think it turned out okay. It's stitched on real well so I don't think it will catch on anything.

I did the lace pricking right over the picture. Lots of ad-libbing here.

Otis is over the moon that his sock feathers arrived at Jude's place.

Otis convinced me to cut up his socks to make these feathers.

nice markings from acorns...

I had forgotten that I left some cloth pieces in the acorn bath. It's been about 2 weeks and I like what happened to them. One of the silk pieces has some nice markings. I believe it's from the broken up acorns  where the innards touched the cloth. Will try a bundle next time to see if I can get markings on more of  the cloth. Click on the image for close-ups.

silk with acorn markings

silk upholstery, cotton, and silk

more feathers received in the mail...
I had ordered some hand spun mohair with lace bits from Drucilla and she was so kind to send me two beautiful feathers from her flock.

rooster feather (long & bendy) and turkey feather

Learning to Spin...

I tried on my own with books and videos but I just couldn't get it. I went to a Spin Express class at Hill Country Weavers in Austin yesterday and now I understand how it works. I just need to practice a little bit each day. You can see I actually have some spun yarn on my spindle.

a basket full of roving waiting to be spun

Karen Ruane of Contemporary Embroidery is FINALLY giving an online class called, Embroider, Embellish, Create and it is going to be fabulous. So check out her blog and consider signing up for this class. All the information is on her blog and here.

I'm sure you all know about Jude's Magic Feather Project. There has been lots of feather information flying around lately. Here is a review of a book on feathers that promises to be a good read and a link where the author talks about the book on NPR.

And Michelle of Ms. Uncertainty Principles has a great feather related post today. So check it out.

Enjoy your Sunday.

a little mending...

with patchwork stitches to be able to continue wearing a fabric t-shirt that is stained.

a kind of four patch

I finished up a few pieces to send to Wendy Golden-Levitt for the children. Check out her blog. She does amazing work.

and some of you might be interested in this. coming soon to PBS or you can order the DVD.

A New Basket

I was with my quilt bee friends yesterday at another basket making class. I've been looking forward  to making this basket and knew it would be a challenge. It turns out that the challenging part was not the center design but the swirl design traveling up to the top. There are a few mistakes but I'm very pleased with how it turned out. It measures 11" in diameter and is 5" high. I'm going to try and replicate that center weaving with fabric.
And...I would love to try and make a little square basket with the same design. Maybe at the next class.
Here are some photos.

And something special in the mail from michelle in NYC...

a lovely card, some beautiful feathers, dried geranium, and a delicate lace edged hanky

Michelle will be making a feather to send to Jude for the Magic Feather Project.

And I've heard that Otis has sent Jude a feather.

an Otis sighting...

Jude mentioned in one of her lessons that it's nice to have a large cloth around when you're not working on it. The magic beast cloth I'm working on hangs over a comfy chair when I'm not stitching on it. I like to see it when I pass by. I also get lots of different ideas as I look at it each time. The very beginning stage was hard but things are moving along now. I kind of know where I'm going next. This is just the center so it will be a project I'll be working on for a long time. Can you spot Otis? Click on the image for a closer view.

just hangin out -- can you spot Otis?

feathers are everywhere--that bulge on the right is actually the lions paw. still needs lots of stitching.

"Look", said the feather...

"it's a rainbow. I wonder if this rainbow will be my friend". Feathers don't see rainbows the way we humans do. They appear to feathers as concentric circles of color.
Click on the image for a closer view.

hand dyed silk on wool; circles are thread beads colored in with Pitt pens, it measures 4"x6"

Another feather on its way to Jude for the Magic Feather Project. There's a free workshop there and you don't even have to sign up. Check it out. Everyone needs a little magic in their lives and it's for charity.

You never know...

what will happen when feathers collide with rainbows. This one is for a friend who is healing.
The background is wool from an old tie. The blue is silk dyed with the colorhue dyes.  It measures 3"x5".

and...
If you ever thought about travelling to Japan, you might want to check out this brochure. It promises to be an experience of a lifetime.

who woulda thunk it...

Acorns make a nice brown color on cloth. So happy that there are others around with all this information--namely Jude and India. And I also learned that the inner part of the acorn is edible and that there is such a thing as acorn flour.

acorns and some cloth in a stainless steel pot

I let the acorns sit in the water (preferably rain water if it rains where you live) for one week. Then I heated up the brew to a simmer and dropped in the cloth. I simmered for about 2 hours and just let the pot sit for about 24 hours. Some of the cloth is still in the pot but here are a few pieces already washed and ironed.

silk with some shibori stitching

silk that was previously bundled with eucalyptus leaves and then dropped in the acorn brew

I made a basket a few weeks ago.  I made it very plain because I want to decorate it somehow with cloth or lace or....haven't really decided yet. But before I do that I wanted to darken it some so I prepared a tea brew and left it in the bucket for about 30 minutes on each side. I like the color.
Now to decide how to decorate it. Any suggestions?

before and after the tea dye

didn't want to waste the tea dye so I dropped in some cloth and twill tape

In my last post I told you about Jude's Magic Feather Project. Well, she has posted about it on her blog and is even offering a FREE Whispering Feathers Workshop. You can read about the project and the free workshop on her blog. Check it out. It's a worthwhile charitable event and you will love the workshop. You might also want to read this. It is about the effect cloth has on children.

a collision course between a feather and a rainbow...

Jude is collecting feathers for her Magic Feather Project.

i've started journaling again here and there and that should say 'a feather for Jude', not a leaf

 A feather was on an unavoidable collision course with a rainbow. The feather was left a skeleton filled up with bits of the rainbow. The rainbow didn't mind and the feather was grateful. All stitched on an old piece of silk from Japan.

this feather is on its way to Jude for the Magic Feather Project

 and....
some silk dyed with eucalyptus leaves.

i will bundle this again for more markings

Click on the photos for close-ups.

imagine...

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream,
  A dream you dream together is a reality."
                                     John Lennon

I love this.

thinking about rain...

I'm no longer remembering what rain sounds like, feels like... The tropical storm that was going to somewhat save us this weekend fizzled out and we got nothing. I put out more pans of water this morning for all the little creatures after I saw a bird feasting on the water from the a/c drain in the backyard.

I've been searching for an inexpensive hassock, ever since I saw this and I found one at Hobby Lobby yesterday that was on sale.  Another project to work on but usable as is until then.

I started a bobbin lace project, with beads, a couple of months ago and it's finally finished. I was not happy with the color and size of the beads I chose, after starting, but decided to finish it anyway just for the experience of working with beads. I made a purple velvet purse and decided to use the lace piece as a decoration for the flap. The flap is trimmed with a green rope and I will make a twisted strap with the same rope. It's kind of dramatic looking but not at all something I would use. I was encouraged to enter it in an exhibit that will be at the Austin airport from August 17th through September 7th. The Austin Lace Guild will be exhibiting their bobbin lace pieces. I've also submitted three lace trimmed pouches that I made and some fancy bobbins I purchased last year. I hope to have some pictures of the exhibit when it is on display.

a much deeper purple in person. it measures 8½ x 7½. not yet completed.


July 31, 2011 --- UPDATE ON THE PURSE: it is lined with brocade fabric, the strap has been added and it is now complete.

we need a miracle or some magic...

Went out early this morning to do some yard work and was very sad to find this skeleton of a frog. There just isn't any water around for all the little creatures. Heard a news report that shelters are taking in baby squirrels and hand feeding them because they are being abandoned by their moms for lack of food and water. I try to keep some water out in the yard but it evaporates very quickly in temperatures over 100 degrees. It's day 42 of over 100 degree weather and not a drop of rain here at my house in over a month. There is a glimmer of hope of some rain this weekend. I need to conjure up some magic.

i can see the suffering in the expression

just a skeleton

the fun has begun...

I think this is my favorite part. Having all the elements and deciding how to put them together. Well, I really don't have them all. There are more beasts to be made but they will mostly be embellishment. I put a thin 48" square cloth on the design wall and I have started playing. After most of the decisions have been made, I will take a picture and remove most of the pieces and start invisible stitching from the center out. This thin background is not THE back, just a way to assemble all the elements. There will be a backing added at the end and maybe a thin, flannel middle layer.

48" thin cloth and begin placement of elements

this will be the center--there will be beasties added here

 I'm still experimenting with making black and white sewing thread.

3 strands of floss marked with a permanent marker

And I was thinking that all this magic (Jude's workshop) called for a new pincushion. So I made one last night.

a special pincushion for the Magic Diaries Workshop

Moving along slowly but now it's getting exciting. Any ideas, suggestions, comments are always welcome.

still making decisions...

I dyed some silk gauze with onion skins and love the way it turned out but was not happy with the way it looked over the orange cloth I was trying to tone down. So I decided to break up the orange cloth into smaller blocks and took one of the blocks and dropped it into the onion skin bath. Well, I like the way it turned out so I think I will continue doing that with the rest of that cloth.

the onion skin dye has toned down the color

I also found a couple of other things I might be adding to this 'magic diaries' cloth that I'm working on through Jude's workshop. Just couldn't pass up the thrift shop this week. I think the two pieces I found will fit into this cloth somewhere.

silk gauze dyed in onion skin and 2 thrift shop finds

Also did some weaving on the goat piece and made the whole piece a bit smaller.

did some weaving on the left side

On a completely different topic, I decided to try and do some writing of words using the sewing machine. I've been practicing in my head for a couple of weeks. I tend to do that when I want to try something new. It seems to help me to get a better start. I think I did pretty well for the first try. All was done free form except for the bottom right where I wrote out the quote in pencil and stitched over the lines. This was done on a sandwich of 2 pieces of cotton with flannel in between. Next I will try it with just the 2 layers of cotton---and maybe in a hoop for easier maneuverability.

practicing free motion writing on the sewing machine

So things are moving along now and the magic cloth is in its early stages. At least I now feel like I know in which direction I am going.

wandering...

My mind is wandering today. Can't seem to focus on any one thing. Trying to start on something for the Magic Diaries workshop but cannot settle on one thing. I unearthed some more moon pieces that I forgot about and really want to work on those but can't get started. I said that already, didn't I.  I guess I'll wait until some one thing settles in. It's just one of those days. I don't have these type days very often. Wish I knew why this happens so I could avoid it.

Hope your day was more productive than mine. Even the picture is out of focus.

and we're off...

Jude's Magic Diaries workshop started today. And, as usual, I'm off in a different direction than I planned. I did want to work on my moon quilt but I don't have as many pieces for that as I thought. I pulled out all my pieces and decided to go with the beasts and the very bright red/orange/yellow background. I'm hoping I can get all those pieces to work well together and plan to make some more beasts to add on. Also hoping I can tone down that bright background with lots of embellishments. If you want to join in, you can still sign on for this fabulous 6-month workshop here.
I'm back in here to say I just decided I'm going to onion skin dye that bright red/orange/yellow background before I do anything else. That should knock down that color.

the pieces I have so far

I came upon some silk scraps and just started playing with them and some cotton that was leaf bundle dyed. I was disappointed that the cotton was very hard to handstitch through so I wound up using the sewing machine for some of the stitching. I'm thinking the cotton and silk pieces will make a nice pouch and the nine-patches (hand stitched) will probably be used in the lining.

silk and cotton

The July/August issue of Piecework Magazine has a couple of great articles on Oya Lace with some instruction. It's a type of needle lace. I'm trying to learn. I'm using the edge of a vintage napkin.

the second one is a little better than the first.