dyeing results, yard work and a bit of stitching...

here are the results of the dye bundle i showed you last week with the rose petals, rose leaves and cosmos. i wish it would have held onto the beautiful red/purple color but it did fade in the washing. just a bit of it remains. maybe i should have treated it with vinegar before washing...not really sure.
click on the images for closeups.

after washing it did lose a lot of the pink/red from the roses but still a good result.

i spent a considerable amount of time in the yard laying weed block in preparation for adding pebbles. just completed one section to determine how many bags i'll need. will have to get someone to deliver it because i need close to 20 bags...and they are heavy.

the pebbles in the afternoon sun

this dead tree stump wouldn't hold the planters anymore so i planted right into the stump.

and i did manage to get in some stitching this week. this is some hand dyed silk damask lining  that i cut into strips and did a weaving. this will be added to the piece i showed you last time here.

wish you could feel it. it is wonderfully soft.

 the weather has gotten very summer-like even though it is still officially spring. high 80s and 90s every day with very little rain. keeping the yard green is a challenge with only one watering day a week.

a week of many projects...

i traveled from one project to another this week...trying to get it all in...so just a little progress in each, but that's ok. eventually, each will be completed.
click on the images for close-ups.

a web stitch on a bit of lace. i'm told it looks like a dream catcher.

did a bit more stitching on this piece. i thought it would be some kind of a vessel but plans have changed.

  and then some dyeing using spent flowers that i bought and from the garden.

rose petals, rose leaves, cosmos

all bundled around a tin can and ready for the dye pot

the garden is growing since we had 4½" of rain last week. these orange bulbs went from nothing peeping out of the soil to full blooming flowers in 6 days. i could almost watch them growing, it happened so fast.

May 25th, after a day of rain

May 30th, in full bloom

and almost forgot about this granny square afghan i started with a lace, variegated yarn...

trying to keep the blocks in order for a variegated look when stitched together

we're hoping for some rain this evening. it's hot...in the 90s...and very humid. hope you're all having a good weekend and are out of harms way. lots of weather creating havoc these days.

some more rain magic...

we had a wonderful rain storm yesterday and it's still raining here today...a nice steady rain. my little  garden is oh so happy. look at the difference the rain has made in just 5 days.
CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR CLOSE-UPS...

this is what it looked like on Monday

 

and here it is today, Saturday...and it's still raining

i have enough projects going so that i don't ever get bored. still working on lace making with fabric as learned in Karen Ruane's class.

hand dyed cloth, knitted scrap, sheer fabric all joined and embellished with embroidery

close up of french knots and bullion knots and open blanket stitch above

Karen's Simply Stitch class starts on June 17th. check it out here.

a bobbin lace friend showed a quilt she made using the 'disappearing nine patch pattern' and i had to try it.

click the link above to see how this started out as a nine patch

 decided to use this pattern in the making of a quilt. i have had these redwork hat blocks for many years and have collected some fabric to use for the quilt and it seems this is the right time.

there are 2 each of 6 different hat stitchings

these are the fabrics i'll be using

it will take a while but i'll be making the blocks little by little. you already know that i like working on many different projects at once.

hope you are all enjoying your weekend and i know some of you are celebrating Memorial Day weekend with family and friends (here in the US), so enjoy.

a new embroidered pouch

and this one is for me. i showed you sections of it in my last post. it's what i've been working on in Karen Ruane's lace class. i finished it today and i'm real pleased with the way it turned out. i filled it with small pieces of white cotton that i always pull out for embroidery and sampling. click on the images for close-ups.

the front is complete

joined to the back with a double ruffle at the bottom

the inside is lined with white cotton lawn and trimmed with lace

the back is a weaving i did in one of Jude Hill's early classes

filled with white cloth and added ties as a closure

Karen Ruane has listed a new class, Simply Stitch, that starts on June 17th. check it out here.


i also did some dyeing this week. a quilting friend had given me 2 pieces of a beautiful silk damask that were part of a blouse. it was a cream color and it dyed beautifully just using oak leaves and  tin cans.

the leaf under the string made the best marking

i'm pleased with the markings on the cloth. this one might get some lace work on it.

i've been spending some time in the garden this week. things are growing quickly since we had some rain this week. the rain water is very magical. i opened my front door the other day and standing right there, not 12" from me was this baby blue jay. he did not move...just stood there while i took his picture and walked around and went back into the house. i opened the door a bit later to check on him but he was gone. will need to sketch this one.

it was 95 degrees today. hope it's cooler where you are. have a great weekend.

lots of experimenting...

i'm enjoying using the basket i showed you last time to hold bits and pieces of experiments and things i'm working on.

 Karen Ruane's lace class started this week so that is what most of the experimenting and stitching is about right now.  you can see what others in the class are working on over here.

lots more embroidery to be done on this lace piece

a ruffle with a hint of pink

a cross stitched heart hidden beneath

i'm always working on more than one thing at a time so i did spend a bit of evening time with crocheting the edge of an embroidered cloth...

and knitting some more on the felted bag.

on the second ball of yarn...2 more to go

i finally got out into the garden this week and planted mostly flowers but did plant some radishes and lemon cucumbers. never planted the lemon cucumbers before but that's all i could find in the garden center. it's a bit later than usual so i didn't want to do the seeds. another experiment. we had a thunder shower this morning and more promised for this afternoon. saves me from going out and watering the garden.

haven't been getting to as many of your blogs as i usually do and i'm sorry about that. there just aren't enough hours in the day. hope to catch up sometime soon. wishing you all a good weekend.

a vintage basket

my grandma taught me to embroider when i was very young. she always had this basket around with embroidery threads, needles and pins. at some point, she gifted it to me so i've had it for about 65 years. i'm not sure how long she had it and until a couple of days ago, i didn't realize that it was probably gifted to her filled with chocolates. on the back of the basket, it says 'Barricini' which is a very well known chocolate company in NY. it measure 9" x 5" x 3"... a perfect size to carry around small projects i'm working on. it's kind of scratchy on the inside so i decided to decorate it with some of the pieces i made in Karen Ruane's class.

 CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR CLOSE UPS

grandma's basket measures 9"x5"x3"

Barricini label on back

decorated with lace and embroidered cloth. silk ties added to hold things in place.

pink velvet ribbon around the bottom edge trimmed with stitch

i took advantage of  the holes created from all the circles i cut out from the toile fabric for the funky puffs i showed you last week. you can see them here if you missed that post.

some cross-stitching within the toile that will be part of a new cloth started.

not much else to show right now. wishing you some wonderful days this week. we have had the past 2 days start out in the 40s which is unheard of in May in these parts. we'll be in the 90s in no time which is a bit too hot for my liking but that's the way it is.

funky puffs, toile and some interesting videos

i've always loved toile fabric. i found some pink, cotton toile this week and used it in making some puffs...taught by Karen Ruane. i did soak some of the pink toile in a bleach bath for a while to lighten it up a bit.   CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR CLOSE-UPS.

the theme of this toile was children's nursery rhymes

not much else going on this week as far as stitching. i've been watching some TED videos while stitching these puffs and thought i'd share some of them with you. i learn so much from some of these videos and they also expand my way of thinking and seeing things. these 3 are all very short. hope you enjoy them.

on the first video, David Pogue talks about some real cool short cuts you can use on your computer, smartphone, and camera. it's just 5 minutes long and you can find it here.

the second video talks about the power of the written word and spoken language. it is about 3 minutes long and is here.

and finally, the third one drew me in with the question..."what color is a mirror?". Michael Stevens spends his day asking quirky questions. the video is about 7 minutes long and is here.

wishing you all a week of creative thought and activity.

all about white...

in organization mode here but only with things white...i've always loved white and have lots of bits and pieces of things that needed some organization and deconstructing. in the past couple of years i have been very influenced by Karen Ruane's stitching. she works almost exclusively in white. she posted a ruffle/flounce yesterday...you can see it here...that sent me rummaging through my stash. i found one that is from an old wedding dress gifted to me by a friend. it was not in great condition and needed some mending. i think i will be able to use it for what i have planned.

click on the images for close-ups.

white trim

white cloth and old garments that need deconstructing

mending a white ruffle...will add some tatting to the band

 i also did some crocheting in white over some lace made with cheesecloth and free motion embroidery.

the crochet was done on a white cording that was incorporated into the lace

and finally...even my bobbin lace is being done in white as i hope to include it in a white cloth and lace piece sometime in the future. bobbin lace is a very slow craft for me as i usually only work on it when i am in lace class on Tuesdays.

bobbin lace in white 30 weight cotton thread

our weather here in Austin, TX has been unusual for this time of year but very pleasant. we have even gotten some rain which is desperately needed. the flowers are blooming and there is green everywhere. there was a very interesting segment on CBS Sunday Morning today called 'Flower Power'. it's only 6 minutes long and i think you will find it interesting. even flowers have the sense of sight and touch. the video is here.  have a good week and stay safe.

spinning in many directions...

you might remember the wool i was unraveling back here in February. well, i've finally started spinning it. my goal is to spin one ball every night so that i can ply it and actually make something with it. it felt good to be spinning again.
click on the images for a close-up view.

have no idea how much i'll wind up with after plying

still working with white over at Judes What If Workshop so i played a bit with a white cotton rag that Home Depot sells in small bundles. loved making the eyelets. i now want to make eyelets in every piece of fabric i pick up. after manipulation, the cloth wound up to be a diamond shape and just hangs on my design wall.

stitched false seams on front and back with lace and cording

love the cording extensions

and still doing embroidery with lace in continuation of my Alchemy Journal. this piece will be a header for a page with old memories. i had lots of trouble photographing this as it is see through and the layers of ribbon have a metallic quality.

cross stitch, free motion embroidery, hand embroidery

this piece measures 8½" x 3½"

the weather is getting warmer each day so summer is on its way. we never have much of a spring but we do have mild winters. i have to get out there and do some planting but i can't seem to pull myself away from all my indoor projects. wishing you all a productive week.