I like Thankful Thursday

Today I am not here. I am having a pain block procedure on my back.

from hospital website

However, that is a glad thing. I am glad for all the things that fell in place, a few years ago, to be referred to the pain clinic. I hadn't realised it was an option but through one thing and another, it came to be. And I think if I had been able to get someone to do something more for me, it might not have happened because at the time the hospital authority I was under didn't do that. But, that changed and it meant I was now under a different hospital catchment which extended further south to an area that has a pain clinic.
And so they have been helping and this is one hope that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Another like having to do with this, is that the hospital has a little charity bookshop. (It is just to the right of the glass doors on the photo above.)
So, when I go back and forth for appointments, I usually stop in. I bring what I have read back with me the next time!I picked up quite a few when I had my physio appointment last week. What I like is that sometimes you can get quite a few books in a series by the same author.

Looking forward to reading these while I am resting up.

Another time I found one by an author, that I hadn't read yet. I had been looking for some time. Yes, I could buy them, but usually it is just something I want to read, not necessarily want to own.
One of my favourite authors is Lindsey Davis who writes about a detective in ancient Rome. I just finished reading one the other day. A couple weeks ago I finished one she had written about Vespasian's life...really about the life of his love Caenis. A Course of Honour builds a wonderful story from this account; "A tantalising half-sentence in Suetonius’ biography says that after his wife died, Vespasian ‘took up again with Caenis, his former mistress and one of Antonia’s freedwomen and secretaries, who remained his wife in all but name even when he became Emperor’." a phrase from the webpage about the book on Lindsey Davis site.

On Saturday I met up with sewing friends at my friend Gabrielle's. I took the camera, but forgot to get it out!
However, I met one friend, Annette, who I hadn't seen for sometime. It was nice to catch up with her.

As is usual at most sewing meetings, someone wants to get rid of books or something. So, I came home with these. A few might be for possible students as a resource.
Also the wooly polyester thread to try on the overlocker.
But the fabrics in front and the elephant panel in the back were a gift from another lady. The panel from India she didn't want... "I have already made something from the rest and I don't have a need for anything else with elephants". However, the wonderful sunprints were pieces she picked up on a recent holiday in Africa for me! I think Zambia. How nice that she thought of me. 😊

Speaking of which gifts from sewing friends, a few months ago at one of the meetings (we meet at the Community Centre, bringing our projects to work on. Sewing machines and the like.) where there is often a lot of unrelated chat, we somehow began to talk about pressure cookers. I haven't used one since I was living at home, and then I think I really wasn't involved. Because I hadn't really learned all the nuances of pressure and wobbling thingys on top, I just wasn't confident about it. So, in the discussion they said the new ones were much more user friendly, and in fact, you could get ones that had buttons to set time and pressure and so on, then it got on with it. If there was anything not quite right, it goes to keep warm setting and cools down a great deal.
So, I thought. OK, I need one of those.
Then Margot said she had one in her garage she didn't want. She had bought a smaller one, because the other was too big for her small kitchen. Did I want it?
Are you sure?!!
Well, I would only eventually toss it. Someone should get use out of it.

So, I have been making use of it ever since. It was Very Helpful with the sweet potatoes and then potatoes when I made a Thanksgiving meal that had been ordered by a Certain Young Man who came home for it at the weekend. I didn't have to watch they didn't boil over or try to fit everything I was making onto 4 hobs at once.

OK. more on the like side of things next week! If you are interested, you can see what others have said, over at LeeAnna's blog.

Amaryllis

Last year my sister-in-law gave us an amaryllis that had been living in it's box for more than a year in her garage. It has been a gift from someone, but she doesn't like them.
I do.

So, the poor thing had tried to flower in the box, the stems with buds had grown about 4 inches and dried up like husks. I watered it and the leaves grew last year. So, I knew it was still full of life, though a bit mixed up. After the leaves finished, I put it all back in its box to hibernate.
Then when it was about the beginning of November, I got it out and began watering it. I wasn't sure where it might think it was in the cycle, so was very pleased that it grew flower stems again.

So pleased that I bought a few more colours at Aldi when they started having them! And now the flowers have opened on the first one.

There are 2 stems and 4 flowers on each. Well, there were 4 coming, but I went to turn it like you are meant to for the sun, and one broke off. 😞 Currently it is continuing having been stuck in the side of the pot. Anyway, as you can see, the flower is beautiful. Can't wait till they all open!

And the other plants have begun to send up green points. Not sure whether they will just be leaves or also flowers. One is deep red. Another is the opposite to this one, red with white. and then I went back down and bought a white one, too, to get the full compliment. In theory, they are meant to open by Christmas.

The beads are still going on...19-25 November

Week 47 - 2017

A bit delayed. I had the photos to upload, but then the camera wanted recharging...and then the moment that was available was gone.

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Something on Saturday

Cow 45

Another cow apron.  This one I use when I am dyeing fabric or painting, etc.

My youngest sister gave it to me years and years ago when she lived near Seattle.

I like Thankful Thursday

Today is Thanksgiving in America.
My family there are enjoying each other in the various places where they live. Many Blessings!

I was invited to take part in an online group posting something they like on Thursday. I have been posting the cows for Something on Saturday. Not long now and it will be up to a year.

So, I decided to start looking again - with the camera - like I used to do on Inspiration Monday in the early days of the blog and later on Something on Saturday.

I had to go over to South Hill Park to deliver something to a colleague. As I was looking for Thankful Things, I decided to look there.
Italian gardens

You may recall when I took part in Engage! with Art. That was at South Hill Park.
my favourite: Bull at the Gate.

I have lived in this area for 30 years. South Hill Park is a big feature. For a long time, I didn't go inside much. It is only about a 15 minute walk, but I didn't feel very welcome there. So, I mainly walked around the lake and grounds.


But in the last several years, things have changed. It is lovely to meet someone for a cuppa in the cafe or wander round to see what exhibitions are up.
  'puddle wonderful'by Jan Barstow

Loved this print hanging near the cafe.

There are always things to see that you never noticed before.

This week I found these stairs. Another day I will see where they go! There are many stairs to unusual places around the mansion.

And now I know a bit about clay.

I took a one day taster on precious metal clay some years back.
One day I want to take a bookmaking course there.

So, I am thankful for South Hill Park.

on the worktable

Busy being a people person lately.

But I am back to working on this secret (not to be shown online) piece I started ages ago.

The worktable having been lifted for my back, had become a bit of a log jam for the sewing part of things. And this piece is 2 metres long. So - big log jam.

But a Certain Young Man took one of the shorter bits of  wood out, and now there is enough of a slant that I can manage the sewing.

I am doing one hour a day. It is getting it done and conserving my back.
My physio will be glad!

The beads are still going on...12-18 November

week 46 - 2017

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no.321

no.322

Something on Saturday

cow 44

This is one of my cow aprons with an accompanying oven mitt stuck in the pocket.

The oven mitt is quite big, so it doesn't get used so often. Too likely to get a thumb or something in the food you are taking from the oven.

Experiment

Instead of pouring out the pickled red cabbage juice when the jar was finished, I kept it.
Then when i was getting tired of the vinegar smell in my room....hmmm.
I put in some scraps of silk habotai that had some marking from an indigo dip.
I nuked it for 2min.

Drained it and voila! fuchsia and purple

Then I put it in the washer on a rinse cycle. To be honest, almost everything I try for an experiment comes out that colour. So I didn't really need more! But it was silk, so I could work with that.

Result:the reddish part of the purple washed out leaving a light periwinkle blue! Yes, I like this.
In true life, you hardly see the indigo markings and the silk has a lovely sheen. But the camera picks up the darker greenish blue of the indigo.

I have saved the rest for more experimenting.
my understanding of the science: Natural dyes are mostly fugitive, meaning they will fade. If you use a mordant, it is more likely to last longer. Because the pickled cabbage juice had vinegar, the vinegar works well on the silk and it will (should) retain colour.

I like experiments that come out better than you thought it could.

CQ Suitcase Collection: My Favourite Author

This coming Saturday at the TVCT meeting, we will be viewing the current CQ Suitcase collection. The theme is My Favourite Author. You may remember my piece inspired by Escher.

The Suitcase arrived yesterday, and today I have been discovering what is there. There is a print out with the image of each quilt and the artist statement, so I don't have to handle the quilts. But there are white gloves should I need to.

Pretty amazing that with 64 pieces, there are only 13 Artists for whom there is more than one work! For me, that shows the wide range of knowledge the CQ members have for artists. Many of these artists I have never heard of, or only vaguely remember hearing of.

Fascinating, but makes running an activity about curating or being a juror that much harder! So, I am glad I left several days so I can ponder. I think I have to do research.

It would seem a good question would be to ask something like, "Do you think the work is 'inspired by' or is 'derivative'.
ooooo Dangerous discussion if the Contemporary Quilt artist in question might be at the meeting! 😱 (in spite of the popularity of this type of emoji, there was no one who chose Edvard Munch)

Sorry, sidetracked! But if I ask them to compare a work from this collection with the Artist inspiration, I will need to have images of the inspiring artist's work. Yes, some might recognise names like Picasso or van Gogh and their work, but like me, some might not have heard of the artist in question.

Anyway! making a start. Somehow an idea will present itself. Maybe we will just do a quiz?

keeping with the bead theme

As some of you know, I have been doing the daily bead project for nearly 5 years...Just a few more weeks to go!
I do still like to do the daily practice. and I do still like to do beads. But I  have enough little beaded bits for now. 😉 It will be 60 by the end of the year!

So, I have been thinking about something else. This is one of the thoughts I am having.

I have just enough of this fabric to do every other square and so fill it for the year. Part of this is inspired by Jeanne Williamson's current Dates in a Life project. I just really like the idea of working in the squares. and when a scrap of the square fabric was on my table, it came to my mind to use it.
In the photo, I just chose beads and sequins to try a random pattern for covering the fabric, rather than the same thing every day which, though sparkly, would produce a boring flat look. This idea will mean the variation will add interest.

That is the idea. The jury is out on whether that is what I will choose!

more trim

So, having finished the Spiral Staircase sample, I am trying out the Dutch Spiral. (These instructions have been from the Bead Guild here in the UK.)

I have had a bag of the blue bugle beads for some time, but no purpose has come up...til now. Also I have these pink beads which I really never select for anything because they are PINK, very pink. But in combination, I think they work.

It goes faster than the Spiral Staircase and because it is only 2 types of beads, I can have a little tray set up to work in my lap when we watch telly.
(We like cooking shows and so on, but record them and watch them later in the evening - like 9pm or so.)

Samples or Trims

Earlier in the year I was making bead trims or samples.
I started this bead rope, or whatever you want to call it, in April. But things got busy and sitting beading was really messing with my back.

But now that the back is doing better with physio and exercises, I have picked it up again.

And now the spiral staircase is finished!
Well finished as in achieving the goal. Each one of these is a little over 1 meter or 40 in long.

No, I don't know what I am going to do with them. But the idea is to make them to have for possible using as trim. A gown or what, it will be discovered just at the right time!

The beads are still going on...5-11 November

week 45 - 2017

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no.315

Something on Saturday

cow 43

This cow has been living on the top of the wardrobe in my studio. Time for her to get a bit more exposure.

The milk bottle and cow bell are obvious not part of the set of cow blocks and cow. But I generally keep them together.
I think my mom sent these bits to me.

Required, returned and not required

No, not saying rejected. Just not chosen!

So, first...
Ramshackle Castles has been returned from its outing to FOQ and Bristol

next...
The response has come in for the 3 secret pieces I was working on.

Two of them have been chosen to be part of the exhibition that is in conjunction with the upcoming book OURstory by Suzanne Jones. Quilted Art that is about the marginalised and stories of human rights.
I can't show those 2 yet. They are short listed for going into the book, but it will be down to the publishers which ones are selected for the book.

But!
I can show the one that wasn't required.

Captured Butterflies

African ladies in their colourful dress remind me of a flight of butterflies
joyfully dancing and celebrating.

Imagine a place 2x the size of California, where over 2000 women and girls are taken
and are still being taken.
Imagine the colour going out of that place.
One by one like bright butterflies captured.
Imagine the families; fathers and mothers, husbands and children whose loved one has been captured. Imagine their grief.
 Imagine the sleepless nights wondering what they are going through.
Imagine the captured one was your loved one.

Why don't we know about this? Where are the protests? Where are the media discussions?

And no, not "just one of those things that happens in Africa."!

“Although the Chibok girls were the most high-profile casualties,

UNICEF estimates over 2,000 girls have been abducted by Boko Haram since 2011.”

Source: UNICEF; Open Doors UK http://www.opendoorsuk.org/news/stories/nigeria_160413.php

detail

Curiously, it is the one I like the best. I am still very confident about it and so will be looking for other opportunities to show it.

And probably will send a better photo. My son has given me his camera to use and it is sooo much better. I think I will keep the other one in my handbag for out and about sorts of photos.

Sewing Large - Finish

I had left the hand stitching in the area of the needle til after it was on, because I didn't want to fuse the appliqué over any surface thread. The thread being cotton crochet thread.

When I hung the nearly finished piece up to see the overall effect, I realised there was a section in the middle part where the hand stitching left a large pucker.

So, I took out one line of stitching and added some on a few different lines of that area. It still puckers some in this image, but I thought it might press out. And it did.

I did a bit of stitching on lines in a few other places to make it look like an overall fabric pattern design. (ish).

So, I got on with the trimming to size and the binding.

And here we are:

26inH x 18inW

Sewing Large

Very good feeling to finish this. It isn't due til February! HA. 😎
But I want to get on with another big project due before that. And this means it won't be hanging over my head throughout the holidays.

I just have to remember to post it off with sufficient time that I don't have to fret about it arriving on time!😰