weekend whimsy

in which our plucky heroine looks all around...

or at least up and down. Parts of the weekend were a treat, and parts were a trial. Successfully trying out a new to me handcraft technique, remembering the frozen Roma tomatoes, and visiting with friends online were treats. Spiraling down into dark weasel territory on Saturday night was hard; the worst of the brain weasels don't actually lie, they contain just enough truth to really hurt. Erroneous choices can't be undone, and chances noticed too late will not come again in this lifetime. The trick is to find the small joys still possible.

※※※

~ Rosa ~

Mischa and I are gradually setting up a new Wanderhome game (our first since Steph left the bright world), building new characters and a new place to create stories. I'd only barely dipped into the world of "gaming", in a particularly gentle, interactive, non combat-driven way, when my newest friend Steph was diagnosed and C all too quickly took them away. The rough sketch above is Rosa the maned wolf, my new character. They are a peddler/trader and deal primarily in spices, dyestuff, incense, miniature bells, colored floss, and tiny shrine furnishings.

※※※

The tiny shreds of fabric and ends of thread leftover when sewing become frelch and have apparently a magnetic attraction to caster wheels. Rather than my vain efforts to neatly dispose of them in the large waste bin in the workshop, it occurred to me that small scrap holders in the immediate vicinity of the sewing machine and serger would be a better and more direct option, easy to empty into the larger bin as needed.

Ann Wood's "Stitched Vessel" tutorial (which has been sitting in my file of patterns-purchased-but-not-yet-made for ages) seemed like it was a perfect solution. Several hours of hand stitching turned into this boro-esque thread basket. A second one is already on my work table, also using the random cabbage from assorted wardrobe sewing projects; there are so many potential uses for such appealing small containers! 

2 ½" high, almost 3" diameter
※※※

With the weather so hot as to make actual cooking less of a treat, a glance in the fridge showed the ingredients for a sort of panzanella. Well, there was a slice of leftover bread, cucumbers, feta, salad greens and suchlike, all that was missing was a tomato... Then I remembered that there were Roma tomatoes in the freezer, intended for making another batch of Awesome Sauce! Peeled and partially thawed, it was cut into chunks and added to the proto panzanella. The tomato did collapse into shreds, but added good flavor and moisture. A hack worth remembering.

※※※

was not expecting thrilled to see this on Saturday morning when I checked the weather for the rest of the weekend: 
Issued: 10:57 AM May. 2, 2026 – National Weather Service...
HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM TO 11 PM PDT SUNDAY... 
- WHAT...Temperatures up to 91 degrees F expected. Significant cooling expected overnight. 
- WHERE...Greater Vancouver Metro, Lower Columbia River and Cowlitz River Valleys, Inner Portland Metro, and East Portland Metro. 
- WHEN...From 8 AM to 11 PM PDT Sunday. 
- IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses. 
- ADDITIONAL DETAILS...There is around 5% chance of high temperatures of 95 degrees or greater in urban areas around the Portland-Metro area. Overall Moderate HeatRisk with relieving cooling temperatures overnight. Highs will be near record breaking temperatures for this time of year.
So it wasn't a big surprise that the temperature this afternoon on the front porch was 94° F (34.5° C). Very grateful for the magic cool air machine aka heat pump.

※※※

I've rather fallen in love with the printed motifs of this fabric, and think it would could make a very fun autumnal shirt. Rather more colorful than my usual wont, but there are almost all the colors I do wear: brown, and grey, and teal/turquoise, and blue, as well as all the rest of the rainbow, in a playful admixture of shapes that reference mid-century design.

※※※

May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Rosa sketch	-	-
2	boro thread basket	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
- heat pump aka magic cool air that falls from ceiling
- left foot less painful
- using frozen tomato as salad flavoring
- anti-weasel serum from friends
- riding my bike past the park, seeing families celebrating birthdays or other special occasions, life happening in a pleasant public place. 

Time of Isolation - Day 2123

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine is managing to make it through another Monday...

Mostly a day of doing chores, catching up on the neverending care tasks. Mt Washmore is down to just a few eroded foothills now, which I cannot say about Mt Dishmore, yet. It should be cooler for the rest of the week, so finally getting the enamels finished is in order!! I will be very very glad when they are completed, as I have many ideas clamoring to be created, and will also be able to open up the queue for future commissioned regalia. "proficere lente sed proficere"

※※※

  . 

The rainbow linen gauze arrived today, having been shipped all the way from Lithuania (thanks to Etsy). I ordered it on the 2nd of June. The colors are lovely, bright without being garish, and the fabric has a pleasant feel. It is, as labeled, a gauze fabric, and they really mean it! Very very transparent, and more loosely woven than the fabric from Fabrics-store. I'm curious to see how the hand and density will change once I preshrink it. At 2 yards, I may have bought too much...

※※※

Woe and alas my cranky back is still really cranky, despite using various salves, and doing the PT exercises I was given the last time it did this. Probably time for acupuncture. OTOH the antibiotics have done wonders for the other issue, and with luck a few days of eating yogurt will help with how sulfa deranges my digestion. Fortunately, it is summer, and a breakfast of yogurt and fruit is a nice way to start the day, or, a pleasant small bit of sweetness to end a meal.

※※※

Today I finished up the first half of the needed 40 squares to complete the coverlet. I'm thinking I may just back it with the rocket ship flannel and forgo any filling at all. That would leave it fairly lightweight, suitable for summer, or to use as a bedspread the rest of the year. I have observed that there are two sorts of people: those who like heavy bedcovers, and those who do not. I am in the "the lighter the better" group, and I don't want to make this too weighty.

※※※

June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	arm protectors	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	moar quilt squares	-	recycle bin
5	-	-	yard waste bin
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I have what may be a clever idea for how to make tiny enamel rainbow heart charms
2. progress on the coverlet continues steadily
3. a fresh mango, partially for another batch of coleslaw, and partially to gnaw around the pit.

Time of Isolation - Day 1086

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine has a slow day...

beauty in the time of isolation:

When I was visiting my folks, and staying in a hotel, I tried to get out and walk each day it was possible. Which mostly meant an occasional walk round and round the hotel parking lots before it was time to drive over to the apartment. Behind the Other Hotel, there were these bright birch trees, growing in the ditch between the back of the hotel and the stone bluff. One day when I was walking, I found many curls of birchbark blown down to the asphalt path, though the trees themselves seemed unaffected and unharmed. I picked them up and put them aside to bring home with me, as a gifting from the trees, along with the pine cone I found in a parking lot. I plan on attempting some little woven baskets, if I can manage it...

※※※

Oooh, my new teal linen arrived. That was fast, I ordered it Tuesday, and it was on my doorstep Thursday midday! And then, today, the teal cotton jersey showed up as well. I'm going to have fun planning wardrobe projects for the coming year. The lopi yarn I ordered at the beginning of the year, intending to make a lopapesya cardigan, includes a lovely teal as one of the accent colors. The floral blouse I made last year will coordinate, as will the one I made in Trios cotton lawn.

※※※

Planning a 90th birthday card/book for my father... rather like a zine, actually, but put together with a Coptic binding for durability and ease of opening. The whole project would be easier if I had a functional printer here. I don't really want to go to the copy store. Instead, I am going to ask my family members to go old-school style and mail me their comments and words for inclusion in the book.

※※※

Quince jelly has two ingredients, fruit and sugar, just like citrus marmalade, which is its descendant. Though in the case of jelly, one strains out the actual fruit and leaves just the juice. The only other ingredient is sugar. I am tempted to try making a quince marmalade, if I can figure out how to grate the quinces.

※※※

November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	roses kerchief	leather thimble	recycle bin
2	6 jars persimmon ketchup	teal popover dress	yard waste bin
3	6 jars pickled beets	-	-
4	5 jars pear chunks	-	-
5	8 jars quince jelly	-	-
6	-	x	-
7	-	x	x
8	-	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - Podcasts - so useful as auditory companions when doing other chores that don't allow handwork. Washing dishes is much more pleasant when it is accompanied by music and interesting conversation. The most recent one I found  and enjoy is Katie Green's "The Green Bean Podcast".

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine focuses outward a bit, finally...

Wednesday and Thursday prompts of Drawvember, plus today, all seemed to relate somehow. Some vaguely heraldic designs, with faces were a good step back towards daily drawing... sun and moon and cloud:

※※※

Some excellent fabrics arrived yesterday... I ordered two different options for sturdy garments, a 12 oz canvas (the same weight that is used in Carhartts), and a 12 oz Bull denim, both in what was described as a "charcoal grey". The colors seem more like two different hues of medium grey to me, but perfectly acceptable, and the quality of the fabrics, though listed as "seconds" have no flaws that are apparent to my careful eye. The canvas has a much stiffer hand than the denim, as should have been expected, given the difference in structure between tabby weave and twill. "Big Duck Fabrics" is a new to-me-source, but is going on my list of Useful Trusted suppliers

※※※

SWAP plans are solidifying for what garments will work together well and I'm getting a clearer idea of what I hope to make (always subject to change...) My two garments that will be wearable with each outfit will be a grey chore coat and a grey wool herringbone capelet.

I'm going to make a grey linen pinafore, and my other pinafore will be my already made black corduroy pinafore. My other "already made" garment will be my stripey black/grey/blue everyday dress.

I'll make two more dresses, one in a black/cream mini-stripe, and one in a black/white chambray. (Both will be overdyed, one in grey and one in brown). All three of the dresses can be worn with either of the pinafores.

In addition, a shirt from grey/black gingham flannel, a scrappy/collaged grey knit top with cloud collar embellishment*, and a light blue print with horses in cream/brown will get turned into a blouse. All the tops can be worn with either of the pinafores. The last of the eleven is waiting on further inspiration/clarity... could be grey knit top (not sure about that one, as my drawer for knit tops is getting pretty full!), or grey leggings, or a grey Polartech pullover, or even a pair of grey denim overalls if I feel adventurous in both senses of the word. (I've not made overalls in at least ten years, and my prior pair is long worn out...)

※※※

November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	three sketches	necklace pegs	-
2	x	cardigan sleeves	-
3	x	harvest moar persimmons	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - being well and sturdy enough to still ride my bike around the neighborhood, and it was a lovely not too cold not too hot day without rain, so that was all good. Plus my favorite cashier D gave me a handclasp today.

* the (hopeful) scrappy collage knit top will be part of a twinset with the just about finished cardigan. I picked up Big Snaps for the cardigan fastening, and should get them sewed on over the weekend...

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine toddles and gimps through the day...

on the way to my physical therapy appointment I must have taken a slightly different route from the bus stop, because this strange little face goggled at me along the way!

While the nasty cold is finally releasing me from its grip, my ankle remains frustratingly and intensely painful. Despite the slow improvement in mobility as measured by the PT, there is little if any reduction in pain, walking freely remains a dream. Sigh. Over two months now, since the first week in November, with no real relief.

※※※

managed to roll the cart of chookhouse wood shavings to the backyard yesterday during a break in the rain, and both refreshed the chicken bedding (and collected the one egg in the nest area) and put a layer of light mulch over the garlic beds. There were a few almost tips of sprouting garlic just at the surface, so at least some of what I planted is actively growing. With luck, there will be heads of garlic next autumn. I may not be moving that quickly, but things do gradually get accomplished!

※※※

Today, the fabric I ordered (with my gift certificate prize from the online challenge) from Harts Fabrics arrived, the Kokka cotton lawn in a blue/black abstract floral print. To me, it really reminds me of Marimekko style motifs. Like most current Japanese cotton fabrics, it has a wonderful silky hand.

I was most impressed by one particular aspect of the order, even more than how quickly it arrived... that Harts Fabrics tore the fabric along the grain. When I was growing up, and a young adult, all fabrics were parceled out that way, before the common-now practice of simply whacking off a length with shears.

How very often I carefully trimmed along a grainline of recently purchased fabric only to find that in the end, there was less actual length available than the amount I had requested, once the ends were straightened. Which is a boon to shopkeepers since now if I buy fabric, I have to routinely add at least an extra quarter yard or more than the pattern requires, to end up with enough. I rarely buy much fabric nowadays, preferring to first visit my own "fabric resource shelves" but I will certainly consider purchasing from Harts again!

※※※

January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	braided linen cord	old bathing suit	1#
2	2019 calendars	black knit top cuff	recycle bin
3	black linen undergown	garlic planted	two bags to Goodwill
4	tiny Norse Pelican	gloves mended	glass recycling
5	AS50 knit top	chook wings clipped	yard waste bin
6	x	prune hardy fuchsia	x
7	x	mulched garlic beds	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - the old lady wheelie cart from my old pal Sharon, that works perfectly to move the awkward bale of shavings around the backyard

assorted kibbles and bits

in which our plucky heroine splurged and bought some new fabrics...

These are both midweight cotton/lycra knits, suitable and destined for new long sleeve knit tops. Just couldn't resist the assorted botanical mushrooms on a pale turquoise background, or the dark and light turquoise feathers on a pale grey background.

It is hard to find printed knits in either fabric or RTW that I find appealing (most are either too tacky/juvenile, or too angular, or not colors that will play nicely with my colorways); these will coordinate well with the rest of my wardrobe*, and have the sort of rounded subtle print aspect with just a bit of whimsy that ticks a lot of my style checkboxes.

*current pinafores are in several different shades of black, dark denim, brown, and grey... (future plans for another brown corduroy and perhaps the heavy black/turquoise shot linen)

※※※

It has been a while, but I dug out the magnetic test tube flower vase and snipped off two sprigs of the hardy fuchsia... since the cabinets here at Acorn Cottage are all steel, magnets are Useful Indeed...

※※※

Well that was a bit frustrating... I went to the local Footwise shoe shop, and the cute Keen slip on shoes I was hoping would fit were a total non-starter, and the other several styles of shoes I also tried on were just as bad. Getting my old Birkies some new footbeds is perhaps another possible option, as is saving the dosh for some Birkie clogs, sigh... it is starting to feel like learning to make my own shoes might not be crazy....

※※※

I'm part of the sewing/embellishment team making clothing for Marya's elevation in December. (she is a dear friend, and it is an honor to help make her ceremony extra special) I finished the cuff embroidery this week. Working with the DMC metallic floss is super annoying, the effect of the gold on red is so very splendid it is worth it.

With the cuffs completed, the next pieces are the two narrow 1" wide panels that will decorate either side of the neck opening. About halfway done with the first neckline panel. For this design, which is simpler than the cuffs, I merely mark the lines with white Prismacolor art pencil instead of the stitch-through-tracing-paper method.

※※※

October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Laurel tablet weaving	Ironrite chair	old tourney seat
2	Marya cuff	plant hooks	bag to Goodwill
3	grape syrup	grapes picked	bag to Goodwill
4	charter # 12	x	-
5	Ellie apron dress	x	-
6	another Marya cuff	x	-
7	x	x	-
8	x	x	-
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

wham bam!

in which our plucky heroine suffers rather more of a setback...

But first, I want to thank all who have written me encouraging words, it helps me remember that I am not actually living in a vaccum

and I also want to start by sharing a bit of bright beauty to take the edge off... here are some Very Pretty Indeed sidewalk chalk decorations, and a particularly charming glowy chalk bug:

 

※※※

After Wednesdays Very Bad News of blood sugar levels needing addressed, Thursday was my second intake exam at the dental school, and after three hours in the chair being poked and prodded, my slightly good news that there might be a chance to save my cracked tooth was overwhelmed by the surprise bad news that my gums are, in places, beyond simple help and I have been referred out of that clinic to the "graduate-perio clinic", where they do Very Scary Very Spendy Things. I tried both ice and clove oil on my gums, but the whole left side of my mouth took almost three days to recover from the exam.

And alas, this very morning, when I woke up today feeling okay, resigned and resolute about dealing with the terrible dental foo, things took another turn for the worse. Did morning chores, took meds, ate breakfast, and when I stood up from the breakfast table my back gave a mighty spasm and is now in excruciating pain. There were screams. I can barely stand, and walking is agony. I have tried gentle passive stretching to no avail. have applied topical medication with no real result...

As much as I was dreading the perio exam tomorrow, this running away in tearful pain was not my idea of how to deal with it. Not sure I can No way can I even walk to the bus stop, much less be stuck in the dental chair for hours... And, this is a new different part of my back to become unhappy, not my usual familiar SI joint. So annoyed (in addition to pain), since up till this, the pain I was struggling with was mental/emotional... adding in intense physical pain just seems unfair, though I know that in truth life is inherently unfair and random.

I have canceled my perio exam tomorrow, will be calling to reschedule that, and instead will be going for an appointment with "Tullia and her Magic Needles" aka my Acupuncturist. Today is about remembering to breathe, trying not to cry, and repetitive hourly applications of ice to my back... "in the end, it will all be okay, so just remember, if it isn't okay, it isn't the end..."

※※※

Not doing anything with it right away, but Very Nice indeed, the IL030 linen "gauze" that I ordered from fabrics-store.com... I ordered a yard each of both indigo and grey (when that weight went on sale recently) to see what it was like. The grey in particular is almost silky, the indigo a bit rougher. Both washed up without excessive lint or alarming shrinkage... I would consider the fabric as useable for undergowns, as well as my intended use as scarves or headwraps.

My plan is to make at least another one of the linen gauze cowl scarves, similar to the one I made back in 2012, which has turned out to be a very favored addition to my wardrobe... I am feeling inspired by this designer scarf with multicolor pom poms, but am considering trying tiny multicolor tassels instead, like the ones in this knitted shawl pattern, since they would be somewhat easier to construct

※※※

Gradually, over the course of a week or so, the woolen tablet woven trim was carefully stitched to the upper edge of my Viking Age apron dress. I rather like the combination of colors, and how the silk edge binding coordinates with the brown in the woven trim.

※※※

It wasn't an ideal activity for today, but the salsa verde I started yesterday needed to be bottled, and between times having a lie down on ice, I managed to get ten small jars processed. Dropping the big bowl of tomatillo goo on the floor when transferring it from the fridge (where I put it yesterday until I'd have time to do the actual canning) to the counter (fortunately it landed upright, unfortunately there was sloshing) rather cut into my quantity. Still, more jars for the pantry are all to the good

※※※

August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	85" tablet weaving	overdye dress	bag to Goodwill
2	Byzantine scroll	bathrobe buttons	shelf and fan
3	salsa verde	bathrobe pockets	yard waste bin
4	charter #9	pruning Yakima plum	dead rake head
5	moar salsa verde	Tullia dress	-
6	x	Viking smokkr trim	-
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

Sunday snippets

in which our plucky heroine attempts to remember to count her blessings...

When I was in primary school, we hid under our desks because the Russian might send nuclear bombs, and I carefully memorised all the locations of "air raid shelters" in case the alarms sounded while I was out riding my bike. When I was in high school, we wore black armbands, and walked out of school to protest people being drafted to go kill people in Viet Nam, which we saw every night on the 6PM news... Nowadays the killing is local, and personally impersonal. I get off the bus when I see a younger man with an instrument case or a big duffel, because it might not be a guitar. The children in high school now are walking out in protest against being murdered where they live and learn. This is not the world I intended to grow up to live in...

※※※

My friend E posted this song, from 1969, on FB today; I had forgotten it for a long time, but the message seems still sweetly and sadly relevant...

※※※

And, in an entirely different mode, am still waiting for the pattern for the Haiku jacket to show up, but I figured that pre-shrinking the intended fabric would be a good start. This color-and-weave fabric is actually indigo/black and not just dark indigo, but since it visually reads as dark indigo, I am putting it in that neutral category for SWAP 2018. The fabric has two very different sides:

I sort of expected that after it came out of the dryer that it would have turned into a kind of waffle weave, but while it did tighten up a bit, it is still pretty flat, and still nicely drapey. If anything, I like it even more!

I finished the hand stitched cardigan today, but photos will have to wait until daylight. It was crazy weather today, with sunshine, rain, wind, hail, and giant snow feathers... still really cold again too!

※※※

February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Slavic scroll blank	deck broken down	cracked water barrel
2	another A/C sleeve	dwarf pine planted	bag to Goodwill
3	grapefruit marmalade	bathrobe patched	landscape cloth
4	Seville marmalade	-	yard waste bin
5	new garden bed	-	-
6	blood orange marmalade	x	x
7	17 dishcloths	x	x
8	finished A/C cardigan	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

Today I am grateful for the nice clerk in the water bureau last week, who, when I went to renew my discount, very kindly pointed out that I could, at my age, be switched over to the permanent discount program, which will not require me to keep coming in to renew over and over again... I didn't even know that was an option, and felt most heartwarmed to have someone in a bureaucratic office offer me a random act of kindness.

stencils and stamps oh my

in which our plucky heroine continues working on the kosode project...

<< The first three panels have been stenciled using white Jaquard NeoOpaque textile paint on indigo fabric. Stenciling is faster than shibori. Block printing is faster than stenciling. All three require quite a bit of advance preparation. I used a commercial stencil for this set of panels. The stenciled pieces will sit overnight before being heat set for permanence... Pretty happy with the subtle variegation of the triangles

:::

Combining the two stencils I cut while at Arts Unframed last weekend yields this floral/equine stripe pattern. Both motifs are appropriately Japanese in style. Am pleased to have figured out how to line up the two stencils to keep the design registration. The stencils are translucent mylar, with the cut portion bracketed by the adjacent motifs simply outlined on the mylar, making lining them up properly fairly simple!

One of the two stencils used to create the horse and flower stripe pattern. Each cut stencil has the alternate pattern inked in on either side. By making the stencil both wider and longer than the cut portion, it allows me to both mark the distance between the patterned stripes evenly, and to locate the horse or the flowers in the correct orientation to each other.

This is the resulting pattern, as horizontal stripes on one of the kosode sleeve panels.... one down and four more panels to go. I timed how long it takes to stencil one panel - about fifteen minutes...

In period, this sort of design would have been done with katazome, a stenciled resist surface design technique, where a starchy resist was applied to the fabric before it was dyed with indigo, leaving the pattern the original fabric color. For reasons of time constraint, I am simply stenciling the design with white Jaquard NeoOpaque textile paint, on indigo color linen...

five panels of stenciled horse and flower stripe completed, yay!

On one of the sleeve panels, I mis-placed two of the three initial motifs. Fortunately, the design elements could be moved around for a variation that still looks pretty good...

:::

After much digging through random boxes, I found the cutter blades that go with the handles for cutting printing blocks... Eventually the declutter and organise will make my life better, and I will be able to find my supplies and tools in expected places, but now I can get on with the carving the final blocks for the surface design kosode project

The motif is a snow-circle/snow-crystal called "yukiwa" and is an auspicious motif that suggests a bountiful year to come... Since the Honour Feast is in mid-autumn, the decorative motifs we use may in some way ideally reference the upcoming seasons

three printed snow circle panels, and a glimpse in the corner of my one set of "cheater" commercial shibori motif panels...

:::

October SMART goals

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	8 stenciled panels	-	-
2	carved yukiwa stamp	-	-
3	3 stamped panels	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	-	-	-
7	-	-	-
8	-	-	-
9	-	-	-
10	-	-	-
11	-	-	-
12	-	-	-

Double gauze

in which our plucky heroine is self indulgent...

Nani Iro double gauze fabric, that I ordered* last month from Japan arrived this morning... It is even more lovely in person than in the photograph. The texture is soft and smooth, and the metallic dots are subtle. This fabric should make a lovely floaty summer dress. I am curious about how the texture will change when it is washed, as well as the shrinkage...

... later that day - Well I am pleasantly surprised at the modest amount of shrinkage of the double gauze. Now granted, I didn't treat the fabric harshly. I usually go one step beyond my normal laundry treatment when pre-shrinking, but in this case chose to almost follow Marcy Tilton's suggestion for how to prep the fabric (she carries it in one of the other colorways). I did a cold wash/gentle cycle, and hung the fabric on the clothesline til it was almost dry, then set the dryer on air fluff and ran the fabric through for a while until it was all the way dry, not wanting the clothesline to create curved folds...

The fabric started just over 4 meters long, at 4 yards and 17 inches in length, and 43 inches wide. After pre-treatment it was 4 yards and 13 1/2 inches in length and 41 1/2" wide. It did soften up and become slightly more textured, but not at all like the gauze fabric I am familiar with. After some time with the calculator, and remembering my old arithmetic from years ago: shrinkage was 3.5% in the width, and  2.2% in the length. Certainly if washed hot and run through the dryer, it will likely shrink more, but I always wash my clothing laundry on cold, and remembering to hang this to dry (once it is made up into a dress) will not be onerous.

* ordered from shimgraphica via Etsy...

may we have your signature please...

Though our plucky heroine is not very fond of life in boxes, structure does help, at times, to show the how of a plan... I thought it might be educational fun to try and fit my very non-standard wardrobe into the "boxes" of The Vivienne Files "Core of Four" wardrobe plan*. Now I don't do traditional separates in my wardrobe; my own signature "look" could be described as somewhere between Japanese and Scandinavian-style lagenlook in a specific limited palette of colors. My current style could be described as "urban fairytale", and is feminine but not at all frilly or fluffy (think more like Tasha Tudor and not Gothic Lolita).  My most typical clothing is a workaday pinafore dress, worn with an simple underdress with three-quarter sleeves, both with flared skirts and large pockets, often with various forms of subtle textile embellishment, on my head either a wide brim hat or a head-kerchief, and sturdy footgear. In colder weather I add layers, in summer I either wear just the dress, or switch to my hot weather popover loose dresses.

wardrobe planning, ala Vivienne...

CORE OF FOUR - BLACK black lovechild pinafore black vertical pique pinafore black polkadot dress black dress w Jen buttons ?	CORE OF FOUR - BLUE denim pinafore dark indigo denim pinafore blue on blue stripe linen dress bluegrey ikat dress
EXPANSION FOUR - black/blue pinstripe dress black/grey/blue stripe dress black/white ikat dress black/white seersucker dress	MILEAGE FOUR - multi-brown japanese dog dress brown dress ? grey dress ? grey dress ?

INTEGRATION aka accessories, and ideas about small improvements...
Fox Paws handknit scarf is waiting on the ordered yarn arriving, have started a small sample to get some sense of the scale of the pattern and the new techniques. I must find my Noro shawlette!! that one is my most favorite of all, and the color is discontinued; fingers crossed that it will show up as decluttering continues. My everday purse/haversack is currently a black/grey plaid Dakine daypack, which now has a broken main zipper, and needs replaced anyway with a somewhat smaller and better fitting EDC bag. I am good on everyday shoes, have black and dark grey Keen oxfords as well as black wintertime boots. Not going to put a lot of attention on new jewelery, as most of what I have works really well. I would like to possibly set the acorn sample enamel as a brooch, as the colors work superbly with my current plan.

Have been doing a bit more each day to make progress on my wardrobe refurbishment project, with cutting out sewing kits of new dresses, thinking quite a bit about how much is enough and how often and many to make each year to replace the clothing too worn to repair. Given my eightfold plan, sewing about a garment a month, maybe slightly more than that, would be enough to keep the clothing in good condition, once there are eight in each of the major categories. Currently that is not the case, but this will be remedied over the next months... Two friends have come up with a cunning plan to act as my sewing assistants, an offer that I find both intriguing and astonishing; I shall have to think of some particularly nice way of thanking them!

If each year I sewed three new dresses, three tops, two pinafores, and an assortment of other garments as needed, that would be enough to keep my closet full and in good repair. I wear my clothing until it is too worn to mend, and would find a closet with eight pinafores, eight dresses, eight popovers, eight blouses and the outerwear needed (wool coat, raincoat, and a scattering of cardigan sweaters) combined with a dresser holding eight each of long sleeve tops and tees (and unders and socks) to be most lavish and delightful. I may add in a few more sleeveless "slip-dresses" to add another layer in the coldest weather (the one I have gets worn very often in the darkest months), and possibly a pair or two of loose pants for potential occasions where dresses are not ideal (I am remembering a particular beach trip). I have a few more dressy clothes for the very rare occasions those are needed, and a pair of silver Birkenstock sandals to go with...

* this post from The Vivienne Files not only is an example of her fun "start with art" option for selecting wardrobe colors, but also one where she goes into a bit of detail about how the "core of four" concept is intended to work. My own wardrobe is structured differently, but I enjoy her blog very much anyway...

a Sunday bouquet

The only upside, as far as I am concerned, with our very hot summer, is that my black figs are actually ripening. The green ones do ripen, occasionally, but the black figs are my favorites as far as flavor. Next spring I will try air-layering the black fig, so as to have TWO black fig trees, and then plant it in a different spot in the yard, because hey... more yummy figs! It would be great to eventually have enough to dry some for the rest of the year.

:::

Though I have had a moratorium this year on bringing in new fabric, I do make exceptions. In January I found two lengths of black and white handwoven ikat at Goodwill! Almost seven yards (3 of the large pattern and 4 of the jaspe), though only 36 inches wide, but still at what works out to about $1.30 a yard, I am not complaining. My first thought was to use the fabric for something like a tunic or a pair of pants, but those are not favored everyday wear, dresses are...

The challenge was combining the two fabrics in one dress without it looking like the Patchwork Girl of Oz.  (indeed this is a somewhat frequent problem, while I have a LOT of fabric, it turns out that I don't have a lot of  actually have very few dress lengths of fabric. It was not possible to find six single dress lengths. This will make sorting out and culling the stash slightly easier. Slightly.)

After much sketching, the design that seemed appealing was to use the plainer fabric for the body of the dress, and the more highly patterned fabric for sleeves and a hem band, and add in a bit of bias around the neck and above the hem band... to me this has just an echo of the old-timey Old West "theme" this collection seems to be developing, in the pattern on pattern aspect at least.

:::

just when our plucky heroine was feeling all useless and unwanted, this comment from my online friend mrs.eccentric on Stitchers Guild brightened the whole day, nay probably the whole gorram month, in reflected appreciation:

Do you know that every time i do a google search on 'Lagenlook' or "Ivey Abitz" a certain someone always peers out at me from the image results? Yes, it's you Ms. A!!! frankly i think this is the most enchanting aspect of the computer age. I know for me it's very hard to find inspo as my style is so specific and eccentric, as i'm sure is the case for you. You have the added burden of being the inspir-er, and leading all us poor sheep.....we can follow you, but you must take the lead from your own inner light. We wee sheep be rooting for ye

:::

Sunday shifting

This weekend, thanks to the company of my friends Beth and Karen, one of the Big Scary Chores on my great big list of "things to get done" has been dealt with: we sorted and organised ALL THE FABRIC. It turns out that our plucky heroine has a fairly modest collection, compared to some of my analog and virtual cohorts, and since I make all my own clothing, it doesn't feel at all excessive, particularly now that it is all neatly folded and mostly visible. The only fabric stored in bins is the jersey, the larger remnants, and the linen scraps, everything else is on the shelves in the sewing/guest room. Having all the fabrics visible will help a lot with designing future projects, as well as with wardrobe planning, and with luck and intention, serve as another seed crystal to refurbish and unfuck my habitat!

By gathering all the fabric in one place, this has also freed up the shelves in the workroom, which will gradually take on their true role, intended from the beginning, of becoming the wall of art and craft supplies. My intention is to bit by bit over the winter, to re-sort, cull, and organise the warren of stuff intended for artisanry here at Acorn Cottage. This will vastly improve the teaching possibilities, and allow for much personal creativity to blossom, when the ingredients, supplies, and various tools will be readily to hand. Tool Girl will be doing a happy dance...

← The tall Ivar shelf unit is part of the fabric storage area, including some partially completed projects, and the bottom shelf with "ugly" fabric for making sample garments. There is room still on the shelf for millinery supplies, and other specialty notions and fabrics.

This is a little more than half of my stash, these are mostly the large pieces of woven fabric suitable for making into clothing. All the wool is on the top shelf, and there is room above it; I plan on going out into the yard and cutting fresh bunches of fragrant myrtle leaves and stuffing them here and there among the wool to deter moths. The large pieces of knit fabric are in one large plastic tote, about equivalent in quantity to one of the shelves on the bottom right.

Thursday thoughts and tidbits

The aphorism of the day is "if you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got"... why, because our plucky heroine started building a new habit into her morning routine. For the last several years, taking a little thyroid pill has disrupted my former everyday mornings, since it needs must be taken on an empty stomach, then nothing else eaten for at least an hour, which has resulted in what feels a lot like wasted hours.

Today, instead of turning on the computer, I went into the workroom... Amazingly, instead of almost forgetting breakfast in an online daze, I almost forgot breakfast because I made substantial progress on a current studio commission. This is a new habit I want to will make a part of my daily routine

Pearl borders: they're not just for Byzantines any more... I don't just make SCA regalia in the workroom, but am occasionally contacted to make jewelry for folks active in various other organizations, or containing imagery that is personally significant. I have made heraldic jewelery for folks who have it by right of inheritance, and totemic images for folks who found them in dreams; making things that would otherwise not exist anywhere is what I delight in, whether in metal and glass, or in textiles...

:::

Last weekend my pals Beth and Karen came down to visit, for a weekend that ended up including a short session of "craft camp"; a hands on demo of freezer paper stenciling. I love how whatever the technique I teach, the designs and style of each student always shine through. There has been a lot of Alabama Chanin style handstitching and applique happening here at Acorn Cottage, and there is some of that happening up at their place as well, as they are both working on some special handmade clothing for their wedding this summer. It was fun to show them another skill for their "toolbox" of fabric embellishment, I look forward to seeing in August what they end up creating, and I am considering if there might be interest in a teaching workshop on handstitchery and embellishment...  (their small samples will probably end up as potholders)

Beth's stencil, and the cut away leftovers

Karen painting her sample; 
using a clothespin to hold the painting sponge
:::

went to Fabric Depot with my pal Sharon Rose, and though I have promised self not to buy any fabric this year, I had to break my vow... seriously, how could any medieval reenactor pass up a chance to take home some handwoven twill fabric woven with nettle fibers! I think this is a birdseye twill rather than diamond twill, but it is certainly a rare bird indeed, and enough came home to make some useful bags of carrying...

:::

Last week the feet were doing well enough that some very small walking was possible, and after acupuncture, a few blocks of the Hawthorne neighborhood proved to be irresistible. There were still some cherry trees full of blossoms...

and the branch scars on these tree trunks peered out amidst a garden full of springtime foliage and flowers

stitchy stitch

Came home from 12th Night with a little bit of loot... Can you read this?... it says "Harris Tweed - Woven in Lewis" and I have three yards to play with. Much more narrow than factory woven goods, it is "all wool and a yard wide".  I am thinking a jacket: some kind of interesting combination of period techniques and modern styling... rectangular construction, maybe lined in silk... might need to have a bit of trim around the edges/collar with velveteen, or even some leather elbow patches!, just because... Not going to be made up this spring, but thinking for autumn, which will allow plenty of time for the design ideas to percolate

My beloved pal Jen, knowing my fondness for the grey+black combination, gifted me with this pair of beads; I foresee earrings in my future, that will coordinate with my Wintertime 6PAC.

:::

Our plucky heroine will concede that there is a mortal lot of fabric scattered round about Acorn Cottage... and while it is all rather too disorderly right now, it does mean that most of the materials to create new clothing are close at hand. The "Stashbusting  Sewalong" is just what the doctor ordered...

I have planned currently and am working on the "Winter 6PAC"*, the "Stitchers Guild SWAP 2013"**, and am looking towards the "Spring 6PAC"***, for a total of either 15 or 16 garments. All of the basic fabric for these will come from stash. The only wardrobe sewing purchases that will happen this year will be related needful supplies, such as interfacing and thread.

click for more info

* 6PAC = Six Piece Awesome Collection, the wintertime one is two inner layers, two outer layers, pants (and a coat)
** SWAP = Sewing With A Plan, eleven garments, rules change every year, this year it is two five piece collections with a bridge garment
*** my springtime 6PAC will be three inner layers, two outer layers and a jacket

Most but not all of the 6PAC garments will also be part of SWAP, and visa-versa, there are a few specific to each of the three plans. It sounds like a lot of clothes, but I have a very small wardrobe, and after a year or two, the clothing needs replaced as it is worn beyond repair.

not quite crazy

When our plucky heroine got a wild hair to stencil-print fabric, it was not clear whether or not this was a totally insane concept.

I started the project about three weeks ago, and cut a two part stencil, as the design I wanted to use was two colors, gold overlaid with green, on a red background. You might notice that this is a lot more gaudy than most of what gets sewn around here; the fabric will become the outermost layer of some steppe nomad style clothing, intended for new SCA clothes (and incidentally will work well for answering the door to the Halloween kiddies)

The stencil printing took about two weeks of incidental worktime in the evenings, last night the final pieces were in process... learned something: paint consistency makes a big difference. The metallic textile paint dried a lot faster than the ordinary pigments, and the partial jar on hand was noticeably thicker than the green paint. When I ran out and used a new jar of gold, the thinner paint was so much EASIER to work with. Kids, learn from your elders errors, make sure your paint is more like crepe batter than pancake batter...

So far am fairly pleased with the outcome. The reasoning to do this was always to use what I have on hand; the only out of pocket cost was for the new jar of Lumiere (textile paint). It definitely gives an appreciation of how much more effort it is to create patterned textiles, which were far more valuable in historic times than solid color dyed textiles, which in turn were more valuable than undyed cloth...

≈:::≈

Today for my Frosting Fortnight: this red tunic top. I pretty much never wear this, since it is, well, RED!  Made from lovely sturdy Guatemalan ikat, which is old enough to be really well and tightly woven. The color on the other hand, does nothing for me. I made this over twenty years ago to wear to OCF. I have no idea how this could be re-made into something more my style, but simply cannot give it away, since I adore the fabric. After a bit of thought, I am wondering if it would be somehow possible to turn this into an apron? I would use it as a kitchen apron almost every day, and my kitchen, unlike my wardrobe, has red as an accent color... hmmmm...

Really, after looking through my closet and dresser drawers, there is not a lot of frosting in my wardrobe, self-made or otherwise. I guess this means that a. I tend to be pretty utilitarian with my sewing projects and b. I tend to sew things that I really wear often.

I am not including my SCA wardrobe in this fortnight, since I could definitely wear something every day from the historical clothing section of my wardrobe. To most folks those would be costumes rather than clothing, though they are based on my research about what our ancestors wore for daily life (my SCA clothes are not the "fancy kings and queens at court" kind of thing, but rather the kind of clothing that Norse women in the viking age wore, even in my re-creation I tend towards the practical rather than the bejewelled).

My one Elizabethan age set of clothing: not court clothes but more like what a middle-class woman of substance would wear) Most of my historic clothing is full length, and would be rather soggy in the autumnal rainy weather we have been having here lately, not to mention somewhat conspicuous while riding around on public transit!