iron-ing

in which our plucky heroine does something hard and something fun...

I mostly hate making phone calls. Not as much if I am phoning a friend, though even then I always feel hesitant, not wanting to "be a bother". But having to call businesses with an inquiry or a request has never stopped being a "grit my teeth and do it"
There were two calls on my current task list today, and I made both of them before noon. Yay me!

I also started the task of decluttering my actual paper file cabinet, to move towards the goal of using the upper drawer as a "home" for important paperwork that tends to get misplaced. I do really well putting things away into their proper homes, IF they have homes. Since I made a "house key home" quite a few years ago, I no longer misplace the house keys, etc. The file cabinet upper drawer is full of random nifty hardcopy, but I pretty much never go there to use it, and it can be culled hard. (The bottom drawer is where I store my blank paper of various sorts, tracing paper, graph paper, art paper of different weights etc... that drawer is functioning well)

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~ paint it black ~
.
after ebonising, and beforehand

So, remember yesterday when I mentioned using iron infused vinegar to ebonise tannin rich wood... well... instead of just waiting for the steel wool to react, I also took some rusty rebar and stuck the ends in the jar (outdoors of course) and let it sit overnight. In the meantime, I slathered the oak escutcheon with strong tea and let it dry in the sun, because why not?

After then applying the almost clear vinegar liquid, the color change was quite rapid though not instant. A second coat darkened the wood surface even more; the only light areas are inside the deeper pores of the surface (the original oak scrap had some sort of wood finish, and while I sanded the surface to remove it, the pores are rather deep) Had I been able to start with totally unfinished wood, it would all have become black! So, I call the experiment quite successful.

banana for scale

in which our plucky heroine accidentally sleeps in...

probably because I foolishly stayed up extra late last night watching the film adaptation of "Catherine, called Birdy". I found it to be nowhere near as nuanced as the book, and couldn't figure out who the intended target demographic was. Apparently not I, said the little red hen...

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~ day 17 ~

over the course of the month, I've been acquiring quite the collection of fruit salad ingredients... Alas, there are only a few more days left in our countdown to the summer solstice swap. It has been so much fun opening a tiny treat every morning!

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Yesterday I had what may be a brilliant idea, to use the top of the hallway bookshelf for one or more room boxes for my tinyfolk. It could be a new and different neighborhood than Tansu Terrace. Of course, I would need to both find other storage for what is there now (gosh I really need one more bookshelf!) and would need to first build some room boxes.

Though, it just occurs to me that they could be made from laminated cardboard... hmmm... I have a robust assortment of corrugated cardboard sheets saved from the last 4 years; laminating and building from cardboard is much more accessible than woodworking (for me), this could be a combination of decluttering and creativity

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I've three more blocks left to carve for my Textile Livestock series - llama, sheep, and silkworm. I think sheep will be next up, as I've an idea to use a drill bit for carving the texture of the wool. I will need to mount the lino on the wooden block first, for safety sake, to make it easier to hold.

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~ red rubber ball ~

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After finding out I can put metal in my recycle wheelie bin (if "100% metal with a maximum size of 30 inches by 8 inches and weighing no more than 30 pounds.") I figured out how to disassemble the dead box fan. The housing went to recycling land, and the plastic grill and dead motor in the trash.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	-
5	tiny knit cardigan	-	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes-
1. quick set epoxy, which makes some creative projects much simpler...
2. being able to recycle at least some things just by putting them in the wheelie bin, and having enough hand tools to take apart the dead box fan
3. 5 flavor eggplant... so yummy!

Time of Isolation - Day 1439

slightly social Sunday

in which our plucky heroine spends half the day online, and also makes a tasty lunch...

Sunday is zoom day, but also time to make sure that meals happen between online meetings. I needed to use up the two eggplant bought last week, and remembered "5 flavor eggplant" that I made back in 2020... that recipe needs to come back into more frequent rotation, as it is wonderfully simple and tasty. The limiting factor is getting the right sort of eggplant. (It also freezes really well, so must needs remember that and put some by when possible.) This made a great lunch, along with some rice noodles and shrimp.

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~ day 16 ~

This just tickles my fancy, as I had a different mushroom portrait earlier in the swap on day 8. Who of my tinyfolk is fascinated by mycology?

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Given up on the box fan renewal project, since direct wiring did nothing to resurrect function. Whatever is wrong with it is beyond my ability to suss out, so sadly it has become a bin-it instead of a fix-it ...

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"5 Flavor Eggplant"
(savory, salty, sweet, sour, spicy)

about 2# long skinny eggplant 

1 tablespoon salt 

1½ tablespoon tamari 

1 tablespoon vinegar 

1 tablespoon sugar 

1 teaspoon cornstarch 

2 tablespoon oil 

+ hotness as desired

put the salt in a big bowl, add several cups of water, and then clean and cut up eggplants, tossing the bits into the bowl of salt water - I cut them first the long ways into quarters or sixths, then cut the long pieces into chunks. I try for about ¾" cubes more or less by volume, because big pieces take a long time to cook through, and undercooked eggplant is nasty.

when all the eggplant is in the bowl of salty water, it sits there for a half hour... I occasionally stir it or push the chunks around to make sure they all get drenched... you want to have enough water that they are all floating.

Meanwhile, combine the tamari, the vinegar, the sugar, and the cornstarch. Drain and dry the eggplant bits. (my current innovation is to use my salad spinner after pouring off as much of the water as I can)

In a big frying pan, heat up the oil, then fry the eggplant until it is FULLY COOKED and slightly browned. (Trust me, you want it cooked till it is SOFT, not al dente) Pour the sauce mixture over the eggplant (give the sauce mixture a good stirring up just before you pour it), and cook til thick, which will take only a few moments, because cornstarch...

At this point, I usually add some awesome sauce (spicy chili jam) but you could add a dash of tabasco, or sriacha, or whatever you prefer. The original recipe called for adding jalapeno peppers at the beginning, but that was WAY TOO HOT for me. YMMV, and the spicy aspect is entirely optional for that matter.

Truly, this recipe is almost faster to cook than to read, most of the effort is in cutting up the eggplants, and in waiting while they soak in the salty water. I had always in the past done the sprinkle the eggplant with salt, let it drain, rinse it off thing, which is a whole lot of faffing about. I had never heard of soaking them in lightly salted water, but it works really well!!

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The plaid flannel slip project is completed, after reconfiguring the skirt to have many more gores (salvaged from the midsection and replaced with stripey batik) The hemline is super twirly, so will provide plenty of room for bicycle riding; it took almost nine yards of bias tape to bind the bottom edge. While the result is somewhat alarmingly patchwork-y, most of it will remain hidden beneath my everyday garments, with only the flouncy bottom edge visible. I do like the overall effect of multiple sizes and shapes of gores and godets, so may use that in the future on some dress...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	-
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	-
5	tiny knit cardigan	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Currently the supply chains more or less work, and I have food and things needed on hand or mostly available.
2. The scent of summer jasmine, on my early morning walk today, I turned down an alleyway just following my nose, and there it was...
3. Iceberg lettuce... while a lot of folks like to bash it as flavorless, to me it was not only the every day supper salad green of my childhood, but it is also a sweet, mild, and crunchy treat on frequent occasions nowadays.

Time of Isolation - Day 1438

partially tinyprint Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine has a more balanced day...

A good mix of social time, creative time, and productive time.

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~ artist proofs ~

I've been working on this print for the textile animal series, and thought it would be good to document some of the steps... Always starting with a little (⅞" sq) pencil drawing that gets transferred to the lino, then carved with various gouges. The first attempt obviously needed some serious attention: the border was so narrow it clogged, the eyes were two different sizes, and the "fuzzy" effect didn't really show well... The second attempt fixed the border, improved the size of the eyes and the contour of the curled tail, and made obvious where the fur outline still needs work. In addition, the dog needs eye "highlights", and a shorter interior contour of the front leg. So, not yet finished, but getting closer...

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Tonight's dinner: stir fried up the thin sliced pork shoulder, with onions, the last of the asparagus, and a bunch of bok choi. Rehydrated some shitaki, and sliced those up really thin. Seasoned it all with tamari, ginger, garlic, a bit of dark brown sugar, and some oyster sauce. Served over rice noodles, and garnished with some cilantro and a sprinkle of toasted sesame oil. Eat it up yum! Actually put enough of the stir fried pork aside for two additional meals, (I cook that separately from the veg and combine at the end) and put about half of the rest aside for another meal)

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~ day 11 ~

It must be my lucky day, the miniature swap was this framed painting of a four leaf clover!

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This essay is very much worth reading, good food for thought, and a different perspective...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. a really delicious dinner tonight... I used some of the groceries acquired yesterday, and some from my delivery today. So I am triply grateful: for food acquired, food delivered, and for my years of cooking that let me make tasty food improv style...
2. not sure why I first stuck the expansion rod over the kitchen sink years ago, or what inspired my adding the wire shower curtain rings, but is sure has proven a super useful way to hang things to drip dry over the sink, mostly small utensils like peelers etc, but I also wedge paintbrushes into the chainmail scrubber that hangs there so they can dry bristles down
3. A cooler day, and partially overcast. Much more to my liking...

Time of Isolation - Day 1433

local climate

in which our plucky heroine copes with the advent of summertime ...

We've had some really warm days, with yesterday getting close to 90. It was my first chance to try out the cooling function on the heat pump, and it worked like a champ. I almsot giggled at the pleasing sensation of cool air coming from the ductwork, and as long as we don't get a lot of those awful over 100F days, there should be a lot fewer complaints coming from Acorn Cottage. I will still hide indoors in the daytime of course, as I have been doing

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~ so sweet ~

Day 7 - today's miniature treat was an origami box holding four apricots... I had to put them in this turquoise pottery bowl, don't they look appetizing?

Day 8 - a portrait of a member of the Bolete? family... and the large button, possibly Bakelite? (after consulting with Erika my button aficionado pal, likely casein ca. 1930s-1940s) that will become a tray for all the tiny sushi from Olympia...

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Some more, if very minor, lighting fixes - I swapped out the kitchen light bulbs for brighter ones, and I replaced the plug on the Luxo lamp. Oh, and I unfortunately dropped the little clear plastic washer when removing the kitchen lampshade, so I had to make a new one from a piece of yogurt tub lid. Very grateful that my other name is Tool Girl, as it would have been annoying to have to return to the hardware store a second time in one day!

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~ holding together ~

Friday another of the assorted tree service folks came by. I am baffled by the very wide variation in estimate costs to remove the ornamental plum.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	-	Luxo plug	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. It was cool enough Friday morning that a bike ride to the hardware store in St Johns was pleasant.
2. Tools, I have them. I needed to make a new plastic washer for the ceiling fixture, and was very glad to have a set of circular drive punches in my box of leather tools, which made the task a whole lot easier.
3. The heat pump works, cool air comes from the ceiling, yay!
4. Brighter LED lights improve the now functional ceiling lighting.

Time of Isolation - Day 1430

half done well begun

in which our plucky heroine has an anti-weasel serum kind of day...

Today in the mailbox there was an unexpected missive from OnBayCreek, who so sweetly sent my tinyfolk a bundle of miniature garden seed packets. The glimmer really made me smile. Maybe I need to make some seed trays for the Tansu Terrace greenhouse?

Then this evening, Jennifer and Scott came over so that he could take a looksee at my funky kitchen light. I'd only ever met them online, after the pandammit started, but what wonderful folks! Scott ended up getting the new fixture working. While I still want to have someone take a look in the attic above the junction box, by using some heat shrink tubing to cover the damaged wire insulation he was able to make the kitchen light safe to use.

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~ day 6 ~

Today the tiny gift for the Solstice miniature swap was a petite portrait of a red poppy; the parcel was decorated with a little floral button...

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~ 4 tinyprints ~

the first four of my eight "textile animal" prints: goat, musk ox, camel, and Angora rabbit. (all ⅞" square linocuts) Still to come are alpaca, sheep, indigenous dog, and silkworm...

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Was very busy this morning: spent about two hours this morning pruning the places where Feral Plum has been sprouting up around fences around fences, cutting back the dead branches from Wanda plum tree, and starting on apple pruning and thinning... Unfortunately stabbed my thumb joint rather badly with a plum thorn, ouch! By then it was really getting too warm and sunny, so a shower and then a late breakfast and then I was so tuckered out I took a short nap.

Got up and started on housey chores, vaccuming, moving things out of the kitchen countertops. Laundry from the line is now all folded and put away, etc. I cleared away all the various preserve jars that were stacked around the kitchen, and need to reorganise the pantry, or find a different storage place for all the jams and fruit. I am thinking that the linen closet may be better used for food storage? something to think about anyway...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	-	-	recycle bin
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Scott and Jennifer, online SCA friends, came over tonight and fixed the light in the kitchen. They are just as delightful in person as I had found them to be on the internet.
2. the clerk at Freddies kindly scanned in a membership card app so I could get the dollar off on the quickset epoxy (needed to attach linocut to wooden backing)
3. OnBayCreek Dawn sent me a surprise gift for the tinyfolk - garden seed packets. There needs to be a gardening vignette!

Time of Isolation - Day 1428

ᕿᕕᐅᖅ (qiviut)

in which our plucky heroine picks up the carving gouges...

It has been a while since I worked on any linocut prints, and it has been feeling like time to get back to it.

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~ tinyprint Tuesday ~

4th in my series of eight textile livestock miniature linocut prints - musk ox, source of qiviut fiber... This print is a proof, as I still need to mount it on a wooden backing handle, which will let me get a clearer image. I still see some areas that need worked on, but it is a good start. I'm pleased with my idea to show a night sky and snow as background...

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Did a bit more on the Star Wars cosplay clothing. The adjustments have been made on the cardboard pattern pieces, and the wool tunic has had the seams opened up where the sides need taken in... Still aiming to have it done by this Friday

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~ Day 4 ~

Very small sliced oranges and an apple half are a good start on a miniature fruit basket...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Lisanne and Leslie both are willing to convert the .pages to PDFs so I can access the content. I have the best Sewing Nomad pals!!
2. An observant West Kingdom Laurel noticed someone had made a medallion copying my Pelican medallion design (exactly!?!), and asked me about it. Now I shall send my concerned and appalled comments to the necessary people. Theft is never okay!
3. the floor lamp works pretty well as general lighting in the kitchen

Time of Isolation - Day 1426

some very small sushi and other tiny treats

in which our plucky heroine opens gifts...

Today is the start of the "countdown to the summer solstice miniature swap"... (or "twenty days that start with a dopamine hit"). It is such fun to have a little surprise to unwrap every morning, and the denizens of Tansu Terrace are also looking forward to finding out what will become new additions to their lifestyles

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~ Day 1 & 2 ~

some agateware style plates, and an assortment of sushi: salmon nigri and norimaki rolls... a tasty dinner for my tiny friends! (penny for scale)

a pair of ceramic mugs... most excellently, their handles are just the right size to hang from the hooks of the farmhouse plate rack. I added some minor adaptations to the Ann Wood tutorial, for extra "cup hooks" made from sewing notions.

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Yesterday after a stop at TJ to pick up some almonds, it seemed like a good idea to check for a light fixture supplies at A-Boy. Much to my surprised pleasure, in the replacement parts section they had a decorative glass shade like the one I had seen online, and on the other side of the aisle, just the sort of simple ceiling fixtures ditto. So I was able to buy the needed parts right away, though carrying them home in a box on the bus was a bit awkward.

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Today's sewing task, working on the Star Wars cosplay tunic alteration and starting on the summertime replacement in green linen. I've also been repairing one of my blouses, the light blue one with horses on it (fabric designed by Heather Ross). The front edge of the shawl collar was being problematic, so I have cut it down to a better shape, recurved the center back neckline, and added a Very Narrow blue grey bias binding patterned in tiny irregular dots. So narrow as to need handstiched down, but it looks quite tidy. I am thinking about ordering a small piece of additional yardage, and making the sleeves full length instead of ¾ length.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	horses blouse edge	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The gentlemen clerks at A-Boy are really helpful with my uninformed queries. This may be because I show up there at a time when there are not very many other customers. Still, I very much appreciate it.
2. The internets let me know that the pretty unknown-to-me flowering tree I saw while out for a walk is a "Pink Chimes" Styrax japonica...
3. Dinner tonight was delicious, a sort of faux hash: steamed taters, some sauteed onion, and chopped up bits of corned beef slices that were in deep freezer stash from maybe two or three years ago. Also steamed broccoli. And a few spoonfuls of some caraway beet sauerkraut.
4. Once I gather the .pages content from the file folder, my online friend Lisanne is willing to convert them to PDF files so I can read them. I suspect that there are other pieces of Mom's writing in there, but it is all unreadable on a PC...

Time of Isolation - Day 1424

not a UFO*

in which our plucky heroine completes a long long project...

... back in July I began a complicated project of embellishing a dress, not for me but for a dear friend. The plans were to use handstitched reverse applique, in the Alabama Chanin style, to add colorful borders to a plain black eShakti dress. It is a lot more difficult to to embellishment on a RTW garment than on the nice flat pieces of homemade clothing, before they are assembled. About 42 hours of handwork later, spread out over months, the dress embellishment is completed.

The project began with my designing the neckline, and after consultation redesigning, cutting the stencil, and applying it, and then painting the neckline motifs. Then I also added small motifs to the sleeve cuffs, which were quite a challenge to stencil and embroider. Over time, all the scrolling vinework on the neckline was stitched, and the centers of the pattern cut away to show the green jersey underneath the black.

Then a related motif was created for decorating the hemline: black rabbits surrounded by foliage... It took almost as long to complete the hemline embellishment as it did for the neckline, which makes sense, as it covered a similar area. Had we chosen to extend the decoration all round the skirt hem edge, it would have looked even more splendid, but taken at least another 40 hours or probably more. There is a reason the Alabama Chanin garments cost what they do - handwork takes time!

needle and thread and thimble and a whole lot of hours...

.

The hemline embellishment covers almost a quarter of the circumference of the hem, and is surprisingly difficult to photograph well.

:::

December SMART goals

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	charter painted	plinth casters	bag to Goodwill
2	fabrics keyring	shed door rings	bag to Goodwill
3	Elizabethan shirt	garlic planted	-
4	party cookery	flowerbulbs planted	-
5	reverse applique RTW dress	salad table planted	-
6	-	squirrelproofing	-
7	-	-	-
8	-	-	-
9	-	-	-
10	-	-	-
11	-	-	-
12	-	-	-

*UFO = UnFinished Object

Slow Sewing SWAP 2015

...in which our plucky heroine is making incremental progress on my planning and sewing, partially because of sewing for others instead, partially as effort is applied to shift the interior emotions, and partially as I sketch out ideas and concepts that may work around and with my fitting issues.

Nonetheless, today I opened my mailbox to find a delightful gift from my online friend Ruthie, who lives way round the curve of the planet from me, in Great Britain! She offered me some of her unused sewing patterns, and I picked Simplicity 8707 because it had some details that looked fun (hello flounced collar), and is both different from anything in my current wee pattern stash, and congruent with styles I enjoy wearing. There is a special family shindig coming up on the calendar in 2016, and a new pretty "dress up" dress would be a treat to have and wear...

In addition, Ruthie tucked into the packet a length of beautiful white Cluny style lace trim. This style of lace is one that was also popular as a dress trim when I was a young woman, and so doubly a treat!! I am thinking it might make a beautiful hemline insertion on a white linen petticoat, but have plenty of time to cogitate and figure out a delightfully appropriate garment that will show it off.

This gift has inspired me to combine my SWAP plans with the assorted sewing stash gifts that have come my way over the years, as a way of honoring the generosity and kindheartedness that connects me to the wide bright world of friendships. This is a theme I can really get excited about, stay tuned for further developments...

weekend wanderings

... in which our plucky heroine is continuing to dedicate a portion of the before breakfast think-and-design time to the pieces for the art show this April....

It has been a long time since I made pieces of art "just because" instead of just for work.  My "brilliant" concept for the necklace portion of this piece turned out not so brilliant... using bone and mother-of-pearl buttons will be far too visually solid (plus uncomfortably heavy to wear)... back to square zero and rethink that part of the design. This pendant necklace is only part of a larger composite artwork, and will be detachable from it, so it will need to work with the larger composition in addition to as an independent art object.

:::

Saturday my pal Ursel came over, and we went on a St Johns ramble round for an afternoon excursion, with lunch at Anna Bannanas, and then a walk down to Cathedral Park and back, which resulted in not only a weary if plucky heroine but 8230 steps (almost three miles) logged into the pedometer today, a personal best so far this year! I get tired, and have to stop and rest, but I am determined to rebuild my stamina. And truly 'twas a lovely temperate day for a walkabout and looksee...

This wee cottage has another house or shed back behind it, and a lovely Arts and Crafts color scheme of rusty red, deep sage green and lots of natural wood.

Looking up at the underside of the iconic St Johns Bridge, from the dock on the river in Cathedral Park.

At the start of the walk back up the hill, the lowering light made amazing shadows along the sidewalk...

.. and Ursel was captivated by the mossy landscapes on the parapet

Couldn't resist another hellebore portrait, these were outside of Burgerville... We finished up our ramble with a visit to St Johns Booksellers which is always worth a treasure hunting visit, and then headed back home for some beadwork before Ursel left for home

:::

Since my Le Beguinage swap partner is far more organised about getting things mailed out… my package arrived before the deadline for mailing! She included some of my favorite and always somehow gone missing tools (yarn needles and pocket tape measure), some fun note taking supplies, chocolate in the form of mohair, a Very Useful set of vintage interchangeable needles, origami paper that will be most welcome at this years Honor Feast (our guest of honor has a Japanese persona) and a fun knitted crown. The crown is charming, though will admit that at first was a bit baffled about the “odd sort of knitted collar”, and then it dawned on me what it was… plus I suspect that when my two young friends Ellie and Laurel come to visit, it will be a lovely prop for imaginative play.

wardrobe planning Wednesday

...in which our plucky heroine finds wardrobe plans beginning to coalesce...

Lots of design ideas for the SWAP 2015 are running through my head. Haven't yet done a big sketchup with all the parts of my current plans, but I did a little sketch last night, so as to keep this moto jacket concept in the front of my mind...

Had originally been thinking about using the brown brushed twill, but was recently given some distressed black denim, very heavy so only suitable for jackets (or upholstery). I could see this idea made up with that denim, to be worn with a random-wale black corduroy pinafore, and my beloved black leather Keen boots. Fill in the neckline with either my handknit Solitary Foxen wrap, or with some vivid turquoise necklaces and I will look rather like the woman I wanted to grow up to be...

:::

... and a modicum of progress on the Winter 6PAC...

Have had this caftan/dashiki in stash for years. The fabric is a pretty splendid three color wax batik, black and white and brown that is a bit more of a russet or burnt sienna color.

My idea is to use pieces of this on a black chambray slip as a decorative hem border. That fabric will be cut into strips, and then overdyed with blue dye, which will lower the contrast of the white against the background, and tone down the orange-russet brown.

Once dyed, the strips will be darted to a slight curve, the better to fit along the hemline edge of the slip. The dart seams will make an interesting pattern from the parallel lines...

:::

Monday media and musings...

in which our plucky heroine takes an imaginary Swedish journey...

watching this reminded me that this bright world is so full of all number of things, plus it is fjord horses in the snow...

:::

For the last two weeks, in scraps of spare time, this was in process, both the motifs inspired by the Valsgarde embroidery from 10thC Sweden, and the hand stitching on the sleeve bands. It will be the embellishment on an undergown for my dear friend Mindy of Blue Cedar House; I'm sewing for her and her husband and little girl, what fun to be making Norse clothes for a whole family...

For SCA clothes I like to combine machine stitching where it is less obvious and hand stitching on the edges and borders where it is visible, as a good compromise to give a handmade look without spending even more days and days stitching and finishing the long seams. (I did that once, to see how long it took; wool is exponentially faster than linen or silk, as the needed seam finishing is a lot less stitch intensive) Something about the small dotted stitches holding down the borders and bands just makes me happy, and often I choose a contrasting color to highlight those and add another layer of visual interest...

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Unearthed another four bags of random papers hiding in the living room, but am temporarily ignoring them in favor of sewing and metal activities today... perhaps as an after dinner wind down I might start digging into them, but I really want to make more progress in my "things made" category today! the declutter category is already full for this month (not that the declutter is done, just that there is so much that it is comparitively easy to fill those boxes on my tickybox chart) Truly though, the more declutter happens, the easier it will be to make things and repair things...

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Another good thing unearthed in yesterday's declutter was this pattern Vogue 2614, long out of print, for an assortment of jackets, view A is for a moto-jacket, something I've wanted to attempt for quite some time. My intent is to combine the relevant style details with the shoulder and armscye already fitted back in 2005 when I made up KwikSew 2895. There is an assortment of additional inspiration on my moto mania Pinterest board, and I've some really heavy distressed black denim that might be excellent for this. My memories of that job decades ago stitching motorcycle jackets will probably be helpful, as there are some features I want to add, that are not in either pattern, like the armsceye gussets.

Sunday snippets and Monday musings...

in which our plucky heroine is attempting to keep warm by jumping from one topic to another...


Making up various quince preserves always feels a bit like fairytale cookery: the delicious paradisical scent and the transformation from golden spheres into vivid red comestibles.
There will be jelly, even though didn't dig out a scalded cloth to use as a jelly bag, but instead simply strained the cooked chunks of quince from the liquid with a fine mesh screen, so it didn't come out clear as garnet, but more like jasper this time (Jelly or jam is easy when using something so high in pectin, simply an equal amount of sugar as juice, and cook till it tests as jelled, and put up with the usual sort of processing


There will also be quincemeat, which I never seem to have as much of as I'd like for holiday baking. I first found the idea in Nigella Lawson's "How To Be A Domestic Goddess", and have hence turned most of the quince that comes my way into sweet/savory little pies. The actual preserving will happen sometime later today, there won't be much, as only a few quince to start with; really, acquiring a quince tree for the backyard would be a wonderful thing...I have already written several times about things I like to do with quince:

 Quincemeat Preserves  and  Kweepeergelei revisited

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what a difference cooking overnight makes...
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After covering three of the windows with bubblepack, using all three of the spring-fit curtain rods, my progress halted because I wanted to get two more for the other two large windows... Not only did the local Fred Meyers not have any in the size needed, but they have none at all in any Fred Meyers in the entire city! I already know that the local hardware store doesn't have any... Time to go on the hunt! The curtain rods allow for the application of bubblepack without resorting to sticking it in place with tape, which leaves a mess when removed, and damages the plastic - instead, a casing formed from extra bubblepack holds the curtain rod, which then holds the entire shebang neatly next to the window...

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Last week, when I misplaced my planner and bus pass, I needed to get another one, and given how late in the month it already was, ended up with a two week pass... well just washing the car to make it rain, my monthly pass and planner turned up the day after I bought the new one. Since I didn't need two bus passes, and since most of my pals are not eligible for the "honored citizen" pass, I gave away the new pass to someone at Loaves and Fishes (the meals on wheels site near the acupuncture office)... It was a nice day on Friday, cold but sunny, so walking back to the bus stop took me past "Good Food Here", a favorite food cart pod, and lo and behold, the Viking Soul Food cart has returned! Couldn't help but get a home cured salmon lefse wrap, so delicious with fresh greens, pickled shallots and dill cream fraiche! Friday was a good day.

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Thinking about SWAP timetable: about six weeks to prep, then eighteen weeks to complete: eleven coordinated garments, of which one may be previously sewn, one may be sewn between now and 26 December and the rest post 26 December (there is an option for also including a purchased garment, but that doesn't apply) So at least one garment every two weeks... Girl will be getting a lot of practice with timely sewing, since my plan includes a sort of double SWAP, both warm under/inner layers, and regular everyday clothing, and my sekrit dress sewing shindig... by the end of April I should have a mostly refurbished wardrobe, but hold onto your hats boys and girls, and fasten your seatbelts, because the sewing machines (and my hand stitchery) will be going like the wind!

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November SMART goal challenge

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Norse collar embroidery	3 bubblepack windows	broken cot
2	Mindy cuffs	*	bag to Goodwill
3	*	*	bag to Goodwill
4	*	*	----------
5	*	*	----------
6	*	*	----------
7	*	----------	----------
8	*	----------	----------
9	*	----------	----------
10	*	----------	----------
11	*	----------	----------

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snowpocalyplse, not exactly

in which our plucky heroine revises her plans...

So, it suddenly got very cold here... like in the last six weeks or so it went from mid eighties to mid thirties. Today we are getting what was on the forecast; earlier indeed ice pellets fell from the sky, and now it is snowing. Why is this relevant? Because the weather made me realise that it would be much more useful for me to do a winter 6PAC*of a different sort, one intended to help keep me warm!

I had originally intended to simply have my winter 6PAC be subsumed in my 2015 SWAP**;  I will probably still also make the clothing that is in my SWAP, but I need at least some of these sooner, indeed, if I had them already, they would be in use now! This would be truly useful, as the few pieces I have in this category get worn and worn every day, but I don't think about them until it gets cold...

The two bottoms would be bloomers/capri length pants, since I wear boots all winter long, and full length pants get draggled with the rain. The two under-layers would be slip-dresses. I made one of these last year, from a tank top joined to an embroidered skirt from Goodwill, and it was a perfect additional layer to wear under my everyday dress and pinafore, since it was just barely long enough for the embroidered edging to show at the hemline... If I had a few more of these, they would be worn often. The outer layers could be a cowl neck top, and a bed jacket for chilly nights when I want to sit in bed and read...

*6PAC = a seasonal online sewing challenge, to create six basic garments each quarter-year, which was created and elaborated by Elizabeth (known on Stitchers Guild as ejvc, and found online at The Fabulous Dr. E's Fabulous Blog)
**SWAP = Sewing With A Plan, an annual online sewing challenge on the Stitchers Guild message board, to create an 11 piece coordinated wardrobe; the rules change a bit every year, just to keep things interesting...

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photo courtesy of Outlandish Photography

This is a bit better picture that shows the collar I embroidered, as part of the whole ensemble as worn by the King of the Outlands at his coronation last weekend.

upper half hijinks, or time for TNT

There is a plan afoot to create some new TNT pattern pieces, which will lead to our plucky heroine having more options as far a wardrobe constituents...

I decided to go ahead and participate in SWAP 2015, and this years rules will necessitate making a bodice pattern that will work for various garments in woven fabric. I want a blouse, actually I want the option of making assorted blouse-like clothes. I started a topic on Stitchers Guild: a blouse for indigotiger to gather information and to keep track of progress. My most recent attempt at a blouse, back in 2013, involved nothing more complicated that cutting off my dress pattern at blouse length, and was functional but not particularly attractive. I'd like the options of both a button front instead of a pullover top, and various collar and neckline treatments.

And a bodice pattern would be able to be altered to become a jacket. I think a moto-style jacket would be fun, an alternative to a jean-style jacket. This has been on my mind for quite a while, since I have been collecting "moto-mania", a whole small Pinterest page with images that I like.

I am beginning to have a basic idea of what I want to create, to refurbish my wardrobe, during the next six months. These clothes will either fill in gaps in my overall plan, or will replace garments that are worn out. I am seeing a moderate increase in brown, as opposed to the all black/all indigo channel, and my new choice of accent color is a soft turquoise...

SWAP + 6PAC	EVERYDAY DRESSES	ACCESSORIES
indigo floral print voile blouse   pale blue horse print blouse   brown mushroom print blouse   *brown chambray blouse   *black/cream hemp knit top   *black pinafore   indigo pinafore   *brown pinafore   *black raincoat   *brown jacket   (wildcard) garment	black/blue ikat   black/blue seersucker   black/grey/blue stripe   dk blue/blue linen   blue pinstripe   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***	Fox Paws scarf   indigo hat   acorn enamel brooch   sewing tools necklace   (wildcard) purse   (wildcard) tote bag   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***

the downhill side

in which our plucky heroine notices that not only is this current year galloping towards the final stretch, but that the exciting knitting project is just over halfway completed...

Knitting the Fox Paws pattern is really enjoyable, and I think my favorite part is this row, where the stacked increases form little "fox toes"...

There are many projects in the works currently here at Acorn Cottage: income generating, various sorts of work trades, and useful and decorative things for both house and self, but nothing is in a state of completion. I am being drawn towards focusing my avocational time towards wardrobe planning and refurbishment, as my everyday wardrobe is direly in need of attention; the last wardrobe rebuild was two years ago, and with a minimal quantity of clothing, even well made garments begin to wear out if worn once or twice a week for that long.

Particularly since the rules for SWAP 2015 has just been announced, as well as the beginning of the Winter 6PAC, figuring out if my needful garments can fit in the general matrix of those plans is a fun challenge.

SWAP 2015: "the traditional 11-garment format, with all the tops working with all the bottoms, and wildcard garments that work with every other item.  This year, we need to make: 5 tops, 3 bottoms, and 3 "wildcard" items... this year's twist- let's make at least one garment that is reversible, transformable, or upcycled from another garment." ... "You may make dresses, but they only qualify as wildcards this year." 

Winter 6PAC: "The generic formula for winter is: - two over layer tops, one generally heavier (dare I say coat?) and one lighter.  For maximum versatility at least one of these, possibly both, will be a dark neutral colour.  Highly recommended that at least one is a cardigan (i.e. closes down the front) as they are more versatile in terms of creating outfits. - two under-layer tops.  - two bottoms. You must also limit your colour choice.  Two neutrals, or a neutral and a colour, are plenty.  Do not whine.  This is not your whole wardrobe forever.  This is the foundation for this season."

The requirements for SWAP rather threw me for a loop, as my dresses function as tops between November and April, but that is neither the letter or the spirit of the rules. There isn't much need for additional knit tops in my wardrobe either, but the camaraderie of Stitchers Guild is a great aid to maintaining sewing mojo, in addition to a wonderful source of feedback...

After a good nights sleep, and some more thought, it became clear to me that the problem I am having with the new/old SWAP idea is the requirement for five tops, and my ongoing difficulty with fitting the upper half of my torso. All my TNT garments avoid that problem in one way or another (pinafores leave most of that part uncovered, knit tops are stretchy, and my basic dress has a bias bodice) Maybe I could use this as encouragement to once again tackle fitting a basic woven top with a button front, which would definitely be a good addition to my group of TNT patterns. This has been a project I have attempted several times over the last ten years without a satisfactory result; I would wear blouses if I had them.

The next few days will hopefully yield a revised wardrobe plan as well as progress on the stitchery for Blue Cedar House, and beginning the Dragons Mist coronet project...

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November SMART goal challenge

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Norse collar embroidery	*	*
2	*	*	*
3	*	*	----------
4	*	*	----------
5	*	*	----------
6	*	*	----------
7	*	----------	----------
8	*	----------	----------
9	*	----------	----------
10	*	----------	----------
11	*	----------	----------

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progress leaps ahead...

... in which our plucky heroine washes a LOT of dishes...

The amount of work that was accomplished this weekend was EPIC! My Blue Cedar House pals were here again, along with their daughter, and also my friend Sharon C (five folks make a really full house, but we are planning on adding in another two for their next visit over TurkeyDay weekend next month...) In addition, while not all the needful fabric has been acquired, there was enough to sort out and choose which would be used for the sewing worktrade. (The plan is for me to have completed enough clothes for their family to attend a weekend long SCA event by next camping season) Still need linen for several woman-sized underdresses, and probably something sturdy for a few pairs of tall man-size fighter pants...

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As part of my efforts to declutter and improve the small bedroom/guest room/sewing room, a shelf to hold the sewing machines for easy access and storage was planned:

the idea was to make a shelf that was sturdy enough to remain stable while holding the sewing machines... William R came up with an efficient and clever plan to use materials already on hand as leftover from former projects, and the thin plywood top is reinforced with crosspieces of one-by wood, to make the entire shelf vastly more stout and strong...

The new shelf in place, looking much like my initial idea, and at a suitable height so as to make it easy to pick up a machine for use, or to set them down again for storage. (I still need to give some thought to how to usefully anchor the machines against earthquakes, probably with some combination of hardware and rope/bungees; fabric falling from shelves is soft, machines falling from shelves likely break)

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Mindy worked more of her magic in the yard, and the small raised bed that Debra brought over is now neatly bookending the persimmon tree out on the parking strip, and currently filled with leaves and compost, waiting for a plan for what will live there...

In the older bed on the other side of the persimmon, the two plant babies Deb brought over here are now in the ground: borage, and "wax flower". I plan on filling the rest of this planter with garlic for the winter growing season, and covering the top with wire to make it less attractive to the neighborhood cats!

The north side yard, aka the dry season clothesdryer... Mindy moved the self-watering planters out of the fenceline, since that area gets NO sun in the wintertime, so nothing much grows along there till the year turns. Self watering planters were moved to along the fence in the back yard near the pear tree, a temporary home. These need renewed with more potting soil and compost, and some more thought given to an improved and more permanent location for them...

..

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For years now I have wanted a "salad table", a standing height growing bench for flats of greens. Inspired by the instructions on the UMaryland Extension site, and by the idea of separate internal trays from this site, I drew up plans that would take advantage of the stash of 2x4's and the skillful help of Bill Robertson.

Now there is a nice Sturdy Salad Table framework that fits at the end of my front porch, where it can take advantage of the wintertime light. I still need to build the internal trays/flats that will fit inside the tabletop, but those are both smaller and easier for me to make with hand tools.

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Am somewhat concerned that the irregularity in the tendons in my left hand seem to becoming worse instead of improving. I plumb hate it when something internal suddenly goes all cattywhompus for no apparent reason. Time for more needles I suspect, since my favorite topical anti-inflammatory is not being much help. Sadly, this means that the knitting must needs go on temporary hiatus, just when it was starting to become really delightful to play with...

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Tomorrow is Bill-Squared Day, being the natal day of two of my three favorite Bills...

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October SMART goal challenge

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	gown muslin for L	sewing machine shelf	yardwaste bin
2	*	salad table base	----------
3	*	small raised bed	----------
4	*	*	----------
5	*	*	----------
6	*	*	----------
7	*	----------	----------
8	*	----------	----------
9	*	----------	----------
10	*	----------	----------

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