a simple transformation

in which our plucky heroine creates shade...

any who know me know that I mislike the glare of a sunny day, never worse than when the only respite is inside a baking hot tent. There may well be some additional SCA camping this summer, and so I decided to replace my long lost merchant shade. Harbor Freight has cotton canvas drop cloths, and after several trips through the washer, interspersed with hanging outdoors in the sunlight, the peculiar odor common to most of what they sell was finally dispersed enough that I was willing to bring it indoors. (My poor Washing Machine needed to have a special "EXTRA DEEP CLEAN" cycle, which I've never needed in the last ten years in order to get the odor out afterwards as well?!)

The drop cloth, which should prove a good sunshade, is still not sturdy enough to support grommets, so each corner, and the middle in between, all needed reinforced. I cut pieces of much heavier canvas to go on either side, stitched those in place, and then also cut leather washers for each side. Finally, heavy brass two-piece grommets were hammered into place, to provide a good anchor for the ends of wooden pavilion poles.

It has always served me well to acquire Useful Tools... the grommet setting jig makes quick and easy work of what would otherwise be a very troublesome if not impossible task. I have made stitched grommets in canvas, indeed, my Viking tent has two such on the edges of the ridge, as the needed diameter was much larger than a metal grommet could encompass. But for this simple project, the brass ones will more than suffice, I hope, since they only take a few minutes to set, and handstitching a grommet takes at least an hour.

This tarp to dayshade is only nine feet by twelve feet, so not very large, but will hopefully serve as a patch of shade for daytime projects, as well as a place not in the kitchen zone where we can all sit together and eat. I've at least four poles six feet long for the corners, and will cobble together two more a bit taller, for the central edge grommets, giving the dayshade a bit of a peaked roof. Some sturdy ropes and some of my forged iron tent stakes will be all the rest of what is needed...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	pickled garlic scapes	Isabel apron dress trim	small crock pot
2	seven baprons	Drusa hat trim	cracked iron pot
3	undergown Genievieve	pruned sage	yard waste bin
4	undergown for Isabel	pruned forsythia	-
5	Norse apron dress Aesa	continued pruning apple	-
6	Aelflaed pinafore	"brooches" for Aesa	-
7	blue curtains	tarp to dayshade	-
8	Drusa wool coat	x	-
9	Drusa apron dress	x	-
10	x	x	-
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine is almost done with the current spate of sewing...

For the last month or so, I've been sewing like a madwoman, to make sure that my friends have the clothes that they need for SCA eventing. It has been rather a case of the shoemakers children go barefoot, as I've put off any sewing for my own clothing... so... along with a new apron dress for Drusa, (from some lovely black/indigo textured linen), I decided to also start on some new garb for me, since much of my SCA clothing is almost or at least twenty years old, and getting pretty worn, patched, and threadbare.

I had set aside, until I was sure what I wanted to make from it, this amazing tropical weight Pendelton worsted wool. (purchased last year off one of the flat folds remnant tables at their outlet store, for $5/yd. Listed at $40/yd.) Dark indigo blue with light blue and madder red stripes, so the colors are plausibly historic.

I decided that a new apron dress for me would be a good use, and with careful cutting, I was able to eke out the pieces needed and leave enough of the fabric that I will be able to make a modern tunic top from the rest of the remaining remnants (original purchase was three approximately 1 yd pieces, and one 2/3 yard piece, all 55 inches wide)

The tropical worsted wool is so very light and smooth that I first thought it was NOT wool, as it feels almost like silk, but more resilient. As you can see, it is almost translucent it is so finely woven!

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Much to my surprise, I just noticed that the Other Plum Tree, the one outside the bedroom window, has young plum fruit for the first time ever... it is a much younger tree than the Feral Plum Thicket, and was a sapling gift to me from my pal Wanda

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This spider is actually very very tiny, about the size of two sesame seeds. It is a Zebra Jumping Spider, and that group of spiders is common throughout the northern hemisphere. Probably bedcause it is so small, I have never seen one before, but this little guy was hanging out on my shingles near the mailbox

Several of my friends think these similar to the sweet YouTube spider Lucas -

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Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine is grateful for her neighborhood

The days are long, and often sunny, moreso every year... Recently found out that it is still possible to order metal window awnings*, in a wide variety of styles and prices, and the expense might be balanced out by the ease of assembly and installation, compared to figuring out how to DIY something to shade the west facing window. I have tried several times to grow plant life to shade the window, but am limited by the fact that the window faces the driveway, so plants must be in pots, which are shaded all morning, and in the afternoon, the sun blazes down on them. Not ideal growing conditions for plants, my potted figs survive there, but not happily...

* Acorn Cottage came equipped with metal awnings over the two south facing windows, and they are a wonderful way to block excess sunlight.

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Still sewing an SCA Norse apron dress in dark indigo paterned linen for Drusa, (and another one in micro striped tropical weight Pendelton wool for myself) Neither one will have any embellishment, but that can be added later as desired. Drusa is going to make me a wooden three legged stool, which can be taken apart for easy transport, which will be a huge improvement from the broken-down bottom half of a directors chair that has been my SCA camp seating for years now...

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Setting up for a new wool tablet weaving, in dark blue and pale green, with accent dark and light chocolate brown. Will be trim for Thora's 12 Night outfit, and also for me, possibly on my new apron dress... It has been a while since I did any of the Finnish style irregular turning, but hopefully it will come back to me, and thankfully, Applesies and Fox Noses has really good tutorials

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Progress laying out the design for the large border fabric printing block. Using a compass makes tidy circles a lot easier. This block is 8" in diameter. I have already carved a 5" block with confronted horses that will fit neatly in the center, and plan on making several other designs to use the same way...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	pickled garlic scapes	Isabel apron dress trim	small crock pot
2	seven baprons	Drusa hat trim	cracked iron pot
3	undergown Genievieve	pruned sage	yard waste bin
4	undergown for Isabel	pruned forsythia	-
5	Norse apron dress Aesa	continued pruning apple	-
6	Aelflaed pinafore	"brooches" for Aesa	-
7	blue curtains	x	-
8	Drusa wool coat	x	-
9	x	x	-
10	x	x	-
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x