Judy in the Dyes

Bullion Stitch

2012-02-13T05:24:00.001-08:00

I've rediscovered the Bullion Stitch

after neglecting it for

many years.

Above I've completed it using

hand-dyed perle coton.

Baby, It's Cold!!!

2012-02-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

I had to check my gps to make sure I was still in Georgia!

It is bitterly cold here!

And to add to the bite, it is very windy!

I've heard that the wind chill will be 9-10

later this evening.

I can hardly wait to walk the boys down Peachtree!

YIKES!!!

Above is the cowl that I'm presently knitting.

It's called the Eleanor cowl and you can see

finished photos and the pattern here.

I find lace knitting a challenge

and I want to conquer it!

So I thought a cowl would be a good way to start.

The yarn is delicious:

a silk/merino blend from Sundara.

It is so soft, and of course I love the color!

Here's a detail shot:

It's been a busy day:

a long walk with the boys this morning

before the wind picked up

and blew all the cold air in from Canada;

a delicious lunch at Doc Chey's

(I enjoyed the Garlic Eggplant Stirfry

Not only was it art on a plate,

but it was so tasty!);

and tickets to see Tom Key and Jimi Kocina

in RED,

a wonderful play about artist Mark Rothko.

Do go see it if you are in the area -

it has been extended through March 11th.

Happy Weekend!

Stay Warm!!

peace

Revelations

2012-02-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

I rinsed out the paper laminations

this morning.

The revelations are always so much fun!

You can see the lamination in the red orange circle

which appears to be behind the other motifs.

I'm very pleased with how this process turned out.

Happy Weekend!

peace

Process

2012-02-09T16:14:00.000-08:00

I'm fine tuning a few pieces in my series:

trying to figure out what the most elegant choices are,

how to proceed with colors,

and

trying to decide when to stop;

when enough is enough!

The above is a detail shot of a piece of paper lamination on silk crepe de chine

that I have been experimenting with.

I showed you part of it here,

and today I added the solid ring on the left.

I used a wax crayon to color a portion of the newspaper I was laminating,

and I used a colored pencil on the rest of the paper.

If you look carefully, you can see a hint of red in the center of the circle -

that is the wax which remained in the silk!

Below that line is where I used the colored pencil -

no reddish shadow!

So, I learned not to use wax crayons to color my newsprint!

I do love how the red shows through in the cracks

on the previously laminated portion.

Here's a shot of my practice piece:

I love how the red ring comes and goes throughout the piece.

The grayish portion of the ring on the left was

not colored, just plain newsprint.

I love this process!

peace

Wordless

2012-02-08T09:32:00.001-08:00

On Trial

2012-02-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

I am having a great time working on my third series piece.

Above is one of the three runners-up

(actually it is the second trial piece, but I like it enough

that I am considering it as a finalist).

The rectangles in the first photo were screened onto the silk.

The ones above, which I can barely discern on my monitor,

are made from painted organdy.

(please disregard the circle on the lower left side -

it is floss I had dyed as a trial)

Here is a detail shot

I like the organdy because it allows you to see the printed motif underneath it.

That said, I thought the organdy needed to be darker,

so I dyed another piece:

I like this one much more -

how about you?

I am toying with the idea of loosely stitching the rectangles to the silk,

rather than fusing them.

I like the dimension and added texture.

Needle-felting is another option,

but I would lose the translucency of the organdy.

What to do, what to do!!

And there is yet another piece in the works!!

Life is exciting around here!

Today is our son-in-law's birthday -

Happy Birthday Dave!!!

He is, hands down, the best Daddy ever!!

Of course, we're not prejudiced or anything like that.

We are redoing all of the electricity in the building

in which my studio is housed.

This means running an entire line from our existing box -

a big deal.

So, I am committing the remainder of my years

to surface design.

LOL

There's no turning back now.

Mike, our wonderful electrician, was here most of today,

working hard to prepare for the new line.

We hosted our church dinner group yesterday.

Of course I just had to serve more smoked salmon for hors d'oeuvres.

There were a few other munchies and then

two soups for entree:

Golden Lentil with Ham for the carnivores

Tomato with Rice for the vegetarians.

I also made an arugula salad with

roasted beats, goat cheese and

Champagne Vinaigrette.

Dessert was a homemade chocolate chip pecan pie

with butter pecan ice cream.

MMMMMMM!

peace

I Won!

2012-02-05T05:47:00.000-08:00

I won! I really did win!!

When I received Linda's email, telling me I'd won,

I couldn't believe it!!

I never win anything -

but perhaps in 2012 this will be something new for me!

In any case, I left a comment on Linda's wonderful blog

and in turn won this beautiful book.

It is all in Italian, but I think I get the basic gist of it:

patterns for some amazing tree quilts,

as pictured on the cover.

Proceeds from the sale of this book

go to help ailing children -

a cause near and dear to all of us.

I love the feel of this book.

I love its vibrant colors and

I love that it has space in which to write.

I will use it as a journal.

You can read Linda's post pertaining to my book

here.

Thank you Linda!!

I find the quotes from Anne Frank's diary to be so poignant.

progress is being made on my latest piece!

peace

This is not a cooking blog!

2012-02-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

Now that we've got that settled,

I'll share a few photos of tonite's dinner.

Above is my very first smoked salmon.

Not to say that I've never eaten smoked salmon before,

but I have never been the smoker!

Here's my nifty little stovetop smoker

It works really well on my gas range.

Even I can do this! lol

For years, I've depended upon C to do the smoking -

outdoors and even in the rain and snow!

Now I can do it myself...and inside!

Don't these little pieces of salmon look delish?

They were every bit as good as they looked!

I served them on thinly sliced pieces of toasted baguette,

with a little creme fresh and dill

YUMMMM!

Dinner was grilled tuna on rosemary skewers

and Italian White Bean Salad.

After yesterday's class, I invested in a lovely cast iron stovetop grill -

just another means of independence in the winter months!

I did spend a couple of hours printing in the studio earlier this afternoon.

I hope to have photos to share tomorrow....

so stay tuned!

Bon Appetit!

peace

A Fish Story

2012-02-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Dee invited me to take a fish cooking class

at the Viking store with her.

I love fish and have never felt very confident

in my preparation of it.

So, why not?

We had a great time!

Above you can see a lovely Red Snapper

which we stuffed with herbs,

salt, pepper and lemons.

It was then encrusted with a salt and egg white mixture

and baked FAST!

This is Sandra, our instructor,

checking the internal temp of the salt-encrusted snapper.

It was done to a turn

and very delicious!

(To serve the Snapper, you crack the hardened salt shell,

remove it, remove the skin, head & tail of the fish,

and carefully scoop out the lovely fish.)

It was so moist and flavorful.

We also grilled Ahi Tuna on rosemary skewers.

I am used to having C do the grilling - outdoors -

but I purchased one of these stovetop grills pans

and may begin doing this indoors from time to time.

Of course we got to eat what we prepared!

YUMMM!

Below you can see smoked salmon

served two different ways

plus the Ahi Tuna.

Everything was delicious.

I had no particular favorite

and hope to prepare them all at home.

We also prepared Potato and Chive-Crusted Cod,

and Prosciutto-Wrapped Grouper Stuffed

with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

Dee and I don't eat meat, so our Grouper

was wrapped with Radicchio.

It was terrific.

Dee in the class kitchen.

peace

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T19:34:00.001-08:00

peace

Step by Step

2012-01-31T19:35:00.000-08:00

I added a bit of paper lamination

to the piece I showed you yesterday.

(It's the darker image above and to the left of the two white globes.)

I love the way it adds another suggestion

of an image and a variation in value.

So, this process may be a player in my new piece.

We finally went to see The Descendants tonight!

It has been on our list for a long time,

and believe it or not,

it is actually playing here in our little town!

The subject matter was very thought-provoking,

the acting was good

(Clooney is always nice to watch),

the photography was fabulous,

the textiles were well represented (I love Hawaiian quilts and fabrics),

and like my friend Gerrie, I cried - a lot.

It's been an emotional day:

our daughter called this evening while we were out to dinner with friends:

she, our son-in-law, and Charlie are flying to San Antonio

for our Mastery 2010 show opening!

I really cannot believe it!

After my class concludes, we are all driving to Houston

for a little family reunion.

Charlie will finally get to meet his Great Aunts and Uncles...

plus a bunch of cousins.

We are staying at a cute little B&B in the museum district,

so we can walk to just about everything.

I'm really excited about visiting the Rothko Chapel.

peace

Monday Monday

2012-01-30T17:07:00.000-08:00

Mondays are a challenge for me right now.

The "History of Color" class that I am taking

begins at 9:00 AM.

Because I agreed to be the class assistant,

I like to get there at 8:45,

just to set things up and greet my classmates when they arrive.

UGH!

Our professor, Mary Beth Looney, is well worth

the struggle - trust me on that!

She is so intelligent, very well spoken, and fascinating to listen to.

After class, I go across campus to the gym

(which is my usual Monday morning routine)

and then I normally run a few errands around town.

I arrive home in time for a late lunch,

and then several hours in the studio.

Life is good!

So, up above you see a detail shot of a trial piece I am working on.

The first layer was resisted with flour paste and then dyed a rusty color:

Yesterday afternoon I immersed the silk in

some hot tea and let it steep for a few hours.

Today I'm adding layers with textile paint....

trying to find exactly what I want for the final piece.

Here are a couple more detail shots:

I have another trial piece 'cooking'

and my plan is to evaluate the results of both tomorrow

and then get on with the final piece.

This is how the final/trial piece looked this evening -

bear in mind that the circles are simply trials,

not placed in any specific fashion.

It is our custom to take the dogs for a walk in the evening

after they've had their dinners

but before we've had ours.

Our neighbors' dog, Rummie, always wants to join the fun,

so Debbie lets Rummie out and she comes along with us.

She is a sheep herder, so she tries to keep our boys in line.

Good Luck Rummie!

She and Bosco fought long and hard over this rather stout stick

this evening.

Bosco finally won out.

He was so proud of himself that he ran along beside us all the way home,

holding his trophy high in the air.

Our dinner tonight:

Mark Bittman's Tomato Rice Soup.

The rice hasn't plumped up enough to be seen in this photo.

I've also added some kale since this pic was taken.

What are you having for dinner?

peace

Worn Out!

2012-01-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

Charlie and his folks arrived

on Friday afternoon,

as planned.

I snapped this picture just before

we headed out to the dairy.

There is a little brook that runs between our yard

and that of our neighbors.

Years ago, our former neighbors had a bridge constructed

so that we could easily visit one another

through our backyards.

Charlie loves that little bridge!!

The dairy was a rather huge disappointment, visually,

for the adults......

fortunately Charlie didn't understand that we were hoping to see

tons of cows in the pastures surrounding the little dairy store!!!

There were TWO cows and they were so far away

that I doubt Charlie saw them.

He loved the big pieces of gravel in the driveway!

We spent a few minutes hamming it up

in front of the dairy shop.

Our drive home was westward into the sun.

Charlie and I both hate the late afternoon sun in our eyes.

I took out my iPhone and turned the camera

so that Charlie could see his face on the screen.

He began to figure out that he was seeing himself,

as in a mirror,

and began to react:

"See my new molars, MiMi???"

.......and then he stole my glasses!!!!

Needless to say I did not work on fiber this weekend!

I cooked on Thursday,

cleaned on Friday morning,

entertained on Saturday,

and loved on my grandson

as often as I could!!

peace

Still Orbiting in Focus

2012-01-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

I've spent the past three days doing color studies.

That said, none of the above particularly appeals to me -

sooooooo, I'm back to the very beginning.....

flour paste resist, dyeing, over dyeing, etc.

I love it all, so not to worry!

The above is just a trial segment torn from the large cloth

that will eventually become something,

but not now.

I bought a 50# bag of sand yesterday

(sand is heavy, so 50# does not a huge bag make!)

and I tried my hand at applying it to a wet textile painted area.

You can see it above in the small orb, top center

here's a detail shot of it

I was amazed at how the sand distorted the color of the blue green.

In eager anticipation that I will obtain the color ground cloth

that I have pictured in my head,

I've been tea-dyeing some fibers

just in case I may want to do some more embroidery

The skein of yarn at the bottom is a wonderful blend

that Jeannie sent me (dyed, but here it is virgin) a few years ago.

She was kind enough to dredge back in her memory bank

and recall the name so that I could purchase some.

It has a fabulous texture and takes dye beautifully

(it is part rayon).

Charlie arrives tomorrow afternoon - along with his parents.

We are planning a trip to a dairy farm

(where we purchase our lowfat pasteurized but not homogenized milk).

I don't think he's ever seen a real cow, so this will be a first!

I'm eager to spend time with him.

I can't wait to take him to the farm!!!

I hope to post some pictures tomorrow evening after he goes to bed.

Our cousins arrive on Saturday for an early afternoon lunch/dinner.

I'm really looking forward to this, and have spent the better half of today

cooking!

I think I'm the only vegetarian in the bunch,

but you can bet that the menu is full of veggie delights:

there's a mac and cheese that is butternut squash-based,

and a "Peas Be my Valentine" side that includes

curry powder and mustard seeds!

If any of the menu items are a hit,

be assured that I will pass them along to you!

If by chance I get too busy and don't blog,

let me be the first to wish you a happy weekend!!

peace

This & That

2012-01-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

I spent the afternoon couching gold threads on silk crepe de chine.

Fun!!

It was cold and rainy outside, so

very nice to be indoors embroidering.

We had a short but very sweet trip

to our condo this past weekend.

Our friends were in town and we all enjoyed

a terrific dinner at

One-Eared Stag.

Three of us ordered the

Grilled Caesar Salad

while two of us ordered the

Salt & Pepper Prawns.

It was a really fun evening!

The boys are getting along fairly well.

Sometimes it sounds like Saturday Night at the Fights!

Actually, I think they are playing, which is good for Barker.

Ever try to photograph a black dog on a black couch?

I didn't realize just how photogenic Barker was until Bosco joined us.

Bosco seems to be happy no matter where he is.

I snapped this picture of him as he slept in the backseat of my car

while we were driving home from Atlanta.

Can you tell that he has his snout in the hand hold?

We've had a lot of rain over the past couple of weeks,

so the boys have had shorter than normal walks.

Tomorrow should be clear and they will get a good

session on the golf course!

Guess who just had his 3rd haircut???

Hard to believe he's almost 14 months old!

We will see him this weekend....

and we cannot wait!!

peace

Tea Time

2012-01-22T05:49:00.000-08:00

I love a good cup of tea in the morning,

don't you?

I decided to put my spent tea bags to use.

I crumpled up a piece of white cotton,

put it on a glass plate in my sewing room,

and every morning for about two weeks I'd place a freshly used bag

on top of the cotton, moving the previous day's allotment aside.

Above is one section of the fabric.

Here are more:

I haven't decided how I will use this wonderful piece of fabric yet,

but believe me, it will get used.

Of course, I also saved the paper tea bags!

I have opened them all

and disposed of the dried leaves.

The paper bags are equally as wonderful

and will also be used!

Ain't life grand!!

peace

In Orbit

2012-01-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

A short time I ago, I was following a thread

on one of the lists that I read.

It concerned purchasing hemmed silk scarf blanks.

I was interested because I have become

very disenchanted

with the quality of the rolled hems

on the scarf blanks I order.

I've tried many different vendors

and they are all equally as bad.

Several members of the list reported that they were

having great success selling unhemmed silk scarves

I thought I'd give it a try.

I brought two unhemmed silk charmeuse scarves

to one of the shops that sells my goods.

They were scarfed up (no pun intended!) within a week!

I am thrilled.

Of course charmeuse speaks for itself,

with it's buttery hand -

and it is slow to ravel.

Yesterday I printed up two black charmeuse scarves

unhemmed

in the design that you see above.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a great weekend!

peace

F is for Focus

2012-01-18T16:23:00.000-08:00

Staying focused has always been an issue for me.

I think I'm A-D-D.

That said, I'm trying my darnedest to remain focused on my work.

The newest issue of Quilting Arts arrived yesterday

and, quite frankly, I don't want to look at it

for fear I'll be sidetracked!

Same goes for the latest SDA journal.

I just can't go there right now.

How about you?

Are you easily sidetracked?

What gets you off track and - better yet -

what gets you back on track again?

Yesterday I screened my tessellating triangles Zentangle

onto the silk that I had previously used the flour paste resist technique on.

Today I've added a layer of resist

and the plan is to do more dyeing on this piece tomorrow,

after the resist is thoroughly dry.

I'm also experimenting with paper lamination.

I was going to refer you to Jane Dunnewold's

fabulous book on this technique,

but after going to her store,

I can tell you that the book is out of print.

It's a fabulous resource, so if you can ever find a copy,

snap it up!!

She also has a chapter on paper lamination

in her latest book, Art Cloth,

which you can also find in the store.

It was a cold and rainy day here yesterday

(although we haven't experienced the snow that my

Pacific Northwest friends are having, thanks be to God!),

so it was a great day to make some vegetable stock.

We recently purchased Mark Bittman's vegetarian cookbook app

for C's ipad. It has three vegetable stock recipes in it.

I opted for the roasted vegetable plan.

As you can see, it contains lots of colorful goodies:

There are parsnips, leeks, mushrooms, celery, carrots, potatoes -

just to name a few.

The house smelled divine, and the stock is fantastic!

In her day, my Mom grew the most beautiful orchids.

She was very proud of them, and loved to show them off to her friends.

As she aged and grew less able to get around,

I tried to help her with them.

Most of them died - Skilled Care Homes are too dry and hot for orchids.

Our dear friend Bobbie gave Mom the above orchid several years ago,

and I tried with all my might to keep it alive and get it to bloom again,

but to no avail.

I brought Mom's orchids home with me after she died -

and they are both loaded with buds this winter!

YAYYYYYY!!!!

I'd like to think this is either a 'sign' from Mom or

a sign that I can grow orchids too.

However, I believe it just means that our house isn't as hot and dry -

and that I kept them outside this Fall long enough for them to

get a good chill!

Whatever the reason,

I'm thrilled!!

thanks for checking in,

perhaps leaving a comment

and

peace

Weekend Update

2012-01-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

We are spending the long weekend

at our little condo in Atlanta.

I needed new napkins,

so I decided to make them from some fat quarters

of black and white quilt fabric.

My serger has a rolled hem feature and I love to put it to good use.

I have several bins of quilt fabric, sorted by color,

and one of my favorites is black and whites.

When I sorted through them,

I came across the fabric you see on top.

Isn't it lovely!

It was a gift from my friend Jeannie -

and it has made the most wonderful napkins!

you can see a couple of other fabrics in the stack of napkins

that I made.

I love cloth napkins:

they feel so much nicer than paper,

and they are ecologically sound.

Charlie and his folks came visiting yesterday afternoon.

Julia, Charlie's adorable first cousin,

was celebrating her 7th birthday.

So, Charlie had been partying.

We got to babysit for Charlie last night when his parents

went out to a dinner party at the home of friends.

We had a great time!

Charlie is so much fun to take out on the town!

We dined at Little Azio's, and he was the hit of the dining room.

He does like to charm the ladies!!!

Afterwards, I gave him his bath and then

he fell asleep in his grandaddy's arms.

It was very, very cute!

This morning we walked to Flying Biscuit for breakfast.

You have to get there early because it is such a popular spot.

Charlie had a great time!

Happy Weekend!

peace

Still in Focus Mode Cont.

2012-01-13T16:49:00.000-08:00

I was very pleased with the results of my studio screen printing this afternoon.

The new Thermofax screen is perfect,

and I love the turquoise against the reds and oranges.

I have one or two more steps to take in order to complete this piece.

We are away for the weekend, so I have time to let this percolate

and digest.

I washed out the flour paste resist piece that I showed you yesterday.

I wanted the lines to be very subtle, and I got what I was hoping for!

YAYYYY!!!

Last winter, I spent weeks dyeing samples of color combinations.

I kept a notebook and very precise details

(normally not my strong point).

Little did I know how handy that work would be for me now.

Thanks for dropping by.......

and I hope you have a wonderfully restful weekend!

peace

Still in Focus Mode

2012-01-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

One of my words for 2012 is 'focus' -

I'm trying to focus on my work and

not get sidetracked!

Thus far, I'm staying focused on focusing.

My second series piece using the circular Zentangles

is well underway.

Today I did a lot of screening and then I made the little trial above.

The blue is actually a turquoise -

my monitor is showing it as very blue.

I'm pleased with the color combination.

I've redrawn the Zentangle and will make a new

Thermofax screen of it tomorrow.....

more refined, less clunky.

Yesterday afternoon I began another silk piece,

this time using flour paste resist for the background.

I applied the flour paste to the silk and let it totally dry overnight.

I crackled it this afternoon and then applied thickened dye.

It is batching overnight, and I will wash it out tomorrow.

I love doing this form of resist on silk.

If you want to learn more about resists,

check out Lisa Kerpoe's blog and her new book.

We had Bosco neutered yesterday -

I think it was harder on me than it was on him!

He had to spend the night at the Vet's,

and it was so quiet around here.

Barker got a much deserved break!

So, this morning, Barker and I were alone for our walk on the golf course.

We've had a lot of rain over the past week,

and I loved the moisture patterns on the cart paths:

Did you check out the cute little foot in the middle pic?

Bosco is home now and just a little bit groggy -

in other words, Barker is being put to his paces again!

peace

Wednesday 11 January 2012

2012-01-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

I was really pleased to open our mailbox this afternoon

and find a package with some Oliver Twists!

I ordered these on Sunday, and I'm delighted

with the color selections I chose.

I hope to have some results to share with you in the next couple of days.

I'll be using the circular Zentangle in this next piece too.

I redrew it yesterday, and like how this one looks.

I also spent a lot of time yesterday doing screenprinting on my second piece.

When it gets further along, I'll share parts of it with you.

In our quest to find ever more healthy vegetarian recipes

(is that redundant?)

we've become huge Mark Bittman fans.

(thank you Robin!)

This article in the January 1st NYT magazine

offers some great options.

I prepared this meatless meal for lunch yesterday:

spinach and chickpeas

It was done in a jiffy and was very filling and tasty.
We had some slices of baked tofu left over in the fridge,
so I added one of those, topped with Bittman's
Ginger & Scallion Sauce
(which is not in the article but in his Vegetarian Recipe cookbook).

peace

Studies

2012-01-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

I've begun completing the second piece in my series!

Piece number one was happily delivered to the photographer this morning!

The above gorgeous threads were dyed by my friend Jeannie

and gifted to me a while back.

Coincidentally, they are an exact match to the new piece that I'm finishing!

So, that was quite the find in my stash, wouldn't you say?

I love happy accidents!

Here I'm trying to match the paint chip in the bottom of the photo.

Ohhhhh, so close aren't they?

I've been playing with my watercolors again.

Sometimes I just can't get enough of color.

As you can see, I don't really paint -

I just play!

The rain stopped long enough for me to slog out to my studio

and do some screening.

.....................

and then some dyeing

I apologize for the blurr - obviously I did not take this photo!

and I'm trying to decide if this piece will also incorporate embroidery

I began the day with a trip to the Dr's clinic at 7:45 AM

to have blood drawn

for my upcoming physical.

Then I ate a bit of breakfast on the road while running errands:

bank, post office, library.

I am taking a history of color class at Brenau University.

My all-time favorite professor is teaching it,

so I'm really thrilled.

The class begins at 9:00 AM -

it's tough to get me out by that early hour!

Next I met with the photographer,

which was lots of fun - honestly!

Then I went to the gym -

which is never lots of fun - honestly!

Our new clothes dryer was delivered this morning.

I do believe that this is the very first NEW dryer I've ever owned!

It is lovely - honestly, again!

My laundry time has been cut in half AND

because it has the Wrinkle Guard option,

I can work in the studio while my clothes dry.

Welcome to 2012 Judy!!!

peace

Copper Leafing

2012-01-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

This morning I did some trials with copper leaf.

I love the addition of metallic leaf to surface design,

and wanted to brush up on my technique

before I made the leap onto one of my class pieces.

I had a thin strip of black Lutradur begging for attention,

so it got leafed first.

I love how it turned out.

Next was the bottom section of my 'Scream' piece,

as Jeannie so eloquently named it.

I had already screened on some copper metallic textile paint,

which you can see are the smaller orbs.

Last, but not least, is this one:

It needs a bit of refinement before it goes out,

but I'm liking what it is doing to this piece!

peace

Focused on Fusing

2012-01-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

I spent a rather blissful day fusing!

It was cold (for Georgia) today -

with temps hovering in the mid 30s this afternoon.

So, it was fine with me to enjoy the sunshine from inside the house.

I finished the stumpwork embroidery on the above piece yesterday

and fused it today.

It still needs a bit more 'work'.

I thought that while I was in the mood

I'd fuse this piece as well.

Here it is post fusing.

I played with this piece a year ago

and have decided it is time to finish it.

sometimes I refer to it as 'eyeball',

while at other times I call it 'galaxies',

and still other times I think of it as 'retina: detached'

I will be fiddling with it a bit more in the next few weeks.

The boys spent the day at the groomers

(or shall we say barbers?).

It's difficult to get them sitting side-by-side and still!

Bosco is generally going a mile-a-minute!

It was an exhausting day for both of them -

they are now sacked out in the den!

peace

Art Date

2012-01-02T15:09:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we had an art date to the High Museum.

We are fortunate that it is within walking distance of our condo.

It was a lovely day and we stopped along the way for a yummy Sushi lunch.

Our goal was to spend some time in the Grainger McKoy exhibit,

for two reasons: the exhibit closes next weekend and

McKoy mainly sculpts birds, which we love.

We were blown away by this exhibit!

Neither of us was familiar with McKoy's work

but now we are groupies!

Above you can see "Recovery Stroke",

McKoy says he's always been attracted to this portion of a bird's flight because it is 'when it's the least productive and most vulnerable,

yet here can be found a grace and beauty

that exists nowhere else'.

This particular sculpture is 12ft tall and is done in stainless steel.

I wanted to add this photo so that you could

appreciate the detail of McKoy's art.

Each feather is carved separately, numbered,

and then added to the wing structure.

This is a sculpture of the now extinct Carolina Parakeets.

This morning I listened to a talk that Mr. McKoy gave about his life and work.

He graduated from Clemson University and first majored in architecture.

With that background, he is able to figure out how to construct his sculptures.

Much like fiber artists, our joy is in creating our work, but it is vital to have

a clear idea of just how we plan to display the completed piece

even before we begin.

Here is another incredible sculpture of the Least Bittern.

So, as I said, the exhibit is open through January 8th.

If you live in the Atlanta area, I encourage you to have

an art date with Grainger McKoy at the High this week,

you won't regret it.

If you can't get there, but you want to learn more about

Grainger McKoy and his art,

you can go here.

Happy New Year,

by the way!

I ushered it in with a cold -

the first I've had since my sinus surgery in June of 2009.

ugh

It has laid me pretty low.

But the good news is that I stayed in all day today

and finished embroidering the stumpwork on one of my large pieces!

here it is before finishing.

I'm thrilled to now be ready to back it and move on!

I've started knitting a new pair of socks with some yarn

that I dyed. I'm loving how it's coming along.

The beautiful yarn bowl was a Christmas gift

from my friend Judy.

Her husband Bill turns wood and he most generously made one

for each of us in our knitting group.

Lucky girls, eh!

peace

Going out with a BANG!

2011-12-31T14:05:00.000-08:00

This is the little purse that I carry when we are in the city.

It holds all of the essentials and isn't heavy on my shoulder.

I slung it over the back of my chair when we were dining out last night,

and never thought another thing about it.

When we awoke this morning, I realized I had left it behind:

credit cards, debit cards, drivers license, cash!!!!!!

Fortunately, the restaurant was opening for lunch,

so I had only to wait until 11:30 to learn my fate.

But the minutes crept by from 7:00 AM.

I am so thankful that our waiter was a man with a conscience -

he noticed my purse just after we departed,

and put it away for safe keeping.

Oddly enough, during those 4-1/2 hours of limbo,

I prioritized, and realized that if my purse had been taken,

it really wasn't the end of the world.

There are so many worse things that happen

to people

every day.

It's a beautiful last day of the year here in Atlanta.

We have walked miles and miles

with and without our pups.

I was reading Susie Monday's blog over breakfast this morning.

She wrote recently about Newsflash!,

an iPhone and iPad app

that transforms photos in really cool ways.

So, uploaded it to my phone.

Thanks, Susie!

Here are our boys

I've chose very basic manipulations:

there are loads of amazing ways.

Another fun way to explore art.

Many of my blogging friends have chosen words to work with in 2012.

I usually don't do this, but thought I'd try it this time around.

"focus" is an ongoing struggle for me -

so I will be focusing on focus.

Another area in which I struggle is understanding.

I am going to try really hard to "understand" others

better.

We had an art date this afternoon at the High Museum....

but that is for another post!

happy new year

thanks for being there & leaving comments

peace.....

and don't forget your purse!

Stamping out 2011

2011-12-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I couldn't help myself!

I ordered a second mystery foam set from

Random Arts!

If you hurry, you can get in on their special!

You can purchase the entire 'kit' for just $12.95 - free shipping!

It includes the Memories Inkpad, the mystery foam, and a spritzer bottle.

I decided to make a stamp using some of my old buttons.

It was fun choosing what I thought would make an interesting stamp.

Here it is:

cool, huh?

the stamp on watercolor paper

the stamp on very damp cotton fabric

here are multiples on watercolor paper

I got to thinking, 'why couldn't you make an impression from jewelry?

So, I got out my favorite heart pin from my friend Molly.

I've used this pin as inspiration for many Valentines,

and thought it might be a great one for this year,

so I made the stamp with two entwined hearts:

Here's how it looks on watercolor paper:

So there you have it: my way of stamping out 2011!

This is my 1100th post.......can you believe it!!

peace

Getting Back in the Groove

2011-12-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day back in the studio in a very long time.

While I love the Christmas holiday season,

I certainly miss my time hovering over dye pots!

Above is a detail shot of a silk charmeuse scarf that I dyed several weeks ago.

Today I had the time to screen on some pine needles.

The colors aren't true in these pics, as the green is much greener

and the needle that appears brown is actually an antique gold.

Here's another shot:

Charmeuse has always been my favorite silk.

I tried to fall in love with crepe de chine, but it just didn't last.

This scarf is buttery soft and drapes as any silk 'should'.....

so, what's not to love about it?

The boys and I had a nice long walk on the frosty golf course this morning.

It was 27 degrees, but thankfully there was no wind.

This is how they 'play':

peace

A Gift

2011-12-28T14:06:00.000-08:00

I recently became the proud owner of

Etude 7: Rhapsody,

by Jane Dunnewold.

The beautiful piece arrived on my doorstep on December 23rd,

and I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful gift.

It now graces our foyer,

and I have the opportunity to get up close,

admiring Dunnewold's exquisite work,

anytime I so desire!

To say that Jane Dunnewold has been an inspiration to me,

is an understatement.

As you may know, I have been a student in her

Mastery Program for two years now,

and I can think of no better way to celebrate our relationship

than to have a piece of work from her hands in my home.

Not only is Jane an incredible artist, but she is a fine person.

Being in her presence brings out the best in any and all of us,
and challenges those of us around her to be better people as well.

Because Etude 7 is so large,

I am including a few detail shots, so that you can get a better idea

of why I'm so wild about this piece.

peace

Helen Frankenthaler

2011-12-27T07:49:00.000-08:00

I read in the NYT this morning that

Helen Frankenthaler

passed away yesterday.

Like many, I'm a huge admirer of her work.

You can read the article here.

I had not realized that she was so fond of dancing,

and found the story of her White House dance partner

to be quite amusing.

peace

Today & Yesterday

2011-12-26T16:02:00.000-08:00

We returned home from our grandson's today.

It was sad to leave, because we had such a great time.

But as soon as I unpacked and straightened things out here at home,

I got busy!

Last week I purchased a block of Mystery Foam

after watching Jane Powell's You Tube demo

about printing with this product.

I was really excited about trying it out.

Above you can see a bit of dried Purple Aster from my garden.

I made a Mystery Foam stamp from the 'dead head'

and then stamped it repeatedly on this piece of card stock:

My first stamp was made using this doily

I printed this segment on a notecard.

I also made a stamp from this interesting weed leaf:

more dried asters:

I stamped this one on a piece of white cotton.

these were all too much fun!

In the meantime, I had a pot of vegetable soup simmering away on the stove:

I am now using some of the veggies that I froze over the summer,

hence the green beans in the block of ice.

Two Christmas pictures of our sweet little Charlie:

I think that his first birthday in November
helped him learn how to unwrap presents.
He had a great time!

I always enjoy being asked to put Charlie down for his nap:

If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a wonderful one.
If not, hope your day was loads of fun.

peace

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T04:34:00.000-08:00

Joy to the World

Peace on Earth

Good Will to All

Dealing with Senseless Loss

2011-12-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

Our little town, and most especially our church,

is dealing with the loss of one of the most promising

young men I have ever known.

Gone just like that -

on his 18th birthday.

We knew his parents and siblings well,

and we are grieving with them,

although I can not even begin to understand how they hurt.

So I've tried to keep busy while remembering

his smiling face,

his kindness,

his steady focus on his goals.

I went to the studio and made stamps

and then I scrounged around for scraps of fabric.

I just needed to make marks.

and then I rolled out the dough

for Molded Gingerbread Cookies

and I made them

It was a difficult day -

trying to forget,

but wanting to remember.

trying to stay busy,

but wanting time to sit and reflect.

trying to be happy,

but so overcome by sadness.

there is no peace for us

when someone young is taken away.

.................................................

Production Line

2011-12-20T08:34:00.000-08:00

I'm in full production mode now!

I love baking for the holidays -

although I've got to admit I'd still rather be

up to my elbows in a dye bath!

As you can see, I baked most of my

Christmas Coffee Breads yesterday.

They are now neatly packaged and in the freezer

awaiting tomorrow's deliveries to neighbors and friends.

Here's a little plate of my Springerle cookies.

They really do spring up, as the name implies.

Interestingly enough, just after I published

my last blog post, I read this article

in the Wall Street Journal.

My Springerle recipe came from my beloved old

New York Times Cookbook,

but next year, I will try the recipe in the above article.

Right after I finishing wrapping our gifts,

I'm going to tackle the Molded Gingerbread Cookie recipe

in the Wall Street Journal.

Sounds yummy!

Jeannie shared a delicious sounding Julekage

recipe with me.

It has cardamom in it, which is always a plus in my book!

I hope to try it tomorrow.

We enjoyed a short but sweet visit from

Charlie

over the weekend.

He arrived, ate dinner, went to a party,

came back and crashed, and then joined us for

breakfast on Sunday before he headed back home.

ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!

But he was cute!

peace

Tis the Season

2011-12-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

I've been doing my Christmas baking,

as I'm sure you have as well.

I like to include several family traditions,

one being German Springerle cookies

which my husband enjoyed while growing up.

It's a 3-day affair:

day one: mix the dough

day two: cut the cookies using the rolling pin shown above

day three: bake the cookies

(I will show you the end product tomorrow!)

Here is a detail shot of the traditional rolling pin,

in case you've never seen one.

Once you've cut out the cookies, they are placed on

anise-covered cookie sheets.

As they bake, the areas that are indented in the pin

puff up.

The cookies are a bit hard,

but so delicious with a cup of tea!

MMMMM: I smell the anise now

and can't wait to taste it again!

I dropped off a couple of Christmas Coffee Breads

at our church office yesterday.

The staff is so good to us,

that I like to thank them with some baked goods.

I was intrigued by this lovely angel,

made from a discarded hymnal.

great idea!

peace

On and Off my Needles

2011-12-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

I am coming right along on my Rocky Coast Cardigan.

The knitting is so much fun!

Won't be long before I do the bottom ribbing

and pick up the sleeves!

And here is little Charlie modeling both his 2nd haircut

and the little pullover I knit for him for his birthday.

Charlie's playing with

Harold the Houseplant Monster,

knit with the same sweater yarn.

peace

A Winter Walk

2011-12-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

The boys and I had a great walk this morning.

Bosco has really settled into the routine,

and loves to romp along, playing with sticks and pine cones.

Barker enjoys his company, and puts up with an occasional ear pull.

I love the dew-laden dandies-

a final reminder of the summer past.

The trees, bereft of their summer leafy wear,

now call attention with various textured skins.

This guy has been feeding woodpeckers and pine beetles.

Even their oozing bruises add interest.

And of course, we all love the pavement cracks.

peace

Another Day of Sewing

2011-12-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun sewing the first apron,

that I decided I'd do another to give as a gift.

After all, there was still some monoprinted fabric!

So I dyed more apron fabric

and printed a grapefruit on the top center of this one.

I was having too much fun in the studio

so I thought I'd add more grapefruit on the bottom of the first apron.

I loved how it looked!

The armhole facings on the second apron are also

made from the monoprinted fabric.

Too cute!!

All the while, Stephen King is keeping me company

as I listen to his fabulous 11-23-63

I highly recommend it!

thanks to the Gelli Print Plate folks for mentioning me on FB again!

peace

The Gift That's Kept on Giving

2011-12-10T11:43:00.001-08:00

My sister-in-law Molly gives the greatest gifts!

Above is a lovely apron that she gave me for Christmas

several years ago.

I adore it and wear it often,

but I save it for special entertaining occasions.

I was trying to think of a way in which I might use the

citrus monoprints I had made with my

Gelli Arts Print Plate,

and it suddenly dawned on me that

they would make a great apron pocket.

So, I've dyed some cotton duck a lovely golden yellow

to match the yellow in the monoprints and

voila!

I've also been spending time sewing on
some other gifts

I don't machine sew as often as I should -
it feels good!

peace

Art Recently Purchased

2011-12-08T11:30:00.001-08:00

Just last week I was delighted to see a blog post from

my buddy and fellow fiber artist, Russ Little.

He mentioned that he has opened an Etsy Shop,

and he handily provided a link.

So I went there!

I was lucky enough to purchase the above scarf

which is composed of two pieces of beautifully dyed lightweight rayon,

sewn together with the ends surged.

I JUST LOVE IT!!!

Russ's scarf makes me happy.

I don't even have to put it on,

I can just look at these pictures

and I break out into a big grin.

If you'd like to know more about Russ,

please go here.

If you'd like to check out his wonderful

art scarves in his Etsy shop,

please go here.

peace

Slow Work

2011-12-05T19:42:00.001-08:00

Work is going oh so slowly on this piece,

but I'm finding it very satisfying.

I continue to dye more perle coton

to match my dyed silk,

and then I play with embroidery stitches

that I hadn't worked in ages.

peace

Briefly: On My Needles

2011-12-03T18:42:00.001-08:00

One of three projects on my needles right now:

Hannah Fettig's Rocky Coast Cardigan

I am having such a good time with it,

but it is a challenge for me -

a knitter of socks and scarves!

The yarn is beautiful Malabrigo.

Doesn't get much better than that duo:

Hannah Fettig & Malabrigo!

peace

Me n' My Boys

2011-12-01T16:00:00.001-08:00

We arrived at the condo on Tuesday evening,

amidst rain, lots of wind, and temps hovering in the 30s.

YIKES!

Not good weather for walking a six month old puppy

who isn't used to the city.

We all muddled through, and Bosco is a better boy for it!

Wednesday morning's sunrise was spectacular -

my photo doesn't do it justice.

The reason we were at the condo again?

We were going to babysit for Charlie on Wednesday!

Both of his parents had meetings in Atlanta all day, so

we were more than happy to help them.

It's amazing how much fun the levelor wand is!

I had to be checked out as an authorized wearer

of the Baby Bjorn -

just in case there was a walk in our future.

(and thank goodness I passed the test, because

we put that thing to good use in Piedmont Park!)

there was naptime (a great time to knit, by the way!)

and then there was snack time

and then we walked

and then it was Tea Time

my goodness tea bags are fun to organize

and reorganize

and reorganize once again!

Charlie went home at about 3:30 and we were wiped out!

But on our Baby Bjorn voyage we had discovered

that our two 'other' boys loved to play in the park!

So we returned for one last romp before the sun went down.

They look like they are fighting, but they were having a ball!

Of course we're not letting Bosco off of his leash just yet.

Barker is loving having a little brother!

I spotted this wonderful wall of Creeping Fig on our walk back from the park.

I love that stuff!

Atlanta is just far enough south that it will grow here,

but not at our home in Gainesville.

Today we went to the High Museum to check out the

Picasso to Warhol Exhibit.

I'm glad that it's there until April, because I want to return

at least one more time.

It is phenomenal!!

We also went to Ikea -

hadn't been for about a year,

and there were so many little things we 'needed'!

peace

A New Boy on the Block

2011-11-28T16:12:00.001-08:00

When Barker's breeder emailed me

last week asking if we'd like to add a

well-mannered one year old to our family,

my only question was "How soon?"

We had been discussing acquiring a second Standard,

and we love our Barker so much

that we wanted another from the same breeder.

Sooooooooo, without further ado:

meet Bosco!

He's a little sweetie pie and

Big Brother Barker is tolerating him well!

True, there is some distance between them

on the love seat, but they've only known each other

for about eight hours....

and Bosco is normally quite rambunctious!

After all - he's just eight months old!

As any good breeder will do,

Bosco's blanket and a couple of toys accompanied him

to our home. He loves lying next to me while I work at my desk....

but what he really likes most is to race around the swimming pool!

I worry that he will fall in -

I don't want to have to dive in and retrieve him

if he can't get himself out!

peace

and now Charlie's ONE!

2011-11-28T06:08:00.001-08:00

As the saying goes, "Time Flies When You're Having Fun"!

where did the past year go???????????????

Yesterday was Charlie's first birthday.

We celebrated in grand style at his Paternal Grandparents' home.

Here he is with his doting Uncle Rob.

Rob's lovely fiance Melanie is in the background.

Charlie received more gifts than any one year old needs,

but I know he will use and appreciate them all in due time.

We all went a bit overboard!

Here are his two 'smash cakes':

a choo-choo train and a dinosaur.

Both cakes were made with minimal sweetener (apple juice)

and organic pastry flour.

The icing was made with cream cheese and apple juice.

Sorry I don't have pictures of the birthday boy's face

smeared with icing.

He's not much of a sweet eater, and wasn't quite sure about the

texture of the cake.

Here he is with his G-Daddy.

You may notice a change in attire -

in the picture with Rob, Charlie was wearing his Dinosaur t-shirt.

Here he has on his train engineer's attire.

I think he had a grand time, and never once seemed

overwhelmed or in need of a nap.

He is a real trooper!

Here's Charlie with his Mom & Dad,

and Tucker & Marley....

plus all of his birthday loot behind them!

It was a great day spent with family and friends!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR CHARLIE!!

peace

The Future

2011-11-26T16:07:00.001-08:00

A month or so ago I was having a heart-to-heart discussion about my future plans with a friend of mine. Stating that I seem to be on the down side of the slope with little time left, I ended by saying, "So, what's the use? Why should I try to produce anymore or make long range plans?" She told me that my feelings were normal for anyone who had recently lost a parent. That relieved me, because I wasn't comfortable with my feelings, but also couldn't deny that they were real. My friend continued by suggesting that I read several books about women who were 'late bloomers' so to speak.

"Defying Gravity" by Prill Boyle is the first book that I chose. I highly recommend it to any and all. It is so inspirational! Boyle, herself a late bloomer, interviews and writes about the later-in-life successes of a variety of women. Try it, you might like it!

Oh, and those feelings of sadness are on the way out - don't worry about me!

peace

Studio Peace

2011-11-22T18:14:00.001-08:00

I managed to carve out a few hours of studio time today.

When the world around me seems to be crumbling,

I can find peace, joy and calm there.

Above is a detail shot of a piece of 12mm silk habotai

upon which I've drawn some circles with Elmer's School Glue.

This is only backing fabric for a larger piece,

so playing was really fun!

Speaking of playing, I also did a bit of monoprinting

with my super large Gelli Print Plate:

We celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary yesterday!

That's tough to do when you're only 30!

HA!

We both had lots of errands to do in the morning,

and just after I'd finished grocery shopping

I received a text from C:

"I've bought apples for applesauce"

Well, so had I!!

So, I spent quite some time admiring the long stemmed roses

he had also purchased for me,

while I cut up apples for sauce.

Our new and marvelous local yarn shop was

one of the stops on my list of errands.

I bought some luscious Malabrigo yarn for a sweater

(I'll show you that another time)

and as I was checking out, I spied the above yarn bowl.

Isn't it great!!

Look closely over to the left side of the bowl

and you'll see a little slit that holds the yarn.

This keeps the yarn in the bowl and not all over your floor!

That was my anniversary gift to myself!

Speaking of knitting,

I also sewed together Harold the Houseplant Monster yesterday afternoon!

Isn't he cute!!!

He comes from a wonderful book of monsters

by Rebecca Danger.

I highly recommend it if you have little ones in your universe.

Hope you've been able to carve out some creative time too!

As always, thanks for stopping by.......

and leaving a comment!

peace

Home Again

2011-11-20T14:59:00.001-08:00

We arrived home early this afternoon

and while on the drive, I had made a list of things

that I wanted to accomplish before dark.

One was the embroidery on this navy blue ring.

And I did it!

I love checking off things on a list,

so when I'm procrastinating

I make lists.

Works almost every time.

One of the problems I had encountered with the embroidery

was my inability to get good light and see the small stitches well.

Since each stitch is linked into the loop of the previous stitch

and my thread is dark, it was a challenge to me.

I got out my faithful magnifier, and the work became a joy.

The pic above is how the work appears through the magnifier.

Far easier to deal with - don't you think?

I thought I had some root beer colored beads in my stash

- and I did -

so I added just a few to the French Knots.

I'm really liking how this is turning out.

We began listening to Barbara Kingsolver's "The Lacuna"

on our drive down to the beach, and we have

continued on our ride back.

It's a great 'read' - have you read it yet?

I love Kingsolver's writing,

and she has blended history with fiction beautifully in this

particular book.

thanks for stopping by!

I hope you'll leave a comment!

peace

On My Needles

2011-11-18T09:04:00.001-08:00

My silk piece is coming along!

The navy blue embroidery has been put on the back burner:

not enough good light at the table where I work here at the beach.

I will complete that portion when I return home.

But, as you can see, I've added more embroidery

in the round, so to speak.

There are two knitting projects in my Murphy Bag:

a second sock for me AND

the Knitting Pure & Simple Baby Pullover

for

Charlie!

It's really coming along - all that remains to be knit are the sleeves.

The Knitting Pure & Simple patterns are great:

they require few seams and work up very quickly.

I highly recommend them!

A cold front has blown through our beach area,

so today is breezy and a bit chilly.

Yesterday we lunched at Boss Oyster in Apalachicola. YUMMMM!

We sat at a table overlooking the river, and Charlie loved

watching the boats and birds.

He is a pure delight to take out dining!

peace

Beach Time

2011-11-16T09:59:00.001-08:00

Moments for embroidery

are few & far between this week -

as family time is so much more precious.

C, Barker and I take our early morning walk

along the beach.

We're normally the first ones out there

and so there is much to discover

from the previous high tide.

I love the Sea Oats.

There are many large stands of them in the dunes

and some along the boardwalk

that leads us back to our house.

Little Charlie is taking more and more steps

every day.

He loves playing in the sand.

Next year he will enjoy building castles,

but for now he is content to work at mastering the shovel.

This is a magical age -

between baby and toddler.

There is wonder in all he sees.

peace