bee creative

one step back

As a focus word for the year, "one" was a good word for me.  It helped me keep in mind that one act, one stitch, just one thing is a way to move forward.

My sky scarf is a good example of that.  Just a little bit each day.  Even if it's just a word, capturing the moment. 

Today I took one step back to my focus word for 2010, "direction."

I've been wanting to paint a compass rose on my floor for quite awhile.   With a little supervision from the dogs, I got busy and did it.  That's Madi up in the corner, one of my brother's dogs and sister to Lola. 

It made me think about how sometimes having something that is worn and tired gives permission to take risks.  Would I have painted this on a new floor?  Maybe not. 

I thought about the difference between reaching for perfection and reaching for improvement.  Two different things. 

This weekend I hope to stencil N, E, S, W and a rose on the compass.  A good direction. 

My "Dark Days" meal for the week: 

One more step backwards brought me to my word for 2009, "intersection."  I like thinking of intersections as a meeting place.  There is something about joining a challenge that seems a bit like creating an intersection...

one green sweater

It's done, other than being blocked.

And it fits.

 

 

one little thought

one reason

I don't own a car:

It forces you to walk more.  Even when you are tired... 

(These pictures are from earlier in the week.)

And to look closer. 

(This one is from today.)

Some of these leaves are heading for the dye pot. 

 

And a video that I found this morning while I was looking around.

More layers, more storytelling. 

one moment

Today I realized one of the gifts of taking a photo is just to be in the moment...one magical moment caught:

And a kitchen update:  the feta is a tad bit salty but good.  I'll be making it again.

P.S.  I couldn't stand it and switched th blog back!  Let me know if it is still requiring a sign in and I'll play with the settings.  I have a choice now! 

the last day of the month: thirty-one days

To take pictures everyday, to write a post every day for a month was a valuable exercise. 

I learned that sometimes to be creative, space needs to be cleared:  body, mind, soul, environment.

  When I started this photo collage I thought it would be a summary of the month, of things I'd done or learned.  It's really a summary of who I am...

Maybe what we do becomes who we are?

This is about me. 

 

Being creative...

day thirty: ephemeral summer

I walked out the door at just the right moment this morning to be able to notice the colors in this spider web. 

Summer sunlight caught for just a moment, at just the right angle...

And this evening, at an outdoor concert, just before sunset...

The clouds are coming back. 

day twenty-nine: lazy summer days

Today felt like one of those endless summer days that just stretches on...

Maybe because there was such a dramatic change in weather.  This morning gray and maybe just a bit of drizzle and  then by afternoon glorious sunshine. 

For some reason it seemed like a good day to make pajama bottoms. 

Actually two pairs.  One with an old sheet to test the pattern.  Another pair with fabric that I splurged on at a sale. 

And yes, they are flannel. 

Cause the sun won't stick around. 

day twenty-eight: following inspiration

This one was tough for me.  It says something important to me about being creative. 

I've known that I wanted this blanket, "Following Sea," to have a compass.  I had some vague ideas of what I wanted it to look like.  And then yesterday morning as I was brushing my teeth it came to me that I wanted the compass to be the predominate symbol.  My motivation for "Following Sea" is really about direction.  Whether we are traveling with the waves or against them. 

When I think of the fishing boat I spent most of my childhood summers on, one of the images that always comes to mind is the compass that sat in front of the wheel. 

I'm pretty sure that the inspiration to have a large compass in the middle of the blanket really came from a post Acey put up here.    A little medallion floating on a blue background. 

And then Jude posted a picture of this bowl.

And despite knowing better (despite having read Jude's thoughts on beginning and copying!), the first thought that came to mind when I realized what the pattern was...was something along the lines of "now it will look like I'm copying an idea when I start my blanket..." and "maybe I should think of something else." 

And I told myself No.  Continue.

I believe we create in community.  I believe it can be impossible to tease out all the things that inspire us as we create.  I believe that there is a current that creates like thoughts.  Many of us have shared experiences that create similar ideas.  This is important.  This is community.

So my "Following Sea" is about community too.  It's inspired by the company I keep.  By my childhood.  It's built from the skills that I've learned from others, in community.  Even the cloth is from my community.  Most of the velvet on the front came from a friend cleaning out her mother-in-law's stash after she died.  The fabric on the back was a gift from a friend.  The fabric for the compass points mostly a gift from my mother.  I added a bit of my grandfather's chambray shirt for one of the points. 

We live in a community. 

Looking closer:  some of the points face inward, some outward.  With the following sea, against the following sea.  Back and forth.  In and out. 

 

day twenty-seven: down by the bay

Today I went to the beach.

I settled in amongst the rocks and day dreamed for awhile.

I took a bit of a nap until a group of people in kayaks going by woke me up.  And then I read a bit and thought a bit and wrote a bit, until my mind seemed empty and clear.  And then I walked home. 

Somehow being by the sea always brings me right into the moment. 

This morning I was thinking about how it isn't always desirable to travel with a following sea.  Sometimes it is more rewarding, more fun to go against the current...it just depends on perspective. 

 

day twenty-six: blanket making

 

The first project of the day was to add a red star to the building block quilt.  It's actually acquired a new name:  "Made of Stars."

Most stars are considered red dwarfs.  There are also brown dwarfs and blue dwarfs. 

Unfortunately, the color of this red dwarf is off.  Visualize it as a bluer red.

As I was stitching I realized that my favorite way to start a blanket is to sew together larger pieces of fabric to form a large cloth.  So building a blanket with blocks of fabric is really how I'm creating...

It's based on my desire to not cut fabric any smaller than I have to. 

One of my favorite things about making a blanket this way is that I can use it right away, but I can take as long as I want to embellish since it never has to be "done." 

At least one star on this blanket is going to need to be exploding or radiating away from it's center. 

And since just about any blanket/quilt could be started in the same way as "Made of Stars," I pieced together a lot of my blue velvet.  A base for "Following Sea..." 

 

 

 

 

day twenty-five: home making

 

I think it's time to start keeping a written journal again.   Love what Jude shared today. 

Garden:

This morning I picked the first handful of loganberries off one of the vines I planted this year.  Also a small amount of currants.  I planted the currant last year so I didn't expect much this year. And then it started to rain. 

Cooking:

For something new I'm trying pickled nasturtium buds.  My recipe says they should age for six weeks before eating so it will be awhile before I know whether I like them or not.  They are a suggested substitution for capers. I've never had capers that I know of, so I really can't compare. 

I also made kale chips for the first time.  Different seasonings than the recipe I linked to, but same technique.  Making them again.

Today's sewing project:

A couple years ago I was making buckwheat pillows for gifts.  The most economical way to purchase the buckwheat was to buy a big bag of buckwheat, a really big bag.  Today I made a large pillow for myself with all the buckwheat I've been storing and then made a new pillow case.  Buckwheat pillows can be a bit bumpy so I decided to line one side of my pillowcase with an old towel that has lace edging on it.

And because I thought of it today:

"I will make you brooches and toys for your delight

Of bird-song at morning and starshine at night.

I will make a palace fit for you and me

Of green days in forests and blue days at sea."

-Robert Louis Stevenson

 

It is good to be at home. 

 

day twenty-four: thinnings

 

Editing, pruning, cropping, thinning.  Processes that make space, that allow growth.

Dinner tonight, with eggs. 

Minus the dirt. 

 

day twenty-three: leg warmers

The latest bus knitting project.  It doesn't seem to crazy considering we've been having a lot of rain and haven't had a day over 80 degrees F yet this summer...but they are really for winter. 

day twenty-two: yeast + indigo

Not going to be able to keep it to one photo tonight:

On staycation for the next week.  A little earlier than planned but that's okay.  The next week should be good gardening weather.

The yeast/sugar indigo dye vat worked!  The first piece of fabric that I put in the vat didn't take much color.  The second, so much more.  I'm going to put another piece of fabric in tomorrow.

This is not as easy as using the color remover.  It's going to take practice to get reliable results. 

One thing I know for sure, this is an outside project.  Stinky. 

What I suspect, this method takes some time.  Be patient, lazy or forgetful. 

Found floating in the water I've been rinsing fabric in. 

Indigo moth...

day twenty-one: white star

It's actually a really pale indigo star, but it looks white...

After reading that Sirus has a white dwarf (a type of small star) I decided to add another star to the blanket.

day twenty: dog star

I added a star to my building blocks blanket.

"Dog Star," otherwise known as Sirus. 

 

day nineteen: continuing

From one of the books I'm currently reading:

"Many of the paradoxes of creativity are embodied in play.  Creative people know the rules of the game, but they are open to improvisation and serendipity."  Play by Stuart Brown.

 

day seventeen: dog days?

This morning I started wondering if I could judge the weather depending on where the dogs slept?  It was a little warmer yesterday though...

And that made me start thinking about the expression "dog days of summer."  We might not get any of those.  I did find my first tomato forming though. 

Worked on my indigo star today and experimented with a few options.  Still not sure what the next step will be, leaning towards sewing a center square on the diagonal. 

And maybe I'll just make more.  The "Sawtooth Star" pattern has always been one of my favorites. 

Also spent some time working on my windflower...

"But this rose, this rose in the sea wind,

Stays,

Stays in its true place,

Flowering out of the dark,

Widening at high noon, face upward..."

Theodore Roethke

day sixteen: the flow of time

Cool enough today that the dogs huddled together.

Rain, then sun, then thunder, then rain...

Tomorrow the sun is supposed to come back.

By posting (at least!) one image a day this month I've developed more awareness of the flow of my days.

Weekdays are really about time at work, time getting to work, time getting ready for work...good thing I like what I do most days! Weekdays leave me about 2 hours (including some commute time) at the most for making and gardening. 

Weekends...they are another story. Today was a bit of house cleaning, time with family, the farmer's market, sorting fabrics, cooking, and a bit of knitting.

Lots of wonderful things at the farmer's market now.  My favorites today were the strawberries and the cherries.  Some of the strawberries were used for shortcake, the rest are in the dehydrator. 

I have a tub of apple leaves soaking for dye.  The yellow bit of cloth is my first test sample.  Ready to add more fabric. 

I've started to knit another shawl.  This one with yarn I've spun.  Spinning and knitting satisfies something in me that sewing does not.  It has to do with the magic of making cloth.  Sewing seems to be more about rearranging cloth.  I'm still thinking about this...

 

day fifteen: following sea

Playing with layers again.

Following sea is a nautical term used to describe a boat traveling in the same direction as the waves. 

It's become an idea I want to explore with fabric and stitch...

There will be a lot of blue.

A little white.

Stars and a compass.

The moon.

Ripples and waves.

And, of course, a traveler. 

day fourteen: gluten free pasta

After finishing the elimination diet I tried last month, I decided to keep wheat and dairy to a minimum.  Not having achy joints and congestion is so worth it.  With that in mind I've been researching and trying gluten free recipes.  My favorite source for recipes so far has been Gluten Free Girl and The Chef.  I checked their cookbook out from the library and liked it so much I bought a copy.  I've also tried several recipes from their blog. 

Most recently, I made gluten free pasta. I didn't follow the recipe as written, I'm pretty much incapable of doing that...but I didn't stray too far.  The pasta turned out fantastic! 

As for the rest, it's a combination of Swiss chard, zucchini, toasted walnuts, basil, a bit of my homemade tomato paste and Parmesan. 

Oh yum! 

day thirteen: indigo star

The background fabric is one of the first pieces of fabric that I put in the indigo vat.  The star is from a later batch.  I originally dyed the fabric I cut the star from with rose leaves. 

 

day twelve: journaling

I was given my first diary as a Christmas gift from my childhood best friend.  I think I was eight or nine at the time.  It was small, red, and had a key.  She would always ask me to show her what I'd written in that diary but I never would.   Not because I had something juicy that I didn't want to share, but because I hadn't used it at all.  I didn't know what to write and I didn't want to hurt her feelings.

One of my aunts gave me my second diary/journal for Christmas when I was ten.  By that time I had things to write and I filled it.  From that point on I've kept a journal.  I don't think my teenage journals are all that interesting, the ones I've kept as an adult interest me more. 

From a trip that I took in 2001:  "I've decided that you can't dwell on what you might be missing, there is so much to enjoy..." 

Image created by layering two photos in Photoshop Elements. 

day eleven: intermission

The indigo distracted me from the round-up that I wanted to do yesterday so I'm posting more than one photo today...a sort of intermission. 

This is the fabric pictured hanging over the rail in yesterday's post, washed and dried.  I know what I see there, but I bet we all have our own ideas.

I've described pretty much how I did this and with what in the comment section of my last post.  Look here if you haven't and are curious.    I do want to add that if you have been wanting to try indigo and haven't gotten around to it for whatever reason, don't be afraid...give it a try! 

I finally got a picture of my hanging baskets that I am pleased with. This is another project that I've been wanting to do for awhile and hadn't until this year. 

 

Actually the toad stool baby rattle has been on my to-try list for awhile too. 

I added a little something extra to the stuffing.  The pattern for the rattle is at The Pearl Bee.

It was a lot of fun to knit and used up some small pieces of sock yarn.   

day ten: indigo!

Why?  Why did I wait so long to try this...

day nine: pieces of Saturday

A few moments from the day as a collage...I couldn't choose just one. 

Time on the porch to sew, knit, read and day dream. 

Stitching on the windflower I started.  I think I'd like it to be a part of my "following sea" project, which means it won't be an all blue quilt after all.  It really does need a bit of white.  So mostly blue...

Lemon balm steeping in water for a foot soak.  Thanks for the suggestion Acey.

The top of the rattle.  It looks like a hat for a chihuahua or something. 

 

day eight: berries

Picked two bowls of berries tonight.  Should have left the blueberries to ripen just a bit more, but I was anxious to eat some. 

After I go to the store tomorrow and get some milk, I'll make pudding in honor of the occasion.  Warm pudding and raspberries always makes me remember ... they are good memories. 

day seven: not a sock

 

Making a rattle as a gift for a baby shower.  I was hoping to be further along tonight, but it's dark enough for the chickens to go to bed and I don't think I'll be able to keep my eyes open much longer...

day six: the tomatoes

I think the most amazing thing about growing tomatoes from seed is seeing how incredibly big the plants become...and then there are the tomatoes.  Keeping my fingers crossed that there will be fruit. 

day five: bus knitting

What I was able to work on today:

My bus project of the moment is a pair of leg warmers.  On Saturday as I was getting off the bus, the ball of yarn fell out of my bag and rolled under the bus.  The bus driver very graciously waited until I pulled the yarn out from under the bus before he left...

For the month of July I am posting one picture everyday, something that captures the essence of the day...

day four: making chevre

As the neighbors set off fireworks, I have been running everything I can think of to create white noise.  One of my dogs, Briar, is afraid...  So the washing machine has been going all day, the dryer, the fans, the radio and the dehydrator. 

This is the chevre that I made this weekend.  After the starter is added to the milk, it is supposed to set at room temperature for 12 hours.  Room temperature is supposed to be 72 Farenheit.  Not in my world!  More like something between 60 and 65.  The solution to this?  Pull the trays out of the dehydrator and  put the bowl of milk and starter in there at the lowest setting.  Works beautifully.  I also found out that I have better results putting my yogurt in the dehydrator to incubate, rather than a thermos. 

Time to go rotate the laundry....

day three: sun bleached

Down off the pole, washed and the stitching has begun...

 

day two: popsicles and plastic

I try to avoid purchasing anything made of plastic, but I gave into a bit of temptation and bought popsicle molds.  My first batch was made from frozen yogurt and plum puree. 

It's all about portion control and eating healthy and more choices for organic/local foods...

 

returning to one

Back in December when I chose the word "one" as my focus word for the year, I thought about committing to doing one thing everyday.  It seemed appropriate, but it just wasn't something I was interested in at the time.  This week I decided I was ready for a small commitment:  to share one photo, each day for one month.  Something that captures the day for me.  I have a feeling that one + one + one for 31 days will create a bigger picture at the end of the month.

Today's picture: 

I walked a lot today.

This evening I filled up a container with some water, added a few drops of essential oil and some rose petals and soaked my feet while sitting on the porch swing.

This isn't something I do often, but I'm planning on making it a habit.

It felt very good to pamper my feet a bit.