bee creative

working on the wardrobe

This post by Jude (Spirit Cloth) inspired me to return to a jacket I started in January.  It's made up of the remnants of two pairs of jeans, a skirt, a shirt, and various scraps of corduroy that I have. The body is lined with flannel, the sleeves are not.  I did this so that I'd have a tidy interior, the weight of the double lining, but still be able to have sleeves that are easy to roll up. 

The jacket has been out where I could see it everyday, so that I could think about where to go next.  Should it be embellished?  Should each square be quilted?  What next? 

I've known for a month or so that I didn't want to do much quilting.  I was concerned that it would make it stiff.  Today I decided not much embellishing.  For my body type, for me, it probably has enough going on already.  So I did a tiny bit of stitching to make some seams hang better, filled a few gaps in the piecing and sewed the side seams up.  The edges will be bound and then a decision will need to be made about closures. 

I've spent a lot of time today thinking about we all have our own comfort level with embellishment, when to go and when to stop.  

Last week I started soaking some apple leaves. The results are in:

A mellower shade of yellow than the marigold.  A shade that I could actually wear.  Think I'll start soaking a big bucket full of leaves tomorrow. 

going in circles, year four without a car

I was weak and broke my "do not buy plastic" rule.  Well...this little guy (I can't get the video to post here so it's here) will have a permanent home with me. 

I've come round to the beginning of a new year of life without a car.  Starting year number four. 

I still get a lot of teasing and comments about life without a car from others.    One thing that I can say for sure is that it works better for some personality types than others. That and I've made a lot of socks....

the moon might

be made of green cheese...um...green felt, or silk from a far away land, a gift from a family member or from a friend?  What if there are barnacles on the moon?   Has everyone seen this video, "Living on the Moon?"  I found it several years ago and just love it. 

So many stories about the moon...so many possibilities.  The nights are getting cold.  The moon is becoming more visible again.  I want to finish this soon so that I can wrap myself up in possibilities. 

What if I dye with hops that have taken on a pink hue as they dried?  Will they be a different color than the dye I tried with green hops? 

What if I doodle on denim with a white crayon? 

 Or if I stitch a bit with white thread and color with blue crayon?  

So many possibilities. 

in season: plant dyes

Out of the dye pot.  The yellow is marigold, the blue in the back is the red cabbage and the other is my first leaf print.  It's elderberry leaf over-dyed with marigold for the main color and red Japanese maple leaves for the print. 

I've been thinking a lot about how I've slowly created a garden that isn't just about food, but that can be used for crafting or medicinal purposes (herbs for salves mostly).  About how important that is to me.  

I have about two yards of raw silk that I dyed with the red cabbage.  It's a bit bluer than this picture, more like the top picture.  I'll be making a tank top with this fabric to use as an over-layer for summer weight shirts.  Extending the season....

 

I'm finding I have much better results with the Marigolds (Tagetes) if I gather the flowers, pour boiling water over them, and let them sit for a couple hours before adding the fabric.  I tried just solar heat and it was pretty pale. 

My first leaf prints using the technique described in India Flint's book Eco Colour.  I just received my copy last Saturday and love it! This picture shows the maple leaves under the silk.  In the top picture the print the leaves made is visible.

I might have had more defined leaf prints if I'd been more patient, but it was the first....  

Thinking about leaves turning color both in the spring and fall, about fabrics turning colors, about change, and cycles, and seasons, and circles.

circles

Seasons go in circles….I go in circles……perhaps the most important direction to consider, the one that brings me back to where I began.  Back and forth, back and forth.  But with each trip, I learn, I bring things back with me…ideas, knowledge, new friends, a circle that gets richer and richer in detail. 

More on projects later.  I'm just thinking large today. 

September- facing West

Facing West for September.  I love sunset, the moments of twilight, especially in September when the evenings are still warm but sunset occurs earlier than the rest of summer. 

 

I'll take my cup of tea out to the back porch.  And lay down so that I can look up and watch the sky change colors.

This is changing color too:

Silk/rayon velvet first soaked in hop flowers and water for about a week (it's a bit more yellow in person) and then the edges dipped in a mixture of dye bath left over from the elderberry leaves and some marigolds. 

calling in the morning

On Sunday morning I noticed the Steller's Jays were hoping from roof top to roof top calling in the morning (or perhaps just calling to each other).  Either way it was a very special moment and...

It gave me an opportunity to take a few pictures and to play a bit with digital collage.