bee creative

holding place

Wool dyed with Eucalyptus.

I have enough wool for a blanket but to be dyed in the eucalyptus I'll need to cut it apart, bundle it, and then sew it back together again.

Thinking about how that is story telling....

s is for salad, shawl, shirt/stitch and summer

Salad: butter lettuce, peaches, sherry vinegar, olive oil with lemon and herbs, scamorza cheese.

Shawl.  The edge is secured and ready for the dye pot. 

Shirt/stitch. It has a few extra seams so that I could use scrap fabric. It's a self drafted pattern inspired by several sources (Spirit Cloth, School of Nomad Arts, Conscious clothing, dosanyc). 

Summer.

It's the season (noun) and it seasons (verb) everything.

I is for inspire among other things

The sky is one thing that inspires.

A short list: inquiry, investigation, multiple intelligences....

 

...

P.S. One more "h"

The secret to getting a Hoya to bloom is to not water it for awhile and then give it a good drink.

The flowers barely look real. 

They inspire me.

d is for drip, design and delight

Color provided by dripping dyed cloth:

It was made into a book, one to doodle in, maybe make some dots.  Dots are fun.

Along side the book is a scarf found today at a side walk sale.  The design caught my eye. The fact that it was silk meant it was coming home. It will blend in perfectly with other yellow/brown dyed fabric. It's time to try for avocado pink dyed fabric again.

Somewhere in there is a hummingbird or two.  There have been several in the Buddleia today and they are moving fast.  This morning one stopped to say hello. It's startling how they seem to make eye contact.

All this brings delight. A pretty essential ingredient for life.

Today I spent some time learning about Anji play. It made me think of moments of joy, delight, wonder.  About what children should experience, what they need in their day; about what adults need. We need to play too...

One pair of pants + one skirt =

Won't be wearing this to work, it's wool (the skirt wool gauze) and I would cry if bleach got on it.  Well, maybe...it could always be mended and/or over-dyed.

Cost, about 15 dollars. I live close to a really fabulous thrift store which is a great resource for work jeans.  Sometimes other things can't be resisted!

The top part was cut using the facing pattern for my favorite tank top. For the skirt, I cut out the lining and the zipper, cut it in to 2 pieces and then put it all together.

Another photo with bad lighting that needed a little help.  Lola is very happy when I am home.  Especially if there are leftovers...

About 2 cups of risotto + 1 egg + 1/4 cup cheese + about 1/3 cup zucchini butter.

I keep forgetting things like this stay together better when the mix is chilled before baking/frying. 

Oh well, still tasty.

play a little, or a lot

Mama and baby were there right by the bus stop one day this week. I couldn't quite get the lighting right and didn't want to stay and make them too uncomfortable.  Made it a good photo to play with.

I have a long weekend and am doing a lot of sorting. One plan is to make lots of shirts like this one with any appropriate fabric I gather.

This is a blend of inspirations from Jude (Boro class; not available right now I think, but lots of ideas in the category) and India Flint (School of Nomad Arts). The sleeves and top of the bodice are rectangles. It was too short so a "skirt" was added.  I left a slit on one side which is perfect for being able to reach into a pants pocket easily.  The fabric is raw silk that was dyed in home-grown indigo.

So comfortable to wear. One issue is that the sleeves bunch up under a sweater. This might work better for a jacket (trying that soon) or when a sweater isn't needed. If it was looser a t-shirt might work under it for another layer.

Must play more!

 

Another Jude inspired idea. Found while sorting. I think I will make it into a bag.

I am planning on posting the next couple days as I spend some time sorting and making. A little bit of accountability...

 

life happens

"You can tell a lot about a garden and about its gardeners by monitoring how weeds are attended to."

This week I have been revisiting a garden book I like...Gardening at the Dragon's Gate by Wendy Johnson.

Layers.

Inspiration gathered from many sources.

A myth in the making. Once there was a dragon that lived in a cold dark sea and dreamed of warmth...

Study. 

Absorb. 

Growing.

We have a garden party coming up next week where I work. Families are invited to come, plant something with their children and spend time with us.  We will grow all sorts of vegetables, herbs and flowers for cutting.  There is a little forest area we are trying to reclaim.  It is being planted with natives. 

Nourish.

Paneer + cauliflower + raisins + rhubarb + spices (cumin, chipotle, ginger, pepper)

pulling a green thread

From Teju Cole’s book, Known and Strange Things:

“There is another possible book that contains all that is not in this one.”

I put myself on the wait list for a few of Teju Cole's books after listening to his interview on On Being.

I've read a few of the essay's, enough to know I want to find a copy to keep, to take time with.

Counting stitches for a sleeve.

Stitching with plant dyed fabric, some printed silk that I've had for a long time.   

It's May and the first rose is blooming and I may be absorbed into the garden...

in the garden

Eating from the garden:

Sprouting broccoli, rhubarb, and one spear of asparagus.  I made stir fry with the broccoli and the asparagus.

Playing in the garden:
I'm going to plant it full of nasturtiums.

And color from the garden:

Wool dyed with golden hops, bronze fennel, rose petal leaves, blackberry leaves and a few dandelion leaves.  I bundled and boiled in the water I had used to make a bundle with onion skins.

Not really looking for leaf patterns, just color.

assignment #3: march, the dye jar

January, February, March... 

March's bundle includes cammelia, Oregon grape, and pansies.

Everything seems tea stained so far. The March bundle will be as the cammelia leaves I included are from the type that is used for tea. The cold snap caused a few leaves to drop but not to bad. 

The pot I am processing the jars in has room for two more jars so I made up a few bundles.

One of onion skins, avocado and a few stray eucalyptus leaves.

The other dried sumac leaves, the drupes of the sumac and a eucalyptus.

The fabric for the bundles was raw silk that had been dyed in fresh indigo.  It was a very soft aqua as the dye bath was almost exhausted.