Something New

Last week my spouse was making Onion Soup and when I saw all those onion skins I asked him to save them for me.  Having been with me for more than 40 years and living with me for one month shy of 40 years he didn't ask why, just left them all in the sink for me.

I made my first vegetable dye and this is the result....

The piece that looks pink wasn't onion skin dye, that piece was in the pot with the eggs dyed with silk ties.  The rest onion skin dye on muslin, some bleached, some unbleaced.  

The piece with the face in the moon lower left is a prayer flag that will hang in one of my studio windows to see what happens to the dye.  I've layerd two pieces than put a strip of muslin and aother of lace to see what happens.  Everything is based so I can take layers off and date results.  I won't take them all off at once.

I really like the result and am anxious to try more vegetable dyes.

Meanwhile.... I also did a still life sketch with my Tuesday group.... from this still ife set up

This is my sketch, you can see I altered it just a tad.  I don't know if it will get painted, it's in my sketch book and we'll be getting together tomorrow.  We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Happy Easter, Happy Spring

This is a small piece I did a few years back, in a workshop at The Clearing in Door County.  I still love it, just a quickie but a reminder of Spring and a good time in Door County.

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!

More Winter

 I've added some lace and thinking of part of another circle by the tree.  I know this one isn't done but it's close.  I've started another one with a face, still working on that one too.  And one that's pinned but so far nothing is really attached, just pinned.  This lace seems very fragile so I think I will need to cover the block with something light and transparent to protect it.  Or maybe it will end up an art quilt that will just hang on a wall.

There's also a start on another center; I think I'll practice more border stitches on this one, so far just the basic blanket stitch.

And finally, because so far all of the faces seem to be female and it is a blanket for our bed, a winter blanket at that, I've started on Old Man Winter.  The dark lines will be gone once he's done.  I used a magic pen from Fields Fabric to do the drawing...it can be erased when it's on paper and ironed away when on fabric.

I've also done a few moons to add to some of the blocks that won't be getting as much embellishment.  So far, moons as they were on birthdays and other special dates through out this year.  I've done January, February and March but only photographed one.  The rest are pinned to blocks.

This is what I've been up to this past week.  These and a Tuesday painting which I haven't photographed yet.  I'll do that tomorrow afternoon, when I have another one done to go with it.  Maybe.

The Winter Quilt continues

I posted this a couple days ago.

I did a bit more stitching and decided to go in a different direction.  Another small piece I was working on seemed like it just might fit over the dark doors.  This is a close-up of part of it.

And here it is in place

..I'm not calling the block done yet but for now, that's as far as I'm going.  And since I seem to be in a mood for circles and moons I decided to do a moon in honor of my sister's birthday yesterday .... it was a half moon so here is my March 2nd moon..

I don't know how far I will go with this moon theme but it seems appropriate, the quilt is going to be a blanket after all.

And as I am looking at this work I am thinking of my mother.  She was a master embroiderer as in The Embroiderers Guild of America certified  master surface embroiderer.  Her work was perfect.  Maybe that's why I didn't like doing it.  At any rate, she's not looking over my shoulder so I can do it any way I want and I suppose, if I keep at it, I might get close to perfect.  I really don't care, I'm just having fun playing with fabric and thread.  

An aside about my mother.  I did a piece of needlepoint that I wanted made into a glasses case for my reading glasses.  I asked her to put it togher for me.  She did and when she gave it to me I looked and asked why she made it so much bigger.  Her response... glasses wouldn't fit in what you gave me.  I got my glasses out, showed them to her and said "do you honestly think I don't know what size to make something to fit my own glasses?" Needless to say, I was upset because the case was so big that there was no way I could use it.  I told her she could keep it since her glasses fit in it just fine.  That's a vent that needed to get out I guess.