Wool Fiber Dying, Visitors and Drying

Wool Fiber Dying with the Southern Tier Lamb to Loom Fiber Arts Guild

 

This past summer my fiber arts guild met at one of the member's farm to do some fiber dying.  I am not a spinner, but I like to do needle felting.  I wanted lots of colors - but didn't need vast quantities of any one color.  I chose to do a rainbow in some of my mom's old canning jars.  While watching my pot simmer (not boil), I thought I was alone in the barn, much to my surprise I heard noises from behind and saw that I had a visitor!  A couple of furry ladies also peeked in to see what I was up to.  After waiting 24 hours and some gentle rinsing, I hung out my roving to dry on my front trees.

The Apple Blossoms from the Same Tree



Grandma Ruth and Granddaughter Louise - Same Family Tree

This past week my son and I went to visit some relatives a few towns over.  I hadn’t seen my cousin in a few years and wanted to show her my crazy quilt, The Velvet Hex and some of my hand embroidered fabric collages.  As we sat around the table show each other our latest projects – me my stitching; my aunt Lydia her wool woven scarves; and my cousin Katie her ‘ceramic tile’ tent she was planning.

 
Our grandmother Ruth visited the V&A Museum in the 1920s, and Katie was using her designs as inspiration for her tile motifs.  A couple of Ruth’s sketch books were at the table, so my son and I flipped through them.
 
Much to my surprise, I felt I could have been looking at things I would have sketched.  I had just shown my angler fish applique (which my son Walter has claimed once completed) and could not believe how similar her subject matter was to mine.  As we continued – more drawings showed similarities!
 
The funny chicken had me laughing – I have several on my quilt.  The rabbit on my quilt was seen on the crazy quilt in Hawaii, at the palace where the queen stitched it while under house arrest in the late 1800s.  The little dragon-like creature was the first motif I stitched for my CQ background. 
 
As they say, the apple doesn’t fall from the tree – in this case, so true!  Almost 100 years ago my grandmother sketched things she found interesting. Today, I am stitching motifs I find amusing – and they just happen to be the same!

Duo of Birds Plus an Owl

A few weeks ago, my friend returned to work and I presented her with two of the framed birds (the third one was done, but not framed yet).  I had to laugh, on her first day back, she wore her owl shirt - the one her husband was quoted as saying "Advertising?" when she showed it to him.  When I saw what she was wearing, I literally ran to the car and got out the owl I had just finished the day before, and was going to call just that!  So the Trio of Birds is split up, and an owl is taking it's place.  Welcome back!

A Trio of Birds

Here are some birds I embroidered for a friend of mine who needed some cheering up.  They are free-form cut and raw edge appliqued, to a machine stitched fabric collage, using DMC embroidery floss.  They are approximately 5x7-inch in size.

Valentine's Crazy Quilt Postcards

 

Crazy Quilt International Valentine Postcard Swap

 

Here are the postcards I made for the 2017 Valentine Postcard swap hosted by the Crazy Quilt International Yahoo Group.  I made two, one to swap (top) and one to keep (bottom).  I always regret sending in something for a swap, since what you made is gone forever - but by making two, I have one to share and one to keep, so everybody wins!  These were done almost entirely by hand, as my machine of 16 years made its last stitch as I was making the base of these postcards.  I only got one piece stitched on, when the motor died....oh well, I have another one to replace it - I just have to take it out of the box.

 

I have included two fabrics that hold special memories.  First being the white with gold threads - it was used when my son Walter was in grade school for the Odyssey of the Mind competition costumes and the second being the red sequins that was used for making a tuxedo jacket for one of his high school marching band performances.  

 

Oh, and I just noticed a third significant fabric - the cotton with gold hearts - it was used in Walter's Mojo Doll - see my 2010 post on Meet the Mojos.

 

The top one is headed off to the Netherlands on Monday.