Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Rain, rain go away...


Just plain tired of the rain and cold! Well, I guess you've heard that before. Everyone (I imagine) feels that way at this time of the year. Up here in the Pacific Northwest, summer doesn't begin until July 5th so sometimes I wonder what the dismay is all about... The childhood rhyme "rain rain go away come again another day" should be revisioned for us Pacific Northwesters at this time of year to "rain rain go away, come again only at night and less frequent and please include some sun."

It takes true discipline to get myself out into the garden on wet, cold days. I tell myself that once I get going I will warm up and that seems to help. There is so much to do out there, it's hard to know where to start. So my mantra is just dig in.

I bought some vegetable starts today: shelling peas, flat kale and some French crisphead lettuce, thus creating more work for me. Also need to make a trip to the garden place to purchase some planting compost. The shelling peas will need some poles to climb as they can reach 8 feet tall. Peas will be fun--I've never planted them before. We plan on adding some raised vegetable beds this year. Saw a great how-to on the Sunset magazine site. Ours will be fashioned after theirs.

Finding sunny spots on our property can be hard at times because of all of the tall cedar and pine trees around. We figure that the center of the property is best as it has spots that receive about 7 hours--best we can do here.

Have you planted vegetables in your garden? You might think about it because it's a really healthy thing to do. Organic for the most part. Just dig in! You'll love the outcome.


Thursday, February 17, 2011

My health is so precious...


Last November was diagnosed with a 'flat polyp' following a routine colonoscopy. It was suggested that I have it surgically removed by a specialist. On January 12, 2011, I had a lower colon resection--major surgery with 6-wk recovery--at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. The very good news is that the pathology came back benign! I cried when the doctor shared this with me--I know, weird to cry at a thing like that, but I have to admit that I had been very afraid of the outcome. I feel very, very, very grateful for this diagnosis and all that it entailed. The world looks different to me now.


Today I am back happily working on my homework from my studies at the Gail Harker Creative Studies Center. I am scurrying to complete the work from the first class in November. I missed the January 22nd class as I was recovering from surgery and so now, I have the homework from that class also. Not complaining though. I am having way too much fun (if that is possible).

Thursday, January 6, 2011

A gift...


Just thought I would post this sweet picture of my grandaughter wearing a pair of shoes I made for her recently. It's a pure joy for me to create something from fabric, in this case wool felt along with some DMC # 8 thread that I hand-dyed used as trim. The shoes fit her perfectly.


What is it that is so rewarding about finishing a project? Must ask that question often as sometimes I feel it may be my ego yearning for that pat on the back. Or, is it the love of giving the gift? Either way, it's huge on satisfaction.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Time to change this blog?



Ok now... my entries to this blog have been very sporadic. Should I change my blog to reflect my daily doings? my interests? my fabric focus? my creative side? Maybe being motivated to create something on a daily basis would work. Hmmmm...
I've been wanting to practice and play with dyeing fabric. Let's see how goes... My inspirations could be some of my photography. Hmmmm...
Watch for some action here.



Friday, February 26, 2010

Life is good

Wow. Can't believe that the last time I posted was 2 months ago. Christmas, New Year's and Martin Luther King's birthday have all passed. It's now almost the end of February--the very same February in which I celebrated another birthday.

Ouch! Almost never has a birthday bothered me as much. There's nothing that can be done about it--it just what is. And you know what they say, "you're only as old as you feel." So, hit the gym and eat the right foods and life will continue in a gracious way. A friend of mine told me that "motion is lotion" and I believe that whole-heartedly.

Enough rambling on about age. There are things to celebrate! Our grandson has turned 3-years-old and my youngest daughter is expecting her first child in July. We are both retired now and beginning a new phase in our lives together. We are truly blessed. Life is good.

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose
all the other ages you've been."
--Madeleine L'Engle

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Sampling of work

Here, as promised, I've included a few picks of the machine embroidery samples from the class I took at the Gail Harker Creative Studies Center this past August. There's the workbook and just a few of the samples that were created for the study. All of the fabrics used in the samples were hand-dyed.














Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Fabric arts as a passion

The weather has changed. Temps are cooler and my focus is now switching to my indoor passion which is fabric art. This summer I took a prerequisite class at the Gail Harker Creative Studies School in Oak Harbor, WA (on Whidbey Island). The class was titled "Experimental Machine Embroidery" and it touched on everything from how to work the tensions on your sewing machine, to dying your own fabric and experimenting with free-motion stitching. Fun stuff!

I came home very excited about the class. The possibilities are limitless! I also came home with samples and notes from the class that will forever be a resource for me. Gail Harker is an accomplished author and graduate and teacher of City & Guilds of London. She is a wonderful teacher; urging you on to your fullest capabilities.

The homework involved includes finishing the sixteen (or so) sample's edges and mounting each in an attractive mat along with the notes/documentation I made in class. These will all go in a notebook. In addition she has asked each of us to create 3 new samples on newly dyed fabric in a different color scheme.

Right now, I am working on my ideas for those 3 new samples. I will be using the analogous colors in the violet/red/orange range. Tomorrow I will do the dying in my kitchen. Hope I don't make a huge mess. What I really need is a separate studio to do the dying in. I'll write that on my Christmas wish list right now...

I will take a few pictures in the coming days of the samples I have created before I send the notebook off to be evaluated by Gail Harker. Watch for them.

Sometimes have to pinch myself to realize that I am actually--finally--working on what I am passionate about. The next class I want to attend is the Level 2 Creative Machine Embroidery which is a 2-year course of study under Gail. I'm saving my pennies... maybe a good fairy will come along and wave the magic wand...