Plenty to write about..

Plenty of material today, what with current reading of David Rosenfelt's  nonfiction about his real life, not the first person he writes from in his dog related detective fiction.

All about dog rescue, which leads me to my own long history of strays showing up and applying to live here, cats and dogs, birds who cross my path like the lovely Emily Hope, a lutino cockatiel, not this one but this is right idea

More about all that another day. I have a lot of stories, some very funny.

Meanwhile I did shop a little for spinning material

  and yes, this is the actual stuff on its way. After the  robe is done, and relating to the upcoming doll. More later.

But mainly this is part of the reason I can't write much right now

Handsome Son's birthday tomorrow, don't know when he's free to come over for a dinner, but the cake is ready. And in the freezer is a large dish of chicken cordon bleu, which I'll serve with pasta in red sauce

That's the good part.

But tomorrow is a complicated day, since it's also Handsome Partner's anniversary. Always a difficult day with so many memories and swirling emotions even after ten  years.

So, bear with me. I have all kinds of interesting stuff to tell you, and not quite enough bandwidth right now.

I shall return.

The Useful Robe is under way.

The Useful Robe, named to distinguish it from the Robe of Many Colors with all the embroidery,  which is an an artwork, is coming to pass.

The rest of the fabric is draped down the side of the bed. I have made many clothes using my bed as the work top, because it's usually the biggest flat area available without crawling around on the floor. There's more fabric than you see.

I used the simple t shaped style I made the jersey top from, which is just about the way medieval robes were made, this is me history-bounding.

Selvedge to selvedge is about my wingspan, so this worked as hoped. Two long seams and finishing at neck, sleeves and hem is all it needs. 

I drew out the shape around the t top with one of those disappearing pens, whatever they're called. Then cut. No need to baste and pin.

I'll probably make a t shaped neck opening, since this is woven, nonstretch, and leave slits at the hem, same reason.. 

Looks quite ecclesiastical! The sleeves will be narrower when they're stitched. No sewing at all has happened yet.

I have a couple of thoughts about whether to split the front and make a separate neck-to-hem section for closing, or make it a popover style, no front opening.  I used to have a gown like that and really liked it.

There's plenty of extra fabric for pockets, and a belt if I want to make one. Maybe even a hood.

Now for seaming sleeves and sides, then creating a facing for the neck. At the end I'll decide length, don't need to know that yet.

I love this sort of totally simple approach to making clothes. Sonya Phillips explains why commercial patterns have many parts. It's not about fit or styling. It's about the production line. 

The kind of robe I'm making needs one person, in fact it works better with one pair of hands. But you can't get up production line speed this way.

After the invention of the sewing machine and its adoption industrially, speed required one person do one small section repeatedly, and the work of many would be assembled, production style, and finished the same way. People specialized in their small parts.

So it became possible to make much more complicated clothing at speed for the mass market, and people have come to assume it always has to be that way to get a good fit. Noooo. That's just what the trade does and it creates home sewing patterns copying the industrial ones. You don't have to.

Before then, simplicity was much more common. There was beautiful finishing and decorative stitching, but often the basic architecture was pretty pared down.

Sonya practices this in her own designing and teaching, knitting and sewing lovely simple garments for mix and match outfits she wears with joy. Her own patterns are simple and accessible.

You certainly need some stitching expertise which comes with practice, but you don't need a fifty part pattern to get there.

Anyway, this is where we are this morning. And the nice part about designing for yourself  is that you don't have to have all the decisions made before you embark. 

This is how I approach practically everything in life, so no surprise hearing that here. I don't need to decide whether it will open or not until I've got the main seams closed.

And that's going to happen next.

Meet Monsieur Frog

A new friend moved in recently. He found a good home in the birdbath. Sheltered under leaves, cool water to lie in. He's happy.

Doll Two approves, upcoming reading, maple study

So here's where we came down. Doll Two in her sequined LBD, and perky sequined hat referencing The Importance of Being Ernest, and statement pin. She's set.

In other news, my Cross pencil had evidently arrived and is waiting its turn. I had emailed a follow-up three weeks after sending it and within hours this response arrived.

I was amused at being described as a cross consumer. I'm actually quite a pleased one.

And my future reading is interesting

The library now bought this, possibly in response to my request, and I'm in first place waiting for it. 

Meanwhile just thinking about Sonya gave me a great idea, that's how good she is. I remembered a piece of terry I'd organized for a quilt backing, for a quilt I never made last winter, one thing and another, and thought aha, I can make a robe with it.

But first to find it. A lengthy search ensued, including the bags in the car awaiting cooler weather to go to the thriftie, various other locations, among sheets, blankets, who knows. 

Then I finally tracked it down in its own bag, labeled, in its own dedicated crate. Under two other crates in the art materials collection. Where I was sure to find it easily (!)

I'll use that top I made from the jersey sheet, as a pattern, lengthening it to suit. That'll work. Also pockets. Big ones. I have other terry hand towels I sewed from the same fabric and they might be pressed into service as pockets.

So this might be an interval in dollmaking. Just some plain handsewing. 

Then there's a great exploration of zero

Hard to think of a time when it wasn't a recognized thing, or nonthing.  First need seems to go back to clay tablets and cuneiform account keeping. 

And an Indian mathematician developed it later. I need to learn more. Without the concept of zero,  coupled with ones, we wouldn't have coding and the ability to do what I'm doing here and you're experiencing here.

Then there's the existential to consider

I'm waiting for all these, but I'm high on the list, so I won't have forgotten requesting them before they arrive.

One last thing just because it's beautiful

Onward!

Other news, flowers and the fitting room

This morning was a good time to pick a few flowers, Russian sage, blackeyed Susan, chrysanthemums, one daisy. 

Tiny bouquet pleases me. 

And here's a reflection of Boud in pajamas taking pictures of the newly arranged flowers.

Then Doll Two suggested she do a stroll through the Dollivers collection and see if anything works.  Just trying on at this stage, she being much smaller. Testing her style.

I think she's up for a jaunty beret and little sparkly dress. Custom made. And I can reach back to miniature making days to create a little glass. 

Yes, I'd say she's placing herself in the 20s. The 1920s, that is.

Textile Tuesday

Yesterday's presentation of Textiles and Tea was spectacular as usual. It presented a couple who work across graphic arts, ceramics, spinning and weaving, working on commission for interior designers and architects.

We didn't see spinning in action but you will see some  upholstery they spun and wove to their design.

Their main activity now is weaving with wire! Which is as technically difficult as it sounds. Silk warp, wire weft.

They had to have special metal beams made for the looms after the wire shredded the wood beams!

Anyway here they are

Here's the purpose-spun and woven upholstery fabric in action on a chair they designed.

A chandelier, with one of the team for scale, woven wire, bronze areas and LED inset lights.

This is why they use a silk warp. Flexibility. Transparency.

And now they've moved into laminating their woven pieces in glass so as to be able to show them in public spaces without damage. Touching the wire can easily damage it, and as those of who have exhibited tactile work know, the public wants to touch. I've had fragile paper works damaged that way.

See the work sandwiched between glass.  It's heat laminated, permanently fused.

They have an upcoming installation involving ceramics which they couldn't say much about yet, it being a client work in progress. And several big pieces in progress for a private home in Dubai, that must be a showplace.

They are very much plan and execute workers. Complete vision of the product, and then they make it, following every detail of their planning. 

The polar opposite of fine art, this is  skilled artisanal work. In art such as painting the materials are a partner with a voice in how the work develops, often not what the painter had imagined at the outset. It reveals itself as it develops.  Fine art uses the artist to channel the message. 

Just an inserted note here: fine art is an often misunderstood term. It's not a judgment saying the work is just fiiiiine! It's a specific technical term meaning complete. From the Latin finis, ie finished. A work of fine art has no function beyond being seen and experienced. It doesn't mean it's wonderful, just that it's complete in itself.  

Functional art which weaving often is, is equally beautiful, as are ceramics and other functional works. None is better than any other. They're just descriptive terms, not qualitative judgments. And there are weaving and ceramic pieces and other pieces which are designed to be seen not used, which operate as fine art. 

It's all very confusing, but it's good to realize it's not about quality or value, just about labels. And that's a whole other discussion! One day.

In this work we're seeing today, the materials are very much the secondary voice in the work. This kind of weaving has to be calculated and planned meticulously in order to work.

It's also a function of doing commissioned work. The design is created, approved and executed. Which is why some of us have always declined commission work despite pressure from would be buyers. Our work doesn't operate to orders and resists meticulous planning. But all power to those who do, and make a living. Different folks, different strokes, different lives. 

This couple works together in their century-old California house, with multiple looms at work at any time, so their life and work are one entity. 

The presenter mentioned that there's a Handweavers Guild of America YouTube channel on which these presentations are uploaded, which they hadn't said before. I took a look, and it goes way back, well worth a visit to see the videos I've been reporting on.

I can't convey the personality of the artists in these posts, so I'd recommend you check the YouTube channel, because they're such great people to see and experience. This couple in particular radiates mutual love and it was so good to see. 

Thank you, HGA, for another gift.

Comfort food

What with feeling tired from pulling ground cover and other things, I needed a comfort food dessert last evening.

So I thought a little bowl of pink blancmange would do it. All the ingredients here. I did add in a drop of vanilla at the end.

It's years since I bought liquid milk. With the powder I mix only what I need at the moment, not limited to the quantities the liquid is sold in, and it freezes so I never run out. No waste. I get organic whole milk. They're not paying me to say this! It just works better for a household of one.

And I thought I'd try the windfall cane sugar. It arrived in the Misfits box in mistake for the same amount of flour.  So they refunded the cost of the flour, can't charge me for the mistaken sugar. Up to now I'd bought whatever sugar's cheapest on the shelf. But this was an experience. 

It has actual flavor, slightly like molasses but very delicate, and it makes a real difference. Also this one is fair trade, always a good thing when it comes to commodities like sugar and cocoa, with a history of oppression. Anyway, this Misfits mistake was very much in my favor. I studied it and now I know a good bit more about sugar than I did.

And the blancmange, just a cornstarch pudding, was cheering.

Later today Tea and Textiles, I must make sure I'm registered right now. If it's good, I'll report back.

Meanwhile the doll is presenting a new question. She's not really keen on the proposed embroidered dress, so we may have high level discussions about it. 

She's not so Elizabethan in character as she develops, much more modern. More like a 1920s reporter than a  1520s courtier.  Maybe a change in style from the floofy idea I had is called for.  So I have to stay flexible, not insist on my first idea. This is where art can be hard, where you're forced to think again when you already had a plan. Stay tuned.

Pesky villain, ahoy

 Here's the latest deadly pest in our agricultural state. The spotted lanternfly. Hitchhiker from Asia and  destructive to trees and shrubs which it chews up and destroys. In the process, it makes a sweet sticky substance which creates mold as well, another crop destroyer.

This one showed up yesterday on my front door screen. Maybe planning to move in. I studied him, identified him online, and studied what to do about him. 

Meanwhile I had taken a rather blurry picture. Which turns out to be good, because he flew away. And the advice sites were all about poisoning him, ew.

He's a handsome feller, natty polka dot spotted suit, red dots on his sides. A villain nonetheless.

Today I went to the NJ ag website and they're on it. A form to fill out, an adjustable map of where I spotted (!) it, which recorded the exact longitude and latitude as I aimed it. A place for a picture, yay, did that, the one you see, good enough for experts to recognize anyway.

Turns out several counties are already quarantining, however they do that, and don't need a report. Mine isn't one of them, so it means I'm reporting a spread.

Then a nice thank you after I'd uploaded the info, noting that it had been recorded. Good. Done my good deed. I feel so powerful.

After a strenuous morning pulling out ground cover and hauling it away, my other good deed. The weather's beautiful for this. And I'm so thankful I'm able to do it.

This afternoon I'm planning on  lying reading outside. Not available for insect spying or ground clearing. Just reading something light, probably David Rosenfelt, who has been accompanying my stitching the last couple of days.

Lovely summer reading, light and funny and the good guys win, clearly, as Oscar said, a work of fiction.

And drinking tea and maybe there'll be a biscuit and cherry jam.

Art doll, roast tatties, jam and biscuits

Today was surprisingly productive. Early outside, yanking out another section of ground cover, then I moved the ficus, now eight feet tall and rooted in, to the deck, harvested the potatoes, roasted a couple of them as french fries with a fried egg for lunch, baked a batch of wholewheat, walnut, golden raisin biscuits, made a little batch of cherry jam, worked on the doll, conferred with neighbor panicking about the fence project, entertained Handsome Son with biscuits and cherry jam, plum crumble and tea. 

And then it was now. Then I sat down.

And here's the doll now acting like a lady looking for the waiter with her cocktail, a Pink Lady. She has legs. And isn't afraid to use them.

And here are the jam and biscuits

And the roast french fries

This was a good day on all fronts.

Tattie liftin'

August brings the potato harvest. Since I'm clearing the patio for the fence, I decided not to wait on the potatoes. The foliage looked wilted enough to be ready, and I wanted them out of harm's way. Contractors have big boots and need all the room I can give them.

So here's the story

They're yellow potatoes, like Yukon gold, and I grew them from peelings.

Next to steam and butter some for lunch. 

Farming's the life!

Swallowtail butterfly and Doll, Continued

Yesterday was cooler and I was able to sit out and read, also notice a mass of activity in the butterfly bush next to me. Many bees of different species, a hummingbird clearwing, the regular monarch and the second sighting this year of a tiger swallowtail butterfly. 

This year's been very poor for butterflies. Normally we see quite a few species routinely. This year almost none. I hope they're flourishing somewhere. They may have been blown off their usual paths by storms.

And the current doll now has arms so she can direct the activity as I make legs for her. I've inserted wire rather than pipe cleaners, and I like it better for posing. I ran it into the shoulders, for better effect, as you see. 

Soon I'll add clothes. I already have the next doll in mind. Each one opens the way to the next, by getting some needs accomplished, so I can move on.