Rough Seas

I had to post this video of some Newfoundland ships in some high seas. The song is Jolly Roving Tar by the Fables; they recordered it before Great Big Sea did. This is a really nice video!

Long Draw Spinning

I found this video over on YouTube that shows longdraw spinning. From the way mom has described Nan spinning, it sounds like this is what she did.


I don't know what I'd do without YouTube; it seems like anytime I want to see how someone does something I can find a video. I am getting really excited about the wheel now! I can't wait til I have enough hand spun to knit a hat or scarf! I have the Newfoundland heritage fleece that Siobhan bought for me in the early fall all carded and combed and ready to go! The fleece I'm working on now isn't nearly as nice, although I will spin it too. I may dye some of it today or tomorrow, I'd like to dye some roving and then maybe mix 2 colors like blue and green or maybe a light and dark of the same shade. I don't necessarily want to spin 2 separate strands and then ply them; I want it to mix as part of the same piece of roving. I'd like to be able to dye anything the way I want instead of having to buy prepared roving which is so much more expensive.
I have to go to the dentist today. I'll be glad when we have all this stuff finished!

Back to the Fiber Arts

We watched the Dallas/Minnesota game at Chris and Richard's yesterday and I crocheted a pretty piece of edging from a fingering weight yarn I bought at Wool and Co. last summer. I'm going to crochet another piece the same size while I am at the dentist with Sio today; she's having a really bad time with one of her wisdom teeth. Anyway, I amd going to sew the lace to the ends of a piece of black wool I have and use it for a shawl. I also got some more of my fleece carded. After talking it over with John I'm going to order my spinning wheel probably the last week of January. It would be nice to think that I could get it all carded and maybe even some of it dyed before the wheel gets here but that probably won't happen. I am going to bid on some new cards on E-bay this week and if I don't win those there is a buy-it-now for $40. Gary was at Chris' and he and Chris were pretty interested in the carding process. Gary said he might need to know how to do it when Armageddon happens in 2012.
On another subject, here is one of my favorite videos with Mary Kennedy. It is Puirt a Beul, which translated means "mouth music". It's from the Tranatlantic Sessions which were done a few years ago.

Is it March Yet?

Ok, I was wandering around youtube today and I found this video from the GBS show in Glen Ellyn. Right around the 57 second mark you hear someone yelling "We love you Murray!", followed by Sean and Alan's impromptu song. The person who yelled is my lovely daughter Siobhan, who was extremely enthusiastic. The video isn't the best quality, but I just had to post it anyway. After some thought, we have decided that we are going to buy tickets for the Saturday, March 20th show first, and then if finances permit we are also going to get tickets for Fridays show as well. It occured to me yesterday that starting with my birthday on the 7th of March, and ending on the 20th there will be a lot of celebrating going on. I promised Chris that he would get St. Paddys Day this year because I kind of wimped out at the Halfway to St. Paddys Day this past September. I am so looking forward to this; it's going to be way better than Christmas! Is it March yet?

Christmas outfit and other stuff

I took Josette over to moms today and took pics of her in her Christmas dress. This is Robe Tallieur from 1918. The under dress is a simple sleevless A-line made from a cotton with diamonds in a shiny thread woven in. The outer jacket is made from a dark red raw silk and I used the scallop stitch on my machine to finish all the edges. The outfit is finished off with a black silk ribbon belt that ties in back. This is not my favorite dress that I've made for my Bleu, but I do like it. The under dress pattern was a bit big when made from the pattern as printed in Le Semaine De Suzette, I had to take it in quite a bit. Other than that it fit pretty well.

The white blouse is 1911's Guimpe Brodee. I used a different embroidery pattern on the yoke than was printed in that edition of the magazine. It is made from plain white cotton muslin and is gathered into the yoke and at the waist. Poor little girl has nothing to waer this with and so has to model in her underwear! I may make her a jumper or something to wear this with later on.

I was talking to a friend yesterday and relized I haven't really done a lot lately except for Carla's hanky quilt and the doll clothes. I started looking at quilt pictures yesterday and found this red and white one from the 1890's. Instead of a solid red with white I am doing all the reds in scrap. I have the center panel almost finished and I just started it yesterday. I figured the math and it will finish about 66"x76" which will be ok for a full or an extra quilt for company. If I get the top done quickly I might hand quilt it.

Paula's needlework and Music blog

Ok, I should change the name of this blog to Paulas Needlework and Music or something. Anyway, here's a top notch video of my current favorite Foo Fighters video, Let It Die. Youtube cannot do justice to the opening guitar for this song; it's essential to listen in stereo with volume fully cranked. But here it is from youtube, such as it is:


I know I've written before in this blog how I have to agree with Rich's comment that, as tragic as it might have been, if Kurt Cobain hadn't died the real talent of Nirvana may have never been realized. Song's like this just reinforce that view. Chris also pointed out how Hole came out of that too, although Courtney was already involved with her band before Kurts death. Anyway, looking back from many years later,I wonder would alternative music have broken into the mainstream they way it did with out Nirvana? There were other really good bands that came out of that whole Seattle scene; Pearl Jam and Soundgarden being just 2 of my favorites and both of them, in my opinion, better bands then Nirvana ever was. Chris has said that he thinks it's a terrible thing that Nirvana will be the band that his generation is connected with, and I have to agree with him. Not that I'm trashing Nirvana; they were a good band, it's just they weren't the best.

Another Bleu Dress

This is one of my favorite little dresses for Josette, it is the school apron from La Semaine De Suzette originally printed in 1906. I made it in a dark teal cotton with tiny little black designs and black collar, belt and hem band. Little girls would have school aprons in darker colors so as not to show the ink and other stains that might have gotten on their clothes. I have Josette standing in front of the wooden table and chair that I found at the thrift store last week for $3 for both pieces! I am slowly building up props and toys for her. The temporary table cloth is a vintage hankie. I want to make an embroidered one for her using colors from the tea set Melissa got in Mexico. I think that will be my sewing project while I am at moms doing laundry later this week. I'll probably work on it in the evenings too if I watch any tv this week.
I am working on a snowman quilt for Sio so I'm going to keep working on that today. I'd like to get it done by the end of the month. She doesn't want any fancy quilting, just straight lines. I don't have a fabric for the borders; I'm thinking of ordering a snowflake print.
On another subject, Great Big Sea is coming back to House of Blues in March. I am so ambivalent about that place. I really don't think the sound is that good, and last year the staff was very rude. I know I'll break down and go anyway, it just pisses me off. If I have another bad staff experience I am going to write a letter to the corporate office and complain.

Christmas Bleuette

I haven't blogged in so long! This year I am going to try and keep more on posting things I've made. In line with that, here are a couple of pictures of my Bleuette, Mademoiselle Josette. Melissa went to Mexico just a couple of months ago and she brought back some Christmas presents for her "little sister", and I made her a few. The little tea set, stuffed sheep and set of green bowls are from Melissa; the little stuffed dog, the cape and hat, lingerie bag, little work basket and the robe were all made by me.I don't have a picture to post of her in her Christmas dress, but I will dress her in it and take one soon.

I have had some nasty dental work in the last week and while I was recovering I made the light blue dress using a pattern I bought from a lady on e-bay. The length of the dress and the design is ok, but the arm holes are a bit snug. I tried the dress on her before I set the sleeves in because it looked like it might be a snug fit. I ended up making the underarm a little deeper and it looked like it would be enough but it wasn't quite. It still looks ok, but I think I'll try it again before too long and alter the underarm just a bit more. All the lace on the dress is vintage. I am going to limit my doll sewing for a bit now though; Carla and I are going to try and make some bags together, plus I am working on a quilt for Siobhan. I think what I'm going to do is make up a bag with pattern(s), fabrics, trims, needles and matching thread and keep it handy and then only work on doll clothes when I am spending the day at moms doing laundry.