Yesterday Revisited

Well, I have to say that yesterdays post was one of the most depressed I've ever written, and while I see things as being pretty dire maybe it isn't that bad. I mean, there are things that can be done, but there is an urgency about it that I'm not sure most people recognize. John and I were talking about it and he said that while there is a point of no return of course we need to do things before we reach that point. I've said again and again it's better if we change because we want to rather than because we have to or we are made to. Rationing is on it's way, and so are things like bans on certain products as well as things being a lot less available and a lot more expensive, especially food. I don't think people really connect the energy problems and global warming with what could very likely be massive food shortages. And to think at this point that the markets will fix the problems is just insane. We are on the verge of a worldwide economic collapse that is going to make the Great Depression look like a picnic. And it will take a long time and a huge rethinking before we can climb out of it, if we ever do. Life will be very different in the future and while I don't think that I will feel the absolute rock bottom in my lifetime, it will begin really changing within 5 years. I would have to say that for the next couple years the only real difference we'll see will be the continued rising fuel prices which we're already seeing, as far as the oil shortage goes; but it can get a lot more dire in the case of global warming. I guess the most important thing is to keep telling people, and letting then know what things they can do about it.

On another subject entirely, I have sewn a bit for Etsy and the craft shows, although I have to confess I really haven't been into it a lot. Anyway, I did make a couple of bags and here are pics of one of them.

In a Funk

I've sort of been in a funk lately. I made a couple of bags, and I have this craft show this coming Saturday, but I just am uninterested in the whole thing lately. ASPO had their meeting in Houston, and the news coming out of it is not good. There's actually a great article over at the Guardian that I read this morning: http://www.guardian.co.uk/oil/story/0,,2196435,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront. The Oil Drum is covering the ASPO conference: http://www.theoildrum.com/ The thing is we seem to be so wrapped up in the political cycle here in the US that nobody seems to notice that with the dire predictions that are increasingly becoming true that are coming out of the energy sector, it doesn't matter who sits in the White House, unless that person is willing to make themselves very unpopular by instituting severe rationing of gas. The way of life that we know is quickly going to become extinct. And most people don't realize how bad it's going to get. I had a lady on Saturday who was making fleece blankets and she wanted a separate plastic bag for each blanket so she wouldn't forget what went with what. She was making 3 blankets and she was willing to cause more harm to the environment because she couldn't remember what went where. She's a fucking idiot, just like 80% of the people who I run across everyday at work. People don't seem to get the fact that we may very well be at the end of human existence and that we have no one to blame but ourselves. We have fucked up the only place we have to live to the point where it's on the verge of no longer being able to support us. We have driven ourselves to the point of extinction, and taken something like 2/3rd's of the other life forms that were here with us. What kind of crazy species does that? I am past the point of hope, I used to believe that the human race was resourceful and we could come up with the solutions for all our problems. I used to believe in God, too, but I don't anymore. At least not today. Maybe not ever again. If there ever was a God he deserted us long ago.

Robert Hirsch Interview

This is an excellent interview with Robert Hirsch where he talks about Peak Oil and how that relates to a peak economy. He also talks about possible solutions to the problem. http://www.davidstrahan.com/blog/?p=63
I have to say that I haven't been thinking a lot about the problem lately anyway. It's just so huge that I have to step back and just leave it alone for awhile. John is pretty wrapped up in politics, and I admit that I get that way too, especially in the current climate of less and less respect for the Constitution by the current administration, but when it comes right down to it, in the long run it doesn't matter. Whoever is in office, as oil declines, along with our economy and all the resultant ways we live because of it, control of the general populace will be ramped up, at least at first, as long as the resources exist for the federal gov't to keep that control. Eventually that will end, too, and it will come down to a much smaller level. Hopefully we can make the transition to a much simpler lifestyle on a much more local level with a minimum of violence; however I don't see that as being possible. When global warming is thrown in and the fact that we are using the resources we have left to drive fucking SUV's to Wal-Mart to buy stupid stuff we don't need that was shipped here from China using more of those resources instead of trying to ration what we have left to help come up with solutions to both problems, we are well and trully fucked. I believe we may be at the end of the human race; we're driving ourselves with our SUV's right to the exit sign: Extinction 2 miles. I would like to believe that there are enough sane people to get us on the right track, but I don't know. I guess I'm just in a real funk. I know it's awful but it's just easier to pretend the whole thing doesn't exist. I can take my reusable shopping bags to the grocery store, and tell John to walk to the store to get smokes and pretend like that's enough. I just don't have enough in me right now to do anything else.

Sewing Expo and Coldplay

I spent the last two days at the Sewing and Quilt expo at Pheasant Run in St Charles. Hancock has a booth and I've been working it with Joan. It's been fun but very tiring. I haven't had a lot of time to walk around but I'm taking an hour tomorrow. It's not a bad thing because I haven't spent any money either. I ran the register for awhile yesterday and then played with the yo yo maker which is very neat and I will be buying one. I can see making a yo yo quilt over the winter while it's so cold. I also really want to take the time to look at the different patterns out there, too. There are a lot of different patterns at the show that I never see because they are just small companies. I saw a few but tomorrow I really want to look around. Holly is coming too, she is giving me a ride. It's really cool and I'm glad I was asked to work it, although John and I have not had much time together the last couple of days. He worked til 6 last night and still got home before me.
I've been listening to a lot of Coldplay lately. I kind of resisted them for years, but Clocks is such a good song! I have to say that they sound a LOT like U2, especially in that particular song. The first thing I ever remember hearing by them was Yellow and I just did not like it at all. Speed of Sound is good, Beautiful World is good, Talk is good; there are just a lot of good songs. They are a bit mellower than what I've been listening to the last few weeks; I've been on a steady diet of Flyleaf, Soundgarden, Foofighters,etc. and this is a nice change, much more conducive to meditation. I have been really thinking about the whole life in tension and how it's such a balancing act between what's ethically and morally right and what I just have to do to keep things going. I really believe that I won't have a job much longer or else I might quit soon. The one thing that keeps me at Hancock is the people that I work with, I really do like them a lot and so I just hang on. I'm thinking they may wait to close our store til after Christmas, but maybe not. We'll see.
Jimmy wrote an excellent post on rock and roll saving the soul on Oct 9th, I just read it today:
http://jimmydumpssunnyjimmy.blogspot.com/ I have to agree with him, music, not just rock, but music in general has inspired me to reach for some of my higher ideals, as well as being an inspiration to a lot of the stuff I create. I can't imagine a world without music, one of the things that I think would be the worse if we really do enter an era of way less energy will be the loss of electric music, most specifically rock music. I don't believe that humans will stop making music; I think that one of the first things the first cave man did was beat a stick on a hollow log to make the first rhythm, and some other cave man or woman found themselves naturally swaying to that rhythm. But we would loose so much, a whole type of music if we didn't have the power to use the electric instruments we use today.

Christmas for the Troops

Kathy from Bernina brought in a pattern from http://www.osotil.org/ They are collecting things to send to the troops in Iraq for Christmas, and they also need stockings to put the stuff in. I made these 5 in just over an hour this morning, and I'm going to make some more. Irene wants to help so I am going to let her cut some more out for me. I also printed up the list of items they need and am going to see if John and Chris will take it to work and maybe collect stuff. I'm going to give it to Sio too, maybe Chris' mom would like to collect some stuff. It's not much, but maybe it will give one of those young men or women a bit happier Christmas.

Craft show sewing

I have four shows coming up, which is why I haven't done much posting. The first one is Oct 6; I actually have to work that day, but Holly said she'd bring my stuff anyway. I have been making little cosmetic bags and tissue holders. I think they are nice and are a good size, too. The bags have a quilted bottom so they are a bit sturdier and will stand up. I have a lot of them made, I am selling tham as a set for $10. I might make some individual bags a bit bigger too, and maybe sell them for $7 or $8 each. Anyway, here's pics of the first 2 sets I made; I really like the black and white one.

Cooler Weather

We have had a bit cooler weather the last couple of days, there is a definite hint of fall in the air. Irene turned the heat on yesterday morning, and it is on again this morning. I stepped out the door and it's a bit chilly. I love fall, it's my favorite time of year. I love the colors and the smells and snuggling under an extra quilt at night. And I love the prelude to the holidays. There is so much preparation and anticipation; cooking and baking and making gifts and knowing that Melissa and Gregory will be home and we will all be together. Irene is looking forward to having a tree and Christmas in this house; last year we thought this house would be sold and she would be at Gloria's or in her own apartment. Now, instead, we have many more holidays to look forward to in this house. She told John she never wants to leave here, and she never will if we can help it.
Siobhan mentioned wanting to start baking cookies last night; I told her it's a bit too early but we will soon. Maybe the first week or so in October. I have been doing so well on my diet that I really have to watch the whole cookie making thing. I can eat half a dozen without even thinking twice.
John and I had a nice afternoon and evening yesterday. He came home early to take Irene to her dr's appt and while she was there we went to Naperville River walk and just sat in the grass talking and watching people feed ducks. After we dropped her off we went and got dinner at Portillos and sat in Salt Creek Park and ate it. While we were there 6 deer came walking out of the woods. They kind of watched us but they really weren't very scared. They just kind of sauntered up the edge of the forest til they were so far back we couldn't see them anymore. It was very cool. One was a bit bigger than the others so it might have been a male, although he didn't have any antlers. I don't know when they grow antlers and when they shed them so I'm not sure. After we came home John came down into my domain and we sat down here for another hour and just talked. It was a very pleasant day, and we need to do it more often. We want to finish fixing up the tv area down here so he or I or whoever can come down and watch whatever they want on tv. We still don't have cable here. We were dissatisfied enough with Comcast in the last year we had them that I'm not sure we want to go with them again.

Wool for Nfld. scene rug

I started dyeing wool yesterday for a new rug; I haven't done any dyeing since we moved, so it was time.I'm not sure exactly what the scene will be yet, I may design my own or I might buy a pattern from Deanne Fitzpatrick; she has a wonderful pattern of 2 Cape Islanders and a couple of houses and some nice hills. I have my water and sky colors dyed, and I dyed a pretty gold piece for a house. After it was dyed and out of the dyepot, I added some more gold dye and a red piece of wool. I wanted to tone the red down a bit, so I could use it for a barn or outbuilding or even another house. Well it bled; I knew it was going to because it bled when I rinsed it out, so I threw another piece of cream wool in the pot and as bonus I got a pretty orange shade that I can use some other time. I may dye a piece a bit darker blue to add to the water colors, but I might have a piece already so I'm going to look for it. I want to dye some hill/ground colors some autumn tones; maybe some golds, tans and light reds; I can mix them in with the greens and add a touch of fall to my picture. I wish I hadn't dyed all the roving; I could use a bit here and there to fluff out clouds.

Needlework accessories and bag keepers

This is what I been up to the last couple of days. I finished the 2nd bagkeeper, I was playing around with a smaller size and it's a little too small. I like the embroidery though, and the yoyo adds a nice touch. I really like the owl one, I am probably listing it on Etsy today.

The pincushion was easy and fun. I still have tons of 6 inch squares from my friends downsizing her stash, and they are perfect to cut a circle from. The bottom circle is pink wool I dyed, although I forgot to take a picture of it. There is an excellent tutorial for it here: http://whipup.net/2006/03/01/stickin-it-to-the-pincushion/

The needlebook is foundation pieced; I saved the pattern in my files as a pdf. file; the link is here: http://www.nmia.com/~mgdesign/qor/freepatterns/cqneedlecase/needlecase.html I made a check book cover from this pattern too, it's the perfect size for that.

Storms and floods

I haven't posted in the last week because I have been cleaning up after the intense storms we had here last Thursday. I was out with mom, Carla and Sio when the first one hit, we were having a late lunch. The power flickered in the restaurant a couple of times but never went out, but the rain was blowing sideways. I can't remember a storm like that in years, it was pretty scary. By the time we finished lunch, it was over, so we took mom to the grocery store. The power had been out there but was back on, Carla kept trying to call Jimmy and Rich, but all the circuits were busy. Sio finally reached her Chris who said it had been pretty bad by their house, and part of a tree had come down on the hot tub room. Their power was out, too. Carla finally reached Rich, who said the power was out up Main Street, and there were a lot of trees down. He suggested that we go home on all the back streets, stay off of Roosevelt, Main and Westmore. I tried to reach John, but couldn't. It wasn't til we got about 6 blocks from the grocery store that we began to realize how bad the storm actually had been. There were trees and branches down all over the place, no one had power and some of the power lines had been taken down by trees. Some of the streets were just not passable. We stopped at Jimmys mom on the way to make sure they were ok, she and Kevin were outside, and they were ok but there street was blocked by a tree. We saw several houses that had trees and/or big branches that had fallen on them. Carla drove by Chris and Sio's on the way here, and there maple was leaning against the hot tub room with part on the roof. Chris had already been up there and said he didn't think anything was damaged. We came here next, and John was sitting on the front porch. A third of the 55 year old maple was down and filling up the side yard; it had taken out my clothes line, and the garden. It bent the fence, and was on the power line but didn't actually break it. If it had been a foot further to the left it would have hit the house. John had already been out looking for us to make sure we were all ok; he said there was a car over by Rich's work that was squished from a tree, I saw it later and it was squished.Thank God no one was in it. Anyway, we got our power back in about 18 hours, but mom, Rich and Chris, and Sio didn't get theirs back til Saturday night. Because the sump pumps stopped, we ended up with an inch of water in the front part of the basement. I'm so glad I took the back part for my sewing room! None of that stuff got wet. Chris and Sio had water too.Anyway, the kids came over and cut the tree up and we have a lot of firewood. As soon as we have a chance we are taking them all out to dinner, maybe next week.

Owl embroidery

I finished the owl this morning, I think it came out very nice, very reminiscent of the 70's. I was originally planning a bag, but I might make something else instead. He would be equally cute as a kitchen accessory; maybe the center of a small quilted table topper , a pot holder or as part of one of those plastic bag holders although I'd like to discourage the use of plastic bags. I'm going to look through all my pictures and patterns and see. Maybe a tea cozy, those are cute.

I broke down and listed the apple tote bag; I really think it's cute and I hope it sells quick or else I'll be tempted to keep it when the listing expires.

Sewing and gardening

I made this bag for Etsy last week and I like it so much I still haven't listed it. The pocket is made from a vintage tablecloth I got at Salvation Army. I took pics of it hanging on the clothesline and they really aren't very good. Maybe I did that on purpose so I have yet another excuse not to list it? I did sell a corduroy bag with a patchwork flap a couple of days ago.

I also went next door to see what was going on with the cucumber vine that's growing across the fence. No one has lived over there for months, it's apparently been foreclosd on and the bank has it up for sale. Anyway, I have gone over there a couple of times to pull weeds that are growing through the fence and to pick some of the cherry tomatoes that are growing through the fence. While I was over there I looked to see if there were any cucumbers and right up against the fence hiding partly under some leaves was the biggest cucumber I've had this year. It's almost 12 inches long, and really big around. I don't know how I managed to miss it. I also have some ripe peppers and my regular tomatoes are very good, too, and I have quite a few of them. I wish I had planted plum tomatoes because I want to make sun dried tomatoes.

I am making doll clothes for the Christmas show at work, I have practically every doll clothes pattern out there, plus a bunch of out of print ones. I can take them to the craft shows and maybe sell them with my other stuff.

Craft shows and miscellanea

I have been making reusable Christmas gift bags for the two shows I have coming up in October. I think they will sell pretty well this year as more and more people realize the importance of no longer filling our landfills with waste that takes forever to break down. I need to make a bit on them but not a lot, and I'm thinking of donating a dollar or two from every purchase to a charity like the Climate Crisis Coalition. I can sell 4 bags for $10 or $12, depending on the size and donate $2. Anyway, the sewing of them is really easy, I can make 4 in just about an hour, I made 12 this past Friday. I can get an average of 6 bags from a yard of fabric. I also started a crocheted baby blanket for my Etsy store. It's like a huge granny square, I'll take a picture when I'm done.
Sio and Chris came back from Disney yesterday and brought me a sailboat necklace. The sails are made from dyed shell. It's really pretty, I like it a lot. They had a good time. I am going to see her later at mom's. I have to bring over some tomatoes, we have way more than we can eat.

Colonial era costuming 2

Well, here is the pic of me wearing the costume. I don't know why the picture went on twice and I can't figure out how to delete one. Oh well. Anyway, the corset is a bit too big in the bust area, so I'll have to do some alterations before I wear it. The skirt is one from a different costume but it looks fine. I am going to make the other skirt today and then I can use the tan one for a petticoat or I also have a lighter maroon skirt that could serve the same purpose. The shawl is in the pattern and since I am making this as a model garment I went ahead and made it too, I used a homespun looking plaid. I think for the demo I am going to go ahead and knit a shawl. One out of black wool would be nice, but since it wouldn't be washable I'm thinking maybe an acrylic. Or maybe a blend, we have Lion brands Wool-Ease at work. I also made the cap, I had to do a few adjustments but it fits now. I just am not crazy about it and I probably won't wear it.

I have been going through my costume stuff from before and I have nice collection. I pulled out my hemp boned corset I made a few years ago, it's a bit too small but with much tugging and pulling on strings I think I could still wear it. It doesn't have straps, but I could add some. The one thing I really like about the McCalls one is the straps. I have a navy wool skirt that is almost finished, a shirt I've done some blackwork on, and a plaid wrap. Very Scottish looking, and I could wear that instead. Or it could be remade for someone else who wants to dress up. I have several lightly boned bodices, a brown velvet one, a brown corduroy one that I lined with blue cotton, and a gold one made with a drapery fabric.

I have decided to leave the brown fabric as it is and try to work around the flaws. However since I have this dyebath I made from the black walnuts that is a very dark brown, and a nice piece of hemp linen, I am going to dye it instead. It may become an apron, or even another boned corset since I really like making them and haven't perfected the sewing techniques yet.

Hemp Boned Corset

Well the corset is finished, except for a couple of ribbon ties which were supposed to be brown but I didn't have enough ribbon so the straps in back are laced on with maroon satin ribbon. I wanted to show step by step how I made it, but I lent the camera to Melissa and Gregory when they were here and I couldn't get over to Rich and Chris' to pick up the other one. Mildred is much smaller than I am so I had to fold and pin the corset in place, the back looks a bit weird because of that. When John comes home I'm going to have him help me get into it and see how it fits and take another couple of pictures. It fit ok during construction so I'm thinking the finished one should be fine. I wanted to boil my black walnuts today and get a nice dye stock for the skirt fabric, but I'm not sure what to use to dye 3 1/2 yds. of 60" wide fabric and be able to apply heat. If I had a huge pot I might be able to rig something up on the barbeque grill, but I don't. Joan suggested a big metal garbage can, but I don't even know if you can buy those anymore. Since black walnuts really stain hands so much maybe I wouldn't need boiling water. I wonder if I could just pour the boiling dye bath into hot water from the tap and then put the fabric in and just soak it for a couple of hours or so. As long as I stir it a lot I'll get even color. It won't be colorfast, but that shouldn't matter for this event. My only concern is that it will be hanging in the store for a couple of months and I wonder if fading will become an issue. I am actually getting pretty excited about doing this whole thing, I think it will be fun to dress up and demo for the day, and I know enough about my family history that I can be a charachter from my own past. Anne Newells mother, Francis Moore was baptised in St. Pauls in Harbour Grace in I think 1745, although I'd have to check my records to be sure about the date. When she was my age she would have been a little out of date with this style of clothing, but I can just pretend I'm a bit younger and it'll be ok. She married John Newell and moved to Brigus where she had 3 children that I have been able to trace,Charlotte, who is my great great, great great Aunt, she married a Penney whose name I can't remember, it could have been Thomas, anyway, he was the grandfather of the Penney who is my great great great grandmother. Then there was John Newell, named after his father, I suspect he may be related to Glenda; I can't remember right offhand who he married; and Anne who married Ambrose Sparks sometime before 1801, maybe 1799 or 1800. Anyway, I know the most about Francis and the dates work out about right.

Colonial era costuming

It turns out that we need 5 costumes at work by the 9th of August, so I volunteered to make one. Since we are still planning on doing our traditional craft demos in Sept. in costume, I decided to make something I could wear. McCalls has an excellent pattern from that era, M4863, that has a skirt, tabbed corset, undergown, cap and shawl. Since I already have several chemises, I am making everything except the undergown. I looked over on the McCalls site and did not see a link to the costume, so later on I'll take a pic of the envelope and post it. The corset is covered with topstitching lines that are 3/8 of an inch apart, but only the sides, center front and center back have boning. I am using all those lovely channels and inserting hemp cording which should make it fit well and give it a lot of shape. I've had some experience with hemp boning before and it's wonderful as long as it isn't super hot and humid. I'm thinking that I should be ok at the end of Sept. I'm posting pics of the chemise from a couple of years ago, as well as 2 of the side pieces from the corset. I have 5 pieces sewn and corded, and there are 15 not counting the tabs. I am using a dark reddish brown for the bodice, and a medium brown for

the skirt. The skirt fabric was on the cheap sportswear table and has some slight flaws where it's faded and there is a slight line running through it, but it is 100% cotton which is the important thing. I was originally planning on redyeing it useing the black walnuts from the tree here, but I don't think I have a pot big enough. I might be able to do it in pieces, but I don't think I could get consistent results. If I can find a big enough pot I could maybe put it on the barbeque grill. If it doesn't work out I'll just use Procion or Dylon if don't have any brown in the Procions. I am also posting pics of the chemise, I made the buttons on the cuffs by covering wooden beads with embroidery floss. They are really easy and probably authentic to the period.

On another note, here's a link to http://www.goleft.tv/ I just found out about it yesterday when I was listening to the Thom Hartmann program on the radio. It is unabashedly left leaning. They are not trying to convert anyone to their view point, they are progressives and that's who they are trying to get on the site. They do a news cast every day that is an alternative to the mainstream media. I think I am going to add them to my sidebar links.

Melissa and Gregory are coming in tonight, they have a wedding in Madison on Sunday. We are having a family barbeque tomorrow before they leave to go up there, and Melissa will get to spin on my wheel. She can show me what I can do to get more even yarn.

This is an excellent thing to read

I read this article today over on the Energy Bulletin: http://energybulletin.net/32452.html
I liked it so much that I printed up a copy to throw in my bag and hand to someone if it seems that they might be open to reading it. There has been quite an ongoing discussion between John and I, and sometimes Chris or Siobhan, on what to do in the situation that we now find ourselves; which is watching the dismantling of the constitution by the current administion. My own particular action has been to write my senators and let them know that impeachment cannot be "off the table" as Nancy Pelosi has said it is. I also admire Cindy Sheehan's act of running against Nancy Pelosi. I do feel that the Democrats have not done what they were told to do by the American people. What I don't understand is how it's possible that the majority of the American people are not expressing thier outrage at the disregard this administration has for the constitution and the checks and balances that are supposed to be provided by the other two branches of government. People just don't seem to get it. It seems that as long as they are safe and can keep their own little corner with thier own little pile of stuff, they don't care that the very set of ideals and freedoms that originally allowed the people in this country to build it to what it is (or rather was just a few short years ago), is under attack by the very people whom we have the right to expect to protect those ideals! There is something very wrong here, and I'm afraid if we don't do something soon it may be too late. At what point do people get upset enough to do something? Is it when you can't travel more than 50 miles from your home without proper identification? Is it when there are curfews imposed? I know this sounds crazy, but there has to be some point where people are willing to fight back to regain the freedoms we have lost to King George and Co. If there isn't, will history look back and say that democracy was just one more failed experiment? I can't believe that, I won't believe it.

Good bye Mr Checkers

Our sweet little boy guinea pig, Mr Checkers, lost his battle with cancer today. He had one of the sweetest dispositions of all the guinea pigs Siobhan has bought or adopted. He was adopted from the pet store about 3 years ago; he had had an ear infection and Siobhan was happy to make him a part of her guinea pig family. He had a good life, and we were happy to be able to give that to him, although it was not long enough in our minds. It was hard to hold back the tears, even John broke down a little in the car. We will miss the sweet little boy.

Clothes pin bag

I told Siobhan I needed a bag to hold clothes pins and she came up with this cute little design. She designed it herself, knitted it in wool yarn and then felted it. I am adding a button so we can button it over the clothes line.

Diary reading and washing machines

I've been reading Martha Ballards diary; I first read Laura Thatcher Ulrich's book A Midwifes Tale years ago. It is diary excerpts and Ms Ulrichs knowledgeable commentary on those excerpts. Well the entire diary is online here: http://dohistory.org/home.html There are scanned images of the actual diary itself as well as a print edition. What really makes a connection for me is the very mundane way she states her life, and how she lived it. Washing, weaving, baking, planting her garden, collecting herbs and plants, and woven in with all the everyday chores is healing and delivering babies. She was called to dress a burn, treat a sore throat, deliver a baby. It's very fascinating reading, and it makes me think of my great grandmother, Josephine Youden whose picture is on this blog today. She raised 7 children without a husband, my great grandfather was lost at sea on the Southern Cross when my grandmother was just 3. She raised her children, baked, grew a garden, spun, knitted, made mats, worked part time in a store to supplement her income, and according to my mother, was a midwife. She practiced her craft just a bit over 100 years after Martha died, but it seems to me that there were probably quite a few similarities. From what I've heard about her, she seems to have been a remarkable woman and I have her picture in my sewing room where I do so many of my own activities. She is an inspiration and I wish I had been able to meet her. She died after I was born, but before I went to Nfld. the first time. If I were to say I felt a tie to any of the women in my past, she would be the one I felt most tied to. The other woman whom I would have liked to have known would have been Anne Newell; she married Ambrose Sparkes when he came over from England, and was the beginning of my mothers line of ancestors. While she didn't move far from her birthplace which was Brigus, actually it was just over the hill, it still couldn't have been easy beginning a new settlement. She had 2 daughters who would have been a help to her, had they lived, but she lost one at birth, and the other when she was just a toddler. She also lost a son when he was just a couple of days old. I feel a bit sorry for her, although her sister married a Penny, I think his name was John, and they settled in Bull Cove, too; she was probably welcome company.

In my own little mundane world, John finally got the washer hooked up, which is cause for celebration. I also have a clothes line, he hasn't tried to hook up the dryer yet. The thought of him doing that unnerves me just a bit, it's a gas dryer and I'm a bit scared he might blow the house up.Anyway, I washed this morning and by the time I got the clothes out it started looking like rain. I hung them out anyway, hopefully the rain will pass by. I think I am going to hang a line in the basement for this very thing.

Crazy quilt

Well now that I am settled in and have some room I decided to set up the quilt frame with Siobhan's quilt in it. I didn't get much done before because the hoop broke. It is so nice to be able to set the frame up and just leave it. I can move it against a wall when I'm not working on it.

I also found the piece of burlap I drew the mat I am going to hook next. The pics I took didn't come out that well, but they are ok. Since I don't have a hoop this is not something I plan on working on soon. I have plans for a mat frame made from 2x4's and eventually I'll have one of the guys build it for me. I'm not rushing though, I want to get the quilt top done in a few weeks. In the meantime I can plan and maybe start dyeing wool for the scrolls. I saw some done with a sort of reddish brown, and I might do that.

We have had several nice cucumbers from the garden, and the piggies have been eating the lettuce; I didn't pick it soon enough and it was kind of bitter but they like it. The cherry tomatoes are starting to turn red and the zuchinni are almost ripe too. We only had a few strawberries, next year I'll plant more. The bell peppers are starting to get big, too.

IEA study

Well, the IEA has come out with a study that says we are definitly headed for an energy crunch. There are articles on the Energy Bulletin, as well as a link to the pdf file of the actual report:http://energybulletin.net/31865.html Matt Simmons has some predictions to make about this summer and a gas crunch, they are here: http://energytechstocks.com/wp/?p=43

Still can't type in a title. That's pretty weird.

I made the sweetest pillowcase dress from a vintage pillowcase that was in the bunch of linens Joan gave me. They are the cutest little dresses, and so easy to make. I'd seen them before but never made one. I found directions on how to make them here: http://www.jenleheny.com/archives/158 The one I made was the 6 month length, but because the neck casing is the same regardless of size, it could be a top for an older child, say a size 2 toddler. It could also be made using fabric, and with different ties, it could be a big girls or even a teens sundress.I have some vintage fabric as well, so I may try one of those.

I don't know what's wrong with blogger today, it won't let me type in a title. Oh well, I guess it isn't important anyway.

I sat down to make a pillow today with some upholstery fabric I have and a pretty image of an angel I printed on fabric, and realized I can't find my big container of thread. I don't know if I actually put it in a box, it was just a plastic drawer full. I can't do much of anything with only a few colors of thread. I need cream or ecru and I don't seem to be able to find any. I listed a couple of pillows in my Etsy store and I wanted to make this one to list too. I have a lot of vintage/cottage style pillows from before. I don't know how they will do on Etsy, I think there tends to be a younger type of person on there, but I figured I'd give it a try. I really would like to get rid of them. I have a ton of vintage linens anyway, and I need to figure out a way to get rid of them. I'd like to make enough money so that going to Nfld. won't be an issue, and so I need to sew enough stuff to keep people interest in my shop. Plus make my costume. I'm about half finished with one of the blackwork ruffles, I'll take a picture when it's done.

Blackwork chemise and other stuff

I finished a leaf on my sleeve ruffle; it's difficult to work on any type of really close work with the lighting being what it is down in the basement. I'm not complaining, I love the amount of space I have, but the lighting is just not good. As soon as I can afford it I want to get some fluorescent lights down here; that's what was in the sewing area at Brandywine and it was much better than this. I did most of this leaf sitting outside before we went to see Heart on Tuesday, and then I finished it up this morning. I have been looking at some of the stuff I made before, and there is a nice doublet I made from a blue-grey cord. I lined it in gold cotton and bound all the edges with black cotton. The sleeves are open from the shoulder but can be pulled and fastened over undersleeves along the length. It's Elizabethan rather than early Tudor, but it definitely would pass as authentic, and although I don't think I need to be really concerned with authenticity for a demo at work, I'd at least like to show more than just a nodding acquaintance with it. I made a skirt to go with it but it looks more like a 19th cent. riding skirt and so I won't wear it. Anyway, the doublet is too big for me now and I'm trying to see if I could adjust it somehow because I really do like it.

Julie and Jason went to Heart, too, and we met up with them. Julie wants a white gauze skirt for when they get married again in Vegas and I'm going to make it for her.

Gaelic Storm is playing at the Irish festival downtown on the 15th, and I really want to go; I've missed them the last 2 times they were here. If you pre-buy tickets they are only $8 but John and Chris have been planning on going to Indiana to play in a hold 'em tournament for awhile. Richard and a couple of other people are going too. I don't see why they can't reschedule going to the tournament since they happen everyday of the week, and Gaelic Storm happens maybe once a year.

Heart

We just got back from seeing Heart at Naperville Ribfest, and they were really good. Not as good as the Doobie Bros last year, but they still kicked ass. They did almost all good stuff, the only song they did that I don't like was Dog and Butterfly. Anyway, I got some decent pics I am posting here.

Sewing Room

I finally found the camera cord! I am posting pics of the sewing room I am creating; it's still pretty much a mess but I'm working on it. It will still be a while before I have everything where I want it to be. I am also buying a long folding banquet table to sew on.

I also have posted a pic of the blackwork pattern I was thinking of using, it's the top one. I basted a piece of waste canvas to fabric and started it yesterday, but my eyes are not what they once were. I may have to do something else, or work over a larger count waste canvas.

I saw an excellent program on Peak Oil yesterday, it was run on regular TV in Ireland. http://www.rte.ie/tv/futureshock/av_20070618.html There were some surprising thing in it; one being that Dublin will soon be the size of LA, but with only 1/4 of the population; another that the Irish drive 30% more than Americans. It really was worth watching.

My computer is back! Yay! and some costuming thoughts

I finally have my computer up and running with internet and the printer hooked up! Yay! I really miss it when I can't use it; John's computer's ok, but I miss my stuff. Especially when I want to make something and I know I have something like it already on my hard drive. Unfortunately I still haven't found the camera cord, but Richard came back from San Antonio last night and said I could borrow back the old camera til I either find or buy a new one. If it was a standard USB cord it would be fine, but it isn't; it's a Fuji camera and one end has a much smaller plug than the other. Maybe later today we can swing by his house and pick it up; I'd like to see his pics anyway. He went to the Alamo and I think it would be a neat place to visit.
We have been talking about doing some kind of re-enactment at work showing different types of textile arts through the ages. I could bring the loom and spinning wheel, and the drop spindle; we could have some one doing embroidery and knitting, and it would be nice to do some sort of dyeing, although I don't think we could because we'd need some sort of heat source. I can't see the landlord allowing us to have a bonfire in the parking lot! I also found my cards for tablet weaving which would be excellent as a project. We could show people how to make the cards, and use that DMC crochet thread that never sells to do the actual weaving with. Anyway, if we do it in late Sept we could all come in costume and it would get people thinking of Halloween. We could all come in what ever era we feel comfortable in, although because of some SCA/Ren Faire costuming I just happen to have on hand a pretty complete mid-Tudor period wardrobe suitable for lower to lower middle class. A lot of the stuff could be altered to fit other people, especially some of the kids if they wanted to be part of it. I know from experience that costuming can get pretty expensive. I'm pretty excited about this, I haven't done any costuming in a long time and I'm making myself some thing new. I bought almost 9 yards of a red 100% cotton twill yesterday to make a gown, I have an underskirt to wear with it already, it's on a drawstring so it will still fit. I don't know if my blue hemp boned corset still fits or not, I'll try it on later today. I thought I had a chemise with straight long sleeves, but I don't, it has full sleeves, so I'll either take the sleeves out and put in new ones or make a whole new chemise. I actually have several chemises and shirts, but only one with a low square neck which is what I need for this gown. I am going to do blackwork on the sleeve ruffles and attach the ruffles to the chemise instead of to the gown. I also am going to remake my farthingale into more cone shape instead of the drum shaped one. Once I get the camera back from Rich I'll post pics as I get parts made.