freakin' friday

I'm convinced that this will be the fate of this telecommuter unless drastic action is taken immediately.

Until then, play with this .

I'm rounding up stuff for a studio day at Elizabeth's place tomorrow.

finishing touches

Sweetie's on post for the birds setting up housekeeping in the hedges.  I've decided to name this one "Rêver" - french for dreaming. 
I've been falling asleep listening to people speaking french in foreign films which leads to dreaming in french and I wake up wondering who and where I am.


It's perched on top a pile of white fabrics all destined for the dyepots at some point in the future. I'm headed to EB's studio this weekend for some fiber r&r - someone else's workspace is always a treat and a challenge for me. Some of these pieces will come along and be transformed.


I chose the bits of cloth for this piece as much for their texture and character as the colors - everything is very weavy and soft, easy to stitch. 

Appropriately,  I'm busy building a  small army of  french knots wandering in the streets and alleys. 
Each one says "You Are Here" but not in red.

Cusspot decanted

This is the first cusspot I ever made. I keep it with my hand stitching basket to capture thread ends rather throw them any old where which caused the early demise of my Hoover upright vacuum.

After a year, it was bulging at the seams. We had hellacious storms in the night with high winds, hail, lightning and threats of tornadoes all night. It went from 80 degrees at 11 pm last night to barely 50 degrees this morning but everything looks fresh scrubbed as if Winter was blasted away and Spring can finally get on with Summer.

I went out side and put all the clippings and snips in the shrubs around the property so they can become nesting material. We are aswarm with cardinals, eastern bluebirds and many other birds in this neighborhood all rioting around the property and setting up housekeeping.

small stitches and grand plans

I started this bit of embroidery last night during "Mildred Pierce" but I was too tired to get into it and it may languish. It's an odd little cartoon that I've had in my head for a while - I think the gesture comes originally from a H.Bosch painting, a pickpocket working the crowd.


Saturday JR and I met at HoAnn's to confab over the weight (not!) for the batting in her quilt and not arriving at a choice for backing fabric - there's plenty of time for that, and 50% coupons still unripe. I did have a couple to use up and went back yesterday and was compelled to by a pattern and two lengths of fabric intended for wearing.

After spending some time with the pattern instructions I'm tempted to email McCalls the meaning of the word "easy". I remain doubtful but having once upon a time replaced the engine in a 1963 Ford Fairlane, I think I can handle building a garment from cloth. As you can see, the quilt has affected my color sensibilities. My wardrobe tends to the "denim mudhen" spectrum so these will be a welcome change of pace.

a tiny snitch of blue

"She's In the Pink" is well underway. Making utility quilts in this manner is so satisfying, like spinning straw into gold. Bonus, setting aside the handwork for awhile is giving my aching paws a rest.

I spent my work shift using a frozen picnic coolie as a wrist rest while I moused about. Trying to tab my way through my work is pestiferous but necessary.

For you Idol watchers out there. do you think there is work for my son as a double? (Colin has long since gone clean shaven but needs a haircut even more badly)