Transformation of a Simple Curtain

When we updated our kitchen the downstairs bathroom was included.  D refused to let me have the walls repainted because he didn't want my old, old stenciling covered.  The point is the bathroom has a split personality: stenciled walls, painted sky ceiling, and cherry cabinet, and quartz counter.  Hmmm, right?  

Wait, there's more; D hung the two New Orleans water colors in that bathroom (I am serious that we don't have very much wall space).  The old curtains were tossed, and recently we discovered that the bathroom window lets in sun that shines directly on French Quarter Notes.  A very not good thing.  So I said I'd make new curtains to cover that window.  It wasn't a big thing; the window is only 24.5" x 29.5".  I found a green batik in my stash that would do the trick for a single layer covering.  I wanted filtered light to make its way in.  Once up, that's the way it stayed for a week and a bit.

One day I walked in and saw that piece of fabric hanging in the window and thought that it needed something.   That's when I took it down, went upstairs, cut some free-hand shapes in colors I thought would work in the space (if one could overlook the walls and ceiling - hah!).  The fact that I didn't plan this and draw it out before even starting is a very big change for me.  Another sign of loosening up and getting freer. I sewed trees on the lower left and went downstairs and hung the curtain.

Another few days went by, and it looked stodgy which made me itchy.  I recognized I  needed to do more and loosen up with the colors, too.  So more trees for the upper right including a purple one.  Here's what I put up.  There are pins to form both the top rod pocket and the bottom hem as I hadn't had time to complete the job before the desire to see it in place overwhelmed the need to have a finished product.

Fascinating? No.  But I liked it.

For a while.

More Painterly Notes on Sam's Portrait

I want to reply to a comment made by E about the portrait of Sam, the black lab.  She didn't find my description about using watercolor and pastels in the same piece helpful so here goes.

E, if you remember, the paper I was using came from a pad designed for use with pastels.  To be fair to the manufacturer, I can't be certain I used the correct side of the paper (that's something I still need to get used to- that paper has a right and a wrong side).  The side that I did use had very regular honeycomb depressions.  When I stroked the pastel across the surface of the paper, the color stayed on the ridges forming the shape of the honeycomb, and little to no color got into the cup-like center of the honeycomb.  It makes sense.  The pastels, never used before, had a broad, smooth surface.  When rubbed over the paper, there was no way it could get into the tiny "cups".  The result was an area of obvious honeycombs with clear dimples. Horrible to me.  

Then I thought that the fluidity of watercolor would fill the "cup".  I started with Payne's Gray (the closest to black most water colorists use) on an area that would not be damaged with a solid dead black.  The paint did indeed fill the cup, and the shade of gray on the pure black of the pastel mingled to a new and exciting shade of dark.  So I started experimenting on a blank sheet of the pastel paper by laying down black pastel and using different water colors from the "black" in an inexpensive set all the way through to white also a color not usually used by water color professionals. As a result of those experiments, I wound up using blue-violet, indigo, green (I'm not sure which one), and both sienna and umber water color to create shadows.  For the highlights, both white paint and white pastels were used.

By painting over the pastels, I think the water in the paint caused the pastel "powder" (for lack of a better term) to flow into the cups while also taking on some of the pigment of the paint.  There were also major areas where I didn't use the paint at all.

In the interests of full disclosure, I also used metallic water color for the eyes and luminescent medium (adds sparkle with no color) for both the eyes and nose, archival ink and water color for the whiskers, archival ink for details of hair.  Black and white water colors are in my everyday palette, and I have no problem using them when I need to.

Because I was not sure water the mixture of paint and pastel would do, I did use a light coating of fixative to seal the pastel.

Finally, E, the photo did not include a red color (all that could be seen was a hint of metal that could have been the buckle of a dog tag).  The owner told me his collar was red and that she loved the way it looked on him so I painted it in.

Vagaries of Winter Weather or Pity the Poor Meteorologist

Will it; won't it?  Will the snow slam us, or will we be spared?  We are ready, but part of that readiness was a cancelled by instructor studio class and a cancelled by me quilt shop class.  Now with the uncertainty regarding the weather forecast, I am sorry those classes are now out of reach.

Oddly enough, I have started listening to a book that is set in Alaska, and if that weren't enough, at this point in the story it is winter in Alaska!  Any time I am inclined to whimper about winter (which isn't often), I'll have to remember the description of the wind as it is in that book!

Anyway, the up side of this down time, is that I was able to make the sample block of the guild's Block of the Month for February.  I really like this one and try to remember to post a photo after the guild's meeting.  While I'm glad I got that done, I'm even more happy to have gotten back to the curtain for the downstairs bathroom.

There's a photo on my phone that I forgot to upload today, and I haven't written about that curtain.  I think it's worth discussing so that will be the subject for tomorrow.

Knitting and Planning a Quilt

Guess I took the completion of one project to mean I could take a holiday from writing.  I have spent the intervening week taking another kind of break as well.  I haven't done any sewing - by hand or by machine - but I did knit.  The charcoal sweater is finished, and I blocked it today.  

It is a cardigan, and it is the first one I've made for an adult.  In a day or two, I'll be able to sew on the buttons above. I had laid the buttons out to find a pleasing order and put the heavy duty thread that I would need to use with them.  I intended to take a picture using my phone so I wouldn't lose the order if the table got bumped.  Then I noticed it made quite a pleasing picture for no special reason and so used a real camera!

While I didn't sew this week, I did join my art quilt group for something that turned out to be an amazing four hours.  I planned to sew the fore- and background together, and I asked for the opinions of the other women.  Carol suggested that I switch the two fabrics so I tried that and loved it!  Carolyn, however, wasn't so sure.  So we put it out on the floor and began talking, laughing, talking about designers, laughing some more, and previewing fabrics.  By the end of the day, I hadn't sewn a thing, and the plan for my quilt had happily been turned topsy-turvy.  

Keeping that last phrase in your mind, here is a photo of what I laid out on my floor when I came home.

You'll see that some fabrics were purchased on sale (on my way home) and still have tags on them.  You may even recognize that some are upholstery remnants from the depths of my crazy quilt bin.  In a wall hanging, one doesn't have to be quite so careful.

In this close up, you'll see things that you may think shouldn't be there.  That's why I took this photo; it gives me a way to see this "from an emotional distance".  Sometimes I get so excited about an idea that I lose perspective.  This helps.

Another thing that I find helpful is the real distance of time.  And that's what I gave myself this week. What I need to do this coming week is get to work on it!

History of a Painting

Painting a black dog doesn't seem difficult until you either look carefully at a black dog or look equally carefully at many photographs of black dogs.  Although some people may think that painting a dog of any color or any kind is difficult, and to that I'd say everything can be difficult. So here's a brief history of what I did in the hopes that writing about it will keep some of it in my mind for next time.

I looked at many photographs of labs because I've never owned one, and I needed to understand things like the shape of the skull, the length of the snout, the ears, mouth, body, legs . . . .  Even though I didn't paint the entire dog, I did have to understand what made the dog look as it did as it lay on the sofa (which was a plaid that I knew I wasn't going to put into the painting).

Then I had to think about the color of the dog - black.  Black has many different colors in it and reflects many different colors.  So how can I show the folds and shadows?   And how in heck can I paint a black-lab black.  

That's where the idea of using pastels came in. I knew I could get a more intense black with pastels.  Had I ever used pastels, no.  That's the way I do things, and it isn't always smart.  Thank heavens for Internet and YouTube both of which I used to figure out the best way to begin as it was midway between painting classes.  I purchased a pastel paper pad that had the gray color paper that I knew I wanted.  Note to self: check the quality of paper before buying it!  I didn't.  Hated the paper; the side I used (which may have been the wrong side - another note to self . . .) had honeycombs which meant that the pastels stayed on the raised ridges even when I rubbed the pastel across, up and down, diagonally, etc.  But the black was really dark - except for the centers!

Then I remembered a YouTube title that I had seen while trying to figure out to to use pastels with no points (I didn't want to waste them by rubbing the chalk against a surface until a point was made).  I could use watercolors, too.  That was the first rescue mission on this painting . . . 

And that's probably enough for tonight.

Bonus Earned from Practice

"Because of circumstances beyond my control . . . "  How many times have we come upon that phrase?  And it is true yet again.  Ah well. 

Instead of what I had planned to write tonight and cannot, I am going to follow a train of thought that began a few days ago.  And, of course, that's not wholly accurate because whispers of this thought have floated through my mind without being snagged and held still for examination for years. 

Self-confidence.  I mentioned that I found the self-confidence to believe that I could save the piece on which I was working, and I think I mentioned that I was surprised.  When I was a very young woman I had more confidence than I should have had.  At that time, art wasn't a usual subject in junior or high school, but I was lucky enough to have sculpture classes in a local museum for maybe two years.  That was the extent of my training.  

Very full of myself, I applied and was accepted to the art school at Syracuse University.  That's where I began to see that I was out of my depth.  The other students in my classes were far more gifted and had far more training than I.  I left at the end of that first year knowing that my hopes of creating great art while supporting myself as an illustrator were no more than pipe dreams.  Did I have talent?  Now I know that I did, but while I had an overweening sense of self, I had an "underweening"  sense of the value of practice and maturity.  

Anyway, for years my art consisted of the occasional drawing and doodles.  If I ran across a problem, I didn't know how to solve it.  Golly, I didn't even know how to find an answer!  Eventually, I realized that I had a child's facility that never matured.  Sad?  Yes, momentarily, but there were other things I thought I could do and do reasonably well.  So I was contented.

But after retirement, I found I still missed having a creative outlet.  From that time to now I've taken classes and have seen a gradual improvement in my work.  I'm still no more than an artist of minor talent and can accept that. It pleases me that I have had the experiences of the classes and the practice, but it absolutely delights me that it has all led to being confident about the talent I do have.

And writing about it makes it even more real.

"Signature Required"

It's been a wonderful day; the picture is signed and will be delivered tomorrow.  Tomorrow I will post the photo and write about its creation so I won't forget what worked and what didn't.

A Little of This and a Little of That

In a few more days if all goes as planned, I will be able to show the latest work that has kept me occupied the last couple of weeks.  Tomorrow I will take it in to the studio to see if I can sign it, and I'm feeling pretty good about it.  I do think I have saved it.

Then, now that the relative craziness of last week is over, I plan to pick up the latest "art quilt" project.  That will start by making some fabric - which, by the way, will be far less creative and interesting than it might sound.

In the meantime, since I haven't posted any interesting photographs in a while here's one of our breakfast fruit:

I had just washed the strawberries (which is why the leaves have been neatly pulled up) and cut  a few up for our morning oatmeal when I noticed the irregular pattern my choices had made.  The shape of this particular kind of strawberry has been fascinating me since we first purchased some this year.  Some almost look like radishes and some like . . . well, I don't know what.  But I do know they are very tasty.  Has anyone read or heard anything about this new strawberry?

Then I rinsed the blueberries.  

Such a pretty breakfast!

Featured Speaker

Wow, what a high!  I just came back from a guild meeting at which I was the featured speaker; teaching school was too long ago to make me confident about this presentation.  But . . . this was such a good time; there's nothing like talking to people who share the same passions as one does. 

I was asked to make a presentation on embellishment; we all know how some people feel about that!  Bling doesn't belong on a quilt and all of that.  There's a place for tradition and there's a place for stretching the boundaries a little.  Here's the thing - every single person in that audience was polite and engaged.  They were all willing to hear what I had to say.

I am sure that not everyone was ready to go home and put Swarovski crystals on their quilts, but they were polite and extremely kind.

What more can a speaker ask?  

I belong to a great guild!

New Discoveries in "Artistic Temperament"

Tuesday has come and gone, and I didn't write about class and the discussion of my watercolor/pastel experiment.  Probably because the commentary was a mixed bag.  Part was quite good, and part might not be able to be saved.

However, I am feeling stubborn about this one, and I am going to charge ahead with it because I think I might be able to bring it off.  I guess I have a bit more confidence in my own abilities now.  And I can accept that if I am wrong, I can start all over even though I pretend during class that I can't bear the thought of it.  

Public and private personae?  Probably.  This is nothing new, but it is new in this context.  The surprising thing is the confident personae.

I didn't know that was part of me.

More on Pastels

ME brought up a good point after she read yesterday's entry.  She said that she was surprised that I had switched to this medium because I'm not known for pastel colors.  It hadn't occurred to me that people would make that logical connection.  Tonight I looked the word up in the dictionary and checked the etymology also.  The first meaning given for "pastel" is "subdued colors", and the second definition is "chalk made from pigments, chalk, and gum arabic or other binder".  The etymology was of no help at all so I have no idea how the different uses came about.  Maybe I should check my OED and add what it says tomorrow.

Today I continued working on my pastel project with a twist.  Since I hadn't been happy with the way the honeycomb paper and the pastels looked (the white showed in a far too regular manner), I decided to try something I had heard about - pastels and watercolor.  While I think one is supposed to use watercolor first and highlight with pastels, mine is the other way around. Watercolors on top of pastels - but of course, I have the option of finishing with either one!

At the moment I don't know what to think of my work.  I'm too close to it.  BUT, I think the method is a keeper for me - no matter which is used first - pastel or watercolor.  However, when I use the method again, I will be able to plan for it which, obviously, I didn't this time. Tomorrow Sharon will look at it with fresh eyes (and with distance) and tell me if it's worth continuing and what to do to finish.  Or start over.

Fortunately, I have been taking pictures of each day's work to show when the painting has been delivered.  Then, no matter how many iterations I have to paint, I will have a record of what worked and what didn't.  I'll have a better notion of what to do the next time I think about picking up pastels.

Experience is one of the best teacher.

Pastels, a New Media

Pastels.  Pftooie!  My current opinion is based on very little experience, virtually no experience at all. Right now I would rate watercolors above pastels and even acrylics above them, too.  That's a lot for me to say, but if you've been reading my blog for any time at all, you'll recognize this for what it is - an opinion based on too little experience.

Today I started my first pastel, and I don't think it's going very well.  Being the first one I've ever done may have something to do with it.  Think about it.  Pastels like the ones I am using are shaped like the chalks I used in school but are a little bit softer.  

Pastel Practice Piece

However, the surface on which I am drawing is nothing like a blackboard.  Blackboards are smooth because if you were as lucky as I was, your blackboard was still slate.  The paper I used today is - well, paper.  But it isn't smooth; it has texture like a honeycomb.  The other side is smoother - instead of a honeycomb it has more of a ripple effect.

Now, try to put those two things together.  Soft chalk on a bumpy surface.  If you rub the chalk over that surface, it adheres to the high points of the paper leaving the valleys looking like white regular shapes.  Then you make a pass with the chalk going across the swatch you've colored.  Some of the valleys are filled in, but mostly the peaks just get darker.  Can you smudge the color to distribute it more evenly?  Yes, but I don't recommend using your fingers.  Talk about dirty!  A quill of paper can be used or even a Q tip.  Both have their strengths, but both cause loose chalk particle to fly around.

Mixing colors on the paper is also possible, but I don't find the colors mix as I expected them to.  It will take more practice to know ahead of time what I will get!  But here is the biggest drawback of all; pastels have no points!  Imagine writing a note with an unsharpened #2 Ticonderoga pencil.  There must be a way to do it, and I bet it has to do with getting used to them.

2015

Happy New Year to everyone! See you next week.

New Year's Eve

Today I didn't expect to do anything special; my plan was to - finally - get the laundry done (only two days late).  I did do that, but we decided to make our dinner a bit more special than left overs so out to the grocery store we went.  Here's the menu we came up with:

• wild salmon with mustard, lemon, and tarragon sauce
• wild and other rices
• roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower with pine nuts and sister-in-law's special salt with Meyer lemon rind
• fresh cherry tomatoes

But that's not all.  Do you remember the Christmas Carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", or more specifically do you remember the second verse, "Now bring us some figgy pudding . . ."?  Have you like us ever wondered about that pudding?  I mean, really.  Figs?  I made that dessert this afternoon, and still wondered about the figs - especially since my recipe called for more dates than figs.  Were there more dates than figs available?  So I did a little research.

In 16th century England, puddings could be and were made from anything lying around, and I guess figs were pretty rare so therefore a good thing to toss into the Christmas pudding.  But pudding?  Then again, one has to remember that we're talking about England where the word "pudding" doesn't have the same meaning it does for us.  You're thinking chocolate, rice, or tapioca when you think pudding.  But what about bread pudding?  Very different consistency, right?  And plum pudding?  Very cake-like.  And that's what figgy pudding is - very like a dense, moist cake.  And good?  You can't begin to imagine.  I also found out that recipes for figgy pudding vary a lot, but oh my, the one I made was terrific.

From now on, figgy pudding will have a prominent place on our holiday menus.

Thanks to Friends

After reading yesterday's entry, my sister-in-law E suggested that I might be feeling the dread Holiday Let-Down, and I have to say she is more than likely correct.  But today was a good day and accomplishments are not many but are visible.

Two friends worked with me on our guild's Block of the Month offering for January (translation: They let me feel important).  First we debated what had been our intended block and decided to shelve it  - for this year, at least (translation: We have to have this ready by Thursday, and there's no way we'd we be able to get it ready in time).  We feel it may be a strong contender for January 2016 if we manage to prepare it properly (translation: I have to locate my wandering math "gene" in time to design the "go with" block).  We went through our combined pattern ideas and settled on one (translation: The selected block met the criteria of both attractiveness and ease of preparation.  Heck, It answered the "how fast can we get this sucker cut?" with the answer "Three-four hours. Max.").

Next ME said, "It's half done already!" as she pulled out a paper bag full of 2.5" strips (translation: it'll really take only three hours to cut because she had the foresight to do a lot of work beforehand.)  I went upstairs to make some copies and came down to find M selecting fabrics for each block and ME already cutting (translation: Guess who's the gofer in this group?).

I pulled out my sewing machine and sewed the first two "sample" blocks (translation: "Find a toy for her to play with so we can get on with the real work!).  

By the time they left, we were more than half way finished (translation: They did all the work while I ran up and downstairs for necessary stuff.)  Since they had done all the important work before they left, the rest of it was a piece cake for me to finish, and it's ready!

Thanks to my good and kind and patient friends, I had a wonderful and fulfilling day!

Soup as the Highlight

Days when nothing out of the ordinary takes place are difficult to write about.  Actually, it was a discouraging day because I tried to do a few creative things, but nothing worked out.

I wasn't very happy until I thought that it isn't very often that this sort of day rolls into my life.  Even on days when one thing goes awry, something else perks right along.  While writing this I realize that while my creative efforts were less than a rousing success, ordinary things were accomplished. We went to the bank, paid some bills, arranged to have the latest painting framed (and met up with ME while there), and did the grocery shopping.  Not very exciting nor very taxing, but those were necessary errands. 

Therefore, when making some tasty soup turns out to be the highlight of my day, I'm going to be content with that.

Final: Painting "Lakeside Memory"

Christmas week is over, and I sit in the family room with my new laptop (my present from D) ready to write a new entry.  It was a wonderful week - full of laughter, family, good food and drink, and more laughter.  We did not have to travel, which, even though the weather was very mild, was a pleasant bonus.  So we enjoyed company in our own home and prepared meals in a very functional and comfortable kitchen.

Today was our first official non-holiday day so we both were back to our usual pursuits.  D had computer work to do (this is a busy time for him), and I bit the bullet and went to the studio to finish the latest watercolor and begin a promised piece for a friend.

The final touches on the painting are so subtle that I will show the almost-done and the final just so you can tease yourself by trying to find the changes.  Sneaky, aren't I!

Above you see the penultimate work.  Below you see what I did today.

Can you see the differences?

Holiday Wishes

Here's wishing everyone within wishing distance a very happy and healthy holiday.  May the end of 2014 find you eagerly awaiting a peaceful 2015, and may you find beauty wherever you look!

I'll be back in January.

Switching Gears to Painting

Today I'm leaving art quilting and its creative process to painting and its creative process.  More or less.

Today was back to watercolor time, back to a painting I thought was very close to being finished.  In one sense, I was right.  This painting is very close to that point, but getting it there takes so more time than one would think.  I realized once again today that "finishing" is a very slow and meticulous part of the painting process.  It requires "less is more" thinking and doing.  Discussion is part of it - if one is lucky enough to have people with whom to talk.  If not, then one has to have internal dialogues between the "artist" and the "viewer" personae in one's own brain.  I was lucky to have three people with whom to talk in class today, and now I am secure in what needs to be done.

Here is the painting as I left it after this morning's work:

What I still have to do is work on the water around the seated figure of our daughter.  It's almost there, but her hands still get lost in the subtle background.  Her hair is too evenly divided - other minor issues.  Once all of those are taken care of, there will be one more review to see if any of the work done between now and then has altered the overall appearance of the painting.

Now I have to remember that what I learn in painting is applicable to quilting and vice versa.  It doesn't always seem that way, but that's a discussion for another time. Right now, I can see the end of this particular work, and I intend to enjoy it.

Evolution of a Design in Progress #4

In the last entry, I found myself thinking about alternate meanings for the word "leaves".  Of course, I I used the plural, but that doesn't change what I was getting at.  The first alternate meaning that came to me was pages of a book.  Then came the phrase "to turn over a new leaf".  The one that did not occur to me was a sheet of metal (think "gold leaf").

Interesting, isn't it?  All three have applications in the art quilt currently underway, but the first one I thought of lingers in my imagination, fraught with possibilities.  

The pages of books . . .

Evolution of a Design in Progress #3

Having decided on trees and even a background - path leading to the horizon line and sky - my brain decided to take a walk, and I let it go.  [That's what I mean by "getting out of my way".] You see, it's those leaves.  Not exactly what you would call realistic which is why my trees were so straight and simplistic.  But you see, they're still leaves, and leaves aren't rigid.  They're flexible.  They turn and bend and twist.  They have two sides.

Mine have none of those characteristics.  Yet.

So I started by thinking about the "wrong" side of the leaves, and what if it's really not the "wrong" side?  What if it's the important, right side?  And then . . .whoa!

Leaves.  What else is sometimes referred to as "leaves"?

I will be thinking about that until Monday (Christmas festivities will keep my attention for a few days) and wondering what is going through your mind that might help me.

Evolution of a Design in Progress - Entry #2

The subtitle for this entry could be "Getting Out of My Way" (with a nod and thank you to John Mellencamp from his interview with Charlie Rose on PBS).  Yesterday I admitted that the obvious answer to the question (what should I do with my leaves?) was Trees!  If you've been reading my entries for a while, you may know that trees are among my favorite things which makes the answer to that question even more obvious.  But I am convinced that what kept me from recognizing that simple answer was an ingrained conviction that answers had to be more elaborate, more artsy, more cerebral, more cosmic, and there I was with blinders on my brain .  No answers remotely fitting any of those "more" categories came to me.  Actually nothing came to me

I had to get out of my way.

I sat down and drew a very rough pencil sketch:

At that point the trees were very straight as they frequently are in a forest, and very few branches are visible.  There's a path that leads from the lower left to right of center where it meets the horizon.  There are two swirling lines that start in the upper left and end up in the right bottom third.  The first line didn't please me so I just took a purple ink pen and altered its course.  That's the line of the leaf fall.

Or it is right now.

After sketching that, I picked up "tree trunk" fabrics and started tearing them.  If I wanted straight trees, the fastest way to get them was to allow the grain of the fabric to dictate the degree of straightness it would give me.  All I did was choose the width of the tree.  That worked very well until one of my favorite fabrics took it in its head to head straight for a while and then veer off near the bottom.  I almost, almost, tossed it aside; my idea was for straight, straight, straight trees.  But then I thought, "Get out of your way."  

And I let it be.

And here's the really lovely thing I saw today on my driveway:

You can bet if I don't use this in my quilt or in a quilt, it will appear somewhere, somehow.  It's a Leaf Echo!  

Here's a close up.  It's what happens when a leaf freezes to the ground; the ice crystals form around it.  Then when the ice crystals melt, the leaf can blow away leaving a hint of what it was - in this case, an oak leaf!

This isn't the leaf, but I couldn't resist.  It's obvious I've amped up these photographs to make the most of the texture and melting ice water trails (lines on the quilt's path? trees leaning this way and that?) on my driveway and also the color (quilt, again?) in the last one.  But aren't they just something?  Inspiration, certainly!

More tomorrow.

Evolution of a Design in Progress - Entry #1

A little while ago, I started a new quilt.  Well, let's just say I started putting some pieces together using fabric that was originally going into something else, not my own design, that I decided I wasn't crazy about.  However, the intended wall hanging was designed by Dianne Hire whose class I took (and with whom I fell in love).  She's a great teacher for people who want to kick over the traces and have fun while doing it, and she's the one who taught me how to sew curves without fear.

Anyway, I loved the fabric from the scrapped project, and I love using curves so:

Here are some leaves I made in late November before my yearly Christmas panic struck: beech, ginkgo, and oak.  All right, but what was I to do with them?  Nothing is what I did; I just let them hang out on my design wall until it came to me.  Don't laugh too hard.  Trees.

I know, I know, it took me a couple of weeks to come up with that?  Well, yes, it did.  Sometimes what is obvious is perfectly right and sometimes it just isn't.  This time, it is right.  

The design has progressed (in my mind only - Christmas panic is in full bloom, after all) and has evolved - but more about that tomorrow.

Fading Art

"Lost Art" seemed to be a depressing title for this entry and not completely accurate.   The subject is caning.  Very few people cane any more - probably for at least a couple of reasons.  First, chairs that require caned seats aren't made anymore, that style of chair is altogether too "grandmother-y" for today's tastes so even old chairs that need to be re-caned aren't, and, I think, that unless you do it often, it must be hard on the hands.  So the art of caning is fading fast.

We are lucky enough to have Hitchcock-style chairs that had been in the dining room of my in-laws home, and they look very good in our dining room (after all, I am a grandmother!).  However, much to my total embarrassment and horror, during one dinner with company, I was suddenly aware of the seat of my chair slowly parting.  You can be sure I sat very still until the dinner was over, and I could stand up, assess the damage, and admit to what had happened!  After that, we looked carefully at all four of the chairs, and used only two of them - infrequently and very gingerly.

By sheer luck, through the good offices of a friend, we found a man who could refinish old furniture (I've mentioned getting the "library table" and my mother's sewing machine cabinet refinished by him).  When he delivered the cabinet, he either saw or D mentioned the chairs with the caned seats.  D casually asked him if he might know of anyone who did that kind of work any more (thoroughly expecting a "no").  Much to our surprise, he said, "Well, as a matter of fact, I do.  My wife does that."

I asked in some surprise, "Would she be willing to cane ours?" and showed him the chairs - again expecting the answer to be a, "Gee, too bad but she doesn't do it anymore." Instead he said that she loved to do it, and he'd bring her with him the next time he came by this way.  That took a while, but come they did and took the chairs.

One month later we received a call that the chairs were finished, they brought them up, and here are two of the four.

They really do look good, don't they?

Here's a close-up of the seats.  The only difference that I can see between these seats and the old ones is these do not have the patina of age (or a large hole in one!).  They'll get that, I'm sure - the patina, I mean!  

But can you see what I mean when I said that it must be hard on the hands?

Unexpected "Thank You"

Today when D brought the mail in and handed me my share, I looked through the various envelopes and glanced at the return addresses.  Everything was as usual: numerous catalogs, charitable organizations asking for help, a gift for D from an expected source, some embellishments I had ordered (sequin snowflakes), and something from eQuilter.  

The latter had me confused as I didn't remember ordering anything from them - although I do from time to time.  So I took the packet upstairs in case it was something that was part of a gift I wouldn't want D to see.  It wasn't that, but it was a surprise.

This is a 42 piece charm pack (5" squares of fabric), and it was in the envelope with a note from eQuilter thanking me for my patronage.  The charm pack is a thank you gift from them.  I received something from them last year also, but this is different and quite special.

These are the fabrics in the charm pack  - 9 different selections.  Now, I don't know about you, but I love bright colors, and I love metallic glitz so these pieces fit my taste to a T.

This close up is a bit better; you can get a better view of the colors and metallic flecks.  Lovely, but for one minute I was stumped about what I would do with these them.  That didn't last.

It was a gift to me so it's my turn to gift them to someone else.  I will make a donation quilt to brighten the day of someone else - just as opening the envelope brightened my day.

Christmas Preparations

It's taken a while, but we have finally moved past the wreath on the front door which until this week was really the only visible symbol that Christmas is coming.  This week I have spent two days preparing and printing our card and another day writing a letter to put in cards to be sent to distant family and friends.

I said writing a letter, but that's not entirely accurate.  Time is getting short, and the letter usually takes a couple of days to write and fine tune.  This year I decided to make life easier by using primarily photographs with captions as the carrier of our yearly news.  Because I upload my photos and use many of them in this blog, finding appropriate pictures was relatively easy.  Well, except for one thing.  I realized that we do not have a single picture of our daughter taken during the calendar that could be included in the letter.  It isn't fair to put in images that aren't - well, attractive!  Note to self: be sure to take several shots of the daughter while taking hundreds of the g'son!  The letter was finished in record time, and I dare say the recipients will prefer it, too.

Decorations have now been scattered around the house; it's a very minimalist look for me, but as I said, time is running out.  Some of the things I really like are still packed neatly away on shelves that I can't get to (numerous construction jobs have made the cellar topsy-turvey again).  I take the positive view and say to myself that I will appreciate them all the more next year.

Here's something that is traditional that we were able to do:

D spent many summer vacation days in Vermont chopping wood for an elderly friend.  As a thank you he received the saw that you see above.  It's always over that window, and depending on the season, it is sometimes decorated.  The fish were given to us when we were on our trip to China (fish symbolize prosperity), and they are a fixture on the saw.  The ornaments are the holiday addition.  It always makes me smile.  

It may have happened slowly and may not be much, but it suits us this year.

Clive - for the Last Time

You may be tired of seeing photographs of our clivia plant, but as I explained this is a plant we've had for a long time (8 - 10 years or more).  So what, right?  In that time it has bloomed for me only once, and that means that this year in the life of Clive, blooming is a BIG deal.

Here you have it:

It may not look very different from the last picture you saw, but it is.  If you look at the blossom that is farthest to the left, that's number 14 to bloom.  They are now all open. What thrills me about this is none of the earlier blossoms have fallen away.  On November 20th, I posted the first picture of the buds with subsequent updates along the way.  It's only been a few weeks, but Clive has kept us entertained the entire time.

So this is the final picture of these lovely orange flowers - for this year, anyway!

Bits and Pieces

Why is that that something so common (so common in fact that the word "common" is the usual adjective) can be so miserable.  D is down with - yes, you guessed it - the common cold.  He's hoarse, feverish, achy, coughing, and congested.  He feels tired and has no appetite.  But there's nothing one can do to make the cold go away faster although there are things that make the symptoms less severe (which he won't take tonight, but said he would tomorrow if he's still as uncomfortable).  It's frustrating, isn't it?  Thank heavens he's not a child!  At least he can understand what is wrong with him, appreciate that it certainly could be a much more dire situation, and will last for only a few days before it begins to pass off.

Pass off, that is, to me.  Oh well, at least I am an adult and can understand what is wrong with me, appreciate that it certainly could be a much more dire situation, and will last for only a few days before it begins to pass off.  To the next person.

The other thing on my mind today has nothing to do with colds (hence the title for this entry - the common cold was the "bit" and this is the "piece").  It has to do with saying goodbye and showing respect.  I am especially proud to be a member of the Schenectady Guild today.  ME and I went to pay our respects to our friend Pam and to let her family know that she was important.

When we walked from the parking lot to the funeral home, we saw a car or two drive in with friends and acquaintances from the Guild.  A few more came out as we went in.  As we entered the appropriate room we saw Guild members in line in front of us and others who had already gone through the receiving line.  Turning around to glance behind me, I saw still more coming in.

I sincerely doubt that all of those women knew Pam well.  I do know that some had some acquaintance with her, and others did have a close bond.  But what struck me the most, is that this Guild is indeed a formal sisterhood similar to the ones men have had for so long (firemen, police, etc.).  Women have always had their own loosely structured groups that were supportive, but this is the first time I have belonged to a tightly knit formal group.  

It would have been easy for many of those women not to have gone out late on a Sunday afternoon, but they were there to honor a fellow member, let her family know how special she was, and that she will be remembered.

Saying good bye and showing respect - that's a fine thing to do.

For Pam

A sad e-mail greeted me this morning with news that a dear friend lost her battle with cancer and died early this morning.  We, all her friends, knew it was coming and knew that it was coming soon.  Still it struck me hard as though I had not had any fore-knowledge.  Death is like that.

However, I was able to spend the day doing something my friend had loved - quilting with friends.  As I prepared fabric for an art quilt that's in my mind and asked for input from the small group that had gathered at my house, I kept the memory of my friend in the forefront of my mind.  I remembered how she would sew like crazy and put her work up on the design wall for the rest of us to see and comment on.  She'd ask for advice arranging the blocks into the most effective design.  We'd talk and laugh and sew.  She'd gladly help the rest of us with our quilting issues and offer her own "take" on what we were doing.  

And that's what I did today, and yes, my friend was in my mind.  Today I both mourned her loss and celebrated her life.  I like to think, she would have enjoyed that.

Here's to you, Pam.

Returning to a Painting

Now I can't remember if I've shown or even mentioned this painting before, but something is tickling the back of my brain saying I have.  Of course, I could look back through my entries, but that would take time.

Anyway, now that "French Quarter Notes" is off to the framer and Thanksgiving is past, I decided to return to this painting:

This is how it looks after being worked on in class today.  I am hoping this will be a quick one, but by now, I've learned not to expect that.  The subject is taken almost completely from one photo I took of our daughter at the lake.  She must have been between 9 - 12 years old; I have to take the photo from its frame to see if there is a developing date on it (yes, it predates digital pictures) to be sure.  The morning was far more misty/fog-like than I've represented; the hills, boat , and fishermen are barely visible in the original. 

Right now the girl looks as though she is floating above the rock, but she will be anchored before I'm finished.  And she will need some more work though not too much.  I'd like to have it finished and framed by her birthday.  

Keep your fingers crossed!

Happy Holiday

With family coming in tomorrow for Thanksgiving and at least part of the weekend, I am not going to be writing any more this week.  So I wish everyone: 

A very happy Thanksgiving!

Pre-Thanksgiving Chores

I would imagine if I asked 10 women who are retired what they did today, their answer would be cooking and cleaning.  Or maybe cleaning and cooking.  

That's what I did today with a great deal of help from D.  He prepared the dressing, the squash, and the mashed potatoes, and I prepared the creamed onions, the gravy stock, and the cranberry sauce.  He raked the "back 40" (the area behind our garden) and mowed the lawn - as he said with the snow that's coming today was the last day to do the final outside chores.  While he did that I cleaned (mostly dusting the high up places in the family room and vacuuming) and ran an errand. 

Tomorrow is baking day for me: apple crisp and cookies - and then the gravy and Panko topping for the creamed onions.  D helps with the crisp by peeling the apples, and I hope I can enlist him to help with prepping the remaining vegetables.  After that, I think we'll be ready.

Ready for the snowstorm?  Probably.  We've checked with D's sister, and she'll come when the weather permits, and tomorrow we'll make sure our daughter will wait until Thursday before driving.  

Thanksgiving will wait for them; they are among the reasons we celebrate it in the first place - and I bet all of those 10 women I asked about their day would say the same thing about their Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving flurry of activity is really picking up - or at least it is in my brain.  Today was house organizing, a bit of cleaning (it's actually okay in that respect except for one surprisingly dusty place to tackle tomorrow), laundry, bed making, and a lot of list making.

Here's a first.  This year I made the usual lists of all items we are going to serve, and the dishes in which they will be placed.  Then I added the re-heating of pre-cooked food, (we prepare almost all the vegetables, dressing, and potatoes beforehand), the sequence for re-heating (a combination of guesswork and experience), AND the method of reheating.  It's that last bit all about re-heating that is new on my list.  

It occurred to me that I never figured out when to start re-heating which items or how the re-heating was to be done.  Whether something was going to be put in the microwave, on the stove top, in the toaster oven, or in the regular oven was a toss up year after year.  It always created some anxiety because invariably something was forgotten.

Will it work?  Who knows.  But I do like making lists! 

Singer Sewing Machine

No, I don't have a photo - yet, but my mother's Singer sewing machine (1928 model, I believe) came home this weekend in its newly refinished cabinet.  The cabinet looks lovely, and all I have to do is have the machine re-wired if I want it to be functional.   

I never learned how to sew on that machine even though I think mother may have tried to teach me.  My memory is that I was never able to get the bobbin thread to cooperate.  By "never" I mean I probably tried once or twice and then gave up.  I had little interest in sewing clothes at that time.  Why should I?  She did such a good job at it that there was no need for me to work at it.  

Besides reading and drawing was far more fun, less work, and more satisfying.

Times change, don't they?

Change of Pace

Today I'm tired out by wonderful activities and the start of a new "art" quilt - no story this time.  We'll see how it goes.

In the meantime, I wanted to show you Clive, our pet clivia:

It's been a little over a week since I showed you the tightly shut, very green blossoms.  The blossoms are much larger and are not as tightly packed as they were a week ago.

You can clearly see the hint of orange at the tips of some of the blossoms.  Wonder if any will be open for Thanksgiving?

Now, Will the REAL Final Painting, Please Stand Up?

Okay, I was so sure when I wrote last night's entry that I was showing the final of my painting, but when I finished and looked at it again, I knew I had to do something about the color of the building behind the musicians.  So I immediately got out my paints and went to work.

The result?  Even after rag-rolling* the wet paint, by the time I went to bed I was convinced I had ruined the work entirely.  The rag-rolling helped, but the color was still so far beyond god-awful I didn't think anything could save the painting.  

Just imagine how I felt.  This was a painting I had started in Vermont in August and one that I truly felt in my bones that I had to do.  It took a very long time to do for a number of reasons, but I was remained committed to completing it  - which I had finally accomplished.  And I had destroyed it.

A good night's sleep brought the answer once again.  I went back to the studio, carefully thought over what I had come up with during my sleep, took a deep breath, and picked up my tools.  It took a while, but when I had finished, I looked at the painting in a mirror and then straight on.  The offending color had been turned to a beautiful, rich, but very dark brown.  It was slightly mottled (all on it's own without rag-rolling) instead of a flat color.  And it was o.k. - too dark, but O. K.!!

So once again, I'd like to show you the finished "French Quarter Notes."

Oh, and you may notice I fiddled a bit in the background, too, until in my head I heard the voice of another student in the class, "Put the Brush Down.  Turn your Back and Put your Hands Up.  NOW!"  So I did.

*Rag-rolling: the term I use to describe using a rolled-up, wrinkled paper towel to blot up wet paint.  It blots but also leaves the impression of the wrinkles - easy added texture.  I don't know what that method is really called, but this works for me.

"French Quarter Notes"

It's official; well, to me anyway.  "French Quarter Notes" (previously masquerading under an assumed name) is completed, and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet!  Notice the official title of the painting; I try to use a sobriquet for my paintings until they are finished so I don't jinx them.  Silly, I know.

Well, here it is:

Remember that while I say it's finished, I am sure that Sharon will have something she wants me to do, but I still feel very happy that it's done!

Metallic Watercolor Paints for Instruments

The end is coming closer!  Last week I experimented with my new metallic paints and discovered that they aren't to be used by themselves - at least in this painting.  They do not carry color effectively.  Sound strange?  

When I practiced on scrap paper, I found that even the metallics that looked the darkest on my palette, couldn't be seen very well when used by themselves on watercolor paper.  However, once they were layered on top of appropriate colors the shine became evident.  For example, the tuba below has several different yellows, a couple of browns, and orange.  The metallics don't show at all in the photograph.  But if you were to look closely at the actual painting, you would see the sparkle of the two metallic gold paints I used on top of the "regular" colors I just mentioned.

The only one I used in this painting that seemed to be able to carry it's own color is the darker of the two silvers I purchased. You can see it clearly on the drum where it is used by itself across the outside surface of the drum.  

Getting those instruments painted is a huge part of what was left to be done.  Is there more to do?  Oh yes, I made a list of things to work on in class tomorrow and only hope they will all be accomplished.

Now I feel I can say that this painting will be completely done by Christmas.  Thanksgiving would be nice, but I have to be realistic!

Return to Knitting

Off and on for a month or so, I've been looking for a black wool cardigan.  I have an off-white Aran cardigan I made for myself which gets a lot of wear, but a black sweater would be very welcome.  I was very disappointed to find a lot of  ready-made wool-plus-cotton-plus-nylon-plus-other-synthetics but very few pure wool sweaters in the basic black, long sleeves, cardigan style I was looking for.  I finally decided I'd just have to make myself one so I toddled off to my favorite knitting shop, Trumpet Hill, with pattern in hand.

Black yarn was found (I actually didn't allow myself to be seduced by violet or fuchsia or turquoise as I had the last time I thought I'd make myself a black sweater), but when the saleswoman went to get the additional skeins I would need from the back of the store, I did allow my eyes to wander.  Mistake?  Yes, but not dire, this time.  I picked up a skein of a black yarn with hints of gray in it - beautiful.  And the hand?  it was as silky soft and smooth as one could wish.  Nervously I turned to the helpful lady and said, "I suppose this won't do, will it?"  

"Why not?" she responded. "It's pure wool and the right weight."  My heart leaped - until she said, "I'm not sure we have more, though."  Off she went to the back to check and came back with her arms full of this lovely yarn!

I did wind up changing patterns and have now started my first top down sweater. In case that sounds strange, it means you start knitting at the neck and work down to the waist - no separate sleeves or sides - it's all one piece.

Here it is on the kitchen table.  In this picture the color is more accurate than the next one.  It is black and the gray seems almost blue; it reminds me of a crow's feathers. The pattern is a simple stockinette stitch; I didn't want to get into my beloved complicated stitches with black yarn.  It wouldn't show up well and therefore wouldn't be worth the extra work.

In this picture the yarn looks dark gray with lighter gray mixed in.  This one I'm including because while the color isn't correct, you can see the shading much better.  Fortunately, to my way of thinking, the shading doesn't pool (all the light gray clumping in specific areas which happens if the light color is added in regular intervals).  It remains random.

I had to stop knitting tonight because I want to take it in to the shop and possibly buy some more yarn.  I'm making the smallest size and I'm wondering if I should go up a size because I will be wearing winter clothing under the sweater.  If I do change sizes, I will need to increase some more and also purchase another skein of yarn.

There's always something, isn't there!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've written!  I have been doing wonderful and engaging things - painting, quilting, having fun with friends, playing with grandson, visiting with daughter - you get the idea, I am sure.

D has also been busy - joining me in a few of the busy times I've mentioned and also doing his own activities.  Some of those activities take him away, and I think that's what has thrown me off my schedule a bit.

Whatever it is, I will sit myself down, give myself a good talking to, and try to get back into my routine next week.  For this week, it will probably continue to be hit or miss.

Election Day!

Remember to vote!

Cooking Experiments

Now here's a new topic for this blog - cooking.  While it may have been mentioned in entries before this one, this will be the first time, I think, that I devote an entire entry to food preparation and enjoyment.

It's all ME's fault.

You see, one of her favorite vegetables is the turnip.  My reaction when she mentions (or when anyone mentions) turnips is to try to suppress a shudder.  At one point in my life, I was served mashed turnips.  Gleefully, I dug into them thinking I had winter squash.  Oh my.  No, no, no, turnips were not for me.  So of course, I lumped rutabagas (though I loved the word and a book called Rutabaga Stories when I was a kid) and parsnips in with turnips.  Actually, I had at various times in my childhood been served rutabagas and parsnips and hadn't like them at all.

Then in the newspaper or in a magazine I read that parsnips had suffered from the same overcooked vegetable practice that almost all vegetables had been given while I was a child (need I mention gray, mushy asparagus?).  That on the contrary, parsnips when cooked properly are not the soft, mushy things hiding in soups or stews, but they are instead a tender, slightly sweet vegetable.  So I went to the store and bought two parsnips, brought them home, and planned to put them in soup - but not overcook them.

Due to D's travel schedule for two weeks running no soup was made.  During that time (fortunately root vegetables keep longer than leafy, green ones!), I read the most recent Victoria magazine ( a subscription given to me by my sister-in-law N so I guess this is partly her fault, also) and found a recipe for root vegetables - note the plural, please.  

I thought of ME, and I thought of my ruling principle which is to be open to opportunities and new experiences.  Off I went to the store with the recipe in hand.  I had to wait until D was home again to cook those vegetables, but cook them I did.

Parsnips.  Turnips.  Beets.  Carrots.  The radishes were too far past freshness to buy, so we'll have to try them again some other time.  I did have to change the recipe slightly to omit some things that are not kind to us or to suit our tastes, but here's the verdict.

ROASTED root vegetables are absolutely incredible!  Both D and I were amazed and are happy to have more vegetables to add to our long list of favorites (beets and carrots were always okay by us).  Plus it also encourages us to try some other things that we haven't cooked ourselves.  Okra, for instance.  In New Orleans, okra is in almost everything, and it was never slimy! 

It shouldn't be such a surprise to me.  After all, my mother made hot cereal regularly.  She made Wheatena, oatmeal, Maltex and some others I have managed to forget.  I loathed them all even when she tried hiding raisins in the bottom of the bowl to tempt me (I am still not overly fond of raisins).  But now I make hot cereals using steel-cut oats, quinoa, wild rice, barley, grits, and Maltex (although not all of them at the same time!) and throw in apples, cranberries, honey or brown sugar or dark amber maple syrup or molasses during cooking, and then top a bowl off with loads of fresh fruit.  

Then there's my newest chili.  I found a recipe for Sweet Potato and Black Bean chili in one of the grocery stores, and since we like those two ingredients, I had to try it.  It's now earned a place in our regular soup/stew of the week line up!

Experimentation keeps our meals interesting, makes me use the produce that's in season and therefore, not as expensive, and keeps me aware of what we are eating instead of returning to the same old, high fat, high calorie, high sodium foods (though I'm not as good about the sodium as some people who put me to shame - E!).  I know enough to substitute or eliminate altogether things we really don't like or to add something that I think will enhance a dish.  The fact that I enjoy cooking helps a lot, of course, and having good friends to encourage one to try something new or a sister-in-law to broaden one's horizons through a magazine are definite pluses.

But turnips and parsnips?  Well, I'm just floored.  Thanks, ME and N!