"Child" work continues

 I almost felt guilty cutting up this little dress. The smocking and delicate stitch work was precious. 

Monstera (aka swiss cheese plant)

 A few years ago I rescued this plant from my son. He was letting it slowly die. Thus was not going to happen on my watch! 

I recently moved it to a new location and observed it each morning while drinking my coffee. Until now, I didn't realize that a new leaf opens lime green, then slowly turns a darker shade. 

"Child" dress

 With my sewing machine in the shop for a cleaning and check up, the background is in the waiting stage. I am beginning some collage design work and made the decision to cut up the dress.

The dress was white to begin with. Using avocado pit dye, it is now a lovely blush.

Someone spent a long time constructing this sweet garment and I want to document the details.

Dubuque Botanical Gardens

 I very much enjoyed a day trip to Dubuque with my sister, niece, and mom. Great inspiration, food, conversation,  and love. A much needed day for me.

"Blue" jacket

 This jacket has been begging for altering for a long time. A cyanotype back seems like the perfect project!

Starting with Naked Ladies. Some call them resurrection lilies or surprise lilies. They bloom such a short amount of time, but now I can remember their beauty all winter as I add stitches and beads.

Blue day

 It was good to have sunshine and time to play at the same time. I used up my Solar Fast blue, and started on the cyanotype. I had cut a piece of fabric from a favorite old blouse for a test sample to overdye for "Child". It is a very thin silk top that was indigo dyed. I remember the first time I wore the blouse - my skin turned blue! Apparently, I hadn't washed it enough! Anyway,  I cut off the cuff to create a print. Very excited about this piece - how fun it will be to add stitching this winter!

Cyanotype using honeysuckle vine blooms. 

I also used some tea bags to make a few prints. This encourages me to dig into my paper stash to try some different art papers for prints. 

"Child"

 Even though "Eden" is not finished, it felt right to start laying out the next one while I wait for the call that my sewing machine is ready to pick up. Waiting is good, as I have so many ideas running around in my head and little projects to work on. 

"When I was a child", keeps spinning about and urging me to create a piece for the show. I have a large selection of textiles that have been dyed with avocado and other natural dyes.  The gentle colors and textures will be a good base for the clothing I plan to add: