Sunshine on a rainy day

 I can hear rain gently hitting the roof. Very calming after a full weekend at my son's in St Louis. I think if I decided to move somewhere, St Louis would be a good place for me.  So much inspiration this weekend!

This morning, I am quietly working on some beading, on "Light".

Veil

 I bought this dress at a thrift store with the intention to cut it up, dye, and add to one of my textile collages. 

It takes the dye well! This piece was dyed with prochem's "mustard" - one of my favorites. Some beads and lovely threads will enhance and give this project a good start

The Veil 👰‍♂

 So my niece is getting married in October.  Next year. She asked me a few years ago to create her wedding veil. Of course I said yes. Then she showed me what she wants. An embroidered garden. I still said yes. We've been collecting components since she asked. Lace from Copenhagen, beads from Prague, lace from her gram's wedding dress... Now I must get to work. Only 387 days away!

I set up a vision board in the corner of the dining room:

Next up, start stitching and set some deadlines.  

Daylight

 I can't stay focused. So, I project jump. That's where my brain is right now. Husband in the hospital. Out of hospital.  Back in... Yesterday he had emergency gallbladder removal surgery.  I won't go into the gory details, but thank you God for a fabulous surgeon. 

I had been trying to work on "Light" for some time, adding beads. This is hard to do without a table in the hospital room! I also wasn't happy with the size and edges. It needs something. Then I was talking to a friend and she gave me a couple of canvases that were in her stash. I think we are on to something! 

I have pulled more wool to add to the top and started adding some shards and larger beads. Not sure what to do with the canvas. Paint? Papers? It will let me know...

"Child"

 I spent some time starting the free motion quilting on "Child". The fabric on the back was my father's baby blanket! Why was it given to me? Why did I keep it all these years? Hoarder or collector? 😅

I wanted to quilt it with a lot of stitching to help stabilize and give it strength to sew on some rather heavy pieces of glass. As I started in the center, I realized that the pattern could be abstract building blocks. Now I am thinking of other childhood toys that could be stitched. The piece is evolving 

Cyanotype days

 The sun has been cooperating. 

I was interested in how the small white clematis would print in this sampler piece. (Bottom right corner). I must do another before the flowers are gone. It will be fun to add dainty stitches this winter.

NZ Blanks

 I am leaving next month for an adventure in New Zealand! I am working on creating "blanks" for journal stitching while on my trip. It's nice to have fabric stitched, rather than pinned, to pick up and work on each day.

Pepper printing

 Playing with produce...

Cyanotype Butterfly!

 While taking a walk, I found a butterfly on the gravel. Of course it came home with me. It's what we magpies do. Collect. 

I used silk for printing. Exposed to sunlight for an hour. 

Bright sun = cyanotype day

 

Jackets

 My slow stitch project for this part year is now hanging at the Cordova Library.  Not finished, but wearable.  After seeing some extreme layered sashiko samples at Sue Spargo, I figure that the jacket may never actually be done!