Why wait?

Nancy NeverSwept suggested blanket stitch to edge the coasters. It looks okay, but as I am as slow as Christmas at needlework, this technique will never work if I want to sell them. Not that these are retail-worthy.

I made two this morning and felted the raw edges and blocked them. They look fine. This woven pre-felt business is something I will have to explore further. These are actually purple and green, but the purple goes grey against the green.

I am going to attempt to create a larger handbag this afternoon, and I will flatten the bottom some so that it will sit upright. That's the plan, anyway. I have some jade green merino to use. I have an idea to use a separately nuno felted flap for it, that can be attached by felting once the purse has been cut open. I have been slowly accumulating silk fabrics for just such a thing. Should I sample first? I might.

So. I have a few flowers that I grew from seed - cleome and coreopsis. And the Naked Ladies are early this year; they usually come up in August. 

Also! I heard from the Ozark Fiber Fling today, and I will be teaching my purse there this November. It's only just over an hour to get there from here, for which I am very happy. I sent off my workshop proposals to the Fiber Retreat in Jefferson City, MO  which is in March.

Example of an indoor plant that I haven't killed. So far.

Genuine Cast Iron

I don't feel well at all, but it's nothing serious. More annoying than anything. Sinus headaches, congestion, tinnitus, and achey feet from the heat, even though I stay inside. Tomorrow, it's supposed to reach 97, hotter than it's been in awhile, so I am sure I won't feel any better then.

Small felt pieces from scraps. Disappointing.

I have tried to be productive in spite of, because I am a mid-westerner of a certain age and I feel that I must do something constructive every day. I futzed around with felt scraps Saturday, and then last night, I wove some pre-felts strips and made coasters, I guess one could call them, and are about 5 inches square.

My question is, Is it okay to have un-healed cut edges on felt? I have left them on these four because I wanted to retain the integrity of the square and I was afraid that further felting could take them out of shape.  I am going to leave them as they are. I like the colors.

Tomorrow I will dye more roving; I want reds and oranges to work with.





One good thing - our new renters in Indiana have really done some nice work in the house, painting and sanding and re-flooring. This makes me happy - the house needed a young couple full of energy and optimism.

I don't do windows.

Two bags done.

Also? Earrings! Took a class on wire working last week.

Late fee is waived.

Oh, lord, I do get weary. Lots of small things are worrying me, and I cannot disengage and hide. I mean, I have already had to speak to a policeman in Indiana this morning regarding a crazy person there who won't stay off our property. My amorphous anxiety floats thickly around me. I wish I wouldn't let people and events bother me so much. But if I were more thick skinned, I reckon I wouldn't be me.

I made another little purse. These bags are cute as can be, and of course, I am not satisfied completely with any of them.

So. I decided to do a different kind of purse with a larger format to allow some creativity in decoration. I have used this template before, but the embellishment is inspired by Klimt and Andrea Graham. I worked on this last night, to the point of removing the resist, and so will full and finish today. Felting is good exercise - my shoulders and upper back ache slightly. (As an aside, I have lost 10 pounds since the first of the year without doing anything differently save for felting. And going off my happy-pills.)

I think I will do a similar bag, but use pre-felt for the lines and circles. I want that part of the design to be more defined against the loosely-laid green. In the meantime, I have been dyeing merino then drum carding it.

Our neighbors here accidentally ran over and killed Bunny BooBoo, which is another cause for my mental distress. But her progeny are all over the neighborhood and I've not heard one person say anything against them. These two, (I think they are sisters,) spend a lot of time in our front yard. I call them Blondie and Not Booboo. Booboo herself lived a good life; she hated hated hated being caged and I was glad she got to live in the great outdoors for three years. I am able to feed Blondie and Not Boo bananas by hand, just like I did their mother, but they are by no means tame.

No Surprises

I found this on Pinterest tonight.

And here are some terrible pictures, too, I guess to prove to myself that I actually do get some things done around here. Still love that purple flower.

This mailbox is full.

The hateful beaded bracelet is done and riddled with mistakes and badly finished. I may just put it in a drawer somewhere and forget about it.

Which means that I am able to felt again. And work on felting related things such as workshop proposals for my dragon eye pins and my little purses. I have submitted both to the Ozark Fiber Fling, which is in November. I had to make several dragon eyes in order to write up directions. It's funny how quickly I forget the little nuances, like adding silk, or how thick to make them. It took me until my third one before I was happy. Next is writing the instructions for the purse. It had been a little while since I made one, but the purse is pretty straightforward and I am very pleased with the one I made yesterday. I have the component parts - it just needs assembling. The instructions shouldn't be too hard.

I love that happy flower.

Today, I am off to Columbia for my cardiologist appointment. It's just a routine check up; my heart has been behaving quite well lately. 

I also have installed a number of my art quilts at our local Art Center gallery, (it's a Retrospective,) where they will hang until August. It makes me so happy to see them up again! Also? People around here had no idea that I had made anything like this, because I don't go around talking about it or bragging about it. It feels really nice to hear compliments, because, you know, I am human. I don't know exactly, but I think I have about 18 pieces on display, along with some of the felt purses and pins I've done recently.

Important Information Enclosed

Didn't mean to be away from here so long. I am really enjoying writing again, and I like how I have to focus on what I want to say.  Of course, there are things I will never say here, for example, where the body is buried.

So. I have spent way too much time learning bead weaving and too much time working on it. I chose the most elaborate design the instructor had, because everything else was boring and uninteresting. It was wider than the other students' and used more colors of beads (20.) And I changed all the colors because the original called for black and gold and cream and steam punky. And I hope I am never tempted to do this again. Ever.

Last class, of three, is Friday night where we will cut the piece off the loom, sew it to leather, (thereby hiding all the loose ends,) and attach the bracelet hardware. What was I thinking? I never wear bracelets.

I have 20 some-odd pounds of merino waiting for my attention. I am ready to get my hands all wet and soapy again. Oh, I did write a proposal for a felted bag class this November, and I know that Hillcreek Yarns would like me to teach a class. I want to write up a proposal for those little dragon eye pins, too. 

I feel as though all this time spent on this stupid bead thing was a waste. But I worked at the kitchen table and watched at least 20 hours of documentaries on quantum physics, mathematics, the Big Bang, and one on the Battle of the Bulge, just to lighten things up a bit. I haven't felt well physically, either. And here it is, fucking raining again.