Gardening Warrior Basket (with Voodoo Rabbit!)

Gardening Warrior Basket

This is a gift basket for a man who is an enthusiastic gardener.   He also has a never ending battle over that garden with rabbits.  It's going to accompany a gift card, and I had a lot of ideas for something cute and kind of funny, so I was elected.  I thought it turned out so cute that I had share.  I hope you think it's cute too.

It includes:

Garden-themed Potholder

Carrot-shaped Candy Bags

Potting Soil

Rabbit-shaped Candy Peeps

Rabbit Voodoo Doll

      and....

Ammo, in case Voodoo doesn't work.

Squirrel Fluff & Phone Update

It's been quite the day. As per my last post, my phone was immersed this morning, dried out and apparently it's now as good as new, albeit with a cleaner screen. Needless to say, I do NOT recommend this method of screen cleaning. So now, a post from my newly dried and useable phone. This picture is the end of a long story. I looked out the window this afternoon and laughed. That squirrels nest in the tree, probably 40' in the air, has a rather fanciful topknot of polyester batting. Originally I saw this batting at about eye level in the corner of my fence in some dried vines I was going to remove. It didn't look like much until I started pulling it out, but believe me there's more there than you'd think they could stuff into a place that small. I realized it was some kind of a nest and got a little nervous about what I might find. I had gloves on, so it was okay. Well, I found one squirrel sleeping, seemingly pretty good sized. I stuffed him and the fluff back where I found him. After that, apparently, the nest builder decided it would be safer to be out of my reach, and moved it to the nest in the tree. Somehow I don't think I'll be climbing the neighbor's tree to remove it again. The really strange thing is that when I first found it, I couldn't figure out where they had found all the nice, clean white fluff. I gave them credit for good instincts though. The next day I figured out their source. I have a very faded outdoor swing I was planning to recover. Well, I now have a reason to get to it quickly. The squirrels jumpstarted my project for me. Who knew they were un-upholsterers?

Rice! I Need More Rice!

Yeah, well, now that I have a nice phone app to do blog posts, I tried dropping my phone into the fish pond.  It doesn't help.  So, it is now taken apart and sitting in a bowl of rice after I dried it out as much as I could, first with a linen tea towel (the best, as we fabric lovers know) and then with a hair dryer on no-heat.  Sigh.

I'm hoping for the best, and after some research and questioning my brother (the IT guy) about it, next time I do this (never I hope!) I will try this method, using alcohol to first displace the water in the phone, and then drying it out in rice.  Can't hurt, and apparently has been the go-to method for underwater cameras for years.  Who knew?

A small bit of sewing content:  I thought I finished the patternwork on the Marfy 3507 dress last night, but of course this morning I realized I had forgotten a couple things I wanted to check.  It's always a good idea to sleep on it when it's a big project.  My brain sometimes seems to work better when I'm asleep than awake.  Sad, isn't it?  Anyway, I'm almost ready to do a muslin.  I think I have a suitable not-too-stretchy knit to use that will somewhat mimic the neoprene, which I don't have yet, so basically I'm guessing.  Oh well, onward and upward.

I will say I  hope you have a blessed holiday weekend, whatever holiday you're celebrating.  They're all very inter-related, which I find very nice.  I will be singing tonight at Good Friday services, and again Sunday for Easter, then having my family over for Easter Dinner.  Should be fun, especially if it stays warm.

My daffodils have recovered pretty well after being snowed on immediately after they bloomed, and the first tulip is out today!

Flowers

I just have to show off my lovely flowers.  I had some kind of a virus Friday that laid me low and my sweetie brought me flowers.  

Then when I got well, he brought me a dozen roses!  I just had to share.

Clean Up

Just a couple notes.

Pam at Fashion Sewing Supply generously provided interfacing sample packs for all of the participants in the Coat Class I did on Saturday, as she did for me in Chicago too.  I can't thank her enough, and I hope the participants take advantage of the resource they've been given, and test the best interfacing available, in my opinion.  You know you'll need interfacing for a coat, and probably more than one type, so this is a great way for them to find out exactly what works best and what fits their fabric and their project.  She sells larger test/sample sets on her site, and I encourage you to try her products if you haven't already.  You will wonder how you got along with what you've used before.  NAYY, just a fan for quite a few years.

On to the non-sewing stuff. 

This may be kind of silly, but I am so thrilled to now have a recycling can as well as a garbage can!  I've been hauling the recyling to various places around town for several years, and it's not that much fun, plus it builds up in my garage until I can take it.  Now, finally I can put it in the recycling can and the garbage guys will take it away.  Thank you Niederhaus Bros.  This is wonderful!   I don't have to sort it, or haul it away myself, I just put it in the can and they take it once a week, like magic.  I don't produce that much trash anyway, but it's amazed me how much of what I used to throw away was recyclable, and it cuts down the actual trash to a very small amount.




My other news is the turkey of course.  I found eggs next to my house in the side yard, behind some ferns and daylilies, and it turned out that they were turkey eggs.  The turkey laid quite a few and has been sitting on them ever since.  I'm hoping they're going to hatch pretty soon.  I am able to look out a window above her nest, and so I keep an eye on her.  She never seems to move much, although I noticed there were quite a few feathers in the side yard yesterday, so maybe she's preening or something, away from the nest a bit.  I really know nothing about turkeys, so it's all a learning experience for me.

Shoes and Flowers

It seems that spring is early everywhere this year, and everything is blooming early as well. The wisteria is just gorgeous this year, and I got a photo of the smaller display on the top deck (3rd story). This was when it was just beginning to really show. It's almost done now.

From Drop Box

I could not resist showing you these great shoes. Just what I need. Not really, but they do intrigue me. They remind me of the pair of shoes Kenneth King almost couldn't get through airport security. He had glued his spikes on. These are done for you.

From Drop Box

Fun Saturday with Barbara & A New Top

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Most of you are familiar with Barbara of Cat Fur Studio. I'm very lucky that she gets to Omaha once in a while which is close enough to me to make it easy to meet and visit. We've had some wonderful adventures in past visits. We've visited the Pendleton Outlet in Nebraska City, she's come to see my sewing studio, and this time, we shopped and lunched in Omaha's Old Market area. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time! Barbara won the Best Shopping award, and I helped. I did buy a hat. It's a nice, warm one, although stylish as well, I think. Today is windy, cold, rainy, and I may try my new hat sooner than I thought.

You can see here that I'm pointing out one of the features of Barbara's new Hot Patterns Primavera dress. I enjoyed seeing it and the great cape she made recently. Both very nice, and great wardrobe pieces; just what we all wish for as an outcome when we sew.
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I will also say that the top I'm wearing is a new one. I used the FSG #1960 Top pattern (my go-to Tee pattern) and cut the neckline deeper and added the floppy collar. The fabric is one that I got from a member of the Omaha ASG group. She was moving and retiring from sewing, and donated all of her fabrics, etc. to the group for distribution with donation. It's a wonderful blue/rust cross-woven french terry. It changes with the light and I love it. It's really soft and comfy as well. You've seen the little knitted Gedifra vest before. It's the one I finally overdyed a couple years after I finished it, to improve the color. Now it goes with lots of things, and I wear it much more often.

Kudos to Barbara's wonderful husband, Nick, for taking these great photos! I think we look good, although we did get a little silly when encouraged to "be dramatic", but we had fun, and he got some nice photos.

I have to show off the darling notebook Barbara found for me. Its covers look like pattern instructions. What fun! I will be using it with pleasure. x Photo Link

I think I will be making more of this style now that winter is upon us. I hate to tell you this, but it's SNOWING here today! Ick, I hope the warm-up predicted for tomorrow will come and do its best. I'll leave you with the very sad view out my back windows. I just don't really like snow, especially not this early.
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Swimsuit Straps and Food

From 2011April

I have been trying out Water Aerobics lately. I've had problems with Sciatica in the past, and suddenly it's back, and nothing seems to help much. It was suggested that water exercise might be good, as well as a few other things, but so far I'm trying the water, and it seems to help. It keeps pressure off the nerve, but still allows one to exercise.

I hadn't bought a swimsuit for years, but purchased 2 at the FIDM Shop in LA's Fashion District. They're identical styles in similar prints from Esther Williams. They have loops to attach halter straps, but there were no straps. Perhaps this is why they were selling them for $5 each. I decided it would be more comfortable to have regular, over-the-shoulder straps. I used some Victoria's Secret Satin Lycra I had. I put the non-stretch going lengthwise, so the straps do not stretch much if at all. There's plenty of stretch in the suit, and I wanted support. I made wide turned tubes, and pinned them in place, then tried it on, and adjusted (shorter) and did 2 rows of 2x2 zigzag at each end.

From 2011April

I think it turned out very well, and it's very comfortable to wear, and I think it looks pretty good, too. The color match is better than what I thought I'd find in the inventory. Now to do the other suit.

From 2011April

I also baked some rolls using the FARR bread machine I have. (FARR is Frivolous Appliance Round-Robin, and the machine belongs to my brother. I'm just 'storing' it right now.) You make the dough in the machine, then roll and shape it, let it rest, and bake it. They turned out pretty nice, and it was kind of fun. I love bread.

From 2011April

Textile Symposium – Market Place

One of the highlights of the conference in my opinion, was the Market Place. As you might imagine, there were lots of very unique things available, and who wouldn't enjoy shopping in such an atmosphere? I was extremely abstemious, but I did have to make one purchase of a Nuno felted silk and wool collar and cuff set.
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The artist was Melissa Arnold, and she had lots and lots of wonderful things, and of course I think I could make my own version of some of them, and possibly this as well, but I was just so enamored of it that I thought I'd treat myself. I wore the set at the conference on Saturday, and got many, many comments and compliments on them.
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I love both pieces, and besides the way they look, it's nice and warm to wear, which was great since the conference was really almost cold most of the time. Too much air-conditioning for the weather, which was rare and perfect fall weather during the entire week.

Another plus was that the Nebraska Bead Association held its annual show and bazaar at the hotel on Saturday, and I did buy a few things there as well. I've not been to their show before, and it was quite large, with both finished items and everything you could desire to make your own I seem to be enamored of copper lately, so I got a few copper things, and we'll see what happens from there.

Details of the Marfy pants will be in my next post.

Textile Symposium II - Conference

The papers and research presentations given at the Symposium are the main part of the event. (This link will open a PDF of the entire program.)

There were 4 rooms with 3-4 presentations each in the morning and twice as many in the afternoon of each day, plus a keynote speaker in the morning each day, so there was a lot of information to digest. Thursday evening there were gallery tours, as museums and galleries in Lincoln and a few in Omaha had a total of 33 textile-related shows in accord with the conference. There were two bus routs for the tours, which we coordinated, and quite a few were within walking distance. People were going in every direction, and it was quite a popular evening.

Friday morning was similar to Thursday, but in the afternoon people chose an off-site seminar or workshop from 14 choices and were bussed to their destination. I went to the one which included the Hillestad Textile Gallery, the clothing collection at UNL and the New Fibers talk. It was wonderful to see the collection up close, and we got to examine the suits slated for the next Hillestad exhibition, as well as a Ralph Rucci dress made with 'thread worms' that just happened to be on a mannequin in the collection storage room. When the afternoon sessions were over, there was a Reception at Sheldon Art Gallery, and then the Banquet and keynote speaker.

Saturday was the last official day, and there were sessions in the morning and afternoon, then a
Native American dance troupe exhibition and regalia display.

On Sunday there were two post-conference workshops:
Ralli Quilts: Treasures from Pakistan and India and
Feltmaking with Janice Arnold and Chris Martens

and one tour:
Native Americans of the Winnebago and Omaha Tribes.

This is a felt-making video made by Christine Martens.

Textile Symposium I – Conservation Tour

I think I'm finally almost recovered from the intense experience that was the Textile Society of America's Biennial Symposium. As I told you before, I was the assistant Volunteer Coordinator, and so I attended almost the entire time. Since I mainly needed to be available in case any 'emergencies' arose, and in general things ran very smoothly, I was able to attend many of the sessions and presentations that appealed to me. Truly a fabulous opportunity, and I would recommend it to anyone who has the chance to do something like this. (The next one will be in the Fall of 2012 in Washington, D.C.)

I'm going to split up my posts on this, or it would be really long. I'm also sorry to say that the photos I took were all accidentally deleted. Not that I had that many, or that they were that great, but they were there anyway.

My first day was Wednesday, the 6th. I was a host on the Conserving Textiles on the Plains Tour. We left the Cornhusker Hotel (most of the events were held there) and went on a series of behind-the-scenes tours.

There were 2 other tours participants could choose.
Incomparable Art/Exceptional Spaces or
Nebraska's Colorful History.

There were also two workshops available.
Investigation of Natural Dyes: Reds and Purples or
Jacquard: A Loom of Opportunity

On to the Conservation Tour.


First stop was the International Quilt Study Center. I'd been there before, but this was different. We got to see the quilt conservation and storage areas, and saw some of the quilts that are stored flat instead of folded, because of their special traits. We saw volunteers re-folding quilts, which is done continually, so that each quilt is re-folded at least once in 2 years. Their photography studio was interesting as well, as it allows them to take the photos which are detailed enough that they can put on their website for off-site study. Of course we stopped at the gift shop on the way out, and quite a few books and other items accompanied us onto the bus.


Next stop was The Gerald Ford Center, which was a surprise to me. I'd not been there before, but assumed it was dedicated to honoring/explaining Ford's presidency. It does have that as a small part of its function, but its main purpose is as a conservation center for Objects, Paper and Art. It originally was designed to include textile conservation, but there was so little call for it that the textile lab was given over to art instead. As you might imagine, people are less willing to pay the conservation costs for textiles than they are for artwork that needs repair. Sad, but true. The facility is both a Regional Center and the State's official conservation arm. It's locked at all times, so I'm unsure how one arranges a tour if you're interested.


The last stop was DeSoto Bend and the Steamship Bertrand site.
It's both a wildlife refuge, and a repository for the artifacts recovered in the excavation of the ship almost exactly 100 years after it sank in the Missouri River. It hit a snag, and then the river shifted, as it often did, and the site was lost. When it was discovered, almost all of the original cargo was still on board, covered in mud, sand and water.
Since no oxygen had gotten to the 4000 artifacts, things were remarkably well-preserved. The Bertrand was headed for the gold fields in Montana, and thus had a lot of tools and basic living equipment on board, but also shoes,, hats, clothing, fabric, buttons, sewing supplies, etc. We all drooled over the buttons and some of the fabric as well as a couple of very fancy hatpins.


When we came back to Lincoln, everyone got off back at the Quilt Center for a reception. I went home and went to choir practice and to bed early for an early start on Thursday.

Birthday Knitting

I have to tell about my birthday party. I wasn't going to mention my birthday, but I haven't had a 'girls' birthday party for years and years. I decided that since my church knitting group meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays, and my birthday was on the 5th Monday, I would just invite them over for Birthday Knitting.

We are a small group, and there were only 4 of us last night, and it was all pretty low key, but we had a really good time. The highlights were Pretzel M&Ms and Ghirardelli Brownies. There was also a tour of my home. I don't know about you, but I love seeing other people's homes, and the best way to get to see theirs is to show them yours. It's also a good way to make oneself do the housework.

So I would suggest that you all have a Textile Party, whether it's a birthday or not. It's just fun to get together and talk while you work on your project.

Nothing Costs 4 Cents Anymore

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I thought you'd enjoy seeing this card, which was about half-full of snaps when I got it. It was part of my grandmother's sewing things. I've no idea when she might have bought it. Although I do remember Penney's having a sewing and fabric department, I don't think snaps were 4 cents then. Now they're apparently about $1.50 for 10 of this size. One thing about sewing notions like this, they don't get outdated or too old to use, so 'snap' them up if they are offered.

I got my brother's bread machine in our family's 'Frivolous Appliance Round-Robin', and I'm having fun with it. Like most people, their bread machine was used a lot when they got it, and then less, until it finally sat there, unloved. So, I said I'd take it for a while, and they could take an extra KitchenAid mixer I had on hand. Everyone's happy, and we are storing new things in our kitchens instead of the old, boring ones.

My favorite bread so far is called Franskbröd, (correction courtesy of Mia) supposedly the most popular bread in Scandinavia. It reminds me strongly of my Swedish grandmother's homemade bread that we could never duplicate. I've made it a couple of times now, and everyone agrees with me. This is NOT a photo of it however. This is an egg bread with poppyseed which is also very good.



I'm recovering from some minor surgery right now, although it's never minor when it's you, is it? Actually, it was my first surgery of any kind. It's been a week now, and I'm beginning to feel a bit like myself again, so I'm pleased about that.

ASG Program & Trip

I never did report on the program I did for the Omaha ASG. It was such fun! What a great group of ladies. It's never boring to talk sewing, is it?

It was a rainy evening, but that didn't dampen any spirits. I took along a large group of garments that had begun with a SWAP I did several years ago. I've been adding things to my wardrobe since then that still coordinate with the original group of garments, as well as replacing items that needed it as I went along. So we had lots to talk about and discuss.

They seemed to enjoy seeing my shoes as well, and we're talking about a Shoe Workshop sometime, which I think would be so much fun!

I happened to be there on a special night as well. A longtime member was divesting herself of her stash, as she was moving, and health issues were also coming into play. There were tables and tables of fabric, patterns, notions, books, etc. All were first-come, first-served with donations asked for the ASG group. She lived only a couple blocks from the old Pendleton Outlet, and guess where a lot of her fabric came from? Now, how much did she have? They counted as they put it out, and there were 700 pieces. Yes, SEVEN HUNDRED individual pieces of fabric, and almost all were at least 3 yards, and most were larger. I don't think I'm quite in that class yet, but it does make you stop and take a breath, and just think about what you're collecting, and what will happen to it. And yes, I took a few pieces. I let the members go first, though.

Also, the Omaha ASG is doing a bus trip to the Kansas City area on Saturday, June 26th. I'm going along, and we'll be at various fabric stores, textile shops, etc. in KC, St. Joseph and Overland Park. I'm not sure what all we'll see, but it sounds terrific. They have a few places left, and it's only $25 for non-members. Quite the bargain, so if you're in the Omaha area, come on along!

The clean-out of my parents home is going well, I think. We had a big tag sale last weekend, and are going to repeat this weekend. We keep finding more stuff my Mom had tucked away. Today I am finally feeling slightly recovered from all the work we've been doing over the last 2 months. It's been every day, mostly evenings and late into the night, and it's been some time since I did so much lifting and carrying, etc. Last night I went over there and met a young man who was hoping to buy my Mom's sewing machine for his mother. It's an older Necchi, and he wanted me to show him that it worked. I had planned to test the machine earlier, but honestly I'd forgotten with everything else we were doing, and so it was a cold test, but that machine came through with flying colors. Made me think I should have kept it, but no, I don't need another back-up machine. He got quite the bargain, though, and I hope his mother likes it.

Okay, What Is This?

As you know, I and my siblings are clearing out my parents' home since they moved to a retirement apartment. They are still loving it, by the way. Huge success.

Anyway, we are running across various things that look like they might be either collectible, valuable, or something. However, we can't always figure out just what we have. I thought I'd just call on the expertise I know is available from all of you, and ask about some things.

You may click on this link to see Larger Scale Images of all the photos here.

First is a three-cornered ceramic container. It could be a cachepot, jardiniere, vase, pot, or ??? The mark on the bottom is Weller Pottery. It has a different flower on each side. The flaws you see in the photo are just about invisible IRL (just like on our garment photos, right?) So, if you know anything about this, even just a little bit so we could do a better online search, I hope you'll leave a comment to let me know.






Next is a creamy ceramic bowl with a lid. It has an interesting texture, but I think it must be ceramic. The pine cone design is pretty, and there are no markings on it.





This vase is a gorgeous soft gray/green which I'm not sure comes across. It is marked Wien Keramos (Vienna Ceramics), Made in Austria on the bottom.




This Little Miss toy sewing machine is one thing I'm definitely keeping. I don't remember seeing it when I was growing up, and I'm not sure if it was just tucked away or if my Mom got it somewhere later. I have a pink toy sewing machine that I received for Xmas when I was pretty small, so maybe she kept hers put away. It looks very pristine.

There's Always Something....

Isn't that the truth?

I traded cars on Monday. I was driving a Ford Explorer, and I don't need the 4WD feature much anymore, plus it really cuts down on the mileage you get. I now am driving a Suzuki Kizashi, and so far I really like it. I think it's a cute car, too. I can't believe the major room I now have in the garage, which used to have both the Explorer and the Lincoln TownCar in it, as well as everything else one usually finds in a garage, and then some.



The bad news is that Tuesday evening I sprained my ankle. I was carrying some things from my Mom's house downstairs here, and I missed the last step and fell onto the landing, right on my foot/ankle. I've never actually sprained anything before, and I don't think this is as bad as what I've heard described by others, so I'm hoping it will heal quickly. I've been doing the ice/rest/elevation thing, and along with an Ace bandage wrapped around it, it seems to be improving. The swelling is moving down toward my toes now a bit, and the actual ankle and above looks perfectly normal. Just when the gardening season is beginning to really heat up, here I am, hobbling around. Oh well, at least it's not permanent.

I am hosting the Mu Phi's Tuesday night (my music fraternity) but luckily I don't have to make the dessert. My brother's going to come over and get the folding chairs out of the basement for me, and I think I can do everything else, albeit slowly.

I'm doing a program for the Omaha chapter of ASG on the 20th, and I had a lot of plans that I was working on for that which may have to be slightly modified, but it should be a very nice evening anyway. They've asked me to speak about Wardrobing/Sewing with a Plan, and to show some of my covered shoes as well.

Clearing Out One's Parents Home

As you all know, this has been a year of huge changes for me. Apparently I am not done with change yet, because my parents threw me a loop at the end of March.

They've been talking about moving into a retirement apartment or something like it for literally years, but felt they had to go through everything in their house, throw out and sort, sell the house, etc., before they moved. And they did nothing. My Mom literally was past it, and my Dad has never done that kind of thing, and wasn't starting now. I finally told him that he might as well quit talking about moving because if they had to do all that before they went, they weren't going. I also said that was fine, and we could figure out what to do so they could just stay in their home. But, if they were really moving, they'd better take what they wanted and leave the rest for us (my sister, brother and me) to deal with.

Well....I really must have lit a fire under him, because within two days they had picked out an apartment in a very nice retirement community, and they moved 4 days later! My sister came from California as fast as she could, and she, I, and my brother spent 3 weeks working steadily to clear things out. They'd been there about 36 years, and it's a large house with LOTS of storage, and it was full. We got through most of it before Lisa had to go home, and my brother and I are finishing up slowly. They've sold the house, and so actually, everything has gone pretty well. Everyone is so glad they made the move, and they love it there. My Mom doesn't have to cook, the food is great, they get housekeeping, and lots of other nice perks. The very day they moved, we noticed that my Mom looked so relaxed, and about 10 years younger. It was amazing. I really think it's because she no longer was surrounded by things that she thought she needed to be doing something about, and feeling guilty because she wasn't. Her memory seems better, she's walking better (getting more exercise and it's helping it seems) and she just seems more alert in general. My Dad still participates in his favorite activities of duplicate bridge and pool, and they're starting to join in things in their new community. Quite the success all around.

There have been so many changes in the last year I'm not sure whether I'm coming or going, but I'm still here, so that's good. Now I just need to find the time to do some of the things I need/want to do for me.

Netbook Sleeve

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I have a little netbook computer that's great for carrying around with me, but I didn't have a sleeve for it. I decided this would be a fun project where I could go pretty wild if I wanted to. I think this is pretty wild, and I even got to use my new jewelry anvil to flatten the ends of the metal pieces (heavy gauge wire) so that I could stitch them to the pocket and appliques. There's beading, I stitched small triangles of fabrics to the appliques, and one of the metal pieces is wrapped with fine wire. All of the ends are turned toward the sleeve so there isn't much chance of scratching anything with the metal. I have to say that this was SO much fun to do, though.

There are lots of photos in this post, and you can either click on the individual links and choose a larger size to see them better, or click on the first photo link, and then click through them that way if you like. By the way, the netbook is in the sleeve in all of these photos. It fits very nicely.

I used some heavyweight buckram for the inner layer,

and wrapped it with several layers of cloth, then added a silk outer layer with stitching, and a needlefelted embellished pocket on one side, and appliques on the other.

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I originally thought I would use the purple cotton with embossed circles for the whole thing, but after doing the needlefelting and free motion stitching on the pocket, I thought that would be too boring and dark. I recalled the lime silk I had left from a pair of summer pants, and it proved to be the bright punch I wanted. I did some stitching on it, and added a few narrow ribbons as well, but it stayed fairly plain.


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This is a close up of the pocket and the appliques.


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Finally, you can see it with the cord 'in' the pocket as well. I wanted the sleeve to just fit the netbook, but I swear the cord and transformer, etc. takes more room because it's so bulky. Anyway, it's in no danger of falling out. I'd probably have the cord in my purse separately anyway, since one doesn't always need it.



I'm going to a workshop at UNL tonight and Thursday. It's being given by Susan Taber Avila, and is called Building a Three-dimensional surface with Solvy & Stitching. She has a show in the Hillestad Gallery right now which is worth seeing, and I'm hoping this will be a useful workshop as well. I'm sure it's going to be fun anyway.

I've Been Busy

Since I last posted, I've been on another trip to visit a dear friend and her family. This time I went to Maryland, and had a marvelous time. We hit some great yarn shops, a bead shop, G Street Fabrics (my fabric is sitting at my post office at this very moment, since I was performing at Morning Musical Review when they tried to deliver it today) and of course various parts of the Smithsonian group of museums as well as other places of interest, such as the National Cathedral. On a completely frivolous note, she also took me to see Ricardo, her hairdresser, and I got my hair cut. (Drumroll!) It's not a complete departure from my former look, but it's a little more modern looking (I hope) and definitely 'cleaned up'. Here's me last Sunday.



I spent one day in DC by myself, traipsing through the National Gallery, Archives, Sculpture Garden, Portrait Gallery and the Renwick Gallery. I still feel like I'm filled to the brim with the sights I saw and the ideas I got.

Before she turned me loose on my own, Linda kindly went with me to DC, and we toured Arlington Cemetery, including Arlington House, which is beginning a major renovation soon, the National Building Museum, and the Textile Museum.

This last stop will be of special interest to most of you, and I would urge anyone who's handy, to go there now, as their current show is Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Mary Baskett Collection.



It runs for about another month, and yes, it was wonderful. All of the items are from the wardrobe (as in, she still wears them regularly) of a woman from Ohio who lived in Japan near the beginning of the Japanese designer phenomenon. She spotted these intriguing designs and began buying and wearing them. She was there for quite a few years, so her collection spans a considerable time. You can get quite close to most of the pieces, and they're displayed very well for the most part, with the accessories meant to be worn with them, and on 3-D 'forms' inside so that the shapes are clearly shown. We could have done with a little more information about some of the pieces, but really, it's a great show, and quite interesting to see the pieces close up.

There's another interesting show there as well. It's Fabrics of Feathers and Steel:
The Innovation of Nuno and is a collection of very unusual pieces of fabric. I know you've seen some of these before, but the innovation of these is awesome. Of course you can't touch the fabrics on display, but they do have small 'touchable' samples by the description of each group, so you can get a sense of the tactile quality of the fabrics.

In case you wonder what I was singing this morning, it was 3 songs for a performance club. It's been about 2 years since I was able to go and perform, or even attend, so this was very nice. "V'adoro, pupille" from Giulio Cesare by Handel, and 2 of the Six Songs of Emily Dickinson by John Duke. 5. "Nobody Knows This Little Rose" and 6. "Bee! I'm Expecting You". My wonderful accompanist and friend, Diana, made it all possible, as always.

My Test

We've all said one word when we meant another, and since this is sewing-related, and I think it's really funny, I thought I'd share.

I had to have an ultrasound test after a recent check-up, and when the office called to schedule it, I dutifully wrote it in my calendar, promised I'd be there, and hung up. Then I looked at what I'd written. Here's what I saw.

10:30 Ultrasuede

I guess we all know where my head's at. I have to say I think an ultrasuede appointment would have been much more fun!