More Fun in Florence

Last night I literally dreamed about jersey. After breakfast we headed back to Alabama Chanin. I had to finish looking at the swatch books.

These samples are all so beautiful to see and handle in person. Look at the saturation of these different shades of red that make up this Facets design.

And I love the red peeking through the apple green in this one.

I found myself really drawn to the appliquéd samples. Which is too bad, because it's my least favorite technique. Too hard to keep up with all the little bits and get them placed correctly. But my, it makes for a beautiful piece.

I had never been particularly interested in either the Vitae stencil *or* the spiral embroidery, but I just love this combination. The figures are appliquéd on, and the negative spaces are filled with spirals! It's just enough.

And look at this sample of Climbing Daisy worked in light on dark! With some sequins sewn in the mix. Also love the effect of working it down from the top--imagine that from the neckline of a dress, front or back.

Finally I settled down to the serious business of choosing what to buy. 

The moody blues definitely led today. I picked out several, including this baby blue (it's deeper in person), and some silvery-plummy "pewter."

After lunch we wandered around Florence, which is full of great old buildings, many of which have awesome names in the doorways.

One building used to be a glorious department store, and its elevator doors are still glamorously intact.

We did go to Muscle Shoals and visit the most famous music recording studio. It's just the building now, with a few defunct instruments left around. But it draws people from all over. While we were there one very talented musician had his guitar with him and sang and played in the studio just for the fun of making music in the same place all those greats had been in. This may be the only place I have crossed paths with Paul Simon--just a few decades late.

Oh, Just Hanging Out at Alabama Chanin . . .

Yes, I actually am at the Alabama Chanin store in Florence, Alabama. We drove in in time for lunch, and then took the 2:00 tour of the Factory.

No surprise, these garments are beautiful in person,

and the jersey yardage is almost irresistible.

I'll be doing my purchasing tomorrow.

I think I'm going to buy some socks, too.

So far I have looked at half of the swatch books. They are arranged by color story--but the current ones are in NYC on a trip at the moment. I'm in the archives.

Everytime I found something I really liked I had the Composer photograph it as a reference. His trigger finger got worn out.

I'm thinking about chop beads and bugle beads--the bugle beads here are so long! Much longer than the ones from the craft store.

Some stitching samples below--everywhere you look there's something handmade!

Believe me, there will be more tomorrow . . . .

Crocheting with Old Sweaters

I'm crocheting this rug from old sweaters. It's amazingly soft and springy and supportive, with all that wool--lots of it cashmere! It's about two feet across, and I'll keep going until I've emptied the Old Holey Sweaters bin. I'm using the easy, no-sew way of joining the strips. 

Please note that I've washed these sweaters several times to get them at least a little felted. They don't seem to want to ravel at all.

Spring Day, with Daffodils

Today is suddenly spring. The daffodils are out in force. Clara and I dug up all the strawberry plants and built a *real* strawberry bed with raised rows covered in black plastic.

 Poor Bella doesn't have spring break for another two weeks, and had to go to class, to work (physical therapy clinic), and work on a paper. But her turn will come!

Daisy went to 4H, one of her favorite things ever. And I started crocheting a rug out of old sweaters.

Bold Pink Tulips

Tulips, sunshine, jersey doily.

102 Things to Do on a Rainy Day

Clara came home for spring break bringing this Gilbert & Sullivan Treasury with her--a thrift store find of one hundred and two songs. Daisy has been counting down the days.

For weeks she has been filling the house with the music of Iolanthe, and now she's adding Ruddigore, H.M.S. Pinafore, Patience, and the like to her repertoire.

A Little Break While I Babysit

I'll be back in a day or two--we're keeping a nine-month old and I'm distracted!

In a good way.

My Jersey Wrap Cardigan

After making the sleeveless short stays, I decided to modify the pattern into a 3/4 sleeve wrap cardigan. The best thing about it is that it's made from a thrifted men's t-shirt (long-sleeved, of course). The color is wonderful and the jersey is very thick and warm.

To turn a sleeveless garment into one with sleeves often involves changes to the shoulder strap part of the shirt. This took a couple of tries, and I might still need to trim the armhole down a little and extend the width of the sleeve cap, but you know jersey--always forgiving.

I hope someday soon to turn this into a downloadable pdf pattern!

Living in the Not Yet

When we fast we place ourselves in the Not Yet, the place where we look forward to the provision of all that we need.

*

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers:

Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Lisa the help of your power,

that her sickness may be turned into health,

and our sorrow into joy;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Bonnie and LulaBelle

The neighbors had six baby goats born at Thanksgiving, and now that they are old enough to wean, they've moved into our pasture to live with Daisy's two young lady goats.

The two very best, sweetest, and prettiest are Bonnie and LulaBelle. Bonnie is white with a black head, and has a lame back leg. But she's so pretty! And LulaBelle has a half-pink nose and long, lustrous hair.

Neither one was doing well on Friday though. They got cold and wet and just couldn't get comfortable (AND they had loose droppings--a bad sign in goats), so we brought them inside. For two days and a night they lived in a playpen by the stove, carefully tended by Daisy.

Then I couldn't take the smell anymore--just too barny--and they went down to Phyllis' house. Now they're well enough to be back out in the pasture. But I ask you: would you look at that pink nose?

Invitation to a Fast

This Tuesday, March 3, I will be fasting and praying for my cousin Lisa. That day marks three full years of severe chronic pain for her. 

If you are willing to join me in fasting or prayer, please let me know. She would love to know that you are lifting her up to the throne.

A Jersey Quilt Top: No Fun

This, as they say in the South, is like to have been the death of me. I've been making a twin-size quilt from jersey strips and I've been string-quilting them to a cotton batting on the machine. And I'm going to say three things about this project.

 First, if someone tells you it is fun to work with strips of jersey, they are lying to you. Strips of jersey want to curl and twist and get out of line.

Second, if you think that one twin-size quilt will use up all your scraps you are mistaken. 

Third, this project creates a lot of fluff and also will take up your whole dining table for a few days, since it's too cold to sew in the sewing room.

There. I'm glad I got that off my chest. I'm going to put this quilt top away and look at it sometime in June, and then I'll sew a back on it and maybe I'll like it.

Grateful for My Ferns

What can I say about my love for my ferns except that Ferns Save The Day when it comes to comforting us with some green?

If You Roast a Chicken Every Week

If you roast a chicken every week, you can make a nice pot of chicken stock every week. And if you make a nice pot of chicken stock every week, you can make soup for lunch--twice. Quick, convenient soups that don't take all morning

• Celeriac Soup •

Peel (with a vegetable peeler) and dice one celery root, any size. Put it in a quart of homemade chicken broth. Simmer until the celeraic is tender to the poke of a fork. Puree it, either with an immersion blender or by putting it in a real blender. Return it to the pot, and stir in 1/3 c. cream and (optional) about a half cup of white wine. Salt and pepper generously.


• Quick and Easy Vegetable Soup •

Put 2 T. olive oil in a soup pot, and turn the heat on. Dump in a package of frozen mirepoix mix (regular is fine: carrots, celery, onion, but I prefer Cajun: celery, onion, bell pepper). Add a crushed clove of garlic to the vegetables.

When they are translucent (give them about five minutes), add a can of crushed tomatoes, a quart of homemade chicken stock, and some good shakes of Worcestershire sauce (or use Pickapper--it has a parrot on the label!)

Let the soup simmer for half an hour or much longer. Thirty minutes before you want to eat it, add a package of frozen okra and a package of frozen green beans. Salt and pepper to taste before serving.

You can see that this soup has the virtue of requiring no chopping at all (I don't count crushing a garlic clove). It is also gluten and dairy-free, and fairly low in carbohydrates.

Working with the Magdalena Stencil

This is my first project with the Alabama Chanin "Magdalena" stencil, which I cut myself out of pennant felt. I used fabric paint and a brush to get it onto my navy jersey. Eventually this will be a dress for Bella, but first I have to finish all this reverse applique and add some beads. Not that that's a chore.

I really do love this stencil design. So curvaceous and floral, and fun to work.

In Which Fitzwilliam Desires an Avocado Sandwich

Jersey Short Stays

So the knitted short stays  came out a little strange, but I picked up the thrown-down gauntlet with a yard of jersey (actually way less). I traced my knitted garment, cut it out in fabric, and then added a lot of length. And a princess seam at the bust.

And my favorite part, the pintuck and two flanking darts at the back.

I don't love this turquoise color, and I really don't love it with brown, but I think I nailed the fit! And I'm drafting a version with sleeves now. Cozy.

Daisy Makes a Whale

The afternoon took an unexpected turn when Daisy announced a burning desire to make a stuffed animal. We found a simple pattern for a whale in Erica Wilson's For the Baby, the first sewing book I ever bought.

Sure, the pattern pieces were simple, but the instructions said, "Join seams. Stuff." I kid you not. I gave her advice as she went along, and she did everything herself except the final bottom seam attaching the top to the mouth and the belly.

It's all hers, and she's named it Barnacle.

Good Morning, Snow