Holidays Are Here Again!

Well, the holidays are back…they do this every year!  I feel like I haven’t gotten much done this week, except for cooking and planning to cook and purchasing food to cook.  Early this morning I did manage to get my rust dyed scarves individually photographed and listed in my Etsy shop.  But that’s about it. I’m making my list and checking it twice…candied sweet potatoes, cranberry/strawberry jello, homemade rolls (2 bags of them, white and wheat), pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling, cheese balls, one for each family, and crackers to go with them.  We’ll be traveling tomorrow to find the rest of the meal.

I want to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

“Model” wearing the crepe de chine scarf.

Rust Dyed Silk Scarves

I finished three different rusted scarves this week.

That’s silk satin on the left. Notice how it really took the rust.  Crepe de chine in the center and flat crepe on the right. Now that my new order is here, next week I can get started making some art scarves…as well as cooking for Thanksgiving.

Today’s Work…

First, rust dyeing some scarves.  I just started these this morning. I will be doing more, but am waiting patiently (?) on my order from Dharma.  These are: one silk satin, one silk crepe, and one silk flat crepe.  It will be interesting to see the differences.  Pictures coming later.

Potato Soup…

I don’t usually post about food, but today I am making potato soup before I go teach, so that’s what I am posting about.

When the weather starts to turn cold, I love to start making soup. I love soup. I’m not sure why, but I do. I have never liked potato soup….that is, until recently. I know why I never liked potato soup…my grandmother made it all the time and it was runny, made of mostly milk, few potatoes and celery. I just never cared for it much, consequently, for all these years I never made potato soup. A couple of years ago I found some recipes I thought I would try. There are a couple of different ones I use. They are thick, tasty, and have lots of potatoes in them. I love potato soup! (And I love potatoes, as my hips will attest to) I make it a lot too, as soon as the weather cools. My very favorite potato soup recipe is thick with sour cream, but rather bland….but that is because it is meant to be served with highly seasoned, homemade, deep FRIED, croutons. They are seasoned with parsley, garlic, paprika, salt, and parmesan cheese. Are you drooling yet?

Simmering potatoes, onions and celery…

I added some parsley and chives for a little flavor….now to make the croutons…I like to use whole grain breads for those. I have some homemade in the freezer.

I have to run now, but I will post the croutons later for your drooling pleasure.

Sunday This ‘N That…

The last few days have been like one loooonnnnnnngggggg day. I was busy finishing up working on silk scarves, getting them cataloged, tagged and priced. Then I needed to pack the car with what I planned to sell at the bazaar Friday night and at the same time pack the car for the class I was to teach on Saturday. My brain started getting tired. There were last minute preparations for the class, handouts, notes, etc. I was so busy I forgot to get a picture of the first rust dyed crepe de chine scarf I made. It was quite lovely and of course, it sold Friday night. I actually sold quite a few scarves and am very pleased about that…so pleased, I am ordering more blanks! My scarf supply is pretty depleted at this point as I then consigned a dozen to the shop in Evansville. But I will be doing more rust dyeing. That crepe scarf was too yummy not to make more…and of course, I must have my very own, right?

When I got home last night after being gone the whole day, there was a message on my answering machine about a dessert being needed for a funeral. Of course, there’s no time (or energy at this point) to fix anything in a pan I don’t want back and I don’t have any discardable pans. I don’t keep a lot of stuff around here for the unexpected events like this, so to keep stress at a minimum, I bought some cookies at the dollar store and put in a disposable bag. We had church this morning and lunch with friends, then home to rest a little bit and “pack” my “dessert”. I usually do try to make something special, but there was too much going on this weekend. So tonight I am placing another pretty big scarf order to build my inventory back up. I have an art fair the first weekend of December, so that gives plenty of time to get more done. I will lose a couple of days with the Thanksgiving holiday. I am also hoping to get new art done.

Here is one of the lovely chiffon scarves I did. It has been dyed and discharged. 44″X 44″ silk chiffon. For sale for $45 if anyone is interested. Email me.

UPDATE ON 12/9/08:  This scarf is SOLD.

What I’m Doing Today…

I am working on scarves AGAIN…I have an opportunity to sell tomorrow night as well as deliver some for consignment on Saturday, so gotta get ’em done. Since my Deep Black 609 did not work very well (too red), my scarves are mostly a deep red-purple color. I decided to discharge on some of them because they are so dark (some people may like the dark color). Not very long ago I had decided that I would no longer work with discharge paste simply because I cannot abide the odor of it…but after today I guess I’m changing my mind…can you see why?

I stamped the paste on with a sea sponge. What a difference that made. This is a 15″ x 60″ silk crepe de chine (remember it shrinks from that in washing, now measuring about 14.5″ x 56″). For sale for $30 (includes shipping). Email me if you are interested. I am also doing some rust dyeing on a silk scarf and cotton scarves. Stay tuned.

Dyeing Day…

Today I will be working on dyeing….silk scarves and probably some cotton in colors for the commission pieces. I need color swatches to show.

Here’s a scarf I made awhile back….stamped and monoprinted with dye, luscious, buttery, 19.5 mm silk charmeuse, measuring 8″ x 54″. If anyone is interested it is $32, and I’ll include shipping. Email me.

UPDATE:  This scarf is no longer available. Sold on 11/14/08.

Saturday Update…

Wow, what a week.  I have been badly neglecting this blog.  First I judged all day for the general election on Tuesday.  I got home around 8:30 p.m.  We were so organized it only took us 1/2 hr. to get everything wrapped up, then get to the courthouse early (that’s good, before the crowd gets there), and head home to watch returns.  On the day after I have a tendency to just sit and ponder what just happened, talk to friends on the phone, and then….I started a new blog this week.  Two other things happened while I was judging:  a phone message left from someone wanting to hire me for some paid work (my phone line was finally free..yes, I’m still on dialup) and the other was an email notifiying me of information about a possible commission for a bank in Evansville.  I say possible, because probably more than one person is preparing a proposal.  This particular bank has some very unique architecture; it has been defined as Aztec Art Deco.  So Friday I made a trip over to take pictures, make note of colors and measure the spaces where new art is needed.  Apparently the president is dissatisfied with the current art on display there.  When I saw it, I definitely see why.  It’s a bit ho-hum.  Anyway he wants new fiber art that reflects the architecture of the building.  Sounds like fun to me!  I have ideas percolating already.

I also got an order for two custom dyed scarves from my etsy store.  I will be working on them next week as I have another shop wanting some on consignment, and then there is my own inventory for the Christmas in Harmony weekend. I worked on photographing the last batch of scarves so that I may list some on etsy.

As to my new blog, I felt inspired to start it because I feel I have something to say and I want to say it!  Nicely, of course.  I am writing about values and recent events.  I listen to news networks too much, but I have had an ongoing interest in current affairs for probably the last 25 years, about the time I “started paying attention”.  So if you are interested in what I think, stop on over.  If not, that’s ok too!  The link is on the right in the MY SITES section.

I have to share a picture.  This piece is a couple of years old, but I keep thinking I want to do more with this same idea.

My  Friend’s Garden – inkjet transfer on cotton, applique, stitching, hand dyed fabric and free form quilting.

Monday Musings…

It’s the day before election day.  I am preparing for my day tomorrow as an election judge.  It is a very long day. At the center I work at, there are two precincts and some of us potluck, so I have made two batches of turkey chili and some salsa crab dip to have with corn chips and salsa.  We usually nibble all day long.  I will be up by 4 a.m. and probably earlier as I need to arrive at the voting center by 5 a.m with polls to open at 6 a.m.  I  drive 8 miles on a very winding road (as in, one curve right after another) to get to the polling place…and in the dark, that can be a bit weird.  It’s all rural, so I have to watch out for deer.  So this morning I was awake at 5.  It’s about 1:30 p.m. right now and I already want to take a nap, but I can’t because I won’t sleep tonight…and that’s the important part…that I sleep tonight.  I probably won’t get back home tomorrow night until 9 p.m.  After the polls close at 7, it will take us an hour to get everything wrapped up and ready to go to the courthouse, and I usually go to the courthouse with the stuff.  There is a new girl working with us tomorrow…hmmm…I wonder if she’ll want to go to the courthouse in my place?  Then I can get home earlier.  We’ll see.

I am taking some fabric ready to hand piece some blocks with me.  Even though the anticipation is a 92% turnout, I live in a very rural area and the precinct I judge in doesn’t have many voters, so I expect to have time to do a little sewing.  Reading will only make me sleepy!

It will all soon be over for another election year and we will have a new president in January.  I am looking forward to finding out who that will be.  Later.

VOTE NOVEMBER 4