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Archive for the ‘12X12 challenge’ Category

My Complements

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

I have been designing my next 12 X 12 challenge piece. Yesterday, I was auditioning hand-dyed fabrics and realized I needed some additional solids. So this morning, I whipped up these.

immersiondyedfabrics

My piece will use the Warhol color scheme of complements. Here are my possibilities. I need 4 sets. I may do two sets of complements and reverse them.

complements

The next thing I need to do is print my design on Wunder Under and then fussy cut the design and fuse the two colors together.

Tomorrow, Mr C and I are heading south to Roseburg where the High Fiber Diet show, Line Dancing, is opening. If you are near Roseburg (Ha!) come on by  the Umpqua Valley Arts Center between 5 and 7 pm. It is a 3 hour drive from Portland, so we are going to spend the night.

I just have to say, that after reading comments on yesterday’s blog, I fell like such a composting slacker/prima donna!!

The Compost Post (not heap)

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

I spent some time today looking into devices for composting kitchen and yard waste for my farm. I spent the afternoon checking out some local sources – most are out or didn’t have what I wanted. So back home to the computer. I ordered this for the backyard:

41070rvk1al_sl500_aa280_

This turns so that you can continually mix up your compost stuff.

41rtatmdxul_aa280_

This lovely will reside in the kitchen to collect waste to go down to the composter. It has a carbon filter in the lid to cut down on odors (I hope) I’m hoping that having something this attractive will encourage me to save the garbage and get it into the composter.

This morning I also did some work on my 12 X 12 challenge. I auditioned some fabrics, but I think I need to dye some colors that I am missing. I also finished the Photoshop design that I will use.

Tonight, I discharged one of the pieces from the shibori class. I wrapped it on a pvc pipe and sloshed on some Sunlight Dishwasher detergent. It discharged the outer edge so I washed and dried it and wrapped it the other way. It now looks like this:

dischargedshibori

The photo is not that great as I took it in the kitchen just now. It looks better than this. Here is a thumbnail of the fabric before I went at it with bleach.

sodaashsoakedpainted

Still Cooking, But There’s More

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

yowzashibori

I got into the dye pot today. You must click on this piece to see it better. It was a piece that I underpainted with dye and wrapped on a pole at the class a couple of weeks ago. I brought it home with me because there was not room in the dye pot. I mixed up a teal dye bath. Here is a detail shot.

yowzashiboridetail

I also wrapped the violet folded piece from the class on a long skinny pole. Here is the result. I like it.

violettealshibori

I didn’t have pvc pipes of the right size, so I wrapped some small pieces of fabric on wine bottles. these will be underpainted and dyed again.

smalltealshiboris

tealshibori

I also got a great idea for the next 12 X 12 challenge and started working on it. I am so happy with the plan that I have. It has to be done early because I have a lot of conference stuff to take care of between now and the next reveal plus I am leaving for Kansas City on May 22.

Yesterday, I spent an hour working on my garden beds. I got all the old winter plants pulled out plus a ton of weeds. I was excited to find many of my herbs had survived the winter.

I had to make a dessert for a meeting tonight. In spring, my thoughts go to rhubarb. I love it!!

rhubarb

I made these Rhubarb Dream Bars — sort of a shortbread crust with rhubarb in a custardy topping. I had none to bring home. They were devoured in an instant.

rhubarbdreambars

Good thing I had extra rhubarb and I made a crisp for Mr C and I.

rhubarbcrisp

And here is the broccoli cheese recipe.

It is so easy!! Steve’s mom made it for every holiday/family gathering meal.
Dump into a large bowl and mix:

  • 1 large container of cottage cheese (32 oz.)
  • 6 eggs
  • 8 ounces mild cheddar cut into small cubes (I buy the slices because that is what she did)
  • 6 ounces butter cut in small pieces
  • 6 tablespoons of flour
  • 1 16 once package of frozen broccoli (chopped), thawed

Place the mixture into a buttered 9 X 12 pan. Bake at 350 (convect) 375 (regular oven) for 45 – 60 minutes until set in center and nicely browned on the edges.
There you go!

Windows

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

My regular readers know that I am part of an online challenge group, 12 X 12. It was my turn to select the theme and I chose window. There is some amazing work popping up on our site. Be sure to go over and look through our windows.

In 2003, Mr C and I enjoyed a hiking trip in the Scottish Highlands (where I developed an affinity for single malt!). One of the highlights for us was taking a boat out to Iona where Christianity had it’s formation in Scotland. It is a Celtic thin place — a place of spirituality and tranquility. I took this photo which has been in that place in my brain where I store images that are important to me.

ionaruins

Here is my very literal interpretation – not going abstract this time around. Because of my hectic schedule, I had to take the keep it simple route.

ancientcelticwindow

I printed the beautiful, yet wonky stone ruins on lutradur coated with Golden’s Digital Ground. You can print more intense photos on lutradur with this coating. I fussy cut the structure and fused it to a background that I created from my hand-dyes and machine stitching. I then thread painted the structure. I love the wonkiness of this and the beautiful angle of the remaining stones.

Come back tomorrow for more shibori.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

First, the ugly —

migraine

I have had a debilitating sinus headache since Sunday afternoon. I am on a course of Claritin, Sudafed, Aleve, saline rinses and Afrin nasal spray. Nothing makes much of a dent. I have been working away, trying to ignore it.

noshiribbonsdetail

The bad — my quilt for the FAFC reverse auction is still waiting for a new owner. There are 7 beautiful pieces waiting for patrons to donate to the American Cancer Society to claim them. Click here for your chance!! Thursday you can get one for a real deal.

The good — I have finished my window  for the 12 X 12 challenge. It is not what I wanted to do. It is what I could do — all things considered.

This is what 20 plus yards of pfd fabric looks like after it has been torn into 2 yard pieces and scoured in the washing machine. I should have enough fabric to last for some time after the shibori class.

20ydsfabric

For some time, I have been thinking about going natural. Dyeing my hair is pricey and somewhat of a pain. With that decision, I have also decided to go quite short. Tomorrow, I am getting my hair cut short and so my gray is going to start showing. I can always change my mind, right?