SSL #3 Cotton and screwdriver  

This, that and t'other.

I went to Deb Lactiva's site and followed this link. Apparently the song that was #1 the week you were 18 has relevence for the rest of your life. As if! But I was game to give it a go so I dutifully did it and the song that was #1 in the UK charts was Good Luck Charm by Elvis and Deb, dear of her, wrote to me saying I couldn't possibly be that old, hadn't I made a mistake with my calculations. What a sweet child! Made my day! Thanks Deb. The song is obviously working! Incidentally the US #1 was I Can't Stop Loving You by Ray Charles! They are both good theme songs.

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Apart from that small comment nothing momentous has happened to me today. I could wax philosophical but I'll spare you. I need every reader I can get! Grin! I am going to watch a DVD in a minute. Desperately Seeking Susan. Suitably mindless enough that it won't tax my overworked Friday brain. And I have a book to read...Remembrance by Jude Deveraux. Again not brain taxing stuff but fun. I've ordered the Phil Rickman trilogy which includes Midwinter of the Spirit so a big thank you to the person who got me into this new (to me) writer. I forget who you are now but many thanks.

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Also I have some wonderful Mint Chocolate icecream so I can be indulgent as well and regret it tomorrow. It has real 70% chocolate pieces in it. I'm drooling already. So I'm going to slob out tonight for tomorrow I shall dye! Oh, I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist that. Grin. Hint of things to come....I'm going to play with wax!

Lookee, lookee!

Isn't it amazing what can turn up when least expected. I was trawling through my overspill room looking for samples I'd done last year for the lesson I'm going to do tomorrow when I came across a big tub of men's ties. One of the joys of having been teaching for years is that one has a great load of samples already done to supplement new stuff...well that's if they can be found! Anyway back to the ties. Lots of them are silk and there are some great designs and some brocades and some textured fabrics. Altogether a great find. I'm so tempted to start a large piece of crazy patchwork. This would be something I could pick up and do when I'm just sitting chatting; either with my Mum or Martin or anyone else come to that. So I'm a very happy camper. And I found some hand-dyed pieces of silk. I obviously had dyed them for something specific I had in mind but whatever it was it wasn't important enough for me to get started at the time and now I don't remember. They are lovely and will add to my silk stash.

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I have been having difficulties in getting rid of stuff. It has been worrying me that I have SO MUCH stuff of all descriptions but parting with it has been a headache. However I think I've cracked it. Instead of saying what shall I throw out, I'm now going to say what must I keep! This is a much more positive attitude because it will sort the very important out from the rather mundane. There is more stuff than I will use in the rest of my lifetime so I know I can safely move stuff on but the anxiety lies in making the right decisions and not making a mistake and chucking stuff I'll need in a few months time. So I'm going to go for the 'I can't live without things' first and see how we do.

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I have actually come to a fork in the road when it comes to my aspirations and I'm not sure which one to choose. Part of me wants to cut out a lot of the stuff I've been doing to date and concentrate purely on the dyeing and the painting, with the small works that go with this/these, eventually starting to exhibit. But the other part of me wants to continue as I am (is this because its easy?) and not make any effort to change but just gradually do more of one and less of the other. At least I know I'm not being motivated by fear as quite frankly my dear I don't give a damn! What I mean by that is that I have the day job and if all else fails I am supported, and nothing will stop me from being creative even if it is only for me. So consciously I should be able to clear out the clutter but deep inside me is a small voice saying be careful, one day you might want this and not be able to get it! Oh well it will all work out eventually with or without my assistance I expect!

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Oh dear nearly forgot the paragraphs. Black mark! Mrs Mel wouldn't be pleased! Especially as she gave me such good advice on making sure I got paragraphs. I bless her daily! Grin!

I also found two lengths of hand-dyed slipper satin in gorgeous peachy tones. I wonder what I had in mind when I dyed these.  

Look what I found while looking for something else! A tub full of ties, lots of them silk! And a gorgeous piece of hand-dyed silk. I love apple green and pink together.  

Can't resist!

Its no good I've just got to read the book! Digital Fortress isn't as good as Angels and Demons but its pretty riveting for all that. And I can't put it down - not even to blog! Especially as my car ran out of battery because the courtesy light was on all afternoon. I had to call my friendly neighbourhood mechanic aka Martin, to come and get me out of the ordure. And didn't he go on about leaving lights on and idiots and so forth. But I was grateful to him for coming to my rescue. And the thing is I can swear blind that the light wasn't on last night when I stuck the car in the garage as I would have noticed the light in the dark. And I didn't need it in daylight so how did it put itself on? So I'm feeling a bit miffed! So must escape into the book. Bye for now.

One rose pinned and a pile of petals waiting to be placed in position. Now I see this piece from afar I can see the roses are too close in colour to the background. I'll have to sit them on green leaves to raise them colourwise.  

Close up of rose ready to sew in place. 

3-D roses sample. Hand dyed cotton background and hand-dyed silk and cotton roses and leaves with hand embroidered leaf veins 

Close up of finished sample 

Searching High and Low

A lot of this morning was taken up with the grand hunt. This week with my Baltimore Album students I am doing 3-D roses and I knew I had a sample piece but when I looked in the place I thought I'd last seen the sample it wasn't there. A small moment of panic and then I literally turned the workshop upside down. And I didn't need to as the first place I'd thought of and rejected was where it was! Isn't that typical. When our small freezer gave up the ghost I took the motor out and had it carted up to the workroom as it has such amazing drawers. It was a good move as it holds an enormous amount of stuff. I use it to keep half finished items in and patterns for things I want to make one day. I don't use it to store samples so why this was in there I really don't know. I should have followed my instincts though and looked there first. But at least I found it but not until I'd started a second sample. And I only started the second sample because I found a baggy with ready to go petals and a piece of fabric. Obviously I had an ongoing piece as well as the finished one. I actually enjoy doing Baltimore blocks as the handwork is very restful and the 3-D pieces are especially pleasing.

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I've bought another Dan Brown book to read. I'm quite hooked on this author. This one is called: Digital Fortress. I hope it is as good as the other two. Buying a book at the supermarket quite bucks up the mundane shopping for food. I have to go and make a cup of Horlicks now and then off to bed. Its been one of those days and I need to get into tomorrow!

Blame it on......

Once again have to blame Gabrielle for this! Haven't done a quiz for yonks and fell for this one! It is amazingly accurate! I am a dreamer and need to have more get up and go! It's too early in the morning......I need to go and have breakfast and get out of my nightshirt!

You Are a Dreaming Soul

Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you away from this world So much so that you tend to live in your head most of the time You have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all... But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you. Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses. Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others. Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life. Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Monday! Monday!

The start of another week and its nearly February. Hasn't this month gone quickly. I've spent most of this morning dyeing various shades of lavender and lilac for an order. So lots more pressing to do. Some of the colours I will be sad to see go but I can always dye more for me. Apart from that I've done nothing of note. Tomorrow I'm going to start being ruthless in my workroom and getting rid of at least 30% of what I have. And I hope in the process I find my strip cutting board as I was talking about it to a friend who came over for coffee and then couldn't find it to show her. It is wonderful for cutting strips and of course I haven't needed it so didn't know that I didn't know where it was. Of course now I want it desperately. Isn't that always the way! Wonder what else I'll find that I've forgotten I've got!

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I've been searching madly for some rubbing plates to buy but it doesn't seem as if anyone in the UK stocks them. I'd be grateful for any links if someone knows differently. I found a good site in the US but they don't ship internationally which was a bummer as they had a brilliant selection. So I live in hopes that someone knows more than I do and will pass it on!

Some of the 'pastels' from the dyeing yesterday.  

Sunny Sunday!

It was a lovely day today. The sun was shining and it was freezing cold but not as cold as yesterday. In the morning I made the Bara Brith (the fruit has to soak overnight...I'd forgotten that) and ironed the batch of dyed fabric. As this was basically a fulfilling of orders there wasn't anything out of the ordinary as mostly people want a particular colour and not a 'one off' which they will choose from my varied selection. This time it was mostly electric blue and pale peach so I decided to do some pastels as well. One piece I did for myself and I love was based on honeysuckle colours. It came out better than I hoped for and so I was pleased.

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Then after lunch Martin and I went to look at the boat. Don't go getting ideas! We have a small rowing boat which we leave at Trevissome marine on the Fal. Trevissome is a manor house with land running down to the river. It is very useful as it isn't too far to get to and in the summer we have a lot of fun rowing up or down the river to various places, sometimes taking a picnic lunch or tea, and we get a lot of good exercise. We do have an outboard motor on the back as the current can be extremely strong especially if the tide is against one. We used to keep it on the Helford river (of Frenchman's Creek fame-Daphne du Maurier) but it was miles away and also we had to haul the boat up a steep incline which was way too much exercise! The manor is Georgian but has been turned into flats and holiday lets as so many of these older houses are. Although Pendennis castle is Tudor the majority of the town is Georgian. Falmouth isn't as old as Penryn which has a much older history. It was bitterly cold so we didn't stay long, just long enough for me to take some pictures. And then back home for coffee and to try the cake. It was delicious!

Top left is a wider view of Flushing. To right is Greenbank which is on the outskirts of Falmouth and is very Georgian. Bottom left is a view of the docks with a P&O ferry in. Behind is Pendennis Castle on the headland.Bottom right is Trevissome Manor where we keep our boat. The grounds run down to the foreshore of the river.  

Just in case you get ideas above our station ...this is our boat. A small rowing boat which provides us with a lot of fun in the summer.  

This was taken with the zoom on and St Anthony's lighthouse can be seen plus a boat leaving the harbour. The houses are Flushing which is a small town opposite Falmouth on the other side of the river. Dutch influence hence the name.  

Looking down the River Fal to the open sea.  

Looking up the Fal to Penryn which is a town much older than Falmouth. It was going when Falmouth was still a marshy swamp.