Some newness

Hello everyone,

In general news, we've been having a prolonged spring, due I think to some unusually timed rainy days.  Yesterday was one.  There is nothing so wonderful as a rainy day during a drought.  We are definitely not out of the woods, especially in the agricultural part of the state, but every drop is intensely welcome.

After reading Peggy's blog on April 17th, I decided to try dyeing some eggs!  I only had 3 eggs, and scraps from just one necktie, but it worked well, and the recipients were happy. I think next year we might have a neighborhood workshop!

Lately I've been doing more embroidery on my dyed cloths.  This one is a Tree of Life being fussed over by a flock of guardian spirits.  The bird is a hybrid cross of a bluejay and a peacock.

 Some of the guardians:

The bird:

And of course, the silver-haired lassie herself, Miss Gilly, sitting somewhat reluctantly in Great-great Grandmother's chair...

That's all for today.  I hope to be back before the end of the month.  xoxo, s.

Not a rolling stone

Hello Dear Readers.  I've been gathering moss for a small moss garden, hopefully under the camellia tree.  Because of all the very much appreciated moisture we've been getting, the mosses are all plumped up and it's easy to gather little bits of them, not too much from any one spot...

Today we had rain and hail, plus thunder and lightning.  March is going out like a Lion. 

Here is this week's big accomplishment...the top for my grandson's quilt is done!!!  It's huge, and now will begin the task of quilting it.  Once I choose the backing, the plan is to use outlines of family hand prints for the quilting patterns.

Gilly says she thinks it would be nice to have some quilted paw prints too and in fact she's decided just about where they ought to go...

That's it for today...Happy April Fool's Day tomorrow.   xoxo,s.

Table runner and sheep

So I am hopeful that there will be two postings this month even though we are fast approaching April. Egad.  It has been a busy month with visiting family and lots of pondering.  There are certain kinds of pondering that I dearly love, but sometimes it's just a big swamp.  Perhaps I won't say any more about that and instead show you the full view of the table runner that I made for my dear daughter-in-law's fortieth birthday last year.  A close up of one bird appears here.  Because the cloth is for the table, half of the birds are upside down so that the people on the other side of the table will see them right side up.  Was this a good idea?  Not sure.  Anyway, here are both views:

and:

Also there was a trip up the coast to Sea Ranch with two good friends from high school.  Sea Ranch has a herd of sheep that are moved about to help reduce the fire hazard of uncropped grasses.  Here are a few concluding their siesta time under the big trees:

Okay, next posting will be a glimpse at a current project and perhaps a sighting of Gilly in her March toward April...

but that's all for now.  xoxo

Flying time!

It had been an earnest wish of mine to post twice a month at least and here it is the very end of February, which has sped by in an unbridled fashion.  The biggest news is, we have had, and are presently having, some RAIN! Sweet delicious raindrops falling falling...I wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain dripping dribbling off the roof...magic...

Here is Gilly at the dogpark...she loves the wetness and sitting in puddles is just fine with her...I think she is deciding how she feels about her large admirer...

This is a rock we found at the park one soggy day:

I made a duct tape dress form!  Her name is Matilda, and she tilts, so her song is Tilting Matilda.  Someday I'll make a better base for her, but she comes in very handy and I've almost finished one top, which I'll show another time.  Dress is yet to come.

This is a female cardinal I embroidered for my daughter-in-law's table runner (I will show a picture of the entire piece another time.  I learned a lot from making it, but am not completely at peace with the overall plan.  Still, it's done and tomorrow is a new day):

I am loving my dyeing experiments.  Next month I'll be learning more about indigo.  Here is the preparation of a cloth to steep:

But lots of what I've been doing has been working on a piece to contribute to India's book of her students' work!  (No picture yet) I'm really looking forward to seeing how everyone applies her techniques!

That's it for now!  xoxo, S.

Groundhog Day!

Once again, favorite holiday rolls around...on Sunday, Feb. 2.  This year the commemorative item (embroidered on home-dyed wool) incorporates the rain theme...

And happily I can report that we DID have a bit of rain last week. A very very small bit, more like a heavy mist, but still, it was a bit, and we are glad for every drop.  Gilly is pointing out some of the drops on the picnic bench at the dog park:

So, for those of you enduring a bitterly cold winter, I hope the groundhog will predict an early spring ...and for those of us having an unseasonably warm, dry winter,  I hope the groundhog will persuade a few clouds full of lovely wet raindrops to come our way.  That's all for now...

NEWS FLASH!  The above post was published at 8:49 last night...this morning we awoke to the sound of what???...could it be?...yes I think it is!  The sound of rain!  A little more serious than last week's...we'll see. Thank you, Powers that Be. Here's eyewitness part of the report:

xoxo, s.

 

Drought

Our Governor has officially declared us to be in drought conditions.  For some reason it took him quite a while to do this, and still there are no restrictions on water usage being imposed, at least here.  The reservoirs are quite low and not being refilled by snow in the Sierras, or by rain elsewhere.  The Central Valley is dry as a bone and our beautiful hills are brown, not green as they should be.  Yesterday, while we were at the dog park, lots of sirens went off...a fire in the hills...quickly out, thanks to our alert Fire Departments.  Today the winds are blowing.

This is (unfinished) rain cloth #2:

I decided to make small Prayers for Rain prints...to hang on trees, put in library books, give to friends, just deposit here and there...

This is a little leaf that settled on the dashboard of my car...a friend commented about how similar the shape of the raindrop is to a candle flame...for hope...for rain...

And here's Miss Gilly at the dog park, sniffing around...

xoxo, s.

Two Oh One Four

Happy New Year dear readers...

Blogger has announced to me that I've made 150 posts, and I want to celebrate by having a giveaway!  Please stay tuned for details...first I have to make the present...

Lately I've been so aware of how much we need rain here, so I've embarked on a rain cloth series...so far there is just this one...a prayer for nice wet nourishing RAIN:

Thank you all for stopping by...it makes me so happy!   I wish all the best for each of you...affection, peace, laughter and nourishment...with love from Gilly and me   xoxo,s.