- Hearts for Charleston dye results, part 1

These are four of the denim and linen cloths that I put in the dye pot two days ago for Dee Mallon's Hearts for Charleston, showing a-sides and turned over b-sides ...

And here are the remaining five, with the darker indigo cloths to the right showing far less evidence of marking ...

I ironed them in hopes of setting the marks from the Thimble flowers (Ratibida columnifera) and Friendship sage (Salvia amistad ... named "amistad" for "friendship" but also the name of a ship that was the scene of a slave mutiny). Then put them into a hot cycle in the washing machine to tame the allergens that have my tongue tingling in a most unpleasant way. It's possible that some of the marks will fade, so I wanted to document them here before proceeding.

It's interesting to note that the deep blues pulled from past dye trials turned out more purple this time around, making me wonder what role the original indigo in the cloth might have played. Although it may be as simple as the indigo blue cloth masking the blue dye, leaving the purple component more apparent.

With Dana's multiple dye trials in mind, once the cloths are washed I will consider which (if any) call for another round of dyeing ... perhaps with windfall lichen next time.

- Composting

This post is dedicated to Mo and Grace, who I first "met" last year when we were all taking Jude Hill's online course Considering Weave.

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We returned home from our week at the Outer  Banks to find our compost rows considerably diminished in height ...

25 inches of rain in less than two months probably helped, but the fact is that waiting twelve months for nature to do her thing didn't hurt either. Of course, it's not all decomposition as the cacti are determined to make a stand ...

but they are falling before the shovel as I turn over the rows ...

revealing the rich vegetal rot within ...

Compost was a subject that Grace and I pursued at some length last year,
culminating in the arrival of Underlying Order at Cascade Trail

Meanwhile, some newcomers remain undisturbed ...

Dayflower aka Widow's Tears

Antelope horns aka Milkweed (you can never have too many)

Texas Persimmon (I'm watching this closely to add to next month's dye pot)

I've also been plucking the last of the burgundy petals from the Mexican hats (aka Thimble flower or Prairie coneflower) in preparation for adding more blue to these nine bits of cloth ...

The bundles are destined to become a part of Dee Mallon's Hearts for Charleston, to which Mo is also contributing.

And while I wait for blue dye to happen, I'm continuing with the Austin skyline, first posted here. One building down and seven (maybe eight) to go. This is the side I'm stitching on, using the weave of the linen as a guide ...

A-side destined to become the B-side

But ultimately it is the back that will become the front, as the stitches marry with the dyed cloth strips to create a less formal union ...

B-side destined to become the A-side

At least that's the plan. I'm not sure I'm being clear on this, but it should become more apparent as each new building makes an appearance.

- I must confess I weed my driveway

This post is dedicated to Deb Sposa, a KINDRED SPIRIT who shares my belief that working out at a gym can't hold a candle to working out in the yard.

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I am forever writing blog posts in my head and fortunately many never make it onto the "paper" that is this blog. But one post insists on being written and I'm finally giving in so the words will stop echoing in my head:

"I weed my driveway ... "

all three hundred feet of it ... a twisting, turning 15-20 foot wide football field full of weeds. Plus two turn outs the size of end zones.

I weed them by hand ... no Roundup or other easy fixes. Surely this penchant for pulling up grass is a vestige of the East Coast aesthetic I grew up with, although it's odd that I am so focused on pulling up stray clumps of grass that are anchoring the loose gravel ...

while turning a totally blind eye to the uncut prairie grasses just inches away ...

Likewise, my eye ignores the wildflowers that are growing up through the limestone road base: thimble flowers ...

mealy blue sage ...

and Mexican feather grass ...

Okay, I'm glad I got that out of my system. Time to go pull some more weeds ...

Dam rocks at the end of the driveway prevent washouts during gulley washers
and have enabled the prairie grasses and wildflowers to thrive in the field beyond

- Red + Yellow = Purple?

Internet access on the Outer Banks has been sporadic at best, but it's been nice to unplug.

I've been cooking some tried and true meals (see the Seafood links in the index to get an idea), but I also branched out a bit this year by picking some Indian blanket flowers for an impromptu dye trial ...

Petals and flower heads were strewn on white muslin, then bundled and simmered in water with vinegar and alum (unfortunately I didn't think to use sea water until it was too late). The bundle was left to dry in the sun with this result ...

For some reason, the other side was more dramatic, so I took a second photo in the shade (yes, that's the same ocean ... amazing what a change in lighting can do) ...

Now I'll cross my fingers and hope the internet gremlins let this post slip through ...

- Just this: The Wilder Brothers at the beach

Happiness is ...

music ...

- What a character: Pirate assemblage

Our minds are much on the Outer Banks (OBX) as we get ready for our annual migration to Avon. Don channeled his inner sea captain/pirate ...

Assemblage components: cork fishing bobber from Urbanna Creek (head), wood scrap (nose),
rusted sheet metal (hat), bent nail (pipe), milk paint stained chamois cloth (head scarf),
twisted metal wire (hair), rusted doorknob plate (neck) and milk painted wood baluster scrap

while I tried to narrow down a selection of cloth to bring to the beach ...

As if I'm actually going to have time to stitch while surrounded by grandchildren ... but hey, you never know.

I also did some selective laundering of my dye trials, ultimately discovering that I was primarily sensitive to the blue dye from the Mexican hat petals. Fortunately, after washing the cloths in hot water and detergent the allergic reaction receded while the color (mostly) remained. So I'm now moving on from a quick stitch sample (below right) to the main event: a piece of repurposed linen tablecloth backed with harem cloth to which I've pinned the first building of my take on the Austin skyline ...

Last, but not least, at Grace's request I turned a recent piece of dyed cloth upside down to consider the possibility of using it as a base for a landscape ...

99% sure this was dyed with Mountain Pinks

And just as she suggested, it definitely has potential ...

- What's next: Step one of the Austin Skyline

Recent dye trials ...

overlaid with an Austin city skyline printed on vellum

- Always learning: The latest lessons in the Kitchen Towel Series

I just completed the kitchen towel housewarming gift for my daughter's soon-to-be new house ...

A-side overview

You'll notice that the top half, which will hang over the back-side of the towel bar, has been left unembellished. And while the color is not obvious in the first picture, somehow this b-side close-up almost captured the blue/green/gray-ness that attracted me to this linen ...

B-side detail

I am beyond happy with my decision to use a second layer of harem cloth as the backing, as it protects the house plan stitching while still letting it show through ...

B-side overview

Likewise, the ladder stitch worked very effectively for attaching the harem cloth along the edge of the hemstitching and if you squint you can also see the vertical lines of invisible baste attaching the backing layer to the middle layer of harem cloth  ...

Of course, the A-side is the main attraction and I'm very pleased with the way the backstitching (a single strand of DMC floss, with each stitch worked over two or three strands of the linen) captured the lettering and house plan details ...

A-side detail
Note: horizontal lines of combination stitch run north/south, vertical lines run east/west

However, you've probably noticed that I didn't iron the cloth, which is my wont. I find pressing linen flattens and distorts the stitches. Besides, I truly believe that linen is most absorbent when air-dried and left unironed ... with the added benefit that said belief enables me to let the iron gather dust. Some old lessons are well worth remembering.

- June: Thimble flower dye trials

Well, after twenty inches of rain in May, I'm glad it's June ...

The view from the breezeway

Blue skies and sunshine also make it much more fun to gather dyestuffs for a quick trial or two ...