- Should-ness

I am stitching, which is to say doing what I love. So why am I thinking about what else I could ... or "should" ... be doing?

Like cleaning or straightening something up, paying a bill, making an appointment, organizing anything and everything, reading, writing, gardening, cooking ... doing stuff I love and/or hate by turns. 

Should-ness.

I used to bite my nails, mostly when I was reading (which I loved) while thinking of all the things that were going undone (which I hated).

Is should-ness the opposite of mindfulness?

I would like to be mindful as I stitch, be peacefully in the moment. But all too often I find myself running an endless mix-tape of should-have-dones. More should-ness. It would be nice to let that go.

So I'm writing this while thinking I'd rather be stitching and letting cloth blow in the wind ...

as time goes by ...

- Back pedaling

I've been going back to do some retrospective patches for those days when there wasn't enough time to get them done.

Most are recent and can be seen by looking back over the past couple of days (the new material is always on top to make it easy).

However, I'm particularly happy with this little guy, who's going to be placed in the May 5th post ...

which was about the lack of Monarch caterpillars. Fortunately, I finally found a mangy milkweed ...

Chewed leaves are a good sign that the Monarchs are at work!

And then there was dinner. Not much to look at ... 

but it tasted good enough that I'm pretty sure I'll be saying, "How did I do that?" someday. So here goes.  

Chicken Lasagna (better than tetrazzini)

Leftover rotisserie chicken cut bite size

Bechamel sauce with fresh basil (3 Tbs butter, 1/4 cup flour, 3 cups of milk and cream as needed)

Cheeses (Bella Vitano, Parm Reggiano, mozzarella, whatever)

Prosciutto if you have some, bite size

Sautéed onion, garlic and veg (I used frozen artichoke hearts, but zucchini, asparagus, or whatever will do)

Fresh pasta sheets, boiled one minute (yes)

Panko or standard issue Italian bread crumbs

Butter a casserole dish and place first layer of lasagna noodles, followed by 1/2 of veggies, meats, and cheeses. Cover with not quite half of the bechamel sauce. Repeat noodles, veggies, meat, cheese, sauce. Top with final layer of noodles and whatever is left of the bechamel, sprinkle with bread crumbs and parm. Don't worry about the top being dry ... it will create a crisp layer to die for.

Bake 350 for 25 minutes (ish)

- Playtime

This is the last shirt my mom gave me and I've worn and washed it hundreds of times over the past ten years. It's been patched before, but the fabric is starting to shred ...

I figure the only way to save it is by reinforcing all the single thickness areas with lightweight cloth and lots of stitch ...

It will take a while, but I'm learning (and having fun) as I go ...

- June

Patch #153 June

School ends in June ('though I am no longer captive to that drumbeat) and with the beginning of summer comes Beach Week.

For our family, for thirty years, the third full week in June has been when we go to Avon, North Carolina. This year will be no different.

Half my life. The best half.

- May days

The end of May marks a G day, so orange it is for Patch #152 ...

- All over the place

Retrospective (6/3/2016)

I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that dyeing with plants yields organic forms. Even so, Patch #150 and Patch #151 delight me with their earthiness ...

I was of two minds about whether to embellish them with stitch or leave well enough alone, so I decided to have it both ways.

Original Post

I've been really scattered today ... too many projects, too little time. So what did I do? Started another project, of course.

Here's my first stab at some mending inspired by Junko Oki ...

I really like the look, but I'm going to have to call this agita stitch because it made me extremely jittery as I worked it. Or maybe I just drank too much coffee.

So I settled myself down with a seam-stitching project, since I (finally) finished the strip of April patches ...

Now I just have to figure out how to make weather patches for rainy nights followed by sunny days. However, I can't count on enlightenment from the forecasters or the weather apps ...

I'm going back to weather watching the old fashioned way: looking out the front door ...

and reading the thermometer myself ...

- Subtle

I'm pretty sure I didn't notice these sweet stars when I pulled the cloth out of the dye pot last year ...

I have no idea what they are/were, but they are destined to be Patch #150.

Note to self: Take notes!

- In the company of friends

I wonder sometimes about blogging. Is it too self-ish (as in, too much about self)?

Then something in the ether becomes real and I understand. Today it was this ...

Velma Bolyard's incredible little book about shifu and botanical printing, within which was this unique treasure, front ...

and back ...

And as I peered closely at the colors, fingering the fold and sniffing to catch a whiff (which wasn't there), I thought I really should do some more dyeing. Which led to thoughts about these neglected gifts from the land, cooked up last summer ...

And so I was off and running (stitching). 

Patch #149 is Salvia amistad ...

about which you can read more by clicking the "Dyestuff: Salvia" link in the Index (right side-bar).

And if you look back over the past few days, you will find I've added other dyed patches as well.

- A rose by any other name

Or in this case, a Mexican Hat ...

also known as thimble flower or prairie coneflower. Which is why Latin names for plants can be helpful.

Patch #148 was stitched on indigo cotton over-dyed with Mexican hat petals ...

Last year when I dyed this I was at the very beginning stages of contributing to Dee Mallon's Hearts for Charleston quilt. With the anniversary of that tragic day coming next month, I find our field of flowers to be a poignant reminder ...

- Return to the Land of Flood and Drought

Retrospective (5/28/2016)

Patch #147 ...

comes from a piece of muslin dyed with Mountain Pinks ...

last summer ...

And there's still plenty left to work that landscape piece that Grace suggested.

Original Post

Inspired by Judy Martin's recent post and armed with variegated floss, I returned to stitching on the Land of Flood and Drought ...

Plus Don's latest before ...

and after ...

Addendum: as sun streamed through the windows, we were amazed to learn on the evening news that 9" of rain fell 50 miles north of us in Austin today.