Day Interrupted

I set out each morning with a list -- in my head -- of things I want to do that day.  Sometimes I write the list in one long, run-on sentence in my Morning Pages, but more often than not, it's merely in my head.  I'd like to think this reflects some ability to be flexible (never my strong suit; just ask my kids!), but in reality, I like to proceed from point A to point B and so on down the line without much to interfere with "my" plans (yes, that's God you hear laughing).

Today I began well.  After my usual morning routine (Morning Pages, devotions, prayers, breakfast, e-mail, weather report online, Joyce Meyer Ministries broadcast online), I put some more ribbons in the dye pot.

This approach differs from yesterday's in this: yesterday I put the dye bath directly into the pot.  Today, I took up the instructions from my morning e-mail, courtesy of Dharma Trading, to "Play Silk Rainbow With Dharma Acid Dyes".  Now, the dyes I've been using are from Jacquard, but I bought them through Dharma...so there you go!

Because I was dyeing small skeins of silk ribbon (wound off the spool onto my niddy-noddy and secured with scraps of 100% wool), I used the smallest jars I had on hand -- baby food jars I've used for mixing MX dyes in the past.  All had been washed free of the MX, so were ready to use for this project.

Per the instructions, I filled each jar a bit more than half-way with hot water.  I put a skein of ribbon in each. For the dye, I turned to the un-exhausted brown dye bath I had left from yesterday, and put a teaspoon in each.  In the largest jar, I added a few drops of the deep purple/navy dye bath left over.  In one of the smaller jars, I put a second teaspoon of the brown.

Things were proceeding nicely when Diesel got up from his nap to eat...and I noticed some swelling around his throat.  I felt the area -- possible abscess!  I called the vet -- it was about 10:30 a.m. -- and was able to get him in for 11:30 a.m.

What about the dye bath?!  Blessedly, it had to simmer for only 20 minutes, have vinegar added to each jar (I decided to put 1 tsp. in each) and simmer another 20 before being allowed to cool.

I carted Diesel off to the vet at the appointed time.  In the interim, it appeared he'd self-drained the wound, so he was thoroughly checked over, given an antibiotic by injection, and I brought him home -- with a bottle of oral antibiotic to be given 3 times a day till finished (about 5 days).

As soon as I got him home, he ate and went out for a few hours.  Now that he's returned and had his supper, he's getting his own back.  Clearly there's no way I can sew up the second side seam of this sweater tonight:

Ah well.  There's still beading to do on "Wonder"...

Last evening, instead of beading, I finished another row on the Atlantic Sampler, and now it looks like this (well, the bottom half of it, anyway):

Only 3 rows to go...and the deadline (gift date) is just over a month away.

And those ribbons?

Here's how they turned out (middle right side):

Wait!  What's that fabric? (I can hear you asking...)  Well...remember the goodies I gave away during my three-week Blog-anniversary celebration in February?  Pat was a winner of one of the surprise mid-week treats -- and she returned the favour by sending me a packet that included several batik charm squares that (purely coincidentally!) match my new ribbons!

Also in the package that arrived from her today were these yummy fabrics -- "fruit-flavoured" batiks and some landscape fabric and one that's just plain sewing goodness.  And the lovely gift card she painted and created herself!

Aren't I spoiled?!  Thanks Pat!

Now where did I put that to-do list?

Steady She Goes

It may seem from this post that there's a great deal going on, but it's all been sewdio work, of one sort or another.

Monday I worked on P's birthday quilt, gradually filling my design wall.  I really like how it's shaping up.  With a couple of borders, it'll be throw-sized -- and P's the kind of gal who likes to curl up on her couch with her cat, so that'll be just fine.

Yesterday I started a wee gift for my room-mate-to-be at the SAQA Conference, and today I finished it up. I used a couple of pieces of sun-dyed fabric from last summer's session.  The outer cover is some sort of semi-sheer of indeterminate origin (!) and the flaps inside are some sort of synthetic slippery stuff, also of unknown material.  The lining is a commercial cotton.  Or maybe a poly-cotton.  (I dyed the first two, but not the lining fabric; it was already that colour.)  All of the fabrics were given me a few years back...

The bookmark is some Treenway Silk ribbon from the Judith Montano Series in the "Cedar" colour-way; it's stitched in place and embellished with a bead or two.  Green, of course!

Journal Cover - outside (about 6" by 8", folded)

Journal Cover - inside

Speaking of silk ribbon, my order from Dharma Trading arrived yesterday, so today I took my first plunge into acid dyeing and made these, using my modest collection of Jacquard Acid Dyes.

 It was easier than I thought, but the mixing will take some experimenting.  The instructions on the website and the jar, and in my "Teach Yourself Visually Dyeing" book all assume you're going to produce massive quantities of dyed material.  I went quite small with my measurements -- or so I thought -- but ended up having to both dilute my dye bath and shorten the time the ribbon soaked in it, in order to get a paler product.  I have dye bath left over, however -- in two colours (brown and purple-navy), so will play with combinations of them plus water till I get what I want.


I was aiming for something I could use for dry grasses/cat-tails along the pond in "Waiting for the Train".  On the upper left corner of the card you'll see a small bright orange piece and right next to it, a dark purply-navy.
The first is pure Golden Yellow -- clearly very concentrated!!  The second was created from Golden Yellow, Sky Blue and a touch of Scarlet.  Both were good starting points.

I began with a tiny bit of ribbon and boiling water, dye and vinegar in a glass jar (recommended by a dear friend who used to run her own dye-works).  Then I dug out my dye pot, put all the Golden Yellow mixture into it and began to play.  I added a cup of the purple-navy mixture, and then measured in several cups of hot water, and added some more vinegar.  That produced the deep brown, and the slightly paler red-brown you see on the left side of the card.  Adding more water/vinegar and shortening the time in the bath produced three pieces that are closer to what I'm aiming for -- the last 3 on the card moving from left to right.

All, of course, will be used somewhere or other.  Tomorrow, I may brew up another batch, using the two original colours as my foundation, diluting and adjusting from there.  This is just too much fun to fuss over!

As for "Wonder"...the beading hasn't started yet...but this evening, most likely.

In the Knitting Department, remember the sleeveless turtleneck?  I'm doing the ribbing around the second armhole.  Almost there!

P.S. Linking up with WIP Wednesday over at The Needle and Thread Network.  Wanna join me?