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Friday, July 7, 2017
Naomi Klein: The Worst Is Yet to Come with Trump, So We Must Be Ready fo...
This is important. I thought I was the only one who noticed, and I couldn't get interest from very many people, but NOW you NEED to pay attention and prepare.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Found an old friend from my past...
Here's Howard. For a long time I tried to find a decent picture of him, and until recently I couldn't. Suddenly there he is again! There seems to be an upsurge in interest. I no longer have my ear to the ground in that area, so I'll wait and see!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Yes, I've been painting, but mostly drawing, but. . .
I maybe posting some drawings later, but I want to get more practice in on that. So, in the mean time, and since it's been so long, here is what has been consuming some of my time:
Sorry about the colors, these are the first pictures I've worked with from my Android phone. It should be chartreuse (bright light green) and a deep teal linen.
This is all embroidered by hand on an applique of chartreuse handkerchief linen. The gown, or medieval kirtle is of teal linen.
I'd been wanting to do this for a while and once I got started, I couldn't stop! The pattern is taken from a medieval bog find. Well, it was found nowadays, but the find itself went into the bog in medieval times. The seam guarding is various stitches that strengthen the seams. Since everything was hand sewn and not very many people had more than one main piece of clothing at a time, it had to last. So this is entirely hand sewn. It was for historical accuracy, but it was also because I was too lazy to get up and go to the machine for the long simple seams. I was either listening to an audiobook or watching a movie on TV. Since long straight seams are simple and don't take a lot of attention, it seamed just as easy to go ahead and hand sew them. Of course then they had to be flat felled by hand anyway. That means that each seam is hand sewn at least twice, and THEN embroidery is worked over them to help take some of the wear to which the are subject!
Ta-Da!
Sorry about the colors, these are the first pictures I've worked with from my Android phone. It should be chartreuse (bright light green) and a deep teal linen.
Detail of hem treatment and a bit of cuff. |
Neck and front detail. |
Detail of smaller neck embroidery and some of the front. |
A bit more of the cuff. |
Shoulder and sleeve seam "guarding" embroidery |
Ta-Da!
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
I can't believe I'm posting these, but (chortle) I couldn't resist:
Monday, February 23, 2015
So I don't forget how
I haven't posted for a long time. (Duh) I've spent way to much time on Pinterest!
I'm really doing this because I'm having trouble figuring out how to upload my own picture to it. I know I can Pin from my blog, but I can't get it to upload from iPhoto. Rumor has it you can do this, but my iPhoto remains mute on HOW.
So to give it a try:
Well, finally. It turned out that all that work I did to make a pdf, it had to be a jpg to work. Sigh. My Sister-in-law sent me this one, I couldn't resist!
I'm really doing this because I'm having trouble figuring out how to upload my own picture to it. I know I can Pin from my blog, but I can't get it to upload from iPhoto. Rumor has it you can do this, but my iPhoto remains mute on HOW.
So to give it a try:
Well, finally. It turned out that all that work I did to make a pdf, it had to be a jpg to work. Sigh. My Sister-in-law sent me this one, I couldn't resist!
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
OK, got a new printer/scanner so this is a test
8X8" water color, Iris I |
8"X8" water color Iris 2 |
Anyway, there are two more pictures in this set of Irises, but I'm "teched-out" now. I need a nap. I spent much of yesterday getting my cheap new little Canon printer/scanner installed and wi-fi set-up (it actually is on my LAN, the old one had to be connected on it's own little Wi-Fi so I would have to disconnect from my LAN and connect to the printer.) This afternoon I realized I hadn't seen anything anywhere about how to scan with it. It was as though the topic was being carefully avoided. You wouldn't believe how weird it is to initiate a scan on this set up.
It's odd the way "they" think. They seem to expect some things one just "knows," like telling someone there is a great party going on and what time it is, how to dress, what to say when you get there to get in, but never giving you the address or directions.
It takes me back to Lotus 1-2-3, I had to keep asking people how to delete instead of just overwriting (they spelled it delit then - should have given me a clue.) until finally I found the right geek. He looked at me like I was from another planet then told me f2 (remember softkeys?) was delete, like I must be an idiot. So I asked him where does it say that? He seemed to think it didn't need to be written down, "everybody just knows." WRONG. And there was a point when he didn't know it either. He just couldn't remember it. Way back then some software came with a template that fit over the upper part of the keyboard and showed what each softkey meant. Lotus 1-2-3 didn't have one. Er, anybody hear of Lotus 1-2-3 anymore? Guess why.
OK, rant over, it's just been sort of a trial.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Too busy to post? Ah, the retired life . . .
When I would have time for EVERY THING. I have to say it, mother was right.
Well, here are a couple of things:
Did I show you this already? The neckline is finished, as are the pocket slits, the hem (above), the seam guarding and all, but the front placket, eeck! All those eyelets. So I decided on some little round bronze buttons I got a long time ago, and a fake placket down the front. Now where did I put those buttons. BTW, where do I keep my buttons?
Then I found the most wonderfully reasonable linen source "down the coast." I have become a linen junky. Fortunately I already had enough light weight white linen to make a chemise/shift/chainse/ well lets just call it a slip. (Use your imagination, it doesn't take a very exciting photo.)
At this new source I found some hanky weight Autumn Gold linen to make a new kirtle with long sleeves that can also function as an undergown. More later on that. My focus has been things I can wear when it's hot to SCA events.
Now that other thing I do:
I needed to paint a redwood tree. Well, now there are little studies of redwoods all over the house, on the corners of letters and bills, magazines, scratch paper and sketch and drawing paper. They kept getting bigger and bigger, I couldn't even keep them on the page! Above is an early version of the final one. They are a California native, why haven't I painted these more? Anyway, here is the final version, of course it won't fit on my scanner:
So, fortunately my nephew found me a FedEx place that will scan it for me. The above is a photo of it. Today I visit FedEx and scan this and email it out! Oh yeah, did you know that giant redwoods have one of the smallest cones?
Normal pine tree cone above.
Comparison of normal pine cone (bottom) and redwood cone (top). Nature is amazing!
Now wasn't that fun? I think I'll put on my kirtle and go out plein air painting. My family knows I'd do it, too.
Well, here are a couple of things:
Neckline embroidery completed |
Kirtle hem embroidery, one triangle to go, seam guarding done. |
Then I found the most wonderfully reasonable linen source "down the coast." I have become a linen junky. Fortunately I already had enough light weight white linen to make a chemise/shift/chainse/ well lets just call it a slip. (Use your imagination, it doesn't take a very exciting photo.)
At this new source I found some hanky weight Autumn Gold linen to make a new kirtle with long sleeves that can also function as an undergown. More later on that. My focus has been things I can wear when it's hot to SCA events.
Now that other thing I do:
Redwood - Work in progress, watercolor |
Redwood giant - watercolor |
Average pine cone |
Comparison with redwood cone - watercolor |
Now wasn't that fun? I think I'll put on my kirtle and go out plein air painting. My family knows I'd do it, too.
Labels:
embroidery,
kirtle,
linen,
northern California,
painting,
pine cone,
plein air,
redwood,
SCA,
Watercolor
Monday, January 27, 2014
A few sketches (working on those faces) and one new painting:
Just an eye and part of a nose. |
Sketch - old movie |
Ick. |
Acrylic - over lit by flash |
Monday, September 16, 2013
I'm Baaaack. . . . (echoing) Hellooo?
OK, so this is what I've been up to. Feeding another obsession, or passion, whatever. Two new kirtles. I haven't taken pictures of the the first one and it's embroidery, yet. It was sort of a warm-up piece. For the first one I had some knit fabric(which did not exist in the Middle Ages) in white I knew would be comfy. This post is of the second one in a nubby beige.
Years ago I had purchased these lengths of fabric to make chemises and kirtles for some of my costumed activities. Then life took a different turn. But I'm back.
Kirtle/Lanning - biege, neckline embroidery and beading in progress. |
Anyway, here is the neckline so far, all kinds of stitching and over stitching, all kinds of thread, floss, beads and perle cotton including metallic floss in copper. The crosses are in a really interesting DMC copper metallic floss that looks like actual metal. A trial to work with, but with patience (and some language unbecoming a lady) it can be done. These are something called a Syrian cross or a Persian cross or Armenian. Anyway, you embroider an unattached grid, then you weave the metallic threads round and through the grid to make the cross.
The light blue marks are for further elements.
Kirtle/Lanning - neckline and front opening. |
Kirtle/Lanning - right shoulder seam guarding |
Kirtle/Lanning - left sleeve, braid |
Kirtle/Lanning - seam guarding of gores |
Kirtle/Lanning - hem treatment |
Kirtle/Lanning - hem treatment - next |
The entire garment is hand sewn, indeed the seams were sewn at least three times to do it the Medieval way. This is still a work in progress. You should see the To-Do List.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Time for en plein air again,
Sunol Regional - Little Yosemite |
I took this photo on a sort of scouting expedition earlier in the year as the rains stopped. It's from a narrow dirt road up on the side of the canyon, looking across at this big. . . rock.
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