New warp started

I finally got a new warp on the Gilmore. It was the easiest warp that I have ever put on. Warping just isn't my strengh. But it looks good, I am not sure what it is going to be, it is about 19 1/2 inches in width and I just may be making some more napkins. We are making a basket to auction off at the luncheon at the end of October and I put in 2 dish towels, maybe I should put in a few napkins too. Even though it was the easiest warping I have done, I still had a couple of threading errors and a cross thread to repair, that is why it took me so long to get it finished.
In the garden my husband has been harvesting his beans, they are called "tongues of fire." I think he should wait a little while because some of them are not ready, I think he is impatient. He also has put some tomatoes away, wrapped in newsprint, we will see if that keeps them for a little while.

This draft is from "The Handweaver's Pattern Directory"by
Anne Dixon
Page76
It is a M and W threading over 22: 2/2 twill

One of these dogs is not like the other, one of these
dogs just doesn't belong

Amy

Signs of fall

I think many gardeners have a late blooming aster and of course I have some too....and I love them except I know that they are signaling the end of the garden season. You may have a mum that blooms after these guys but few I suspect. I have mine planted by a beautiful goldenrod which is in full bloom right now also. This should signal to us that we need to install more landscape plants that bloom later. This morning temps here give us a pretty good idea also as it was 37 here this morning. That isn't cold enough to kill off those tomatoes that keep producing. I am tired of them and of course come November I will be wanting some for a salad. There is a basket on the counter right now and I am trying something new with them....tomato jam.

My friend says it is wonderful, though I think it might be hard to try the first bite. It has lemon in it. Have you ever tasted it? In addition to that I am making pepper jelly too....it is delish

Friendly Plastic

One time when I was in Value Village, I found a plastic sack full of friendly plastic. I haven't used it before but I just couldn't let it stay there. Then today I was at a thrift shop and found a electric skillet that had never been used and I thought about that plastic. I bought the skillet and I am now thinking that maybe I can make some shawl pins out of the friendly plastic and have been looking for ideas. I am not sure that the plastic will be strong enough for the pins. So I am going to just give it a try and see what happens. Has anyone out there is internet land ever used friendly plastic to make shawl pins? Or let me know if you think it is possible.

It is fall today!

with a bit of a breeze, cloudy and even some sprinkles. I love these days and of course we have many ahead of us. Autumn is my favorite time of the year and I know it is because of the colors....those leaves that turn so beautiful, and of course all those pumpkins, gourds and scarecrows. Yesterday I escaped to the demo garden to teach a class called Gifts from the Garden and used the sweet envelopes that Gail decorated for the class. We taught how to press and dry flowers, save seeds, told how to use the dried material in swags, wreaths, etc. We also served some zucchini bread we made that had blueberries in it and served homemade apricot/pineapple jam....all good gift ideas. One of the members also potted up strawberry plants with a bit of garden art in the pots and they were so cute. We had a drawing to give it all away and of course people loved that.   HAPPY FALL TO ALL OF YOU.

Those birdhouses and 45 records

Amy, forgot to mention the birdhouse that your hubby made...so sweet...I have made three of them and have them ready for our show and tell meeting on the 4th of October.   I am also taking my 'potheads'...and of course I want some of those records........and also.....Holy Cow, I looked at my post and it is so messy and I see 2 words misspelled, ......teacher, will you correct for me please.....

A start on my Christmas for Great Grandkids

I made pillows like this..9 of them years ago when I had little grandkids..now those kids are having kids...lots of them...a total of 12, 13 if you add one stepgrandchild and another 23 if you include Hank's great grandkids...whew!....but this project involves 12 of them because I gave one already years ago when there was only one........I have all the crosstitch done for all of them and 6 of the pillows purchased, (yard sales and Goowill) and all of the above I had on hand including the thread, and fabric....but now I think I need to buy some fabric so they are perfect for color and interest of the child and also need some more pillows....glad I have time.   I am not glad to be spending most of my time in the house but it does allow me to get started on these. Two days ago was our 43 wedding anniversary and my hubby who has always planned ahead and bought for me, showed little interest in the day...in fact he shows little interest in much...is the way it is.   When I took those vows so long ago I was young and I said, I Do and Yes when I should have but really didn't see this day coming...for better or worse, in sickness and in health

Bird Houses

I was at Value Village today and found some 45 records. I tried to pick out some good titles to make birdhouses. I know my sister is trying to put together some garden art for the master gardeners to sell next spring and I thought she could use the records. I found the following titles: Look At, We'll Be Happy All The Time, and my three favorites, Blackbird, The Art Of Duck Calling and Year of the Cat. I don't actually know if she wants to make the birdhouses but I have the records if she wants. Diana, I love the cat you made!

This idea came from the website, http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/

A simple birdhouse made by my husband.

Amy

Staying Busy

My favorite spot to be is outside but for the present I have found myself indoors almost all the time. With my husband's health I am just too afraid to be away for very long. Though he is walking with a walker he is still pretty wobbly and so I have stayed busy inside. I tried to duplicate one of those cats I saw on the BHG website ...it was a 'fraidey' cat but mine turned out to more of a 'cheesey' sort of cat. I have also been working on Christmas presents for my great grandkids and hope to post them sometime soon...have one done and only eleven to go.  My garden is still producing though and yesterday I picked another bucket of tomatoes, and will have to deal with them someway. Also a grandaughter brought us some peaches and they are sending out a nice aroma so they are ripening too. We are blessed to live in a valley that produces so much food that is so good for you. We are having lovely fall weather here.

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

I have been getting this mag forever ...well it is actually in my hubby's name.....and last year or the year before they began an online newsletter...it started a couple of days ago and will last thru the holidays....called 100 days of holiday ideas...and I love this....been looking at today's which features apple desserts...lots of pies...and then autumn/halloween ideas.....you can subscribe too....here is where it comes from and says replay to..   bhgholiday@email.bhg.com   and reply to support@bhg.com    sign up .....know I am making some of the cats for Halloween....cute

The Fair is in the Air!

And these two are ready to kick it up out there...he with his toe taping and her with a leg kick. You can see them at our Master Gardener booth. They are attached together with a doodad you screw in place so they can be holding hands all the time. We are giving away free pumpkins to all the kids so be sure to visit us when it is fair time. You will also see those two big pumpkins I grew alongside of these two in the booth.

Different Rug Loom



This is what one end of the "loom" looks like, you take the
string and pull it out from the cones and tie it to the dowel
that is on the other end. Then you attach small pieces of
fabric onto the two pieces of string and when the loom is
full, you just bring out more yarn from the cones.





This is what it looks like when it is finished and rolled up.
I haven't sewed the knots together, I just rolled this up so
you can see what it looks like.




I know I shared that I got a new Hammett loom to make rugs but my husband made a very primitive rug loom. Actually I am not sure you can call it a loom. I have seem some advertized on E-bay that  are wood or sometimes metal. My husband made what will be a small cushion or maybe a front of a round pillow, after I sew it together. I have a cushion like this that was made by my great-grandmother, she died when I was one year old, so it is quite old. Of course she was raised to never throw away any scraps of fabric, so she  used every piece of fabric she had. This is a good way to use up those small pieces and it easy to use while watching tv in the evenings.
Amy

Audio Books and Stuff

As I mentioned before, while I am weaving I like to listen to books on tapes. Last weekend I went to a yard sale because they advertized audio books. I was lucky to find 3 audio books that I haven't heard or read. And they were only $2 apiece. I will be happily weaving and listening this weekend. I am continuing my warp for mug rugs and my warp on my other loom for napkins. I am also going to warp my other 4 shaft counterbalanced loom for my husband. Last spring I went to a thrift shop and found some cotton already warped for .50 apiece and brought it home. I think it will make great dish towels. The reason it takes me so long to weave off my work is that I really can only weave in short periods during the week and do most of my weaving on the weekend.

Amy

Weaving Again

I warped the Hammett for the first time and the only adjustment was in the treadles. I needed them to be tied up a little more to get a good shed. I tried weaving some more mug rugs for the luncheon in October. These mug rugs look like little rag rugs. I like the red one, it is a bias binding of Santa Claus that my sister gave me, you wouldn't know that it is really Santa. One weft is a wire ribbon that I cut the wire off and cut into narrower strips. The black and white one is fabric for recovering furniture. I have a lot of this type of fabric which is very heavy and I was unable to use it because of its weight, but the Hammett wove it just right. It would be nice to try a jean rug, since I now know it would take that weight of fabric. The solid blue one is ugly and I probably won't use it for the luncheon. I have also gathered all the materials to dye some yarn. I just need to warp some rayon blend that I have and try to paint it. The yarn is rayon, cotton and a linen blend. I would like to make some scarves with these warps. I think I am going to wait until it is a little cooler here before I dye anything, we have been setting records for this time of year. Diana, love the little girl teapots.

Little mug rugs-looking like rag rugs

Amy



My dyeing material



Pot Heads

You might think I was talking about some marijuana smoking with the title of potheads but instead I am showcasing my garden girls. When we went to that sale across the street from Amy's the other day, I spotted two old teapots that were priced at 25 cents each, and saw them as faces when turned upside down. They have wire 'hair' and their hats are the tops from the teapots. I am part of a committee to create garden art for next year's Master Gardener plant sale and perhaps these girls would sell. I think they can be mounted on some bamboo stakes and put among the posies for instant smiles.
I am going to look for coffee pots which have a better 'nose'. These look a bit too much like an elephant, but still there are a lot of different noses out there. I have seen many in our own family that might qualify as 'different' Gail, I love that photo of the damsel fly and we should enjoy it as they do not live long to bring us pleasure.

damsel fly

We had one last year and now we have another. They look something like a dragon fly but aren't. This one was sitting on our chain link fence and my son took the picture. Beautiful, isn't it? Gail

Lunch and Loom



 The Hammett loom all set up, my husband changed all
the cords. I am not going to use the sectional beam because
I don't have a tension box. But I have hopes that my husband
will make me one.

 Today my sisters and I ate lunch at my house. We had planned to do some sewing but decided to take our sewing home. This allowed us a lot of time to talk and it means we will have to get together for lunch again after our sewing is done. We never give up an opportunity to eat.  After lunch we went across the street where they are having an estate sale and my sisters bought a few things. Maybe they will show what they found. My husband is across the street almost every day buying a little as they have been cleaning out my neighbor's house. I did find two full size wool blankets for two dollars apiece. I am thinking about a wool rug. And speaking of rugs, we got Dixie the Hammett loom put together. She is ready for a warp, I am thinking about just warping for more mug rugs because I still need a few for the luncheon in October and I will see if Dixie needs any adjustments on a smaller warp.

September in the garden

Amy always points out all her mistakes in her beautiful weaving. Of course we can't see any of them and love it when she shares something with us.   I own a washcloth and dishcloth woven by her. Wonder if this orb spider makes mistakes and if so does she tell anyone?

Guess this little guy got a bit fuzzy when I tried to get him more close up and personal. It is the second frog I have seen lately, and I saw so few all summer. I have been out in the garden each and every day enjoying all this late fall weather because I know it will not last.   I love this time of the year with the colors that come with it. All those beautiful pumpkins getting so orange, and the leaves beginning to turn a bit. We are experiencing very hot weather for this late but I am embracing it in hopes that my late squash will be mature. Yesterday we made some wonderful tomato sauce for the freezer and it will be mighty tasty this winter.

More summer cards

I really like going to the beach so I like to make beach cards. I had a scrap of two different papers I wanted to use so had to think up a way to put them together. I really like the paper with the blue and green squares, etc. which is behind the image as well as the wrinkled blue paper. I don't know where I got that paper but it is thick and stiff and that is all I had of it. Lots of texture, which I love. I put all my stamps on plastic sheets by Sunday International so don't keep track of who manufactured the stamp. The brown starfish is a plastic charm I picked up from somewhere. I colored the image with colored pencil and used four brads to attach the heavy paper to the card. Gail

Road Trip

 This is one of the historical buildings in Walla Walla. Walla Walla has a wonderful downtown area with many coffee shops and restaurants.

There are many shacks along the road with people selling onions.

The Hammett in pieces, out in our garage, soon she will be weaving.

Yesterday my husband and I went on a road trip. We went to Walla Walla, everyone should go to Walla Walla at least wonce or wice. Why go to Walla Walla? Many reasons: it is an historical town with many old buildings, it is where they grow Walla Walla sweet onions, it is home to Whitman college and the state penitenitary, and there are wineries all over the place. But we didn't go there for any of those things,although we did get a bag of onions, we went to get another loom. It is a 2 shaft Hammett rug loom. The owner said that it had been used in a convalescent home which I believe because the treadles had an extra piece added to make them wider. I can't find any info on a two shaft Hammett, all the ones on the net are four shafts, so if anyone has any info on them, let me know. It is now in pieces in our garage because it needs a few dowels glued in. It also came with a sectional beam, which I know nothing about. I have been trying to research how to use the sectional and how I could keep the loom continuously warped, so much to learn. Since I actually picked this loom up in a small town close to Walla Walla named Dixie, I am going to call this loom, Dixie. I think Dixie is a good name for a loom.

mini album

Today I have a little video for you. I didn't talk during the taping so don't try to turn your computer up. It's a little travel/beach album I filled with rubber stampings, stickers, tags, etc. All the blank pages are there for someone to add pictures and/or journal notations. I bound it with my Bind-it-All. Enjoy.

Random Things






My husband's pizza sauce, he froze it and we had
some on a pizza, delicious.

  I have been busy getting supplies, so that I can dye some cotton yarn. I have the dye and soda ash but need urea and synthrapol. I will have to order some. I did buy some yarn on E-bay, it is 46% rayon, 39% cotton and 15% flax. I thought I would try some painted warps and this yarn sounded like it would work. We are going on another short road trip to get a rug loom. We are bringing it home on Sunday.  I will leave you with a couple of shots of my husband's crop and a picture of me trying to tie on a warp.



More tomato crop

 

Teenagers

Not the talk-back-to-you kind....but quail.   We have always had a lot of quail and we saw a family of babies early on....but then they went away....but I think they were back today but the little ones were teenagers now..half grown but still with their parents because we know teenagers need parenting.   I love the wildlife we see here and would like more...
have only seen about 2 snakes and few frogs, though I did see one this morning..tiny but very dark green.   I see dragonflies (our state insect), damselflies, butterflies and of course a bizzillion insects....so many birds including lots of goldfinches (our state bird) and even big hawks swooping in the sky. Tis the season for weaving...not my sister Amy's weaving, but the orb spiders.  They are weaving their beautiful webs, storing food for the eggs they will lay so that when they hatch, the babies will have something to eat.   Check in your garden and you will see the intricate weaving by them....it is comparable to my sister's work.   The Latin word for spiders is aracnid and if you are afraid of them you have aracniphobia.