Solar dyeing

My flowers just keep coming and coming, I'm trying to use them as fast as possible before the end of the season. Last week I layer them with a long length of wool fabric using cosmos, dyers chamomile and dyers coreopsis.

 

I filled a jar with boiling water and set it in the sun, checking the jar everyday for mold. After about a week it was ready.

 

It turned out wonderful, I love the different shades of color.

Cute little orange, yellow and burgundy prints.

My little neighbor girl with her flower scarf ready for winter.

Wednesday I spent the day at the American Quilters Society quilt show. Of course it is fabulous. My favorite part was this lecture on sashiko, traditional Japanese stitching. Carol Ziogas whose blog I follow theardentthread.com was the speaker. I've been interested in sashiko for quite awhile and after listening to her I'm ready to get started.

I love this little quilt she made and is now quilting using the sashiko stitch. I thought it was made with vintage fabrics but they were all new.

This is a vintage piece that she stitching with the red thread.

New fabrics pieced and layer without batting in between.

I bought a couple of vintage pieces from the late 1800's/early 1900's indigo dyed from Japan.

I also bought the correct needles, thread and silk batting, ready to go, but oh no, I forgot to buy the correct thimble! Luckily she has a etsy shop where I can order one. But now I thinking I want to order more fabric and make a small quilt like hers.

If your interested check out her blog where she has tutorials on how to do the stitch correctly and link to her shop with lots of wonderful goodies from Japan. (which is on my bucket list to visit)

The show was filled with out of this world quilts. These are two I really liked.
The first titled Theatre

This had to be so much fun to make, like playing with paper dolls.

In each balcony is a different group of spectators.

Such wonderful details

.

All little stories of their own,

Beautiful.

This next is a piece from Japan where she incorporates her own hand-woven fabric in the story.

The complete quilt,

but look closely, her woven fabric holds tree branches.

The fiery hot sun and trees.

Full Super moon.

Last week my husband and I got away for a long weekend to our favorite lake, alone!
No kids, hot dogs, chips or somores.

I brought my jean tablecloth and bouquets from the garden.

Lunch was wraps, cheese and crackers and fresh fruit.

Lobster and shrimp for dinner.

And to be sure we had enough "greens" in our diet I brought along fresh mint and lime to make mojoitos.

         

             We had a very relaxing time, with lots of hiking, reading, boating, and of course quilting.

                                                   Quilting around the Sumac leaf prints.

The leaves all ready have a touch of color.

                                      The beginning of August is way too early for color.

One of the empty campsites had this wonderful totem made by campers earlier in the summer.

                                Made with one turkey and one blue jay feather. A sprig of pine

                                                                       and a rock.

                                                  Planted around the branch is St. John's wort,

a strawberry plant and a pine tree.  A beautiful healing totem. No one has destroyed this so far and      the ranger said campers seem to be watering the plants.
I love this campground, no electricity, no great beach, a small enough lake that only fishing boats are on it. The people who come here come for peace, quiet and nature.

And the extra bonus for our weekend, the August Full Moon!

                          We went out in the boat to enjoy the "super moon".

                                                     We were the only ones on the lake.
                                                             Who could ask for more.

                    Back in the camper that night I quilted in a little remembrances of the vacation.

My girlfriend Wendi made me this necklace with two of my favorite things, trees and a full moon.
The moon is made from an abalone shell.

I love it Wendi, it's beautiful. 

Cosmos, another great dye plant, one of my favorites.
From a cheap package of seed from the store you get lots and lots of beautiful dye.

 

Everything is blooming and everyone is recruited to help.

I have several wool pieces wrapped up and processing.

My little "herbal" neighbor girl (chewing on a piece of lemon thyme) is making herself a wool scarf for winter.

I placed my kids old tricycle out in the watermelon patch.

I love that it's all metal and should rust nicely.