Stitching memories with my wool quilt.

January 2013 I finished piecing my wool flower/leave eco print quilt. It was a beautiful January day for Michigan, I took it outside to photograph it on my husbands teepee.

All hand dyed and pieced.

January 31, 2017 and I'm still hand quilting it. I'm getting close to the boarders. This is my winter project, it's much to warm to work on during the rest of the year. I come home at night from work, make dinner, and curl up by the fire and stitch. After stitching a short while I can hardly keep my eyes open, nothing is more relaxing but I don't make a lot of progress stitching with my eyes closed:)

I eco-printed this block with Navajo tea. After spending a week on the Navajo reservation learning to weave and natural dye using plants from New Mexico, Sarah, the Navajo teacher sent  Navajo tea cuttings home with me. When ever I stitch on this block it brings back all the wonderful memories.

 Cosmos from my garden. I love harvesting them in the early evening when it's cool and peaceful. This all comes back to me as I quilt this block.
I think it's fascinating quilters and textile artists remember where every little bit of fabric came from and the wonderful memories it holds.

Wool Sun block and more

I cut out my next Sun for my wool Sun/Moon quilt. I solar dyed this wool last summer, layering wool fabric with cochineal, madder root and a little Osage orange bark.

Here are the blocks so far. Not laid out in any particular order. There will be one more resist dyed crescent moon, pieced stars and indigo pieced filler strips

My favorite moon with moon beams sprinkling down.

Found these wonderful dried berries on a bush.

Beautiful color for winter.

    This year's "Herb of the Year" is Cilantro/Coriander. People either love cilantro or hate it. Our Herb group will be studying and tasting it all this year.  We'll try and have a few of the haters converted. Coriander is the seed from the cilantro plant.
A few facts on the herb. It is indigenous to Italy, cultivated for at least 3,000 years!
 Romans used the crushed seeds made into a strong teas for fever, chills and flu.
Crush seeds and keep in a small container, inhale deeply 5 x several times a day to improve memory and clear thoughts. can mix with ground cloves.
Active ingredient reduces muscle tension & spasms, use in tincture form. Rub oil of coriander on arthritic joints to reduce swelling and pain.

Members made a few soups for the meeting, wonderful with chopped fresh cilantro in them.

A dessert made with the coriander.

I walked in my kitchen and here were my grandsons "flying" the magic carpet! They are so much fun

Winter happenings in Michigan

😃😃

Like half the country the snow is piling up, even under our covered porch!

 

The only one outside weaving is Mother Nature.
Love her embellishments!

The dye garden is beautiful in the fresh snow.

Besides putting "Christmas" away I did make a batch of bath salts for winter soaking. Quick and easy but so enjoyable, this is my recipe:

1 cup of Epsom salts (which is not a salt but a mineral)

1/4 cup of baking soda.
15 to 20 drops of good essential oil. I used lavender.

Mix well and store in a covered jar.
I use a good 1/4 to 1/2 cup full in my bath.

I finally had time to work on my "Super Moon"  block representing this past  November's moon.  I resist dyed wool for the moon dyeing it with indigo.  I quilted in "moon beams" with Sliver metallic thread and a halo of glass beads. This will be added with the rest of my moon journal blocks.

I love, love and collect textiles made by Native people from around the world.
Last Fall I went to the best estate sale I'm sure I will ever see. The owner was a Dr. and his wife was a weaver and collected textiles and everything on their vacations around the world. Everything was top quality.
They had a armed guard in the jewelry sale room. I didn't even go in there. People came from other states lining up the night before the sale!
I did buy a few wonderful pieces, the first being this hand knotted rug from Turkey. 

I told my grandsons not to walk on this rug with their shoes on as this is a magic flying carpet, note the magic lamps woven in! I explained that women all over the world put a part on themselves in their textiles, with their own secret thoughts and messages put in.

I know all us quilters do:)

 

I picked up a assortment of baskets to dry my herbs/dye plants on next summer.

                                                               

                            A great hand woven cloth from Guatemala.

Hanging with the peppers.

This is a hand woven  huipil  (women's blouse) also from Guatemala.
Woven on a back strap loom. The red weaving is the full huipil with the more intricate weaving stitched on top.