Spring Weddings and Natural dyes for Skin

This is the season for Weddings, my girlfriend's son was married Mother's Day weekend, my other girlfriend's daughter will be married this weekend and 100 years ago Lumber Barren Mr. Hume's daughters Constance and Florence Hume had a double Wedding.  This is a picture of their home (from the side), restored and taken care of by our local historical society. For this 100th year anniversary they have a celebration going on throughout the summer with  displays of their wedding clothes and the home set up to look like it did on the Wedding day where the reception took place.

The dresses were made of heavy ivory satin and trimmed with Irish Lace. One of the sisters,

the back of the others.

Her train. Love all the hand-work.

Hand embroidered with seed pearls.

They wore long veils with crowns of orange blossoms.

A more complete description of the dresses.

Their Wedding photo with their bridesmaids.

Their Garters.

History of the Garter.

All the rooms in the house were set up like they would have been for the reception.
Copies of the actual place cards.

The finest china and table cloths ready.

The fathers Wedding clothes laid out. Love the hat.

The women's clothes laid out,

and ready.

Love these boots. They are very long and skinny.

Child's dress on her bed.

Older sister's dress on her bed. Love this quilt.
This is just a few of the many bed rooms in the house.

This potty chair was too cute.

The ending to this Wedding story, one sister died 3 years later and the other got DIVORCED twelve years later, her parents let her if she promised never to marry again! She lived at their home until she died.



I haven't done much dyeing or quilting lately, my elderly father fell and broke his hip. Most of my time right now is being spent with him at the hospital, my mom at her home (she doesn't drive any more), helping with my grand kids, keeping my house up and working! I don't have time to go to the bathroom anymore. Now, I know what the saying "sandwich generation" means! But everyone is happy and trying to help so we'll make it ( I do hope to put in my garden before Fall).

I've always been a sun-lover and even though I don't lay out in the sun any more I still love to have a little color in the summer. I found these two products  I hope will give me the "sun" look. The first Jergens Natural Glow for face, it got high recommendations in a study. I've used it for about 4 days, so far no orange color or streaks and my white skin is coming along.
 I also found Australian Gold Intensifier made with natural dyes! Black walnut shell extract, annatto, carrot root extract, carrot seed oil, banana fruit extract, aloe leaf juice & tree leaf oil. I'm sure it's not all natural but I'm giving it a try. After 4 days no orange or streaks and my legs and arms aren't bright white.
Both product are not overnight "tans" but seem to be coming slow but sure. I'll let you know next week  how they turn out. (neither are oily either)

Family Tree Quit

A few years ago as I saw my parents aging I thought when they pass on a lot of family history will be lost and the grandchildren would never know it. So, I began a family tree quilt. I researched and designed each childhood home (starting with my husbands and my parents childhood homes). I tried to capture them exactly with the special touches they remembered. Then I embroidered in all the family birth/death/ marriage records on each home block in the yard. (I have them covered with pieces of fabric for this picture). The lattice between the blocks have the fun facts about each family, such as their hobbies etc.

Our house is now done and I began working on the lattice, we love so many things I could fill up two of them.

Of course I had to piece a wool quilt, I took a felted sweater cut some tiny blocks and stitched it together.

Perfect.

Now I'm stitching it all on and embroidery in the details.

Two more houses to go, our children's. They will be the top two. This will be the basic layout (more lattice between the blocks), I'm thinking there will be a appliqued tree behind the blocks, starting with a gnarly trunk at the bottom with the green leave filling out the top.  Should be ready to put together by November at our yearly quilt retreat!

I pulled out these friendship quilt blocks yesterday, They were made for me in 1995! I think it's time to put them together but I need a few more.

This is the paper piecing pattern, what do you think Deb C. could you finish one by November:) Another quilt retreat project.

Happy Mothers Day

"As we plunge ahead to build empires and race for supremacy we should stop and listen to (the female) song of life. For without the female there is no life."
Oren R. Lyons, Spokesman, Traditional Circle of Elders

Women are created with the ability to produce life. Women have a special tie to the Earth Mother. They have something in common. They are the source of life. The Earth Mother gives songs to the Woman to sing. These songs are about life, about beauty, and children, about love, about family, about strength, about caring, about nurturing, about forgiveness, about God. The World  need to pay attention and listen to Her. She knows.

First Communion Quilts- Daffodil Dye

My grandsons are making their First Communion Sunday. Remembering their Baptism/First Birthday quilts I thought I should add on this new sacred date.

Of all the quilts I made them (and I've made a lot) these were their favorites. They are very well loved (meaning faded and lovingly worn).  I'm thrilled!

We celebrated their Baptism and 1st. birthday at the same time.
I appliqued on their one-year old hand prints with a Catholic medal sewn in behind one hand on each.
I love little surprises hidden in quits and add lots of written messages with my machine quilting on each.

I will be embroidery in their Communion information on the other side of the cross.

I purchased two pewter 1st. Communion crosses to sew on each quilt by the embroidery.

The boys haven't had their quilts since moving here from Florida almost two years ago. They were so excited when we got them out of storage. I washed them and they "tried" them on! Their legs seem to have grown!

They didn't care and each took his to bed (with their other full size quilts).
The secret to having grand babies love, love your quilts is using soft Minke Dot fabric on the back and wide silk binding on the edge.

I began the embroidery, not too easy on a piece already quilted. That's OK though,  this is my favorite type of quilt to work on, a family history quilt.
I told them I was going to sew on their Wedding date when they get married and they can take the quilt on their honey-moon.

 

To all my natural dyeing friends, Spring has finally arrived here and the daffodils are blooming. They make the most wonderful soft yellow "daffodil" dye.

I have quite a few of these full petal daffodils, I usually pick the flowers in the morning, soak them in cold water a few days, then simmer them with premordanted wool awhile, turn off the heat and leave overnight. I've done this for quite a few years and the color stays beautifully.
This year I only have time to pick the flowers and enjoy them on my desk at work. Hopefully next year they'll be in a dye pot.

Earth Day

"Together we can end the Holocaust against the environment."
-Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders

We are all familiar with the Holocaust against the people. When this happens we feel bad and we vow never to let it happen again. We need to seriously examine what human beings are doing to the Earth and the environment. Many species are extinct and many more will become extinct during the next 10 years. We are methodically eliminating life that will never return again. Today, we should take time to pray real hard so we wake up before it is too late.

Yesterday I spent some time in my studio. I thought I'd show you how I store some of my natural dyed fabrics and yarns. I love to see the fabrics and my metal baskets show them off wonderfully.
(I do not keep them near a window or bright lights)

I also store them in hand-made baskets,

and in an old Vernors soda crate.

My yarn basket I bought in Indiana from an Amish man. It's a basket to collect eggs in.

 Saturday when we were at a yard sale at an old farm house I found this old egg basket (poking out of the dumpster). The farmer couldn't understand what was exciting about it!

The results from my dyeing with Hopi sunflower seeds, left to right. Seeds scattered in the wool, wrapped and steamed, wool simmered in a iron pot with the seeds, wool simmered in a stainless steel pot.

My silk scarf that was coiled around the metal spring. no great pattern was printed.

My friend just bought a new house and is cleaning out the garage and shed, he's bringing me all the  wonderful rusty metal pieces to use. It's going to be a fun summer (if it ever warms up).

I spent one evening last week layering and pinning my wool quilt. After sitting like this 5 hours I didn't think I'd ever walk again!

And I've begun quilting it, the quilting stitch brings all the plants to life.

Fairy Gardens

Our meeting at Herb Society this month was making Fairy Gardens. We all brought our own containers and small plants, etc. to share. What a fun night.
The following pictures are of some of the magical gardens created. (some brought theirs already finished from home).
This first garden was made in a glass footed bowl,

With driftwood and a toad sitting in it.

This one had a fairy and a stone path through the moss.

This garden has a patio umbrella and stool made from wine corks.

A twig gazebo with acorn caps and a pond fill out this garden.

A large cup and saucer filled with all kinds of magical creatures.

This one has a cottage and a fence.

A Zen garden.

The beginning of one made in a saucer.

A  gardening fairy with her garden tools.

This was a beautiful Fairy waiting for a garden.

Her beautiful wings.

My garden, I used an old enamel dish. The little "trees" are called ground pine and stay this size. I have no fairy but one did leave her tea cup under the flowers.

I filled in with spring blooming plants and lots of moss.

Someone also brought lots of little clay pots to share, I filled mine with moss and added a mushroom.

This was my garden I made in March, telling my grand kids this was a sewing leprechaun, but now I guess she's a Fairy with her pet Hedgehog!

One member brought  a lot of beautiful books on Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker. This one teaches you how to find them, complete with

 a newspaper clipping from the 1930's talking about the child who took an actual picture of one!
Who can dispute that Fairies are real with all this evidence? 

And a actual picture!

 

With pop-out photos of where they live from the forest floors,

to the wayside,

and their favorite place to live, Flower Gardens.

Have a magical weekend, I'll see you next week.