Rayen

I'm always interested in how other textile artists put together a project before they begin working on it. My art quilting usually begins with a rummage through this basket of all the hand-dyed and vintage fabics I've saved. For my Jane Eyre-themed slow stitch project I narrowed down the choices for the background fabric to these two hand-dyed pieces. To audition them, I simply put my project elements on top of the fabric to see how everything works together. This fabric, which is an organically dyed old Kitchen Aid linen towel, seems at first glance to me to be a bit too light for my theme. My other choice is very Gothic; the organically dyed synthetic. A bit too dark, though, as it seemed to swallow up the colors of my elements. The contrast between both of my background fabric choices made me think, too. Is Jane Eyre really that dark of a story to me? Mostly of it is pretty dismal and dreary. But when I first read the novel as a girl I felt a strong affinit...

To see the range I got in the lot of Balger thread I purchased, I removed all the labels (which are safely tucked inside the spools if they're ever needed for future reference) and sorted the colors. I'm really happy with the variety. I don't have a proper storage box for them yet, so I got out one of the hinge-topped candy tins I've saved from past holidays. I prefer wooden boxes, as tin tends to rust over time (I live in a very damp region) but once they're washed these tins make nice temporary storage containers. Now I can see all the spools at the same time, and keep them sorted, tidy and protected until I find the right wooden box.

In our garden the starwberry plants are making a strong comeback now that cooler weather has arrived. The cucumber vines in the back are heavily flowered, and may start producing cukes we can eat in a few more weeks. The oregano (center herb container) is finally growing again. I promised my favorite person we would keep it alive, but after transplanting it nearly went to the herb afterlife. We'll have more radishes to eat in about a week, and the first pole beans should be just about ready to pick. Looks like they ready right now -- too bad we already had dinner.

Back in September I mentioned that as a reward for myself after getting through a difficult situation I ordered a mystery box of three books -- a trend known as having a blind date with a book. The order arrived, and as promised I've got pics of what was inside the package. I have to say first that the seller really outdid herself in making this a fun package. Along with a bath bomb, a face mask, a bunch of snacks and fun items, she gift-wrapped my three books. It felt very special and personal, like something a friend would give me. I also appreciated the self-care and inspirational cards she included -- I'm always in need of that kind of encouragement. Here are the three books, and probably the best part of this mystery purchase is that they're all titles and authors that I haven't read in the past (although I remember being briefly tempted by one of them, but didn't buy it because it was only available in hardcover at the time.) I'm going to...

May your jack-o-lanterns be smiling, your treat bags overflowing, and your night filled with fun. Image credit: Alexas Fotos

I go through a lot of embroidery thread every year, so I keep an eye out for any large lots of it being sold online as part of an estate sale or after a shop closing. Good quality thread is expensive, especially the specialty metallics I love, like holographic Sulky and Kreinik braid. I knew the latter used to be called Balger when it first came out, so when I saw a lot of 44 pristine-looking vintage spools of #8 Balger thread, I decided to buy them. Buying vintage thread online is sometimes a gamble, as what you get can be deteriorated, smelly, stained or tangled. Happily what I got was perfect. All but one of the spools are unused, and all of them are in mint condition. Each spool has 11 yards of thread on it, so they'll last me a long time. Best part? New these would retail for about five bucks a spool. I got them for about a dollar each. I'm going to put them in the box with my holographic threads so I can sit and admire them. Hmmm. I think I'...

Last week I finished up the slow-stitched beach bag by sewing it together and lining it with a scrap piece of medium blue broadcloth. More than anything it was a relaxing project, and gave me time to think about lots of stuff. I also finished this treat bag I made from my bargello experiment and filled it with snacks before mailing it off to my favorite person in time for Halloween. The pile of snacks I stuffed in the bag. :)