tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22130811421217227832024-03-05T02:53:45.180-08:00Adventures in StitchingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-90087231350977477152013-08-04T19:36:00.001-07:002013-08-04T19:53:36.678-07:00Mini Mary AnningMiss L loves her dinosaurs. She also loves her dolls. And she very, very much loves to have her dolls play paleontologist. <br />
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So, bright idea...outfit her dolls as her favorite lady paleontologists! Sadly, American Girl does not yet have a line of famous historical scientists. (But get on that, AG, seriously.) The remedy? My sewing machine! <br />
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Meet Mary Anning:<br />
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To refresh your memory, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Anning">Mary Anning</a> was a 19th-century woman who lived on the coast of England. As a girl, she would explore the cliffs with her fossil-collecting father. She went on to discover the ichthyosaur and become an influential early paleontologist, despite the boy's club of the time. There are many good books about Anning, including the novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Remarkable-Creatures-Novel-Tracy-Chevalier/dp/0452296722/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1375668553&sr=8-5&keywords=mary+anning">Beautiful Creatures</a> by Tracy Chevalier, one of our favorite children's storybooks, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rare-Treasure-Anning-Remarkable-Discoveries/dp/0618310819/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1375668598&sr=8-8&keywords=mary+anning">Rare Treasure</a> by Don Brown, and an early-reader book Miss L has attacked many times, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/That-Dinosaurs-Ready---Read-Level/dp/068985708X/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375668661&sr=1-13&keywords=mary+anning#_">The Dog That Dug For Dinosaurs</a> by Shirley Raye Redmond.</div>
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I used the illustrations in Don Brown's book and a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mary_Anning_painting.jpg">famous portrait of Anning</a> as my inspiration for our doll outfit. </div>
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The cape pattern was from McCall's M6526, with the overskirt from McCall's 2609. These were my very first doll garments! Encouraged by how the cape and overskirt turned out, I turned to the dress itself, another 2609 pattern, modified a little to be more like the simple dress a poor woodworker's daughter would be likely to have, and more like the girl's dress shown in Don Brown's illustrations. </div>
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OK, WAY harder, all those little curves and gathers. I'm glad our model Saige here doesn't complain much about seam puckers and fraying. Good sport, that one. You can't see her books or petticoats here, but we just borrowed some from another AG historical doll outfit (Caroline's winter boots and her underthings). The bonnet was found cheap on etsy, I added the red ribbon. </div>
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And the crowning touch, of course, is the little doll-size hammer! An inexpensive little jeweler's hammer. </div>
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This was a challenge but I learned some new sewing skills...and Miss L loves it, so we will probably need more paleontologist and science-lady outfits! For all my googling, I don't see any to purchase available, so looks like it is on me to fill the void. Next on the docket are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Hendrickson">Sue Hendrickson</a> and maybe <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_curie">Marie Curie</a>. Who else would be on your must-list?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-70955106722979820312013-05-04T18:45:00.003-07:002013-05-04T18:56:57.710-07:00Metta at the Mudflats: Or, How to Take your Heirloom Project to the Beachshe gets out of the box!<br />
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We've had a stretch of unseasonably nice weather and my fantastic husband gave me the gift recently of a the day off. So I did! I went shopping, and toodled around a bookstore or two, and found a little corner of the world nearby where I've never been before. I serendipitously found myself at Mud Bay, the southernmost extent of Puget Sound. Mud Bay is aptly named. <br />
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See? Muddy. <br />
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But, since I couldn't find my usual travel project on my mad dash out the door, I decided to take <a href="http://www.samplers-berlin.com/metta_1848_en.html">Metta Putfarken</a> with me. She's my favorite right now anyway, and even though she's a big ol' broad, she travels ok if you treat her right.<br />
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What you see there is only three pages of this huge, 35-page Vierlanden sampler. So I might still be at this one a while and if I don't bring her sometimes she'll never get done. Even though the pattern is a reproduction, I can't leave well enough alone so I'm doing my version in shades of green rather than the original red. With Metta's seemingly-infinite variations to the pattern, you can't tell me she wouldn't have liked it this way, too.<br />
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Unless she hated green or something. But she is long since gone and *I* like green so that's good enough for me.<br />
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Those seven spools are different shades of solid, variegated, and "twisted" dark green <a href="http://hand-dyedfibers.com/oscnuked/">HDF</a> single-strand silk. The linen is 40-count <a href="http://www.sassysfabbys.com/">Sassy Fabric</a> linen in a color I can't recall right now but it's a pretty, warm-toned off-white. <br />
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I admit to some initial trepidation about shlepping this big, heirloom project all around creation, but to me, something I spend this much time with on the couch should share the rest of my life, too. So this is how I am careful to manage it. Turning around at taking a picture of the work space I found here in the muddy environment, you'll see it is relatively mud-free:<br />
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This is a perfect stitching-in-the-wild spot. Relatively sheltered logs and roots over coarser gravels with less sticky mud. And a view. I find the best style of travel projects are geometrics and those which I don't need to refer to the patterns too often; if the second half of a sampler element or a rosette is a mirror image of a first half already completed, I might not need to pull out the pattern at all while I am sitting in a spot like this. Less bobbling about = smaller chance of slipping and dropping something in the dirt. In this case, the pattern is still safely in the project bag propped up on the right. <br />
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A pouch to manage the threads is also important, of course. Many of my projects use little 'floss-a-way' bags on a ring, with a hole punched in the corner to feed thread through from a spool, and in my opinion good travel projects are monochromatic or often use only a handful of colors. But because this isn't my first rodeo, when I travel with Metta I still travel with the handmade pouch I made for this project, though, because I just get so much satisfaction from using pretty things. And look, this one matches the mud!<br />
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You might also notice that I am managing all the excess fabric by loosely rolling it up. I really like these <a href="http://www.nordicneedle.com/prod/335-204-0001.html">little stitch clips</a> for that. I only use them when I am actively stitching in a setting like this and otherwise they live in the project bag or floss pouch.<br />
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And, my final tip: always remember it is just fabric and thread. A little sand is just going to brush right off. Worst comes to worst, it can be washed. <br />
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For me, stitching in nature is even more therapeutic and meditative than stitching in front of the tv. And if you're spotted, good! The handcrafts can use more visibility. And if you get a little mud on the corner of your linen, oh well. Think of the stories that piece of cloth can tell, someday. <br />
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If you ever stitch in the wild, take a picture and show me! I'd love to see where your creations have gone. Maybe we can start a movement. Or just get a lot of satisfaction from fresh air and fine linen, at the same time. Ahhhhh.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-12378779153734773342013-04-27T15:22:00.003-07:002013-04-27T15:23:29.960-07:00Pretty Little PansiesI've always liked the happy little Pansy. Some think that the colorful nodding blooms look like faces in deep thought; the name comes from the french word for thought, <em>pensee</em>. <br />
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When I found Diana Lampe's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Embroidered-Pansies-Diana-Lampe/dp/1876808012/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367100944&sr=1-4">Embroidered Pansies</a>, it went on my 'must list'. Look at the variety!<br />
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Fun little things. There are hundreds of long-and-short-stitch pansies in this book, as well as a few violas, projects, and crocheted pansies. I was pleasantly surprised by my first attempt, though it certainly could have been better.<br />
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And my second attempt (the blue one in the first picture) was much better. Turned it into a little birthday card for Grandma. <br />
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I have so many long-term projects underway these days, I love these little projects that give me a feeling of accomplishment after only a few hours. I am sure these two won't be my last! <br />
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<em>Nobody can keep on being angry if she looks into the heart of a pansy for a little while.</em><br />
~ L.M. MontgomeryUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-66329632197654704402013-04-14T14:42:00.001-07:002013-04-27T15:24:23.096-07:00Rings and ThingsA finish! They DO exist!<br />
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Hot off the needles and not even fully ironed, it's my 3-years-in-the-making version of<a href="http://www.inkcircles.com/"> Ink Circles'</a> <a href="http://inkcircles.bigcartel.com/product/growth-rings">Growth Rings</a>!<br />
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Threads are HDF BeSeeded and BeFuddled on 40ct off-white linen. <br />
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This blog, it's not dead yet! (It's feeling much better!)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-91177314044752309772013-03-18T18:20:00.001-07:002013-04-27T15:23:45.291-07:00They Leave a Mark on YouNot too long ago, a friend forwarded me <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/30/stone-age-toddlers-art-lessons">an article</a> about cave paintings. Not just any cave paintings, but 13,000-year-old cave paintings in France. Not just any 13,000-year-old French cave paintings, but a cave chamber full of 13,000-year-old French cave paintings that appear to have been made by children. <br />
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Whoa. <br />
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And people have been leaving their mark on the world ever since. Most of our marks will be lost to time, are mere chicken scratches in the dirt. I suspect our modern impulse to blog and facebook comes from a similar instinct as the one that drove the ancients to draw pictures of animals on rock walls. <br />
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I started these negative outlines of my kids' hands after stewing on similar ideas and <a href="http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/methods/methods.php">Aboriginal hand stencils</a>. Dang, these kids grow fast. Their hands are already much bigger than the outlines.<br />
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So these photos now join my other scratchings on the walls of the internet. Positive and negative effects on the world and those closest to us, dark and light.<br />
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Or maybe I should leave the philosophizing for the philosophers and just enjoy the pretty blue beads. Oooo, shiny!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-55770250940160153282012-05-21T17:00:00.001-07:002013-04-27T15:24:07.364-07:00Thoughts on 300 yearsFor mother's day this year, we went to a ghost forest. It was my favorite kind of day. Serendipetous, relaxing, interesting, and inspiring. <br />
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This particular forest, now just a bunch of stumps on the tideflat, was a true forest 300 years ago. An earthquake in the year 1700 lowered the shoreline in this area, drowning this little copse of trees and causing a tsunami across the ocean in Japan. <br />
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Along with exploring the tidepools and the sea stacks and finding agates, I was able to sneak in a few stitches while leaning up against some driftwood. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wtV_iMfXCZ_F_UL2lsPPkK60liqO0qKhy2eYHp74IFQ1cK2GUZLaYoGGb_0rtLSamZBSvrFqhiOgL3mdqqt_WdsuUdRKaCtKY4l2tt5iXJIlHLeBYmdS5pjtpK_-9e8lImoobGzN7PZm/s1600/IMG_1257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wtV_iMfXCZ_F_UL2lsPPkK60liqO0qKhy2eYHp74IFQ1cK2GUZLaYoGGb_0rtLSamZBSvrFqhiOgL3mdqqt_WdsuUdRKaCtKY4l2tt5iXJIlHLeBYmdS5pjtpK_-9e8lImoobGzN7PZm/s400/IMG_1257.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of Essamplaire reproduction sampler, "Aagie Jans, 1732". Stitched with substitute DMC colors on 40 ct linen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The choice of pattern seemed appropriate--it's also about 300 years old-- a reproduction sampler from a girl from the Netherlands named <a href="http://www.theessamplaire.com/browse.php/detail/167">Aagie Jans</a>, who stitched the original in 1732. Aagie lived on the isle of Marken, famous for its boldly-colored and heavily patterned samplers, filled with geometric and nautical motifs. As you see, I'm not too far along yet, but astute readers have probably figured out <a href="http://fishmouseacademy.blogspot.com/2012/04/first-year-reflections.html">why </a>my stitching-related posts have become so scant. Such is life, filled with big and small earthquakes. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-82263030315182825642011-10-08T21:07:00.000-07:002011-10-08T21:07:39.799-07:00Scissors and books and excuses, oh my!Yes, I've been scarce. Many good excuses I won't bore you with. But, new scissors and books found a home with me! And they are all so different. Bunching them together like this really shows the diversity in the needlework world that can be found if you care to look.<br />
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New Gingher Alicia!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love the blues so couldn't resist. You can't really see it in this photo, but the design on the blue background appears to be tiny little peacock feathers. The Alicias are resting on the completed half of a new piece I'm working of my kids' hands. If I ever finish the second half (and I must, before my son's hand grows much more) I will do a real post showing off both. Someday!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And pretty little dovo gold handle scallops. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Aren't they sweet? They are resting on one of my new book acquisitions, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scandinavian-Needlecraft-Step-step-Projects/dp/1907030220">Scandinavian Needlecraft</a> by Claire Young. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEueBXu8uwdH2xrwG41O07wzpVH2cc14g9YRaraz1CBtWrh9sh8ZoH-JJuSpvvD7lr72peZZQx5FM2fa-S2r1afGzDbraL6d3vEEbVr1wVyw4wNgTxgzQdjPFJOIQv6zQMNl3CtUKO6OOJ/s1600/DSC_0130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEueBXu8uwdH2xrwG41O07wzpVH2cc14g9YRaraz1CBtWrh9sh8ZoH-JJuSpvvD7lr72peZZQx5FM2fa-S2r1afGzDbraL6d3vEEbVr1wVyw4wNgTxgzQdjPFJOIQv6zQMNl3CtUKO6OOJ/s400/DSC_0130.jpg" width="397" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love the simple elegance of the Scandinavian folk art-inspired projects in this book! Some of the embroidered felt swedish horses may make in onto the Christmas tree this year. Or these charming stockings onto the mantel:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCALWATq16k-sE04XVt6LSu-HzYS1iv-903yM4ByhZSGAiyXYpLBPBRyO1XQl5rH2AgOox3ynTPCLq1Fna0L3i79eeXxOz4S4UT8SOQ8uh9t4Srf2ldZp2LUJJSfvfzwOqlSiynMXumpaJ/s1600/DSC_0132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCALWATq16k-sE04XVt6LSu-HzYS1iv-903yM4ByhZSGAiyXYpLBPBRyO1XQl5rH2AgOox3ynTPCLq1Fna0L3i79eeXxOz4S4UT8SOQ8uh9t4Srf2ldZp2LUJJSfvfzwOqlSiynMXumpaJ/s400/DSC_0132.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>My other two new books, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Makatos-Cross-Stitch-Super-Collection/dp/1440309256/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318132012&sr=1-2">Makoto's Cross-Stitch Super Collection</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drawn-Stitch-Drawing-Mark-Making-Textile/dp/1596682337">Drawn to Stitch</a> could not be more different. Probably the only thing they have in common is that cotton fibers are frequently used.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Makatos-Cross-Stitch-Super-Collection/dp/1440309256/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318132012&sr=1-2">Makoto's Cross-stitch Super Collection</a> by Makoto Oozu is chock-full of quick little cross stitch motifs. Many are very non-traditional and quirky, like insects, robots, space creatures, electronic gadgets, and other fun stuff like that. My daughter quickly declared it one of her favorites and wants some of the brightly colored little dinosaurs and monsters stitched on <em>everything</em>, she says.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9M2qUSvvBGAyZODlcH1LgOQpoY4liTSmKpcOnN_-py7cLceytWvLypw-DNtI1SpDsak_-JNSYuetTQCKGN2lSXhkDxMLNm1K61cEQw22SfAAMGhfwnMYuSRxT9FvVvCmcBUrlCo4IjUKe/s1600/DSC_0109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9M2qUSvvBGAyZODlcH1LgOQpoY4liTSmKpcOnN_-py7cLceytWvLypw-DNtI1SpDsak_-JNSYuetTQCKGN2lSXhkDxMLNm1K61cEQw22SfAAMGhfwnMYuSRxT9FvVvCmcBUrlCo4IjUKe/s400/DSC_0109.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drawn-Stitch-Drawing-Mark-Making-Textile/dp/1596682337">Drawn to Stitch: Line, Drawing and Mark-Making in Textile Art</a> by Gwen Hedley is 180 degrees in the opposite direction. It is full of ideas for the experimental and artistic end of the stitching landscape, using a variety of techniques including resists, transfers, and printing in addition to stiches to explore "innovative uses of line". Now, I am not a trained artist, nor do I have the resources to explore many of these techniques, but reading this type of book does help get my creative juices flowing. This page alone, I think may have blown my mind a little:<br />
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Those beige squiggles, were stitched using padding and wrapping techniques with fibers of different weights, to imitate worm casts in a rock. Amazing! Many of the pieces shown in this book were inspired by rocks or landscapes or even things like eroded walls, so this was a title I had to have. Gorgeous. Now if I could only find a little more time for the inspiration to carry through into execution.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-83124192780721353792011-09-05T17:09:00.000-07:002011-09-05T17:09:54.484-07:00FroggingJust back from B.C. Ask my daughter what her favorite part was, and she'll say, "catching frogs!" As many of you know, "frogging" is also a euphemism for tearing out needlework mistakes--"rip it, rip it" but I was fortunate that kind of frog did not visit on this trip. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-n16S7uSMNqPg6Yj02GU3oe4g1ZHFpJ80-oEDhtTeXubtF6bKfRrX947GC5ONLb0eC6uW3PukqW7S5ihX6ZfuEXuY6UZlvMwR36uxQXOPrHQXMP9FDz5hcuhIVuQteoPb-otgG-D5UCW/s1600/DSC_0294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-n16S7uSMNqPg6Yj02GU3oe4g1ZHFpJ80-oEDhtTeXubtF6bKfRrX947GC5ONLb0eC6uW3PukqW7S5ihX6ZfuEXuY6UZlvMwR36uxQXOPrHQXMP9FDz5hcuhIVuQteoPb-otgG-D5UCW/s400/DSC_0294.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
One of the few sunny afternoons we went to a lake, which had piles and piles of frogs the size of a quarter. I say piles, because they piled themselves in sunny areas into masses that looked like clods of mud (or cow pies) if you didn't look to close. But then when you stepped close, they all hopped away to the safety of tall grass. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6qaiDRm3SD5aP3Gga6jEOjQpn-s5941CiD0eyCv39_c_GIIz-NCg8xTSn_qlrfhKtElAZxykeCaSJOMxKeVSelbhGv2OzkwrOUkIB8oiq2f7_1iealfivsragG962ggllq42LE-umGRg/s1600/DSC_0147-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6qaiDRm3SD5aP3Gga6jEOjQpn-s5941CiD0eyCv39_c_GIIz-NCg8xTSn_qlrfhKtElAZxykeCaSJOMxKeVSelbhGv2OzkwrOUkIB8oiq2f7_1iealfivsragG962ggllq42LE-umGRg/s400/DSC_0147-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The kids went crazy catching them, but bored of it quickly when they realized there were tadpoles in the lake! Our tadpoles here are tiny little things, hard to find, in swampy areas we don't often go. These were big fat long things. <br />
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I am glad we hadn't cleaned out the car recently and could find buckets and bottles. <br />
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And that I never go anywhere without my trusty hand lens (magnifying glass to the layman). <br />
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</div>And, that I could stitch in the sun for a few minutes while the kids played naturalist. <br />
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More frogs next time!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-7186599844148461572011-08-27T07:10:00.000-07:002011-08-27T07:10:44.795-07:00Child's-eye viewThe adjustment to homeschooling has been not too difficult, because it has been very much like a return to the way we lived before the public school experiment started.<br />
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As all the other kids get excited for new classrooms and bus routes and what-all, and I've heard some other mothers express relief their kids will be away during the day again soon, I'm finding I'm glad I get to keep them with me this fall. <br />
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Seeing the world through their eyes is one of the best parts.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xUTPNNDph9PVuu4KZYtRVDX-ixkZ8alLh_JvpD8brCso8mpG9ZD6E9fft4FCsEKfo_ipYIbYqpe6CXIsUK25-kf82tpM4FPQaztUspT5PnpAs5ZVGR6Tlv94XbXaUqlW-tx7Mv01pPSA/s1600/DSC_0271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xUTPNNDph9PVuu4KZYtRVDX-ixkZ8alLh_JvpD8brCso8mpG9ZD6E9fft4FCsEKfo_ipYIbYqpe6CXIsUK25-kf82tpM4FPQaztUspT5PnpAs5ZVGR6Tlv94XbXaUqlW-tx7Mv01pPSA/s400/DSC_0271.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of the other best parts is that we don't have to stick to someone else's calendar. Leaving this morning on another road trip, destination Northern British Columbia and DH's family ranch. The kids have never been there. I can't wait to see how they see it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygq9KszzkHXmRy4EpsYuzJg80_OLsUucM_UDvbRxKLX7d7oFMxJ8XDfjuMVRLh7UK3e3xxX4XhETocAg6q9xlb8b1hrv_b8tns-LHa2_6CBPjBkwT6kzpmei46gur8LmVXSGINRBD0dEK/s1600/DSC_0093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="266" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygq9KszzkHXmRy4EpsYuzJg80_OLsUucM_UDvbRxKLX7d7oFMxJ8XDfjuMVRLh7UK3e3xxX4XhETocAg6q9xlb8b1hrv_b8tns-LHa2_6CBPjBkwT6kzpmei46gur8LmVXSGINRBD0dEK/s400/DSC_0093.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Next time: Actual stitching content! And/or pictures of beautiful British Columbia, haha.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-57275183132479468242011-08-16T22:29:00.000-07:002011-08-16T22:31:10.391-07:00Scenes from a summerSo this is where we've been for the last little while. Here:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKn8KEE2Mu9y7vepEXRQc18AZp2eQ9j6vY8bpTBbIhf7-9LMygiskIxqylKh7rsRSSqleS0SvQ8Y_2rivtRjnrv9rO2T60aAT9mqEVfHTwD78MGlQXh7yToTvwicEkfM7OZYQJy46K_kAu/s1600/DSC_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKn8KEE2Mu9y7vepEXRQc18AZp2eQ9j6vY8bpTBbIhf7-9LMygiskIxqylKh7rsRSSqleS0SvQ8Y_2rivtRjnrv9rO2T60aAT9mqEVfHTwD78MGlQXh7yToTvwicEkfM7OZYQJy46K_kAu/s400/DSC_0002.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long Dog Samplers' <a href="http://longdog.pagesperso-orange.fr/bears.html">"Do Bears"</a> in the early morning.<br />
<a href="http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Twenty-Five%20Mile%20Creek">25 Mile Creek</a> campground on Lake Chelan.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Orchard foot ferry on a Sunday afternoon.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Can't forget when we tried this...</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMR5vAo9nNKn7YLmgaQrft3-gzJqjZ0nrV6-k6w9LK3hHXoz5qgSlnXRUF_6otFRN8zfSwlJduQkRj-WlLY3XewMxxVP2hkaYR0PS1Z6p4l_LPo-2Js4pqC06Yi_XTZF8mbzbnJgCTQUJ/s1600/DSC_0203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMR5vAo9nNKn7YLmgaQrft3-gzJqjZ0nrV6-k6w9LK3hHXoz5qgSlnXRUF_6otFRN8zfSwlJduQkRj-WlLY3XewMxxVP2hkaYR0PS1Z6p4l_LPo-2Js4pqC06Yi_XTZF8mbzbnJgCTQUJ/s400/DSC_0203.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying out a spokeshave at <a href="http://www.pioneerfarmmuseum.org/">Pioneer Farm Museum</a> in Eatonville.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
And we've been here a lot:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWHa72Rrdf0eoWOm8Ga6E3zKv2VZkDER4-H92tqx1hOQu4khKJCV_fK7Vc8gzY4kUU28Os0AvoHurmcDU_VOESvupgv38F3qT_f8U_ZXFjKmaDGBBRWtxtb886MEomtIg1_28u4jXfHDy/s1600/DSC_0152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWHa72Rrdf0eoWOm8Ga6E3zKv2VZkDER4-H92tqx1hOQu4khKJCV_fK7Vc8gzY4kUU28Os0AvoHurmcDU_VOESvupgv38F3qT_f8U_ZXFjKmaDGBBRWtxtb886MEomtIg1_28u4jXfHDy/s400/DSC_0152.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool <a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0524_full.html">forests </a>behind our house. Often.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But it still might be a little premature to do a summer-wrap up post, because summer isn't quite over yet. Still a few weeks...let's go see what else we can find.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQn5_CwbwXGMfum4onkVRH4qpYXdm8irRC2LYYNS8tktufuRNoqqmFJ4gkiJlIaaJqkNW4y7Nep1KaoVgs-oVbEZW8V9JprzAtHd76_kOqSx77yua042sjv5Gr_6SnTxs8r0MgJ4pU0R9S/s1600/DSC_0158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQn5_CwbwXGMfum4onkVRH4qpYXdm8irRC2LYYNS8tktufuRNoqqmFJ4gkiJlIaaJqkNW4y7Nep1KaoVgs-oVbEZW8V9JprzAtHd76_kOqSx77yua042sjv5Gr_6SnTxs8r0MgJ4pU0R9S/s400/DSC_0158.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Catch ya on the flip side. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-10960150637890212542011-07-04T10:03:00.000-07:002011-07-04T10:06:51.248-07:00Home from paradiseBack now from our 10 days away. The <a href="http://www.discovermoab.com/">Moab area</a> and <a href="http://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm">Arches</a> and <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cany/index.htm">Canyonlands</a> National Parks are stunning. I could have stayed several more weeks and still not felt like we saw everything. Between the geology...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmfNiAgRuLP3VDNRNy4H3HiieTO2qyi1-PbMA0tm7eeVsPnLe9dhYXRmD8VAA8uEZze1VTGkfstJsVs-CncDRv4bDBOIfNdvZYnS3b1VCgr-fN82kKhU9-KV1gsNthn2w-33804CtT-Yl/s1600/DSC_0124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxmfNiAgRuLP3VDNRNy4H3HiieTO2qyi1-PbMA0tm7eeVsPnLe9dhYXRmD8VAA8uEZze1VTGkfstJsVs-CncDRv4bDBOIfNdvZYnS3b1VCgr-fN82kKhU9-KV1gsNthn2w-33804CtT-Yl/s400/DSC_0124.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
The 4WD roads...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjET-WTMsfL8CTGhylj0ybL8Y-wzTtG8l0prmW9BcG4IKcD_23H7RWT0_ZH_iaLozjWMhcNBbMwl6qLu7mClG6nUWiqKTGjM7pKB7KE-KEiSoJkNxz9FuEKY9HUXIbi4zTefqeK7sE6QMdP/s1600/DSC_0322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjET-WTMsfL8CTGhylj0ybL8Y-wzTtG8l0prmW9BcG4IKcD_23H7RWT0_ZH_iaLozjWMhcNBbMwl6qLu7mClG6nUWiqKTGjM7pKB7KE-KEiSoJkNxz9FuEKY9HUXIbi4zTefqeK7sE6QMdP/s400/DSC_0322.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The wildlife...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSxQOHK7DT2LP118DQxy4kedH2_AaW0SZOp86kT40UMtlufU_UESZqAOS5SZVjSnNbY6DpY-UUYOIvVi9A3ufeXNAfL2RjO6ijjUc9gyOQnF0p3-5MfaIidYE1uIO8d_YWha0ABndNch7/s1600/DSC_0097-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXSxQOHK7DT2LP118DQxy4kedH2_AaW0SZOp86kT40UMtlufU_UESZqAOS5SZVjSnNbY6DpY-UUYOIvVi9A3ufeXNAfL2RjO6ijjUc9gyOQnF0p3-5MfaIidYE1uIO8d_YWha0ABndNch7/s400/DSC_0097-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And the history, both ancient...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1zdpaQxn8ImnEHHbt0var6WpFVDMvD5KcGJZOItV6aWkIbJqaZ7OhBZ-Gvi7HQDg2i04PMFkK0OLJzz1ageonukIZ9hbxFIIB6rOMibFk2FH0_DCFXJ0WXxomg4dnf9UV_rwWlu6dkJP/s1600/DSC_0068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1zdpaQxn8ImnEHHbt0var6WpFVDMvD5KcGJZOItV6aWkIbJqaZ7OhBZ-Gvi7HQDg2i04PMFkK0OLJzz1ageonukIZ9hbxFIIB6rOMibFk2FH0_DCFXJ0WXxomg4dnf9UV_rwWlu6dkJP/s400/DSC_0068.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
and "modern"...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglE-jBpMZKj-kAmWtcigvl6T8ZxP_G8dLbyssOyU0EzlNc6Pu8hkG2d8bwdLnC6oUdckMrdYMFwiW_bJq2lnVl9bAiWECqN-A3LMOg_SOy8yuLg1_pK8E4-nzklhaUPEPXwY3X2iEtsX-g/s1600/DSC_0102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglE-jBpMZKj-kAmWtcigvl6T8ZxP_G8dLbyssOyU0EzlNc6Pu8hkG2d8bwdLnC6oUdckMrdYMFwiW_bJq2lnVl9bAiWECqN-A3LMOg_SOy8yuLg1_pK8E4-nzklhaUPEPXwY3X2iEtsX-g/s400/DSC_0102.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
I was in heaven. Of course, while the kids liked all that stuff too, they liked the pool best. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MuvwNqWPwbbCxGMexafa4Yg_KLHPtP-kIh8wrPM4EKOypsJwLiNGqSV6-jgK5SDj9eUDJvIrZx6DOqDPaADrIOS5qHyFsfeTQl1778zAzOi1ZcbplW6G6-0xLkuQCNpvqBgqpTHCFkif/s1600/DSC_0155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MuvwNqWPwbbCxGMexafa4Yg_KLHPtP-kIh8wrPM4EKOypsJwLiNGqSV6-jgK5SDj9eUDJvIrZx6DOqDPaADrIOS5qHyFsfeTQl1778zAzOi1ZcbplW6G6-0xLkuQCNpvqBgqpTHCFkif/s400/DSC_0155.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even a little stitching was accomplished. Mostly while waiting for the mountain-goat members of the family to rejoin the group.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1VuuOSQLpQBpIS40ZR_kAQASzZDGTTUqGpvFgXtwqtz3wkl_4udG4xwbV8FZDPpwaMvHUkeaVjHWXOnHHKqgdMRjZOb3UsareLZmjZGnJi8bWttydAPuEONs3Ty7jsxh1SW0LHkyfMMg/s1600/DSC_0194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1VuuOSQLpQBpIS40ZR_kAQASzZDGTTUqGpvFgXtwqtz3wkl_4udG4xwbV8FZDPpwaMvHUkeaVjHWXOnHHKqgdMRjZOb3UsareLZmjZGnJi8bWttydAPuEONs3Ty7jsxh1SW0LHkyfMMg/s400/DSC_0194.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I do not think this will be our last trip to southeast Utah. More, please.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-79956329601397866052011-06-25T07:25:00.001-07:002011-06-25T07:30:34.331-07:00Pheasant in the desert<div><p>We rolled in last night. View out our back patio at the edge of a golf course this morning. My CHS Frederick matches Moab. Now to dress the kids and go get the hubs hot on the 4x4!</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPa9XEptWVlXi3jyTsxb3eGOkzZNJn-fzeDOKg0fDDq8JHFJAR1NSYpDUcX9SQ5yFzl2tkETXF9dtEB5GbNZYfuNcE8N9AIAyeQYXs8u652esX5AWGzWloyXv_nf7n28iSmYgTtYbN5Br5/' /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-62881286661272095312011-06-22T15:55:00.001-07:002011-06-22T15:56:05.726-07:00Off we go!<div><p>First of several days of our road trip. Here is to beginnings!</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgD9pWOxxs4-8pbvgSulbXa7WxBdf0mXy7ngdA8eLTJbqzI-NKA1RH3FaffDwkqzPwAlj3QfJZfnyj8ZDCKx-5bTFUg8Xn1peWSMEX8A_mgnHxLk1XFD7WF7JNH7Mn0ttE5OhyphenhyphenG7mXVmNK/' /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-12486745985444917692011-06-19T12:38:00.000-07:002011-06-19T12:48:34.501-07:00Lead into Gold (A Finish)It's been months since I had the satisfaction of a finish, but yesterday I finally put the last stitches into my version of <a href="http://www.inkcircles.com/">Ink Circles'</a> "Alchemical Romance"! You can click the photos for larger versions...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBI_MlbXXc2l9vTu1DiDdMRbSJQpM1VPBNkCqT1JGuroKwJKAPOcmaiuXgr8kL7COBdAEYbN16Lphjoff-FDiSfI1hwgYZsL2wdlJiREWD407tFcO-HdbI2p2P3MPjGKo9cXN2rpg8vUyS/s1600/Goldsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBI_MlbXXc2l9vTu1DiDdMRbSJQpM1VPBNkCqT1JGuroKwJKAPOcmaiuXgr8kL7COBdAEYbN16Lphjoff-FDiSfI1hwgYZsL2wdlJiREWD407tFcO-HdbI2p2P3MPjGKo9cXN2rpg8vUyS/s400/Goldsmall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> It's a sampler of alchemical symbols--what scientists used in the medieval times, before the periodic table and the foundations of chemistry were worked out. With my background in geochemistry and history, I had to stitch this.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYhbU-Vzc22jX69LI7Pei5OfHDauanPOOpZ-O869vHDALNK4Py44MnNzI1XAKaHxxYwz_sSXOWx5i4jEefdtNyFOZUXYS1_2QOdeGzwyIxFINUDHc-s6YiR4FcuGSkEynebqPc8v-RTG6/s1600/fullsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYhbU-Vzc22jX69LI7Pei5OfHDauanPOOpZ-O869vHDALNK4Py44MnNzI1XAKaHxxYwz_sSXOWx5i4jEefdtNyFOZUXYS1_2QOdeGzwyIxFINUDHc-s6YiR4FcuGSkEynebqPc8v-RTG6/s400/fullsmall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I used HDF silk in Primitive Black, Examplar Lark's Tounge, and a mystery gold color on 36 ct Picture This Plus "Ancient". See those old books in the background? Maybe not so well, here's a closer look:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijon9LEHSEnne1rb1Zo3yQ9ZEgpfwwH2y5uXnDcLC0-3-Tl9hyxCycefLdBG-hFFHnPdbxTMpAuLPRvIZFtQKWrxCFCO0hpn5QestUlVW-sw8DSS8EqF-vet_hjDbjbgKVkW3vx3f2HNw-/s1600/opalesmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijon9LEHSEnne1rb1Zo3yQ9ZEgpfwwH2y5uXnDcLC0-3-Tl9hyxCycefLdBG-hFFHnPdbxTMpAuLPRvIZFtQKWrxCFCO0hpn5QestUlVW-sw8DSS8EqF-vet_hjDbjbgKVkW3vx3f2HNw-/s400/opalesmall.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Those gorgeous covers were my inspiration for the color palette I used. The books-- "Die Opale"-- were published in 1907 by a great great uncle of mine or somesuch. Or so I'm told. I can't read them because they are written in old German. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVN76gOoQaW-nSHiQB7-F9tJoz3oDcZ1EqvVZW96KM3yjz9u-UiEQbNtBEl6iZ0IDA-PeY2Ko7hyphenhyphenxuJ2Y0zGtGXaSi41NbBV4Aoi5Ju0M4ZxBzi9xYdOSR8rSOj-aSivJTDNher1Feyaw8/s1600/alchemicalfaceonsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="343" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVN76gOoQaW-nSHiQB7-F9tJoz3oDcZ1EqvVZW96KM3yjz9u-UiEQbNtBEl6iZ0IDA-PeY2Ko7hyphenhyphenxuJ2Y0zGtGXaSi41NbBV4Aoi5Ju0M4ZxBzi9xYdOSR8rSOj-aSivJTDNher1Feyaw8/s400/alchemicalfaceonsmall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sharp-eyed viewers will notice that I changed the pattern a little bit, in addition to the charted colors. The original pattern has another symbol for gold in the center-- but I noticed after going over the pattern that there was no symbol for "lead" included. So, because it's always the old story that the alchemists were trying to turn lead into gold (and would not succeed, of course), I tracked down the old symbol for lead and plunked it in the center instead. In my opinion I think it gives the overall sampler more of a focus point this way as well. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But this was a fun stitch. Something like this that has a lot of small "finishes" packed into it was great for the busy last few months; even though not much stitching was actually getting done I got to feel somewhat accomplished fairly regularly. :) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPuV_dAs6H52_bBDg5VXcuFw6mDCAYGIsxehve0NOoZ9BaXnFhARhLogUS9uahVV_4abvjRZF_wdeC0ic0BMrbwHYPaCoCljGSpxkOaW4yBn-iVX48febVbC2sqIiFpa1khhbPzQ-rRNE/s1600/anneal2small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPuV_dAs6H52_bBDg5VXcuFw6mDCAYGIsxehve0NOoZ9BaXnFhARhLogUS9uahVV_4abvjRZF_wdeC0ic0BMrbwHYPaCoCljGSpxkOaW4yBn-iVX48febVbC2sqIiFpa1khhbPzQ-rRNE/s400/anneal2small.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And as reward I get to start something else, hee hee! You saw it at the end of the last post--another Ink Circles, this time "Mother Maya". Yay!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-70540966985862148252011-06-17T09:32:00.000-07:002011-06-17T09:32:15.013-07:00Sagebrush airYeee-haw!<br />
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I am officially on vacation as of the end of the day today, but because all my deadlines are met, I'm going to play a little and update this neglected blog. <br />
Last week was our annual bow-fishing campling expedition to Vantage, Washington, on the banks of the Columbia River. Beautiful. I have missed that sagebrush air. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0io_JcSCn5JMW7gP5dAD8tpmAdWWZc_3NJtI4VSU1FGBzn_ddXSHlHjBswY3bNnOJBD4yr4iR3SMz1nNg6WbZR9oAOOPGrZ8B4xb7I9nf2uGIXeiaoOK-MQzlVHo-ejF4-cb-UYfi_Ay/s1600/bankssmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0io_JcSCn5JMW7gP5dAD8tpmAdWWZc_3NJtI4VSU1FGBzn_ddXSHlHjBswY3bNnOJBD4yr4iR3SMz1nNg6WbZR9oAOOPGrZ8B4xb7I9nf2uGIXeiaoOK-MQzlVHo-ejF4-cb-UYfi_Ay/s400/bankssmall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There was some stitching done, but I forgot to take a picture because frankly there was a better view to be had.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeplI_3qVOgLTncBouJcYNxbjQ1V0qxZwMe9YIzR6OmPa5dCNA1vgpo6n45OANtAugmOazhBk-16EVoICWk-WuMsMjrcdCj2WYwhvTkTuLjBaCRhwjAqKQNZmPS-kCnlO0VKeyJGTWDjE/s1600/Vantageswimsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeplI_3qVOgLTncBouJcYNxbjQ1V0qxZwMe9YIzR6OmPa5dCNA1vgpo6n45OANtAugmOazhBk-16EVoICWk-WuMsMjrcdCj2WYwhvTkTuLjBaCRhwjAqKQNZmPS-kCnlO0VKeyJGTWDjE/s400/Vantageswimsmall.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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I was able to complete a few more motifs on my Alchemical Romance while out there, which means I have ONE more motif left! I am sure that will be done this weekend. THEN, this will be my reward:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRI7135dKtRfunNDbTWAWOduO06VjpetUuCoHsuMzzVdHQpYzBTHz8hVekghsm46ID9niwIHOyHZBRR0nlAaWkcvfQ3KJMKN83cvvzES3bdsas6M1BtadXeTQa3UidbVy63IjPJtKLwiX/s1600/MayaTosssmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRI7135dKtRfunNDbTWAWOduO06VjpetUuCoHsuMzzVdHQpYzBTHz8hVekghsm46ID9niwIHOyHZBRR0nlAaWkcvfQ3KJMKN83cvvzES3bdsas6M1BtadXeTQa3UidbVy63IjPJtKLwiX/s400/MayaTosssmall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Anybody recognize that little corner of the pattern peeking out? It's not like I don't have any other neglected projects to work on, but I think this might be a fantastic start for our road trip next week. Andiamo!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-46809046535970014592011-05-30T21:04:00.000-07:002011-05-30T21:08:45.291-07:00Spring, finallyWe are finally starting to emerge from our cocoon. I've started to be able to take a breath again, and look up and around again. The beauty didn't leave while I wasn't paying attention. That is reassuring.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5u5jaTdj65A5JKk3_EyFIjs3fGhGevWL-086h8KtrEqautdOSeNlCMh5tFHPtSN75f49bT_7Kbc4f-k9s-p-6aaxyaKwAYV9QBed0wWnoM65xUh9ACefjNG4v_i6OpCH2WCjkd-WD2cZ0/s1600/Spring2011-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5u5jaTdj65A5JKk3_EyFIjs3fGhGevWL-086h8KtrEqautdOSeNlCMh5tFHPtSN75f49bT_7Kbc4f-k9s-p-6aaxyaKwAYV9QBed0wWnoM65xUh9ACefjNG4v_i6OpCH2WCjkd-WD2cZ0/s400/Spring2011-9.jpg" t8="true" width="285" /></a></div><br />
The adjustment to homeschooling is coming along well, <br />
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and even though this year has been a record long dreary winter, the days are much longer now, and there are longer spells between rain storms.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbOcujvhsW99vgKGzw1BDArUK6Y7yiZhyphenhyphenxQmRCFqwphJKRgPY30Rv3RtmTf0zFHrMg9sNtuosxguRR3QUv_xPRRZO-L3hhnwOB8Q7vR7xwkQJDOXE5y_dRI1GhaAIzwVeQvtYys3z9KO3/s1600/Spring2011-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbOcujvhsW99vgKGzw1BDArUK6Y7yiZhyphenhyphenxQmRCFqwphJKRgPY30Rv3RtmTf0zFHrMg9sNtuosxguRR3QUv_xPRRZO-L3hhnwOB8Q7vR7xwkQJDOXE5y_dRI1GhaAIzwVeQvtYys3z9KO3/s400/Spring2011-3.jpg" t8="true" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The streams in the nearby foothills are swollen with snowmelt.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9QCf8IwDLA1hPDOKGTGpYT4DVqro-YS6E_poqZUBQqi84m6V4-2ponle0yLcz3hN8TbTxyjZKPpXMGOCG8g9Ydo9fwbcAdbzrG397OQkMr8usJQPPm6-cZAz9UpksRUUCbqN8pHvZ472/s1600/Spring2011-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9QCf8IwDLA1hPDOKGTGpYT4DVqro-YS6E_poqZUBQqi84m6V4-2ponle0yLcz3hN8TbTxyjZKPpXMGOCG8g9Ydo9fwbcAdbzrG397OQkMr8usJQPPm6-cZAz9UpksRUUCbqN8pHvZ472/s400/Spring2011-6.jpg" t8="true" width="266" /></a></div><br />
And I can feel that the sunny days are not too far away now.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO7K3aV0tFBzpaSuFMXbEfubq10ZNJnT-7wBhEWebnmVQvwKP-QKyhdNgQzWaWpHQp4-B95bGs8vI-I4QbWN1CbXxJDlTvzDfGuQ_TjeKb-CB0DpUkXOc43k9cAtetAxbDb0sBkz9U-dQ/s1600/Spring2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO7K3aV0tFBzpaSuFMXbEfubq10ZNJnT-7wBhEWebnmVQvwKP-QKyhdNgQzWaWpHQp4-B95bGs8vI-I4QbWN1CbXxJDlTvzDfGuQ_TjeKb-CB0DpUkXOc43k9cAtetAxbDb0sBkz9U-dQ/s400/Spring2011.jpg" t8="true" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Can you feel it too?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-24002958167640726312011-05-01T18:24:00.001-07:002011-05-01T18:24:40.902-07:00BBQ tonight<div><p>First evening stitching outside this year. Amazing how warm 60 degrees can feel after a long winter.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-uYmUJUIHGsibPt7Yn5yoqZuaRyIV_5UqjRkQ90osfKIcS5KFZI5mCc4sMTLqrooJbWRfifW8aeWJq9oCmTpZ52rN25WfUxUFC0SuEcoR9JZJvOwpVhyphenhyphenrJm44aCbCb3Cj8HXPKUD8taNW/' /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-87929717270236600152011-04-19T09:02:00.000-07:002011-04-19T09:02:36.728-07:00Another adventure begins<span></span>My precocious little golden boy, my first baby, my whip-smart rugrat...has been suspended twice from kindergarten over the past few weeks. He is a square peg in the round hole that is public school. So we just made the decision after weeks of thought to pull him out and start homeschool. I've been preoccupied with all that and not in the mental place for blogging. But with that decided, we shall see...<br />
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BTW this book is fantastic:<br />
.<span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unschooling-Handbook-Whole-Childs-Classroom/dp/0761512764?ie=UTF8&tag=adventures0dd-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Unschooling Handbook : How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0761512764&tag=adventures0dd-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=adventures0dd-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0761512764" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-2103038631444615472011-04-12T17:36:00.001-07:002011-04-12T17:36:05.061-07:00Jadeite 2563<div><p>Matches my turquoise Fiestaware perfectly. So springy!</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJeEzBl_J79nhWnr3jAxQtr77HWNosBom2r7hcZbAS5_slXpDq5IgrDhcAOmQu0LdS67HGUydlv_q4_UTQIKKP0n1tMLI6M1xiIKz3K_nQAAB2rl_1ed3dzzEEULcUafFO6k8Ts3Lr1at/' /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-11627809478817584222011-04-08T09:26:00.000-07:002011-04-08T09:30:30.826-07:00Daffodils and EaglesLast weekend we took a serendipitous trip up to La Conner, which happened to also be the opening weekend of the annual bulb festival. The tulips were really just starting, but the daffs were glorious! Had a great time wandering the public gardens.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-pzVC0lM-7QyRnMx07VPGPtWRpZi0UUhKtxJRAhdZy4PtJEs1T8E32mN8z8GOZoA6YhdP6AhcIyJ0HPlcbJOGW3xys8wEQrAUj0hwAqu3T6oXJlZZHTBSe4Mx13oVIzylQSqkqfNvaM-/s1600/meltingangel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-pzVC0lM-7QyRnMx07VPGPtWRpZi0UUhKtxJRAhdZy4PtJEs1T8E32mN8z8GOZoA6YhdP6AhcIyJ0HPlcbJOGW3xys8wEQrAUj0hwAqu3T6oXJlZZHTBSe4Mx13oVIzylQSqkqfNvaM-/s400/meltingangel.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And browsing the antique shops.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZwp1Vk_uMGftAExKDyJF6SATqdXSguVIULtVTUQz2alrnau7VszskQL67Ik7_AwiddQ94ZjhlKFsH_D7wdzhNmVy73GAqtTZHi8IbfiuyI30YYeoowUqItgpeFp84uwY_E50c3kqUfN-/s1600/printertray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZwp1Vk_uMGftAExKDyJF6SATqdXSguVIULtVTUQz2alrnau7VszskQL67Ik7_AwiddQ94ZjhlKFsH_D7wdzhNmVy73GAqtTZHi8IbfiuyI30YYeoowUqItgpeFp84uwY_E50c3kqUfN-/s400/printertray.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And eating rainbow sherbet<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqCMyPaguDFjlrfTIckViWYaxtGHqhTj_PACYVvUa7hTJ6zuN7WQHfDJAIayoUOWOamsKXgs47vWeRlB9RS-Kri9oQYtFl37sHL_Fs4iZ2f26enWKcNxAXQaeS0ZLeFBZIZ1jpXuYtLCe/s1600/rainbowsherbet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqCMyPaguDFjlrfTIckViWYaxtGHqhTj_PACYVvUa7hTJ6zuN7WQHfDJAIayoUOWOamsKXgs47vWeRlB9RS-Kri9oQYtFl37sHL_Fs4iZ2f26enWKcNxAXQaeS0ZLeFBZIZ1jpXuYtLCe/s400/rainbowsherbet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And soaking up the not-completely-cloudy skies.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVos7-EeKDobvKX4mh9T_hQovlNx8wfIf07YkIQX6tPkKjsWM5r7F4THZk230TCz5L3TCAgW-ZW3n7lYFcwMPCwqRrKflwrsU6nwsVe4YEeH9rcB6N01QozqJYEFzdk2tOH2piayB1w1R/s1600/Dafffields.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVos7-EeKDobvKX4mh9T_hQovlNx8wfIf07YkIQX6tPkKjsWM5r7F4THZk230TCz5L3TCAgW-ZW3n7lYFcwMPCwqRrKflwrsU6nwsVe4YEeH9rcB6N01QozqJYEFzdk2tOH2piayB1w1R/s400/Dafffields.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then when we got home, this guy was waiting for us:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqajNfBTTSoHTfaT8df-4nIKlWZ6lbiAPXMsdMIxkq1MAbvzIdaXDvgidPCDkN_Dd3Iltlc79Ve6TdumMYtd8-4iI26Y5DHOUMfaxl04X0yc13BCEzfiGzenRwiBsVyr9hFH9EYXHjk85/s1600/Eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqajNfBTTSoHTfaT8df-4nIKlWZ6lbiAPXMsdMIxkq1MAbvzIdaXDvgidPCDkN_Dd3Iltlc79Ve6TdumMYtd8-4iI26Y5DHOUMfaxl04X0yc13BCEzfiGzenRwiBsVyr9hFH9EYXHjk85/s400/Eagle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not a bad day. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not too much stitching done again lately, but plans are in the works!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-148158454082033042011-04-04T09:32:00.000-07:002011-04-04T12:56:59.469-07:00MirageFor a "fantasy" themed landscape quilt challenge over on <a href="http://www.threadlink.typepad.com/">Valerie Hearder's</a> yahoo group. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiri6Oy4tXSzVhkfjUR69ZrWXnRk9nKUXm3FuETN7CtvEyjsz-B8NZ3NXC53ryn8FNWNkgxd6Xgm2_TMaGnWNd9nlNvHXumZRg8ZMP6gZRl-PgDv74eobDdt3d2C6SkbqYBwLqWvkCh6b6X/s1600/Fantasy+Mirage+Dunes+Landscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="357" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiri6Oy4tXSzVhkfjUR69ZrWXnRk9nKUXm3FuETN7CtvEyjsz-B8NZ3NXC53ryn8FNWNkgxd6Xgm2_TMaGnWNd9nlNvHXumZRg8ZMP6gZRl-PgDv74eobDdt3d2C6SkbqYBwLqWvkCh6b6X/s400/Fantasy+Mirage+Dunes+Landscape.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Why yes, I am getting a little tired of the eternal winter around here-- gray, dark green, shadows, and rain-- so this is where I went to in my own personal fantasy. The exact opposite, hot and parched. Is that an oasis in the distance, or am I hallucinating from the heat?<br />
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This is a small quilt, about 10-11 inches by 11-12 inches, and uses a variety of hand-painted fabrics and commercial quilting cottons. The shading on the dunes was painted by yours truly using Shiva paintstiks, and the dunes were appliqued down using a fusible web. I hand embroidered some tiny french knots to add texture to the "desert floor" and machine top-stitched the distant mountains and water of the mirage using metallic machine threads. Then I added beads because I can't help it, it's gotta have bling. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-18786986743645429412011-03-25T14:21:00.000-07:002011-03-25T14:21:06.126-07:00Dreaming of the desertSo here's a sneak peek of the "fantasy" themed landscape quilt I hope to finish this weekend. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uWT18XXgn_Ci6OMpThBp9gGnhr_gPhhndMw-8llygb-VP8775ivvCupLw0ZtodFfaI6aNZzDBcTXQwuOA_J2ATWnB60T35fpoIGY_jS0gspi2xVdy6MDbADszCF8rmCIHPNGHXCgkKIt/s1600/P1020169b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uWT18XXgn_Ci6OMpThBp9gGnhr_gPhhndMw-8llygb-VP8775ivvCupLw0ZtodFfaI6aNZzDBcTXQwuOA_J2ATWnB60T35fpoIGY_jS0gspi2xVdy6MDbADszCF8rmCIHPNGHXCgkKIt/s400/P1020169b.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-89463655613851751482011-03-22T09:19:00.000-07:002011-03-22T09:19:13.612-07:001855When the sun came out over the weekend, we took the kids to <a href="http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=24">Point Defiance Park</a> for a bit of serendipity. We ended up at the beach, where they joined with a dozen other kids in some engineering, making a canal that lead from a culvert outfall to the shoreline. We ended up in the forest, looking at the Rhodedendrons that aren't yet blooming. But most eventfully, we ended up at <a href="http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=825">Fort Nisqually</a>, a recreation of an early Hudson's Bay Company settlement in the area as it may have looked in 1855. I hadn't been there in years, and it seemed like whenever we went by they were closed. Not this time!<br />
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It was a great opportunity to give the boy the map of the fort and let him lead the way. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhfRpou3KAE0YPWAT8axDgLHbiXt-JqFD7zqSD3qybHSjAHTR8cVK8mtdLrfkoZqYUwRO_TPaN0U02IJCjVUtqyJmj2y78_wqpx9cBLv17SnbpVL0ByElnQOnjASDwMkEL7W_fB1pmB4U/s1600/fort-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhfRpou3KAE0YPWAT8axDgLHbiXt-JqFD7zqSD3qybHSjAHTR8cVK8mtdLrfkoZqYUwRO_TPaN0U02IJCjVUtqyJmj2y78_wqpx9cBLv17SnbpVL0ByElnQOnjASDwMkEL7W_fB1pmB4U/s400/fort-6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>He led us to the storehouses and blacksmith.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVayoy9krbXegS2NNUeNMBm4ViskIYXXnaHw2bZU27SEtg_mYg_q3PcIAXf4KcMnVeEHvU5uaFllh1SyHLpboa0dno2nhqBvIIRCuHYNSBozEsVEqOJvJSY6h3YAitAvfUiKrlC70QFxsJ/s1600/fort-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVayoy9krbXegS2NNUeNMBm4ViskIYXXnaHw2bZU27SEtg_mYg_q3PcIAXf4KcMnVeEHvU5uaFllh1SyHLpboa0dno2nhqBvIIRCuHYNSBozEsVEqOJvJSY6h3YAitAvfUiKrlC70QFxsJ/s400/fort-5.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He led us past old tools and wagon wheels.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp96_LDxRqabYF0sBtl3EeINx53qon7OZOphR9uv5Sfwir2R-JqQPSCSAmBlQGzpbvQmgDFDklPXCBSeph9jWsNkb1G67GXPBJhUHbB8l3zhcxDJ0BST03jcTywstBy41BUKJJMxFhCmJ2/s1600/fort-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp96_LDxRqabYF0sBtl3EeINx53qon7OZOphR9uv5Sfwir2R-JqQPSCSAmBlQGzpbvQmgDFDklPXCBSeph9jWsNkb1G67GXPBJhUHbB8l3zhcxDJ0BST03jcTywstBy41BUKJJMxFhCmJ2/s400/fort-3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He led us up into the fort bastions, where we could looked out the defensive window slits to the sound below.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCE_OqebU8Wl9qSD_GsnRabjOR6qTtVCHS8YkkvyX5EhXgk3z_LR0JmHlXJFlc0-7ln640yIP_2urvImAuOd-V7d-ulMRp8QMu9Wfj9tsS058kpV1CfayMI7yuARRXS_8_47MfztYDjBX/s1600/fort-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCE_OqebU8Wl9qSD_GsnRabjOR6qTtVCHS8YkkvyX5EhXgk3z_LR0JmHlXJFlc0-7ln640yIP_2urvImAuOd-V7d-ulMRp8QMu9Wfj9tsS058kpV1CfayMI7yuARRXS_8_47MfztYDjBX/s400/fort-7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
He led us to the kid's games area, where little sis tried her hand at some lacing cards.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayQ3ez4XFgmEtA786LLjODdQjnD6PqPaA_gQvqEjv1ZyBhZhtLzP_LRKDOiWTWAceMdaMmo386SGvGNEAMkXibGxkST4LJIYTWP-dV7c5RY8X3yvmKs4orr2Jeg0sxnxSX-FztGNrTwc4/s1600/fort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgayQ3ez4XFgmEtA786LLjODdQjnD6PqPaA_gQvqEjv1ZyBhZhtLzP_LRKDOiWTWAceMdaMmo386SGvGNEAMkXibGxkST4LJIYTWP-dV7c5RY8X3yvmKs4orr2Jeg0sxnxSX-FztGNrTwc4/s400/fort.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And he led us to the Factor's House, which was the residence of the Fort's leader and his family.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIsA692of_UhaI_EBuY6jsC4PqpSHRjlCe2PoA4QLDiw04KFNPy9qGDATw-KcobQzQfgq_GwD_dMVr52KetKm3GySIGgTOZl6yiR39qD7Emz51kTkNXxVmxqBaBx40t9Jf-4gaaAv1YSf/s1600/fort-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIsA692of_UhaI_EBuY6jsC4PqpSHRjlCe2PoA4QLDiw04KFNPy9qGDATw-KcobQzQfgq_GwD_dMVr52KetKm3GySIGgTOZl6yiR39qD7Emz51kTkNXxVmxqBaBx40t9Jf-4gaaAv1YSf/s400/fort-8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I was the only one who cared about the samplers on the walls in there, though.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFVzkhL76RI42nt39uRV9eH3pw0ISiagkH3D_OCaR2TkEvlM76VN-hblelX_KtTaixMelp_emXirX6X3havwvcLNfDScSpTTmAwHb9JqPwCzkyclXHBjp-5h2mYQmdlmBRUYqiEDwMGYE/s1600/fort-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFVzkhL76RI42nt39uRV9eH3pw0ISiagkH3D_OCaR2TkEvlM76VN-hblelX_KtTaixMelp_emXirX6X3havwvcLNfDScSpTTmAwHb9JqPwCzkyclXHBjp-5h2mYQmdlmBRUYqiEDwMGYE/s400/fort-4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
And of course we had to circle back around to the kid's games area. The biggest kid (Daddy) loved the giant, heavy top.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7jU6QJ4cCP5AB69FaWDmjErOoHa6GaJV3veHAWXcH5FIQ9cqOyUZA4JpJkSSUPciDhbJ1GgPQaxVlzyCLb8v_S-G_p4ioUECCp3zIyenrAallmXxBgIrwMxYIUgzgnr-BD4tQNGqFV9l/s1600/fort-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7jU6QJ4cCP5AB69FaWDmjErOoHa6GaJV3veHAWXcH5FIQ9cqOyUZA4JpJkSSUPciDhbJ1GgPQaxVlzyCLb8v_S-G_p4ioUECCp3zIyenrAallmXxBgIrwMxYIUgzgnr-BD4tQNGqFV9l/s400/fort-9.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
What do you think- are we dreaming?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-80626764375940936102011-03-20T07:36:00.000-07:002011-03-20T07:36:10.866-07:00Signs of spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I think spring is almost here. Our plum tree is starting to bloom. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyktzhhTtbJjHjUri_tybbWMQP63rAzqS64OWPswIys6lW311J4yQazWP4RAtQEwnuZTdqsn1D3JiDRB0UIm9Pg78nyz2L3JhQVwfu-bXD4i2N-kZjLhGp_bBJJt2zhZl33E-jHhHSpRsf/s1600/plum+blossom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyktzhhTtbJjHjUri_tybbWMQP63rAzqS64OWPswIys6lW311J4yQazWP4RAtQEwnuZTdqsn1D3JiDRB0UIm9Pg78nyz2L3JhQVwfu-bXD4i2N-kZjLhGp_bBJJt2zhZl33E-jHhHSpRsf/s400/plum+blossom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I found a little Narcissus in the lawn.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLK58mPlxTmrjX6X0aqq91ojDclc9g2a8pQIzg0082mIRMcRJ61J8ojAxjXOm4itflNNGopjeow_Id5xB75Vjdh6CRbjaLQuQQYtky5sBP7Prw8VGi2qzHnFy4hD4vtL41PIWRJ9690_wX/s1600/daff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLK58mPlxTmrjX6X0aqq91ojDclc9g2a8pQIzg0082mIRMcRJ61J8ojAxjXOm4itflNNGopjeow_Id5xB75Vjdh6CRbjaLQuQQYtky5sBP7Prw8VGi2qzHnFy4hD4vtL41PIWRJ9690_wX/s400/daff.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And yesterday, the most wonderful sight:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DE8TNi91XNGjZNLOFD6YgqMjxv4rPZRn4UYihI6pvXporLXS6lxMPQmgOz5ZcSaYL21O_fUy9sCNlmmRDOZ_3OB-172Kthq69PHP5MEk0uECRFh7h6Cu40s7kLDFXl64TpOUWM2cHgS2/s1600/shadows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DE8TNi91XNGjZNLOFD6YgqMjxv4rPZRn4UYihI6pvXporLXS6lxMPQmgOz5ZcSaYL21O_fUy9sCNlmmRDOZ_3OB-172Kthq69PHP5MEk0uECRFh7h6Cu40s7kLDFXl64TpOUWM2cHgS2/s400/shadows.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our shadows!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Time to rotate in the springy stitchy finishes to the walls.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWw8pig6KWm7DobZVO-LiVUlyi2KfDiEK4yZpX_jG0LIl7EUVCvo8iBRqi-TowIFjfWKBFq4hU6LTX2UkgiJ136yPHEAFieAaW1PN0uXyKjMyS5kWC0lPJhAIIbdVtOKkjkfQXDVXT-0o/s1600/springmandala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWw8pig6KWm7DobZVO-LiVUlyi2KfDiEK4yZpX_jG0LIl7EUVCvo8iBRqi-TowIFjfWKBFq4hU6LTX2UkgiJ136yPHEAFieAaW1PN0uXyKjMyS5kWC0lPJhAIIbdVtOKkjkfQXDVXT-0o/s400/springmandala.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish: Chatelaine Designs' Mini Mandala V</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2213081142121722783.post-17126449957034581432011-03-18T09:11:00.000-07:002011-03-18T09:11:10.533-07:00New Dovo and Kai scissors reviewedI bought these a few weeks ago now, but looking through my photos I realized I forgot to post them! I went to the big sewing expo over my birthday weekend and I found these:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtl-5GbUWOuS5puY6drA3Cknml8p1beLjBgb4pAoBpYuykn1099tDiyYmG7OuOvvYDI76ehBm20WMfkCuBc7QVA-LmnHVaRcA3W8HGf3pBhnbFVMK037-7mm306xE62JOAllXFoJepqaQz/s1600/scissors0311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtl-5GbUWOuS5puY6drA3Cknml8p1beLjBgb4pAoBpYuykn1099tDiyYmG7OuOvvYDI76ehBm20WMfkCuBc7QVA-LmnHVaRcA3W8HGf3pBhnbFVMK037-7mm306xE62JOAllXFoJepqaQz/s400/scissors0311.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Gorgeous, right? They are super-pretty <a href="http://www.creweljewels.com/DOVO-Art-Deco-5-Scissors-p/30112.htm">5" Deco-style Dovos</a>. The show special made them a steal compared to many Dovos. The ladies at the booth I bought them from said they were being discontinued, but it became pretty obvious pretty fast that I know more about the brand than they did when they asked me what all the different kinds are used for. Hmm. Anyway I've already tried these out to cut some small applique pieces for a landscape quilt I'm working on and they give a wonderful swooshy snip.<br />
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Also, these blunt-end <a href="http://www.kaiscissors.com/category.php?category_id=49">Kai </a>embroidery scissors. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcTYtcNgKEv2xHUxRM2YmouG-rUe8vPeO-KJjMkGht_8jgBQ5Or_1Kwj1YwUA53VFGYLxuylevoCYadvzxKQZ8_q9ZNy3TrNouyLJ9mLon8fjC3rUvI3qr85YwPVgojcg5M5tpL7VVYPp/s1600/scissors0311-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipcTYtcNgKEv2xHUxRM2YmouG-rUe8vPeO-KJjMkGht_8jgBQ5Or_1Kwj1YwUA53VFGYLxuylevoCYadvzxKQZ8_q9ZNy3TrNouyLJ9mLon8fjC3rUvI3qr85YwPVgojcg5M5tpL7VVYPp/s400/scissors0311-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I've posted about the almost surgically sharp blade of their standard embroidery scissors. They are fantastically sharp, so much so I'm almost afraid to use them, especially with the kids around, so I was pleased to see their blunt nose model. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxr8ulrf0ks90eTSbRMMhXui7aonKAxphnilFccOdYorg94jNKMLnUw23gVljVlNaBB89Q9KcuZrEVdHhb8kvPGFepinQmik9HKqpyl02AvBDTdlSnRGuDnY4K9RdOa-98Lawh7BScBYe-/s1600/scissors0311-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxr8ulrf0ks90eTSbRMMhXui7aonKAxphnilFccOdYorg94jNKMLnUw23gVljVlNaBB89Q9KcuZrEVdHhb8kvPGFepinQmik9HKqpyl02AvBDTdlSnRGuDnY4K9RdOa-98Lawh7BScBYe-/s400/scissors0311-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The standard super-sharp Kai embroidery blades are on the left, and the blunt is on the right. They are lightweight, inexpensive (under $15) and came with a free lanyard as the show special, so I think these are going to be my new go-to travel scissors. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2