My Camera is Having More Fun Than Me Right Now

Haven't had much of a head to post lately. My mood has been leaning towards grumpy andwork has been knocking the stuffing out of me, leaving me exhausted and creativeless. I've still been doing a few things here and there. Here's an update. No photos on this one, though, as I lent my camera to a traveling friend. (The camera needed to take a trip even if I can't right now!)

• Tried another test dye - this time using "Olive Green." While it's a lovely color dye, it came out like 500 times darker than the little fabric sample at the store. Maybe it's becausemy tap water comes out very, VERY hot and the higher temperature yields a brighter dye? What I'm going for now is a very light, hint o' green - I'm thinking celery. Anyway, I'm done testing. Tonight (or maybe tomorrow) I'm just going to dye the batch for the curtains and put a quarter of the dye I used in the test. I think this will be light enough...maybe I'll use an 1/8. I'd rather go lighter.


• DB helped with prepping the linen last night and commented that he'd like a shirt out of it. Wonder if I could get that good by Christmas..maybe I should start thinking about that now and even take a classto prep for it..hmm.


• Still have to add an eye to the turtle and finish the last couple of inches on the blanket *big sigh*.


• Had a wardrobe meltdown the other day and decided to suspend all sewing activity on anything other than quick tops and skirts for a bit. (Of course, the curtains are an exception..as are the throw pillows that go with them.) So, I have two tops cut and hope to get them sewed up this weekend. Nothing special but they are much needed.


• Did I mention that my job is stinky right now? *big sigh*

Hope to have results and more fun things to write about and show soon!
Take care!
Rachel S.

A Look To Dye For!

Love this, love this. Saturday I got to fabric dye for the first time in over 20 years (egads!). Then it was tie-dye for school spirit. This weekend it was the serious dye for things that you want to stand the test of time. This is me in my Serious Dye Gear. Yep, those are my swim goggles. DB said, "watch out for fumes" and, generally speaking, this gal listens to safety tips. (I really love those swim goggles, btw.)

Awhile back I had the opportunity to purchase some nice linen - like a lot of nice linen. I thought I could use it for around the house - pillows, embroidery, window coverings and such - and maybe a dress or blouse. Since I'm dyeing linen for curtains and clothes, I wanted to use something that had staying power against washings and sunlight. Did some reading on the web and decided on Dharma Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes from Dharma Trading (but of course). Everything I needed was there (plus more) and shipping was minimal and fast. Since we don't own a washing machine, I had to tub dye. A friend lent me an old washtub she had and it turned out to be perfect for a half-pound load or so (DB purchased a Rubbermaid trash can for the bigger jobs). For the test, I used Orchid. I was hoping it would work in the living room but no such luck. Such a beautiful color though! I also have some Azure Blue and Carmine Red. This is going to be fun! Below is a photo of the finished product. I think it turned out beautiful. No streaking or freckling with a consistent overall color. Poifect! Couldn't have been more pleased. I used soda ash to set the dye as well as a detergent that's supposed to assist. In addition to that, I used a dye fixative in the final rinse. I am happy to say that this fabric no longer bleeds. I'm really comfortable washing it with other items now. How cool is that?! This was a really fun project and I'm anxious to find the right color for the curtains. These will have to be dyed after they're made but I think it will work fine all the same.

I'm told the bamboo interlock I ordered (and that's dyeable) is shipping this week! Whoo hoo! I'm thinking I want to try some of that red..

Rachel S.

Quick Update

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! We had a fairly quiet and restful one - just hung out at the house. Pretty lazy actually.

Except for the (almost) completion of a little Turtle Buddy for Nealla Rose. She ended up being quite a little learning project. Everything was sewn up twice, I think, due to my own thickness. Next time, it should go twice as fast and be a little stronger. This one is entirely hand-sewn. I'm happy to sew one up once in a while just as practice for the hand-stitching. At this point in my life I'm finally able to find some peace in a needle. Course my fingers are still filled with little scratches from jamming the needle into them. I had to laugh. With everything I did this weekend, I have tons of little scratches, burns, and cuts on my poor hands and fingers. The things we go through! Anyway, I'm anxious to sew on the little turtle eyes and mark this one as completed. In my usual impatience, I am posting a photo now of the little turtle. I'll re-post with eyes later. : )

In other news, here's the update on the list I posted Friday.

• need to get some non-iodized salt for dyeing


• scrub tub for test dyeing


• cut linen for curtains


• test dye!!!


• attempt Irish Brown Bread to accompany DB's batch of Irish Beef Stew


• finish baby blanket (um, yeah it's just a little bit that's left)


• sew up turtle buddy!!


• iron skirt linen, cut and mark for skirt

Overall, I'm fairly happy. I also made some pretty fantastic cupcakes (anything with 3 cups of sugar, 2 sticks of butter, and 16 oz. of cream cheese is pretty much guaranteed to be friggin good). If you're interested, the recipe can be found at Epicurious. I know the ingredients are deadly (deadly good) but these are simply awesome!

Have a fabulous Monday!
Rachel S.

Lots of Good Things

Pretty excited about today. I have a lot planned and want to get to as much as possible. First off, the baby has arrived! Hoo-ray! It's a girl and her name is Nealla Rose. So pretty. Haven't been able to see her or "mam" yet. Of course, DB got to see a picture and his words were, "She looks like a baby." *big sigh* I didn't even respond. Anyway, I'm on a mission to make her a Turtle Buddy today. I have some cute girly corduroy and dotted poplin from Bunte Fabrics and I'm thinking they'd be cute for the parts. Right now the poplin is washing. I thought I'd type a quick post before hitting the dryer and then it's off for a swim.

I have found heaven and it's in a little three lane, heated pool in San Francisco. The pool I'd been shlepping to previously took 30 minutes to get to (I'm a public tranport gal), was inside, and recently stalked by an annoying woman who seemingly waited in the hot tub for me to come swim in a free lane. Seriously, the same woman every time bogarts the only available lane! And every time I went - no matter the schedule. You'd think she'd have prunes for appendages. La-la-la-la she's no longer my problem now! The new club might have a smaller pool but you have to RESERVE the lanes. :-P~~~~~~~~~~~ So that was a long way of saying I'm off swim and then it's any one of a number of things.

* need to get some non-iodized salt for dyeing
* scrub tub for test dyeing
* cut linen for curtains
* test dye!!!
* attempt Irish Brown Bread to accompany DB's batch of Irish Beef Stew
* finish baby blanket (um, yeah it's just a little bit that's left)
* sew up turtle buddy!!
* iron skirt linen, cut and mark for skirt

Updates later this weekend. Here's a few photos. On top (or left), DB and his childhood BFF who is visiting in the area. Below (or right), partial installation of the knobs in the kitchen (& a canine profile). Both make me grin. Underneath is a shot of my skirt alterations (2" through hips). More on that later.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Rachel S.