Wet Weather Gear

In true Oregonian fashion, I don't own an umbrella. I had one once, a stiff wind on a rainy day rendered it useless and that was the first and last one I ever owned. Then I was given a Tilley Hat and it has been my go to for wet weather ever since. I have two of them hanging in the house waiting to cover me in case of rain, snow or blazing sun

The right hat is my 30 + year old original Tilley

 and two in the car, one for me, one for a passenger should the need arise. It can be crushed, washed and endlessly adjusted. It comes with a lifetime warranty. It is simply the best damn hat I have ever owned and it has gotten a lot of use this weekend. We have had miserable cold and wet days since Friday.



The whole gamut of inclement weather. Wind, pelting rain, pelting hail, slushy snow, fog, more fog. And temps sitting just around the freezing mark, a smidge higher in the afternoon. Mind you I am grateful for this late season abundance of moisture, but to work outside in it tending animals, you have to have the correct gear. A good hat, a good cowl as scarves are too dangerous IMHO working around machinery and large animals, good waterproof and warm boots (Muck Arctic Tall) and a warm coat with lots of pockets. I have yet to find a truly decent pair of women's winter work gloves. It is the holy grail of barn gear, a glove that is warm, waterproof, fits well and isn't so bulky to render actually working in them useless. Add to that it must be reasonably priced and sturdy. Yep, good luck with that one. Maybe Tilley should turn towards glove making?

I haven't been out in the cold so much this weekend that nothing got done though! A new warp went on Buttercup. I am using a draft from Handwoven March/April 2002 titled the "One Day Rug".



 Of course I am considering these the "Multi-Day Placemats".  I put 6 yards on for hopefully 6-8 mats. The bulky yarns will likely take up more than I expect.



 I was able to stream line warping the Triple B. The raddle is on top (those treadle boxes come in handy for all sorts of things), and she is tall enough that I can use that castle much like a warping valet since the human one was nowhere to be found.

Bottle of H2O hanging over the breast beam

 I've started threading and it will go quickly since it is only 10epi and 15 inches wide. Some modifications were made to Buttercup. I wanted to be able to remove the breast beam WITHOUT having to unbolt it, so copied the Louet way of attaching the BB.





 Buttercups beam is very heavy and the weight alone keeps it easily in place. The two little holes Gene drilled in the top are now covered with a pair of cute wooden buttons I had saved up in the sewing salon.



Now I only need to figure out a way to easily remove the beater.

A little cart was purchased for Studio NW there in the back room. It was the only one I could find tall enough to accommodate weaving at Buttercup.



 It's really a microwave cart but pretty nicely done and sturdy. The Macomber has been moved in there.




 I have Nick up for sale in prep for a 56" Macomber coming in June.

Big spaces in prep for big looms!

 There has been little interest in this wonderful loom and I have to admit I am of a mind to keep him. We're rather fond of each other and he fits in with Buttercup beautifully. Two hefty peas in a pod!

In the sewing salon some cutting was done over the weekend and I did the tunic version of the Teddy Top by Style Arc complete with the new sleeve.



 I like it! I have to say this style of collar is PERFECT for riding on sunny days. Even with a helmet, the back of my neck gets toasty. This vampire collar is a good solution. I need to make a couple more in slobber colors or something bright and busy for riding gear.

Of course the 1.5 yards of adorable hedgehog fabric worked perfectly for a second short Teddy top.



This WON'T b used for riding. Pink is not slobber proof and the print is just too cute for barn wear.

In honor of good hats everywhere, I leave you with some Joe Cocker.

Parting shot: Pogo in one of his rare appearances out with the rest of us.

Hanging Art

What is art anyway? Is anything you designate "art" art? Should art be pretty or thought provoking or both? Myself, I'm pretty conventional about art. I'm not a huge fan of photography, not that much of isn't beautiful and artful, but there are other mediums I much prefer. I love illustrations, I love landscapes and good seascapes, I like whimsical pieces that are more likely to make me smile than think and I love paintings that evoke a sense of place. I prefer animals in my art to people. I have a lot of art in my house, mostly from my Dad. I was exceptionally surprised when my Mother wanted me to get rid of all my Dad's art. She had disliked most of it except for about 7 pieces which are in her apartment. Who knew???
I loved most of his selections, although there are two or three that don't send me. Some of my favorites remind of Vermont. The long vista of rolling green hills



and of course cows.



 I grew up in Vermont during a time when the cow population outnumbered people.

Anyway, while my painting skills are pretty non-existent and certainly not "art" they do provide some whimsy. The headboard



 and footboard



 to the old bed frame are now both hung, facing each other as they were for many years before we took the footboard off the bed.

And speaking of art, my lovely wonderful veterinarian is a secret artist in her own right. This was my birthday gift from her.



 Done in 1990 for her brother, who had some printed up on archival paper.
Isn't it beautiful?! I am lucky to know so many caring and gifted people, from quilters, to painters and weavers, makers of all stripes. I am surrounded by creativity.

SO for creative endeavors on my part, here are the Trio pants you missed the last post



 and a cute top made from what was left of a wadder.



Buttercup handled her first warp beautifully. It went on and it wove off this weekend.



 I had a blast.
It also convinced me to leave well enough alone and keep her at just 2 shafts. Walking the treadles is a happy way to while an hour or so. The simplicity allows for creativity in other ways. Color, inlay maybe, a simple rep weave? Who knows. Another rug warp is on order for her. More rags I think and some fun with mop cotton.

4 of the 8 bumblebee towels are hemmed and ready to go.





Some for gifts and a few for me. My towels are looking pretty ratty these days.

A new warp for the David is in the works.



 A modification of the bread cloths from this old Handwoven.



Lastly, some really nice warm weather. The daffodils are finally nodding in a spring breeze on a sunny day. I think this song pretty much sums it up.

Parting shot: Regal ain't I?

Persistence Sometimes Pays

You know, "If first you don't succeed, try, try again." I wasn't ready to ditch the StyleArc Teddy top. That nifty almost Lady Dracula collar kept calling to me. The perfect combination of close, cold  blocking back collar combined with plunging, kind of sexy, front collar.



So, I took that pattern and decided if I was going to frankenpattern it I was going to do it with something that would take a sleeve or not. In other words, my MUCH used Grainline Scout Tee TNT pattern. Now All this fabric is scrap, leftovers, not quite enough for any one thing, but between the two, the black matalisse tip fabric and the silk/hemp blend, I eeked out a top without the cruddy looking cut on sleeve and the pattern is also ready for short, 3/4 or long sleeves.

Showing off the hem facing.

 It's fun, it's swingy, it would look great in a black charmeuse with a bright red inner collar for Halloween! ;-) There will be more.

I don't have pics, but I also revisited an old TNT pants pattern, The Sewing Workshop trio pants. I had to cut them down a couple of sizes from the last time I made them and the pair came out great. They are in the wash right now after being worn but I'll catch them for a quick photo for the next post. The print is fun.

I made another Tania Tabard.



The lined cross piece ended up being too heavy for this whisper weight Japanese linen so I did a little fixed "front only" twisted belt. Worked well and gave that nod to the twisted sash. A cool and elegant summer top paired with black or natural colored pants.

The Triple B did indeed get her little 15" cotton rug warp on. I found I can step in from the side and sit on the front beam while I thread.....



There were only 150 ends so it was pretty quick. Hopefully Buttercup will be weaving by the weekend.

The Bumblebee warp of 8 towels came off Ziva David too. They are washed and awaiting hemming.



Just an additional weaving note. I have decided to sell the JK Seidel Scandinavian Band loom.If anyone is interested, contact me.

Figured maple and cherry

A couple of weeks ago we installed a new bed. I loved the old painted headboard but the frame it was attached to was really starting to give out. It was an inexpensive futon bed frame years ago. We cut and modified it freely over the years to take the hand painted head and foot board doors and it was getting wobbly. I ordered new frame from Delia Furniture on Etsy, asked specifically for a lighter wood, Beech or Birch ( it is Beech!), and got just what I wanted.




The old headboard will be hung like we did with the footboard. You'll see.



Today is  National Bat Appreciation Day and in honor of that I'll leave you with a little song by Pete Seeger, a favorite of mine.

Parting shot: Protection, of a sort....  ;-)

The Triple B is Ready for Business

I have a couple small details to finish up but her warp is ready to go on and I'm ready to get down to the test "walk"! Here's Buttercup.

Bare-footin'

Fairies and their dust on the beater supports

I have a name!

Eeeek!

Stars on the beams

Yep, I put my name on there too.

I need to get number stencils.

Raccoons because who doesn't need a few clever little hands to help with weaving!

Hand Prints too. Grab here!

The whole enchilada

Red breasted Nuthatch, my favorite woodland bird

Plain white cotton rug warp for rag weaving. Place mats!

I just have to leave you with this for todays ear worm! Sorry!


Parting Shot: We've been SOOOOOO ignored!