Spring

Busy, Busy


Holes detail. Machine and hand stitched painted timtex with aurifil threads.

I've been so busy with getting things done for an upcoming solo show, at Mary Greeley Hospital in Ames, Iowa, that I will be hanging on April 30th that I have forgotten to post here.  Lots of stitching and experimenting going on trying to hurry up and birth this new idea I have forming.  Photos and soon!

Birds


Thanks to the 60 Day Bird Journal Challenge I'm back to drawing birds, and right now I'm in an art bird frame of mind!  Here is my half duck half water bird I'm working on this afternoon.

Tonight's activities include clearing my drawing and drafting tables so that I can start working on my crow panels once again.  It's snowing here today so it seems like the perfect day to focus exclusively on my studio.

I have a solo show coming up this spring and I have yet to decide what I will put in the show, this is code for I haven't started yet and I haven't a clue!  It'll be fiber art of some sort, 2D for the most part, and may involve more crows, and corn of course, and maybe some Queen Anne's lace???

Spring has Sprung!


Angel and Oliver hanging out in the outdoor dog run last summer.


Remember all of the hard work John did last Spring to build up my raised gardens in the front yard, here is a photo from last year?  Well we are going to move them to the north garden because mostly we get more sunlight in the back yard than we do in the front yard.  

Soooooo, today began the long process of clearing out the north garden, John removed the fence posts, and the chicken wire fencing while I cleaned up all of the trash that blew into our yard over this past winter.  I also organized all of the fence posts, etc., and otherwise acted as his runner for tools and such, while Angel and Oliver hung out in the outdoor kennel.  

Hopefully next weekend I'll have new photos to share as we embark on this new journey, but we are both in agreement that we love the raised beds and this is the direction we want to go, that and a quarter or half CSA share which we need to make a decision on in the next week or so.  I will say that I was excited to see that my raised beds are completely thawed out, a minor miracle considering this years winter and the fact that we still have ice in the back yard!

Spring has Sprung


Well sorta, in about three weeks most of the bulb type flowers should start popping up.  This from past experiences/observations of when the Robins, Cedar Waxwings, and Grackles return from their winter feeding grounds.



The neighbors crabapple is preferred over ours, once they pick it the birds will start in on our tree.



Some of the Robins are looking a little rough around the edges, this one was healthy looking.


Grackles are pairing up already, not surprised.

Immersion Dyeing


Spring has finally sprung here in central Iowa!  Rumor has it it's going to make it into the 60's today.  Starting next week, after I hang my upcoming solo show this coming Sunday, I will be hitting the dye pots and hard.  Also on the docet is the natural dye garden, I'm planting native dye plants, and if all goes well madder root in a livestock barrel to prevent it from overtaking the lawn.  Stay tuned for photos, video, and more.

'Cause Cute Matters!

I bought this at Clare's, at the mall, today.  It's a new coin purse for me and is rather largish, it has a place to hold my license, etc. so it could in fact be used as a mini purse :-)  I liked a LOT of the floral fabric bags, scarves, and headbands they had there but decided that I could make my own and for way less than what they were wanting... which was something like 75% less than what Younkers was asking for almost identical items.

Anyway, I'm off to check my fabric and pattern stashes as I have some skirts and new bags planned for my spring/summer wardrobe!