London October 2015

I know, I haven't been posting to the blog..seems Facebook has taken over but I decided that give it a go today.

 

I have been in London for a few days now and finally over my jet lag. The trip has been nothing short of great. Quick story to set up the next bit. Last year when I was here, we went to see a Matinee and wandered into a restaurant for dinner. We did not have reservations but we were there when they opened for diner and they managed to seat us. The food was delicious. Fast forward a year....I made a lunch date with some local friends and was told the name of the restaurant but it didn't ring any bells. As soon as we walked in I recognized it. It turns out it is one of the hottest venues in London and usually requires making a reservation three months in advance. One of my friends has a daughter who works there and we were able to get in. The food was still delicious!

Today's activity was the Victoria and Albert Museum. I love this place. We saw two special exhibits..The Fabric of India, and Shoes.

Walking through the exhibit reminded me of our trip to India a few years ago. The textiles are stunning. I was again reminded of the painstaking work that goes into them. These are all hand made and could take days/months/years to complete. I almost bought another shawl but resisted this time. I took a photo of a gorgeous Sari as I walked in, the heard someone say to another group that photos weren't allowed...oops.

Time for a bite...scones and tea...then off to see the Shoes....Yikes...the things people put on their feet! It was fun though.

I love taking the tube...it is so easy.. The walk back to hotel was through a street market..I wish we had these at home.

Tonight is registration for the doll event I came for. Tomorrow we have scheduled High tea in the afternoon...haven't figured out yet what we are doing in the morning...depends on weather.

Another baby fix

Catie and Chloe

Poor Chloe still doesn't seem to have much hair.

Wordless Wednesday

Just a quickie post..

For those of you not a friend of mine on Facebook, here are the latest additions to my family. They arrived on February 12th. Meet Catelyn Grace and Chloe Jane.

Life will never be the same :-)

Yep, I have been quiet again

Nothing much to discuss. The healing of my foot is taking much longer than I anticipated with plenty more to go. I didn't think when I went into this that it would take so long. There is nothing I am doing that is wrong. It just takes a long time to heal. PT is a necessity and it helps but it will be close to a year before my foot and leg are back to 100%. My husband says his double knee replacement was easier and he is right.
I no longer need a brace (unless I want to walk around Costco) but I do need my cane. I limp and my balance is not great. I lost pretty much all the muscle tone in my left leg and ankle. I am working hard to get it back but it is a bitch.

Still waiting on the twins.. they should be here within a few weeks. Robin of course wants it over yesterday.

I had a very bad case of conjunctivitis last week.. not sure where I picked it up from but I think my eyes are finally back to normal.

I found myself a new series to read and of course I get single minded when that happens and devour the books. "In the Wilderness" series by Sara Donati. It is a 6 book series and well written. It takes place mostly in New York state with some side trips to Montreal and New Orleans.  The story spans about 40 years from the late 1790's to 1840's. We haven't really progressed a human beings.

I am thinking about a new project and flowers come to mind. There is a piece I made in the 1970's that is screaming for more variations. I see lots floral pieces around these days and lest someone think I am stealing their idea, here is a photo of the piece I did. Obviously there are no new ideas... just reworked old ones.

Brenda... I am not copying you!  This was done with silks and satins and different weights of embroidery floss.

It is sunny and in the 80's here. Perfect winter weather.

Ugly fabric challenge, Part 2

After letting the fabric batch for about 6 hours, I rinsed it in cold water to get the soda ash out. Then I washed it in several warm water baths and a hot water bath (140 degrees). I tossed it into the dryer and ironed it.

Here is the result.. not bad.

Might make a good background for a small piece or I will just cut it up.

I would say this is a success.

Ugly fabric challenge

I am trying to get back into a creative mode with my still limited mobility. My foot is healing nicely but I cannot stand on it for too long or it swells up.

I did an ugly fabric challenge a few years ago and it was fun. I came up with some ideas of treatments I could do that would not aggravate my foot and I could do in increments. This is the fabric I was sent.. not so ugly.

I decided to bleach out some of the color then ice dye. I did this outside so I wouldn't have to use a vapor mask which is a must if you are inside plus good ventilation. To remove the color I used a Clorox Bleach pen.

When I liked how much color had leached out I rinsed the piece in cold water to remove the bleach and then into a solution of Anti-Chlor  which stops the bleaching process. You can get the bleach pen at any supermarket. I bought my anti-chlor from ProChem but Dharma sells something similar called Bleach Stop. I mixed 1/2 teaspoon into a gallon of warm water. The stuff really stinks and is caustic if inhaled. I also used rubber gloves.

When done I soaked the fabric in soda ash then folded it up and put it in a plastic container.

I added a bunch of ice cubes.

I put my mask on and sprinkled dye powder over it and put it in the sun the batch.

I used Chartreuse, Intense Blue, and Grape.

To be continued........