my dyes have arrived.

i got a box of dyes, silk and t-shirts today and tomorrow morning we are having a dying party in the back yard. i will take plenty of pics. i am also working on our t-shirt logo for "Camp ???". we haven't come up with the name yet, but i am silk screening the t's after we have dyed them.

today was odds & ends day. we finished up rachel's mini-quilt (18") and made some felted wool beads which we turned in to cool presents for some faithful readers. i also experimented with felting newfie. (literally, making felt fabric out of fur) danielle gave me a huge bag of newfoundland dog fur that she combed off of her dog kodi. it is beautifully black and very silky after i washed it. it felts very interestingly - parts felt just like wool and then there are unfelted long hairs threaded throughout. i imagine this is a difference between undercoat and topcoat fur. i will take pix when everything has dried.
becka on 06.25.04 @ 10:51 PM CST [link]

admission to the mom's club

rachel and i spent pretty much the entire day shopping yesterday and i was just reading her weblog coimments on the subject. shopping with an almost teenager is an interesting experience. i pretty much like shopping, so this wasn't a real hardship for me. i had saved my own summer clothes shopping for just this occasion, so i would have something to look for as well.

usually when i go shopping, i go by myself. i browse, i try on, i buy a coffee so the caffeine will keep me happy while i am looking for the one pair of pants that is my size in the entire mall. (that rant is another post) i don't usually chat with anyone but the salesgirls and i'm off to other things.

shopping with a pre-teen admits you to the mom's club. every second person we ran into wanted to chat and commiserate about finding just the right t-shirt or shoes. they wanted to know what size rachel wore and if we had as much trouble finding a size 8 slim as they did. did we think her grand-daughter would wear this capri and tank top ensemble? one lady got a huge kick out of me telling rachel that i thought something was really cute and her response: "go find it in your size".

i also discovered that "that won't fit" is code speak for "i think that's dumb but i am not going to tell you that" and, additionally, if you really like something, it will fit no matter the size, shape, or any other factor.
becka on 06.23.04 @ 07:10 PM CST [link]

Eagerly anticipating....

my first order with dharma trading co has been placed and should arrive later this week. this is my friend kim's favorite place to order dyes and silk from. i decided that i wanted to have more practice with dying fabric before i taught a class so i ordered a few colors of dye and some silk scarves to practice on. i am going to have a dying party in the back yard this weekend if everything arrives in time.
becka on 06.21.04 @ 03:23 PM CST [link]

Finally some projects for my project journal...

i "wrapped" this box this morning to send my cousin her graduation present. i like using plain paper, hot glue and silk flowers for gifts. it really costs no more than buying a roll of wrapping paper and i think it's cool.

i also had an hour or so after my friday meeting while rachel and andy were at the science museum and i decided to do something fun. this is my orchid bag.

the orchid is velvet, appliqued on to a marbled- looking cotton print. i did a little bit of beadwork on the petals and some machine embroidery and quilting for some details. the bag is lined with some purple rayon and i made the cording for the strap from about 6 different yarns. pretty quick and fun. and it's just the right size for my wallet and a paperback book.
becka on 06.21.04 @ 02:24 PM CST [link]

Not much to report....

rachel and i have been working on a lot of little projects for the last couple of days, but today is her day to do stuff with andy. i have a meeting at the textile center this afternoon to meet our new coordinator. the other teachers and i are coming with a list prepared. we figure we need to get her going on what we need to happen as soon as we can. it should be an interesting meeting.

i had a lot of fun learning low-immersion dying with my friend kim. it is a great technique. you mix powdered colors in warm water then pour, drip, splash and otherwise soak your already wet fabric. this sits for 1-24 hours. then you add soda ash (sodium carbonate) to set the color. everything sits for a while longer and then wash and dry. pretty easy for teaching. we wore rubber gloves to keep from absorbing anything through the skin, but there is no boiling water involved and as long as no one is tasting the dye, we are pretty safe.
becka on 06.18.04 @ 09:12 AM CST [link]

Mystery Project

our project of the day today is a mystery. we have to take lucy to the vet for her annual check up and andy is taking the morning off to hang out with us a bit. i am going to post our como zoo pics on rachel's page right now.
becka on 06.14.04 @ 08:33 AM CST [link]

Take this job and %#$@^&^@% it!

rachel and i have finished up our props contribution for brigadoon. we had a lot of fun making them, especially the fish. (see lots of pics on rachel's blog) we went to rehearsal last night however and i decided that i really don't need to waste my time in helping out any more. andy is having a great time playing in the orchestra and i have had nothing but the cold shoulder from the tech staff. no one returns my emails or answers questions, they "forgot" about me when it came to ordering t-shirts or adding program notes, i never got a clear layout of my responsibilities or any authority to borrow, rent or buy anything for the show. last night, when the director and i went over the props list that he asked me to type up for the cast, after every item he said "i'll handle that" or "i'm going to make that". can we say "control freak"?? so anyhow, i told them to keep my stipend (since no one bothered to send out my contract anyway) and use it to buy some props. i let them know that i was happy to loan them the stuff that we had created and i that i borrowed from forest lake with the understanding that it will all be returned to me at the end. rachel and i will, of course, go see the show and cheer for andy and our props!

at this rate i am going to be able to open my own theater company.... the complete costumes for little women, half the props for brigadoon....
becka on 06.12.04 @ 08:32 AM CST [link]

An American in Paris...

Last night we went to see "An American in Paris" on the big screen at the Oak St Cinema. Rachel and I heard about in on public radio and we made dinner quick so that we could get there in time. It was really fun. The Oak St. is doing a salute to Dance so they are playing 3 weeks worth of old great musical classics - Singing in the Rain, Silk Stockings, Gigi, Cabaret.... We might go and see another Cyd Charisse one next week. Rachel said that the crowd laughed too much.
becka on 06.10.04 @ 12:28 PM CST [link]

Rachel discovered a new use for duct tape.

we had a meeting this morning at the textile center so rachel got to check out the exhubits at the gallery and the gift shop. there is an artist there who makes all kinds of purses and little bags out of every color of duct tape. pretty nifty. we also got some quilt batting for a couple of projects we are working on and fabric to make some prototype pajama pants for a class i am teaching this summer. tomorrow we need to work on our paper mache bread some more and do some candies and fish (more brigadoon props). "lucky" aka "sassafrass" aka "small fry" aka "fluff ball" the guinea pig is having a grand time living in a large tupperware in our basement. (if you don't know who this is, you should read rachel's blog) we have been feeding him guinea pig granola bars and going down to give him a pat several times a day. he has mellowed out a little and we're having fun with him. he does need a good home though! any takers? he's awful cute and i am crazy about guinea pigs but i am certain that he and lucy would not get along so well.
becka on 06.08.04 @ 10:03 PM CST [link]

Paper mache

paper mache is an interesting experience. i haven't done any in i don't know how long. the director for brigadoon suggested that i make paper mache bread for the market scene, he even volunteered to have some of the kids from the cast help me with it if we wanted to set up a paper mache work day. what a nightmare! rachel and i made enough of a mess, i can't imagine a pack of people all working with paper mache and balloons at once. i think our bread looks pretty good so far. it was very sunny here today so we put them outside to dry. we didn't do the actual paper mache outside as we had planned because it was blowing like crazy out there. we're going to try painting them on wednesday i think. we will have to take pictures of the finished products.
becka on 06.07.04 @ 10:55 PM CST [link]

Check out another blog!

Rachel has her own blog while she is staying with us and you need to check it out! We have already had an exciting adventure this morning, but I am not going to tell you about it, you will have to click and see... Rachel's Blog
becka on 06.06.04 @ 09:21 AM CST [link]

Rachel has arrived....

We spent the day driving between Sioux Falls and Minneapolis, drinking too much iced tea in the car and playing Settlers of Catan. We tried to trade "locks" for "rogs" but we weren't sure how that would work.
becka on 06.05.04 @ 09:37 PM CST [link]

The banana bread is yummy...

...in fact i am having some for breakfast. the sewing room, however is still a mess. i haven't given it a good cleaning in months and months. i really should make a vow to not do that again... i have taken out 5 bags of trash and scraps though. back to work!
becka on 06.04.04 @ 09:31 AM CST [link]

Today's projects are...

Banana bread, cleaning the sewing room and throwing stuff away, walking to the post office because I am out of stamps, throwing more stuff away, laundry...
becka on 06.02.04 @ 10:36 AM CST [link]

A pattern for your amusement

I have been asked to share the quilt pattern from my "Quilting for Schnauzers" class. It is an easy and quick block to put together and it looks pretty cool. It makes very large blocks - about 19-20". If you want to see a picture, you can go to my entry from 5/02 which has a picture of our finished quilt from the class. You can find that entry by clicking on the archives link on the top of the side bar.

It is similar to a traditional pattern called "split rail fence". I have put together a .pdf handout: Split Rail Fence
becka on 06.01.04 @ 05:11 PM CST [link]