tutorial Tuesday - postage stamp art

in which our plucky heroine has the intention of fostering more options for the Advent Swap..

I was dropping some calendars in the post box last week when I was struck with the idea that some small postage stamps are like tiny inexpensive works of art. And could be set in frames made from everyday objects like toothpicks or coffee stir sticks, and used to decorate the fridge as magnets, or as brooches, or hat pins, or holiday ornaments (I'm going to use mine as wall art in my 1:12 tinyworld)... and would be a good size for the swap.

Supplies needed: flat toothpicks or coffee stir sticks, scissors, xacto knife, white glue, graph paper, cardboard, stamps, wax paper or parchement paper or cereal box liner, something smooth and heavy. Optional: decorative paper, glue stick, magnets/pinbacks/decorative cord, craft paint

• mark out size of finished piece on graph paper -  I found it helpful to do this twice, reserving one of them to assemble the finished frame, and the other, cut out, to mark the size of the finished piece on the cardboard (next step)
• mark out size of finished piece on cardboard - this will allow you to easily center the frame on the almost finished piece, when you get to that point.
• cut frame pieces to size - I initially chose to use narrow coffee stir sticks, as they are easier to handle than the toothpicks. Both are easy to mark the appropriate size with pencil and then cut with a craft scissors. You hold the material against the graph paper to get the measurement, and either a mitered corner or a square joint will work
  
• glue frame to graph paper - Once you have the pieces cut out, glue them in place using the outlined size on the graph paper. I like to use "tacky" glue rather than ordinary white glue, since it dries more quickly, but either will work. When the frame is arranged to your liking, I put a piece of wax paper over it, then weight it down with something flat so it will dry smoothly
  
• cut away excess paper and the center opening once the frame is dry - this is where an exacto or razor knife comes in handy
  
• mark corner dot center opening on cardboard - holding the frame in place over the marked cardboard, I put a dot in each inner corner of the cardboard, which will help me center the stamp in the correct place
  
• cover back of cardboard (if desired) - if you want to use decorative paper here, you can wrap and glue it to the back of the base cardboard... I would probably use glue stick rather than white glue, as it will be easier to control.
  
• stick stamp to cover marked area - the dots show where the center is
  
• paint or stain wood -  (as desired) can use sharpie or pigma micron pen, craft paint etc
• glue frame over artwork - white glue or tacky glue will be strongest here, and again, use a bit of wax paper and a flat weight to let it dry evenly
  
• attach findings if desired - once the tiny framed image is complete, you can attach whatever you have decided to the back - I'd be inclined to also use a bit of pretty paper or felt or cloth over the back of a brooch finding or decorative cord, though not over a magnet.
  
• let dry then wrap up as a tiny gift

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Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine does her best to stay warm...

today was cold all day, starting out when I woke up early so I could be ready on time to take public transit to my PT appointment. It was below freezing (26F/-3C), and only became slightly warmer all day long, the ice on the ground didn't melt. I was nowhere near as enthused about walking the little dog as compared to how the doggy was enthused about walkies. Still, our plucky heroine is kindhearted, and wool is my friend. After Tuesday the temperature should moderate somewhat.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 11 ~

So yesterday I decided to use the stripey African batik fabric as a base for the next stitchery, and this morning I thought, what about a grid of scrappy squares. Stitching down the small squares is going to take several 15 minute sessions, which will give me a chance to allow ideas for what else to do with this page... each time I think "what if I..." or "what about if..." I decide to follow that impulse. After all, in this project there is no harm in doing so, and the benefit of reinforcing to my Curious Self that she is being heard. I wonder very much what the 20 pages will look like at the end of the stitch book stitchery.

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starting to work out how to use postage stamps to create miniature "wall art"... this set of OOP artisan coffee drink USPS stamps have toothpick frames and Bristol board mats and are just 1 1/4" wide, they are destined for a kitchen in my tinyworld, but could just as easily be fitted with a magnet back for use on a fridge, or a pinback for use as a brooch, or a loop of pretty cord for use as an ornament. (there will be a tutorial, hopefully tomorrow)

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	chore coat pockets	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	chore coat CF corners	recycle bin
6	fingerless gloves	bleachdye neckline	x
7	page 1/20	x	x
8	page 2/20	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. we are past the darkest part of the year, and days will gradually lengthen
2. a lovely group of teal fabrics set aside to make a springtime outfit
3. There is random instructional video content on Insta, which I have been saving as I find it

Time of Isolation - Day 1059

shivery Sunday

in which our plucky heroine bundles up...

Today is notably colder than yesterday. There is visible ice formation in the puddles and places where the ground was soft show embedded frozen crystals when the light catches at an angle. Dog walking is less of a pleasure when the blanket of high clouds, which keep the ground temperature "warm" is whisked away to leave us all exposed to both sunlight and wind.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 1 ~

Day 10 -  and with finishing up page 2 today ten percent of the stitchery is completed. I finished up attaching the blue-green botanical foliage bits to the backing, and since I had a bit of extra time on the ticking timer, also added some extra dark brown running stitches at the base of the biggest branch.   I think that tomorrow I shall choose some of the black/brown African batik for the base rectangle for page 3, and see what other fabric fragments want to be added....

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When putting together a special dinner for Lunar New Year of the Rabbit, I added some "Moroccan Mandarins" to the table, in part for their pretty golden color, and in part because I couldn't resist how tiny they were, only barely bigger around than a quarter. They have been sitting atop my fridge along with the rest of the fruit, and it seemed wise to actually eat them, as it would be sad if they just dried out. I was astonished at how very delicious they were, being both sweeter and more tender than I had expected. I am mostly disappointed by mandarin oranges/clementines/tangerines, but should these ever show up as available again, I will definitely partake. (bite the yummo!)

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Decided that cutting out a layer of Bristol board as tiny mats for the framed postage stamp art would be worth the extra effort. They will be additional samples, other than the more basic ones with coral reef postcard stamps, for my tutorial on using household items for creating a tiny treat. I am almost ready, just need to take a few more photos tomorrow during daylight. I think I should show how easy it would be to add various types of attachement to the back of the little frames, such as pinbacks, decorative cord, or magnets. The ones I am making for the tinyworld, finally using the set of four "artisan coffee drinks USPS stamps, framed with the fancy toothpick frames and Bristol mats, will also have brown paper glued to the back in reference to how real framed artwork often has the back lined just so. Because I can.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	chore coat pockets	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	chore coat CF corners	recycle bin
6	fingerless gloves	bleachdye neckline	x
7	page 1/20	x	x
8	page 2/20	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Past Me knitted warm woolies, particularly my various cowls
2. soft flannel bedding
3. my warm Glerups slippers

(can you see a theme here?)

Time of Isolation - Day 1058

trust the process

in which our plucky heroine begins to have confidence...

that space for experimentation will have a positive effect!

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 9 ~

Day 9 - I really had no idea where to go next once I finished the large flower, as indeed I have not had a plan for any of this so far. So far, having a look through my fabric scraps has sparked inspiration each time... I noticed some floral motifs in a bit of printed cotton lawn leftover from making a favorite blouse, that seemed a suitable color to coordinate with the bamboo in the base print, so I cut them out and began to attach them with running stitches. When my first attempt with cream colored floss looked odd, I had no qualms about pulling them out and starting over with a medium brown instead.

my current (self-chosen) guidelines for this project, in addition to the instructions, are to use leftover pieces of floss before starting a new skein, to have some kind of continuity between each of the pages (possibly by using smaller scraps of the base fabric on the next page) and to keep to my chosen colorway of browns and blues (no surprise there).

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This short story? novella? is worth reading...

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I made further progress on my preparation for the tiny picture frame tutorial, glued up four small frames from toothpicks to use with the coffee art stamps, intended for the tinyworld kitchen. I will make up a few of the remaining frames, once the tutorial photos are done, using some of the undersea coral reef critter stamps, for use in the Advent2024 swap...

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	chore coat pockets	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	chore coat CF corners	recycle bin
6	fingerless gloves	bleachdye neckline	x
7	page 1/20	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. a chance to chat with my Mud Bay pals and my Sewing Nomad pals
2. a chance to take a nap when I was tired
3. another day when it was warm enough that walking outside was pleasant... since the next two days will be a LOT colder. There is an icy roads alert on for tonight, temperature will drop before the damp is gone.

Time of Isolation - Day 1057

pockets and plackets

in which our plucky heroine has a possibly splendid idea...

if my 15 minutes of stitching pages turn out well enough, I will have my calendar images for next year!!!

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~ moss and anti-moss ~
.

I never get tired of mossworlds... and the gap between the branches makes me think I could just follow that pathway to a better timeline (edit: apparently the greenish grey botanical bits in the first photo are lichens. Which I should have known better. Maybe the common name is some sort of "pixiecups" and they are in the Cladonia group)

and then there is anti-moss... well actually the trunk of a monkeypuzzle tree that was removed from the parking strip a few blocks away, but what an interesting texture, eh?

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Well... I decided to go ahead, stop dithering and cut out the pieces for my raincoat. I remembered that I wanted to change the shape of the collar, but completely forgot I wanted to add a seamline down the front in order to insert the toggle closures. This is what happens when I forget to look in my planning notebook.That was right foolish of me, but I think I have figured out an alternative way to deal with it. Really I've no choice, since I don't have enough fabric to cut out an entirely new set of fronts.

I will have to use leather to make toggle ends, since the ends won't be tucked into a seam. All this 3D puzzling makes my brain hurt, but I am perhaps foolishly confident that in the end I WILL have a coat that is wearable! I'm going to do some sample sewing to sort out how the flanged pockets fit into the seamline, and also to check on how my idea of adding a secondary pocket flap to the interior facing should solve my fastening issues.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 8 ~

Not a terribly exciting change from yesterday, as it took me all of the 15 minutes and then a few more to finish the pistil stitching... but I am quite pleased with the way the applique flower echoes the print motifs but writ large. Not sure what I will add next to the page, there will have to be some rummage around in the box of scraps to allow for inspiration. So far my "rule" about using what pieces of already cut floss first seems to be good. I noticed that I used one piece from the previous page base rectangle in this page 2. Perhaps I will do the same in page 3, and use some of the little scraps from the Hawaiian fabric.

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feeling sort of puny today, headachy and sneezy and not quite right... could be a cold, could be oncoming spring allergies. Need to pick up some fresh Nasalcrom, fingers crossed the drug store has some. I took a COVID test just in case, but it was negative, as I expected. Going to get to bed earlier than usual in hopes that it may just be my insomnia catching up with me.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	chore coat pockets	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	chore coat CF corners	recycle bin
6	fingerless gloves	bleachdye neckline	x
7	page 1/20	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. feeling right chuffed to have 37 folks signed up in the Advent of a Better Year in 2024 group.
2. seeing the tips of greenery from a few of the spring bulbs, and buds on the hellebore.
3. huzzah! I seem to have poked at the settings/appearance in Discord so that I can now actually see the pages and see the place where I am typing my replies! Not sure what happened to make it all kerflooie, or why it took me so long to think of going to the settings on my account, but being able to respond to comments again and ask questions is a lot easier when words are horizontal in a text box and not one letter at a time strung out vertically!

Time of Isolation - Day 1056

Thursday thoughts...

in which our plucky heroine would rather go out for a walk than do chores...

I'm still struggling to start decluttering the workroom, and since I now have several potential new jobs, clearing away the detritus atop my standing workbench has become a higher priority.

I did, however, begin gluing up tiny picture frames for my tutorial on using postage stamps as miniature framed pictures, which can be ornaments, or brooches, or, well, 1:12 scale wall decor.  I intend to both create tutorials and to share fun tutorials I find online, that will work for the Advent of a Better Year in 2024 swap.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 6 and 7 ~

today was day 7 - adding embroidered details to the applique flower center - On day 7 I began embroidering the large flower center. A scrap of the huck towelling, cut in a circle, was held in place with a ring of French knots. I began then to add an additional row of pistil stitches, a combination of straight stitch and a French knot. Those stitches are a bit difficult, but I really like the effect...

Yesterday was day 6 - starting on page two of twenty. This is a vintage Hawaiian shirt fabric rectangle; and some scraps of what may be African batik?  cut (using pinking shears) into petal shapes... There's an embroidery stitch I want to try out, that I saw on bookhou's Instagram page, that combines French knot and straight stitch to form a flower pistil.

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researchers in Australia are working on creating a universal COVID 19 vaccine.... This is the first news in ages that gives me any feeling of hope for a future existence beyond isolation. Not only for myself, but we as a species need to be not-isolated in order for there to be a hope of dealing with all the other pressing issues aside from the ongoing pandemic.

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managed to get in about an hour and change of calligraphy practice yesterday. Switching to an actual nib significantly changed how the lettering looked, in a good way. (remember for future that the markers are good for spacing of text but not good for density) I still need to sort out some of the details of word breaks and suchlike, but the overall effect is very much what I am hoping for. I should be able, if all goes well, to have completed the writing and been able to make a start on the painting by the weekend. I really want to have finished the scroll for Raven by the end of January.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	chore coat pockets	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	chore coat CF corners	-
6	fingerless gloves	bleachdye neckline	x
7	page 1/20	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the weather cooperated enough that I got in over 10K steps outside today
2. I have the delightful issue of needing to make more than one set of sketches for possible work making regalia. At least one to replace a piece purchased from me at 30Year!
3. Sugar Bee apple has a bit of flavor in addition to being sweet not tart (yay). Still hellaciously crunchy (alas). Better than Cosmic Crunch, or the dreadful Honeycrisp. I do admit I don't prize crunch over flavor. I'm looking for a this-year substitute for Pacific Rose. I love me some floral perfumey apple, and Pacific Rose is the best, with Fuji a distant second, and all the rest of the pack left behind..

Time of Isolation - Day 1055

make and mend

in which our plucky heroine cogitates and continues on...

Really, it seems odd to admit that I rarely if ever engage in open ended "playtime", but the 100 day stitch project is designed as exactly that. Unlike the focused and specified design of my metalwork and enameling commissions, these 15 minutes a day are diametrically different. It feels valuable, like a different sort of meditation.

The closest I have come to this is when I made the grey scrappy/colorblock cardigan* which turned out to be a real favorite of mine, and where unlike most of my everyday clothing, I had no specific plan other than using up various scraps of interesting silk and knitwear fabrics, and ended up with a comfy garment that evokes the work of Lois Ericson, or Marcy Tilton, who I admire for their ability to effectively combine various fabrics, embellishments, and textures in a single piece of clothing.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 5 ~

Day 5 - ...so, I will admit to spending a bit more than 15 minutes on this today, as I had the idea to commemorate the Year of the Rabbit by adding a tiny embroidery of the Chinese character for "rabbit", done in seal script following the tutorial I shared earlier.

I really had no plan in mind for this page other than using the Akita puppy patch as a jumping off point. The results of letting each days efforts inspire the next additions are better than I had imagined. I am loving how each day I am drawn further and further into the Unknown.

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A Roman era soup made from three simple ingredients: red lentils, barley, and leeks, is surprisingly delicious. It is seasoned with fresh dill and savory and a bit of salt, though I made an error and used thyme instead of savory. I had intended it for part of last nights supper, but it needed to cook longer, so I put it aside for breakfast instead. Yum yum yum!

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~ visible mending ~

Finally got around to mending the neckline of the bleachdye knit top... I remember when that decoration was first applied, at one of those interesting public-invited art events back in the Way Before Times. I was riding the bus past one of the community colleges, and the folks that do Big Printing using a little steamroller were there, doing their thing. When I got off the bus to go have a look-see, it turned out that they were doing bleach dye, and I promptly took off my (outer layer) top to have it decorated. Ended up toting it home again in a plastic bag, because it was wet with the neutralising solution and definitely not suitable for wearing again until it had a spin through the washer dryer. Wore it for a number of years afterwards, but eventually the center front of the vee neckline became worn and frayed. So I added a small embroidered overlay in cotton lycra jersey, and should be able to get another few years of wear.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	chore coat pockets	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	chore coat CF corners	-
6	fingerless gloves	bleachdye neckline	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

baby bear's pocketses

in which our plucky heroine makes things better...

One of the things I fixed this last weekend was the pocket location on my chore jacket. When I first made it, I guessed at where to put the pockets, and somehow they ended up too close to the center front. (It is easy to get the vertical location just right, as that just needs a mark at how far down it is easy to reach with arms relaxed.) I knew fairly quickly once the jacket was finished that the pockets "weren't quite right", and I am wishing now that I had shifted them immediately rather than waiting a few months on, as the stitches and topstitching left subtle marks on the canvas. I'm probably the only person that would notice. Still, having the pockets a good hands-breadth further towards each side now has them feeling "just right".

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 4 ~

Day 4 - Finished the blue embroidery side accents, and went with my "wild idea" of a translucent overlay using some thin glittery mesh fabric. Which then sparked another idea of entrapping some image between the mesh and the base fabric... .

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Had the idea to add an iron holder to the side of the mobile ironing cart as a way of increasing tidiness incrementally... the one I wanted was no longer available from Ikea, so I had to order it from a seller on Ebay. Fingers crossed it arrives in a timely fashion; since the seller is in the same city I am, it is estimated to only take a few days to get here.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	moved chore coat pockets	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	-	-
6	fingerless gloves	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. creative playfulness
2. Past Me, who has maybe kept enough various art supplies on hand to see me out
3. beginning to let go of perfectionism

Time of Isolation - Day 1052

lunar Year of the Water Rabbit

in which our plucky heroine...

Time to celebrate the lunar Year of the Water Rabbit, which here at Acorn Cottage means coming up with a felicitous menu for dinner tonight. I'm thinking that adding some homemade pot stickers to broth, with carrot coins and sliced greens would be warming, and a wee batch of sticky sesame chicken wings, would be a flavorful repast. If I feel really energetic, mixing up a half batch of lemon crinkles for a sweet start to the year may happen as well...

Of additional interest, here are four different ways to write "rabbit" in Chinese brush calligraphy:

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Yesterday I finished the fingerless gloves I was knitting for the last few weeks during my online meetings. They have longer cuffs and only the very fingertips exposed, so should be a lot warmer than my everyday mitts, and should come in handy while walking the dog.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 3 ~

Day 2 and 3 - Yesterday I finished stitching around the applique using random floss. Today I decided to add a bit of embroidery on either edge as a bit of visual transition between the applique and the ground fabric. Not sure what else will happen next, other than I will continue to attempt dynamic visual balance

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	-	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	-	-
6	fingerless gloves	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. homemade potstickers boiled in broth-in-a-box make a great meal. Thank you past me for putting food in the freezer and the pantry.
2. my floss is organised and accessible, which makes doing embroidery easy.
3. mechanical "minute minder" Lux timer, only the second one I've had in this lifetime, and with care will see me out. (the first one was melted in an Unfortunate Kitchen Incident)

Time of Isolation - Day 1051

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine dives in...

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 1 ~

Today is the start of Ann Wood's 100 day stitch book project, which I have decided to join. The time committment is just 15 minutes a day... I've a whole box of scraps, and leftover bits from former garments to pick from Day 1 - I decided to start my first page using this embroidered patch from the front of one of my former dresses. I figured this would help me not feel paralysed by indecision about how to begin, as well as give new life to an old favorite bit of stitchery.

I'm already loving how each piece of fabric has memory attached to it. The brown base fabric was originally part of a fancy huck embroidered towel made by Beth's mother, too worn now for use in the kitchen, but still beautifully textured. The Akita puppy was originally part of a small fabric panel that my friend S Cricket brought back as a gift for me from Japan. When I opened my box of floss, I decided to first use up whatever already cut lengths were in there, again with the intention of using up bits and encouraging intuitive mind (rather than using parts of my 15 minutes trying to decide on the perfect shade of thread)

I was surprised to observe the thoughts and ideas of where to go next with this page, which flowed through my mind as I stitched away to the ticking of the timer; I'm curious about what I'll feel like adding tomorrow...

day 1
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Feeling pretty pleased at the initial response to the Advent Calendar Swap, as there are 16 people who signed up the first day... with luck there will be at least the 31 needed to make the project a success by the end of 2023. I'm going to make a small tutorial for next week on "how to make a wee framed picture using cardboard, a coffee stir stick, and a postage stamp" which will fit the criteria (will fit inside a 1¼" (32mm) square box, and will also be made from household objects, and suitable to be used for a fridge magnet, a brooch, a holiday ornament, or in my case, a wall decoration for my tinyfolk houses.

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Today the cold damp really cut through me while I was out and about outdoors, right through my grey knitted Totoro gloves, and trickling down my neck under my layers of wool, and along my legs while I was riding my bike. We've had some quite warmish days in the last few weeks, but not now. Is January the coldest of the winter, no, I think that is reserved for next month. I think I will put my bike away for a while.

I've only three more copies of my calendar to mail out, and now have all the remaining addresses to do so. I miss the days when there were auxiliary mailboxes on streetcorners, which made a pleasant excuse for a sanity stroll. Like everything else, they have been removed because austerity.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	-	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. enjoyed the 15 minute hand stitching project for today... which gives me thoughts about other tasks which could be done in timed increments! Maybe set the timer for 15 minutes of raincoat progress??
2. I was riding my bike down the street when the car passing me slowed down and the woman driving it rolled down her window just to tell me that I looked adorable!
3. warm hibiscus tea, is good. So was the last of the tot waffles, balanced atop a nice warm bowl of lamb cheek stew Clever Past Me in 2020 to have bought a whole lamb in tidy freezer packages.

Time of Isolation - Day 1049

Advent of a Better Year in 2024

in which our plucky heroine starts something new...

I began gathering folks to come and play along with the "Advent for a Better Year" swap challenge:
My pal Cricket suggested an advent calendar swap in late 2022, but that didn't seem to me like enough time to really do the idea justice. Then Acantha sent me the most amazing advent calendar filled with trinkets, toys, and treasures, all fitting in 1¼" cubic drawers. I decided to set up one in 2023, for the future winter holiday season, with the concept "Advent of a better year in 2024". I will share ideas and tutorials ongoing throughout the year, and hope to persuade friends to join in and make this idea a reality.

With the intention of making it non-sectarian and inclusive to whatever celebration folks prefer, my thought is to swap 31 tiny gifts that could be used to count down to the first day of the new year. Of course, nothing would prevent making the final day be, maybe 12th Night, or Solstice, or whatever... just begin and end as desired! If we can get at least 31 people to come play along, each person would then receive 31 surprise tiny gifts to add whimsy and joy to their everyday in December...

So, how would this work? Basically, over the course of 2023, make or find or purchase tiny gifts that are no bigger than would fit in a 1¼ x 1¼ x 1¼ size cubic. The gifts need not all be identical, or even similar, just be something that would be a real delight for someone to receive. In the interest of safety and inclusion for all, no food or scented items please. By the middle of, say, October, all the gifts get mailed to a central location, probably Acorn Cottage. and then get mixed and matched and sent out again to their various participants, who receive a box of tiny surprise adventitious treats. We would have to figure out how best to handle the postage costs; the gifts would all fit within one of the small flat rate USPS shipping boxes, which currently cost about $10.40

Ideas for gifts ~ buttons, block printed patches, pop bottle lid pincushions, shrinky dink charms, ornaments, glass headed pins, origami, baskets, pouches, fridge magnets, lampwork beads, embroidery floss, tiny artwork, garden seeds, ribbons, vintage handkerchiefs, glass headed pins, stickers, fossils, gemstones, pearls, trim, googly eyes, miniature books, etc, etc...

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scribal re-start:

After many months delay I have returned to working on the Scythian-inspired scroll for my pal Raven. The artwork will be bordered with the text done in a Roman Rustic calligraphic hand, since we do not have any extant script for the ancient Scythians or Sarmatians. I have been practicing the writing first, and now am at the stage of tuning in the size and density of the lettering to properly fit to the space allotted for it. I have been marking pages of graph paper with the lines and distance needed, as is obvious, I am getting closer but not yet there...

This sample is still a little too dense, and the letters just a little too big. My next practice piece I will use a slightly smaller pen nib. I'm hoping to have it to where I can start on the actual page within a week, my goal is to have this scroll finished by the end of the month. Calligraphy is not my strong point in the scribal arts, but with effort I intend to learn new types of writing hands beyond the Gothic (Blackletter) which was my first. Because it is difficult for me, I always need to do it first when creating an SCA scroll; the decorative painting and illumination are aspects where I am more confident of my ability.

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Ugh... some kind of insect? bit the back of both my calves day before yesterday. I have large, terribly itchy welts half the size of my palm on each leg, in a spot that is hard to reach. I have been being very careful not to scratch, which is a challenge. Today I put bentonite clay poultices on each one, using non stick pads and paper bandage tape to hold in place underneath my compression socks. Hopefully this will bring some relief as I change out the clay periodically over the next few days. Topical benedryl is no help. I have had these types of bites before, though no idea what causes them, and the one time I saw my PCP she also had no clue. I think it must be some kind of house spider, as it isn't mosquitos or anything transmissible from other humans.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	pocket flap pattern	recycle bin
4	night socks	-	yard waste bin
5	music broadside	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the advent calendar swap is being interesting to folks
2. made a tiny bit of progress on the raincoat project.
3. it wasn't raining, so I managed to prune away the nandina berries, and some of the hardy fuschia in time for yard waste wheelie bin out for pickup tomorrow

Time of Isolation - Day 1048

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine gets an early start on the day...

This morning was the first attempt at our artistic encouragement meeting via Discord. My online pal Turquoise had suggested it, and since she lives in the New Forest, and I live a good way toward the other side of the planet, we met at a time later in the day for her and not too terribly early in the morning for me. Which encouraged my waking earlier than usual so as to have gone through my morning routine prior to tackling the computer. I even managed a bit of a before breakfast walk!

Our meeting went well once we somehow got it all sorted out with the Discord video interface (though I can't guarantee it will be any smoother the next time. We each have aspects of our art life we wish to move forward on, so I think that this will be a fun and helpful weekly activity, not to mention that it is lovely to be able to see friends in "person" albeit on the pixel screen. She was able to give me some useful tips about using the new printing press, and how to set things up for registering multiple colors. Since learning and trying more in the way of print making is one of my goals for this year, I expect to begin some explorations soon, once I clear away a space on one of the worktables.

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slabs of avocado pit drying and oxydising:

I found an interesting post by someone called "The Artful Acorn" about making a miniature basket using slabs cut from an avocado pit for the base, and weavers of dried dandelion stems... I realised I had one more avocado left, so after adding it to my salad, I decided to try cutting the pit into slices. It wasn't as easy as slicing bread, but I was able to use a paring knife, taking good care not to slip and slice my paws. I'll drill holes, rather than use a steel straw to punch holes for weaving as they did, and see what I can come up with using whatever botanical weavers foraged for last year since for sure there are no dandelion stems tucked away somewhere. For now, I am letting the slices of avocado dry...

Isn't this inspiring?! Images by "The Artful Acorn"
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making slow if steady progress on my "return to the benthic strata" fingerless gloves, knitting up in spare bits of time while on zoom meetings. Have finished completely one of the two today, and will soon begin on the fingers and palms of glove the second. Realised that the first benthic strata had fingers that were in stockinette stitch but two row stripes rather than how these are just single rows. Oh well, still looks okay if not quite as sharp, and no one but myself would notice.

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I was going to mail out more calendars, but since I need the extra postage (adorable rabbit stamp) and today is a holiday the post office is closed. Hopefully there will be another day this week without too much rain. I can hope that they also have the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit stamps as well.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	-	-
4	night socks	-	-
5	music broadside	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. figured out how to reset my laptop display to be more correctly sized and how to make the text large enough to easily read. Dunno what I had bollixed earlier, but this is better!
2. despite getting a late start on cooking dinner, I managed to find enough already prepared things to throw together something tasty in just a few minutes. Which did rather put paid to my idea of making a spinach rice bake, but the spinach and the rice were easy to combine with a frozen cube of zucchini sauce and some cottage cheese, with some canned applesauce for dessert. Yay for preparing food ahead!
3. the amazing treat of meeting online with my friend Turquoise, as we begin our artist support dyad

Time of Isolation - Day 1045

keeping busy

in which our plucky heroine continues incremental progress..

Earlier this week I dreamed I was back at Mud Bay, with all the folks from there I dearly love, and all the fourlegged friends, those still here and those already gone ahead. Her Own Darling Self came and leaned against me as she so often did while she was here. Her fur was very grey, and she was very creaky, but so glad to see me again... I woke up with tears in my eyes, both sad and grateful to be together in dreamland...

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~ out and about ~

While out on one of my too short sanity strolls this weekend, I ran across a parking strip tree all over decorated with these melon shaped crystals. At first I thought they were some kind of small containers, but they were just for pretty.... and very pretty indeed catching every bit of ambient light on a very grey and watery day. They were new in the last week or so, not leftovers from the winter holiday.

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Modest progress on wardrobe additions: the fingertip-less gloves are getting further along. One has only part of the index finger left to complete, and the other will then have a start made on the rest of the palm, thumb, and fingers. As far as the raincoat, the only progress this week was making a sample of the pocket flange/flap. The trapezoid trick* worked a treat, once I sorted out the folds. I need to make that pattern piece just a bit longer, as it seems important for it to be easy to put my hands in the pockets. I also tested several different spacings for topstitching the edge.

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Once the scribal broadsheet was completed, I then made a start on to the projects I have promised to my Mud Bay pals, custom quarter circle curved bathmats, to fit outside their new corner shower. I told Mr Dawson how I wished I could help with all that needed done up there, and he made a thoughtful face and said "actually, you can..." Since everything is in storage until the house is actually completed and able to be occupied again, their sewing machines are unavailable. Mine, however, are ready to hand. Maeva had some nice Ikea bath sheets sent here, and they made a paper pattern of the shape and size. I found some cotton/linen to use for edge binding. The required shape was so large that the only suitable place to lay out the pattern and cut out the towel fabric was on the bed! I sent the completed one of the bathmats back up to OlyWa with the aunties when they came through town on their way home from 12th Night, along with the belated holiday gifts, and a batch of lemon cookies for Ariadne. The 2nd mat will have to wait until more towels arrive.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	-	-
4	night socks	-	-
5	music broadside	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Way back when, I bought a walking foot for my sewing machine. It has proved invaluable.
2. thanks to modern pixelworld livecasting, I was able, while remaining safely if sadly at home, to see several of my friends being honored for their many years of contributing to the organisation we all participate in. Of course I wish it was safe to be there in person, but this was much better than only hearing about it far after the fact. I got to hear the cheering of the populace, and the words of the royals, and see the scanned images of the ceremonial scrolls they were presented with
3. My pal Ursel is encouraging me to find out if I can host an online weekly scribal shindig

Time of Isolation - Day 1044

* a clever way to create a rectangle where the edges are either a fold, or have the seam moved away from the edge, which allows for a flatter flange. I shall have to do a post about it soon!

broadside graphics

in which our plucky heroine dips her toes back in the scribal waters...

I am quite pleased with my recent attempt at creating a broadside inspired by early 17th c Ravenscroft...

My friend Elisabeth wrote an original round (words and music) and I offered to add artwork and transcribe it into a more historical form, with her assistance. I enjoyed drawing sprays of holiday greenery when I created this colophon to mark the broadside as original contemporary work

Took a bit less than two days of drawing and inking, interspersed with consultation to be sure I had all the musical notation correct. Was very grateful to have found facsimile editions of Ravenscroft online, which helped inspire the square initials and the hand lettering (to imitate early type face)

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Here you can see both one of the original historiated capital letters on the left, and my attempt to evoke it on the right. The design fills a space that is just over 1" square. (I would like to know the size of the original book, given that the decorative initials were all printed from carved blocks, but I have yet to find that information

This was the sketch I began with, loosely indicating my ideas, and starting to adjust the music to a more appropriate transcription... Beth decided, after seeing this, that shifting the notation itself to more period style was what she wanted, and also that I could include a period G clef.

Once she proofread the music, I could begin on inking the page. I looked at the printed text in the facsimile and adapted my writing to give the same sort of feeling. I also noticed that each line that started with a decorative initial, the first word fragment began with an uppercase letter and then went on to lower case letters. Subtle, but it helps lead the eye along the line, and makes a smoother transition, as is also seen in some hand lettered illuminated manuscripts

This project was a lot of fun to work on, and I cherished the idea that by making this I was still a part of the organisation I had spent so many years involved with, in the Before Times. Most of all I was able to do a tiny bit to help my friends with their goal of encouraging more participatory music in the SCA... I won't be at 12th Night this weekend, but my artwork will be, as they will be handing out copies of the broadside, and teaching this new musical piece to folks tonight

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	striped tabletweaving	drawings for Vikki	recycle bin
2	night socks toile	2023 calendar masters	yard waste bin
3	2nd set of calendars	-	-
4	night socks	-	-
5	music broadside	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. a cleared off dining table for doing artwork on
2. the Useful printer/scanner
3. Past Me who made lasagna and froze it in dinner size portions

Time of Isolation - Day 1043