recent reading and other random bits

in which our plucky heroine is bemused...

I've begun to read Shirley Hughes' autobiography "A Life Drawing", and am enjoying it very much. One small surprising factoid is that when she was a student at Oxford, she lived next door to Tolkien! 

I recently finished reading "Georgia O'Keeffe: Living Modern", which was delightful; it connected her clothing (much of which she made herself), her home(s), and her lifestyle with her artwork, as they were all informed by her distinctive point of view.

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~ chalked cat head ~

This cat head is more than a yard in diameter, taking up almost all the driveway ramp in someone's yard. Is it not wonderful and whimsical? I am wondering if it is a portrait. I particularly love the righthand ear, how the blue eye patch just continues onto the ear, but only part way...

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Cathy sent me this video, of a very simple dress all made from asymmetical patchwork. The style reminds me of my own popover dresses, and of the Japanese pattern that was their inspiration. I think this might be a clever way to use wonderful fabric pieces that are much too small to make a whole garment, without looking too much like the Patchwork Girl of Oz

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~ 1¾ # black elderberry clusters ~

Yesterday in the cooler part of the early morning, I went out to pick elderberries... cutting off as many clusters of ripe berries as I could reach. (The upper part of the elderberry has already had many hungry avian visitors...) There were many more berries this year than in any previous year, enough that I'm going to try making immune support elderberry syrup.

My pal Leslie suggested freezing them first, to avoid crushing berries when removing from the stems, so these are all now in the chest freezer. They can safely wait there until the weather is a bit cooler, when simmering the syrup and boiling the jars will be more appealing...

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I started making another dolly playsuit, this one for Kestrel's tiny folks. I wanted to experiment with Dawn's reversible camisole pattern, which has a different shape and construction than Ann Wood's camisole. I think the sewing is easier, if still fussy at 1:12 scale. My first attempt at patterning turned out wearable, but I think it needs to be just a bit wider in the front bodice. Might have to make another playsuit set (pants and camisole top) just to test that out.

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	2 pillowcases	nut chopper handle	-
2	yak print	elderberry harvest	-
3	tiny bell-bottoms	-	-
4	tiny camisole	-	-
5	small pressing tools	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
1. Salad Nicoise sans lettuce is still good
2. Advent swap just gained another participant, that makes 20 total!!
3. I had been wondering where to store the tiny pressing tools, then I realised I could just tuck them into my bentwood sewing box!
4. harvested 1¾ # black elderberry clusters! Now in freezer awaiting de-stemming and turning into immune tonic syrup

Time of Isolation - Day 1488