Baby Blanket #1 completed

Except for burying a few threads. If I had had a full night's sleep last night, I could have perhaps started on another. Next is a blanket for a baby girl, due in August. And then another gender surprise, not sure when due -- I am hoping by the time I get started on it, I will know both answers. Hope to get both finished by next weekend.

Dyeing sort of

The countdown to my trip is on -- approximately two weeks. In preparation, I have been shopping for clothes. Yes, I know it's unusual given that I so dislike shopping, but I did need some things. I bought a pair of cotton pants (long) and several blouses. I noticed that one of my pairs of shorts (as in one of two...) has nail polish stains from my last visit to Israel when a lovely flamingo pink bottle fell and splattered. I guess I should get another pair or two. Black of course.
I had two white shirts, one cotton long-sleeved, and one linen short-sleeved, with wonderful folded texture, but alas, have yellowed or stained. I decided before they got relegated to the rag pile to attempt dyeing. Inspired by the flamingo pink nail polish, I purchased dye in that colour and am in the midst of dyeing. I did the linen one full strength (so far it looks lovely) and the cotton, slightly less strong. If they take the dye well and the stains are sufficiently hidden, I will have extended the shirts' useful life for a bit longer for less than $3 a pop. If not, I have wasted $5.91, 5 tablespoons of salt and 5 litres of water. I hope the dyeing takes because I so love the detailing on the shirts.
I have two more white shirts which are yellowing. I'm thinking maybe snow dyeing. I have to either get "snow" from the skating rink, or try crushed ice. Hmmm. Do I have time before I go?
My sewing machine started to hiccup about a week ago and Menachem took it into the shop for me. Although I try to clean the bobbin casing area religiously weekly, it turns out that lint was the problem. Not surprising because I have had the machine for close to four years and hadn't got around to servicing it. I will have to try to service it on a more regular basis.
In the absence of my machine, I got some beading done. A few months back, my F.A.T. challenge was "on your street". I used the sewer grate for my "inspiration" and made a piece using a background of bits and pieces of white fabrics (wedding gowns, lace, assorted "gifted" fabric samples). The grate itself is made from strips of snow-dyed fabrics in a grid pattern. I hand embroidered the vertical grid lines and then beaded them. I was going to put, either physically or shadow stitched, items which fall down sewer grates such as rings, keys, etc. but in the end, the white fabric just called to me "yellow snow"... so I put a few random yellow silk ribbon stitches and beaded in yellow. I think I'll call it "Meltdown", referring both to the snow-dyed fabric and the yellow snow. I pillow case finished it and now just have to do a little quilting to hold the layers together.
Then I have to seriously tackle the baby blankets!
I also bought some yarn in the dollar store for crocheted baby blankets.
I fear I will not finish the baby blankets in time for the blessed events. Oh well, better late than never.
I would post photos but I hear now that our camera is kaput. Oy.

Long Time No Post

Wow. I've been delinquent in the past as far as posting goes but never this delinquent.
We had a busy and wonderful time while the kids were here, if you don't count my uncle's rapid decline healthwise. We decided to have the 90th birthday do for my mother regardless since Carmit and Rotem had come especially for it. So in the morning, we had a low-key birthday brunch and the same afternoon my beloved uncle died.
Funerals and shivas are a strange time -- you get to meet up with relatives who live far away and you haven't seen in a while, renew relationships and have a "good" time, under the circumstances. My uncle had a cheery disposition and a wicked sense of humour and the shiva reflected that. He will be and is sorely missed.
Then Inbal and Amit left and I went into a funk. Life is so empty without them. And even though we see each other on Skype, and Amit's eyes light up when he recognizes us and calls out our names, you just can't hug or play with Skype...
So I'm counting the days until August when I go to visit and babysit while the daycare is closed for its annual vacation.
Yesterday, there was a 50% off sale for the fabric store members. We went to stock up on pink fabrics (Amit is going to have a sister) and for baby quilt fabrics because we expect several babies in the extended family in the near future.
I have to wash the fabrics and then get busy. Maybe that will get me back to sewing and creativity. I hope so.

Non totally stitchless

A week has gone by without me even venturing into my studio. It's not that doing spring cleaning is putting a terrible dent in my time but I just haven't had the emotional energy.
Yesterday, I sewed the handles of my purse back on. Today, I lightened up my father's eyebrows on the fabric portrait. Now it's time for quilting it. I can see the imperfections and they bother me but I will complete it nonetheless. Maybe after the girls arrive. Right now, I'm trying to catch up on laundry and get two rooms which haven't been bedrooms for years into bedroomable condition. I'm almost there.

Confessional...

I feel like saying "forgive me Father for I have sinned. My last confession was a few weeks ago" but I'm Jewish so perhaps I shouldn't use that wording. No disrespect meant to anyone who is Catholic. And it just shows the influence of the movies and TV, if I know the wording.
Anyways, things have been real hectic at work and I've worked the last two weekends so I haven't gotten much stitching done. I finished, more or less, the threadpainting on the portrait but did the eyebrows in a way too dark grey. I am going to buy some lighter grey and try to tone them down. I think I have now done the portrait deal twice -- first and last time...
"On my street" turned out better than I thought. I am embroidering/beading on the snow-dyed strips and leaving the white empty, except for things which may fall down the grate -- a ring, a key, a leaf, any other suggestions?
It is now official that all of our kids and our grandchild will be home for Pesach (Passover). So we are now in spring cleaning, babyproofing mode. And it's all good!

Portrait, etc.

I finished the piecing, more or less. More because both people who have seen the portrait so far have recognized the subject matter. Less because I've done the head and neck and don't feel like doing the shoulders because I can't get the proportions right and don't think the fabrics I have will show shadows, creases, etc. I am taking it to my FAT group and see what they say. If they say it's good to go, I'll start threadpainting, of which I've done a little practice today.
I did get my bookmark made and hope to present it tomorrow.
I didn't get my FAT challenge started until this afternoon. My starting point was the sewer grate on my street. I used a background of random white pieces fused to batting, covered with tulle. I then made the "grate" from strips from my first snow-dyeing experiment and zigzagged them onto the background. I think I will now bead the piece. I haven't decided whether to bead on the strips or on the white. Probably on the white because the contrast will be greater.

Not Enamoured

of the results. Of course, I've only laid down the portrait pieces so far but the only thing remotely resembling my father (subject of the portrait) is the eyes. Maybe once I lay down the background do the rest, it will improve. So I've either had the portrait experience once (first time) or twice (first and last...)
I still want to do the FAT challenge and think I can get that done fairly quickly/easily.
And maybe a bookmark for someone having a birthday this week.