Me Musing . . . September 11, 2008 . . .

Time in the month of August found me in my Sewing Studio having great fun! I was playing with some of the patterns I have used, tweeking them some for better fit . . . mostly because I was heading to Portland, Oregon for a wedding in early September and had 'nothing to wear'!!!!!!!!

\
Playing around with ginkgo leaf
silk screens

Then used the little tea leaf from the Te (tea)
screen for trim on this cross-over top

Made a pair of cropped pants
from an espresso brown Dupioni silk from India
and they matched wonderfully with a linen 'jungle print' I had
bought on my last trip to Portland in early June

I liked the pattern so well
that I made it in this rust-orange linen/silk blend

I had fallen in love with this fabric
in Portland on the last trip,
having no idea what I would do with it!

I seemed to be on an 'orange' roll
(how unlike me!!!!!!)
and discovered that the spiral fabric
(which I didn't have enough of for a whole jacket!)
matched really well to some silk I had bought in Grants Pass 2 years ago!
So I did the neckband and sleeves from it
as I planned to base my 'go to wedding' outfit around this jacket

The trip to Portland was a blast . . . weather was blue sky and not over 86, which I liked a lot.

The wedding was soooooooooooo sweet. My friend there (who had never been married), decided at 55+ to take the plunge. It was a hoot seeing her walk down the aisle. She was like a little kid in a candy store and all of us were the candy! She couldn't contain her joy and excitedly burst out with 'this is just sooooooooooo much fun'. . . we all thought she would head back to the beginning of the white carpet and do it again just for the thrill of it! Most of the guests were friends she had 'collected' and became 'family-like' over the last 37 years!

Of course I had to 'do' my favorite fabric store . . . plus a few restaurants . . . then spent time learning to do some stove-top dyeing. I really enjoyed that. And I showed my friend I stayed with how to do indigo shibori dyeing.

I had taken my indigo shibori dyed Mompe pants with me as they had lightened a little after washing them and thought I might 're-up' them. However, in dyeing some silk on the stove-pot, I decided I'd try changing the off-white to rust colour, which I wear more than indigo.

So now they have a new life colour!

The dark indigo turned to a dark brown
and the off-white became rust.
I was thrilled!

In my 'spare time' (late night) I read a Kris Radish book I had taken. It was . . . ok . . . then began her 'Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral' book the night before I headed home. I had to make myself stop reading and try to sleep, knowing that as soon as I got home I would leave the unpacking for another time as I could hardly wait to continue reading . . .

This is from the back cover of book to give you an idea:

"For Katherine Givens and the four women about to become her best friends, the adventure begins with a UPS package. Inside is a pair of red sneakers filled with ashes and a note that will forever change their lives. Katherine's oldest and dearest friend, the irrepressible Annie Freeman, left one final request ~ a traveling funeral ~ and she wants the most important women in her life as 'pallbearers'. From Sonoma to Manhattan, the five women will carry Annie's ashes to the places that were special during Annie's life."

The book is a hoot!

I found myself laughing, crying, remembering, smiling, musing, dreaming.

Get a copy . . . you won't regret it!

Until soon,

Che'usa

(Click arrow for next entry!)

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Return to Index Page for List of Dated Entries

Visit my Studio Website

email Che'usa

All original artwork on website © Copyright 2006