Actual sewing content!

I spent most of today on a silly, but fun, project. I decided that I wanted to make something heraldic for the Twelfth Night A&S competition - so what to do? Well, what could be more fun than a pair of dog coats with Emma's device on one and mine on the other? They are both cut out and half assembled. I've used wool that I had on hand from earlier projects and am hand appliqueing them using silk or wool thread, depending on color. I hope to finish them both tomorrow and put together some documentation based on one illumination and reference from the Devonshire Hunting Tapestries and the book The Hound and the Hawk. I'll post photos when they are done.

Life gets in the way...

of blogging! The first half of the month of October was spent in South Korea for my son's wedding and the second half was spent catching up back at work from all that I had missed in the previous two weeks. The wedding was amazing and worth every second of catch-up work. I now have an amazing daughter-in-law to go along with the excellent son-in-law that my daughter had already provided! Here are a few pictures to prove it really happened!

Mom and Logan        

Mom

                                     

The Altar

The Bride and Groom!

The wedding party at the end of the ceremony

Arr, matey!

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day, so I figured I needed a new pirate name! 

My pirate name is:

Captain Bess Kidd

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Fruits of the season

We're eating lots of peaches these days from our own trees! The two peach trees that were left after the clean out of deadwood got pruned lightly in the spring and have repaid the work many times over. The fruit isn't very soft, but is it ever sweet!

We've got apples coming on as well. This tree produced excellent fruit last year and we have every reason to believethis year will be the same when they ripen. This tree still needs more pruning, but it is producing well despite that.

The things you learn by looking in the trash!

There's a large pile of construction rubble in front of my house, waiting for removal by the contractor. Over the course of the summer, it has grown sunflowers, thistles, and most recently a thorn apple. Thorn apple is also known as datura and although it's beautiful, it is very poisonous. My volunteer plant is just past full bloom and full of fruit, so I am guessing we'll have more next year. For the medievalists, this particular plant was one of those used in the "flying potions" attributed to witches. You can find a very nice article about it here at the Medieval Garden Enclosed.

                                                  

My house is pink!

All the exterior work is nearly at an end and the house is fully insulated and painted. Here are some shots with and without scaffolding. Please excuse the fact that what will be the front lawn someday looks like the Somme, They just knocked down the old wall with heavy machinery and are digging the footer for the new wall.

 

Too long

I owe posts!! Things have been busy, which is better than dull, I suppose! Here's a quick one with some photos of Guy's hood for Raglan. I coulnd't get to Raglan this year, due to work committments, but the rest of the family went. It was the rainiest one on record and everyone was glad for warm and dry clothing. This one is hand-stitched, wool, lined with a cotton/linen blend and inter-lined with cotton duck for durability and warmth. Handmade thread-over-wood buttons close the front. They were a first attempt as practice for a later doublet.