ANOTHER KINDA BOWL!

 When I was looking for the piping for the pillows the other day, I came across this hank of cotton rope.

 I knew immediately I wanted to make a basket!

  I circled around and around-it is very meditative

 and then when there were only a few yards left,

 I added the handles and finished off with the little flourishes

 on the side to secure the end of the rope. 

 Very satisfying, if I do say so myself!

Today, I will be finish piecing the gingham quilt top and then work on some more indigo and linen star blocks!  What are you up to today?

Bowled Again!

 I wanted to replace my own bowl which was my first practice piece

 because it was made of polyester rope not cotton; 

 it was flimsy in comparison to the 'real' bowls I made my daughters for Christmas.

I enjoyed it even though it took several days of sewing to arrive here! 

 I used 75' to make this bowl.

To add the color, I used a variegated quilting thread for the top

 and white in the bobbin-I like the two toned look it achieves!  

There!  It is on the table and holds its shape much better now! 

 I will be making a yarn bowl size next! 

 I am hoping for a bit of a chance to show my daughter how to make a bowl while she is here!   

 This is what the freezing temperatures do to my front circle garden-

the agave plant survives and so does the jasmine (to the left of the agave) 

but all of the other flowers are knocked back to naught.

Most will come back from the root but it will postpone the early flowers we usually enjoy all winter!

 The knotweed and the turk's cap will be attracting butterflies but a bit later this year, too.

It is a lot more work to cut them all back and then take care of all the dead branches!

 We had more sunshine and outdoor play with the kids but not out in the pool area where we languished in the sunshine on Monday.  

Finally, the men came to replace the shredded screening!!!  The hurricane that ripped all the screening from the frame was back in September!  

 It will be so nice to have the area pest-free and leaf free again!

 One plant that has flourished during this cold spell is the Camellias!  Every bush (we have 7) is loaded with buds and blooms!

 The blooms are so thick and healthy.

We have several varieties and each one is such a welcome burst of color with the dead all around them!  If only they smelled like roses....

A Savor Saturday!

  

I cleaned and laundered and vacuumed and swept and took care of piles and played and at nap time...

I played at arranging the LeMoyne Star rainbow blocks!

I had some rules-outside had to stay in order (you can only see three sides here)

but the middle blocks I slid into their neighbors spaces so it wasn't vertical stripes!

Now throughout the week-weeks-I can stitch the blocks togther!

And in between Legos and watching Lil Bear on YouTube, 

I worked on a cotton rope basket for me.

A thoroughly wonderful day!

Roping

 Might I mention that this is an incredibly wonderfully organic creative process!!!!!

The slightest angle on the row you are sewing and you can get a whole different look!

It is far less messy then the coiling we did in pottery class!

I love the subtle shading of the thread color.

And I tried to make different shapes for the 'holes' this time.

When there is only one, it shapes the rim asymmetrically which is interesting.

When you try to center a swirl on each end, it is a bit interesting to line them up

 but it makes both ends lift up and look like handles.

I am working on a graceful ending for the baskets, too. 

I am going to be making these for quite a while-

they satisfy the a lot of creative aspects with a relatively fast turnaround.

I love containers-and so do a lot of knitters-it must be that left/right brain balancing act!!!!

Hard Labor!

 I have been working for days on this chimney.  

(and my sore throat is back with a vengeance!)

The front is finished and so am I!  

It was so labor intensive-I needed a spa;  if only....

 I put out my tall front door trees....the wreath is also hung there now. 

My Christmas cacti are all in bloom-a wonderful addition to my decor!

 I am really paring back on the decorations this year! 

 Not for reasons of being a Grinch but because of the work!

 Now these are my latest creations with rope-real cotton rope this time!  

(They are both about 10" across and 6' and 8" tall)

   

 After being inspired by Pintrest, I tried a few fancy 'holes' in my side walls.   

     I also experimented with securing the end of the rope when finishing. 

     This basket has grey in the top and bobbin thread for a shadowy grey tint to the basket.

I used only white in this one but played around with the holes. 

 I used only 50' for each basket.

I was thinking they would work for yarn bowls also-and big enough for a few yarn cakes, 

needles and pattern!  I much prefer this kind of 'work' any day!!!

Roped into it!

 When I was in my teens, I played with clothesline rope for a basket (see last pics) but I covered it in wool yarn to echo Navajo basketry.  

This one is quite large (16" x 8") with clean lines.

It's a revival sparked by a recent Sewing with Nancy broadcast on my PBS station.

  I bought some rope (100') and took two hours to build this large table basket.

 It has easy construction-I used size 12 cotton machine embroidery thread and a 90 needle.  

I used a white bobbin so this has two sides-one in the green and the other completely white.  

I used my edge joining foot to keep the two rounds of rope laying next to each other. 

Truthfully, it is rather mindless sewing round and round and round!!!

 I just love how it turned out!  

I love baskets, boxes and bowls and this hits on all three!

 Even Lena gave her approval!  

She was determined to give this a good sniff. 

 Thank you!

I put some cotton yarn covered balls in the basket;  it makes me smile in satisfaction to have a new look in this room.

 This is the little basket I made when I was 17.  

It is practically an antique! 

 I used yarn threaded on a needle to covered the rope

 and attach it to the row below at the same time. 

 It was slow going but I loved the results;  then and now!

The lid was made the same way with a plastic curtain ring for the top handle, I just filled in the center with yarn stitches.

What is old is new again-when you live long enough, you know this personally!

Now, I like the clean lines of the new white one.

I like that it is made on the machine because this kind of handwork is out of the question now.

I'm already planning another basket!