Here comes the sun

October 15, 2023October 15, 2023 ~ Liz A ~ 13 Comments

Yesterday we watched the annular eclipse, which was 98% complete in Austin, Texas (which is to say, we got a crescent, not a ring) … still, it was magical …

The first image is an enlarged screen shot of an iPhone video made with an eclipse viewer held over the lens. We also delighted in the multiple crescents projected from a simple colander, wondered at the magic of sunlight projected through tree leaves, showed the grandkiddos how to use a pinhole viewer that Don made, and watched the moon slide over the sun with ISO-rated viewers purchased direct from a recommended company (which included a printed caution not to use the viewers for more than three minutes at a time).

What stirred me was the coppery light of the occluded sun … different from the silver light of a total eclipse, but eerie just the same. I say that as I recall being in St Louis six years ago when a total eclipse occurred, although we didn’t have safe viewers at hand back then. For sure we will cross our fingers for clear skies and keep our viewers handy for a total eclipse in Texas next April.

In any case, I count myself beyond fortunate to have the potential for three experiences of solar eclipse within a seven year period. A gift from the universe.

On a more prosaic note, I also got to play Jenga with Parker and Ellis after the eclipse had passed …

and got a smile from seeing pictures of Ellis wearing clip-on earrings at show and tell on “E” day (how lucky her shy self is to have such a loving pre-school teacher) …

Finally, I took a couple of pictures of the tablecloth in progress to get some perspective on how far I have to go …

the table top is about 8’ x 3’ (currently one of the 18” leaves is taken out) … the cloth itself is 120” x 60” … definitely a long-term project!!

P.S. I can’t tell you how great it feels to wear a long-sleeve shirt again …

On a tear

October 13, 2023October 13, 2023 ~ Liz A ~ 15 Comments

I hate cutting cloth almost as much as I hate measuring cloth. I much prefer to tear it, even though linen can be, quite literally, a pain to tear.

Anyway, I had pulled together a bunch of Connie’s cloth for our recent trip to Missouri, thinking I could just tear strips and make some wonky log cabins for my tablecloth project. What I forgot to factor in was Augie and Scribbles …

So yeah, no cloth tearing was accomplished until we returned to Texas. At which point I managed to create 9 cabins in less than 24 hours …

to which I added strips of blue/grey/green Belgian linen …

now being attached to the tablecloth, using my old standby stitching, the Texas Two-step (aka combination back and running stitch) …

And since I have tons more cloth to cover, I’m considering some Josef Albers-inspired blocks once I get these 9 blocks done.

P.S. The triple-digit heat has finally broken in Texas, so we are now enjoying more “seasonable” temperatures. Gotta love this recent El Arroyo sign that says it all …

Still crazy after all these years

October 9, 2023October 9, 2023 ~ Liz A ~ 26 Comments

Yep, I’m still here, all indications to the contrary. And have I mentioned that Paul Simon (he of the song Still Crazy …) has moved into our one-time hometown of Wimberley? I guess he heard we were no longer there 😉

Anyway, I’m overdue for some catching up.

First, the smock project did get completed, but I can’t say how I feel about actually wearing it …

It was intended to be open in front, but the smocking insisted on curling the edges, so I ended up making a pullover. Maybe I’ll warm up to it as the weather cools down.

I also did a quickie project to replace my two shoulder bags made during an India Flint workshop …

Instead of patching, I did a whole cloth construction using that wonderful ikat I bought from FabScrap …

It’s lined with the same cloth, so it will be reversible when it starts to show wear.

As for my absence, let’s just say there’s been a lot of grandkiddo time filling our days in Missouri while the boys’ mom and dad were on a business trip in Maui …