Its fall and the gardens are winding down here at my country home and studio. This time of year is always settling to me as though the plants and I have run a long, hot race through summer and now we can rest on our laurels. Artistic inspiration always comes. Here is what I am thinking…
The color of the end-of-season hydrangea and heirloom nasturium makes me want to get back to my hand appliqueing in similar tones. I am making a baltimore album type quilt a little bit at a time, year by year.
The gray bark of the maple trees is inspiring me to finally do something with the wood grained fabric I painted last year. Maybe I will get something created with it for Open Studio next month.
HOW TO: Apply a thin coat of textile paint to your paint board, run a wood-graining tool through it then very carefully lay either wet/rung-out cotton fabric [like above] or dry fabric on top of the paint. Roll a brayer on the fabric to “print it” with the paint below. Pull off carefully and let dry. Set paint with heat, wash and iron.
Although my rose geranium is still lush, it may freeze soon so I have clipped some stems of it and made starts already for next years planting. I make gorgeous rose geranium tinctures to use in my summer facials. Clip a tip off your geranium and pull off the lower leaves. Prepare a pot of good soil by moistening it with water and poke a hole down the center of the soil (I use the handle of a wooden spoon.) Dip the stem into powdered Growth Hormone and insert stem into hole. Press dirt around it. It will root where you pulled the leaves off and grow into another full sized plant.
I pulled down the worn out vegetable plants at the back door to clean up the entrance to my studio collecting the last bits. David dug up the potatoes out of the compost pile. I think I will make my stuffed pepper dish. Maybe an au gratin of potato with some rosemary on another day.Even the bees are slowing down enough for a photograph. Columbus Day week-end is always a good bench-mark for closing her down and buttoning it up. Enjoy your close to this season!
Ahh, Jane, what a colorful and delightful tableau. You can even make ‘winding down a season’ look lovely and inviting. You have a gift, my dear… xoxo
Thank you thank you Lori! 🙂
Hi Jane,
I am enjoying your blog very much! Your entry today sparked an idea that you may be able to help me with. The “leather” wedding album cover that we bought 31 years ago has become very dull, dry (and ugly). I think it resulted from me putting leather cleaner on it years ago. I have wanted to get a new cover, but then there is the problem of rebinding the pictures. What are your thoughts about you creating some kind of custom cover to put over the old cover? I would want it to be meaningful in some way. As you know, we got married on September 10, 1983 at St. John’s in Petaluma. The current cover says “Our Wedding” in gold on the cover. Let me know your thoughts.
Hope all is well with you and David. It certainly looks as if you have been busy with her new project.
Love,
Joy
Oh Joy, it is good to hear from you and I am so happy to know that you enjoy the blog so much!!
The easy fix to your damaged wedding album cover is to simply make a slip cover for it. This can be done with leather or fabric so you are still preserving the original but just freshening up the look. Alternatively, you could take it to a book binder who could recreate the original cover and bind it all together. I would contact North Bennett Street School in Boston, MA (the North End) because they teach book binding. Their graduates go all over the country so perhaps they could refer you to someone in your area.
Best to you and Tony! D and I are quite well just a little tired right now with busy work lives and Old House project. But you know we love it! ox
I am continually amazed at your talents. Xoxo CYA soon!