bkwilliams

The Woman Who Called Quail

2012-01-26T18:47:00.001-05:00

The subject of this piece is my great aunt, Virgie Crisp (now deceased). It is based on one of the few photos I have of her. She was what we call here in the mountains "a real character". Growing up, I spent almost every weekend (and as many weekdays as I could manage) with her and my Uncle Bart. They had no children, and I had no grandparents nearby, so we became surrogate grandchild/grandparents. She was very old fashioned and extremely interesting to be around. A day with them was filled with ballads, pranks, tom-foolery, riddles, laughter, and just plain fun. She had a wonderful singing voice and could mimic all sorts of sounds. On one occassion, she, Uncle Bart, and I were sitting on her front porch when Uncle Bart heard a quail call on the mountain in front of the house. When he remarked that he would love to have some quail for supper, she began whistling quail calls. Uncle Bart went inside and came out with his gun and waited as the answering calls got closer and closer. After a bit, here came a quail sneaking out of the underbrush in the fence row in front of the house. Without any gross details, he had quail for supper. I thought it was really interesting at the time, but thinking back, I realize this must not have been the first time this had happened. I have TONS of "Virgie and Bart" stories, as do my children. My daughter and I have both begun writing them down because they are just too precious to lose.

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Dividing a circle

2012-01-26T11:13:00.003-05:00

Judy has me thinking about dividing a circle

Judy Martin's Manitoulin Circle Project
photo from
http://judys-journal.blogspot.com/2012/01/lower-half.html
beautiful and inspiring work

...two halves of the infinite...begining and end inseparable

i need some time
with this inspiration
for
thoughts and images
to coalesce

resonate

evolve

quoting Judy "when a horizontal line divides a circle, the lower half is like the ark and represents water, while the upper half is like the rainbow or heaven or sometimes called the upper water"

I had never considered this concept, but I find it resonating in my mind

conjuring images and symbolism

in which the ark stands for redemption/absolution but ultimately for LOVE;

the rainbow being a covenant represents COMMITMENT.

Without one the other is somehow incomplete?

Like the way the bottom of the circle would rock/teeter

and the top always wants to pour out its contents?

Am I making any sense at all? I feel as if I am rambling!

All these whirling thoughts and images need some time to settle and coalesce in my mind.

Thanks Judy for the mental nudge.

I needed it today as I have been in a bit of a brain fog!

Little Wren-Hidden from View

2012-01-25T17:55:00.001-05:00

I always love to peak at the back side of a piece of handwork...

to see the underpinning of the part presented to the world...

to examine the frayed ends, knots, and snarly bits hidden from view...

sometimes those are important to the story...

they help make the seen visible...

kinda like our lives...

the parts no one sees make us who we are...

often they are more important than the facade...

the front (multiple connotations here) we present to others...

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Little Wren is finished

2012-01-25T10:27:00.002-05:00

seems like forever

since this piece

was started

but it's finally

finished

oops

looking at the detail

it seems

there are not feet

back to the thread bag

for a few more stitches

oh well

such is life

: D

Digital Storytelling

2012-01-12T08:47:00.000-05:00

My Appalachian Arts & Culture students complete a research project of some sort in lieu of the Final Exam required by our local system. Each year I try to incorporate some sort of technology component in the project. Past projects have included audio, video, PowerPoint, etc. This year my students were asked to create a project that incorporated visuals and narration; they could also elect to include music. As always, appropriate documentation of any resources used was mandatory. Overall I was pleased with their work. Several of them were personally relevant to the student, focusing on topics related to their own or their family's history. Some of them have issues with the relationship between the volume of the narration and the background music; those will need a bit of editing before being presented to the public. I have chosen three to upload to my blog. These videos were created using PhotoStory 3, a freeware that can be downloaded onto your PC. It is quite simple to use.

The first video documents the disappearance of a local community when TVA built Fontana Dam. As a result of the creation of Fontana Lake, the student's ancestors were dislocated and forced to move their home. The photos in this video come from the student's family.

Here & Now

2012-01-07T18:31:00.001-05:00

after the week that seemed to go on forever

today was a ragged jeans wool socks put your feet up listen to the rain take a nap under a piece of cozy crochet eat breakfast for supper take it easy day...just kicked back and relaxing before it starts again Monday

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Location:Home

WANTED

2012-01-04T07:58:00.001-05:00

Finding a place to store shoes has always been a challenge in our house. Especially since one of us (ahem) wears size 13 footwear, and those are most always boots! I happened upon Amanda's blog today at http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/ and found this:

I think something like this might be the perfect solution to my dilemma, and it could also do double duty as a drop off point for keys,cells, etc. I would prefer something in natural wood, maybe some repurposed barn wood, oak, or ash...something that would fit in with our eclectic vintage (hand me down and thrifted) decor. And, of course at least one of the pullout sections would need to be modified to house some large boots! But, I bet my handy husband could handle the challenge...so this goes on my wanted list for the house.

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Location:Home

I Made the Nice List

2011-12-29T15:50:00.001-05:00

Since I spent several days with my daughter's family over Christmas my husband and I exchanged gifts yesterday evening after we returned home. I must have been on the nice list, because I got the only thing I asked for,a Brother 1034D serger, plus a related book.

I had looked at several sergers online, and read customer reviews before deciding which one i wanted. This machine received the highest ratings for ease of threading, reliability, and value. I am waiting on an order of thread, and then I just need lots of practice to learn to use it.

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Elijah

2011-12-26T22:32:00.002-05:00

Elijah Berry Benton

Dec 26th

2:38 pm

7 lbs 6 oz

the 6th Benton Boy

welcomed by all his big brothers

Nathan finally gets a look at his "bebbee"

and pronounces him to be pretty

Elijah seems to smile in recognition

of this tiny voice

that has been talking to him

several times a day all these months

(and yes, he DOES have dark hair and eyes! we'll see if they last)

Here and Now

2011-12-26T15:33:00.001-05:00

Star Booties from Elizabeth Zimmeran's Knit One Knit All, on the needles for

ELIJAH BERRY BENTON...born about one hour ago! Mom and baby are both doing well. Nana and big brothers will be visiting them later this afternoon at the hospital after they get settled in their room.

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Location:Charlotte NC

Blog Break

2011-12-21T13:01:00.001-05:00

taking a short break from blogging---

away waiting for new baby with my daughter's family---soon I think!

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Location:Away

Magic Cookie Bars RECIPE

2011-12-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

Many years ago Eagle Brand

featured a recipe on its label for

Magic Cookie Bars

I have made them many times

replacing the butterscotch bits

with more chocolate

(can't have too much you know)

A couple of weeks ago

I needed a fast easy dessert

so I went back to this recipe

but I made another modification

replacing the butterscotch

with white chocolate

and adding craisins

these are absolutely yummy

to make them:

CRANBERRY MAGIC BARS

1. Evenly pour 1 stick melted butter into 13 x 9 baking dish.

2. Sprinkle 1 cup graham cracker crumbs evenly over butter. I usually press the crumbs into the butter a bit, but you do not have to.

Evenly layer the following:

3. One 6 oz bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

4. One 6 oz bag of white chocolate chips

5. One cup dried cranberries

6. One can sweetened condensed milk

7. One cup shredded coconut

8. One cup chopped pecans

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20- 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting. I usually get 20 pieces from a pan.

Be prepared to share this recipe; everyone wants to know how to make them.

Red Sky at Morning

2011-12-09T08:19:00.001-05:00

Red Sky at Morning

Sailor Take Warning

there is usually some validity

in those old sayings

wonder

what will tomorrow bring

Tangled Book Pages

2011-11-30T14:40:00.001-05:00

several months ago I discovered Zentangles

being featured on several blogs

they are sort of

organized doodles

with repeating patterns

and contrasting values

I was intrigued by them

since I have always doodled

so, I grabbed an old discard book

and gave it a try

and I must warn you

this is VERY addictive

they're like

meth for doodlers

since I found the first ones

I have seen them on all sorts of things

everything from

tennis shoes to tables

I have been thinkin about other surfaces

upon which to 'tangle

butI'm kinda stuck on old book pages

there is just something

seductive

about drawing in a book

brings out the kid in me

Newborn Mini Cable Beanie--Free Pattern

2011-11-30T12:10:00.001-05:00

When we visited my daughter over Thanksgiving I took knitting with me. I was working on some baby legwarmers in a variegated sock yarn for our new grandson who is due in about three weeks. Nathan, the current youngest crawled onto the seat beside me and said "Nana, you make hat for my bebee?" When I told him, no, I was making legwarmers for the baby, he repeated his request. So, Friday after returning home I made a hat for the new arrival. I am currently working on a second one, a bit larger, so that Nathan and his "bebee" can have matching hats. This little bit of knitting turned out so cute I thought I would share the instructions with you. (I don't have any photos yet of the little cable in process, but I will try to get some this evening and add them to this post tomorrow.) If you have any questions about the directions post them in the comment section.

DOWNLOAD PATTERN HERE

NEWBORNMINI CABLE BEANIE

Yarn: worsted weight

BODYOF HAT:

CO 48 stitches. Join to knit in the round.

Rows 1 – 6: *K2, P2* ribbing
Row 7: *K2tog (do not slip resulting stitch off Leftneedle), K into 1^st stitch of K2tog pair, slip both stitches toright needle, P2*

Repeat Rows 1-7 six times.

CROWNOF HAT:

Decrease crown of hat as follows:

Row 1: continuing in established pattern *work 6 sts,P2tog* (6 dec total)

Row 2: work even

Row 3: *K2, P2tog, K2, P1*

Row 4: *K2, P1, K2tog, P1*

Row 5: *K2tog, P1, K1, P1* (at the end of this row youshould have 24 sts of K1, P1 rib)

Row 6 & 7: K2tog around.

Cut yarn leaving a tail about 8” long. Thread through tapestry needle and runthrough remaining stitches. Pull tight and weave in ends to finish off.

Home Baked Goodness

2011-11-26T13:28:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I tried baking bread using my daughter's recipe with less than pleasing results. Nothing to do with her recipe, hers is always wonderful. I used whole wheat flour that I'd had for a while, and my yeast had been out of date for a bit. I should have known better. It's not like I haven't been cooking most of my life! So, last night I went to the grocery and bought fresh yeast and a bag of unbleached King Arthurs White Whole Wheat Flour. Today I gave it another shot.

So, for dinner (lunch outside Appalachia) we had fresh baked bread and home made vegetable beef soup (thawed from the freezer). Delicious. The bread was just right, great texture, not too dense. Yummy. Great lunch for a cool fall Saturday.

By the way, if you follow the link to my daughter's site,
she has some magazine back issues for sale.
Some of them are hard to find.

Hangin On

2011-11-22T15:06:00.001-05:00

Carolina Wren and Grasses

again colored pencil, pencil and ink

on book page

Snow Cones Book Page

2011-11-21T13:35:00.001-05:00

a new book page today

pinecones and snow

getting in the christmas mood

begun with a drawing

zig millenium 05

archival pen

sepia colored pencil

brown, light brown and black

shading darker under the petals of the cones

lighter toward the edges where the light would hit most

green, jade green, dark green on the pine needles

some light erasing on the text

page is old and fragile

and the eraser pulls a hole

repaired with tape on the back

elmers glue on the ends of some of the cone petals

on top of the branches and needles

sprinkled with snow glitter and dusted off

a few dots here and ther in the background

white acrylic paint atop some of the needles,

branches and on the tips of cone petals

dabbed on thickly

snow texture

text speaks of

standing before the fire

under the mistletoe and

surprised him with a kiss

library discard

battered copy of

Eight Cousins

full of pencil and crayon marks

being salvaged

one leaf at a time

Monarch and Milkweed

2011-11-15T10:56:00.001-05:00

Monarch & Milkweed

colored pencil and ink on book page

In the Right Place at the Time

2011-11-15T09:37:00.001-05:00

for years Harold and I have been trying

to be in the right place

at the right time

with camera in hand

to capture this view

clouds resting

in Stecoah Valley

seen from

Stecoah Gap

Hwy 143

Saturday Novemeber 5, 2011

7:15 AM

perfect

Here & Now

2011-11-14T17:50:00.001-05:00

colored pencil on book page

bluebird and apple blossoms

New Old Coke Bottle

2011-11-14T10:59:00.001-05:00

As fall progresses into winter I have begun to pay more attention to the falling temperatures. And I remember the significance of this.

One of the first things you sawwhen you stepped onto Uncle Bart and Aunt Virgie’s front porch was theCoca-Cola thermometer that hung beside the door. Firm believers in utility, itnever occurred to them to hang it anywhere else. Beside the door made sense. Itwas easy to crack the door open a little and peek around the frame to check thetemperature without letting a lot of cold air into the house. And, one had toknow what the temperature had been every winter’s morning so comparisons couldbe made when Stecoah residents met around the big wood heater at Clyde Garland’sstore. Dry Creek, where Uncle Bart and Aunt Virgie lived had pretty low temps,but some of the other creeks and hollers often won the honors—Locust Cove andthe head of the head of Cody Branch, for example. Checking the thermometer inthe morning also had an impact on how to dress for the day as well as on whatkind of chores would be done. Physical activity like chopping kindling andshoveling out stalls were OK for cold days because they provided enoughexercise to maintain warmth but still got one out of doors for a bit of freshair. Upon returning to the house for dinner (lunch) or supper (dinner) thethermometer was checked again to see how much the temperature had warmed orcooled since morning.

I always liked that oldthermometer. I recall many times one of them held me up to see that little redmercury bar when I was still too small to see it from the floor. They taught mehow to read a thermometer using that old metal Coke bottle. When I got olderand went to visit during the winter I always checked it as I went inside, oftenopening conversation with the reading. After I got married the old thermometerbroke and Aunt Virgie threw it out, replacing it with a replica. It neveroccurred to either of them that someone (me) might want a broken thermometer.It had no utility.

When they had to move into afacilitated living home they sent the new (by then old) Coke bottle thermometerto me. I have a small newer thermometer that hangs on the post beside my frontsteps where I can see it from inside the house. It is ugly, but it serves apurpose. Like them, I am a firm believer in utility. We also need to know howto dress for the day. And, we like to compare temperatures with others at work,usually winning the lows in the winter and losing the highs in the summer sincewe live around 3000 feet. The new old Coke bottle hangs beside my front door.It still works. There are different kinds of utility I have discovered. TheCoca-Cola thermometer’s main purpose now is to be a physical reminder of twopeople who played a major role in my growing up years. As if I could everforget either of them.

for Cassie

2011-11-04T09:21:00.001-04:00

these are the sewing machine drawers

I told you about

I picked them up at the Ranger flea market for $10

I stacked them and filled them with some of my collections

a vintage darning egg

a pin cushion gifted from my daughter when she was a kid

hand made walnut coasters from my son in law

one of my hand dipped beeswax candles

one of my photo transfer pieces that includes an image of your weaving

the miniature sweater knit from the pattern you shared

a Paas tin containing stitch markers

feathers, buckeyes, snail shells, tiny stones

mini pottery gifts from Harolds mom

vintage bone and steel crochet and knitting needles

in one of my daughters pottery bottles from college

and a hand turned walnut cup from my son in law

the second set contain other sentimental pieces

a fan from an exchange student from Korea

vintage silver salt shaker, various knobs

and a photo of my father in law as a young man

he is still quite a handsome guy

and so is his son

a couple pieces from my blue willow dinnerware

and a photo of Harolds maternal great grandmother

and finally, here is the print I told you about

Turtle Waiting for Rain

watercolor by Martha's daughter

Annie Fain Liden

Student Project--Natural Dyes

2011-11-03T12:21:00.000-04:00

Senior Projects went on display this AM

I mentored one of my art students, Jordan

who chose to investigate natural dyes

Jordan's work is meticulous

and her time management makes me envious

we begun work in the summer

producing dye samples

she made color sample cards for each dye bath

her display included varigated indigo dipped yarn

and also included the basket she wove with walnut dyed reed

as well as a thrifted linen dress and muslin shibori scarf she dyed with indigo

other assorted products of her experimetation
include naturally dyed silk hankies,
and for contrast some dyed with Kool-Aid
with everything resting on an indigo shibori cloth
Jordan was such a pleasure to work with

and this project has been educational for both of us...

I learned quite a lot myself.

Here & Now

2011-11-02T16:35:00.002-04:00

in progress--colored pencil on book page

monarch and milkweed

Daily Visitors

2011-11-02T09:03:00.000-04:00

these guys visit daily

foraging for crickets

grasshoppers

seeds, june bugs, acorns

dogwood berries, holly berries,

those i really dont mind them having

their great bronze bodies

the rhythmic puttputt

a gregarious gobble

are reward for the foraging

but

they are often marauding

pillagers

stealing what should go into

my freezer

my grandsons pancakes and muffins

though i like to watch

and listen

to often they end up

in the orchard

blueberries

grapes

and apples

are much tastier

than bugs, acorns, dogwood and holly berries

most of our crop this year

went through their gizzard

and out as fertilizer

somedays there were as many as

twenty-one large birds

and they eat a lot

and i didnt

Here & Now

2011-10-31T18:57:00.001-04:00

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Location:Home

revisiting old work-carolina box turtle

2011-10-27T09:48:00.000-04:00

Carolina Box Turtle

created as an assignment

Ceramics I class in college

made life size

using photos

and shells found in the woods around home

glazes mixed to match

colors of the shell and body
he was displayed in a ceramic vise
drawing attention to
pressure from human encroachment into his environment
the ceramic vise was later broken accidentally
the pressure it symbolize unfortunately remains

one of my favorite creatures
slow, persistent, self protective
disappearing at an alarming rate
threatened by human encroachment
roads, logging, cars
not nearly as many as just a few years ago

sassafras wall hanging

2011-10-25T12:01:00.000-04:00

i promised someone a bit ago that i would post images of this leaf pounded wall hanging

done as a demo piece for my appalachian arts students a few years ago

young tender sassafrass leaves

a single-, a double- and a triple-lobed

were pounded onto a piece of prewashed muslin

after the piece dried it was soaked in salt water for about an hour then rinsed

a micron pen was used to add details to the leaf pounding

everything was ironded to heat set the colors

a patchwork border of stash fabrics was sewn around the leaf pounding

and then the entire panel was hand quilted

both the leaf contours

and concentric pattern around them

the color has survived

several years hanging on my hearth

as well as hand washing

and line drying

with no signs of fading

still fall...

2011-10-25T11:48:00.000-04:00

at our house...

its still fall...

i was hoping it would last a while...

and so it has...

making the most of it...

looking closely downward...

above zoomed in closer...

it cant last much longer

at least there will be pictures

filled with the colors

and textures

to remember

the smell

and feel

of this

one glorious autumn

Magic Feathers Flying Away to Jude

2011-10-24T11:07:00.001-04:00

our magic feathers are ready to fly off to jude...

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Location:School

Here & Now

2011-10-23T14:12:00.001-04:00

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Location:Front Steps

Mending Lesson

2011-10-21T12:51:00.001-04:00

Yesterday a coworker came my room with this wrap:

She had bought it the day before while in Asheville because she got cold and needed a jacket. She didn't realize it had this...

...a hole on the front near the pocket. She wanted to know if I could mend it. After telling her I might have some yarn that would match in my stash at home, I reconsidered my options.

Digging into my classroom wool stash, I found some black and white roving.

As I monitored my students drawing I blended it to create gray...

...adding bits until I was able to match the color of the wrap.

Using one of the classroom drop spindles I spun and plied a short length of lightweight yarn, which I threaded onto a darning needle. Duplicating the matching stitches as closely as possible, I closed the offending hole.

And here is the resulting mend. It worked out so well I had to put a pen on the wrap to locate it in my lens. This was a challenge, but I enjoyed it. And, it was good for my students to see that mending is a better option than tossing out things that have minor flaws. Little by little I am trying to teach by example...make, make do, reuse, recycle...hopefully they are learning something.

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Weekend Road Trip Around the County

2011-10-20T17:32:00.000-04:00

hwy 28 toward Fontana, left to Fontana Dam, overlook just before the dam rd...

from the dam parking area, walk up stairs onto dam, look through gates of dam...

continue onto dam, look below the dam...

look up to see the mountains in the distance...

cross the dam and walk a ways up the road on your right to see lakeside leaves...sweet gum...

oak...

hickory...

return to car and back to hwy 28, onward through Fontana Village, at Deals Gap turn left onto 143, turn right just before crossing the bridge atTapoca Dam onto the "Magazine", park at the rafting takeout and you may get to see the mist rising off Cheoah Lake...

the Cheoah is super clear so you can see bottom until it gets too deep...

on a clear day with a good breeze you can watch sunlight dance and sparkle off the ripples...

look down the lake to where it disappears around the bend..

everything you see, high and low, is camera worthy...

choosing shots can be hard...

there is beauty in even the lowly fungi...

return back to 143, turn right and continue past Tapoca Lodge until you see a wide place on the left with an obscure brown sign reading "Yellow Creek Falls .3 miles", a fairly easy hike in good shoes will take you to gorgeous Yellow Creek Falls

the final stop before heading back home...

Here and Now

2011-10-16T12:30:00.001-04:00

- Photographed with iPad and Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Front Porch

Office Door

2011-10-13T09:17:00.000-04:00

my office door

all images done by me except my name in Cherokee syllabury done by a former student

an evolving collection

demonstrations

instructing

inspiring

teaching

its what my job is about

its why my job is fun

Carolina Wren--coming to life

2011-10-11T13:14:00.000-04:00

last night I spent some time with the wren

working in long and short staggered stitches

filling in color

brush strokes interpetted in thread

enjoying the meditation of quiet work

after a long day

with busy teens

on a full moon

I really need this right now

Stitching Again--One for Me

2011-10-10T12:22:00.001-04:00

over the weekend I started a new piece of stitching

feather tree backdrop

for one of my favorite visitors

carolina wren

barred russet tail

cocked in the air

this time right side up

though he usually creeps other way around

chittering and churring

making a general fuss

- iPad photos, Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

magic feathers--2 down

2011-10-07T11:24:00.000-04:00

just completed a second Magic Feather

for jude at Spirit Cloth

worked while kids stitched

repetitive filler stitches in negative space

very meditative

Progress Report--Magic Feathers

2011-10-05T14:23:00.001-04:00

busy working on feathers

applique and embroidery

needles in and out of fabric

sometimes into fingers as well

learning as they go

experience is the best teacher

One Down for Magic Feathers

2011-10-01T17:46:00.001-04:00

finished my first feather Friday while the kids worked...

....closer detail...

...second feather in progress...brighter...different but similar...

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Here and now

2011-09-30T22:00:00.001-04:00

in the mail...looks great...review to follow...

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Location:Home

37 years...and counting

2011-09-28T20:09:00.001-04:00

Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away. ~Dinah Craik

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and the fun begins..

2011-09-28T15:16:00.001-04:00

...and the fun begins...

...from paper to fabric...

...piecing ideas together...

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Location:school

Ideas MadeVisible

2011-09-27T18:14:00.001-04:00

today the kids were thinking in paper, marker, colored pencil...

watching thoughts become tangible is fascinating stuff....

some think very literally.....

some examine relationships....

others tell stories...

while a few examine their culture symbolically...

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Fodder for Feather Thoughts

2011-09-26T21:20:00.001-04:00

Today we visited Jude's Magic Feather Project. The kids were very attentive throughout the tutorials. As we browsed through the collected plumage there were lots of oohs and ahs. I sent the kids home at the end of the day with ideas germinating and growing into sketches. Tomorrow we begin in earnest. Anticipating........

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feather magic

2011-09-22T22:52:00.001-04:00

....thinking in images...on my iPad...considering jude's magic feathers...digital finger painting...indigo....and charcoal..........

.............maybe combine paint and stitching...loose trailing threads...silk perhaps...maybe, just maybe........................

........sleek and shiny...silk and mercerized cotton perchance a bit of metallics...a few tiny delicas for scattering the light...........

check it out

spirit cloth

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Location:Home

Shibori Stitching into the Walnut Vat

2011-09-22T17:54:00.001-04:00

pulled up the stitching today

and tied it tight

and into the walnut vat they go

now we wait

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Location:School

Final Scenes of Summer

2011-09-18T15:12:00.001-04:00

still trying to keep up with dead-heading so that we can hang on

to the colors and scents of summer just a little while longer...

marigolds and blanket flowers flaunt the arrival off cool nights...

leaves float from the trees to rest on dianthus cushions beside

lingering blossoms as we move into the final episode and

summer's curtain is slowly drawn

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Location:Home

Here & Now

2011-09-16T23:29:00.001-04:00

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Bang-Up Project

2011-09-16T22:42:00.001-04:00

We have a new project in the works with my Appalachian Arts students...quilted leaf-pounding wallhangings. Cotton muslin was mordanted with alum and hung to dry overnight before being pressed.

A walk around campus yielded a variety of leaf specimens...wild grape, sycamore, dandelion, willow, walnut...some I knew would do well, but others were experiments. We layered a newspaper pad, white paper, muslin, leaves, and waxed paper (bottom to top).

And then the fun, and the noise, began. This was their favorite part. But, thirteen hammers going in one room needed frequent time outs. Or maybe I just needed them.

The waxed paper let them see where they needed to pound. It was also possible to see which parts of the leaf hadn't been hammered because as it is pounded the leaf sticks to the wax paper and changes color

Sometimes you just have to take a peak at what is going on in there. Wow, there really is a leaf print on the cloth!

When it is finished there are little bits of leaf left on the fabric. Not to worry, after it dries they flake right off. If patience and care is used a very clear image of the leaf is made. Past success with grape leaves was easily repeated.

Walnut is such a good dye plant we felt it was a good candidate for pounding. We weren't disappointed.

Some dye books include references for dandelion root. We discovered that the leaves work pretty well to. After the poundings cure for a few days we will rinse, dry and heat set them. They will become center panels for quilted wall hangings.

The next part of this project involves creating some shibori fabrics using walnut and indigo, and overdyeing some stash fabric as well to use for patchwork borders around the leaf pounded panels.

Some of the students have done very basic stitching before......

But, for most of them this is their first time with needle and thread. It all looks so simple, but even stitching can be illusive. It's good that running stitches are easily removed. And then you just try again until you get it right. Just like life.

And then all goes on hold for pep rallies and football Fridays......

Class photo

2011-09-08T14:57:00.001-04:00

Here is the least silly photo of the class with their baskets. Cameras bring out their clown nature!

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Location:School

Over one under one...

2011-09-08T10:55:00.001-04:00

Appalachian Arts well underway...still dyeing and this time using local black walnuts to color our basket weaving materials. We made small baskets, about four inches square, just the perfect size for candies. This was a first basket for all the kids. It was a bit of a challenge for me as I am battling carpal tunnel at the moment, but we managed nicely. Below is a sample of the first baskets completed. The remainder should be finished today. The baskets are resting on some of our indigo shibori dyed cotton. A good week so far....

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Location:School

School, in Natural Color

2011-08-27T13:49:00.002-04:00

Again this year I am mentoring a student's Senior Exit Project. Jordan, the young lady I am working with, is studying Natural Dyes. The week before school started we met in the classroom with a friend and fellow crafter, Cassie Dixon, to begin working on the physical product component of her project. Using hot plates and camping stoves, we did several dye pots, including cochineal, brazilwood, logwood, marigold, walnut, broom sedge, turmeric, annetto, osage orange, and indigo. She treated wool yarn samples from our homespun with various mordants before dyeing to see the effects they produced on color. Vinegar and ammonia after baths were also investigated. Jordan also dyed cotton, linen and silk in one of the dye baths to see the difference in how the fibers take the dye.

At the end of the first two days she had a nice collection of dye samples to include in her product. Jordan was excited with the results she got, and Cassie and I had a fun day working with a student who was both enthusiastic and eager to learn. I think we learned as well.

This week, Jordan helped me teach indigo dyeing to her classmates in my Appalachian Arts & Crafts class. Working in the courtyard that adjoins the room so we didn't ruin the newly waxed floors, we worked most of two class periods. Some students brought in cotton t-shirts to dye and others used cotton muslin I had on hand in the classroom. They used traditional tie dyeing techniques to create resist areas in their fabric.

"Cool" and "Awesome" reactions to the magic of indigo oxidizing from green to blue were such fun. Jordan did a good job explaining the process to the remainder of the class; peer teaching is wonderful!

Everything dried overnight, and the kids were really proud of their results (one student was absent for the photo).

This week Jordan is continuing to experiment with dyestuffs. She currently has coreopsis and goldenrod pots ready for fibers. On Friday we also put in some more walnuts brought in from another students trees, and on Monday we will be making a bloodroot dyebath as well. These will be used to dye reed for baskets.

Needless to say this is my favorite class.

I get to teach and learn alongside my kids.

School just doesn't get much better than this.

Keeper Recipe

2011-02-25T09:21:00.001-05:00

Muffaletta Calzone

image from myRecipes.com

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Rose Nguyen

For supper last night I made this recipe

from the December 2010 issue of Southern Living.

Aromas coming from the oven were mouthwatering.

Golden brown crustiness surrounding yummy cheesy spicy tangy goodness.

Mmmmm.

Hubby says this one is definitely a keeper.

My tastbuds shouted agreement.

On another note,

my blog has been a neglected stepchild in recent days.

My energy level has been as low as a snake's belly.

Evenings I've spent curled up with a bit of reading.

Anne Rivers Siddon has become a new favorite.

Her command of language is a thing of beauty.

She plays the words like a

maestro stroking the keyboard.

A smorgasbord or the English language.

Black and white that tickles the nose,

tintilates the tongue,

perks the ear,

and catches the eye.

A mental stroll through the heart of the South.

King's Oak

and Sweetwater Creek

already savoured,

Off Season awaiting my leisure.

But it will wait a bit.

One Thousand Gifts arrived Wednesday.

Beautiful, thought provoking, heartstrings strumming,

eye opening,

Anne Voskamp has something in this book.

Something we should all sit up and take notice of.

Each page provides new insight.

Wisdom and joy for the taking.

Tidy Tiny Treasure

2011-02-08T11:32:00.001-05:00

Preface: First, let me apologize for the quality of these photos. I am trying to master Photoshop Elements, and trust me, it is not the same as CS4. I think I am will be doing my photo editing at the desktop rather than on my laptop from now on, just so I can use CS4.

This tidy tiny little treasure was gifted to me

by my daughter and son-in-law.

Both Amber and David are talented craftspersons.

After I had admired a small wooden box he had made for Amber,

they created one for me.

At a diminutive 4.5 x 2.5 x 1.25 inches it boasts

a walnut base joined at mitered corners and an inlaid bottom with a sliding maple lid.

The entire box is finished to a fine handrubbed luster with David's own wax formula.

The lid opens to reveal a well appointed traveling sewing kit...

complete with tape measure,

tiny stork embroidery scissors and

a handmade wool needle book crafted by Amber

featuring vintage buttons from her collection...

an assortment of the most commonly used needles...

and of course a handy dandy needle threader...

because everyone knows that after a certain age

one simply cannot see eyes,

in needles that is.

The entire thing fits neatly in a purse or totebag.

It surely came in handy during my graduate studies

when I was working on this and this.

David and Amber have an Etsy shop with a varying inventory of his hand crafted fiber tools.

At the moment they have a nice selection of nostepinnes. He also takes custom orders.

I have a nice collection of crochet hooks, drop spindles and a nostepinne.

You can look for a review of each of these on this site in the near future.

Nana's Banana Bread

2011-01-27T20:15:00.000-05:00

I have used the same banana bread recipe for close to forty years, and it was a great recipe. So right before Christmas I went looking for a better one. Makes perfect sense. After googling and searching through all my recipe books I found a recipe in the Southern Living Cookbook that I decided to try. But, when I went to the fridge, I was missing a couple of ingredients. No problem, I just improvised and modified like any self-respecting country cook would do. And this is the new recipe I came up with:

Nana's Banana Bread

2 cups self rising flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 (4 oz.) snack cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, and nuts
In a second bowl lightly beat eggs. Add melted butter, bananas, applesauce and vanilla.
Add banana mixture to dry ingredients, stirring only until moistened.
Pour into prepared pans.
Bake 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Invert pans onto wire cooling racks. After 5 minutes, remove pans.
Yield: 2 loaves.

Nothing warms up a cold day like a slice of warm from the oven bread and a cup of coffee. And, as an added bonus, the entire house SMELLS warm and inviting. When my daughter and the boys came the week after Christmas, I had warm banana bread waiting for them. Jesse was the first to try it, and with wide eyes he said "Nana, this is GOOD!". The other boys concurred. We think this recipe is much better than my old recipe. It is moist, but crusty. My husband says it is the best banana bread he has ever eaten.

Rag Rug Roundup

2011-01-24T17:36:00.000-05:00

Even though I am back at work and no longer snowed in progress on the rag rug continues. Initially I had intended to use only stashed fabrics, but I ran out of large pieces much sooner than I thought I would, so I gave in and bought some cotton fabric at Hobby Lobby. It was on sale though, at 30% off, so all in all it wasn't too bad. I probably could have done without buying fabric, but I realllly wanted some red and black in it, so there. I have confessed! In its current state the rug measures 35 1/2 x 43 inches. I am hoping to get it to about 4 x 6 feet without having to purchase more fabric; I have been hitting the thrift stores with my eyes peeled. As I was ripping the fabric, there were some peices that were not as wide as they needed to be. I saved all of these narrower strips and am in the process of making potholders with them. The peice on the left is made from strips of the blue fabric leftover from the center of the rug. I edged it with some bits of a red floral print from my stash.

My Appalachian Arts & Crafts students wanted to try their had at rug making, so I found some sheets at the thrift store...a whole box full for $3 (special price for the school). They thoroughly enjoyed tearing the fabric! I started a smaller lighter weight rug (on the right in the photo) to demonstrate how to begin the rug, and continued working on it while they were busy with their own pieces. In general, they made potholders, although one boy had trouble keeping his flat and decided to just make a bowl instead. I didn't manage to get any photos before they took them home to their mothers.

What do you do when you get snowed in?

2011-01-11T12:39:00.001-05:00

A lot of the people I know don't like to get snowed in.

Mainly I think because they don't know what to do with themselves.

They get bored.

Not me.

I can always find something to keep my hands and mind busy.

Yesterday was a pretty productive day.

In addition to laundry and cleaning the kitchen and dining room floors I

hemmed 3 pairs of new jeans that have been waiting since summer

made 16 napkins from prewashed muslin in my fabric stash

(one day I will get around to making some of these,

but for now plain muslin beats paper)

mended my husband's favorite camo shirt

and worked on Jonathan's vest

The shirt had several small holes in it.

I mended them with the darning stich on the machine.

This is the worst one, at the base of the chest pocket, barely visible now

Unless you look closely.

This is the inspiration for Jonathan's vest, in the latest issue of knitsimple magazine.

He chose the yarn colors from knitpicks.com and

asked for no buttons, so

I am modifying the pattern to pullover style.

The stripes will begin this evening or tomorrow.

Today I am working on this, a rag rug,

while looking at blogs and doing more laundry.

Last Monday at crafts night one of the ladies was making a toothbrush rug.

I watched and thought I could figure this out on my own.

I'm not sure if I am doing it the same way she did, but it is working.

A bit wonky, but a good first effort.

She was using a beautiful wooden needle,

which I think my wonderful s-i-l can make, but

since this plastic tapestry needle is what I had on hand it is what I used.

The technique is basically a buttonhole stitch.

I worked around a core of an additional strip of fabric

(donated by a friend a couple of years ago,

indigo with white broken stripes and anchors,

I like the way the pattern gets broken up in the stitching process).

The rug looks similar to one I crocheted a few years ago.

But this technique is easier on my hands and shoulder.

This first one will be a small rug I think

because I don't have a lot of this fabric.

But then maybe I can find something that will work with it.

A good reason to hit the thrift stores.

So, what do you do when you get snowed in?

First Act Following Dramatic Entrance

2011-01-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

It seems that last weeks snow storm was an entrance for winter rather than an exit for fall.

Last night Act I began to play out.

At about 1:30 this morning there was very light fine snow falling and by 5:30 when my husband left for work we had about a foot--

AGAIN.

He pushed snow in the Tacoma all the way to town.

Here is what it looked like out and about in the county today:

Hwy 129 N

Deal's Gap

Hwy 28

Farley Branch

And, this is what happens when the tie holding the salt box breaks

allowing the load to shift.

It's a good thing there was a bank to slide into

rather than one to slide off of.

We are still under a winter storm warning.

Snow is expected to end sometime Wednesday.

This semester at school may end sometime this summer.

Salty Peanut White Chocolate Fudge

2011-01-01T17:55:00.001-05:00

Remember this from a few days ago?

I promised to post the recipe for this fudge once I had tweaked the ingredients. Everyone who has tried this fudge has loved the combination of sweet and salty. Try it and let me know what you think about it.

Dramatic Exit OR Entrance?

2010-12-27T09:03:00.001-05:00

8am from my front porch

front steps-caution required

Although this is spectacular to look at, I hope this is just 2010 making a dramatic exit and not a debut performance for the new season. Winter is less than one week old, and boy is he making his presence known! We remain under a winter storm warning until the end of the day and may get another half foot of snow to top the 12-14 inches we have now. The snow I can handle. The cold is quite a different matter all together. At 15 degrees with a nice steady wind blowing, the wind chills outside are serious business. I am thankful that we are safe and warm this winter's morn. I pray that everyone else is as well.

So what does one do on such a day?

mitten knittin' of course!

At the moment I have pair #3 on the needles. With five grandsons there is always the need for mittens. The last time I knit mittens for them there were only four boys. Knowing how boys are, I thought I would make them boy proof...a nice dead leaf color that wouldn't show dirt...and all alike to avoid disagreements...well, both ideas were terrible. Mittens the color of dirt and dead leaves get camouflaged too easily in the dirt and dead leaves where boys love to play. And eight mittens of identical color and only slightly different sizes make for a real mess when Mommy tries to match them up while four little mouths whine and eight little feet shuffle about impatient to go outside. So when I asked my daughter if the boys needed new mittens she put in a couple of requests...bright colors so they wouldn't get lost in the back yard...and different so mates were easy for the boys to find...Now why didn't I think of that? Maybe because I only had one boy! And he had such a wonderful big sister to watch out for him!

And when you need a break from mitten knittin'

Peanut and Caramel White Fudge EXPERIMENT

Well, then of course you take a coffee break...but coffee begs for company! This is the kitchen experiment from Christmas afternoon. A few weeks ago when we went across the mountain to Cades Cove, we stopped for lunch in Townsend at the Apple something cafe (good burgers)...which is attached to a gift shop... which has homemade fudge...which I just had to sample! I bought a 1/4 pound each of four different flavors. One of them was a white fudge with salted peanuts and caramel and we both loved it. I have been thinking about that fudge since, and trying to figure out just how to go about making it. This is what my Christmas experiment yielded...really good...but needs a bit of tweaking before I share the recipe...next time I will use more white chocolate and fewer nuts...if it works like I think it will the recipe will follow. But, rest assured this experiment will not be wasted! Although the results are not perfect, they are really close.

Break's over! Back to mitten knittin'...maybe just another 1/2 piece of fudge before I start...hmmmm

White Christmas

2010-12-25T19:19:00.001-05:00

--God bless us everyone--

-Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol

this was a quiet Christmas...just the two of us...but considering the fact that we woke to a white Christmas this morning and the snow hasn't let up all day, I'm very thankful that my husband was here...most of the time when the weather conditions are like this he is out in a snowplow making the roads safe for those who must be out...and those who don't have sense enough to stay in...but today...on this wonderful quiet Christmas...he was home with me all day...we had a nice cozy country breakfast...country ham, biscuits, scrambled eggs, fried apples...talked with all the family via telephone...Merry Christmases long distance to the five grandsons...then he played Christmas carols on the guitar...I did some more mitten knitting...then I played in the kitchen experimenting with a new fudge recipe...white chocolate with salty peanuts and caramel...he ate two pieces and pronunced it a success...we watched a movie...I cooked up a nice hot pot of cream of potato soup...he pronounce that a success as well...and now with around ten inches of snow...and more falling...things are back to normal...if you are out in this mess and you see a snowplow coming your way...toot your horn and wave...be thankful that he is willing to give up time with his family so that the roads are passable for you...I hope your Christmas was merry...mine was...very...God bless you...everyone

Vintage Blooms

2010-12-25T18:57:00.000-05:00

Mom called a few days ago and said I want you to bring your camera over here and get a picture of "Grandma's flower". I knew immediately which plant she was referring to, because this particular plant has been around for a long time. It has seen quite a lot of family history. As close as we can determine it is over ninety years old--not a parent of this plant--this particular plant itself!

When my Pappaw Laws was a young boy his mother, Cordie Black Laws, babied this plant, coaxing it to produce blooms. Many years later when his father. Nathan Laws, died he brought his mother home to live with him and my Mammaw. When my great uncle Jesse moved Grandma Cordie from her little house on Straight Creek in Bell County, KY to my grandparents house in nearby Wallsend, this plant was carefully transported along with the few other things she chose to keep. After she died Mammaw also cared for the plant, often to be rewarded with a sheath of glorious blooms. When my grandmother died in the mid 70's, my mom, now 79 herself, received the plant and it was again moved, this time from southeastern Kentucky to the mountains of western North Carolina. Every so often it has gifted us with a bloom or two. This year it has been especially generous, producing eight buds that unfurled into this gorgeous display. We all get excited when it blooms...I just wish it could talk as well...what stories it could tell!

The End of a Project

2010-12-06T11:14:00.000-05:00

My last post was the introduction of Perceptions, the website that houses my Cumulative Project for grad school. I am please to say that the project is now complete and all the stories, images, and resources are up on the website! Wheeew! This has been a major undertaking, and while the project is complete for degree purposes, I am not sure it is finished in my mind. There are many more stories, and images, playing in the recesses of my mind. Likely as not, they will eventually find their way into Perceptions. Check it out. Let me know what you think. Be honest. Constructive criticism is welcome! Thanks for looking!

Check out my new site!

2010-09-20T21:35:00.000-04:00

I have just gotten a new site up for the work I am doing as part of the Cumulative Project requirement in my MA Ed in Art Education at East Carolina University. This site will include the images, stories, lessons and process journal components of the project, which deals with local history retold through digital and mixed media art works. The url for the new site is http://perceptionsbwilliams.weebly.com/ Check it out and leave me a comment in the journal section!

King of the Roost-My New Neighbor

2010-07-22T15:37:00.000-04:00

King of the Roost, 15 x 11.5 inches, oil pastel

We have new neighbors who moved in a few months ago; they are a great family and she is related to my husband. But he likes chickens. I don't. When I was a child Dad liked chickens. Had a whole coop full of them. I had to go to the henhouse to gather eggs. They pecked my hands. When they had baby chicks they flogged me. I never forgot. When we were first married Harold's Papa had lots of them. They dug up my flowers. They ate the new growth off my hybrid tea roses and the roses died. All fifteen of them. Gone. They pooped on my porch. Big slick smelly droppings. I don't like chickens. So I was not thrilled when I came home to find a big red rooster strutting around in my yard like he owned the place. When I chased after him flailing my arms and shooing, he still acted like he owned the place. He finally sauntered down the drive to his home next door. As he went down the hill into the neighbor's yard he stopped, looked at me, pulled his head back, stuck out his chest and crowed as if to tell me he would not be bothered with me. After all he is the rooster, and all the hens just cluck after him. He's Elvis of the Chicken Coop! This scenario was repeated many times over the next two or three weeks. Finally, one of our dogs got the message that this red headed rascal didn't have any business in his yard and he took over the task of sending him back home. The ol' boy finally got it through his bird brain that he wasn't welcome at my house. I don't like chickens. So now he stays home. Guards his hens. Crows at dawn. From a distance he's not such a bad neighbor. But I still don't like chickens.

Locked in Memory

2010-07-14T12:05:00.000-04:00

Locked in Memory (2010). Mixed Media: Digital Image printed on transparency film, aluminum grommets, metal fence staple, and antique brass lock on 8” x 10” x 1” birch plywood. Private collection.

This piece was created while completing the requirements for an independent study class in my graduate degree program at East Carolina University.

The Story: Like most of my work it is narrative in nature. Fluffy new snow falling outside my windows began to amass, forming mounded structures on the remains of last year’s plants in the garden. The image in front of me heralded another in the recesses of my mind, that of a flock of wooly sheep grazing in a friend’s pastures; as my mind wandered it was brought back to this place in another time. Our farm, when it was tended by my husband’s grandfather, had been the home of over a hundred sheep. Digging through my digital files and family photos I began to pull together images: sheep from my friend’s farm taken on shearing day a couple of years ago, a photo of Papa in our pasture surrounded by a few of his sheep taken in the 50’s, an image of the corner posts of our pasture fence, handmade latches from our barn that were created by my father-in-law, and a photo of the newly fallen snow on the pasture taken from the shelter of my front porch. Each image was chosen with the intent of completing the story. The snowy landscape, vintage photo and sheep image, besides being united in theme, share a color scheme that allow them to melt and flow into each other like memories…boundaries blur, blend, coalesce. The lines of the fence, broken and fragmented, fail to completely “fence” the image in. The lock, with its bright red hue and rough texture, provide a nice contrast to the soft muted hues, and serve to contain the image. The old crusty brass lock with its original chain provides tangible evidence that the past, visible only in memories, is final…unchangeable…irretrievable….forever Locked in Memory.

The Process: The photos were combined and manipulated in Photoshop CS4 to produce the background image. The red latches in the digital image cried out for a wooden substrate, and I knew I wanted the wood to become part of the image. I initially felt that photo transfer techniques would be the best method for placing the image on the substrate. However I had very little success with producing a clear image using this process. After a few days of consternation, I decided to print the image on transparency film and mount it to the wooden base. Although it “worked” physically, the result was visually incomplete. Again, I allowed the issue to fester in my mind. Finally, I realized the latch needed tangible closure. The old padlock, which belonged to Papa, had hung keyless on the stairwell wall since before we called this old farmhouse home. Lacking a key, this link to the past was literally nailed in place with a staple from my husband’s fencing bucket. It was the piece needed to hold the image together.

The Personal Outcome: This piece proved to be a bit of a stretch for me. I struggled with the mechanics of bringing the image in my mind to its physical reality. I had to find alternative solutions that allowed me to express my ideas. The addition of an actual three-dimensional element to a primarily two-dimensional piece was new to me. I am inspired by the possibility of incorporating tangible links between my physical world and that which exists within my mind.

It's A Newt!

2010-06-29T10:05:00.000-04:00

My mother-in-law and I were walking around the yard the other day looking at my plants when I exclaimed "It's a newt!". There he was poking around in the back yard under my Royal Fern. She had never seen one of these tiny critters. This one was about 3 inches long and was quite camera shy. The Red Spotted Newt goes through three developmental stages with each having a different physical form. My little fellow is a terrestrial juvenile eft, the intermediate stage between aquatic larval and aquatic adult. These tiny salamanders are really quite interesting. The University of Georgias Savannah River Biology Laboratory has some information on their site.

First Apples of the Season

2010-06-29T09:36:00.002-04:00

My dad and my brother, Berry, were apple afficionados. They especially enjoyed heritage apples. We always had lots of apple trees including Sheep Nose, Limber Twig, Green Pippin and Early June. These Early Transparents came from a tree planted by one of the two; they got it from Ralph Jenkins, a local farmer who had been grafting heritage twigs into semi-dwarf root stock. The tree is fairly compact and its boughs are bent to the ground with the weight of its fruit this year. My husband,also a great lover of apples, especially the heritage variety, planted a nice little orchard on our own property several years ago with the help of our daughter Amber. We also had a heavy crop this year,but we received a good bit of hail damage a few weeks ago that destroyed a great deal of the fruit.

When Mom gave these to me Sunday when we took her home for church I knew he would enjoy the applesauce they would make. Early apples tend not to be good keepers though. If you don't prepare them quickly the quality really deteriorates fast; usually they get rotten spots but these apples do something else altogether before the brown rotting occurs.

When I went into the kitchen yesterday afternoon after a long day working online on my grad school classes, many of the apples had cracked and broken skins. It is almost as if they continue to literally grow out of their skins after they have been picked! Those that were cracked had undergone a color change in the flesh as well so they went into the waste with the peelings and those that had already become mottled with rot. They really should have been prepared Sunday evening. I knew this from past experience but life just gets away with us sometimes.

The apples that were still good were peeled, sliced and cooked with some butter and lots of sugar. Early transparents are tasty but very tart (even more tangy than Granny Smith). The pieces begin to dissolve into very fine applesauce almost as soon as they get hot. Did it pass the taste test? Let's see...smooth, sweet, tart...Delicious! We are having hot applesauce and biscuits for supper tonight! I wonder if there are any apples left on the tree? Hmmm ;D

Happy Father's Day --Harold

2010-06-20T08:28:00.000-04:00

Dad to our two, Pappa to the four oldest grandsons, "Howl" to the youngest...he has given them roots that will anchor them steadfastly to these mountains, creeks and hollers...he has taught them to love the land, to honor it, and to work to preserve and protect a diminishing heritage...lessons that will live on to future generations of fathers, sons, and grandsons...Happy Father's Day Harold

Happy Fathers' Day #3--David

2010-06-20T08:17:00.001-04:00

Thank you David for blessing me with five wonderful grandsons, for being such a great dad to them ....and thank you for giving the boys and Amber the freedom to roam the mountains and wade the creek every chance you get...Happy Father's Day

Father's Day #2--Daddy

2010-06-16T15:45:00.005-04:00

thirty seven years

tagging along

trying to keep up

wanting to be just like him

match my steps to his

stretching my stride

struggling to follow his lead

mirroring his moves

his likes his words his deeds

he was my role model

gone sixteen years

still trying to walk

in the paths he made

always struggling

to match my steps to his

Photo taken in 1955, the year my parents were married. Daddy has been gone sixteen years, his face is still as vivid in my memory as it was five minutes after he walked out the door on the way to work when I was a kid. He was a small man but cast a big shadow. I am still mindful of the lessons he taught, especially those learned by example during his eight year battle with leukemia. His dignity and grace during his illness, and his gratitude for anything we did to ease his suffering were humbling. A wonderful father and grandfather, a remarkable husband, a good neighbor, a friend in need and deed, both a sheep and a shepherd, a role model worthy of the title....

Fathers' Day #1

2010-06-05T09:30:00.005-04:00

As Fathers' Day (it is plural in my book!) approaches I would like to honor some of the Dad's who are/have been special in my own life and in those I love. As I write, my father-in-law, Pappaw Jack to my children and just Pappaw to my grandchildren, toils alongside the wonderful son,dad, big brother,father-in-law,pappa he brought into the world. Jack has always been special to me; from day one he welcomed me, making me one of his own. After my own dad died he became even more of a treasure as I realized treasure can be lost. He is one of the most caring and giving men I have ever known, forever expending his abundant love and energy to those around him. One of his greatest pleasures in life is to help others. When he comes home to the mountains he usually brings a mental list of chores he want to help Harold accomplish before he returns to his less rural daily routine. Having grown up on the farm, this pruning of trees, repairing of outbuildings, vaccination of animals, refurbishing of equipment...are just fun to him, taking him back to past times when he made his life from the land. Today, by the sweat of their brows and the strength of their backs, Jack and Harold are building pasture fence, extending the pasture to the other side of the creek, not because we need more pasture, but because the other side of the creek needs to be groomed by the goats.
The image above is a digital collage containing images of Jack, Mamma and Pappa Williams (his parents), Grandma May Roberts (Mamma's mother), Uncle Weaver and Aunt Ruth (brother and sister to Jack). The background image is a closeup photo of rusty peeling paint of the fender on an old farm trailer he made from a pickup truck bed.

Completed Ten o'Clock Scholar + Story

2010-05-22T15:18:00.004-04:00

Ten o'Clock Scholar has been finished for a while, but I have been so limited in time I have not had a chance to post the final image--or the story behind it. The young boys in the image are Willie Williams, aka Papa, my husband's paternal grandfather and his brother Milt. The photo was taken when Papa was around seven or eight. Somewhere around this age he left school and never returned. The story goes that the one room school he attended was divided into younger and older classrooms by a curtain. One day during class Papa, who was seated near the curtain, was stuck with a hat pin by an older boy on the other side of the curtain. When Papa yelled out he was punished for disturbing class while the culprit with the pin "got off scot-free". Papa told his parents what had happened and that he didn't want to go back to school--and so he didn't. Despite his lack of "schooling" he was an extremely intelligent man and frequently outwitted his "more educated" peers! Notice that he has a bruise on his forehead; this was the result of getting hit in the head with a rock thrown by one of his siblings while the family was hoeing corn.

The substrate for this piece is a couple of pages from an old reader published in 1899, and would likely have been in use about the time of the hat pin incident. The handwritten nursery rhymes feature Papa's name and are somewhat relevant to his personality. The hat pin, now that you know the story, has obvious connections. This image includes photo transfers, painting, and drawing. Media include ephemera, acrylic paint, pencil, gel pen, and photo transfer.

New Virgie Image-New Transfer Technique

2010-03-31T23:03:00.002-04:00

new image of Aunt Virgie...working at school today experimenting with color laser prints...i had forgotten my solvent at home...tried brush conditioner...no go...tried hairspray with no better success...hand sanitizer didn't work either...last ditch effort...krylon clear spray...gave nice watercolor effect to transfers...image is much more subtle and soft-edged than scanned image shows...more experimentation with this technique to come...size 5 x 7 inches on bristol board

Photoshop Planning/Pondering

2010-03-23T21:47:00.004-04:00

new image in the planning, pondering stage...old pages...old images...old story...more to follow

Latta House

2010-03-18T17:53:00.002-04:00

This is the latest image from my grad school class. The substrate is some muslin fabric that I rust dyed. I began the image by doing solvent transfers of the crow and a photo of some bare tree tops. This phase of the image stood in my dining room for a couple of weeks trying to decide what it wanted to become. I downloaded a 1920 census document from my Ancestry.com account (the family featured are my husband's great grandparents; his grandmother is 11 months old at this time) and flipped it horizontally so it would read correctly when transferred. After printing I went to the photocopier and fiddled with the sizing and then did a solvent transfer of the copy. I love the name of the township--Tally Ho.
The house image is from a photo of one of the tenant farms (also in Granville Co) that my mother-in-law, daughter of the Annie in the census record, lived on when she was a child. At the time the photo was taken the house had been vacant for many years. The old oak tree was cropped in the original photo, so I reconstructed a top for it in Photoshop. I also eliminated some of the extraneous farm stuff around the house to simplify the image. This image was printed on my inkjet and transferred using the water method. After the transfers were done I again "lived with" the image for a couple of days mulling over where it wanted to go. I began to think about the similarities between roots and branches, both in real trees and in family trees (also explored in the Roots Cellar piece), and decided to manipulate the image to emphasize that connection. Acrylic paints, Pitt Pens, and gel pens were used to draw/paint into the trees, entwining the roots of the oak with the branches of the trees at the bottom and side of the piece and with the text of the document. The house at the top seemed too dominant making the piece feel out of balance so I used some transparency sheets to play around with drawn text on the right side of the image to give it better balance. Once I decided on the size, I drew the lettering on a sheet of paper and used the lightbox to transfer it onto the fabric, adding color with my Pitt Pens. Below are details of the house and the bottom right corner of the image.

The finished piece is 11 x 14 in. I stretched the fabric over a canvas panel and taped it to the back so I could move it around and have a stable surface to work on.
The siennas of the rust are complemented nicely by the touches of blue. While the piece is pretty complex I don't think it is too busy. I really like the linear qualities added by the branches, roots, and document. I am pretty well satisfied with this piece.

Cousins finished

2010-02-25T13:00:00.004-05:00

Well folks, I think this piece is finished. I have reached the point at which doing anything else would be too much, so I am calling it DONE. I will be mounting this onto a gallery wrap canvas a bit later so it will not need a frame.

A bit of info about the persons in this piece. The original photo was this:

The individuals are (L-R): Lee, Roy, and Fletch Jenkins; William Hobart Holder; and Fred Higdon. The Jenkins boys were cousins of my grandfather, and Lee looks remarkably like Grandpa when he was younger. Hobart and Fred were both married to Grandpa's cousins. When I was a child Hobart ran a little community gas and grocery in Stecoah. I used to go there with my Uncle Bart in the evenings or on Saturday. The cinder block building was always cool and inviting as we moved from the hot dusty parking lot to the cool gray concrete floor of the inside. The walls were lined with homemade shelves stocked with every thing from motor oil to fresh hot dog buns. Wire racks near the door enticed Uncle Bart with Moon Pies, Sno Balls, and Honey Buns and a smaller one against the wall on the counter held Snickers, Three Muskateers, coconut bars and Pay Days at eye level so he could not miss them. You see, trips to Hobart's store were not for gas or groceries, but to appease Uncle Bart's famous sweet tooth; those two racks were his primary target as he ambled through the door with a "Howdy boys" to the locals perched on straight back chairs around the room. Uncle Bart would always treat me to an ice cream or a soft drink. The drinks swam in icy water in a huge box-like cooler; I can still feel the edge of the cooler pressing into my stomach and rib cage as I hung over the side fishing for a bottle of Coke or Nehi Orange soda. Once my selection was made the bottle cap was removed by placing it under the bottle opener attached to the side of the cooler and giving it a quick downward snap; the cap would fall into the metal box underneath, clinking to rest among the caps left by other thirsty patrons. When I turned the bottle up and took a long drink, it was so cold it almost made my teeth hurt. The Coke,stronger than it is now, would make my nose and eyes tingle as I took my first sip. Soft drinks just aren't as refreshing now as they were then--or maybe it has something to do with rarity? I don't know, but I know that my Coke in a can just doesn't have the same effect as that tiny little bottle did after being fished from the icy depths of the cooler in Holder's Shell and Grocery.

Virgie Scarf

2010-02-16T17:35:00.008-05:00

The weather here is still most unfriendly to both man and beast, so I have been keeping myself occupied, or perhaps preoccupied is more appropriate, indoors with various creative endeavors. Quiet-time alone always sets my mind whirling in different directions, recollecting and reconstructing images and objects from the past. As a youngster, one of the "things" that most stands out in my remembrances of Aunt Virgie and Uncle Bart's house was the filet crocheted valance which graced the window of the front door. Worked in fine crochet cotton, it featured flower details and the words "HOME SWEET HOME". She conciously hung it so that it was correctly viewed from the cozy cavern of her enormous burgundy velvet club chair, which meant that visitors were treated to the wrong-side mirrored words; it was her home after all, not theirs. It always fascinated me, as did the other intricately stitched crochet pieces under lamps and atop dressers and tables throughout her home. There was almost always a piece-in-progress hanging by a thread on a tiny steel Boye hook stabbed into a ball of Coats & Clark cotton . I suppose her handed-down hooks beckoned me from amongst a collection of vintage bone and steel hooks in a walnut cup turned by my son-in-law David, pulling at my memory last evenening and sending me into my stash for yarn. While I didn't find the "right" kind of thread, I did uncover a ball of Tofutsies sock yarn. Choosing a suitably sized bone hook from the cup I began working, effortlessly conjuring up the movements Aunt Virgie taught me so many, many stitches ago. Without thought hands and mind worked in unison creating the simple open stitches that are the backbone of filet crochet. This bit will become a scarf I think, which shall appropriately be called the "Virgie Scarf" in honor of its inspiration. This particular colorway and the seredipitous location of the first stitch, has worked out in an interesting fashion with colors occuring in the same location on each row of stitching--Virgie would find this a wonderful thing.

Cousins

2010-02-14T17:33:00.005-05:00

The Blizzard Warning gave us about 5 inches of snow night before last. Today the roads are pretty much clear so all can be out and about--for a bit anyway, as we are again under a Winter Storm Warning for the next 24 hours or so with an expectation of another 3-5 inches on the average with higher amounts at higher elevations and near the Tennessee border (I suppose that means me!).

But on the more encouraging things...After taking what seemed like forever to become comfortable with a background fabric and arrangement of the component images, I think I have finally brought the Cousins piece to a conclusion, other than mounting it on some sort of substrate for display. Here is what it looks like now:

I did some color washes with dilute acrylics to tone down the white areas and reduce the contrast along the edges of the smaller images. More gold paint was added around the main figure and additional green color was washed into his shirt to add emphasis to him. The pine needles and cone on the left side were further developed using a Pitt Pen, which was also employed to push the values on the small pine cones as well. I think the images is much more unified as a result of the added color washes and the banjo picker is now more clearly the center of interest in the piece.

The addition of music and lyrics from the traditional folk ballad In the Pines provided a unifying element for the composition and set the "mood" for the piece. This is a lonesome mournful song that wails and moans like the wind through the tall hemlock trees that stood head and shoulders above all the other trees in our forests until they were destroyed by a tiny little foreign invader, the wooly adelgid;now they are simply silver ghosts of their former regal presence, waiting for the winds to strike the final blow that will bring them to the ground. Like the hemlocks I have loved for so long, the singer's love has gone and he is left to "shiver when the cold winds blow" without a true love to protect his heart from the darkness of loneliness "in the pines, in the pines, where the sun never shines".

I am currently mulling over how to display this piece. Current thoughts are to display it: between layers of glass with minimal framing; mounted onto a stretched linen canvas, or a regular stretched canvas with some sort of color/texture painted onto it; or it might work well mounted above a piece of wood so that the fabric image was raised from the surface (this would not provide any protection for the piece, so it seems less desirable).

Brrrrrr--Bolt the Door and Stoke the Fire

2010-02-10T17:48:00.006-05:00

Brrrrrr...February is roaring loudly this evening; can anyone in the South and mid-Atlantic say EL NINO? We have been under a Winter Weather Advisory since last evening, but have had very little snow until the last hour or so. Late this afternoon the Weather Service issued a Blizzard Warning, forcasting 4-8 more inches of snow tonight across our area, with up to a foot in some places and deeper drifts at higher elevations (our house is at 3000 ft). The snow predictions are not so bad in and of themselves, but coupled with 60mph winds (with stronger gusts) and current 18 degree temperatures falling even lower into the night, this will be a good evening to stay close to the home fires. My husband will not fare so well; he will be out all night again this evening trying to keep the roads open and safe for those who need to travel, for whatever reason. May all reach their own home fires safe and sound, according to His will.

This winter reminds me of the ones we had when I was a kid; reallllly cold and snowy. For the past several years we haven't had winter as I remember it. When I was growing up we always had hams and bacon in the smokehouse curing under crusty layers of sugar and salt. The weather was cold enough so there was no worry about them spoiling; the only problem was wading through the snow to slice off a chunk of tender pink juicy melt-in-your-mouth ham for supper (in Appalachia we have supper in the evening and dinner at noon). In the barn loft in a nest of loose hay snuggled between walls of hefty bales were apples gathered in the fall from the Sheep Nose apple tree in the garden; covered with a thick layer of hay, they remained firm and juicy until late spring, by which time we had usually eaten every last one. Under the house, in a "tater hole" dug waist deep and lined with fresh hay, the previous seasons potatoes lay in their own bed of hay underneath a covering of worn quilts and blankets that had seen their better days. A few feet away jar after jar of fruits, vegetables, jams, jellies, juices, pickles and relishes stood six deep on the "can room" shelves ready to warm us from the inside out. The wood shed had been filled to the rafters with poplar "kindling" and heavy hardwood chunks of maple, oak and hickory; the corn crib had plenty of grain for the animals and the best ears of "Hickory Cane" had been dried ready to shell during cold winter evenings. I can still feel and hear the kernels sifting through my fingers. To break the monotony of the work Mom and Dad played a guessing game called "Hully Gull" with us; the person who was "it" held a few kernels of corn in their closed hands shaking them while asking "Hully Gull, a handful, how many?" The person who was closest to the right number of kernels became it. If we were really fortunate, Dad would wash some kernels and make "parched corn" by placing them in a pan of hot bacon grease and stirring them until they swelled up nice, round and toasty. They tasted about like half-popped popcorn (which we also grew sometimes). A room full of hands made short work of shelling a couple of sacks of hard white kernels which went to the mill to return a couple of days later, minus the miller's toll, as fresh-ground cornmeal. This meal, unlike the store bought variety, had to be sifted to remove the chaff and needed leavening added to it when it was time to bake a pone of cornbread (which NEVER contained sugar or egg, and was broken not cut). No matter how cold and snowy I remember it being outside, I never recall being cold. Between the wood heater and cookstove, and the stores of food "put up" from the summer; we were always warm and cozy inside.

Progress on Cousins

2010-02-10T12:06:00.002-05:00

The Cousins piece is coming along. I have finally attached all the pieces permanently to a piece of nubby silk using fusible webbing. I cut the banjo picker from the group shot in Photoshop and fiddled with the color to make him a nice warm brown, then printed him out on muslin and cut him out. Since I forgot to put fusible webbing behind him before cutting him out, rather than mess up my iron, I attached him with some spray adhesive. I began to use some crayon and dilute acrylic paints to add color over parts of some of the images to tie them together. Stitching was added next with feather stitches used to add some pine boughs over the right top corner of the group shot and running stitches and french knots anchoring the edges of some of the pieces. I located some sheet music for the old folk ballad In the Pines recorded by Bill Monroe (and Nirvana, among others) and mirrored it before printing. I took the music to the photocopy machine and moved it back and forth while copying it to make it wavy, then using Goof Off spray transferred it to the top of the piece across the small images. Pine cone drawings were also copied and transferred using this method. I continued to work into the piece with a sepia Pitt Pen, adding shading to the pine cones, pine needles around the larger cone, and lyrics running throughout the piece. I am thinking this one still needs some work; some parts have too much contrast while others need a bit more. We'll see what else it begs me to do.

Bartley Crisp: Farmer, Horse Trader & Uncle Extraordinaire

2010-02-06T16:35:00.004-05:00

A while-back I asked my mother about old family photos, not really sure she would allow me to ever borrow any of them to scan for myself. Much to my surprise one day when I went by to drop off some prescriptions I had picked up for her, she had a box of old photos on the dining room table ready for me to look through. Many of them I had never seen before; I'm not sure where she had been hiding them, but their cracked and broken corners and aged patina beckoned for me to come hither. This is one of the treasures that was buried in the old shoe box that housed them; the original was very faint--almost ghostlike--and required quite a bit of dodging and burning in photoshop to coax it to life. The younger man astride the steer was Mammaw Laws' brother Bartley (husband of Virgie referenced in Washing With Virgie posted earlier). The gentleman on the left and owner of this fine bovine was the grandfather of my Aunt Hilda (wife of Dad's youngest brother, Frazier). His name was Gold (Goldman) Sawyer. Both Uncle Bart and Gold were "horse traders" and throughly enjoyed getting the best end of a deal. I am not sure if they ever did any trading amongst themselves; I am thinking probably not since they were close friends until the older man's death when I was in my early teens. As a child I spent a great deal of time with my Uncle Bart and Aunt Virgie and always enjoyed getting to know Uncle Bart's latest trading triumphs, be they ponies, mules, or horses. They were never graceful "riding" equines, but rather the sturdy working stock favored by the farmers whose eyes and pocketbooks Uncle Bart was always looking to open (be aware that as far as I know he was always fair and honest in his deals; I assume this to be true as he was very well loved by everyone who knew him and had no known enemies). Even though they were capital to be sold and traded, Uncle Bart always loved to sit me on the latest mount and lead me around the pasture and yard. Thinking back, it may have been a way to demonstrate the docility of the animal to prospective buyers, but as far as I was concerned, it was just plain fun. Sometimes he would keep an animal for an entire growing season, allowing me to get very attached to it. One of my favorites was a bay mare called Trixie. Trixie was broad across the chest and flanks with a barrel-shaped middle that stretched my short legs to their limits. She was slow-paced and sure-footed with a muzzle that compared to the finest velvet. The rattling of the pasture gate perked her ears, and if she found it was me climbing the rough sawn boards with a handful of plaintain leaves or an ear of corn she came at a gallop, whinnying and tossing her head. Trixie and I enjoyed a lot of slow rides and ear rubbing that summer, but not long after the tobacco and garden were in and the wood shed was filled with fuel for the winter, the trading bug bit Uncle Bart and I was forced to say good-bye to Trixie. With tears running down my cheeks I watched her disappear around the curve with her ears just poking over the wooden frame on the back of his pickup truck. A few hours later as the truck crunched the gravel of the drive way Uncle Bart jumped out calling for me to "come here Brenda and looky what I brought". This time it was a young mouse-colored mule with long erect ears--and a muzzle soft as the finest velvet that promptly nudged my shoulder and nibbled my curls. I couldn't keep from smiling.

2010-02-04T06:44:00.007-05:00

Five days later...the snow is still laying about three inches deep in our lower pasture. The weather service is predicting rain/freezing rain for us this evening and tomorrow...but...the "old folks" say that if snow hangs around three days it's waiting for more... Also, smoke from everyone's chimneys is coming to the ground...and...it clouded up over a HUGE frost this morning. We'll just have to see about this weather prediction.

Roots Cellar--version 2: This is a second version of this piece with some of the changes suggested by Amber. I went out yesterday afternoon and shot some photos of roots hanging over the edge of the red clay road bank and payed around with the image again in Photoshop last night. I think it is getting there.

I also scanned the Alice piece, although the colors may be off a bit.

Eat Crow: This is the first experiment I did this semester with the water method for transfering inkjet prints to fabric. The garden are of the image is done with this technique. I use Goof-Of to transfer photocopies of a crow feather and some of my crow and tree drawings for the other parts of the image. Crayon and Pitt Pens add color and text to tie the image together. The text relates to myths and sayings about crows. This piece is small--about 5" x 7" on unbleached muslin.

An in-progess piece: I am calling this one Cousins; it is based on a vintage photo of my Grandpa Jenkins' cousins. I think the photo must have been taken at a wedding or something, as they all have flowers in their shirts/overalls : ) The images are water transfers on muslin. I am going to stitch/glue the parts down when I finally decide where this one is headed. Below is a detail:

I want to add some drawing/painting to the image to break the grid up and unit the parts more. The green background was not working very well for me in this direction, so here it is with a different ground.

I want to also add a larger image, maybe of one of the individuals. I am thinking about the banjo player. To check this out I did a gel transfer yesterday so I could put it on the piece and work with placement. There is a bit of glare from the "plastic" of the transfer in the photo below, but you can get an idea of what I am thinking anyway.

Roots Cellar

2010-02-02T17:07:00.005-05:00

an in-progress piece for my current grad school class... I am calling it Roots Cellar...the couple in the center mason jar are my Pappaw and Mammaw Laws and on either side are her parents, Jesse and Callie Crisp...the "roots" are actually bare maple tree tops... am mulling over in my mind where this one is going...maybe separate the layers and transfer them to a wood substrate? or a piece of old text? rust-stained? include sand, grit in the adhering process?...we'll see

Alice update for Amber

2010-01-31T10:48:00.004-05:00

This is the 4th version of Alice. The base layer of the image is a sepia toned photo of Harold's great grandmother, Rebecca Alice and her little Chihuahua. It was cut and woven with strips of a small toile print cotton fabric. This layer was then glazed with a sienna acrylic glaze. In the upper left corner is a waxed oak leaf. A piece of tea stained cotton cheesecloth was the applied using clear acrylic gel medium. Alice was printed out on an index card-sized piece of acid free card stock and was cut out paper doll fashion; color was added to her skin and clothing with colored pencils. The remainder of the negative area was cut into a grid and color was added with metallic crayons and then heat set. The grid was glued in place with rubber cement and then another grid of turquoise thread to pull the color from Alice's dress into the background. Another wax coated leaf was hand stitched to the background image using 6 strands of embroidery floss. Extra layers of card stock were glued to the paper doll to make her more substantial and stable, then a thin wooden strip was glued up the length of the back side to raise her off the surface. She is attached with jeweler's contact glue. Sorry about the quality of the photo; I was in a hurry because the power kept going off!

Wow! It's Been a Year!

2010-01-20T20:34:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted on this blog in almost a year! It's really difficult to realize that time has flown so quickly. I am still here, but just pretty much overwhelmed with the rest of my life--so--blogging has not been my #1 priority. Since my last post I enrolled in grad school and have been working on my MA Ed online through East Carolina University. It has been fun, hectic, invigorating...Some of the classes are quite interesting. I am currently taking my second class with Audrey Kilgore. One of the requirements for the first class was the creation of a website featuring the work we were doing. You can check it out at http://www.modusvivendi.webs.com/ On this site you can see both in progress and finished pieces I completed during my first semester with her. This semester she has graciously allowed me to do an independent study that continues with the exploration of combining digital and traditional art media. We are a week into the semester, and I am at the experimenting phase, so I haven't added anything from this phase to the site, but I will be adding things throughout the spring. If all goes well I should be able to finish up my degree either during the summer, or fall at the latest. I am also working on my National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certification renewal; that is due on April 30th. Between these two projects I have very little free time, but after the NBPTS portfolio goes in the mail I should be able to have free time back in my vocabulary! Check out the other site and see what I have been up to!

2009-01-27T14:56:00.002-05:00

We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful location. This stream runs around two boundaries of our yard. Not only is it visually inspiring but it makes music transcending that of any symphony. When he visits, our oldest grandson likes to sleep in the upstairs window seat with the window ajar. He says he "likes the sounds". He isn't the only one; if it isn't bitterly cold the window in our bedroom next door is also ajar because we also like the sounds. Right now I am anticipating warmer weather and the arrival of the spring peeper frogs. Nothing lulls me to sleep like the sounds outside my own bedroom window, regardless of the season. Thank you Lord for allowing me the pleasures of living in this place.

Finally finals are final

2009-01-27T14:54:00.002-05:00

It is official. The semester that wouldn't end is over. Tomorrow is another semester with all new students. Another chance to make a difference; another opportunity to instill a love of the arts in a student. Wish me well.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

2008-09-30T09:24:00.004-04:00

This is a pretty sad photo. Not the photo itself, but the subject: the very last bowl of fresh blueberries from our orchard. We have been blessed with a bumper crop of fruit this year; our blueberry bushes and apple trees have outdone themselves. Over 40 gallon of blueberries have gone into the freezer, jams, cobblers, pancakes, muffins and little boys mouths from this years crop. There are still berries scattered here and there on the branches, but not enough to bother with. Those that remain will be gleaned by the birds (and my husband). In addition to a bounty of berries we have gathered bushel after bushel of apples---Summer Treat, Empire, Cortland, Jonalicious, Red Delicious, Blushing Golden, Golden Delicious, Mutzu, and Adina---and there are still apples ripening on the trees---Winesap, Fuji, Granny Smith, Arkansas Black. Almost all of the trees have looked like this Winesap looks right now.

Last year there was a very late freeze that wiped out most of the tree bloom here in Western NC; then, we had terrible drought conditions through the summer and fall. There was very little in the way of fruit and nut crops as most trees had to put out leaves/blooms twice. This year it is almost as if they have compensated. Every fruit and nut bearing tree in the area is loaded. Hedgerow apple trees that usually have only scattered fruit are bent with the weight of their crop. My husband and I have been discussing this and I have decided we will probably have a tough winter. All the signs our ancestors looked for are there: lots of fruit and mast, early frost (last Thursday, Sept. 25), bees nests on or near the ground, fall flowers blooming early, Katydids singing early... I hope I'm wrong. I guess we will find out.

Blogging in the Classroom

2008-09-12T10:23:00.002-04:00

I am trying to come up with ways to integrate blogging into my classes. I teach Visual Arts and Appalachian Arts & Culture at the secondary level in a very rural area. My students have very limited access to museums, galleries, etc. For the most part, they do not enjoy writing, esp. with pencil and paper. Most of them do use My Space and/or Face Book on a regural basis and send/receive tons of email. I have been trying to think of having them set up a blog account and then give assignments from my own blog for them to respond to. Assignments my include critiqueing artworks, journaling about creativity & the role of the arts in culture, as well as posting digital photos of their work and writing about that too. I would love to have ideas/suggestions. My principal and media specialist have already given me the OK on this, I just need to figure out exactly how I want to go about doing it. I also need to think about the security of the kids in my classroom. I know the comments will need to be moderated and student names and personal photos will be taboo. Any Ideas?Suggestions?

Great Minds Think Alike

2008-09-03T11:14:00.011-04:00

Early this year I picked up a skein of Austermann Step in the Petrol colorway at Silver Threads and Golden Needles in Franklin, NC. I chose the colorway because it reminded me of my well loved turquoise jewelry. When I began swatching for socks, I chose the gull and garter stitch pattern, which resembles the fletching on an arrow, because it was yet another connection to my Native American turquoise. Swatching was finished and the socks were underway when I received my issue of Knitter's magazine announcing the Think Outside the Sox contest. I thought my socks were pretty good and discussed entering them with my family and friends. Around the end of May, with my "Fletching Sox" complete, I began swatching for a different design idea. A couple of weeks ago I purchased Shear Spirit (by author Joan Trapper with photography by Gale Zucker) from Knit Picks. What did I find on the cover? a pair of socks virtually the same as mine. Inside I further investigated Sheri Franz's Welsh Traveling Socks and found only a few differences. My socks feature 1x1 ribbing on the cuff rather than Sheri's 2x2 ribbing and I gave the sole of the sock a different treatment. Since I have a very high instep, I often choose to use 1x1 ribbing on the sole so that the sock hugs the bottom of my foot rather than bunching up like some socks tend to do. The only other major differences were in the yarn, guage, and number of stitches cast on. It's back to the drawing board (or swatching board) for the Sox contest, but, like I told my husband, at least I have good ideas (and so does Sheri!). Check out Trapper and Zuckers collaboration. Both text and imagery are wonderful. It is inspiring to an aspiring shepherd to learn how others got involved with their herds. The designs are great; just my style. I highly recommend this book to spinners and knitters alike. I have already earmarked several of the projects for my own homespun.

Ancestors

2008-06-10T10:20:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted in a while. I know, a long while. I have been otherwise occupied with working on our (hubby's and mine) family trees. I have spent many hours looking through books/records and gathering/scanning photos. Wow, what amazing family roots we have. It's been a lot of fun and we have learned sooo much about our ancestors. We have been amazed to learn how our families, though some branches lived in separate ends of the state (or in other states), wound up in the same places at the same times and interacted on several occasions. I am still digging, and finding lots of skeletons, I might add. The couple in the first photo are my paternal great grandparents. The men in the second photo are my husband's paternal great grandfather and his nephew.

First Day of Summer...

2008-06-10T10:17:00.002-04:00

the big yellow taxis with the flashing lights on top just left with their last fares for the 07-08 year. Yippee! School's out, let the summer begin. Today is summer solstice in the life of a teacher.

Going through a valley?

2008-03-06T14:22:00.002-05:00

Upon the summit we find
'Tis easy to see afore and behind
But in the valley so deep and low
'Tis only here and now we know
If we but humbly look to thee
You help us more clearly see
This lone vale wherein we stand
'Tis but the hollow of thy hand.

Guess Who Was Born Today?

2008-02-11T15:19:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday
to my beautiful daughter

Guess what daughter mine?
It didn't snow on Feb 11...
I think the first time in your life!
I love you...you know you're my hero!

Old Knitting/New Spinning

2008-02-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

This scarf was knit for my daughter Christmas 06 from some of my early handspun. The leaf stitch pattern came from an OLD Montricot stitch pattern book borrowed from a friend. The yarn is 2-ply natural colored gray/brown corriedale spun S and plied Z on my Mazurka wheel.

I have recently been spinning from a Jacob fleece I bought from Perfect Spot Farm at SAFF in October. I spun the fleece without washing or carding so that I could keep the fleece colors from blending. I first tried flicking the locks with my dog brush, and finally settled with randomly picking individual locks and pulling them across my cards while tightly grasping the end. After doing one end, I turned the lock around and brushed the other end in the same manner. When I had a nice basket of locks, I began spinning. I spun a bobbin full of yarn S-twist, wound it into a ball and then plied Z-twist from both ends of the ball. The final yarn has areas of both solid and twist/spiral color with medium to long color areas. I knit a pair of ankle height socks for grandson #1 with the sample ball, using some corriedale I had previously spun for the heels and toes. I am getting ready to remove the cast on row from the top of the socks and make the cuff longer because he was not comfortable with the short length cuff. I really like the way this fleece spins and the knitted fabric as well. I had originally wanted to make a sweater or vest with the fleece, but I'm not sure the color changes will be as long as I would like for them to be in a garment.

inkle weaving photos

2008-02-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

Here are the long ago promised inkle photos from Fall Semester Appalachian Arts Class. Not the best photos, but good work from the kids. They had tons of fun and gave lots of handmade Christmas gifts from their projects. This class is over til next year. Sad, sad. Love this class. Spring is Art I and Art II/III; not as much craft in this curriculum.

Soakers and Inkle Weaving

2007-12-11T12:39:00.001-05:00

One of my knitting friends is expecting her first grandchild just any moment. Her son, the father to be, called her last Monday and informed her they would be using cloth diapers for the new baby and "would you knit some soakers for us?". As he is not a knitter, he has no idea how long it takes to knit enough of these to meet the needs of a newborn. Granna, smart lady that she is, approached her 2 knitting coworkers with a request to knit soakers with her. I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Leggings pattern from Knitting Workshop to knit this one (Crayola marker for size reference) from Henry's Attic natural colored merino with stripes of Nature Spun gray heather. The idiot cord is worked over 4 stitches; I wish I had used 3 instead because it is fatter than I would like. When I was ready to work the ribbing, I told my daughter I just wanted to keep knitting and make pants instead. She said I could knit up some pants for her little one (due in Feb) so after Christmas, I will have more EZ leggings on the needles. They worked up fast and were a lot of fun to knit. They would be really cute in multiple colored stash knitting or in hand painted yarn.

My Appalachian Arts students are making Inkle bands. I have traditionally limited this class to 12 students and had that many looms built (plus 1 for demo purposes) along with enough stick shuttles for each student to have a couple. This year my class is packed with 18 students, so our shop class built 6 more looms for us. We used yarn that was donated by local crafters from their stash, so this was pretty much a free project for us as I didn't need to purchase equipment or material. Free is great on public school funding! The kids have had a ball with this project. Most of them warped their looms again as soon as they finished with their first bands. They are making iPod sleeves, cell phone cases, eyeglass cases, belts, 60s style headbands, purses, etc. Their ideas and their color choices are both wonderful. I will post photos of the finished projects in a few days.