Throwback Thursday: costume

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback
Photo description: witch’s costume with purple spiderweb cape, dress and cape hand sewn, hat purchased

I don’t know what possessed me to sew a kid’s costume when I had a new born, but I did in October 2008. This is the costume that made me realize that it is more expensive to buy fabric than to buy premade costumes. Was it well made and amazing? Yes, it was. Was the spiderweb themed purple sheer and coordinating black fabric so cool? Oh yes. Was it worn more than once? No. The dress was too small within a month, although the cape lived in the dress-up box for years. Was it worth the time and money? No, not for a growing kid. For an adult? Maybe, especially if it will be worn year after year.

Tattered

On By CarynIn chickens

Molting is not a pretty time for chickens. My Faverolles (hatchery quality) usually have a very slow molt so while there are feathers everywhere, they usually just look a little disheveled. Except for one hen that in the last couple molts has lost all her neck feathers at once. It is very disconcerting to walk into the coop and it looks like the chicken has been strangled. She is fine, though, and now the feathers are coming back in.

Photo description: Faverolle hen mid molt looking quite tattered

Spinning Tencel

On By CarynIn Craft

I started on a new fiber sample from my stash: Tencel. Tencel is derived from wood pulp, and the manufacture is reported as an “environmentally friendly closed loop process”. To save you some googling, I looked up what closed loop manufacturing means, and it is essentially that an item can be recycled over and over again. The Tencel sample I have from Hearthside Fibers has a long staple length and a high luster.

Photo description: unspun Tencel fiber held fanned out in my hand in the sun showing a high shine

The fibers are almost slippery, and I’m having trouble spinning consistently. I’m dropping the spindle even more than usual.

Photo description: the beginning of a cop of Tencel single spun yarn on a drop spindle held in the sun to show off the sheen

This sample is going to take me awhile to spin. Not only is it tricky, it is horribly hot outside still, with highs over 100 all week and lows over 80. Yuck.

Oh and yeah, the hook came off my spindle again. Next step is to epoxy the thing in.

Broken

On By CarynIn Craft

My daylily bracelet finally broke after four weeks of wear. I felt it pop, but didn’t find the break until later where I joined a new leaf into the twine. It was probably the soak in the chlorinated pool that hastened its demise.

Photo description: daylily leaf bracelet with a broken strand on my wrist, calico cat in the background

Adding obstacles

On By CarynIn Wildlife

The squirrels really appreciate that I put out dried ears of corn, but they go through one ear in a day. I added an obstacle, so they have to work harder for the corn by tying knots in a 1/2” hemp rope and adding a screw eye. The corn is twisted onto the screw and hangs in the middle of the rope.

Photo description: Rope tied from the bird feeder stand to to railing with an ear of dried corn hanging from the middle

The squirrels have figured out how to get one kernel at a time off, but prefer the birdseed. We have a four squirrel family, so maybe one will figure this out while the others are gorging on seed.