At Last, I'm Prepared

When I was a kid, the rationale my father always used when asked "WHY do I have to clean up my room?" was that the queen might be coming for tea. I grew up with the notion (probably not unusual in the colonies) that Queen Elizabeth was taken to randomly dropping in on her subjects, and that one must always be prepared to welcome her royal personage at any given time.

Forty years later, my housekeeping skills haven't really improved, but I now feel totally confident that I could welcome Liz at a moment's notice. I found this incredible hand-embroidered Coronation tablecloth at the thrift store the other day. It is indeed a tour de force.

It doesn't look as if it was ever used. Same old story - too precious. And I guess Her Highness never dropped in.

I can't decide whether to give it to the next monarchist I meet, or to put it on EBay. Or maybe to keep it on hand, just in case.

New Photo

My new profile photo was prompted by my friend Kathy, who said she didn't recognize me in the other one. This new one was taken on the deck of the pub last summer - and since it appears that I have something stuck in my teeth, I'm sure looks very much like me, even with the incognito sunglasses!

Dyepot Tuesday

Some of us got together on Tuesday for a natural dyeing workshop. We tried a few local plants that are reputed to give colour (horsetail, blackberry shoots) that were insipid. Better results were obtained from alder shoots, nettle and lichen. Great results were achieved with onion skins, madder, rhubarb root, and of course the magical indigo.

A real surprise were the colours Lucas was able to achieve on raffia and leather. Above is one of his tiny baskets dyed with indigo - it has been taking a long time to oxidize. The cloth below it is a (formerly ivory) rayon top I got from the Free Store and gave a few dips in the indigo pot.

Also above, Gwen brought several skeins of her handspun and got a lovely array of colour.

I'm now preparing for an embroidery workshop at the Arts Centre - part of the island's Arts and Culture Week.