Yearly Archives: 2012

Candlewicking…say what?

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If you think candlewicking has anything to do with candles, you’re justifiably a bit confused!  Let me explain.

During the Colonial days, settlers didn’t have the money or the means to get the fine fabrics of the time. So, being resourceful pioneers, they created their own fine fabric using a form of embroidery, the Colonial Knot and a backstitch. Instead of normal thread, they used a soft spun cotton thread, which at the time was used for the wicks of candles. Thus, Candlewicking was born!

photo credit pins and needles

Candlewicking is a form of whitework embroidery that traditionally uses an unbleached cotton thread on a piece of unbleached muslin. It gets its name from the nature of the soft spun cotton thread (which was braided then used to form the wick for candles). Motifs are created using a variety of traditional embroidery stitches as well as a tufted stitch. Colonial Knots and French Knots are used primarily tone-on-tone color scheme to embroider a design usually taken from nature – flowers, insects, pine trees –  and other traditional motifs resembling Pennsylvania Dutch or Colonial American designs.

A French Knot is formed by wrapping the floss two or more times around the needle. A Colonial Knot is similar; it is formed by using several strands of floss. The floss is wrapped around the needle only once. The terms French Knot and Colonial Knot are often used interchangeably even though they are slightly different.

You might recognize this type of stitching from your grandmother’s house on a pillow or bedspread. That’s all candlewicking!

photo courtest Nessy Designs

So, you know I’m NuTz  (o.O) about: 1) my sheepies… and 2) my needle felted ‘bumpy’ sheep! Well… candle.wick.sheep. are bumpy too!

I’ve been stitch’n up lots of bumpy sheep!!!

Lavender-filled sachets.

‘EWE-nique’ jar toppers.

One-of-a-kind sheepy gift tag/label…  I know. I got carried away! But, you get the idea!

HOW-TO:

You’ll need cotton candlewicking yarn (or embroidery floss), cotton muslin (or tea towel, child’s bib, whatever fabric to stitch your needle work), an embroidery needle (remember, the eye of the needle has to be large enough for several strands of ‘yarn’). An embroidery hoop may help, but not necessary.

Begin by centering your image/pattern on your fabric. HINT: Cute little rubber stamps work too! Begin your first stitch from the back side and continue to make ‘knots’ to outline or completely fill-in your image/pattern.

Stitch away.

I added my sheep’s legs, face, etc with black floss, satin stitch. But, you could just draw them in with a black fabric pen. Use your imagination!

I think this would be a nice ‘craft’ project for kids too! Who knew stitch’n ‘knots’ could be so much fun!

Resist Felting

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I can’t resist the opportunity to felt…

MORE.FELTED.SOAP.  BAM! o.O

…more sheep

Red is my fav color. (some have ‘X’ & ‘O’ on the back-side).

Lavender – a fav w/gardeners.

And a mish mash of flowers & stuff.

Groovy!

a bloom’n garden.

But, THESE are my most fav.

Ying & Yang.

I REALLY like the BLACK felt soap!!!! Yowzer! They’re both destined for the KNIT MICHIGAN event/a donation for cancer research. I’ll wrap/box them up real pretty!

This was my kitchen table earlier today… a work in progress. The banner now hangs in the shop window at Heritage Spinning & Weaving.

…a busy day!

Scrappy Sheep Ornie

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Anyone who visits, knows that I have a ‘thing’ for my sheepies. In all fairness, I love my goaties just as much – and really need to do MORE STUFF with a goat theme! lol

I don’t know where this week has gone? Just kind of flew by… I’ve been busy, but don’t seem to have much to show for it! (I’ve been working on another 3 dozen ‘soap in sheep’s clothing’ (aka felted soap!).

I’m hoping, even if you don’t have a ‘thing’ for sheep, you might take away some ideas/inspiration and apply it to your own ‘thing-y’ WHATEVER that may be?!

I’ve been hopelessly smitten by St. Valentine’s Day bUg  since our XMas decorations came down.  I made a few more ♥-shaped ornies.

You don’t have to be a serious scrap-booker to make these ornies. I was actually re-organizing a drawer of bits  when I found some wood heart cut-outs (available at most craft stores). You could make ANY shape ornie from card stock.

I decided to use book pages from an old romance novel (it seemed apropos) and stained/aged them with coffee. (To give a vintage look to paper, spritz with a strong solution of instant coffee; place the paper on parchment paper in the oven on the lowest setting to dry. Once dry, you can iron the paper if you’re planning on running it through the printer.) Or, you could use sheet music or any decorative craft/wrapping paper.

Trace the heart onto the paper and cut it out… I also stamped a sheep onto the paper. Next, apply a coat of Mod Podge or dilute white craft glue to the wood heart and neatly place the paper onto the surface. Carefully smooth and remove any air bubbles. Apply another thin coat to the surface of the paper to seal.

Now comes the fun part… you can decorate with trim, lace, bits of this and that, buttons, glitter! Whatever suits your fancy. I used tissue paper hearts, bits of paper lace doily, pink sequins, ribbon and vintage lace. (I decorated front & back.)

I used ‘letters’ cut out from old magazines for little messages: love, ewe, bliss, etc.  Some I cut and pasted; others, I used packaging tape to transfer the ink image from a magazine page onto my ornie.

I wanted simple & prim: ornie, gift tag, garland… for the sheep lover & fiber enthusiast.

I drilled a hole at the top and added a piece of twine to hang! I think this would be a fun project for the kids too!

Dream Pillows

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Dream Pillows: Aromatherapy Part II ~ continued.

Dream pillows have been made for hundreds of years, dating back to the days when herbs were believed to have magical powers. Fragrance unlocks pleasant memories that play out in our dreams in a most delightful way. Dream pillows ~ or comfort pillows ~ are used for inducing sleep and vivid dreams. They were often used in the sickroom to ease the nightmares that may come with medicine and the smells of illness. Tucked into your regular pillowcase, the subtle scents that emanate from a small dream pillow will aid in better sleep and more lucid dreams, perhaps summoning long-hidden memories.

Scents do evoke memories, especially florals, perhaps of childhood days when there wasn’t a care in the world. Since everyone’s sense of smell is different, you really must experiment with different plant materials to find your preferences. Most everyone likes lavender, and makes a nice relaxing base scent for a sleep bag. Other herbs may cause more action packed dreams!  For the frequent traveler, herbal dream blends are meant to give quiet rest, a familiar scent and peacefulness to inspire confidence and ensure the fullest enjoyment of the trip. Make one for yourself prior to a vacation or business trip!

The healing energies of aromatic herbs and flowers are designed to:

  • Reduce stress
  • Nurture your creative spirit
  • Inspire romantic thoughts
  • Increase mental clarity and awareness

Here’s a listing of commonly used pillow herbs:

chamomile – relaxation, pleasant dreams
balsam fir needles – relaxing, soothing
dill – comes from Norse word “dilla” meaning ‘to lull’, helps one to fall asleep
hops- relaxation, pleasant dreams , strong scent
sage – “helps dreams come true”
thyme – to bring dreams of fairies
orange peel – protected and safe feelings
sweet woodruff – protection from nightmares and bad thoughts of others.
lavender- eases headaches, promotes psychic cleansing
marjoram – healthy thoughts
mints – adds vividness and alert feelings to dreams.
rose – loving thoughts, can be exotic or even erotic
rosemary – keeps away bad dreams.
red clover – prosperity
lemon grass – prophetic dreams
mugwort – for remembering dreams, vivid dreams
damiana – sensual dreams, aphrodisiac
patchouli – sensual, erotic, aphrodisiac, haunting
leather scraps – wild west dreams, action and excitement

Some herbs to avoid: chamomile for people prone to allergies, other sages, tansy, and artemisias may cause nightmares.

Dream pillows are easy to make with little effort. A simple muslin bag works well as a sleep or dream bag to tuck inside your pillowcase. You can make prettier pillows (or sachets) with floral fabric, lace and ribbons, vintage buttons, hand-stamped messages, and so on… to set on the bed as both decoration and mood setting.

The following recipes will help to get you started. The muslin bags should be filled about 1/2 way with herb mixture so that they will flatten in your pillowcase.

Restful Sleep
1/2 part hops
1 part marjoram
1/2 part linden
12 part orange granules
1 part lavender
1 part chamomile

Relaxing Sleep
1/2 part catnip
1 part lavender
1 part mugwort

Lovely Dreams
1 part mugwort
1/2 part roses
1/2 part chamomile
1/2 part lavender
1/4 part peppermint

Explore your own fav custom herbal ‘recipe’ blend… and ♥ sweet ♥ dreams!

Mini FAUX Lambskin Rug

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Not to worry… no harm was done to any sheep or lambs during the writing of this post!!

Say ‘hello’ to my mini lambskin sheepy ‘rug’.

I’ve wet felted several of these little splayed sheepies over time… and have one in my farm shop (my prototype) that I use to display small hand-made ceramic sheep figures. In fact, I have made them so small that they can easily fit into a Christmas greeting card  ~ world’s smallest sheepskin rug ~ that I’ve gifted to fiber friends.

THIS little sheepy rug measures approx 8 1/2 X 11 – inches.

A few weeks ago, a lady requested if I’d make her one of these little sheepskin ‘rugs’ for her 90-ish year old mother who is suffering from a rare blood cancer. Naturally, I said “yes”!

Well, Carolina dropped by the shop rather unexpectedly just this past Tuesday! YIKES!! I hadn’t even begun to THINK about making the little sheepy rug with all the holiday happenings! Thank God, she didn’t come to tell me that her mom passed-away!!!

How-To:

I used my North Country Cheviot wool batt and began with several alternating layers (north/south)… leaving the edges a bit ‘rough’ and in the shape (legs, front & rear/tail end) as if it were a sheepskin pelt. Sorry folk, that’s farm life!

Once I was satisfied with my ‘layout’,  I began the initial felting process. I used a kitty litter (clean) pan to contain the water, alternating hot & cold water w/a wee squirt of Dawn dish soap added to the hot water. I like to use a bamboo place mat to help with the agitation, remember to alternate directions – shrinkage occurs in the direction you’re working the piece.

Towel blot and allow to air-dry. Then came all the tedious work of needle felting all those little ‘tufts’ of fleece… remember, I LIKE lots of texture! My bumpy sheep is kind-of my trademark. Last, I added a few details to the face!

…and there you have it!

I was told by Carolina, that she actually wants to frame the sheepie and add a Bible Scripture verse around the perimeter of the sheep.

Very nice.

Fragrance – One of Nature’s Greatest Gifts

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A Cursory Overview: Aromatherapy 101

Aromatherapy is the art of using fragrance or scent to achieve a physiological effect – elevated moods, relaxation, energizing – healing the body and mind.

source: theveryessence.com

How Does “Smell” Work?

Our ability to smell is estimated to be 10,000 times more sensitive than taste. A scent travels chemical pathways to a section of the brain called the limbic system. Olfactory receptors send messages to the brain which triggers memories and emotions. Some scents have the ability to gear-up glands to increase hormone production. Less understood are effects on enhancing immune system, healing wounds, relieving nausea, etc. Also, fragrance makes a major contribution to the taste of food.

Scent Source – What Are Essential Oils?

They’re not an “oil”. Rather, they’re a concentrated volatile essence of plants, flowers, or trees obtained through evaporation or distillation.  Essential oils work by being absorbed by your skin which is the largest organ of your body. They may also be inhaled via your lungs into your bloodstream. While every essential oil has a specific purpose/effect, they’re not always achieved by everyone who uses them.

Precautions and Safety Information

  • Respect the use of essential oils; they are very concentrated – less is best!
  • Use essential oils externally only!
  • Always dilute essential oils in a carrier or base oil before using.
  • Some oils may cause irritation, burning or photosensitivity. Test your skin’s sensitivity.
  • Some essential oils may affect medications you may be taking or physical conditions, such as pregnancy, prone to seizures, high blood pressure, etc. Consult your physician!

Storage Tips

Store essential oils in dark glass bottles away from light and heat. Plastic may deteriorate over time. Label properly and keep out of reach of children and pets. Protect the surface of fine furniture.

Suggested Uses of Essential Oils

  • Massage Oils
  • Bath Salts       
  •  Lotions/Topical Applications
  • Diffusers
  • Scented Candles
  • Potpourri/Simmering Pots
  • Facial Steam
  • Compress

Commonly Used Carrier or Base Oils

Carrier oils are used as a dilutant for essential oils since essential oils should not be used “neat”, or applied directly to the skin (lavender and tea tree are a few exceptions). Not all carrier oils can be used as 100% of your base oil. Do your homework and select appropriate oil for the intended use.

Apricot Kernel – Good for all skin types; can be used 100% – normally used at 10-50% base.

Avocado – Useful for eczema or dry skin; heavy/thick, use 10-25% of base oils.

Castor Oil – Good for chapped, dry skin, massage; dissolves in water; 10-100% of base.

Coconut Oil – Long shelf life, does not clog pores; irritant to some people; use 10-50%.

Olive Oil – Use for hair/nail care, cosmetics; helpful for inflamed skin. Has a distinct natural odor; 10-50% base solution.

Grapeseed Oil – Good for all skin types; absorbed easily into skin. Slightly astringent properties; tones & tightens skin. Can be used at 100% of the base oil.

Jojoba – Actually a liquid wax  & yellow in color obtained from the jojoba bean. Good for all skin types and closest to natural sebum. Quickly absorbed by skin; soothing for inflamed skin, psoriasis or dermatitis. May help in the treatment of acne; anti-oxidant properties. Used as 10-100% of base oil.

Sunflower Seed – Good for all skin types and easily available. Especially good for bruises, cradle cap, diaper rash. Easily absorbed and little or no natural odor. Can be used as 100%.

Sweet Almond Oil – Pale yellow in color; good for all skin types. Help relieve itching, dryness, inflammation & soreness. Non-penetrating, used in massage as 100% base.

Wheat Germ Oil – Yellowish oil good for all skin types except those w/wheat allergy; 10-30% base.

There’s so much more to explore…wishing you whole wellness!