Yo-Yo Mania

Yo-Yo Mania, originally uploaded by confections.

My sister and I have discovered a brand-new tool by Clover which makes creating yo-yo's for quilting a simple process. We've both been quilters for over ten years, and have quite a stash of quilting fabrics to use in our yo-yo mania.

The set of Clover tools we've acquired is getting a major workout! My sister has a new handbag in mind for her steadily increasing number of yo-yo's. I haven't decided yet what I will do with mine, but I like the idea of making little brooches with them. I adorned one with a favorite faceted amazonite bead. We dipped into our stash of silk dupioni, too, and created some gleamy silk confections. I want to dip some of those into a dyebath and see what happens. I'll keep you posted.

Yellow Ware Bowl Full of Ragamuffin Yarn

Yellow Ware Bowl Full of Ragamuffin Yarn, originally uploaded by confections.

Here is a batch of my handspun cotton Ragamuffin yarn photographed before I sent it off to a customer. There is lots of potential in this bowl. I'll be thrilled to see what she does with the yarn. I plan on using some in my stash to weave a rag rug.

I have a lovely cherrywood counterbalance floor loom that my sister and I found through our weaving guild nearly four years ago. It is perfect for weaving rugs. I haven't warped it yet, but I think a rag rug project will be great for the fall.

I'll gather some of my weaving friends and we'll have a warping party. I don't need too much provocation to plan a celebration of life's good things. The sun is in Leo, after all, and it's time to play!

Collectibles Collage

Collectibles Collage, originally uploaded by confections.

I am a collector of many things. I have Gemini at my midheaven, so I am known for my collections. I can't help it. I was born with this lovely affliction. Among the things I collect are books, tea pots, tea cups, sugars and creamers (really, all manner of tea accoutrement are fair game), Belleek, yarn, fabric, fiber, beads, baskets, buttons, sewing patterns, snails (they are my husband's and my totem animal), percussion instruments, jewelry, rubber stamps, stationery, scrapbooking items, photographs--whew! Many of the tools I collect pertain to my fiberarts--looms, spinning wheel, yarn skeiner, spindles, niddy-noddies, umbrella swifts. I'm sure there are a few more, but I'll stop the litany there. Collecting--it's what life's about!

The basket pictured below is one that I made at a workshop nearly four years ago. That was an addictive class. I may enroll in a basket-making class this fall to add to my ever-growing collection of Peterboro and other baskets. The class runs for six weeks at a time and you make a new basket each week. Sounds like a Gemini midheaven's dream-come-true!

Sunflower Joy

Sunflower, originally uploaded by confections.

The Dog Days of Summer are here, although it has been quite comfortable here in Southern California lately. Nothing says summer to me in such a playful way as a riotous sunflower bloom.

This one was part of a thickly planted patch in a local neighborhood that I spied while driving by. I could not resist stopping and documenting its beauty. If you look closely you can see a few bees enjoying its nectar.

During the last summer of my Dad's life (1991), he grew a spectacular sunflower in his garden in Pennsylvania which was easily twice the diameter of the center of this bloom (perhaps 12 inches to this one's 6). We had given him the seeds in the spring and he nurtured his prize with his secret fertilizer--gray water from the kitchen dishpan.

A few days after his untimely accidental death that September, we harvested the sunflower and kept the seeds. My sister fashioned a wire-wrapped charm bracelet for me that included one of the seeds.

My father reveled in nature and it is poignant to me that this last triumph in his garden yielded hollow seed-shells. That sunflower would not be replicated--an irony not lost on his children and family, who still feel his loss, but are uplifted and reminded of him when a sunflower shows its joyous face.

Collage of Fiberarts Tools in My Studio

Collage of Fiberarts Tools in My Studio, originally uploaded by confections.

Here is an array of equipment and tools from my fiber arts studio. In addition to my designated studio area at home, I can sometimes be found working in the yard, on my little porch, at a community center with a few of my fiber friends, or at my local Starbucks. My little bungalow is bursting at the seams with my fiber goodies!

Missing from this collage are the many volumes of books and magazines in my personal library. I'm gradually cataloging them all at LibraryThing.

Fiberarts are the answer.

Fourth of July Collage of Quilts

Fourth of July Collage of Quilts, originally uploaded by confections.

Happy Fourth of July to all of you in the USA!

I've been away from my blog for a while this spring taking care of family. My spring cleaning efforts brought these quilts to the surface during that time. Here is an array of American flags made using different types of quilting methods and embellishments: bargello, applique, colonial knots, blanket and stem stitch. There is a mystery lap quilt among these as well.

I hope you all have a lovely time today at family gatherings, picnics, parades, beaches, however you decide to celebrate Independence Day!

I was tagged a while back by Hobbyzu, and I promise to post my seven little known facts about myself soon and tag seven additional bloggers.