Wednesday, January 20, 2016

full circle


I used my biggest mixing bowl as a template for the January moon and then basted it onto a well-worn white quilt. The quilt is the canvas for full circle, my 2016 moon stitch ritual. I am repairing the quilt here and there as well -- by the time all 13 moons have been sewn on, it will have been transformed into something totally different. It's still on the bed so when I work on it, I literally have to go back to bed. Sort of awkward but it's so big that leaving it there might be the best option.


One little Quilty 365 moon square from plant-dyed cotton each day is good medicine -- a small accomplishment that also calms and grounds me.


 It definitely looks like the year of the full circle.


I have been consumed with devising a new food plan for our two pups. Over the years, I've gone back and forth with various natural foods for them -- always ending up with what I had time for, which was high-quality dry kibble with a little fresh here and there. But with one turning 12 soon, I decided to venture back into a natural, mostly raw, diet for them. A calcium supplement is advised for the days without raw meaty bones and wouldn't you know, eggshells can be made into a good source of calcium (not just for dogs -- for the soil and people, too, although I have never taken it). Here's how.


Rinse out the inside of the eggshell, let dry and save in a jar until you have enough to make it worth turning the oven on. Bake the eggshells for 10 minutes at 300 degrees. When cool enough to handle, grind in a coffee/spice grinder until fine. One teaspoon is about 1800 milligrams of calcium.


I used this book as my guide.


Our two dogs can and do eat entire raw eggs, shells and all...just not every day. 


The grocery store had a deal on bouquets of eucalyptus and I immediately thought of Nat and India Flint and their success with using eucalyptus for dyeing and eco-printing. My experience has been the opposite, failure after failure. It must be our water. But this cotton has also been scoured, hope that makes a difference.


Eucalyptus is one of Earth's oldest healers. I wish I knew more about its many healing qualities, but not being native to my location I know very little about it aside from its antiseptic value and its ability to clear congestion. Even so, the ancient fragrance of eucalyptus awakens something deep within me. And I can almost remember...

14 comments:

  1. I am enthralled by your moon stitching ... July of 2012 and 2013, and September 2015 were favorites. Thank you for linking to them!

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  2. your moon block is beautiful,, our daughter grinds egg shells to put in her dogs food and so does our son, he makes his own food for his dogs but I'm not quite sure what he puts in it,,
    I would love to find some eucalyptus , what a find!!
    I hang it on our shower head so it smells up the shower when we shower but its hard to find it in this northern town, a blogging friend of mine does work with plants and fabric printing, she gives work shops all over the world, it is an amazing craft,,

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  3. when i saw your first image, i thought it was a wheat tortilla. i guess i had food on my mind. i have dyed with eucalyptus that was gifted to me but never had luck with the euc you buy dried locally. i've been told it's treated with something that prevents the dye process. hope you have good luck. there are no eucalyptus trees anywhere near here....just not the right climate.

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  4. I'm liking seeing these moons...and going back to see all on the old moon-work. I've been here enjoying them all along :) I'd forgotten about the one in 2013 from the vintage family napkin I sent you. That was fun to see & remember!
    We have enough eucalyptus around here for all of you!! It sure does smell good, but some of the streets are lined with them and the bark can be so dangerous if it falls off as you drive by!

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  5. I love eucalyptus and it is actually quite easy to grow (Eucalyptus Cinerea-Silver dollar). Some winters I've had it die completely but usually it just dies back to the ground and sprouts again like any other perennial. I've had success making eco prints on silk but not much luck with cotton. Most summers I make a infused oil to use as a body oil but mainly I use it in a kettle on the woodstove and for facial steams. Thanks for the tip on using egg shells!

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  6. Hi Peggy, Eucalyptus fibers have to really break down to release their color. Boil/simmer it hard for awhile, that seems to work for me. I also leave it in a plastic bag for a week with something heavy on it before washing it out.
    Your full moon ritual is a wonderful idea for this year. The quilt will be especially meaningful when finished. I also love your daily moon ritual. Can there really be too many moon rituals? I don't think so:) I'll be thinking of you Saturday night quilting under the full moon.

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  7. Ops, also steaming it real hard to break down the fibers works great.

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  8. with chickens on my mind, imagine the happy surprise of seeing
    egg shells! Tay snacks on them from the compost.
    and needing to go back to bed to stitch..love this....big SMILE

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  9. Ive used the long narrow leafed eucalyptus to dye with but it may have more to do with the mordant you've used?
    Alum is probably the best but amazingly an iron nail, salt, vinegar, they all give differing results.
    It is possible that particular euc isn't clever to dye with and it may not be you at all!
    Will have a look in my Eco Dyeing India Flint book an see if its mentioned.
    I'm in hard water area too and have had good results but as I say with a different species/

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  10. OH and I adore the circles, do remember to take t e needles and pins out before bedtime !!

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  11. I love that you are "taking your work to bed with you." :~) Your hand dyed pieces do make the most wonderful moons. I smiled when I read "The ancient fragrance of eucalyptus awakens something deep within me." There was a time when I had sprigs of dried eucalyptus stuck into almost every basket.

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  12. A mixing bowl moon…well, that's just grand!

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  13. I do appreciate the abundant of Eucalyptus we have here. Thanks for the mentioned me along side IF! I definitely going to make some of those moon squares. "Moon and I", yes that's what I will call it! Thanks again for inspiration! Hugs Nat

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  14. Hi everyone, thank you so much for your comments and sharing your experiences with eucalyptus -- I think I might have pulled a little color out of the leaves but won't know for sure for a few weeks or as long as I can hold out.

    I also appreciate your taking a look at my moon stitcheries -- thank you! xoxo



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