I've been stitching a little sunrise/sunset cloth -- the sun is berry-dyed silk, the river is Japanese indigo-dyed silk, the pink sky is a cotton square cut from one of my baby dresses...from when I was a baby. The mountains are calendar cloth. I don't feel like it's done yet but I'm taking a break. Funny how we can spend hours and hours on such tiny little things.
I got this wreath from Target because I thought it would match the curtains in the living room. And it does.
A year of brewing is long enough, don't you think? I think it was prettier in the jar than out of the jar.
The middle plant in the largest pot is a henna plant. It has grown so well and is about three or four feet tall. It will overwinter inside, hopefully I can keep it alive. The top right plant is patchouli and the bottom left is curry. There's also one small carob tree and a spicy scented geranium in the mix.
Here is the goji berry bush for which I still need to find a permanent home before winter. I find that fresh goji berries are not very tasty although the birds like them -- they are much better dried.
This is a deep sea flower dice bag on which mistakes were made but I'm not going to tink it.
Lots of onions overwintered from 2016's garden producing big, beautiful flower heads this past summer and some decent size onions as well.
I read that at one time in ancient Lemuria, onions made people cry tears of joy, that there was no need to be sad for the world. As civilization evolved, onions took on a different purpose, that of helping people to cry out the sadness that blocked joy -- and in turn their hearts would soften and they could experience greater clarity. I know how good it feels to experience tears of joy but don't think it's ever happened from peeling onions. Maybe I can change that.
I labeled the seeds Happy Tears Onion.
She's going to get a new outfit soon, probably a skirt and maybe a few accessories.
An October moon cloth that I stitched a few years ago as part of a moon & stitch ritual.
Tonight Talula and I will go out for our nightly stroll, first the front yard, then the back. We'll see the full moon, listen for night sounds and make absolutely sure there are no rabbits around. Then we'll come inside to hang the moon cloth and light a candle. And I'll wish for times of joy.
xx
Almost 1 Am dear Peggy and I stumbled upon your blog while trying to eliminate a bout a hundred unnecessary taps that accumulated over much too much time and they are impeding my journey HOWEVER, I'm so glad I did !!! The beauty and clarity of your photographs and words just lifted me out of the vortex I was immersed in. What a lovely life. AND this had me wishing for a copy to tack on my wall:
ReplyDeleteI read that at one time in ancient Lemuria, onions made people cry tears of joy, that there was no need to be sad for the world. As civilization evolved, onions took on a different purpose, that of helping people to cry out the sadness that blocked joy -- and in turn their hearts would soften and they could experience greater clarity. I know how good it feels to experience tears of joy but don't think it's ever happened from peeling onions. Maybe I can change that."
What is in that jar brewed for a year if I may ask?
ReplyDeleteYour October Moon cloth is a thing of great beauty ... I especially like it photographed against a black background
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a better wish Peggy! Everything here fills me and I love your unique plants.
ReplyDeleteOops...and that little bag! Love it!
ReplyDeletelovely blog post, first time at your site, love the dried onion flowers, your work is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh, what beautiful flowers, onions make!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, for sharing your knowledge, as always.
Gentle hugs,
Luna Crone
And I join my question, with the other commenter's...
ReplyDeleteThe steeped-for-a-year item? Tea perhaps...? :-)
Gentle hugs,
Luna Crone
wish that I could stroll with you and Talula around the yard... see the glow of your face in the interior after lighting a candle to joy. ach. I know I say this a lot, but your photos and the evidence of your rituals and garden -- are a balm for the soul. thank you.
ReplyDeleteHello Peggy! Such a lovely post. I like to look at blogs or Pinterest right before bed. Your blog always leaves me feeling calm, but inspired. I like the little (is it a folded box?) that your lovely stitching is in. It looks like a pattern I tried for folding boxes for a project I was working on. I have downloaded the little bag pattern, and will give it a whirl when I finish the socks I'm currently, and very tired of, knitting. The bag is so cute, and would make some nice little gifts with "happy's" inside. The onion info from you and your readers is very interesting and magical. Visits here are always a treat!
ReplyDeletexo
dulcy
Beautiful cloths bookending another nurturing post, especially love the sunrise/sunset cloth, with it's special cloths and the lovely table background. & I can't believe you made it a year! I don't have the patience for dying cloth.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, your lovely sharings here and on your blog always bring beauty and goodness into my life so I'm glad I could offer something in return. I too loved that about the onions...
ReplyDeleteJardzy and Luna Crone -- that was a 1/2 gallon that I saved from a larger dye-bath of red (and some bright pink & orange) zinnia flowers last summer (2016). It was an experiment from start to finish, growing red zinnias from seed for the purpose of dyeing with them...we had lots of zinnias!
ReplyDeleteLiz, thank you so much! The October moon cloth is one of my very favorites from that year-long project. I might duplicate it sometime to give as gifts to fellow All Hallows lovers...we'll see!
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy, thank you -- the plants were a pleasure to get to know...the henna's dropping a lot of leaves so not sure how that's going to fly. Maybe I'll see if dried henna leaves offer color to silk or wool, I have been meaning to research that for weeks and weeks. Hope you are safe and well.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, thank you and welcome, so glad you came by -- and yes, those onion flowers were the standouts of this year's garden, 4-5' (or more) tall and sturdy as heck, as well.
ReplyDeleteLuna Crone, so glad you liked it...I know, aren't they something? It's thrilling to me to know that the common garden onion is such a beautiful, helpful and mystical plant. That was a zinnia dye-bath from last year's zinnias, mostly red!
ReplyDeleteOh Dee, thank you so much. That is a lovely image -- us walking together, sharing magic in the night...
ReplyDeleteHi Dulcy and thank you! The little box is one of many that I've been mindlessly decoupaging with bits and pieces of old book pages. I have accumulated many tiny stitched cloths that need holders of some sort, they are really too small for frames even...it's an idea I've seen around (probably on pinterest or instagram at night--I do that too!). An origami version would be wonderful, as well, that's something to try out. Enjoy knitting the bag!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hazel, you well know the workings of sewing tiny stories! This blue & pink is my interpretation of a 2 of Swords tarot card -- so far.
ReplyDeleteWell, I pretty much just forgot about the dye for most of that year so no patience was involved, I only had to wait a few weeks to make it to the one-year mark. If I cleaned out my cupboards, I'd probably find more jars! :)
Love your October moon cloth, I enjoyed our year of moon cloths! Your blog is so thought provoking, I always enjoy it.
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ReplyDeleteGreat information. Lucky me I discovered your site by chance
(stumbleupon). I've book-marked it for later!