New stitching thoughts, Ash and Alabama Chanin

 I was out this morning,redraping the morning glory foliage, now climbing all over after I removed it from the Japanese maple

Then noticed yet again the lovely leaf shape. 

Between watching Ash on YouTube recreate a leaf dress, large leaf shapes hanging from a tunic, jury's out, and  today's MDK newsletter talking about the upcoming Alabama Chanin hand stitched appliqued clothing workshop, often using natural leaf forms, I was ready for this.

So I used the herb garden as a design source, all the leaves so different and purposeful.

This is the spice bush next to the herbs

and zinnia leaves.

I'm going to pick samples of each, create stencils and silhouettes from the shapes, the cut outs becoming the silhouettes. I'll use them for sashiko embroidery,  and direct applique and reverse applique, maybe on new items, maybe applied to clothes I already have.  

You never know when ideas will get around and meet each other and result in cool new ideas. Baby ideas! Some of these new ideas may come to rest on that embroidered robe, with all sorts of embroidery already in place, reviving it, remember that?

So that's what happens when I'm starting one project I'm unsure about, another,  further along,  comes up. I'll finish threading the heddle for the rug, then get into weaving, which might be a fairly quick project.

I haven't been at my knitting group for a while, between hot weather and fridges, and find these days my tolerance for people has decreased. A few minutes is fine, but I get impatient with hearing the same things. 

I abandoned the discussion group at the other library once I realized people simply repeated the same points no matter where the topic started. And that some believed all sorts of unlikely things about politics. I felt disturbed, and thought I'd better preserve my peace of mind, rather than get enmeshed.

Maybe I'll return in September to the knitting folks, no rush. Meanwhile I am occupied. Handsome Son is visiting next Saturday for his birthday, finally. I did caution him that it's tea and dessert, my energy not being equal to more cooking in this weather, which seems fine by him.

Jane Parr, alternating with A Glass of Blessings, by Barbara Pym, is an odd reading program but it's working. I've read the Pym many times, never fails.

I'm st the end of season two of Suits, and wondering if I'm up for more seasons of conflict and high tension. I may need a hiatus!

Happy day, or hiatus, everyone.