Authentic 60's Caftan

A neighbor some years ago was not well. I kept her company and
helped her out. We had an interest in sewing and needlecrafts in common.
To thank me, and also glad to find
someone who would value the work,
she gave me a few unfinished projects that she no longer could finish.
Now I have a little time and I am cleaning out
the cluttering piles in my workroom.
I found this authentic 60's Family Circle Magazine craft kit.
She had completed the embroidery and beading
but never cut out al the pieces or sewed it.

Now it is done!

Beads, Nuts and Knitting

Becky Beads
The Yellow one sold at Spencertown

This sold at Spencertown Academy

I have been fairly busy of late getting jewelry ready for the Handmade Holiday sale at the Spencertown Academy

Knitting

My gossamer shawl - I have written more details on my Ravelry page:

 Black Walnuts

 I spent from 1 pm to 7 pm with few breaks
(ha ha no pun intended).
First I pre-cracked the nuts
using the vise in the cellar workshop
then had to use
the wire cutters to pry the meats out.
Milos joined me at about 5:30
so that we could finish up and eat dinner.
We had 2 and a half gallons
of the nuts in hard shells to do,
and ended up with approx. 4 mason jars
of nut meats.
I roasted the meats for 15 minute at 265 degrees
 before packing (smelled wonderful!).
 Note bottom of photo the perfect half:
this happened only three times during the effort.
 Mostly the pieces broke up.

Angelic Acrobats

Felted figures with inner wires for pose-ability - to honor Art Clokey

Crafts at Hancock Shaker Village

Projects at Hancock Shaker Village this October:

Needle Felted Christmas Tree Topper Angel Early Stages of Completion

Angel Complete 

Basket Woven by Kathy V. 

Weaving in Sisters' Shop

The Flowers Attend the Wedding

Gina waiting for her turn as Jean descends to the alter
Looking on left to right Simon on Guitar playing
his own arrangement of All you Need is Love
Milos (Father-in-Law and Father),
Aunt Kate, Cousin Palmer ( back of head),
Aunt Sarah, Cousin Hope, Aunt Emily

Gina's bouquet includes
Several Varieties of Dahlia,
Lisianthus - purple, soft pink with dark center,
All That Jazz Rose - vermilion red
Lime Zinnia

The Vows

The Alter

The Bridesmaids: Cynthia, Rachel, Amy, Stefanie, Jean, Olivia

One of the reception areas.
The colorfully attired group is the 80's band
that provided the dance music.

The Flowers at the Wedding Site BEFORE

I forgot to take a photo of the flowers crowded into the van.
Here are the first of many buckets unloaded
into the room where we did the conditioning on Saturday
and the arrangements on Sunday.

Flowers in garage out of sun to condition over night

Flowers waiting for attention

Morning crew wiring Double Click Cosmos stems

Bride on right appreciates all the activity on her behalf
by her bridesmaids

Bouquets and arrangements almost done -
Some of the wedding day flower crew
We had to be out of the
space by noon
to make room for the caterer

Bridesmaids' bouquets depart for delivery to the bridesmaids


more photos of wedding prep by On A Roll Photography

Flowers and Foliage from Friends

It's so great to have friends that have great flowers and foliage:

Dahlias from Rita and Peter

Hydrangeas from Sue, Russell, Rita and Peter
awaiting their hot vinegar treatment

In cellar storage the Hydrangeas and Dahlias joined by:
Artemisia, Yarrow, Mint, Sedum, Garlic Chive
and a mystery "Visiting Plant" all from Sue and Russell

another view - in cold storage in the cellar before lights out

Final Stretch Wedding Flowers

Before

After

Check out this link to see how to make a wedding bouquet:

Very well done short video on making a Wedding Bouquet

Final Week Begins

Getting ready for Hurricane Irene. I have my fingers crossed the plants will still be standing after the high
winds blow through. If they don't here is at least proof that I got the plants this far.

Jerusalem Artichoke will be in the wedding flowers too.
The yarn is for tying plant tops to help resist bending in high storm winds.

Dahlias doing well stored in dark cellar space, proving
they can safely be picked three days ahead
of zero hour as long as I do the drill. I set them to condition
in cold water at least two hours, then heat the stem bases
in boiling water and then put them
in water mixed with Floragard
(less than the instructions on the bottle suggest however).

Wedding decorations coming out of the studio: I LOVE BUNTING!

The first year our peach tree bore fruit -
what a fitting good omen for the wedding,
the colors of which revolve around peach!

Peach tree harvest in before the hurricane.

Note: Monday August 29 Hurricane Damage Assessment
I checked the garden this morning. Two large Dahlia stalks were broken at the base and some of the Cosmos Sonata Mix had to be pulled up from the roots and removed due to broken stems, browning and rot. Four Otto's Thrill Dahlias were bent over and needed retying. The Zinnias looked sad and a bit brown about the gills. The soil was very wet and muddy, but luckily we have black plastic and ground cloth which really mitigated the mud problem. Overall, I am very pleased and relieved that the damage was so minimal. All plants for the most part are standing and look green and strong. The Cosmos get the lowest score  - they really don't like to be so wet.