Take Note!

I am not dead or sick,  I have not left the country.  I have been busy "making" and - I forgot to post anything for a whole week! 
Several scarves have been woven this week.  But yesterday and today, I worked on notebook covers. These quilted covers for composition books are a really nice "upgrade" to the rather plain notebooks.

Here are the four I just finished.

They are all filled with a composition book that is similar to this one.

You have probably seen some similar to this in your local stores.  They are easy to find. That makes it really easy to slip off the cover and move it to a new notebook when one fills up. 

I decided to open each and show you the full cover. 

This photo blurred-sorry. But you can see the quilting on it and the design. 

This one started with the horse embroidery that I designed a few years ago. I had a the design sewn out on the burgundy fabric, so I just built the cover around it. 

The main part of this one is a piece of my hand woven fabric. 

Surely you notice that it is not symmetrical. On the right of the woven fabric, that last bit is a paper yarn that I was playing with. it has been washed and holds up nicely. I decided to make this one a bit more artistic and wild, so I left the odd shape rather than trimming the woven fabric. 

This one is a study in blues with a bit of added purple and yellow for contrast. I think it looks a bit like a landscape on the front cover (right side of the photo.) 

Hopefully, I will get photos of the newer scarves made in the next few days to share with you. My mojo/muse has been really kicking this last couple of weeks.  I love to be this excited about creating.

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Two Finishes

This weekend brought about two happy finishes.  I am going to show them in reverse order.  The second finish was a small project on my rigid heddle loom.  This is another light and airy scarf that is so different in appearance from the other three that I have made so far.  I used the colors of the ocean and the islands of the Caribbean.  There are several sparkly threads that run throughout the length of this piece although they do not show well in the photograph.

A bit of the sparkle shows up in this photo but  it is a bit more showy in person. 

As you can see, it will pair beautifully with a simple black dress or blouse. 

The first finish was the blue patchwork notebook cover.  Since you have seen the patchwork already, I didn't want to show it first.

Here it is in all its glory. 

Front of the closed notebook

Opened showing the inside pocket

Opened face-down- showing the full outside of the cover.

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in posts may be affiliate links for which I am compensated if you click through and purchase.

Starting Another Notebook

It is time I get back into sewing mode.  This morning I pieced some handwoven fabric with some quilting cotton to make a pinwheel block.

It is shown sitting on top of a very similar blue fabric -although I am not sure it is exactly the same.  I will border it with this blue and then piece together the rest of the outer cover with quilting fabrics. Once quilted I will assemble it and have yet more more in my "for sale" pile.   While these are the for the Holiday Faire in November, I would certainly be more than happy to sell them before then. To some degree, I will custom design and make one on request.  I sell these with the notebook already in place although these "Marble Composition Book" notebooks are readily available in most US markets. It is easy to replace the notebook and continue to use the cover for years.  Here are some examples of covers I have made.

Each one has a pocket inside the front cover for a pen or other small items.

 The labels say "Gene Black Creations" and also have my website address on the reverse side.

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in posts may be affiliate links for which I am compensated if you click through and purchase.

Weaving Scarves

After finishing the cloth that was on my loom, I decided to make some scarves.  Specifically,  I wanted to make some light airy scarves that would be suitable for all year wear.   Here in Alabama, the "warm scarf" season can be short.
After putting enough warp on my loom to weave three scarves, I started weaving.  I soon realized that I didn't particularly care for the bright yellow thread that I had put in the warp.  {Warp: threads that run lengthwise throughout a piece of fabric.}  But I kept weaving.
The first scarf was woven with shades of red fibers. Most of the fiber in these scarves is synthetic as I used a lot of novelty yarn to add a lacy delicateness to the finished product.  But the yellow and some of the red that I wove into the first scarf was cotton. 

The second scarf was woven in all black yarn/thread.  And the third was woven with a novelty yarn that is a shiny red/green/gold variegated thread.

Here are the three hanging outside on my makeshift clothesline that I mainly use for drying my cotton rugs.

You may notice that the one on the right is decidedly different. Here is the secret.  While I was still weaving the second scarf, I wrapped a small skein of the yellow thread that is in the warp.  What color it would be if I dyed it with red dye? I was seriously thinking orange.  But wonder of wonders, it turned this glorious shade of red.

So, while weaving the third scarf, I placed the first one (woven with red) into a red dye bath.  I love the result and am considering dyeing the scarf woven with black in red also.  OR I could do another sample of the yellow and see what a different color might do. I am considering purple- but since it is the complement of yellow, it could turn an ugly muddy color.  Still, it is all a grand experiment. Right?
Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in posts may be affiliate links for which I am compensated if you click through and purchase.