Sunday, September 30, 2018
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Fall Colors
We went on vacation to the mountains, to see the beginning bloom of fall colors for the autumn equinox.
On the way up, the aspens were beginning to turn yellow... on the way back, they were significantly yellow with an orange blush! It was wonderful to literally watch the color change over 4 days. I collected several leaves to preserve.
The glycerin method.
1 part glycerin, 2 parts water, 1 week. It's supposed to keep most of the color, and leave the leaves supple and permanently preserved. I'm hoping to be able to use them for fall decorations.
Here's a photo, so I can compare colors in a week!
On the way up, the aspens were beginning to turn yellow... on the way back, they were significantly yellow with an orange blush! It was wonderful to literally watch the color change over 4 days. I collected several leaves to preserve.
The glycerin method.
1 part glycerin, 2 parts water, 1 week. It's supposed to keep most of the color, and leave the leaves supple and permanently preserved. I'm hoping to be able to use them for fall decorations.
Here's a photo, so I can compare colors in a week!
![]() |
Aspen leaves in glycerin. |
Thursday, September 20, 2018
GISH part 3, Item #134, Forest Bathing
Taking "forest bathing" literally.
The last GISH item I tackled was to take a photo of "shinrin-yoku," the Japanese art of forest bathing. It required a real tub, filled with leaves and pine needles, in a clearing in a forest.
My parents just so happened to have this fantastic claw-foot tub on their property, already in a clearing in their oak forest, and we only had to move it about 15-20 feet to get the perfect background. They took about 60 pictures combined!
You get more points in the scavenger hunt for things that are cool, funny, weird, or aesthetically pleasing. After much consultation with my GISH group, we decided the skull was vital, and settled on this pose:
Just the facts.
I've been asked how much I photoshopped this: not at all. Editing is against the GISH rules... it wasn't needed anyhow, because my dad is an awesome photographer!
The light was eerily dim because California was on fire, and smoke was blocking the sun. At least the smoke was very high in the air, so it wasn't affecting our lungs much at the time.
The pine needles, pine cones, and birch/ribbon headdress came from my house, while my brother donated the found deer skull, and we all shoveled leaves onto giant beach towels to lug over to the tub.
It was a LOT of leaves, enough that I almost could not move underneath them. It was a weighted, heated blanket that smelled of sun-baked decomposing oak and sent me into a near-meditative state. It was so deeply relaxing that I didn't even feel awkward doing a nude photo shoot!
The pictures turned out basically exactly how I had imagined them days before the shoot. There are so, so many outtakes... some funny, some serious. If you want to see more, lemme know.
I think the day affected my psyche.
The experience of being weighted down under fragrant oak leaves... it made me dream of this scene every night for 6 weeks straight. Except the deer was living and standing to the left, and in the place of the deer skull was a floating 4" ball of fire. It becomes dusk, and the deer and I wander around the forest while I hold the ball of fire to light the way.
Any dream interpreters out there who want to chime in with your insight?
I should write a bunch more about forest bathing.
The super short version is that my husband recently had me listen to a podcast about forest bathing and terpenes (specifically alpha-pinene and limonene), and how Japanese hinoki cypress terpenes affect the human body, and it led me down a rabbit hole of research.
From my "tree-hugging hippie scientist" point of view, forest bathing seems like the perfect blend of magic and science! I've ordered some of the proper terpene-rich essential oils, and will update later about my forest terpene experiments, but I'm hoping to at least partially replicate that invigorating-yet-serene sensation that lingers after camping in the woods.
I think I'll do GISH again!
I'm so glad that I joined a GISH team this year... thanks to the leader for inviting me! It happened on the tail end of an incredibly stressful and grief-filled month, so I didn't think I'd have the energy to participate at all, but luckily I was with a very chill group who didn't care that I only did 3 items off the scavenger hunt list. It ended up being so refreshing to do stuff that I never would have done otherwise.
The last GISH item I tackled was to take a photo of "shinrin-yoku," the Japanese art of forest bathing. It required a real tub, filled with leaves and pine needles, in a clearing in a forest.
My parents just so happened to have this fantastic claw-foot tub on their property, already in a clearing in their oak forest, and we only had to move it about 15-20 feet to get the perfect background. They took about 60 pictures combined!
You get more points in the scavenger hunt for things that are cool, funny, weird, or aesthetically pleasing. After much consultation with my GISH group, we decided the skull was vital, and settled on this pose:
![]() |
Forest bathing with my buddy |
Just the facts.
I've been asked how much I photoshopped this: not at all. Editing is against the GISH rules... it wasn't needed anyhow, because my dad is an awesome photographer!
The light was eerily dim because California was on fire, and smoke was blocking the sun. At least the smoke was very high in the air, so it wasn't affecting our lungs much at the time.
The pine needles, pine cones, and birch/ribbon headdress came from my house, while my brother donated the found deer skull, and we all shoveled leaves onto giant beach towels to lug over to the tub.
It was a LOT of leaves, enough that I almost could not move underneath them. It was a weighted, heated blanket that smelled of sun-baked decomposing oak and sent me into a near-meditative state. It was so deeply relaxing that I didn't even feel awkward doing a nude photo shoot!
The pictures turned out basically exactly how I had imagined them days before the shoot. There are so, so many outtakes... some funny, some serious. If you want to see more, lemme know.
I think the day affected my psyche.
The experience of being weighted down under fragrant oak leaves... it made me dream of this scene every night for 6 weeks straight. Except the deer was living and standing to the left, and in the place of the deer skull was a floating 4" ball of fire. It becomes dusk, and the deer and I wander around the forest while I hold the ball of fire to light the way.
Any dream interpreters out there who want to chime in with your insight?
I should write a bunch more about forest bathing.
The super short version is that my husband recently had me listen to a podcast about forest bathing and terpenes (specifically alpha-pinene and limonene), and how Japanese hinoki cypress terpenes affect the human body, and it led me down a rabbit hole of research.
From my "tree-hugging hippie scientist" point of view, forest bathing seems like the perfect blend of magic and science! I've ordered some of the proper terpene-rich essential oils, and will update later about my forest terpene experiments, but I'm hoping to at least partially replicate that invigorating-yet-serene sensation that lingers after camping in the woods.
I think I'll do GISH again!
I'm so glad that I joined a GISH team this year... thanks to the leader for inviting me! It happened on the tail end of an incredibly stressful and grief-filled month, so I didn't think I'd have the energy to participate at all, but luckily I was with a very chill group who didn't care that I only did 3 items off the scavenger hunt list. It ended up being so refreshing to do stuff that I never would have done otherwise.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
GISH part 2, Item #155: Spice Girl
The second GISH task I chose smelled pretty nice! Uh, until I added the dill at the end.
You could say I'm a spice lady.
One of the items for the scavenger hunt was to make a Spice Girl(s) portrait out of spices. Herbs are kind of my thing, and I have had a slight Mountain Rose Herbs addiction in the past. My spice cabinet is packed to the brim with quart mason jars of fragrant goodies... a kitchen witch's paradise!
I chose Ginger Spice, particularly because I had a lot of powdered ginger for skin color and dried ginger for hair. The most time-consuming part was just picking out the right pose and drawing it on a canvas board.
It took a while to get the technique down.
I tried out a few different methods, and doing a "paint by number" sort of thing with glue was the only one that really worked. Ginger does NOT just mix with other spices easily, it clings to the paintbrush in ever-growing chunks and causes lots of problems, as I discovered on my first try without glue:
The solution was to make a few blends of different skin/shadow colors with ginger, cinnamon, and beet powders. I glued all the powders in place before moving on to the chunkier spices. The glue permanently darkened everything a bit, particularly the beet powder in the skin blends and lips... it turned out quite different than I had expected, but still close enough to work!
This was the final shot, it looked best under the sunroom lights at night:
Afterward I put about a dozen layers of spray matte mod podge on it, which worked pretty well to preserve it, though the spices blew around a bit and darkened even more. Overall, I was pretty happy with how this turned out. It's been years since I drew or painted anything to completion!
Spices used:
You could say I'm a spice lady.
One of the items for the scavenger hunt was to make a Spice Girl(s) portrait out of spices. Herbs are kind of my thing, and I have had a slight Mountain Rose Herbs addiction in the past. My spice cabinet is packed to the brim with quart mason jars of fragrant goodies... a kitchen witch's paradise!
I chose Ginger Spice, particularly because I had a lot of powdered ginger for skin color and dried ginger for hair. The most time-consuming part was just picking out the right pose and drawing it on a canvas board.
Drawing of a classic and busty Ginger Spice pose. |
It took a while to get the technique down.
I tried out a few different methods, and doing a "paint by number" sort of thing with glue was the only one that really worked. Ginger does NOT just mix with other spices easily, it clings to the paintbrush in ever-growing chunks and causes lots of problems, as I discovered on my first try without glue:
Ginger and beet don't mix well on the page. |
The solution was to make a few blends of different skin/shadow colors with ginger, cinnamon, and beet powders. I glued all the powders in place before moving on to the chunkier spices. The glue permanently darkened everything a bit, particularly the beet powder in the skin blends and lips... it turned out quite different than I had expected, but still close enough to work!
Spicy progress. |
This was the final shot, it looked best under the sunroom lights at night:
![]() |
The finished Ginger Spice portrait. |
Afterward I put about a dozen layers of spray matte mod podge on it, which worked pretty well to preserve it, though the spices blew around a bit and darkened even more. Overall, I was pretty happy with how this turned out. It's been years since I drew or painted anything to completion!
Spices used:
- Ginger powder: skin
- Cinnamon powder: skin, eyebrows
- Beet powder: skin, lips
- Orange peel: hair
- Ginger dried chunks: hair
- Roasted chicory root: hair
- Chipotle powder: hair
- Chili flakes: hair
- Poppy seeds: eyes
- Sesame seeds: eyes
- Sea salt: reflection in eyes
- Chia seeds: eyelashes, eyeshadow
- Turbinado sugar: necklace (hard to tell in photos, but with the glue it retained a sparkly crystalline texture that does look like jewelry)
- Smoked paprika: dress
- Black Hawaiian salt: pupils, cleavage
- Winter savory: background
- Dill: background
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
All things must come to an end.
Today, I've weaned down to just 1oz of coffee. That means it's my last day!
So long, friend.
I reduced my consumption by 2oz every 2-3 days, and didn't get any withdrawal symptoms... so much easier than cutting it in half every day. I will miss it, but after a second bout of braces*, I am starting my year of wearing a retainer, so no coffee stains allowed.
*(The first retainer attempt gave me a gap between my front teeth that had to be corrected! Omigods, I just want to be done having to wear braces/retainers 22 hours a day.)
So long, friend.
![]() |
Coffee in a teeny 2oz moscow mule cup. |
I reduced my consumption by 2oz every 2-3 days, and didn't get any withdrawal symptoms... so much easier than cutting it in half every day. I will miss it, but after a second bout of braces*, I am starting my year of wearing a retainer, so no coffee stains allowed.
*(The first retainer attempt gave me a gap between my front teeth that had to be corrected! Omigods, I just want to be done having to wear braces/retainers 22 hours a day.)
Saturday, September 15, 2018
GISH part 1, Item #35, Sock Octopus Hat
In August I participated in GISH!
GISH is short for Greatest International Scavenger Hunt, and it's focused on charity and "taking a break from normalcy."
Basically, they give you a list of (silly/weird/fun/helpful) tasks to complete, and you get points for each one you do. Your team earns points together, and the winner gets a vacation trip. The selection of introvert tasks was fairly slim compared to previous years, and I only managed to do 3 items off the huge list... but I let my perfectionism loose and spent a lot of time on each one.
The Zone
I have had a terribly hard time getting into The Zone, that artistic mental space where time doesn't exist and inspiration and talent flow, since before my son was born. So it's been probably 4 years! I watch him full time, and he doesn't nap, and he breaks me out of The Zone whenever he notices that I'm about to enter it.
The whole week was a practice of dipping in and out of The Zone nonstop, and practice to see how long Torin could tolerate not being the center of attention. It was good for both of us, and I am finding that I now have an increased ease at entering The Zone, and am far less frustrated when I'm forced out of it by toddler distraction. I completed more artistic things in that one GISH week than I've done in the last year!
The first item: Tentacly Warmth
When I saw the task that was essentially to make a sock monkey hat that was a different animal, I immediately knew that this one was for me! I've wanted to crochet a giant octopus hat for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity.
This hat cracks me up! It was cobbled together from a few free Ravelry patterns, plus some intuitive crocheting. It's the first time I've ever used intuition to crochet extra details. I'm still working on writing out the pattern so that I can hopefully replicate it.
It was also insanely time-consuming to make, and left my hands aching for weeks afterward because I pushed them too hard... I've had almost a dozen requests for it, so I must disappoint everyone who wants one for this christmas.
Next year, I hope to do GISH again.
My plan is to NOT do a crochet item, because even though it was fun to make, it took up most of my free time for the week! I technically didn't even finish the back 2 tentacles of the hat until afterward (shhhh).
GISH is short for Greatest International Scavenger Hunt, and it's focused on charity and "taking a break from normalcy."
Basically, they give you a list of (silly/weird/fun/helpful) tasks to complete, and you get points for each one you do. Your team earns points together, and the winner gets a vacation trip. The selection of introvert tasks was fairly slim compared to previous years, and I only managed to do 3 items off the huge list... but I let my perfectionism loose and spent a lot of time on each one.
The Zone
I have had a terribly hard time getting into The Zone, that artistic mental space where time doesn't exist and inspiration and talent flow, since before my son was born. So it's been probably 4 years! I watch him full time, and he doesn't nap, and he breaks me out of The Zone whenever he notices that I'm about to enter it.
The whole week was a practice of dipping in and out of The Zone nonstop, and practice to see how long Torin could tolerate not being the center of attention. It was good for both of us, and I am finding that I now have an increased ease at entering The Zone, and am far less frustrated when I'm forced out of it by toddler distraction. I completed more artistic things in that one GISH week than I've done in the last year!
The first item: Tentacly Warmth
When I saw the task that was essentially to make a sock monkey hat that was a different animal, I immediately knew that this one was for me! I've wanted to crochet a giant octopus hat for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity.
![]() |
Sock Octopus Hat makes me long for aquatic things. |
This hat cracks me up! It was cobbled together from a few free Ravelry patterns, plus some intuitive crocheting. It's the first time I've ever used intuition to crochet extra details. I'm still working on writing out the pattern so that I can hopefully replicate it.
It was also insanely time-consuming to make, and left my hands aching for weeks afterward because I pushed them too hard... I've had almost a dozen requests for it, so I must disappoint everyone who wants one for this christmas.
Next year, I hope to do GISH again.
My plan is to NOT do a crochet item, because even though it was fun to make, it took up most of my free time for the week! I technically didn't even finish the back 2 tentacles of the hat until afterward (shhhh).
Sunday, September 9, 2018
The Skanting Nears
Fabric matching still feels so delicious.
The ponte colors match this pattern rather well too! This pattern has a more dark blue, while the official one is more teal... this cloth color (despite the name "teal") is pretty much equally between them.
So ready!
All the cloth has been washed and dried, so I'm ready to start cutting out my skant pattern pieces.
In Sept/Oct, I always mark the calendar at the exact point when the autumn spark is suddenly in the air... but for today, the Trekkie spark is definitely in the air. Yeah, it's gonna go on the calendar.
Speaking of the calendar... happy belated Star Trek Day! Sept 8, 1966 was the first time that Star Trek aired on TV.
The ponte colors match this pattern rather well too! This pattern has a more dark blue, while the official one is more teal... this cloth color (despite the name "teal") is pretty much equally between them.
![]() |
I kinda feel sorry for the guy, he has NO PIPS. |
So ready!
All the cloth has been washed and dried, so I'm ready to start cutting out my skant pattern pieces.
In Sept/Oct, I always mark the calendar at the exact point when the autumn spark is suddenly in the air... but for today, the Trekkie spark is definitely in the air. Yeah, it's gonna go on the calendar.
Speaking of the calendar... happy belated Star Trek Day! Sept 8, 1966 was the first time that Star Trek aired on TV.
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Skant Tracing
I'll never cut up an original pattern again.
Since these patterns were on the pricey side, and I have fantasies about making lots of uniforms (trekkie flash mob, anyone?), I ordered some "medical pattern paper" from Amazon to trace out the patterns. It's perfect!
So far I have only used the tracing paper on the skant, but it kept me from destroying the original patterns in my attempt to blend between the M and XL sizes.
It's my first time altering a pattern.
From my measurements vs the pieces, I figured out that I needed to make the M --> XL transition over about a 7-inch area right below the waist line (which is helpfully marked on the Simplicity pattern).
I pinned together some of the skant pattern pieces and tried it on... and it fits perfectly! I tried it on over my shorter dress that fits best, and it basically fits the same for both length and curve-hugging. I was going to mock it up in muslin first, but since the fabric is pretty stretchy, I'm 90% confident that I won't need to.
Since these patterns were on the pricey side, and I have fantasies about making lots of uniforms (trekkie flash mob, anyone?), I ordered some "medical pattern paper" from Amazon to trace out the patterns. It's perfect!
So far I have only used the tracing paper on the skant, but it kept me from destroying the original patterns in my attempt to blend between the M and XL sizes.
It's my first time altering a pattern.
From my measurements vs the pieces, I figured out that I needed to make the M --> XL transition over about a 7-inch area right below the waist line (which is helpfully marked on the Simplicity pattern).
![]() |
Papery skant. |
I pinned together some of the skant pattern pieces and tried it on... and it fits perfectly! I tried it on over my shorter dress that fits best, and it basically fits the same for both length and curve-hugging. I was going to mock it up in muslin first, but since the fabric is pretty stretchy, I'm 90% confident that I won't need to.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Matching Fabric for Command and Science
My lesson in fabric.
The official patterns call for wool gabardine. There are a few problems with that... namely, I can't find it anywhere local in the right colors, and the pattern says it's dry clean only.
After some research on Star Trek cosplay, the next best option seems to be ponte. It's thick, which is the most important part, and a bit stretchy... reminds me of the material that my grandmas would wear for pants. The jacket/pant costumes call for fusible stabilizer on everything, so they won't be very stretchy, but the skant is required to have at least 25% stretch.
Rumor has it that polyester spandex interlock (aka double knit) or matte jersey will also work. They are both a "step down" in quality/thickness, but I saw a really awesome gold uniform in the interlock. I saw the same gold interlock at Joann, but it looked like it was already starting to pill up. The skant pattern says that heavyweight lycra and lycra blends are also good options.
Color wins the day.
Really, the choice was forced on me, because ponte was the only fabric I could find at Joann with colors that matched well enough.
Red and blue were "cabernet" and "teal" in "stretch refined ponte" at 2 yards each, and very pricy. I picked a plain ponte for black because it was less than half the cost and I needed 6 at least yards for all 3 uniforms. This means I can wash the uniforms on "delicate" or "hand wash," and hang to dry.
I also picked up a bunch of muslin to do a trial run for the jacket, because it is pretty complicated and needs a nicely trim fit... I don't want to ruin the expensive fabric! I may also do a muslin trial run of the skant, because my top is size M while my hips are XL, and I've never had to blend sizes in one garment like that before.
The official patterns call for wool gabardine. There are a few problems with that... namely, I can't find it anywhere local in the right colors, and the pattern says it's dry clean only.
After some research on Star Trek cosplay, the next best option seems to be ponte. It's thick, which is the most important part, and a bit stretchy... reminds me of the material that my grandmas would wear for pants. The jacket/pant costumes call for fusible stabilizer on everything, so they won't be very stretchy, but the skant is required to have at least 25% stretch.
Rumor has it that polyester spandex interlock (aka double knit) or matte jersey will also work. They are both a "step down" in quality/thickness, but I saw a really awesome gold uniform in the interlock. I saw the same gold interlock at Joann, but it looked like it was already starting to pill up. The skant pattern says that heavyweight lycra and lycra blends are also good options.
Color wins the day.
Really, the choice was forced on me, because ponte was the only fabric I could find at Joann with colors that matched well enough.
Red and blue were "cabernet" and "teal" in "stretch refined ponte" at 2 yards each, and very pricy. I picked a plain ponte for black because it was less than half the cost and I needed 6 at least yards for all 3 uniforms. This means I can wash the uniforms on "delicate" or "hand wash," and hang to dry.
I also picked up a bunch of muslin to do a trial run for the jacket, because it is pretty complicated and needs a nicely trim fit... I don't want to ruin the expensive fabric! I may also do a muslin trial run of the skant, because my top is size M while my hips are XL, and I've never had to blend sizes in one garment like that before.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
To Boldly Go!
It's September, so it's time to get serious about sewing Halloween costumes.
I spent about 2 months asking Torin what he wanted to be for Halloween... showed him pictures of kids in costumes, gave him plenty of ideas. We need to do something besides Jedi! He always responded either "I want to be just Torin" or "I want to be nothing."
That is, until one day in August, he said he wanted to be Star Trek! We had been watching the original series, which is currently the only series I haven't seen. Over the next few weeks he waffled between a gold uniform (Kirk) and blue (Spock) and red (Picard), and I showed him allllll the Star Trek costumes... but he finally settled on what he wanted.
Torin's official requests were:
My compromise (because I am NOT wearing a spandex bodysuit) was to go for the blue skant. Troi did wear it in the first episode, and if I it's cold I can still wear black leggings underneath... technically the skant + pants combo was a maternity uniform. I found a pattern from Simplicity.
For the men, I found two-piece TNG patterns on the official Roddenberry website. I didn't want to do jumpsuits... Torin wouldn't have any room to grow, and it would be pretty annoying to have to fully undress to use the restroom.
I'm going to learn a lot about sewing in the next month.
After looking at the patterns, it appears that this one is going to be the most complicated and possibly the most expensive costume piece I have ever sewn! It is a thing of terrifying beauty... which will get worked up in muslin first so I don't ruin the fancy cloth.
Here's to exploration and the expansion of boundaries!
I spent about 2 months asking Torin what he wanted to be for Halloween... showed him pictures of kids in costumes, gave him plenty of ideas. We need to do something besides Jedi! He always responded either "I want to be just Torin" or "I want to be nothing."
That is, until one day in August, he said he wanted to be Star Trek! We had been watching the original series, which is currently the only series I haven't seen. Over the next few weeks he waffled between a gold uniform (Kirk) and blue (Spock) and red (Picard), and I showed him allllll the Star Trek costumes... but he finally settled on what he wanted.
Torin's official requests were:
- Torin: Blue (TNG style)
- Daddy: Red (TNG style... and yes, I have heard all the redshirt jokes already)
- Mommy: Purple (Deanna Troi's horrible bodysuit with the V-shaped belt)
My compromise (because I am NOT wearing a spandex bodysuit) was to go for the blue skant. Troi did wear it in the first episode, and if I it's cold I can still wear black leggings underneath... technically the skant + pants combo was a maternity uniform. I found a pattern from Simplicity.
For the men, I found two-piece TNG patterns on the official Roddenberry website. I didn't want to do jumpsuits... Torin wouldn't have any room to grow, and it would be pretty annoying to have to fully undress to use the restroom.
I'm going to learn a lot about sewing in the next month.
After looking at the patterns, it appears that this one is going to be the most complicated and possibly the most expensive costume piece I have ever sewn! It is a thing of terrifying beauty... which will get worked up in muslin first so I don't ruin the fancy cloth.
![]() |
I can literally feel the nerdiness in every cell. |
Here's to exploration and the expansion of boundaries!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)