Waiting For Spring

The winter seems to be dragging on so while I wait for spring I thought I would unsew several blazers & jackets to make them into wool pieces that I could use in some primitive projects. Taking them apart is quite the chore - you end up with as much lining, underlining, & other parts that nearly equal the amount of wool that is left! 

 The construction of a well made blazer has to be admired at this point & you know why they cost so much.

 Here goes some stock pot processing...

This soft pastel pink blazer, was one of my office blazers some 20 plus years ago & three sizes smaller. LOL - Up-cycling time!

 Once the blazers are disassembled I put into a stock pot with hot water, a bit of dish soap & linen water. I use linen water because I do not like the smell of wet wool. Once it comes to a boil I simmer for thirty minutes then remove from heat to cool down for a bit. Then it is placed inside my front loader for a rinse & spin, then to the dryer to finish the process. I have found that the frontloaders do not give enough soak time for the fibers to matte up.

 This is a Harris Tweed from Scotland, the label states that it was dyed, spun, handwoven and finished in the outer Hebrides of Scotland.  I find most of my jackets at Global,  one of my favorite thrift shops in Miramichi, New Brunswick. My girlfriends Elizabeth, Aurella & I are always excited to look for a find & the coats are my treasures to be up-cycled. The texture & colour of this Harris Tweed wool is beautiful! Quite the find!

 This was what I accomplished yesterday. The green wool jacket on the left was fondly remembered as my husbands first office jacket bought from Moores Mens Shop & was made in Canada! the dark brown Barcleys pinstripe will cut up beautifully for rug strips, the light brown tweed has specks of   colour through it & the Dolce & Gabbana made in Italy, boiled up nice & tight. Sometimes the weave is just to loose to use in rug hooking but can have another look in a wool applique.
It is a huge job to unsew these beautifully tailored jackets & it really makes you appreciate the work that went into making, no sculpturing them!

Here is the look of the Dolce & Gabbana in my Stoneware Horse. I have been looking for different colours for the side pennies on the rug. The wool cut beautifully with scissors to a quarter inch cut. The red colour ran... even with a no run sheet in the pot. I really think it was the hot water that just shocked the fibers to let go of its dye & the cream background was lost.


Now for some early spring!

Bill & I were in Sarnia at the MC Escher exhibit & on the long way home via St Thomas to for a visit to The Little Red Mitten for some black & dark grey Briggs & Little yarn for my Stoneware Horse. I ran out of yarn for the background. The wool in Miramichi was $3.50-$4.00 & here in Ontario its $6.50 a skein. But the postage charges from Canada Post would probably equal out. :-)
Well back to spring, we stopped in at a greenhouse that had just opened for the season, so I indulged in spring plants...

 This beautiful Amaryllis is in its second bloom of five flower blooms!! this is from Christmas time. The soft pink & cream is just so pretty when the light goes through it!
 

 Here is my springtime window...let us just ignore the snow in the backyard & take in the colour of the flowers. Too much light for a good photo...lets look closer

 Rabbits are popping up everywhere, Liz does this big  fellow look familiar. Even though it is stamped on the bottom that its for indoor & outdoor use, it makes a lovely statement inside. My 10 day bouquet after 20 plus days looks a little wilted. My husband met me at the train station on Valentines Day with this bouquet in hand for me! wow these flowers really have lasted!

I removed only the mauve flowers from a refresh from my Valentine flowers to place them on this mirrored shelf.

Rabbits & Flowers...
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 My kids have given me Jim Shore figures over the years, as they know my love for quilting. This wee rabbit is ready for Easter, I just love the colours on her.

 A action shot of this appliqued beauty.

The smell from the hyacinths is heavenly & the colours of spring, our spring that is coming!
This weekend we will spring ahead in time! Yes & on the 21st spring finally arrives. Next to fall...I love spring! The colour & smell of springtime as the earth comes back to life is exciting, energy forms all around us & brings us too into this season with more sun...more smiling people. :-)