Winter wallows on my mind – a poem written 1995

winter wallows on my mind

the summer echoes of children

this day is quite

music provides presence

sunshine touches the inner wall as the

evening sun glides to the horizon

my plants stretch for its touch

to soon its light will fade from their view

winter is on its way

graciously,

kids do not consider winter

in sunshine filled days

the grasshopper caught in the vent is

entertainment enough for their curiosity

I envy this innocence, this simplicity

far from intrinsic modern living

these children are ageless

winter is on its way

the beast that builds our burdens wanders by,

stranded, abandoned yet luckily found

in the depths of our hearts

wild passion flows from the desolate

revelry that awakens sleepers

is the unwelcome intrusion

it fades,

winter is on its way

the wind rustles though the suite

a fort of blankets,

a treasure of fresh fruit

hidden amongst the living room furniture

no safe place out of doors

for theses implements of childhood

today the wind is warm,

gentle,

winter is on its way

an active neighborhood

by all accounts

planes, trains and automobiles

their melody flow amongst the old apple trees

crows defending what is rightfully theirs bellow resistance

here lie the seeds of decay

a warren for the unwanted, unloved

to absolve society they deface it

then go home

winter is on its way

yet

beyond winter

lie the seeds of spring

waiting

wanting

needing

cool warmth of the Capricorn sun

chasing shadows from the winter crevices of my mind

All photos by Cathy Tremain, Poem by Cathy Tremain

The 100% Hemp Linen Dress – Summer 2007

I have been sewing hemp for 5 years now and I love what I am seeing with this fabric years down the road. I have a hemp summer dress in natural that a 100% natural hemp linen. And it looks and feels pretty good. It is a great summer dress.

If every one was a millionaire who would do the dishes?

Really! Who would do the dishes, pick up the trash, sew the buttons on?

An old Buddhist saying “Before enlightenment fetch wood and carry water, after enlightenment fetch wood and carry water.”

So if we are all millionaires we will still need to do the things that we need to do. Whether it is visiting family or taking out the trash, they are the things that we do.

My millionaire status remains elusive to me and in this I am not alone!

If I had a million I would resurrect my company, Gaia Industrial Arts & Manufacturing – Gaia IAM for Short. It was a simple principal to have a place for some our more marginalized citizens working making simple clothing. I and a lone investor poured $23,000.00 into the company and then the economy tanked taking my hopes for this start up with it. That and competing with cheap and cheaply made clothing was hard to follow adhering to one of the core objectives of the company by giving a living wage for the employees! So, I closed the shop and went back to completing taxes to make up for the losses. The timing of the closing was so close to tax season that I put all of the remaining product in the garage and have stumbled over it since. That was two years ago.

(Littering of blue shirts amongst the office nooks and shelves)

So with the original dyeing not holding up well in the wash of my dyed samples I am pulling the colors from the unsold stock and redoing the dyes with vinegar. The freshly dyed samples are holding up well with the fresh color. Still need to wash them with the darks or similar colors but they look good redone.

After two years of wearing a poorly dyed red cardigan (my bad!), I redid the cardigan in purple and it looks new! Hemp and organic cotton in a good weigh of cloth hold up really well and re dye beautifully.

The new blue shirts are still drying after the ironing. I tend to iron my hemp clothing wet as it helps teach the cloth. New hemp can be stiff but with wearing, washing and ironing, it dose get softer. It is better to teach the cloth when new. And by teaching I mean getting the wrinkles out.

These are just some of left over shirts that I am hoping to sell at the local Hemp & Co. Store. The purple and the dark blue are cozy hemp cotton fleece shirts.

How to account for Prosperity amongst austerity?

Can we really prosper amongst the provisions of austerity? Yes!

Common sense is the first order of business – if it sounds too good to be true it most likely is! Every one needs hope and this is what con artists sell – hope! The hope of riches, life, health, beauty. The best hope any one can have is to finish the day and start new tomorrow.

Prosperity is more than wealth, it comes from the heart. It is not a con, it is a perspective of living that comes from within.

It is about loving what you do, who you are with and being personally responsible for yourself and your environment. It can take a lot of work to achieve but what else would you be doing? Bemoaning your fate, any one can do that but it dose not open doors for prosperity.

Austerity is about having all that you need to exist, prosperity is about having all that you need to exist with benefits of a heart felt existence.

The choice is always yours.

Cash Flow!

As a bookkeeper and a business person I have to comment on this. This is what really matters in the end “Can we keep the cash flowing?”

And keeping the cash flowing is the art of business!

And art to me is important, not unlike the cherished kiss of books and fables’.

So how is a kiss, art and business all connected?

PASSION.

And from passion comes prosperity.

The cash flow is what binds it all together. These binds build communities and nations.

The art is in the selling of your passion. Music, home, family, nature, sustainability – these are expressions of our passions. This is your business and somewhere in these economic mess up times is our individual need to continue needing cash and each other.

So, how do we do it?

Cash flow works simply like this:

I get paid,

I pay my provider,

he pays his employee,

his employee pays you

and then it starts over again and again.

Sometimes, the line gets stretched from deferred payments but it can be dealt with a little planning and a lot of work! When we start breaking this line by not paying at all, it all goes sideways and then everyone is for the lessor of it.

There are many do’s for business as there is for life. I have 23 years of answers but most importantly –

I have seen very clearly what not to do!

1: Don’t whine or complain of your poor financial status – you will not ensure confidences in your endeavours by doing so.

2: Don’t settle for less- Have your fees for goods or services competitively marketed and don’t compromise on these fees. If you are hungry enough, you will settle for less, that is why the first don’t is so very important.

3: Don’t except others to bail you out – a safety net is nice to have but it is there to catch you before you fall too far. There is really no such thing as free cash, you will have to work for it.

4: Don’t expect others to reduce their fees for goods or services – fees paid to others fill a host of needs. And they usually require cash to attain them – see cash flow.

So suck it up and remember Shakespeare said it best: “All the world is a stage, and the people, its players.”

Seeking the dragons breath

SEEKING THE DRAGONS BREATH

Seeking the dragons breath

I venture onwards

Daring to dream of success

Seeking the dragons breath

I venture out

Some say look to the north in silence

And you shall find him.

Others say dance in the East

And he shall find you.

Children say listen to the west wind

And follow the sigh unto him.

Travelers say sail south,

Mayhaps you shall find him.

Seeking the dragons breath

I venture onwards.

Trekking though the north

Elusive is the trail

Galloping in the east

I brush right by

Hiking hard to the west

An incandescent whisper, come hither.

Sailing the southward currents

A taste of what may yet come.

Seeking the dragons breath

Daring to dream of success

I breathe deep the north wind,

His essence tantalizes me with startled cold

I grasp hard the east wind,

Strength assails my senses entwining anon.

I stretch within the western breeze

Enveloping my soul with dew bent mists.

I reach openly for the southern gust

Tantalized within the perfumed warmth

Seeking the dragons breath

I venture out

Searching the northern sky

I spy him in a stayed motion dance

Our ethereal eastern spear

Radiates the warmth of tomorrow

The majestic western horizon

Bespeaks his soul in reflective beads

Blazing southern light

Dances across our flame swept eyes

Seeking the dragons breath

I venture on

The northern tundra crackles beneath my feet

Its coldness shatters me

The eastern sands swallow my gait

I gasp as I am engulfed

The western hills accept my step

Prickling with intensities

The southern waters lap at my feet

Plying to carry me away

Seeking the dragons breath

Daring to dream of success

Motionless

I search our vast blue sky

Hollow wailing of wind bumble across the icy tundra

Breathing deeply beyond the cold

I am bound

The dragon’s breath billows deceptively across

The depth of stars circling the dome of midnight

Waiting, daring, dreaming of being touched

Sleepily nudged by the east’s tantalizing glow

I unbound the jaded sleep

Garnered in the southern warmth

I embark forward into the day

With the western dusk

Again I pass to nigh

Daring to dream

Seeking the dragons breath

I look back at the way that I came.

The southern haze reflects his image,

Distorting all before me in swaths of light

The western mists echo deeply,

Vibrating laughter clings enticingly electric

The eastern emptiness shadowed with light

Obscuring desolate alone stands

The northern sky

Shimmers with visions of otherness

Seeking the dragons breath

I need only look within

Daring to dream of success

Seeking the dragons breath

I venture in words…

My new Summer Jacket

I have decided to put the purple slip dress aside until I am receive the silk ribbon that I am ordering. I think that it will add a nice dramatic flair to the dress.

So, I found my misplaced traveling suite pattern pieces and will whip an unlined jacket and skirt to get me thought to the fall season. Layers work well here in the between seasons!

The Prep:

The Cloth: It has been washed and hung to dry in the free dryer! I mention this as my neighbours charge, a sweet girl of 8, wondered why I was poor – I had a washer but I had to hang my cloths outside to dry! It was nice to see the light bulb of austerity popping on in her little head when she realized that it was a good thing! – it saves money and the environment while accomplishing the task of drying! But I digress, the cloth is a blend of cotton and linen and a fine choice in the color of a rich burgundy. It needs a pressing before hitting the cutting table.

The Work Space:

My Desk sans cutting table– I need to remove the scattering of papers that make up my work day and put them aside until tomorrow.
The Kitchen Table – I need to set up the machine and remove the clutter of dinners and on going tasks.
The Pattern- I need to add an additional two inches on the bottom for a longer hem.

Now to finish dinner of pickles and popcorn – just love it when hubby is working late and I can, for a night, eat funny things!

The Cut:

Nice to be cutting a plain material. Not enough space to lay it all out but with patience, I get it all done.

The Sew:

I surged all edges and quickly pieced the garment together. It went well. I added pockets to the bottoms of the side fronts and they work well.

I decided to add facing to the front to add balance to the jacket. It is the same material as the pockets – a hand woven traditional Vietnamese woven cotton.

Finished

Almost done

Onto the skirt this weekend.

The Fix: The Folkware Walking skirt in Hemp Summer cloth revisited

I made this skirt 3 summers ago and it is has held up well. Mostly, the hem is tattered and needs a reworking to bring it to todays standards

The starting point ( was worn for the day and needs an ironing to freshen it up)

The tattered hem and lace insert.

New hem pinned in place and a taste of the lace for added length.

The lace, it took a while to weave the ribbons in place.

Hand stitched into place for a even and discrete finish.

Finished the lace and tucked away the ends for a nice finish.

Re-stitched the placket.

The last finishing touch. Added a 2mm burgundy ribbon woven though the inserted lace to give the skirt an even finish.

Finished.

Should get another 3 summers out of this fix!

Expansion

Austerity is about expansion.

We live our lives like the spider building a web. We start precariously at the edges, making points to cross back and forth, jumping huge empty spaces . Next we add the big out side line, connecting though huge leaps of faith the gossamer threads to lines above and around our points.

And on it goes. Till, at the center we are finished. Then we wait.

Now, my idea of Austerity is expansion. Moving beyond the wait we can build, create and dream with out the burden of someone else’s idea of what “it” needs to be.

Austerity is about being in the moment, your moment and you can take it outside the web created for you by “it”.

“it”, buy the way, can have any meaning that is important to you.

0336 Princess Slip

I created a muslin after altering the pattern to better sculpt my curvaceous figure. I added to all seams 5/8” to accommodate my larger body size leaving the shoulders as per the pattern. Also for ease I increased the under arm by 1 inch at the lower seam. I only need to take it in a bit at the top corner of each front seam so there is no gaping when worn and I added a 1/2” tuck in the seam allowance at the top center front panel for modesty. This little dart folds the soft cotton down into the space between the breast when resting. I increased the shoulder seam by 1/4 in to keep the shoulders seams in place.

Once I had it together my lopsidedness showed up. A slight reposition of the right breast seam evened it out enough for it not be a noticeable flaw.

To be honest I couldn’t bring myself to deface the elegance of the cut with any lace. I have a rather large stash of vintage lace and an equally impressive find of polyester lace and not one piece said “Put me there on this red slip!” I looked at each one and against the deep red, nothing jumped, danced or screamed to say anything but try again on other fabric.

The Back view with the buttons pinned into place. I decided to use mother of pearl buttons as a modest embellishment. 24 in all and to get in and out of the garment I must slip if off the shoulders and spin the buttons to the front. It works with this cut and I don’t need someone to help though I would not turn down the offer when it is given!

The finished slip. Very simple with an awesome set of buttons down the back. Sorry but no shots of the finished back at this time. I can’t seem to get a decent shot of the back and hubby is at work so the one of it hanging will have to do. Of note, I do not want to take it off at this time to put it on Daisy (the dress form) as it is too comfortable!

I am planning to recreate this pattern as a dress and I have some plum silk that I found at Value Village for a 9.99! Perfect! I have vintage cotton lace from 1905 a foundling from EBay a few years back and it will be stunning. That is if I can bring myself to implement the lace into the pattern. I will have to wait until I am working on it to decide. Though when I picture this dress is dose have a min of lace across the bust line in v shape and no more than that. Have to wait and see what comes.

Check List

description– a fitted princess cut slip 0336 Princess Slip
pattern sizing– this was a medium slip with plenty of ease,
instructions easy? the instructions were basic and easy to follow for a intermediate sewer.
what to like/dislike? Love the cut, very flattering for the fuller figure fabric used– a very fine 3oz cotton: great as a slip and only wearable as a dress on hot august nights when it is harder to see thought the fine fabric.
alterations/design changes? Added 5/8” to accommodate a 44 “ bust graded to keep the original shoulder with and center panel width. I did a center tuck on the center front panel. For the underarms, I increased the bottom length by an inch keeping the shape and dimensions of the cut. To truly fit me, I should decrease the amount of fabric at the side hips but I love the swirle of fabric as I move and sit. recommend to others? Do this one, with a little skill you can have a hot dress!conclusion? class and style in a easy to follow cut. I love it!
Pattern Name: 0336 Princess Slip
sewer’s skill: Intermediate ( beginner who has a lot of patience), the lace insertion is simple enough though it was not suited for this color. The pleats also require patience but I would never wear the garment – too fancy for a simple bookkeeper!
rating & why, 1-5, 1-Not a Fan, 2 – So-So, 3 – Good/Average, 4-Better than Average, 5-I LOVED IT! and why? The cut was superior to princess cuts of modern patterns – a lot more curve and the fit through out is more for an active body. I made a Burda princess cut dress a few years back and though it looks very good, it has not the ease or curves that this pattern has.
skill needed & why. A very patient beginner could work there way though this pattern but it is suited for an intermediate level of skill. instructions easy? Change? They instructions are basic and good. Adding pictures can help the beginner. Fit/sizing? As expected? Yes, there is a good bit of ease but the drape adds to the allure of this functional yet fitting garment.