More Bach, more snipping, and more washing

I took in another concert at the Carmel Bach Festival. One of the draws for festival attendance is the events that are related to the theme of the festival, but not core literature that is popular to perform. You come to hear Carmel to hear Bach. You go to other locations around the world to hear Mozart, or Beethoven, or Wagner, or Marsalis, or Scaggs, or….well, you get the idea. There’s always an event that stretches you a bit. Last night was one of those events for me. Bartok and Dvorak were offered right alongside Bach. The pieces chosen are familiar repertoire; I just hadn’t connected them together with Bach. I’ll be looking over the concert notes and thinking about that connection a little more today. Perhaps during my walk, or when I’m mulling why I’m up to version 6.2 of the shawl angel.

Yes, 6.2

I know my idea is good. I know it will come together. I know even the best designers do quite a bit of snipping and binning. I know I will work it all out. I know I have as much time as I need to take. I know also I’m a bit weary of it all.

Off to wash some walls in preparation for priming. Yes, priming. We’ve decided the accent wall is just too bold a color for using the Swiss Coffee alone. We’ll be washing, maybe sanding, priming, and then the color coat(s). I don’t have as much time as I need for that, so I’d better get started!

Bach at the Mission

I’ve finished tatting the snowman earring set. No pictures until the customer is happy though. I’ve been working on the pattern, so that should be up about the same time the picture can be released. It made me happy to get that project finished. I know I will make more pairs. Perhaps with different colored hats or different beads.

Progress on the organ studio? Not much to write about. Still gathering carpets and trying to get the brick rehab scheduled. Still getting the walls uncovered so that we can paint. But, I continue to practice and enjoy Bach Festival.

Altar in front at Carmel Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo

Here’s a link to the organ I enjoyed for the second concert yesterday.

Pipework of the Casavant at Carmel Mission

 I must get copies of the music I've heard here at the Festival Concerts. I already have a doily in mind for one piece.

The best laid plans.....

I’m sure I’ve started a post with those words before. I use them often. Not to whine, but to remind myself that you can plan, but must respond to reality. Just like a conversation, there has to be give and take.

So, what happened? Not much

I picked up the screen we use in the kitchen sink to catch food particles. One of the wires has come loose enough to poke me. I was working quickly as I wanted to get to the tatting. So, you guessed it…it poked me good! Enough to draw blood. Terribly inconvenient for working with white thread. I’ve never successfully tatted with a bandaid on a fingertip either. So, set that project aside for a couple of days.

On a more musical note: I will be subbing this weekend. So, my practice time has to be very disciplined. I’m looking forward to playing for this group. They can sing! With gusto! The organ isn’t much. Several stops aren’t working, so I’ll need to be on my toes lest I pull one of those and expect sound!

I’m looking forward to a few musical days ahead…..

of hats and Bach

The snowman earring (both for the pair) is wearing a hat. Now for the beads that will make him smile and her eyes twinkle. I'll try to get a picture when they are suitably decorated, but they won't scan well with beads and well, you know my photography skills...or lack thereof. All in due time.

That is, when I can pull myself away from the Bach festival. Now before the Bach Cantata members that lurk here get all huffy……I know it’s not the definitive Bach Festival. It’s a darn good hometown festival that professional AND locals pull together to get more Bach into the air. I know it won’t attract those doing the most cutting edge research into how to perform Bach music, but the performances are darn good! And there’s enough variety of performance styles to appease just about everyone who isn’t so grumpy with “correct” to see beauty. Ok….rant done.

I still haven’t completely processed the concert I attended yesterday. It was THAT good. I’ve notes, but each time I’ve sat down to put into words what I heard, I end up getting out my scores and creating. Sigh. I promise more at a later post.

Today I plan to get those beads on and then take in the art raffle before the performance. Maybe I’ll get there early enough to catch the Tower Music. And then, there’s the stroll on the beach. I love Carmel.

Working vertically and horizontally

My binder is starting to fill. The projects are taking shape. I am knocking tasks off the lists.

For any of you that have lived in older homes, you remember just how many panes of glass there are. I lost count at 100 in this house. We discovered a couple of months ago that 6 panes had been painted over. The same color the walls were painted…..2 coats ago. And then repainted. The clerk in the paint store gave a wry smile when I asked how often “why did they paint that?” is heard. I know people make more than one decision when remodeling that doesn’t make sense later. I’ll probably make some of those same choices. But, seriously…..paint up a window? So my vertical work is scraping paint off the glass. I make sure that I get my tatting in before I start. And that I do the hand wash to clean up before I start cooking dinner.

The horizontal work? That’s finding what’s going on the floor in the studio. I want something removable and interesting. If you’re thinking carpet, you’re close. I’m thinking rugs. So, out came the tape measure and the role of blue tape. I could kiss the person who thought up blue tape. Much better than the masking tape I grew up with. I’m sure it was a woman! Yesterday I did some “thrifting” as my daughter calls it. I found a decent rug that will need cleaning. 1 down…..mmmmm……half a dozen to go. With 4 doorways into the room and 5 columns smack in the middle, smaller and a variety of shapes seems the way to go.

So, first up today: finish the snowman.

Then, scrape some paint.

Then, draw out the room to scale so that I can take it with me to the stores.

one down and one to go

Thank you Jane  for the reminder of using coil-less safety pins! I remember you finding a use for them several years ago. And yes, they work well for that task. Thank you!

My challenge last week: find a way to use them with tatting size 80 thread. It didn’t work well. But…..

Metallic sewing thread works well. I picked up this thread years ago in a sale bin. Probably at the Lace Museum during one of their vintage sales. I loaded some of the thread onto a smaller shuttle, dropped the shuttle through as I was making picots to be used in the joining later, and voila picots marked plainly and Round 2 tatted gracefully! Sigh!!!!

I decided to tat the second earring before sewing the beads for the eyes and mouth on ANKARS style. I may even use something for buttons. I’m getting excited to see these guys dancing on the wires (earring wires that is).

Progress on the snowman...

In white thread it’s looking more wintery and less quacky. I know, that’s not a word. But sometimes tatting turns your brain….well….quacky.

What’s making me squawk? The joins in the body section.

 I wanted lots of picots for fluff. I’ve got that. I wanted to use size 80 for proper scale. I’ve got that. I wanted to make the center dense. I’ve got that. I’ve been so effective in working those goals into the pattern that I can’t tell where to join! Nothing new in tatting, I know. So……

From my sewing experience, I yearn for pinning or some marking chalk to mark the joins. Think marking darts; ease points; buttonholes/zippers/fasteners. You get the idea. I understand there are stitch markers in knitting. Maybe……

Gotta come up with something or I’ll go completely quacky. Ideas anyone?

Progress on studio 1.0

Today’s task: start the binder

ready for "stuff"

I’m having great fun planning and executing the studio preparation. It’s exciting! It’s also daunting! And the first thing I do when I feel overwhelmed: get stuff written down and organized into a folder/binder/file….whatever! I’m addicted to getting thoughts out of my brain onto paper. 

Getting them into a computer just doesn’t cut it. I need to pick up the paper, hold it, stare at it, take it with me to the store, put it in front of the expert I’m trying to communicate with….you get the picture (on paper!)

So, I’ve located an empty binder and an empty folder that can go into the rings. Now I’m ready to figure out what to do next. 

ready...set....ACTION

So, for years my blog has listed thoughts about organ music. I’ve not written much about organ music: the odd concert comment, a piece used as the basis for a tatting pattern, the occasional indulgence in playing for the fun of it. Well, I’ve realized that with an organ arriving for the studio, I’ll have to change that.  I have room in the “new” house to keep my music accessible. Maybe even at my fingertips. Now, if this had audio to where I’m sitting with my laptop, you’d here chuckles and chortles and sighs of anticipation. Even though it’s tempting to take music to the piano to polish up for the big debut, I’m forcing myself to keep focused on getting the house ready! Yesterday, I found more resources in a local paint store. I also checked some books out of the library. I found working on the last house, if you have no clue what questions to ask, you can't learn what you need to decide. So, the process has begun in earnest. Between organ pedals and tatting shuttles my life will be very busy. I must get organized (pun intended) NOW!!!