Economic Perspective

Watch the video at this link which compares borrowing from 1919-1969 and then that of the last three years http://www.garynorth.com/public/4527.cfm

Facebook Fans Page

I now have a facebook fans page I'm still learning how to use FB, you can join my Fans Page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Baxter-Packwood/38511734019

Prairie Fibers Update

I've been updating my main website Prairie Fibers to reflect the direction I am going now - focused soley on my studio and teaching. I'm hoping to have my art website up and running by the end of the week!

Be Mine

Valentines

I found this yesterday whilest cleaning my studio closet still attached to a bulletin board from my undergrad years. I made this back around 1995 in a papermaking class.

Hey Mr. Postman Treasury

ThreadedExpressions included my Flower Field 2 in her postcard treasury

Orange Marmalade

Ok after an agonizing hour of boiling it all down I forgot, yes I forgot, to photograph the final result before we put it in the jars. Trust me when I say it was much darker than the photos below and looked like orange Marmalade!

Orange Marmalade

My Sweetie

John peeling lemons for the orange marmalade and just a little distracted by what's on tv.

Orange Marmalade

The mixture is covered in water, brought to a boil and then simmered for 5 minutes. It then sits for 12-18 hours and you add the sugar and boil again.

Lemon peels sans the pith and lemon sections on top of the orange sections and orange peels.

Here's a lemon that has been peeled and the pith removed from the sections, I'd never seen a peeled lemon before. Yes I really do need to get out more!!! Dh said the acid from the lemons made his hands burn so you may wish to wear gloves if you are sensitive to these sorts of things.

Oranges cut into sections and the pith removed from the peels.

These oranges came from Texas and were very good! Rio Queen is the variety.

Orange Marmalade in Progress~! This recipe is in the Ball Blue Book.

We stopped at HyVee this afternoon and they had a very good price on oranges 18 pounds for $5.48 I've been wanting to make some for a really long time now but it's hard to find oranges that are not all pith. These oranges were superb in tangyness and in sweetness. We've decided to go back and get another bag tomorrow for juicing. I have plans to make a batch of cranberry orange marmalade as well.

Oven Fried Chicken

Here they are after backing, ignore the white part on the one chicken thigh John said he ran out of flour and I'm STILL NOT CERTAIN what happened!

Coated with corn flakes, flour and spices and ready to be baked in a 375F oven. Below chicken parts awaiting a coating of goodies.

Well it all started on Thursday night, after a very harried day of bookwork etc., and dh's coming home late I decided at the last minute to go to HyVee and buy some chicken already fried up from the deli. And it was really good and we got to talking about it during dinner and the point that it was a dollar per piece of chicken did not go unnoticed!

Soooo John and I decided that it would benefit us more if we made up some chicken this weekend and froze it for those evenings when I"m really tired and REALLY don't feel like cooking but still want something super tasty to eat. We picked up 10 pounds of chicken hind quarters and John made oven fried chicken for us! It's all cooked, they are out in the garage freezing as I write and tomorrow they will go into the freezer. There's several meals worth here!

Cochineal Extraction 2

Cochienal Extraction 1

Learning to Can

For those of you wanting to know more about canning check out this yahoo group here Canning2

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Canning2/?yguid=129581707

Back of Tapestry

I suspect based on it's size that this was intended to be a chair seat cover. It appears, from the back anyway, to have been woven by a machine in a factory, not by hand.

Courting Couple Tapestry

I found this in a box of fabrics I purchased at a yard sale a few years back. I'm not sure how old it is or what it was even intended for but I plan to create something the piece. I'd like to know a little bit more about it before I cut into it and create an altered tapestry/embroidery with the piece.

I have some beautiful quebracho dyed silk dupioni that I plan to use for the borders, both in a steel gray and a lovely rose color ;-)

French Onion Soup

I forgot to put the sherry in the soup - oh well makes it less calories this way ;-) It doesn't look all that appetizing in the pan this way does it? Good thing it tastes much better than it looks.

French Onion Soup

We didn't have any of the fancy cheese so we used the three cheese pizza cheese on top of the soup - it turned out to be a most excellent choice! That's a slice of toasted whole wheat baguette you seen in my bowl.

A close up.

Six pints of French Onion Soup for future dinners~!

Hand Dyed Heaven Treasury

My Posies Art Quilt made it into this Hand Dyed Treasury by the rainbowgirl

Frosty the Nomad

It's been very cold here with lots of new snow almost every day! John wasn't exactly amused with my need to take his picture in the freezing cold. The temp outside was +2 and the windchill was negative something.

This and That no. 3

This and That No. 3

Update still in progress added some yummies to the right side, I'll finish beading the right side this evening. I haven't decided if there's enough yummies on the right side yet I have some larger pieces of lace I'm thinking of adding first. Once I start adding beads there won't be a surface to stitch through to attach the lace. I may add some aqua/dark turqoise trim on the rights side first to balance the color.

Dentures and Zippers Treasury

Dentures and Zippers Treasury West by washmycloth

Mokuba Knitting Tape

I found out the knitting tape I'm looking for is called Mokuba 1502 Cotton Tape I just need to find a retail source, that's reasonably priced so I can purchase some to finish my project.

Knitting Tape

I'm looking for a source of ribbon or knittng taple like this, I left the files largish so you could click on it to see the texture/weave better. This is what I have left over from the 1980's. It is approximately 3/8" wide.

This and That No. 3 Now with More Beads

Blog Update

Ok I couldn't resist I love carnation pink, green, and gold! Now to figure out how to prevent my banner image from tiling.

Compost Dyed Silk Fabric

Cochineal

Dried whole cochineal bugs.

Cochineal extraction vat day six.

Dyeing with Cochineal

Copyright Kimberly Baxter Packwood 2001

You can perform multiple dye extractions with cochineal bugs to obtain a concentrated dye bath.

Day One: I used two ounces of the bugs, cover them in water, then heat them to near boiling. I then turn off the heat and let them sit overnight, in the same pan. (one these days I need to buy another one of these pans as it is my favorite).

Day two I strain the bugs in a hand held sieve, into a much bigger stainless steel pan (about 8 quarts I guess).

I then place the bugs back into my smaller pan, cover with water and reheat them to near boiling. I then turn off the heat and let them sit overnight.

The next day I strain them again, placing the dye liquor into the previous days extraction. I repeat this process upwards of 20 times.

NOTE: You will need to heat the dye liquor every few days or so to prevent mold from forming on the dye extractant. When you are done it will be blackish in color.

This dye liquor is a super concentrated cochineal dye bath.When you are ready to dye just remove a smallish amount, about one quarters cup worth, from the dye liquor and place it into your dye bath water.

NOTE: If it's still blackish just add a smidge of Alum and it'll redden right up. I do this all of the time.

This is an excellent way to get the biggest bang for your dye resources. I do this all of the time with cochineal and other dye materials. Most dye materials lend themselves to only one or two extractions, beyond the original dye extraction.

Copyright Kimberly Baxter Packwood 2001

Glorious Red

This and That No. 3 - in progress

I've added some beads to the crown piping and need to add more, I've been going through my stash of beads and am coming up with nothing as a pony bead is too big and I want to use something bigger than a 11/0 bead. The one bead I have that is the correct size is the wrong color, so maybe it doesn't need more beads on the piping??? Yet it tells me it wants to be encrusted!

My Sewing Table

I've been cleaning my studio again so my sewing tabel is a mess, hopefully I'll have a better handle on things tomorrow - mess wise.

This and That No. 3

In Progress Blogged http://www.wildhyacinths.blogspot.com

This and That No. 3 Still Beading!

I added some beads to the top of the pom pom fringe and am thinking about encrusting the entire area. I was trying to bring out the dark aqual color in the calico fabric and carry it to the bottom of the piece.

I'm also contemplating adding beads to the red cording at he top of the piece. If I do, and I'm pretty certain I will once my fingers heal up, I'll add some matt gold copper lined 11/0 seed beads as I think this will compliment the colors of the piece and well.