Month: October 2024

Agriculture Report, Special Events

Agriculture Report and a Concert

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

AGRICULTURE REPORT

What is an “Agriculture Report”? Well I was inspired by  @quiteayarnblog‘s ongoing series of posts titled “Agriculture Report” (and this title always cracks me up) that are actually updates of what is going on in her garden. I just had to adopt this same title for updates on what is going on in my garden/my “garden report“…

I figured I would get one more “Agriculture Report” in for the year now that the growing season in Colorado’s Front Range where I live. I think this is the only update I am providing since my July 19, 2024 post Agriculture Report: Plantings Gone Wild .

As I mentioned in the July post, the free seeds I got from one of my local libraries really took off! Here is what the plants looked like in the raised bed John built at the end of September:

I’d routinely been getting tomatoes from the upstairs porch tomato plants and I started getting tomatoes AND our first cucumbers from the seed planted crops in the raised bed!

John made a Cucumber Salad with our first cucumbers (which are the first cucumbers I’ve ever grown!):

We recently returned from a trip to the Oregon Coast and the weather at home had changed radically (getting colder and colder at night) and there is rumor of a big freeze and possibly snowstorm at lower elevations (we live at 6000 ft above sea level). It has already snowed at the higher elevations (we have a lot of 14,000+ ft above sea level mountain regions in Colorado). So it was time to shut down the garden for the season. Plus it was time to “blowout” our sprinkler system/winterize it, so the plants wouldn’t be getting any more irrigation and where going to die out.

We harvested a bunch of tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini (but only a little as the rest did not ripen they were planted too late) from the raised bed:

John made pickles with the cucumbers and so far they taste delicious (they are still aging in their “pickling”):

In addition to the cucumbers from our raised bed, John used a hot pepper (not sure what I planted) and fresh thyme from our garden.

Besides vegetables, we had some luck with free flower seeds we got from the library. It took awhile but the Cosmos flower seeds I planted really took off:

We plan to put in a couple more raised beds next season, and I will be more organized in my free seed plantings (I hope the library hands out free seeds again next year). I did overcrowd the one raised bed, and the carrots, onions and spinach I planted from the free seeds did not grow.

Oh and would you like to see some photos of real harvests? A couple weeks ago we went to the Sunday Farmers’ Market in Parker and the fruits and vegetables were bountiful!

They have one stand at the Farmers’ Market that allows you to fill a large bag for $15 with whatever they have at their stand (and they have a lot of choices). They are very liberal on how the interpret “fill a bag” and they let me balance a very large head of cauliflower at the very top of the bag! They were also giving out free acorn squashes with purchase (I made a nice soup from mine) – I think they had more squash than they knew what to do with.

CONCERT

October 12 we went to see an awesome outdoor concert by our favorite Icelandic band, Kaleo.

We did see them at Red Rocks Amphitheatre this summer, and it was wonderful to get to see them again but at a smaller venue – Breckenridge Brewery’s Littleton Colorado Campus’ Farmhouse Concert Venue.

Here is a little clip from the concert I took:

And here is the full performance of this song that made John fall in love with the band as much I did when I first heard them around 2016:

But our favorite of their songs is not sung in English, it is sung in their native Icelandic language – Vor í Vaglaskógi – and based on Icelandic folklore:

Hope you enjoyed the music! The lead singer, JJ Julius Son (Jökull Júlíusson) has quite the voice/vocal range, and we love the musicianship of the band.

Outside Adventures!, tierneytravels

Breckenridge and the Continental Divide

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Well it’s time to start catching you all up on our travels this Summer into Fall. It might justify why there’s been very little “tierneycreating” except for projects that I can take on trips!

It’s going to be in random order as I think of what adventure I want to share when I write the post. So this post I feel like sharing our trip in early August 2024 to Breckenridge, Colorado with a stop at Loveland Pass on the way where we stood on a section of the Continental Divide.

Loveland Pass

The Continental Divide as defined by Wikipedia :

The Continental Divide extends from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan, and separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain into the Atlantic and Arctic Ocean, including those that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and Hudson Bay

Here we are at Loveland Pass at 11,990 feet above sea level (yes the air felt a bit thinner up there!)

It was a gorgeous day and we hiked a bit around the Continental Divide area:

We even found some patches of snow in early August!

Breckenridge, Colorado

After a couple hours at Loveland Pass we headed to Breckenridge, Colorado one of the many skiing towns of Colorado (like Vail, Telluride, Keystone, Steamboat, Aspen, etc) for an overnight visit.

Here are some photos from our time in Breckenridge:

I also found some cool old structure that were just screaming to be Black and White photos 😉

Fabric Scraps Obsession, ScrapHappy

ScrapHappy October 2024: Recycled Hope

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

It’s the 15th of the month and time for my monthly “ScrapHappy” post as part of the ScrapHappy group I belong run by Kate and Gun. At the end of this post I have a link to the other blogs participating in this monthly event in case you’d like to check out their ScrapHappy posts.

The 15th of the month came around quicker than anticipated and I already blogged about the 22nd block I made for the very scrappy Farm Girl Vintage quilt I am working on September 26 (see post I Sewed Something! ) so I couldn’t use that for my October ScrapHappy post, sigh.

So instead I will discuss my series of art quilts made from scraps of recycled denim, clothing and home decorating fabrics – Recycled Hope; and update on you that latest quilt I am working on in that series.

The Recycled Hope Series

Recycled Hope an ongoing series of improvisational art quilts using recycled materials to include denim as the primary fabric on many of the pieces, combined with other recycled materials.

“Hope” and the interpretation of the word “hope” is the primary theme of infused into these pieces. Most of the fabrics were not reusable as clothing or home decor and were destined to end up in a landfill. Reimagining recycled clothing and other materials into art quilts satisfies my hopeful desire to honor the environment and make art that is eco-conscious. Ending up in an art quilt is a better outcome than ending up in a landfill.

My first quilt in the series, Recycled Road, was made for annual art quilt show for the local SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) group I belonged while living in Central Oregon:

This quilt was made using my late husband’s clothing that he no longer wanted, several recycled jeans, a little recycled scrap home decor fabric and this awful pair of orange corduroy pants someone gave me to use in an art quilt. The pants were too hideous to donate to be work as clothing but worked in a quilt! The quilt measures 18 inches by 40 inches which was the required dimensions for the art show which was titled “Pathways”.

I no longer own this quilt, it was purchased by a friend who wanted to support my art.

The second quilt I made in the series was also for an annual art quilt show for the local SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) group I belonged while living in Central Oregon and titled Recycled Door:

This quilt is composed of recycled denim, recycled home decor fabric, and a little of those awful orange corduroy pants (I got a lot of use out of those pants, fabric wise). It also measures 18 inches by 40 inches which was the required dimensions for the art show which was titled “Doors”. This quilt was purchased by a private collector.

The third quilt in the series was also for an annual art quilt show for the local SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) group I belonged while living in Central Oregon and titled Recycled Love:

Made from recycled jeans and home decor fabric, the Artist Statement for this quilt is as follows:

The first law of thermodynamics states that the total amount of energy in a system cannot be created nor destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.A quilt is made from changing the existing “love energy” from the quilt maker’s heart into a pieced textile; ultimately recycling that love energy into the quilt’s recipient heart.

It also measures 18 inches by 40 inches which was the required dimensions for the art show which was titled “The Threads That Bind”.

I have this quilt hung in my hallway next to my studio to remind me that “Quilts are Love”.

Here are the rest of the quilts in this series which were not created for a specific show.

Recycled Windows of Conversation:

This quilt measures 55” W x 59” L; and is made from recycled jeans, various recycled clothing, and recycled home decor fabric. It was the largest recycled denim quilt i’d made to date.

It was purchased by an art dealer on behalf of their client, and it now sits in the common area of an upscale apartment complex in downtown Seattle, Washington (see post Oh So That’s What Happened to It!).

Recycled Windows:

This quilt measures 18” W x 39″ L, and is made from recycled clothing, recycled denim, and recycled home decorating fabric. It was juried into the New Mexico Arts Art in Public Places Program but was not selected by any of their public buildings for purchase. So it hangs in my bedroom and I enjoy looking at it everyday!

Recycled Business Casual:

Somewhere in this series of quilts I made this quilt from recycled jeans, recycled wool blankets and menswear wool suiting scraps (this is where I got the name “Recycled Business Casual“. It was more of an experiment than an actual art quilt but it did show along with many of the other quilts shown above in my first solo show: The Wardrobe Meets the Wall in April 2019 at the Seattle Municipal Tower in Downtown Seattle, Washington.

Current Project Update

And finally let’s get to my current project in progress to add to the Recycled Hope series – a denim quilt made with lots of recycled jeans and recycled home decor fabric scraps:

The tentative name for this quilt is “What Direction Do I Go?” but I am rethinking the name as my head is in a different space now than when I first started the quilt in October 2023 (What’s on the Design Wall: An “Upcycled” Work).

I have it back up on the design wall and it is set up for quilting with the backing and batting attached.

I am working out what quilting design I want to use. I created a sample square of scrap denim, backing and batting to try out some designs:

I am really looking forward to completing this quilt and I have a place on my living room to upstairs stairway reserved to hang this approximately 55 inches by 55 inches quilt.

After I finish this quilt, there will likely be more recycled denim quilts in the future as I have a nice stash of recycled jeans in my studio:

Earlier this year a local charity thrift shop had an “All Jeans $2” sale and I stocked up!

Here are the other bloggers that participate in the ScrapHappy monthly posting event, check out their blogs linked below for their ScrapHappy posts:

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda, Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,Lynn, Tierney, Hannah and Maggie

Knit and Crochet Away!

My First Pom-Pom Hat

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Here is a follow up to my post from the end of September about running out of yarn towards the end of knitting a hat and using a variegated yarn to complete the hat – Ran Out of Yarn But the Hat Continues… .

As I mentioned in that post, adding the variegated yarn to the top of the hat makes it sort of look like an Icelandic sweater yoke ‘colorwork’ (well if you squint your eyes, ha!). In addition to the unusual finish of the hat, I added my first pom-pom on top of a hat using the variegated yarn.

First here is the hat at my favorite part of knitting a hat – using the double pointed needles at the crown/end of knitting a hat:

And here is the photo I always take before I finish a hat – me wearing the hat with the double pointed needles:

(I am holding the yarn in my hand, not the pom-pom)

And here is the finished hat with my first pom-pom that I made using a Pom-pom Maker:

Postscript

Speaking of hats, I gave my friend K a hat I knitted when we visited her in California early September for a California roadtrip (I’ll blog about that California roadtrip we took with her and her husband in a future post).

The hat is knitted from a cool rainbow variegated wool yarn.

Yes it’s the one hat pattern I know. Perhaps someday I will try a different pattern!

Bags Bags Bags

Sushi Bag!

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Recently I made a cute drawstring bag as a gift for my stepson Z who loves sushi.

Z relocated to Portland, Oregon a couple months ago for a big promotion and moved into a new place. John and I wanted to send him a little package of some of his favorite tasty treats to celebrate.

I figured one of my handmade drawstring bags would be the perfect holder for the treats, and I found some cool sushi themed fabric in my fabric stash (who knows where and when I got it)

The treats for Z fit perfectly in the bag:

I had enough left over fabric to make a second one that I might sell someday on my Etsy shop (when I re-open it).

A Crafter's Life

Still Winning Halloween

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

October 2023 I posted about a house in the neighborhood I often walk in that I felt “won Halloween“ – The House That Won Halloween – due to their extensive and creative decorations (tastefully done and not too over-the-top):

(see the October 5, 2023 post for all my images of their awesome decorations)

Well, I was walking by the house the other day and once again they have their awesome Halloween decorations out but this time they added a BIG item to the group – a GIANT skeleton coming out of the ground!

It is massive and just compare it in the image to the house in the background which is a large house to give you an idea of the size of this skeleton!

Yes this house is so fun to walk by; and it continues to “Win Halloween” in the neighborhood!

A Crafter's Life

Hello Autumn

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

The leaves are really starting to change in my section of eastern section of the Denver Metropolitan area of Colorado that we live in. I thought I would share a couple photos from my recent daily walks and a hike we went on at Castlewood Canyon State Park.

And of course I had to take a Black & White photo of the Autumn foliage scene during my daily walk:

Looks mysterious in B&W!

We’ve had some lovely Autumn evenings enjoying the cooler weather. Here is a photo from last week when John and I were hanging out at our friends’ home on their patio visiting with one of their dogs. We still miss our Mike the Miniature Schnauzer terribly but we appreciate our friends sharing their dogs with us!

Independent bookstores, tierneytravels

Simultaneous Adventures: Richmond, Virginia and Louisville, Kentucky

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I am backdating some posts as I see my posting was sparse in October (and September) due to travel. I like having my blog be a record of my travels so I am going to catch up on sharing my Summer and Fall 2024 adventures.

In the middle of September I went to Richmond, Virginia to visit my sister while John went to Louisville, Kentucky to meet up with his friends to attend a Bourbon Festival. Below is a little photo travelogue of my trip to Richmond along with a couple photos at the end of John’s visit to Louisville.

Richmond (Tierney’s Trip)

My sister lives in Richmond but we wanted to have a “Sisters Trip” where she didn’t have to travel far (as she’s been very busy her work as a Construction Project Manager for a local University) so we rented an AirBNB place in Carytown so she could feel like she was on vacation too!

We spent a lot of time wandering around Carytown which is according to the tourism website:

Nestled in the heart of Richmond, Carytown is a unique shopping, dining, and entertainment district.  With a focus on small, locally-owned businesses, Carytown is home to the historic Byrd Theater as well as several unique dining and boutique shopping destinations. Adjacent to the Museum District and Byrd Park, Carytown is a necessary stop for a day well spent in the city.

My sister knows how much I love independent bookstores so we stopped at a couple:

First there was Shelf Life Books which had a resident bookstore cat:

I didn’t get to pet the cat as customers were sort of lined up for cat petting. I did grab a quick photos when the cat was taking a break from endless pets:

I found a wonderful used book at this shop.

Later we visited Small Friend Records and Books, and I had a delightful wander in that shop while my sister found a cozy chair to relax in while I shopped. She was so sweet telling me to “just take your time, we are not in a hurry” (she is my kind of people!).

Although the store was called “Small Friend…” I didn’t see any “small friends” wandering about, but still it was a lovely bookstore.

We stopped for a wander around the The Jefferson Hotel to admire its historical architecture and decor; and relax a bit with a hot beverage in their lounge area.

We picked up some fun items from the gift shop including a little pewter pineapple for John who likes little cool things for his desk.

Some movie lore about The Jefferson Hotel: The classic film “Gone With the Wind” was allegedly filmed on the Jefferson Hotel staircase according to the Historic Hotels of America website.

We also visited the historic downtown Richmond, Virginia Public Library which was built in the early 1900s funded by philanthropist and steel baron Andrew Carnegie. The library sort of looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 1900s; and they had “old school” card catalogues!

My sister loves thrift store shopping like I do and we spent some time at Carytown Thrift as well as a couple other thrift shops around Richmond.

We ate at many cool places including a pizza place The Mellow Mushroom which had fun decor and 1970s vibe:

Finally here are a couple photos from an afternoon we spent lounging on a rooftop deck of a restaurant/bar in Carytown with a tropical/”Tiki Bar” theme (I do not remember the name of the place). We pretty much nested there for a couple hours and I pulled out my crochet and worked on my Sunflower Granny Square Blanket (see post Update on Sunflower Granny Square Blanket and Cool Community Garden) while we had cocktails and visited. (I always travel with a portable craft project!)

Like the Rino District in Denver (see post Playing Tourist in My Town: Wandering Around the RiNo District), Carytown had some amazing Graffiti Art on the sides of buildings including this piece:

Louisville (John’s Trip)

Here are some photos from John’s simultaneous trip to Louisville, Kentucky to attend a Bourbon Festival with a couple of his friends who are also Bourbon/Whiskey connoisseurs. One day they spent a couple hours at the Maker’s Mark Distillery and the photos below are from that visit.

In the first photo above, John is dipping into the famous red sealing wax a bottle of special edition Marker’s Mark Whiskey he bought at the distillery.

John also took a group of photos in Black & White on this trip for us to print out and frame for his bar area in the basement. Here is an example of one of those photos:

John and his friends stayed in a really cool Bourbon/Whiskey themed AirBNB house that I found for them (I have better AirBNB skills than John, ha!) so they were able to have a nice time visiting each evening after a day of attending the Bourbon Festival or touring distilleries. (Oh and they were smart/safe and did not rent a car, they used Ubers/Lyfts to get around so they could enjoy safely sampling at the distilleries!)