It seems mask wearing is here to stay. Canary masks are a lot different than the accordion and beak styles most commonly seen. They’re very comfortable, and all organic. Everything about the materials and fit is on the canary mask page. Each available colour has a listing in the menu. Make sure to…… Continue reading canary masks
boro time
Love of handstitching, indigo, Japanese textiles and mending inevitably leads to boro, from the Japanese boroboro – something tattered or repaired. It was traditionally done with hemp. I adapted it for my merino wool jersey tights, using scraps dyed with indigo, sumac and black walnuts. Boro is historically associated with peasant farm workers, who patched…… Continue reading boro time
My Nova Scotia Home
There’s a place I’ll always cherish ‘Neath the blue Atlantic sky Where the shores down in Cape Breton Bid the golden sun to rise And the fragrance of the apple blossoms Sprays the dew-kissed lawns Back in dear old Nova Scotia The place where I was born The Scotian and the Ocean Limited And the…… Continue reading My Nova Scotia Home
country classic indigo revival
This is the indigo vat I revived on Sunday morning, while listening to Country Classics with Nan, 9-12 on 106.7 FM Kitchener. It wasn’t looking nearly this good starting out with East Bound and Down by Jerry Reed from the 1977 Burt Reynolds blockbuster Smokey and The Bandit. Stirring up the old sludge to Marty…… Continue reading country classic indigo revival
Joe Diffie
https://youtu.be/ldJMajlcu9Q Joe was a big admirer of the Possum, who he’s now with in Hillbilly Heaven. Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, George Jones, Mack Chestnutt, Joe Diffie, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill, Clint Black, Pam Tillis. Meanwhile, John Prine is on Canary’s record player.
make natural hand moisturizer
Ground organic oatmeal and walnut oil works for me. Organic oats are the best, the quick kind grind nicely. I do bigger batches, they’re a good substitute for flour in baking and pancakes. Add some water to a few spoonfuls on low heat, stirring and mashing to make a paste. It only takes a minute.…… Continue reading make natural hand moisturizer
early spring
Mother Nature is all around. Adding to the Dragonfly jacket-in-progress. Plant dyed thread, Snowdrops on Eramosa. Yarrow coming through pavement Robin friends are back
andrà tutto bene-stock
I dug out and scanned a photo I took in April 2003, of Spadina Avenue in the midst of the SARS in Toronto. Of course this sidewalk is normally packed with people. There’s lots of media coverage of SARS now. Looking back in 2013 had a different tone. SARS traced back to wild animal restaurants…… Continue reading andrà tutto bene-stock
andrà tutto bene
I embroidered this version of the Emblem of the Republic of Italy for Mattia Bigi, one of the first to get in touch when I started making westernwear. The “Hombre” jacket was taken off one Lee Rocker wore, and named for his side project at the time, paying homage to ZZ Top. And the real…… Continue reading andrà tutto bene
Guided Visits Through All the History of Art II
Last month, a picture was newly attributed to Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi – adding another to her masterful range of biblical gore – David and Goliath, previously credited to a man who was a student of her father’s. Rushing though the Baroque at the Detroit Art Institute last summer, I was stopped in my…… Continue reading Guided Visits Through All the History of Art II