Cheryl Loomans

I made black tea ink. It was a quick and easy project. I did add more water than the recipe called for (because my leaves were ground up?)
and used a handkerchief in my potato ricer to press the liquid. I also added extra gum Arabic...

I was impressed with the beautiful color but was hoping for something closer to a black.

We almost broke our record high yesterday so I took advantage of the weather and washed the house.

My mattress will be used in 1700s reenacting events.
Minimum size requirements: 26" x 74" x 3"-5"
Actual size: 50" x 77" x 5"

(Height measurement starts at 1")

I used a printed 100% cotton ticking and 100% cotton thread. I hand sewed a backstitch and finished all seam allowances.

My mattress is stuffed with organic alfalfa and clover hay (I love the smell) it was challenging to locate organic... I bought it from the Amish whenwe traveled thru that part of our state.

Hand dipping candles was quite fun.

I made a quill pen from a turkey feather!

Paper made from lawn clippings. So. Much. Work.

The paper shrunk when it dried and became wavy. The color lightened a lot and the texture is really neat.

This was so much fun!

I collected pine needles from several different types of pine in my area all from the ground. I used linen thread and put bees wax on it - it made a huge difference. My gauge was a wooden bead.

I only needed the thimble when I was stabbing the needles that are wrapped in thread in the begining but do a lot of hand sewing.

My bottom stayed flat and the slight triangular shape I started with was easy to fix so my basket is surprisingly round.

I did use some greenish needles and am leaving my basket in the sun and wind for a few days.

This shell has been holding jewelry since I was about 12. I picked it in a river near my grandparents in WI. I decided to sacrifice it for my buttons.

I turned a 1 gallon jug into a scoop.

I selected a chunk of my latigo leather for strength. I prepared the leather by rounding the corners so I could cut a continous spiral. I used my old fashioned calipers set to a quarter inch to scribe on the leather. I selected an old scalpel to free hand cut on the scribe line.

I measured the leather on my graded mat - 1 length is 34" I created 7.5 passes so:

7.5 x 34" = 255"
255" / 12" = 21.25'

I also took pics of the leather coiled showing some imperfections in thickness but overall consistant.

Ways I could improve:
Maintain a sharp cutting instrument.
Cut the leather into a better shaped circle.