Tag Archives: care

November 1, 2023 · 5:55 pm

November Blues

 

 

Merry meet all,

Snow falls on the cold streets of Halifax. I am looking forward to continuing my studies at the Herbal Academy. I can’t believe how fast the year has gone.

I finished the book. I love how it turned out. I stapled the signatures and trimmed the pages at Staples copy and print centre. I glued the pages in and the finished book looks great. I am very happy with how it turned out. I now have the task of filling the pages with new poems. I want to add in the completed poems, not drafts. I learned a lot during the project and it may be a long while before I make another one, but I do feel it was worthwhile.

I tea stained the pages. I had dyed the fabric with goldenrod and I used the cloths to separate the pages from each other. I am glad I did that now. It made it much easier for me to form the signatures, which were eight sheets to a set, and I was able to create 12 signatures. There were 12 folios in total, which meant there were 96 pages in total. By separating each page and letting them dry for 48 hours, and being that patient. I was able to have a good set of papers to bind. I arranged the pages in the way I wanted, knowing that how I arrange the pages and then glue them into the book will be permanent. I repaired any tears or frayed edges gently and used glue. I used white glue, a lot of glue. I stacked them just to see how it would look with the covers. 

When I was sure, I went to the local print and copy centre, Staples, where I stapled each page twice using a long arm stapler. I trimmed the edges of the pages there too. My Mom carefully helped me fold the pages because if they are all relatively even, then they are easier to glue to the spine. So you can see a lot of thought went into this. I took real care and handled the pages carefully, carrying them in a special plastic folder and putting the folder in a plastic bag home from her house and to Staples. I bound the pages in, checking and rechecking that it was all the way I wanted it to be. I glued a strip of white cardboard to the front and back covers of the book on the inside to reinforce the spine section. I glued a strip of green cardboard to that. When I was satisfied, I glued a strip of the fabric I dyed with acorns to the spine of the book. I then glued another strip on top of that to help me know where to place the pages. So the spine had four layers, the green cardboard being the thinnest layer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I set a clamp over the outer edges of the tea stained pages arranged into the sets. I made sure each inner edge of the pages was touching the glue on the spine. I used a LOT of glue on the spine. I kept the clamp on the pages and let the paper and spine dry overnight. The pages were now set in the book permanently. In the morning, I was happy because the pages dried from being tea stained properly. They had now dried properly from the glue and adhered properly to the book spine. 

I love how it turned out. All those tiny and big steps all made a difference in how the book turned out. I glued my poem into the page and then I set about making the front cover fancy. Once the brown velvet was adhered with mitered corners, I could not tell the front cover from the back so I used my intuition. I could not feel the Celtic knot work I had etched in onto the davyboard on the front cover. I had to guess since once the velvet was on, it was no longer as obvious. 

I printed out a black frame border and coloured it all in black. I glued it to a piece of the print cardboard with a halloween orange pumpkin print. I like how it looked. I glued a felt witch to that. Then I tried embossing the front cover with gold foil, and I like how that turned out. I think the gold folio gives the front cover a rustic but more mystical appeal. Yup I am in love with it. In fact, I want to add a little more gold folio as it is missing in some spots. I have to paint the spots where the gold foil is on where I don’t want it to be. I won’t do that till I have the gold paint. 

I included a black and white photo tucked in a small envelope which I glued into the book, and I also added a note on the outside of the envelope. I had taken acorns from a grave and I wanted to show acknowledgement of that. I included a black and white photo of a scene in Mount Ollivet cemetery here in Halifax. I have to write more poems! 

Well I tried the gold foil adhesive. I think I need to get a better adhesive for the gold foil to stick. I just googled to apply gold foil to paper and got twenty different results but I will be right back to tell you about the method that worked best for me. Ok so gold foil does NOT work for me. Since Halifax went from spooky October to white winder wonderland in 24 hours, I’m going to paint the frame gold tomorrow with gold acrylic paint. I have to buy the paint but yeah I am sure that will work better. After taking all this care to make the book, I don’t want to mess up now. I will wait and I am sure the gold paint will work. 

Stay tuned to find out how that worked for me. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

 

 

 

 

 

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April 19, 2022 · 7:00 pm

A Cauldron of Soil Spell )O(

Merry meet all,

The invasion has begun! It is inescapable. Penny has run out of play room too! Oh my what am I to do? Did I get your attention? Ok I’m referring to the invasion of seedlings that have taken over my home, Goodness there are so many plant pots in here. Burn a candle and light some incense! Play relaxing music. 

This post is about how to create your own soil mixes for your own tender seedlings. You DO have young green seedlings in your apartment right? lol

Well let’s get started. I like mixing up the soil.

Ever notice that plant pots are round in shape? I like to think of the planters and plant pots as cauldrons. They have a lot more to do with cauldrons than you think. This may just change the way you garden from now on. Grab a cup of tea and join me. 

I mentioned the benefits of purchasing and using good quality soil in the last post, right? There is a good reason for that. It helps your plants get off to their best start, off to the races running. or, in this case, growing. Let’s take it a step further. 

Set down newspaper on the counter or wherever you choose to work in your home. Put the plant pot or seedling plant pot on the newspaper. Be willing to get your hands dirty. I love getting my hands right into the soil but that’s just me. Place a pitcher full of cold water nearby. Open the bag of soil. Next tip: I put a cloth grocery bag (plastic bags are banned here). It keeps the bag from spilling or making a mess. Just don’t forget about it but you won’t, will you?

Mix the soil into the plant pot. As you do this, envision that you are filling the pot with the energy of the Goddess. (Use a round pot for this.) You will see why now. The pot is round, so is a cauldron. The pot is deep ( well, most of them are). So is a cauldron. The cauldron is the deep earthy womb of the Goddess. The pot is too once it is full of soil. Once it is full of soil, meditate and reflect on the earthy goodness of the soil from the Goddess and the pot too. Mix that soil up in your hands. Smell it, feel it, cradle it in your hands. Visualize the energy traveling from your hands to the soil. Feel the energy traveling from the soil to you. I always do feel the energy of the soil. That is why I never wear gardening gloves. I love feeling the connection.

Stir the soil with a wooden spoon or your own eager hands. Loosen up any clumps and remove rocks. If you want, depending on what stage of growing your seedlings you are at, you can add fertilizer. Mix in bonemeal, bloodmeal, worm castings, coffee grounds or ground eggshells. Be sure to stir thoroughly. As you do, mix well and visualize. Direct the energy of your intention into the soil. 

If you choose, you can put the seedling into the plant pot THEN fill it with the soil. After that, when you have centered the seedling into the pot, and placed it in deeper than it was before in the starter pot, add the soil. Be sure to visualize, direct the energy and feel the soil in your hands. Grow with love and you will get love. The DNA of the future plant is contained within the seed. So planting a seed truly is an act of magic! 

Once the seed is planted, in a matter of days a cotyledon emerges, a tiny sprout. That sprout can grow into an oak tree, parsley or a pumpkin. Don’t crowd your seedlings – their tender roots need room to grow. I watched my Mother transplant over three dozen cherry tomato plant seedlings. Some of the starter pots contained up to five seedlings! They are all growing in their own pots now, much less crowded. 

A plant is a living being with feelings. Treat the plant like that and you will be rewarded many times over with a plant happy to grow and bloom and/ or bear fruit or seeds! If it is thirsty, water it. If it droops, place it in more light. If it is crowded or rootbound, repot it. I can sense when a plant is thirsty. You can also use your hair dryer to blow for a few seconds on your plants. That signals to them that they should grow strong stems. If it is warm enough where you live, leave the window open. The wind that wafts in will help them grow! 

I hope this post inspires you to get growing your own plants! Let me know in the comments below. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

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April 7, 2021 · 7:35 pm

Skull Pyjama Pants

Merry meet all,

I just sewed a pair of awesome spooky Pyjama pants. I love them. It was so easy and so much fun to make I had to share it with you. It is so easy to do. You can do it in one day or in a few days. 

I borrowed a pattern from my Mom. Her pattern was so simple. But there is the problem. It’s not really all that simple. Since I had a skull print on the fabric, I wanted to ensure the direction of the print was correct. I laid out the fabric on my kitchen table. I made sure the direction of the skulls was in unison. The skulls go down the pants not up. I hope I explained that clearly. I have included a photo of the skull Pyjama pants. Maybe that will help. 

Then I cut out 4 pieces on the selvage. I had 4 pieces of fabric. Then I stitched them together – the inside of the legs. I used a straight stitch. Then I sewed the crotch area. I reinforced the stitches. That means I stitched twice to strengthen the stitches so they don’t unravel. Then I sewed the front and back sides together. I tried the pants on. Yay they fit! When I was sure that they fit, I proceeded to the next step. 

I did a finishing stitch on the seam allowances of the pant legs. I did a long nice zigzag stitch. That prevents the fabric from fraying. But I hit a snag. There is always a snag when sewing. I needed to set the sewing machine to the right settings to do a zigzag stitch. I had to watch the tutorial on how to do that again. 

I pinned down an inch or two of fabric at the waistline. I did that to make sure I had enough of a casing for the elastic. I pinned the bottom hems of both legs of the pants. Then I stitched the pant hems. I stitched again to strengthen the stitch. I then sewed the casing for the waistline. I worked in the elastic using a safety pin. I looked in the mirror and armed with chalk- and securing the elastic in my fingers, I measured how much elastic I needed. Always have more elastic at hand than you plan to use. You are always better off using more than less. You cannot compromise on this step. Or it will never fit you properly. I also tested my pants for fit by sitting down in the pants to see if they truly fit me and do a few stretches. When I was sure they fit, I stitched the ends of the elastic, tucked it in the hole and stitched the hole closed. I wore the  pants for a moment. Yup they felt good. I was so happy. It was so easy to do. 

Just like the elastic, I encourage any of you who are eager to try this to have more fabric than you need. It is o easy to err when sewing. Always err on the side of caution. If you are using a print like mine, decide how you want the print to go. The skull print goes down the pants on both sides- front and back. This is in unison or consistent. It makes it look store bought. 

Now I have an awesome affordable cool pair of Pyjama pants to wear with my diabolical dark lord slippers. !! I love how they turned out. Paying attention to the details ensure a beautiful garment in the end. It is easy to have problems as you are sewing such as the elastic twisting in the casing, not enough elastic or fabric or running out of thread. Taking care of those tiny details ahead of time saves you the trip to the fabric store in the rain- when you could have been sewing. 

When you sew the zigzag stitch, be neat and clean. Sew it next to the straight stitch or on it. The point of the zigzag stitch is to prevent fraying. If you look carefully at a garment in your wardrobe, you might just see a zigzag seam on your clothes. It will be found on the inside of your garment. Look even closer and you can see how neatly it is done. Yup that is what I am talking about. You can adjust the stitch to be wide or a narrow zigzag stitch. Try not to sew the zigzag stitch outside or far from the seam allowance. Sew it on the seam allowance, inside the seam allowance. It will look neater that way. If you think you can do it, a smaller seam allowance leaves you more fabric. It may help the pants fit you better. 

Remember this maxim when sewing: Measure twice, cut once. I can’t emphasize that enough. It is so true. When you hem the pants, you don’t always have to do a narrow hem. I didn’t. I just folded up the hem on the inside of the pants an inch or two. I secured the fabric with pins then sewed it. I did it twice to ensure it would not come undone. The fabric I used can unravel easily. I had to be careful. The stitches show on the right side of the fabric. But I took the extra time to make the seams neat. I can see it but I don’t know if others can. There are so many black lines on the print it may not be visible to everyone. 

That is how you sew your own pjs! It is so easy to do. Most fabric stores carry fabric patterns. It certainly is a cheap way to make a pair of pyjama pants. I love mine. It’s even better that I can wear my Dark Lord slippers with them. I ordered the slippers from Killstar. But I didn’t plan to pay for shipping and handling for pjs- not when I made mine look that cook! I also plan to set in a black tie or ribbon for the pj pants. That will be the finishing touch! 

Does this inspire you to sew your own pyjama pants? I hope so. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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