tell me a dragon ...

That is the title of a wonderfully illustrated

children's book by Jackie Morris,

someone I admire a lot !

These last few days I SEWED a dragon

A dragon costume

for the youngest grandson !

(they're going to "Castle Fest" again)

Daughter had been working on the costume of the eldest

so I was the "aid group" for the youngest

(the middle one already had something he wants to wear)

We took the "knight" outfit I once made,

looked up a lot on Pinterest,

and daughter made a little sketch

to show how she liked it

...

Her idea for the head was to use a cap inside,

(the "Minions" cap that grandson loves to wear)

I also had the "old" knight's helmet pattern.

On the Saturday-market in Rotterdam I bought some green cotton

and some glittery fabric.

But I went again to buy some more green

(because the glitter wasn't the right colour ...)

but they didn't have that with them that day

so I bought something else :

really WILD soft tricot : with black and yellow drops on green background,

BUT the backside was quite nice !!! 

Ears, part of the mouth, points for the head and the back ...

(thick fiberfill : stash from the old "quilting-days")

I decided to make the head without the his cap,
in fact making a new "cap", the sturdy bit will be the mouth
(it's got plastic inside !)

HA ... a bit like "Darth Vader" (uhhhhm Green Vader !)
(you can see the "wild" inside here ...)

points for the back  .....  and my clever tool to turn it !

(got the tool from a friend : these surgical pliers are thrown away !!! 

because buying new is cheaper than sterilize them .... ???)

Attaching the points on the back of the (still) open shirt :
half with the machine, half by hand.

Diner-time ...
but still wings to make

But then daughter arrived
to tell they're not going to the party tomorrow ...
but on Sunday !

Ahhhhh ... BIG time for a show !!!

WOW !
SOME  FIERCE  DRAGON  THIS  IS  !!!

(the pants are at home : daughter made them,
just like his favorite sweatpants !)

(LOL he was a lot louder, after this first picture was taken  ;-) ...!)

They went home (with the head)
and I finished the wings and sewed them on the back of the shirt.
Done !

new felt

Some of the hand dyed wool

we bought in Hoorn

is now used to make something new :

wrist warmers

(like the ones I made some time ago)

(wool with silk)

(these were the ones I made at Katia Mokeyeva's workshop)

And because it is such fun

(and because there is more hand dyed wool in our stash)

there came another pair

*

Luckily creativity runs in the family !

Granddaughter bought some simple black shoes ...

Now they're not simple anymore, but 

BEAUTIFUL !

With the use of a white Posca pen, a lot of time and her skills

she changed them into these !!!

(she's got talent !)

*

I the garden things keep changing

lots of pinks again.

Though the heavy rains of the last few days

aren't very nice to the phlox

and they all hang their heads,  heavy with raindrops

In our "green" water next to the garden

the coots are having their nth bunch of youngsters ...

(four on the day before yesterday ...

today I saw only three !)

playing with colour

Ohhhh, I've been planning to do this for soooo long

and never came to it ...

(until now)

Perhaps all the wonderful stuff

at the Weaver's Market in Hoorn

gave me the last push

I know :

I love all the natural dying stuff I see and hear about

(surely after that indigo workshop)

BUT

I don't have enough room ( and pans, electric hob)

nor do I have the skills (and recipes)

to do so successfully.

So I stuck to the "good old" Procion dye

(I did that with a good friend some years ago)

Preparing the dye (with mouth cap and gloves)

Strands of cotton and silk waiting on cling film.

First one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . then a lot more

waiting for 24 hours.

First harvest of the wonderful silk

(looks like normal cotton embroidery floss :

only 8 strands instead of 6,

and thinner !)

YUMMY !

Started with the second batch today !

:-)

a day in Hoorn ...

Weavers market in Hoorn

only once a year on a Wednesday in July ...

Many "textile-friends" 

have that date fixed in their calendar !

Daughter and I were going by our friend Caroline's car,

a one and a half hour drive from Rotterdam.

A warm and sunny day

(though the weather forecast wasn't that pleasant for the afternoon ...)

There were already lots and lots of people when we arrived !

We split because Caroline waited for some more friends

that were coming from other places.

colours !

peg loom and wooden printing blocks

"Kantha" (inside of a jacket)

"Kantha" (outside of another one)

Soooo much to see ...

sooooo many goodies ...

I know there were others (that I know) on the market

but I hardly saw a familiar face,

only lovely "STUFF"

The five of us had a good lunch near the harbor ...

(no ... no eel ...

they were just bringing these inside, from the "IJsselmeer")

... on a (wobbly) boat, with a view on the harbor mouth

where lots of sailboats were seeking refuge

for the foretold bad weather)

(bad weather that didn't come)

Then back to the market !

Where there was some lady, that makes beautiful shrouds out of felt, for burial

"Rest in Felt"

And more stalls with more lovely items.

In the end of the afternoon it was so hot again

that we went home before it all ended.

At home Man waited with hommmme mmmmmade Lasagna !!!

Mmmmmmmmmmmm !

Time to see what goodies the two of us had

A hand dyed shawl, cotton scrim, wool with silk,

silk hankies, labradorite pendant, drop spindle and some

special closures for felted bags.

Abundance ! 

HAPPY

* 

Because of the sweltering heat in the afternoon

the toads (eight or nine) came out for diner ...

probably flying ants.

What a day !

only one night ...

We visited family this evening

(uhhhhm already yesterday ...)

The sun went down with a silver lined cloud

while on the other side the full moon rose,

big on the horizon ...

a lovely night !

Just like some nights ago when we were surprised

by no less than six BIG flowers

flowers of the night

big as the full moon !

Five flowers + the "moon" of my flash light.

(number six is more to the right)

It's easy to know that the flowers opened :

a heavy sweet scent tells it all !

almost 20 cm  (8") !

But ....

only a beauty for one night ...

the very next morning it's over