Fall and Baltics 13

Estonia continued

At the open air museum we visited this embroidery display was in one small building. One woman did all this work in the native style.

This is a typical floral motif.

This is the lady at her house.

Close up of individual stitches

Their house shoes

"Modern" (in the sense of having bright dyes, that were not available before the industrial revolution) ethnic dress -- and some Estonian gentleman?

This was the hired hand's quarters. Comfy, eh?

A dairy room

This was earlier ethnic dress, found in a tomb and recreated.

More gorgeous embroideries

Hats

These are some of the special knitting patterns from this island.

She probably knit them herself.

This island has annual festivities with folk dances.

 Then we drove a bit further to visit the home and studio of the lady who does the marvellous embroidery work we saw in the shop.

This is she and her studio and a bed cover commissioned work in progress. Many foreign people ask her to do special pieces for them.

Another part of her shop. She said her grandchildren get to work at the loom while she does embroidery.

These are her scarecrows in her garden. I think they might attract any crow with good taste.

Fall color

Back home today on a soggy morning walk....

 So, what was the predominate color in this post?

Not Telling

Finished, but...

Today I finished a big project, of a couple of week's work, but I can't show you yet. A certain time necessity required they be done now. You will see for Advent.

Ready to go

But this morning I did try a very new medium for me - Finger Knitting. I recently got a small book on the method and today I saw something I liked, that would be super simple and practical to make, so I took a few minutes and tried it with a shoe string. It works. Now to practice a bit more and make something.

This looks something like the fire salamanders we have around here. (See Thom's Blog)

And just because they are gorgeous:

From My Dear

Now on to other things, like pumpkins.

Receipt Sketch and Random Painting

Although I feel like I got SO MUCH done this weekend, I don't have much to show you from my artistic adventures...

During a slow time at work I tried to sketch on the back of a receipt some water drops on the counter ...haha.

And Naomi asked me to paint with her this weekend, so I did! It's been almost five months since I picked up a brush, and she didn't have enough red and yellow to mix other colors with, so I tried to practice monochrome stuff.

(Naomi was using paint to color in a page from her Frozen book.)

Got a reference off Pinterest, picked up Naomi's Apple Barrel White, Black, and Parrot Blue, and went to town.

Initial sketch...

And "finished" painting. I never know when I'm done with painting things, but I'm leaving it now. Haha. I don't have much patience, practice, or knowledge in the painting department, but I can't do everything, right?

Anyway, I'm fairly happy with how it turned out... Of course I see MANY mistakes, but I like the color.

Baltics 12

Following is a continuation of the rural island tour of an historic farm.

This is a "summer house." They had different ones for different seasons on the same property.

Inside the summer house

Another view. The hollowed log was for laundry.

A water mover in the garden

Hops on the well pumper

Each household wove its own cloth.

Milady's sewing centre.

The room of one of their distinguished poets, who lived and wrote here.

Fully computerised with 120 stitches, surely.

Bread paddle for putting bread in big ovens.

The attached barn/shop

Various wooden containers for different uses

A work bench

This is the Christmas goat. Mixed media, definitely.

.... ummmm.....

The other end of the barn/shop with vehicles and tools - carriage and sleigh

And boat. All set for everything.

All this area had peculiar three-offset-pronged pitchforks

That was Part Two. More to follow.