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| Doll With Tree © 1999 Maria Pahls |
Seed Pod #059
© Copyright 1998 Maria Pahls
the fence post
(editor's letter)
dear friends:
it is my belief that handmade and homemade gifts are perhaps the best of all. of course the thought counts any time you give a gift, but there is just a satisfaction on the end of the giver and the receiver when it's a creation put fourth from heart to hands.
consider for example herbal vinegar steeped with fresh herbs and bottled in decorative glass containers with a melted wax covering on top. perhaps you own a food dryer and like the thought of dehydrating some apples, strawberries, kiwi, bananas, and pears. i have done this in the past, shopping the discount produce stores or clearance sections at the market for over ripe fruit which is sweeter than less aged produces. i layer the dehydrated fruit in pretty jars and cover the with a scrap of homespun fabric that is secured with jute or string. its nice to intermingle some of those specialty items in with the home dried fruit such as purchased dried apricots, cherries, cranberries and other items that may be difficult to dry at home or not in season. you can also dry grapes into raisins and use canned pineapple in place of fresh. the fruit dried at home tastes really great, and reminds me of stained glass when layered decoratively.
primitively yours,
maria pahls
miscellaneous letters sent in by readers
diane reminisces about an old neighbor...
"This Annie Moon (ISSUE 55) sure does sound interesting! I would love just to talk with her. When we lived in Arkansas on a farm (late '50's), my Mom and six kids at the time... Dad was in Alaska on the dew line, Port Moller as a matter of fact... we had opportunity to meet some wonderful folks. In particular there was this one family, grandmother, father, (their Mom had passed away) and three children, all of them older than me that lived off in the woods. I used to go visit the grandmother... and sit in the kitchen for hours as she talked about stuff. She would dip into her snuff and fill her lower lip then proceed to tell me things. They didn't have electricity either or running water.
One time grandmother (that is what she asked me to call her...) and I were sitting in the kitchen and it was beginning to get pretty shadowy ... when up she jumped and headed into this adjacent room which was pretty much a storage room... filled with jars for canning and such... there was very little light by then and she was talking about a snake.... I just followed... I didn't know what she meant... well, she "sniffed" out a big black snake... asked me if I couldn't smell it... I said no... she said that it mostly smelled like cucumbers... anyway, she got it and took it outside. A most charming old woman she was, she laughed a lot... I used to go and play with the little Bantum chicks that she raised... These folks eventually moved away after their house was struck by lightning... none of them were harmed but their house was destroyed. My grandmother also lived nearby and she told me that they were definitely hill people... very rustic. My strongest impression of them all were quiet natures, shy, and did not talk a lot... except for the grandmother!
.. sometimes it would be so nice to step back in time, I would also love to visit old grandmother again... boy, would I ask plenty of questions!"
primitive ponderings
questions asked by readers, then replied upon in later issues.
new question: what does every one think of mixing an matching the seasons? i keep seeing santas holding pumpkins, fourth of july santas etc....
tips & techniques
skeletonizing fall leaves
you can make a beautiful frieze of skeletonized leaves (painted or left natural) even add small dried flowers for interest. they are quite beautiful when preserved in this way...
leaves fall during autumn after sending their sugar to be stored. a cork layer grows at the base of the stem which stops water from reaching the leaf. in early winter leaf skeletons can be found and studied (for example where cars have been running over wet leaves).
these can also be made anytime of year. start with large leaves with clear veins and ribs. simmer leaves in a large pot for 30 minutes then put leaves and water in a bucket out of doors, cover with a screen & weight with a brick.
after several weeks the flesh of the leaf will decay and can be easily removed (use a small paintbrush to flake off). i have heard that you can preserve these by ironing between layers of waxed paper (place a towel and layer of brown paper over waxed paper and a layer of brown paper under before ironing.)
Preserving Fall Leaves
- Gather fallen leaves, in orange, red, and other brilliant colors. Look for soft leaves, not brittle or brown.
- Gently wipe leaves off with a damp sponge to remove dust and dry them carefully (between layers of blotter paper in a telephone directory or heavy text book.)
- Brush on acrylic gel medium (available in art supply stores) in light coats, one side of the leaf at a time, allowing drying time between sides. A second coat will ensure the entire surface is covered. This should help preserve the beautiful colors of your fall leaves for many years, and keep them from transferring their natural acids.
Maple Ghost - © 1999 Homespun Peddler
SHRUNKEN HEAD- APPLE HEAD DOLL
select a firm, not overly ripe apple (try jonathan, winesap,red deliciious or rome),peel away the skin and remove any bruises -leave the stem and some of the skin at the top of the apple. carve out eyes,nose,mouth and other facial features. the facial features should be about 3 times larger than what you expect the finished face to be. take care not to carve too near the core or rotting will result. for dark skin use no lemon juice. for lighter skin dip in a bowl of lemon juice concentrate. the soaking should last about 45 minutes and the apple will sink when it absorbs enough juice. (if browning occurs, dip again). take care to handle apple by the stem.
to dry, hang by the stem or pass a wire, shaped like a giant bobby pin thru the core from top to bottom. the drying place should be warm and dry away from the sun. the longer the drying time the better the doll (allow about one month). to shorten the time hang near a heat source. the doll will naturally wrinkle and age as it dries. facial features can be gently manipulated with pressure to form.
for a body a metal armature from a coat hanger could be used or mount the head on a dowel and insert into a stuffed body. press black beads into the eye holes and small white beads can be used for teeth. a matte spray can be applied to the head to make it less appetizing to critters. You can even do a bit of painting on the face if you plan to spray it with fixative.
a template example is shown for carving a face. it illustrates just how much you will want to enlarge the features.
garden gift
for the favorite gardener on your gift giving list why not stuff some garden boots instead of a stocking this year? all you need know is their size and you can pack a pair of garden boots with useful garden items such as gloves, pruning shears, gift certificates for seed catalogs and garden supply stores as well as a bundle of metal garden markers,a box of herbal tea and some garden inspired home decor. also a nice smaller gift for a gardener is always a forced bulb kit ( a bulb glass, and the bulb of your choice along with some instructions for how to force a bulb-found on many gardening web sites)
small rag tree
to create a quaint mini rag tree use a small wooden square block about 2". drill a hole in which a 3/8" dowel rod is glued in. paint the dowel brown and the block in a christmas or other theme, such as checkers or dots etc...take 8" green wool strips and tie them on the dowel, knotting them. continue to put knotted strips all the way up the dowel until it reaches the height you desire. trim the ends of the strips as desired and place a painted wooden star atop or stiffen a felt piece and cut star for the top. make a whole forest of rag trees of varied heights for your mantle. place one in a sata's hands or next to your favorite snowman doll.
James Suddeth
WHO'S IT?
WHAT'S IT?
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now & forever
302 depot rt 1130 manchester vermont proprietors are kitty and charlie bayberry farm peddlers po box 447 perkasle, pa 19844 goosefeather trees by lorrie clauss (no relation to santa), german christmas waxed figure ornaments, tin christmas snowflakes and stars by "ed" the tinsmith, old factory paper decoration reprodutions... brochure $2 |
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