Green Spiral Herbs

Valentine Challenge

2012-01-31T05:26:00.000-08:00

In January, my quilt guild issued a challenge. Make a small quilted piece with the red heart provided and the theme of "My Funny Valentine". I stitched the cupid in stem stitch (a la redwork), added the heart and beads around, and quilted the words, "Fat, Naked, Dangerous". Yeah.

Bye bye apple trees. Stupid beaver!

2012-01-29T09:53:00.000-08:00

The four feet of flood waters that raged across our entire property as a result of Hurricane Irene was devastating. See previous posts. We lost lots of plants and weren't sure what would survive the winter in their weakened states. The trees, though, seemed to be holding up well. Guess the beaver thought so too. Here's all that is left of two of our apple trees.

Sentimental Journey Postcard

2012-01-29T06:56:00.001-08:00

May Arts Ribbons issued a challenge. Use these four ribbons in a project with the theme, "Sentimental Journey". I came up with this fabric postcard (4' x 6"). I layered the white crinkle ribbon with the pink ruffled ribbon. I added the lace trim to the sides. I embroidered fly stitch with a fine gold metallic thread. Then, added the Celtic knot beads and glass hearts. To the right, I embroidered roses with the taupe silk ribbon. The bottom of the heart is chain stitch with ecru #12 pearl cotton.This is the back of the postcard, ready for a message, address and a stamp. Where would your sentimental journey lead?

Alliance for American Quilts

2012-01-26T05:01:00.001-08:00

The Alliance for American Quilts is having their annual fundraiser. Usually, they ask artists to create a 12 x 12 inch square, quilted in any way. This year, they have asked it be a house-shaped 15 x 19 image. All art is donated to the Alliance and are sold on eBay. So, I made a fairy house in a tree. I'll take another pic to show how dimensional the bark of the tree is. Behind the door...

This is "Rose Song", which I made for the Alliance a few years ago.

CQJP 2012

2012-01-19T04:39:00.000-08:00

Here is my "block" for January for the CQJP (Crazy Quilt Journal Project). Each month I will do a paisley. They will then be hung from my Ease "valance" as posted below. I crazy quilted the front, used Timtex in the middle and a plain fabric for the backing. I beaded the edge. The Timtex gives the paisley a sturdy base, so it doesn't flop.

CQJP 2012

2012-01-11T05:20:00.001-08:00

I am participating in the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012. This project is to bring heightened awareness to the art of crazy quilting. The idea is to make a small crazy quilt piece each month. Someone discussed having a word to represent what you desire in 2012. I chose the word, "Ease".

1. freedom from labor, pain, or physical annoyance; tranquil rest; comfort: to enjoy one's ease.

2. freedom from concern, anxiety, or solicitude; a quiet state of mind: to be at ease about one's health.

3. freedom from difficulty or great effort; facility: It can be done with ease.

4. freedom from financial need; plenty: a life of ease on a moderate income.

I decided to make a header, or valance of sorts, to begin the project. I embroidered the word ease and then added florals and fairies around. From this, my monthly crazy quilted pieces will hang. You'll have to stay tuned to see how this comes about!

Crazy Quilt Sneakers and iPhone case!

2012-01-09T13:24:00.001-08:00

Yes, I am easily amused! Just got my custom printed Keds today. I created them with photos of one of my crazy quilts. I am impressed at how they turned out.

A few weeks ago, I ordered a case for my iPhone and used one of my crazy quilt blocks for the graphic. It turned out fabulously! Now, what else can I get my crazy quilts printed on?...

2012 Herb of the Year - Rose

2012-01-05T05:26:00.000-08:00

2012 Herb of the Year – Rose
Betty Pillsbury

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln

Rose 'Alchymyst' growing in my garden

Think for a moment of standing in the garden on a warm June day. The sky is a stunning blue, the sun is warming your back, bees drone lazily in the background and roses are blooming with wild abandon. You approach the rose bush, first taken in by the beauty of the flowers. Just standing next to a rose, you catch the delightful aroma of its gorgeous blossoms. Leaning in to take full advantage of this olfactory delight, you inhale deeply. Immediately, a sense of peace and comfort envelops you. That is the magic and medicine of rose.

Roses are necessary in a garden for no other reasons than their beauty and that emotional response of comfort. There is healing in the witness of beauty. It’s a balm to the psyche. The momentary pleasure of the sight and scent of roses really isn’t momentary. If you allow, you can recall that moment in the sun later when you need a sense of calm. “God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December”. – J.M. Barrie

In herbal medicine, roses are considered to be cool and dry by some and slightly warm and moist by others. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Roses have a gentle, but powerful action. I find roses to be physically slightly cooling while simultaneously warming the “cockles of the heart”. Rose petal infusion makes a lovely, soothing anti-inflammatory for irritated skin.

My embroidery for an herbal thesis quilt.

Roses are most definitely antidepressant. Recall inhaling a fragrant rose and the sensation of calm and contentment that envelops you. The effect is also achieved by ingesting tea, tincture, acetum or glycerite of roses. Or, perhaps by enjoying rose petal jelly on your morning toast. Rose petal honey is lovely, as are candied rose petals. The uplifting sensation is welcome to me especially in the winter when fresh roses in the garden are a memory of last season.

My granddaughter, Salena, helping me harvest rose petals in my garden.

“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.”

Wishes for my Birthday

2011-10-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

2011 has been a challenging year in too many ways to count. So, for my birthday yesterday, I decided to create a crazy quilted heart. While I stitched, I spoke aloud my desires, wishes and prayers for the coming year. Thoughts of love, creativity, laughter, friendship, prosperity and good health were woven into every stitch. My birthday heart is now pinned on the studio wall, where I can see it daily and remind myself to make those wishes come true!

Crazy Quilt Earns Blue Ribbon

2011-10-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

My crazy quilt, "Paisley", won a blue ribbon in the New York State of Mind Quilt Contest at the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, NY this weekend. It's made completely by hand. I fashioned the wired ribbon roses in the center, embroidered the paisley, added beads and such. The center fabric is a paisley tone-on-tone silk brocade I have had for some time. The green velvet I fashioned into a quasi-Moorish arch to frame the main embroidery. Then, I bordered it with crazy quilt panels on two sides. There is a lot of hand embroidery throughout the crazy quilted portion. I added velvet ribbon borders. The pink ribbon treatment around the outer two edges was inspired by an antique crazy quilt. I had a lot of fun making this wall hanging!

I've been asked to display three of my crazy quilts next April at the Quilt Expo en Beaujolais, France. I'm delighted to do so! 2012 promises to be an extraordinary year.

Quilt Exhibit

2011-09-20T07:54:00.001-07:00

My crazy quilt, "Crazy Diamonds" is on exhibit at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY from 24 Sept - 31 Dec in the "Unfolding Stories" exhibit. Every stitch in Crazy Diamonds is by hand. It has won blue ribbons at the American Quilters' Society, Empire State Quilt Festival, Bennington Quilt Festival, Vermont Quilt Festival, and New York State of Mind Quilt Contest and has also won several Viewer's Choice and Vendor's Choice ribbons.

As I was completing it in April of 2009, my daughter went into labor. I quickly gathered up the bits and pieces of the quilt and drove to her house and started talking to my as-yet-unborn grandson through her belly. I asked him, "Baby, please wait just a bit for Granny to finish this quilt!" And you know, he did! A few days later the quilt was finished and Raffaele was born. My daughter has not forgiven me. :-)

Hurricanes Irene and lee

2011-09-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

On August 28, we were hit fairly hard by Irene. This is not a creek or river. This is part of the garden by the road. At the base of the tree is a 3 foot slope. The waters were flowing quite quickly across the entire 5 acres of our property. Just a week or so later, we were hit by Lee. Not as bad as Irene, but most of the property had flowing flood waters. Our basement was flooded to 4 feet, destroying the sump pump, new boiler system, water softener and damaging water pipes and oil tank. We lost power for 6 days. Had power surges from generator which played havoc with computers and burnt out our stand-up freezer filled with organic food. We lost a lot of our business packaging and raw materials. There was 2 feet of water in the barn and garage. It's been over 4 weeks and we still have no hot water or heat.

However, the surrounding area fared much, much worse! Entire houses were destroyed. Businesses and homes had extensive flood damage. Roads and bridges were washed away. In villages, there were gas and oil spills, sewage problems, etc. They are calling this event a 500-year flood. Let's hope so. Middleburgh School just opened for the year yesterday. There is still extensive damage, but work goes on while students adjust to all.

Another Sweet Friend!

2011-07-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

Tina Sams, editor of the wonderful herb magazine, The Essential Herbal, blogged about our gardens. Thank you Tina!!! Click on the title above to see it. And, don't forget to subscribe to the mag. It's a knowledgeable, folksy, user-friendly herb magazine.

Sweet Words from a Kind Friend.

2011-07-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Susan Elliot is a Renaissance Woman. She is a stitcher par excellence, an outstanding photographer, a writer with an extraordinary gift and a woman with a true, golden heart. She blogs about her life - and what a life it is! She was kind enough to blog sweetly about the class she had with me. Please have a look and make sure you look at her other posts - she has created a life for herself filled with joy and love.

Click on the title above to view Susan's blog.

Rose-scented Bee Balm

2011-07-14T07:36:00.001-07:00

Rose-scented bee balm in our garden. (Monarda didyma 'rose-scented'). Bee balm is also known as bergamot. But, it shouldn't be confused with the bergamot flavor in Earl Grey tea. That bergamot is an orange, not an herb. Although, the native bergamot was also known as Oswego Tea. Apparently, the Oswego Indians showed colonists how to brew this into a beverage and it got very popular after the Boston Tea Party.

But, this variety of bee balm is a bit different than others. The fragrance of its flowers and foliage smell like rose-scented geranium and it is heavenly! Bees and hummingbirds and butterflies all love it. And so do I! Delightful as a cup of tea, for use in potpourri, or just to gaze upon.

In fact, on days like today, which are clear and sunny, just standing next to this plant and gazing upon its beauty provides a balm for me. I can totally understand why bees are lulled by this plant. Perhaps I am part bee? Buzzz.

Adventure in CQ 2012

2011-06-10T05:01:00.000-07:00

The Adventure in Crazy Quilting retreat was phenomenal. Maureen Greeson has asked me to come back again next year and I readily said "YES"!! Click on the link for the information. I urge you to sign up quickly! Classes sell out WAY before the retreat. This is the project I will be teaching. The other terrific teachers are: Diane Fitzgerald, Helen Gibb, Pat Winter, Sharon Boggon, Nancy Eha and Shirlee Fassell.

Teaching Crazy Quilting

2011-06-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

September 30, October 1 & 2 will find me back in Wisconsin, teaching in Oconomowoc. I had such a great time last year, it didn't take much convincing to have me back again! Cheryl Anderson is hosting and organizing this event. If you are interested, please go to her blog and email her to get more info!

CRAZY QUILT DESIGN. Bring a partially completed block that you are struggling with, or a new block that you have specific ideas or themes for but want help implementing them. Betty will share her ideas for each block with all of us, and we will then have an opportunity to start stitching our block using those ideas. There will be many ideas shared in this class, so bring a notebook along to jot down ideas you like from all of the blocks that Betty is going to be sharing. Half a day will be spent on learning how to design these blocks with Betty, and the other half of a day will be spent working on your design with Betty's help along the way.

CRAZY PIECING WITH VELVET. Betty Pillsbury is known for her beautiful curved piecing techniques that allow the block to flow from one area to the next. Her piecing is all done by hand which allows for greater portability as well as greater control over curves. Learn how she incorporates velvet into her piecing without the slippery slidey frustrations that usually go along with using this beautiful fabric.

KICK IT UP A NOTCH SEAM TREATMENTS: Learn a few more seam treatments from Betty that feature some beaded and beautiful seam treatments for your next project. You can either bring fabric to practice your seam treatments on, or a block that you can work them on.

June

2011-06-10T04:50:00.000-07:00

The rugosa roses are abundant this year! Here's a pic of my granddaughter, Salena, helping me pick roses in the garden. We'll be making rose petal jelly, rose petal syrup, rose petal glycerite and rose petal vinegar. Perhaps a rose petal and rhubarb tart too! Roses are good medicine and food. Make sure you use organically grown roses.

I finally finished this crazy quilt wall hanging! The center portion has been done for some time. It's a combination of embroidery, beading and wired ribbon flowers. The borders are crazy quilted and include all sorts of embroidery techniques. All embroidery is by hand, of course!

Lecture and Trunk Show in Bloomfield, NJ

2011-02-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

Please join me for a lecture and trunk show of crazy quilts (antiques and my own award-winning work) at the fabulous Edwardian Needle in Bloomfield, NJ. March 27, 1-3. If you haven't been to this shop, you are missing a treat! More threads and beautiful, needful things than you can imagine!

Contact The Edwardian Needle at

The Edwardian Needle
225 Belleville Avenue
Bloomfield, NJ 07003

Phone: 973-743-9833

Email: info@theedwardianneedle.com

Heirloom Love Letters

2011-02-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

Brent (one of The Fabulous Beekman Boys) asked me to design and stitch a Valentine. I came up with this, which Brent calls an Heirloom Love Letter.
One the reverse is fabric upon which you can write your romantic sentiments and then send it through the mail to your loved one. It even includes a Beekman postage stamp! Go to the link above to order one for your sweetheart.

While on the Beekman 1802 site, check out the Seasonal Lady Pillows I stitch for them. My husband, Dan, and I also create the Four Seasons candles and Milk Baths. Soon, you will be able to purchase a few other products we make in the Four Seasons scents on the Beekman 1802 page.

To order our other herbal, handmade products, go to GreenSpiralHerbs.

Brent and Josh love supporting local artists (we live in the same county as the Boys). Our son, Ryan Pillsbury and his business partner, DareRick Krufchinski, own Legacy Woodcraft. www.legacywoodcraft.com They make the Garden Hods, candle boxes, soap boxes and various other wooden products for Beekman 1802.

2011 Class Schedule

2011-01-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

I've just updated the website with classes for the next several months. Things crazy quilt and things herbal. We are in the process of remodeling the building next door. The space is light and bright and perfect for classes! A new series for this year will be "The Herbalist's Table". Throughout the seasons, I'll take you into yard and garden where we will harvest plants and then come back to the kitchen and transform them into delicious dishes!

I'll also be giving classes on crazy quilting - piecing, embroidery, beadwork, etc.

On June 15, there is a free herb walk around the property - which is a certified Botanical Sanctuary. We grow hundreds of herbs, as well as fruits, berries, veggies and mushrooms. Hope you can join us!

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T06:36:00.001-08:00

2010 certainly was a busy one! From our collaboration with The Fabulous Beekman Boys (making Heirloom Love Letters, Milk Shakes, Candles and a few more goodies to be introduced in 2011) to Danny's accident with the table saw, the barn fire, kids moving, finishing David Winston's 2-year Herbal Study Program (and my herbal thesis quilt), a new grandson!!, and renovating a new space for retail to open in 2011.

I'm starting an herb/plant study group called BIG - Botanical Interest Group.

Botanical Interest Group – Do you love plants, herbs especially? Would you like to get
together with like-minded folks to discuss growing and using useful plants? Join Betty Pillsbury at Green Spiral Herbs in Huntersland on third Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and see what grows! January 19 is our first meeting.
I'm setting up the class schedule for 2011. Details posted soon. Coming up January 11 is a lecture and trunk show for the Piecemakers Quilt Guild in Middleburgh, NY.
May 2011 bring you blessings of good health, love and abundance.

Happy Solstice, Merry Yule!

2010-12-21T06:58:00.000-08:00

From A Celtic Devotional by Caitlin Matthews:

Greeting to the Winter Solstice
Brightener of Darkness, hail!
Keeper of Clearness, Opener of the Depths.
Gifts of plenty are arising,
Winter wonders, white snows fall.
Joyful be the heart within us,
Open wide the guesting door,
Wisdom waken in abundance,
Warm our beings to the core.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lady's Mantle Emerging

2010-04-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

Lady's mantle. Alchemilla vulgaris. It's said the dew collected from lady's mantle leaves have magical properties and was used by medieval alchemists in their attempts to turn lead into gold. Not one to pass up an opportunity to anoint myself with magic, I always dab a bit of the dew on my face while in the garden.

Spring Flowers

2010-04-02T04:08:00.001-07:00

While in the garden yesterday, I remarked to my 5-year-old grandson, "Look, the coltsfoot is in bloom." He stopped, looked down and said, "Granny, they look a lot like dandi-flowers." It's true. And many adults assume the yellow blossoms along the side of the road at this time of year are dandelions. Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara, is one of the earliest blooming wildflowers/herbs in the Northeast. Also known as "Father-Before-the-Son" because the flowers appear before the leaves, coltsfoot brings welcome color in early spring. Coltsfoot is used as a cough remedy by herbalists.

Also blooming are sweet violets. "Regular" garden violets will bloom a little later, but the sweet violets always appear first. Pushing up through the earth, garnering our attention, were angelica, catnip, butterbur, squirrel corn, motherwort, nettles, pulsatilla, chickweed and chives. The first of the peepers were singing. The ground is still sodden and there is standing water in many places after the huge rains. Some snow remains in shadowy places. But, spring is springing!

Snow, snow, snow

2010-02-26T13:14:00.001-08:00

Monday was a lovely day. It finally was above freezing and the sun actually shone in the morning. We based at 38 degrees. It started snowing on Tuesday. By Wednesday, we had nearly 2 feet of snow (on top of what was already on the ground). A new storm came through Thursday - although we couldn't tell the difference between storm 1 and storm 2. By Friday morning, we had 5 feet of snow. Heavy, wet snow! And it is still snowing. They say another foot by tomorrow morning.

Remember, my poor husband had that terrible accident with the table saw and lost part of two fingers and mangled a third finger badly. He is unable to use his left hand for now. Besides, the snow is so moisture-laden and heavy, a snowblower wouldn't go through. So, out came the Kubota, which he can operate with right hand only. Then, my son, Zach, (Thanks Kid!!) used the snowblower to get the close up work. You can see the blueness in snow, which is indicative of the moisture.
This is the back of the house. I had to walk up the road a bit to get this shot. We have a standing seam steel roof that's just 1 1/2 years old. Thank goodness. The snow slides off and the weight doesn't build up on the roof. Here you can see how the snow has slid off and it has snowed so much, that our kitchen windows are completely covered. The snow can't slide any more.

Here's what our driveway looked like this morning. Those are 7 foot banks. You can see the bump on the left and the bump on the right, our vehicles.

There is a serene beauty about winter and snow. It's majestic and awe-inspiring - as long as you don't have to drive in it. And the quiet that settles over the land after a fresh snowfall is magical. But, I am sorta Jonesing for spring and something green!

An Adventure in Crazy Quilting

2010-02-11T05:04:00.000-08:00

Do you crazy quilt? Do you enjoy stitching with silks, velvets and beads? You MUST come to An Adventure in Crazy Quilting in Glastonbury, CT in April of next year. I will be teaching, along with colleagues Sharon Boggon from Australia and Allie Aller from Washington state. Hostesses, Maureen Greeson and Susan Elliott, are forces of nature (and phenomenal stitchers) and already have details in place. Don't hesitate, people are signing up already and the conference is limited to 60 people!!

Also, I will be in Branson, MO this August teaching at a quilt retreat. And will be teaching several classes in Chicago and Milwaukee in September. More details to follow.

Healing Thoughts for my Husband

2010-02-10T06:32:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, my husband, Dan, was constructing a mobile chicken coop (one that he could move with the Kubota). Some wood kicked and his left hand was dragged into the table saw blade. Very bad. Three fingers have been severely damaged. A plastic surgeon performed emergency surgery, but amputation of a few joints had to be done. There are nerves and tendons severed and bones shattered and much muscle damage. His hand is casted and wrapped and he is off work until the appointment with the surgeon on Monday. Please say prayers and send healing thoughts for him. Thank you.

Betty

Road 2 CA ribbon

2010-01-13T03:57:00.000-08:00

Hooray! Just found out that my completely hand-pieced and hand-embroidered crazy quilt, "Crazy Diamonds" got a ribbon at the Road to California quilt show. It got a third in Wall Hangings, Other category. This makes 9 ribbons in 4 shows. It also won First at AQS, at Empire Quilt Fest and Bennington Quilt Show. What a great way to start off the new year.

Heirloom Love Letters

2010-01-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

Brent Ridge from Beekman 1802 asked me to come up with a Valentine he could sell on his site. So, I created this fabric art postcard. (It took an hour for each card, not 5 hours) You can go to Beekman 1802 (link above) and order this special Valentine for your beloved.

Bead Journal Project - Sigil

2010-01-03T04:14:00.001-08:00

I've joined a group called the Bead Journal Project (BJP). BJP was started by the talented Robin Atkins a few years ago. The challenge is to create a beaded project each month for a year. The creation can be any size or shape, as long as it is consistent throughout the year. Any bead technique, any design - the choice is yours. There has been some phenomenal art created through this invitation. I decided to participate this year. Here is my January BJP.

It is called "Sigil". I actually started it in December so I could finish it on January 1, taking advantage of the magic of the Blue Moon on New Year's Eve. A sigil is a sign, a symbol of an intent. To form this type of sigil, a rose window with a superimposed alphabet is used and a tracing of the spelling of your intention is made. The rose window is not to be traced, just the lines to spell your word. However, I did keep the rose window (without the superimposed alphabet) to show how this sigil was formed.

I embossed a deep green velvet with an old printer's block I have. I cut out and fused the velvet to a batik fabric. I outlined the velvet with size 15 seed beads, bugle beads and added briolettes for the dangles. The moon face cabochon (representing the feminine) is secured with delicas. A Pure Allure jewelry component makes the crown.

Here is the embroidered rose window and the beaded sigil for "Create". To the left is a wired ribbon and beaded "river of inspiration". A free-form peyote stitched rivulet is intertwined with the ribbon. Then, pearl sticks, crystals and beads were added. The beaded circles continue across the page, as inspiration often seems to fall from heaven. The beaded bit to the right reminds me of a DNA strand. Some talent and creativity is born within us and some is cultivated. May 2010 find you cultivating your creativity and expressing it in many ways.

Absinthe - The Green Fairy

2009-12-23T05:37:00.000-08:00

Our friend, Cheryl Lins, is an artisan absinthe distiller. She is located in the Catskills, as are we. She LOVES local. We grow many of the herbs she uses. Says she likes the quality of our herbs better than the Italian imported herbs she used to buy. Click on the link to see an article that the NY Times just wrote about her and Phoenix Distillery.

Autumn Drive

2009-10-05T11:55:00.001-07:00

It was a productive few days in the garden. Planted out 200 garlic, transplanted lots of echinacea, valerian and roses. Cleaned up several of the raised garden beds. Dan dug up some horseradish and I hand grated about a quart of it. My sinuses are clear now! Went for a short drive on Sunday morning. Here are some photos.

The mushrooms growing out of this knot in the tree amused me greatly.

Is this a tree or an ent??

I'm sure fairy folk live here!

It's Autumn, Time to Move Tender Herbs Indoors

2009-09-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

It's autumn and we have had a few light frosts. It's time to bring in the tender herbs that I grow in pots. They have been living on the porch and on the deck for the summer. I've trimmed, washed and moved them to their living quarters, in front of a set of southern-facing glass doors. Here's what I brought in:

Galangal
Cardamon
Tumeric
Bay
Rootbeer plant - Piper auritum
Dream Herb - Calea zacatechichi
Tea - Camellia sinensis
Vanilla Bean orchid
Attar of Roses Scented Geranium
Black pepper - Piper nigrum
Vietnamese Celery
Cactus grandiflorus
Jiao-gu-lan
Aztec Sweet Herb
Gotu kola
Salvia divinorum
Peppermint Scented Geranium
Coffee Plant
Rabbit's Foot Fern
Moujean Tea
Inebriating Mint
Vick's plant
Mandrake
Lemon Scented Geranium
Honeydew Melon Sage
Habek Mint
Iboza
Lemon Verbena
Rock Rose
Costus
Balm of Gilead
Aloysia gratissima - Bee Brush
Vetiver grass
Polygonum multiflorum - He Shou Wu
Cuban Oregano
Helichrysum - curry plant
Rosemary
Aloe vera
Lemon Meringue Scented Geranium
Old-Fashioned Rose Scented Geranium
Christmas Cactus
Citronella Scented Geranium
Agapanthus - Lily of the Nile
Houyttunia variegata

There's still tons of work to do in the yard. Roots to be dug (burdock, echinacea, valerian, dock), beds to be thinned and a few plants to be moved. I'll plant garlic this weekend - if the rain holds off long enough.

Crazy Quilt News

2009-09-23T05:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my crazy quilt, "Crazy Diamonds" won two more ribbons. The Bennington VT Quilt Fest doesn't have a judged show, it's people's choice votes and vendor's choice votes. I won first in People's Choice and got a vendor's choice ribbon as well. Yay! And, another of my crazy quilts, "Homage to Ardelia" is in Washington State at a special exhibit at the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum. At their Quilt Fest, they are having an exhibit of quilts which have won national awards (and the ribbons are to be displayed with the quilts). "Homage to Ardelia" has won Best Needlework at the Vermont Quilt Fest (and was on special exhibit at their Historymakers retrospective), Best Traditional Quilt at Threads of America, and ribbons at Road to California, Quilt Odyssey, NQA and something else I can't remember right now!

"Rose Song", the crazy quilt block I donated to the Alliance for American Quilts Museum will be displayed (along with the 83 other donations) at the Houston Quilt Festival in October. It will then be sold on eBay. Go to www.allianceforamericanquilts.org for more info.

And soon, "Birds of a Feather", my award-winning crazy quilt entered in last year's Hoffman Challenge should be coming home soon, after its year-long tour around the country in the traveling exhibit of award winners.

After herb harvesting is done for the year, it's back to planning the next crazy quilt. Actually, I have ideas already formed and tentatively started. On a couple new projects....

Winner!

2009-07-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! My crazy quilt, "Crazy Diamonds", won first place in the Great American Embroidered Quilt contest at the American Quilters' Society show in Knoxville, TN. I am very pleased!

Here's the full shot of the quilt, which measures 59 x 77. It is completely hand done. All hand pieced, hand embroidered.

And a detail. The face is painted onto silk and the embroidery surrounding the face is silk thread. The bonnet is dimensional, it is stuffed to give it volume. The bodice of the dress is as well. The good news came during a tough week. Yay.

Upcoming Herb Classes

2009-07-09T06:47:00.001-07:00

Drink to Your Good Health with Herbal Teas, Wednesday, July 15, from 6-8 pm, Green Spiral Herbs in Huntersland, New York. Taste and explore using herbs as teas. Learn the benefits and pleasures of drinking your herbs. Join Herbalist Betty Pillsbury in the extensive Green Spiral Herbs gardens. Cost $30. Email bpills@midtel.net to register.

Herbal Home Cleaning Saturday, July 18, from 10 am - noon, Green Spiral Herbs in Huntersland, New York. Learn to make and use herbal cleaning products that are friendly to the environment, your house and family. Cost $30. Email bpills@midtel.net to register.

It's Wise to Grow Sage Wednesday, July 22, from 6-8 pm, Green Spiral Herbs in Huntersland, New York. Sage is so much more than just an herb to use in Thanksgiving stuffing. Come to the gardens and we will discuss how sage can be used for various culinary and medicinal uses. We will also reflect on the adage, "Why should a man die when he has sage in the garden?" Cost $30. Email bpills@midtel.net to register.

Herb Walk Saturday, July 25 from 11 am - 1 pm, Green Spiral Herbs in Huntersland, New York. Join Herbalist Betty Pillsbury in her extensive gardens, which are a certified Botanical Sanctuary. We'll look at what's blooming and talk about the various uses of plants. Cost $20. Email bpills@midtel.net to register.

Crazy quilts!

2009-06-27T13:58:00.001-07:00

This is the block I made and donated to the Alliance for the American Quilt. They asked people to make a 16" block and donate it. The blocks will be sold on eBay. Soon, they will have a gallery of the donated blocks on their web site. I'll let you know when the pics are up.

Also, my quilt, "Crazy Diamonds" was juried into the Knoxville AQS show in the Great American Embroidered Quilt Contest. I can't post a pic yet (shhhhhh, secret stuff), but keep your fingers crossed for me please.

June pictures of the garden

2009-06-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot of rain in June. I think it has poured 22 of the 28 days thus far. However, the William Baffin rose seems to be happy. That's valerian just past the roses and it is quite happy too.

This photo is showing the porch bed with lupines still blooming and foxgloves and campanulas coming on.

This was earlier in the month. H. F. Young clematis is blooming nicely along side an Adirondack chair painted the lightest lavender.
More roses. I do enjoy them! I made rose petal syrup last week.

Happy May Day - and Quilt Show

2009-05-01T04:39:00.001-07:00

Happy May Day. May Day always reminds me of my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Malloy. She was a DEAR soul and taught me about May Day baskets. You make a basket (we did construction papers ones) and filled it with flowers (real or made of tissue paper) and left them anonymously on neighbor's doors. I hope the fairies have left you some flowers upon your doorstep.

Today and this weekend is "Quilters of the Valley" at the Middleburgh Library. It is a fundraiser for the library as well as being a showcase for the many talented quilters in the Schoharie Valley. My award-winning crazy quilt, "Homage to Ardelia" will be shown. At the Best House (a restored Victorian house), a collection of antique quilts will be displayed. I lent three of my antique crazy quilts for the display. Come on down to Middleburgh and see the gorgeous quilts. Hours are:

Friday, May 1, 10 am - 7 pm
Saturday and Sunday, May 2 & 3, 10 am - 4 pm

Good Weekend

2009-04-19T03:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I gave a lecture as part of being the invited Guest Artist at the Q.U.I.L.T.. Inc quilt show in Ravena, NY. Standing in front of about 20 pieces of my crazy quilting, I babbled on about how I make my art and a little of the why. The guild was wonderful. The audience was very receptive. I do believe there were a few who were enticed to make their own crazy quilt.

It has been a nice stretch of weather for the garden as well. DH took a few days off from work to stretch out the weekend. Five new fruit trees went in: Dwarf varieties of McIntosh, Granny Smith and Winesap apples, a Belle of GA peach and a Bing cherry. We are waiting on an order of cider apples as well: Fameuse, Sops of Wine, Sheepnose and Calville Blanc. These are in addition to the white peaches, Medlar, Quince, Empire apple, Seckel pear, Asian pear, Montmorency cherry, Black Gold cherry, Roxbury Russet apple, Luscious Pear, Ashmead's Kernel apple, Cox's Orange Pippin apple, Black Oxford apple and two unknown apples which were here when we moved in.

We also ordered some boysenberries - although they are marginally hardy here. DH loves the jam so much, we had to take a chance and try to grow our own. We were very impressed with the plant quality from our order to Burnt Ridge Nursery. In addition to the 10 boysenberries, we ordered a goumi, Chinese Hawthorne, 2 more Schisandra (we have 2 already), 3 hazlenuts to add to our row of hazlenuts, a Korean nut pine, 2 more Oregon grapes and a tea plant. The tea isn't hardy here, but will join my coffee plant as a houseplant.

Sometime this year, I will put together a complete (?) list of plants we have growing. Who wants to volunteer for that particular project? :-)

Herbs Popping Up In The Yard

2009-04-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

It's April 9 and spring sure is slow in making its presence known. In fact yesterday and the day before, we had snow flurries. Today the temperature is reading warmer, but the howling winds still feel brisk! As I was walking around the garden, I noted several herbs that are emerging from their slumber. Here are a few of the many herbs:

Sweet Violet, not the common blue. Smells and tastes oh, so sweet!

Rhodiola. Looks pretty ugly now, but soon it will be filled with rosettes!
Ramps. Delicious wild food!

Angelica just coming up.

Celandine, with its bright orange sap. The appearance of celandine in the spring also harkens the arrival of tree swallows. Sure enough, I saw a pair today.

Coltsfoot, or Son-Before-the-Father, as the flowers show up before the leaves.
Maral Root unfurling.
Stinging Nettles - a power house of nutrients.
Sweet Cicely.
The joy of spring is that every day new life is shown.

Antique Crazy Quilt Motifs

2009-03-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

I really love antique crazy quilts. I love to look at them, caress them (carefully of course), study them and admire them. I have a nice collection of not only antique quilts, but antique crazy quilt "smalls". Those are items that have been crazy quilted, but aren't quilts. Things like antique tea cozies, scrap album covers, wall pockets, etc. That's part of the reason I decided to host an Antique Crazy Quilt Study Day on May 9.

Part of the fascination lies in the ingenuity that Victorian needlewomen had when faced with a pattern. Very often, patterns were simply line drawings and it was left to the imagination of the stitcher to interpret the drawing. Here's an example:

This line drawing of a fan was taken from the 1886 Ingall's Pattern book. A lovely fan. Here are some stitched versions of this drawing which I have found on antique crazy quilts.

The fan above was stitched with a metallic thread for the surround. Note the painted flowers and butterflies on the velvet ground.

This exquisitely stitched fan is in the NY State Historical Society's collection and dates from 1884. The fan was in the border of a fabulous crazy quilt. The outer blue portion is a silk ribbon which has been tacked down and then stitched upon.
Here's the same pattern, this time as a block in the middle of a lovely antique crazy quilt. Some of the embroidery is chenille work.
And here is the pattern done in redwork. Okay, bluework. Just an stem stitch, but very effective.

Other options might have been to paint the fan onto fabric. Or to use stuffed, dimensional work for some of the flowers. It's lovely that each pattern was open to the imagination of the stitcher.

Desperately Seeking Herbs

2009-02-20T04:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm an herb fanatic. I never claimed otherwise. I have 6 types of comfrey. Dozens of thyme varieties. Several chives (regular, Grolau, garlic, mauve-flowered garlic, curly, dwarf, Profusion, Grande). I'm not obsessed, I'm thorough. Yeah, that's it. There are over 300 herbs in my gardens.

If anyone can tell me where to find or can actually supply me with two herb for which I have been searching, it would be greatly appreciated! The first is Chocolate Basil. Basil, not chocolate mint. The quest for this plant has been going for a couple years. It was mentioned in a forum that someone saw it in the Missouri Botanic Gardens. Emails to the MBG led to possibly they got it from Richter's. Richter's says, nope, not them.

The other herb I am searching for is Curly Sage. Salvia officinalis 'Curly'. Not clary sage. Apparently, it is offered by a wholesale nursery on the west coast. Emails to them as to which retail nursery carries it have gone unanswered. I have a friend in Washington state who is on the lookout for me. Again, if you definitely know of a place that has it, please let me know!

Many thanks.

Betty Pillsbury on Big Blend Magazine Radio!

2009-02-18T03:29:00.000-08:00

Exciting news! I will be featured on Garden Gossip, a home and garden radio show, on Saturday, February 21. I'll be talking about attracting pollinators to your garden, especially through the use of herbs. Click on the link above.

You can also read the article I wrote for Garden Gossip by clicking here

Garden Gossip is part of Big Blend Magazine, a wonderfully comprehensive on-line presence where you can find information of all sorts! The number of topics covered is vast. You have to check it out.

We have a winner!

2009-02-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to VivLyn, the winner of the sheet of cigarette silk reproductions. For those of you who don't know about cigarette silks, I wrote an article about them for the Premier issue of Quilting Arts magazine.

Reproduction Cigarette Silks

2009-01-27T09:46:00.001-08:00

Just a reminder that I sell these reproduction silks on my www.BettyPillsbury.com web site. Check it out!

One World One Heart

2009-01-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

I am late coming to this party, but what a party it is! One World One Heart is the brainchild of Lisa Swifka. She wants bloggers to get to know each other and exchange knowledge, art and friendship. In support of that end, I am participating in the give away for the One World One Heart crusade. If you blog, leave me a message and a way to contact you should yours be the name drawn in the giveaway on February 12. I'll be giving away a sheet of cigarette silk images printed on fabric (my watermark won't be on the images you receive). I sell these reproduction cigarette silks on my website www.BettyPillsbury.com

Arnica Oil

2009-01-22T05:37:00.000-08:00

This morning on Good Morning America, Dr. Oz (who appears regularly on Oprah) was touting the virtues of arnica oil for back aches. He is absolutely right! Not only is it wonderful for muscle aches, it is the best thing we know of to lessen bruises. Just rub a small amount of the oil on the ache or the bruise and feel the relief. We grow arnica and make our own oil and salve from it. We grow organically, so we know our herb is good! We have so many repeat customers not only because of our high quality, but because our prices are about half of what other high-quality makers charge! Our St. John's wort oil for nerve pain and Calendula oil for skin rashes are also dynamic healers. And, if you have cracked, winter skin, consider our Healing Comfort Salve with comfrey and calendula. All these products are made with herbs from our gardens. So, check out our website at www.GreenSpiralHerbs.com and click on the shopping link. You will find so much herbal goodness there!

Happy Solstice!!!!

2008-12-21T11:23:00.001-08:00

A Happy Solstice to Everyone. It's another winter wonderland here on this the first day of winter. After the ice storm last week, then 2 inches of sleet on Tuesday, we received 15 inches of snow on Thursday. Today it is snowing heavily in those big, fluffy, drowsy flakes and is piling up even more. We probably have gotten another foot of snow. Soon, the winds will be picking up and causing white out conditions. I'm glad I have nowhere to go today! As we celebrate the longest night and welcome the return of the sun in anticipation of the days getting ever more daylight, it's a good time to reflect and then to turn our thoughts to the future.

Here's a piece I stitched a few years ago. A very wintry piece. Around the edge is written: "Neath blue sky and mantle of white, the heart of the land pulses with life". Serendipitous for today.

Ice Storm

2008-12-14T14:39:00.000-08:00

On the December full moon - the Longest Night Moon - we got hit by the big ice storm. Freezing rain, sleet and snow fell with temperatures hovering at the freezing mark. Ice accumulated at over 1/2" and covered every surface. At 3 a.m. on Friday, December 12, power went out amidst the sound of tree limbs cracking. The temperature went down to 13 that night. The next day dawned pale and cold. It was like a crystal wonderland outside. The ice wreaked havoc, but the crystalline coating was breathtaking. Everywhere hung icicles. Every surface was encased with thick ice. Branch, limb, leaf, wire - all in suspended animation within its frozen wrappings. The day was gray, still and freezing. Temps never got over 22. We heard that most of the northeast was hit by the storm and a quarter million people in NY state alone lost power. We got a kerosene heater. On the way to the store, we noticed a huge amount of trees downed and blocking roads, toppling power poles and anything in the way. Friday night the temps got to 10. We heard on the battery-powered radio that it might be the middle of next week before rural areas (read Huntersland, NY) would get power. So, Saturday morning, we made a 5-hour round trip to the nearest store that had a generator in stock. DH hooked it up and it worked great. We were able to alternate running a space heater and lights to running the freezer (filled with organically raised beef and pork and lots of veggies from our garden) to the radio. Saturday night dipped down to single digits, but it wasn't too bad inside and no pipes burst! Sunday the sun was shining like crazy and as the temps made their way into the mid 20s, some ice started to break up from the wires. We ran to our youngest son's house (he still had power) and took a shower. Came back home and ran heaters and such some more. The sun shining on the ice-covered hillside really was amazing. Then, bless National Grid, power was restored to our house at 2 p.m. 2 1/2 days of no power in such cold temps was more than enough for me! We are astounded at how quickly the crews restored power, although we realize many are still without power. The magnitude of the storm was huge. Kudos to National Grid and all the hard-working crew!

2009 Herbal Study Program - makes a terrific Christmas present!

2008-12-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

This is our wonderful herbal study program! If you would like to pay using a credit card via PayPal, just email me at bpills@midtel.net for details.

2009 Green Spiral Herbal Study Program

A Common Sense Approach to Incorporating Herbs Into Your Everyday Life

Many of us remember the time when grandmothers had the knowledge and skills to keep their families healthy through good nutrition and simple home remedies. The time has come again for us to recall that wisdom and incorporate it into our lives. Discover how easy it is to bring that genuine experience to your everyday life -- wrap your hands around a steaming mug of herbal tea; ease a headache with natural relief; or soothe your skin with an organic salve.

Through the Green Spiral Herbal Study Program, you will learn to identify, grow and use herbs for their nutritional, therapeutic and creative benefits. You will create herbal preparations for personal use. Come to Dan and Betty Pillsbury’s herb farm in Huntersland for 42 hours of instruction from April to September and learn about herbs.

The focus of this program is to learn about herbs in a friendly, caring environment. Class size is limited to allow for meaningful interaction.

The curriculum includes, but is not limited to information on:

- Identification of cultivated and wild herbs

- Growing herbs organically and gathering wild herbs ethically

- Preserving the harvest

- Herbalism terminology

- Herbal tea blending

- Poultices, soaks and compresses

- Medicinal infused oils and vinegars

- Salves and creams

- Cooking with herbs

- Infusions and decoctions

- Tinctures

- Syrups

- Herbal first aid kit

- Materia medica

- Herbal strategies to improve your health

Class dates:

Sundays: April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30 and September 20.

Class Times: 9:00 to 4:00

Students are expected to arrive on time, participate fully and remain for the entire class time.

Physical Requirements: Students should dress for the weather and be able to tolerate outdoor environments as herb walks will be held rain or shine, heat or cold. Proper foot wear is needed. Part of each day will be spent indoors.

Absences: Any student with more than one day’s absence will not receive a certificate of completion. No make up dates are provided. If we must reschedule a class, we’ll do our best to find a time convenient for all students. However, we reserve the right to make the final choice of dates. If a student cannot attend a rescheduled class, no refunds will be given; but upon request, we will issue a credit voucher for the value of the rescheduled class. The amount of the voucher may be applied to tuition fees of any future Green Spiral class. Credit vouchers are good for one year.

Tuition: Tuition is $750. This works out to less than $18 per hour! A $150 non-refundable deposit is required with registration. The balance of $600 must be paid prior to the first day of class. Should a registered student not begin or complete the program for any reason, Green Spiral assumes no obligation, financial or otherwise.

Meals: Students should bring their own lunches. Herb teas and snacks will be served at no charge.

Supplies: A supply list and directions will be sent upon registration.

Call Betty at 518-827-8730 or email bpills@midtel.net to register.

www.GreenSpiralHerbs.com

www.GreenSpiralHerbs.blogspot.com

Another Paisley

2008-11-28T04:52:00.001-08:00

My dear friend, Margaret, and I have a little paisley challenge going between us. We alternate finding a basic paisley outline and see what we can devise. Here's my latest. The teardrop paisley cabochon I found at The Pink Bunny in Wichita, KS, when I was teaching there earlier in the month. That was a great retreat by the way. Val has already decided to do it again next year and has asked me, Judith Montano and Carole Samples to return as teachers again. I highly recommend this event! I bezeled the cabochon with beads. I couched the gold beads in the scallops and added rose montees. The outline is stem stitched in a #4 Kreinik braid. Then, 5 mm flower beads were added around the edge. The points to the left are wired ribbon leaves done in a peacock blue. I added hand charms to the inside. Bugle beads make up the semi-circle. A swarovski marguerite is the center of the semi-circle. The background is a Hoffman bali fabric.

Crazy Snow and How to Pass the Time

2008-10-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday we got 2 1/2 inches of rain. Sunday was incredibly gorgeous - sunny and 60. Monday was 40s and drizzle. Today? Snowing heavily with a predicted 12-16 inches and winds to increase to 50 mph. If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute and it will change. So, seeing as I was snowed in today, I had a studio day. Don't get enough of those.

I'm calling this "In An Autumn Wood". It's was fun doing a fast project. It's 9 inches square. Every now and again I need instant gratification, as so many of my projects take the better part of a year.

Frosty nights!

2008-10-20T11:30:00.003-07:00

Well, the frost was on the pumpkin this morning. Night temps have been in the low 20s for the past week. Here's a photo of Grootendorst roses hit by the frost.

And as it is getting on towards Halloween, I thought I would post a pic of my crazy quilted witch's hat. It is a Crabapple Hill pattern - that I had to tweak of course. It's actually a pillow rather than a hat to wear. I thought it was highly amusing. I've had that fabric with the eyes on it for some time, just waiting for the right project. There are two sayings embroidered along the brim: "If the hat fits" and "Member in good standing of the Black Hat Society". Now, where is my cauldron and broom?

October's Bright Blue Weather

2008-10-15T12:31:00.001-07:00

October's Bright Blue Weather by Helen Hunt Jackson (b. 1831)

O suns and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October's bright blue weather,
When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields, still green and fair
Later aftermaths are sowing;
When springs run low and on the brooks,
In idle golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiselessly in the bush
Of woodsd, for winter waiting;
When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers hour by hour,
October's bright blue weather,
O suns of skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October's bright blue weather.

Amen, sister, Amen! We have had a glorious streak of weather here and autumn is dazzling! On Saturday, Green Spiral Herbs vended at the Schoharie Old Stone Fort History Fair. Sunday, we vended at the Catskill Ginseng and Medicinal Herb Festival. It was a terrific day out. Lots of people buying our herbal stuff and enjoying the weather and speakers at the event. A reporter from the Catskill Daily Mail interviewed me and a few others. Here is the article http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2008/10/12/news/news3.txt We bought a few more ginseng roots to plant on the property. Monday was my birthday and DH took the day off work and took me on a lovely drive to look at the gorgeous trees. He made me dinner of bacon-wrapped scallops and spinach orzo. Delicious! We spent time in the garden, collecting more seeds (culver's root, black cohosh, Korean angelica, feverfew, meadowsweet and a few others), harvesting more herbs and doing some general fall clean up. Yesterday would have been my brother's birthday (he passed last year). I wished him a happy birthday and felt his presence with me as I gardened. Today, 125 garlic were planted. I harvested more dill and coriander seed and comfrey leaves. There is a patch of nettles that were just coming up, so I picked those as well. As long as nettles are young and tender, they are good. I started putting sand around the base of the lavender plants (we planted 500 in mounded rows earlier this year). The sand will reflect light back onto the plants and keep some weed growth down. I picked a few leeks to make potato/leek dinner for tonight. I love autumn!

Center of diamond crazy quilt

2008-09-29T10:09:00.001-07:00

By golly, I thought I had posted the center of this quilt already.

So, here it is. The background is brown velvet. The roses are made of satin, each petal is made separately, then sewn onto the velvet. The forget-me-nots and daisies are silk ribbon. The leaves are silk chenille thread. I hand-dyed the butterfly and hummingbird lace motifs.

Diamond Block for Crazy Quilt

2008-09-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a crazy quilt that will be composed of diamond shaped patches. It is based on an antique crazy quilt that I saw. It will be a combination of highly embellished crazy quilt patches and "whole" patches. Some of the whole patches will be velvet with chenille embroidery. Four of the patches will be these youths in costume. The youths are based on line drawings from Victorian booklets I have in my collection. There were no directions for making up the design, simply a line drawing. This allowed the imagination of the needleworker to take over and do whatever she felt best. In a few Victorian crazy quilts, I have seen figures that have been portrayed dimensionally. I decided to try my hand at that. So, the face was painted onto Peau du Soie fabric. Then, all the roses were embroidered with silk floss. Next, the costume was added. I think it turned out well. Now, to finish the other three youths.

Birds of a Feather

2008-08-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

I am including more photos of my Hoffman Challenge quilt, "Birds of a Feather". Scroll down to the previous post to see an overview.

Fruitful week!

2008-08-08T07:15:00.000-07:00

It's been over a month since I posted last. Been very busy! Our anniversary was July 5th and we took a little trip to the Robison York Herb Gardens in Ithaca, NY. I've been there many times, but not since they revitalized the gardens. What a lovely job they did. We also went to Baker's Acres nursery, which is just north of Ithaca. Tremendous gardens and wide selection of plants. I came home with many new things for the garden including a hardy gloxinia, acanthus and lavender mint.

Middleburgh, NY has started a farmer's market on Friday afternoons and we have participated as a vendor. Really good turnouts.

We had a garden club tour the gardens and it was a lovely group indeed. Lots of interested, interesting ladies. As they were leaving, a reporter from the Catskill Mountain Guide magazine showed up to do an interview about the gardens. The August issue should hit stands soon and I'm eagerly awaiting to see what was written!

Then, I was off to the Maine State Quilt to teach for a few days. Never mind driving through horrendous rainstorms, tornado warnings and hail to get there!! White knuckle driving, to say the least. On the way up, I decided to take a side trip to Avena Botanicals and Deb Soule's gardens there. Be still my heart! Deb has created a magical fairy world of plants and I was lucky enough to experience it. ~sigh~

Green Spiral Herbs was asked to set up an herbal display for the Schoharie County Fair, which is running this week. We were happy to oblige. Saturday, I will be on hand to answer herbal questions.

Wednesday, I had my interview with David Winston to see about getting accepted into his 2-year herbal study program. The answer is yes! I'm pretty excited about this. I've done other herbal studies, but am looking forward to this particular program. Hooray!

Today, I found out my crazy quilt wall hanging, "Birds of a Feather" won an Honorable Mention in the Hoffman Challenge. There were 579 entries. Considering I didn't put a single quilting stitch in this "quilt", I think I did well. It is entirely hand pieced and hand embellished/embroidered.

Oddity in the garden

2008-07-02T13:20:00.001-07:00

While working in the garden, I spied this large nest with three huge eggs in it today!! What do you suppose laid these eggs? A dragon? Bluebird of Happiness? Bird of Paradise? I suppose time will tell.

Pictures of the Garden

2008-06-27T04:07:00.000-07:00

Paul's Himalayan Musk on the gothic arbor.

Daylilies and William Baffin rose.
Foxgloves, lupines, campanula and lamb's ears.

Borage. I will eat the flowers while working in the garden. I also have a white variety.

Apothecary Rose. Fragrant!

Yellow foxglove.

And the pink foxglove.
William Baffin roses near the birdhouses.

I've been tagged...

2008-06-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Tina Sams, of The Essential Herbal, just tagged me to answer the following questions and invite other bloggers to participate:

Ten years ago...
I was living outside Omaha, Nebraska. I worked as a medical transcriptionist. I belonged to a lot of fun groups including the SCA, EGA, ANG, (apparently groups with three letters) and a few others. My rheumatoid arthritis was becoming very bad.

Five things on today's to do list ...
~ meet with a producer at the local public access TV station (he wants me to do a few shows on herbs and crazy quilts)
~drop off a wholesale order of Green Spiral products to Wellington's Herbs and Spices
~work on the Hoffman challenge quilt
~harvest chamomile, roses, arnica and lemon balm if it doesn't rain
~read the latest Hollerbeier Haven herbal newsletter that came two days ago and I haven't had a chance to look at! www.ThreeSistersCenter.com

Snacks I enjoy...
Fresh cherries, peaches, strawberries and raspberries
Ice cream
Baked goods - which can easily be a meal
Popcorn (no salt and very little butter)
A square of good chocolate

Things I would do if I was a millionaire...
Make an artist's retreat and invite my friends to come create, laugh and play
Help out my kids
Really expand the gardens and put in that castle tower in the back 40 I've been wanting

Places I have lived....
New York state along the Canadian border
England
Mojave Desert
Great Plains
Catskill Mountains
Virginia Beach

Other bloggers:
Allie
Leonie
Marie

On Crazy Quilts and Roses

2008-06-23T10:31:00.001-07:00

I'm stitching a piece for this year's Hoffman Challenge. The featured fabric is the peacock fabric. The deadline is one month away! But, this wall hanging is EXTENSIVELY hand stitched and embellished. It's slow work, but good work! The central peacock I stitched with silk embroidery floss (Pearsall's silk).

When the garden is this beautiful, it's difficult being inside working on a project. Right now, the roses are really starting to bloom and the air is perfumed richly. This is Apothecary Rose (Rosa gallica) and is an ancient rose that was used in official pharmaceutical preparations. I make Rose Petal Jelly and Jam, vinegar, tincture, glycerite, crystallized rose petals, rose butter, rose couscous, and anything else I can think of that incorporates roses!

This rose is Constance Spry. She's a beauty and highly prolific.
This is William Baffin, one of the Canadian Explorer Roses, which means it is exceptionally hardy and does extremely well for us in Zone 5.
We have many, many other roses and Paul's Himalayan musk is enchanting us with its scent. How can such a diminutive rose have such a huge olfactory impact?
Today's chores included making cider/sage jelly, Healing Comfort salves, planting more carrots, beets and various herbs as well as stitching. It's a good life.

Full Moons, Solstice and Fairies

2008-06-19T14:09:00.001-07:00

Last night there was a full moon. Tomorrow night is Solstice. Talk about magic in the air. As any good fairy lover knows, a full moon or a Solstice are prime times to perchance view the fey folk as they go about their business. When the two events happen so closely, it's sure to double your chances of spying a fairy. So, armed with my camera and a shiny rock (should I step in a fairy ring and be whisked away to another world, I needed a bargaining chip!), I ventured forth. I kept my mind and my heart pure and sent out a psychic call to those of the Other World. Very gently on the breeze I could hear laughter and the tinkling of bells. Silently I crept closer to the commotion. There!, down by some creeping thyme and Jackpot tansy, there was a convocation of fairies! And I wasn't the only one who had happened upon the group.

Obviously, a very important fairy speaker was addressing those assembled. I couldn't make out the voices - to my ear it was just a faint whisper in the air. But I imagine the topic might have been the value of thyme blossoms in a potion or a discussion on the luminosity of fireflies.

The bumble bees also flitted in, offering drinks of freshly collected nectar...

Lucky Friday the 13th

2008-06-13T08:20:00.001-07:00

I was born on the 13th of a different month and have always considered the number 13 lucky for me. It's a beautiful June day and I am lucky indeed to be able to be out in the garden. Here is a picture of the rugosa roses in bloom and a jar of rose petal jelly I made.

And clematis is lovely this time of year...
I was picking red clover this morning. Trifolium pratense. I pick the flower heads and the first three leaves that are just under the flower head. The flowers bruise easily, so I pop them by sliding my hand up the stalk and being careful not to squish the flower.
And here is a basket getting filled with blossoms. I'll dry them and add them to tea blends.
Chamomile is blooming madly now too. Ahh...the sweet apple scent! I harvest by gently raking my hand through the blooms, from mid stem to the top. The flowers just pop off in my hands.
Arnica is blooming too. I have a couple beds of Arnica chamissonis and am getting a bed started of Arnica montana. The A. montana has been a little difficult in getting established, but it is getting there.

wild yam

2008-06-06T09:43:00.001-07:00

I love the textural aspect of this wild yam leaf!

Our web page www.GreenSpiralHerbs.com is running smoothly again.

On Saturday, June 21, I will be teaching an introduction to Herbalism at Wellingtons Herbs and Spices in Schoharie, NY from 10:30-1:00. Cost is $35. Call Carolyn at 518-295-7399 to register.

Sunday, June 22 is Day 3 of the Herbal Study program.

On Wednesday, June 25, I will be leading an herb walk at Green Spiral Herbs from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Cost is $20. Call Betty at 518-827-8730 to register.

On Saturday, June 28, I will give on a talk on Sage - Beyond Thanksgiving and vending our herbal stuff at the Oriskany Herb and Flower Festival at the Parker Scripture Botanical Gardens on 121 Second Street, Oriskany, NY. The event runs from 9 - 3:30.

SCORE

2008-06-06T07:51:00.001-07:00

My dear friend, Margaret, let me know that Nicholas Kniel was having a blowout sale in his ribbon shop. She asked if I wanted anything. Puhleeze! So, I sent her some money and these are the glorious goodies I got! Yahoo. Can't wait to use some of these wonders. After my son's upcoming wedding though...

The comfrey is looking tall and proud.

And the tree peony is opening its gorgeous blooms!

News

2008-06-03T02:59:00.000-07:00

We've had a very difficult time with our website recently ( www.GreenSpiralHerbs.com ) and have been working to remedy the situation. There are a few things I would like to mention that I can't update on the website.

We are now open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2-6 p.m. If you are needing salves or dried herbs or any of our other products, come on up to Huntersland on our open days. Also, feel free to wander the gardens during that time. Please, only during those times unless you have made an appointment otherwise. Thanks!

The website is showing last year's info on the news category. We are NOT having another open house in June this year. Last year was a one-off thing to celebrate becoming a Botanical Sanctuary. June DOES bring:

My son getting married

Introduction to Herbs class that I will be giving at Wellington's Herbs and Spices in Schoharie, NY on June 21. Call 518-295-7366 for more info.

Day 3 of the Herbal Study Program on June 22

A Guided Herb Walk around our gardens on Wednesday, June 25 from 6:00-7:30. Email me at bpills@midtel.net to register. Cost is $20 and includes refreshments.

Saturday, June 28, we will be vending at the Oriskany Herb and Flower Festival in Oriskany, NY and I will be giving a talk on Sage: Beyond Thanksgiving.

June 2 blooms

2008-06-03T02:51:00.001-07:00

William Guinness columbine. I love the dark color of this!

Bearded irises that smell like grape kool-aid. Delightful.
This iris is known as orris root and the aged, dried rhizome is used as a fixative in potpourri.
Bleeding hearts are very late to open this year due to the very late frosts and freezes we have had. I love the look of the blossoms against the rocks here.

It has been a spring that has been cold and dry. Although February and March were some of the wettest on record around here, April and May have been some of the driest. And May was very cold. In fact, last week we still had a morning temp of 29 degrees. So, the last few days saw us finally planting tomatoes, peppers and such. And the lilacs are finally blooming and the rhododendrons are just opening. Plants would pop up and then get hit by freezes, time and again. Very strange spring!

In the Very Merry Month of May

2008-05-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it has been a month since I posted. It's been pretty busy around here with teaching crazy quilting and teaching the herb study program. I also hosted my soon-to-be DIL's shower, been babysitting grandkids and spending 10 hour days in the garden. Speaking of which....the 500 lavender plants we ordered arrived. Possum Creek Herbs did a fabulous job packing their beautiful, healthy plants. There were 14 boxes and I had started unpacking when I thought I should take pictures.

And here is a close up of some of the plants. They need to get acclimated to our northern climate (having come from TN) and we are still not past our last spring frost yet. Danny is working hard on getting the field ready for them. It will be a space 125 feet by 50 feet. In about 3 years, we should have blooming lavenders like crazy. I've grown several varieties the past few years, getting a feel for the hardiest ones. We are planting Munstead. That variety has been very hardy for us.

Here are some dwarf irises that are blooming today. They were a gift from a cq friend of mine, Boston Laura, who now lives in Seattle.
And our apple tree is blooming heavily. The rest in the mini orchard in the back are just putting on growth. The peach trees that I started from pits, given to me by a dear friend from Iowa, are getting bigger and should produce fruit this year.
Goldenseal is also blooming. As are Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Forget-me-nots, Sweet Cicely, and barberry. Lilacs are a little behind this year as it has been so cool and dry. But, they have tons of buds and should be opening up next week. Last week we also received our order from Raintree Nursery and planted out tayberries, currants, heirloom apple, more raspberries, a quince, medlar, a tall mountain huckleberry, another lingonberry, a filbert hedge, more rugosa roses and a few other goodies. Ah spring! I've already harvested violets and the first batch of nettles. Also got some arborvitae branches from what we trimmed to make room for the new deck off the sliding glass doors. This will be the entrance to our "herb room" where we will be able to sell some of our herbal products. We will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2-6 p.m. this year - May 27 through Labor Day.

Glorious Spring

2008-04-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

We have enjoyed a string of beautiful, warm days here in Zone 5. Plants are popping out of the ground. Here are a few that are up:

This is Maral Root, Leuzea carthamoides

This is Pasque Flower (Anemone pulsatilla)

And here is a Double-flowered bloodroot I just bought at Well Sweep Herb Farm in NJ:
I will be adding it to the patch of single bloodroot I have established in the woodland area of the garden.

There are lots more showing their faces: sweet violet is blooming in the south facing beds, trillium leaves are up, hepatica is up and lily of the valleys are just pushing up through the earth. Dong quai (Angelica sinensis polymorpha) is there, as is Korean angelica, Dahurica angelica and angelica archangelica. True French sorrel and bloody dock are about 4 inches high. Catnip and lemon catnip are starting to grow again. Comfrey (Russian, white, yellow and "regular") are saying hello. Lovage, tarragon, coneflower, sages, licorice, osha, monarda, etc. are all happy and welcoming spring. There are lots, lots more and I'm like a 3-year-old clapping my hands every time an herb shows up again. There is true joy in gardening.

Spring has Sprung or at least the snow has melted

2008-04-10T07:48:00.001-07:00

Ahh, finally a few days of warmer temps strung together. 50s and 60s for a few days wakes up plants. I hear from a lot of people that they don't know what herbs look like when they emerge from the ground. So, I've snapped a few pictures of some herbs that are poking up now.

The first picture is Valerian (Valeriana officinalis). The leaves will turn greener as they grow. Valerian root is used as a sleep inducer. The flowers smell of cherry pie. The root smells of feet and butt! What a dichotomy.

The next picture is Celandine (Chelidonium majus). The yellow-orange sap of the plant removes warts. This works pretty well. There's a folk tale that says swallows use the sap to clear the eyes of their newborn chicks. Humans, don't try that! The tree swallows return around here when the celandine starts growing in the spring. Sure enough, I saw the first tree swallow 2 days ago.

The next plant is Angelica (Angelica archangelica). This lovely perennial is good for a number of things, one of which for protection. The candied stems are delicious. Various plant parts are used medicinally.

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfare) is next and is the first blooming wildflower around here. Coltsfoot is
also known as son-before-the-father because the blooms are first, followed by leaves later. Often, people mistake coltsfoot for dandelion. As the Latin name tells you, coltsfoot is useful for coughs. However, NEVER use coltsfoot without the guidance of a competent herbalist.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) is the last picture above. A great anxiolytic and useful for some heart problems as well. Again, make sure you have the advice of a competent herbalist before using this.

On Ginger

2008-04-02T04:29:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I got a call from Joanne McFadden, a reporter for the Schenectady Daily Gazette. This is the same reporter who was assigned to do our story on becoming a Botanical Sanctuary. She asked if I knew anything about ginger. Well, a little! Here's the link to the article that came out in today's paper.

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/apr/02/0402_Ginger/

I'm off to teach downstate for two days. So glad the snow has finally melted around here!

black pepper

2008-03-18T07:23:00.001-07:00

I'm all atwitter - my black pepper plant (Piper nigrum) is actually blooming! I grow it as a houseplant here in zone 5 in New York state. I've had this plant for a few years and was wondering if it was happy. Growth hasn't been stellar. It lives outdoors on the porch in the summer and comes inside for the winter. But, noticing the blooms, I believe it is adapting well to this climate. Hopefully, the blooms will lead to peppercorns. You can bet dinner spiced with that black pepper will be a special occasion!

The ground outdoors is still completely frozen and any sign of spring and growth is cause for celebration. Right now, green growth is the houseplants and the seedlings I have been sowing indoors. I use a grow light and my south facing windows. Right now I have seedlings of ginseng, tomatoes, white sage, bupulerum, hot peppers, hyssop, lemon balm, ashwagandha, adafetida, roselle, angelica (archangelica and sinensis) and a lot more. When you are a plant nut, it's amazing how a little seed can bring such happiness.

Talking About herbs

2008-03-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

I teach crazy quilting and herbs. Maybe a strange combination, maybe not. I also write articles about each subject. In January, my article on calendula appeared in The Essential Herbal.
I will post it on the Green Spiral Herbs web site now that the next issue has arrived. Make sure you check out and subscribe to this grass roots, exciting magazine.

Today, the United Plant Savers Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation arrived and it has our progress report about our Botanical Sanctuary in it. Go to United Plant Savers to read the update.

Another project which I am quite excited about is the start-up of an absinthe company in the Catskills. Why am I excited? Well not just for the taste of absinthe (however yummy that is)...the owner, Cheryl Lins, has asked us to grow many of the herbs she will use in this mythic, mystic concoction. We met with Cheryl a few months ago and gave her samples of our herbs and she was impressed with the quality of what we grow. She wants to keep as much as she can "in the Catskills". We agree! Here is a link to a newspaper article written about her last week:
Absinthe. Oh yeah, I'll let you know when bottles of this fine beverage will be available. You may have to come to the Catskills to get it though!

In the meantime, it's another frozen day here. Spring is still some time away, but seedlings in southern facing windows have sprouted and red-winged blackbirds have arrived in the yard. Not so very long now til my hands can get in the earth again.

Doo, doo, doo, looking out my back door

2008-02-27T07:50:00.001-08:00

So goes the old Creedence song. And this was the view from my back porch this morning. It's still snowing, lots of schools delayed. What is a chick to do but stitch, make orange/rosemary jelly and transplant little seedlings?

Here's a peek on what I worked on yesterday. It's part of a crazy quilt I am working on.

Six words

2008-02-26T08:13:00.001-08:00

I was watching the morning news (getting the weather forecast of a foot of snow and freezing rain mixed in) and saw a segment on "six words". There is a book out that asked people to write their memoirs in just six words. Fascinating! http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/ Here is the link.

I thought it would be difficult, but once you start thinking about it, ideas pour out. The web site has some great six worders.

Here are some that I wrote:

Manure heaped. Blooming like roses now.

Magic dreams. Creative soul. Happy woman.

Gathering interesting tidbits. Amusement value high.

Daughter, sister, wife, mother. Big shoulders.

Magic in my fingertips. Stitch. Grow.

What are your six words????

Lunar eclipse

2008-02-21T07:52:00.001-08:00

The moon was captivating last night. It was a chilly 7 degrees, so I kept running in and out to check on the progress. The sky was completely clear and we live way out in the boonies, so the intensity of the light from the moon and stars is magnificent. Before the grand celestial event, the moon was so bright, shadows were being cast all over the garden. The start of the eclipse brought a lavender veil across the moon’s face, but as time progressed, a smoky red coursed across the moon. The brightness of the unveiled portion contrasted beautifully with the shadow and my husband remarked it seemed like the bright portion was larger than the shadowed portion. Like an acorn with its cap we decided. How shocking that the night had turned so dark after the grand illumination of just an hour earlier. No wonder eclipses are considered so magical.

This is a picture of "Moondance". I made this many years ago, but thought it would be nice to show after the lunar eclipse. I do have to say that my garden certainly wasn't in bloom last night!

Crazy Quilts by Cindy Brick

2008-02-19T14:00:00.001-08:00

Voyageur Press asked me to review Cindy Brick's latest book, "Crazy Quilts: History - Techniques - Embroidery Motifs". It is my extreme pleasure to do so. Cindy is a colleague of mine. I met her in Omaha, Nebraska when we both taught for the Crazy Quilt Conference there. Can't remember which year it was! We both have a love for antique crazy quilts and we both lecture extensively on the subject.

Cindy's book on crazy quilts is a delight. The outstanding photography of precious antique crazy quilts is breathtaking. And as to be expected, Cindy's narrative is well researched and well presented. Although there are similarities to Penny McMorris' book on crazy quilt history, Cindy takes us in more detailed and somewhat different directions. And, as an added bonus, there are many pages devoted to constructing a crazy quilt of your own. There are also many modern crazy quilt artists represented in the book to deliver fabulous eye candy.

The artistic and cultural aspects of crazy quilting is addressed in this book - an avenue rarely explored in depth. It's fascinating to read about "The Industry Quilt" - a gorgeous wool crazy quilt completed in 1924 and used as payment for the maker's funeral in 1936. I remember excitedly driving to see this quilt on exhibit in Omaha. It is a monumental effort of artistry and will.

The ties between our Victorian foremothers is not as tenuous as one would think. Women of today are still voicing their opinions, dreams and artistry through needle and thread, just as our ancestors did. Joy, pain, longing, humor and love are evident in antique and modern creations. "Crazy Quilts" is a fascinating read for those who wish to know more about the cult of crazy. It is also a respite from a busy day. Just picking up the book and starting to thumb through, you see a gorgeous quilt, unique in its making, and pause to stare at the chenille embroidery or silk ribbon. Then, reading the blurb under the photo, your interest gets piqued about the maker and her story. An hour goes by and you realize you have become lost between the pages of a very good book.

Buy it today!

Crazy Quilts by Cindy Brick

2008-02-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

2008-02-16T05:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, if the links in the last post don't take you directly to my episode, type in crazy quilt in the search tool and look for Modern Crazy Quilts parts 2 and 3. Seems HGTV is being hinky with the direct link.

Simply Quilts Episode

2008-02-16T05:46:00.000-08:00

In 2001, I was on Simply Quilts demonstrating Crazy Quilts. HGTV has just posted videos to past episodes. Here are the two links to my portion of Simply Quilts. Never mind the commercial that plays first. The quilts in the background are all mine, as is the work I am showing. To see more of my creations, look at past blog archives or go to my other website, www.BettyPillsbury.com

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/pac_ctnt_988/text/0,,HGTV_22056_58466,00.html

Honey Thyme Mustard Recipe

2008-02-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

I'm a good cook. With a name like Pillsbury, there must be a law somewhere demanding that anyone with that name must be great in the kitchen. Although, I'm not related to the doughboy (at least I'm not aware of any relationship), I get all the jokes. I've been badgered to post a mustard recipe. Here's one that is good. It's not the best one I make - for that recipe, you will have to buy my cookbook when I ever get around to it!

1/4 c. dry yellow mustard
2 Tbsp mustard seeds
1/3 c. white wine
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. white wine vinegar (or thyme vinegar you made yourself)
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 c. cold water
2 tsp dried thyme

Put dry mustard, seeds and wine in blender and blend until well combined. Let stand for several hours so flavor develops. Then, add honey, vinegar and salt. Blend. In a small saucepan, whisk cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the cold water to make a paste. Stir in remaining water and whisk well. Add mustard mixture from blender. Cook and stir until thick. Remove from heat. Stir in thyme. Makes about 2 cups.

The Fairy Door

2008-02-12T10:47:00.001-08:00

Sharon Boggon has issued a challenge: Take It Further. On the first of each month, she will give a few words or a few colors for inspiration. I didn't participate in January. For February, she posted colors that reminded me of tree bark and sky. I had been wanting to do a tree with a fairy door for some time...I chose a batik fabric for the tree trunk. I then sculpted the fabric by sewing in lengths of felt on the back side. This gave bumps and texture. I quilted the fabric and added some tulle in several places. Then, I sprayed it with Walnut Ink, lightly stamped it with gold fabric ink and added beads. I beaded a hand-made face and added it towards the top of the tree. I made the door from a brown taffeta, added the gold stitching for the "boards" and found a brass finding for the door arch. Next to the door is a spiral on a sign post- must be the fairies help me with my herbal business, Green Spiral Herbs! Fogloves and daisies in silk ribbon are in the garden, as well as bell flowers and little flowers made of French knots. On the left side garden are bead faces that make up a row of flowers. The roots of the tree are made of many different fibers and threads. I've also added pearls, beads, gnomes and other things to the roots. The sky has been quilted with fairy and butterfly motifs, although they are difficult to capture in a photograph. I haven't added borders yet, but may add a fairy quotation of some such.

Herb and Flower Seeds for sale

2008-02-05T15:08:00.001-08:00

I've decided to sell some of the herb and flower seed I have collected from my gardens. We grow organically, although we are not certified as such. Currently, I have:

Angelica archangelica
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)
Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
Borage (Borago officinialis)
Chamomile, German (Matricaria recutita)
Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)
Echinacea (Echinacea purpureum)
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)
Lavender peony-flowered poppy - pictured above
Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
Lunaria aka Money Plant
Marshmallow (Althea officinalis)
Motherwort (Leonorus cardiaca)
Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Pink Double Columbine - pictured above
St. John's Wort
Yellow Dock (Rumex crispum)
Yellow Hollyhock

Packets are 1.75 each, plus shipping in a bubble envelope mailer

Good growing!

In Memory

2008-02-02T05:04:00.000-08:00

Today is the 20th anniversary of my mother's passing. In some ways, it seems like just yesterday she was here. In other ways, it seems like she has been gone much longer. This is a picture of Mom back in 1969 or so. She is on her way to march in the parade as part of the Fireman's Auxiliary. I miss you and love you Mom.

Herb class listing

2008-01-09T06:48:00.000-08:00

Greetings! I have just added herb classes onto our website for the first quarter of 2008. Go to http://www.GreenSpiralHerbs.com to see. Click on the education link. I will give a class on Herbs for the Winter Blues, Introduction to Herbalism, Spring Cleaning Naturally and you can find information on the 6-month Herb Study Program that starts in April.

Mists of Avalon

2008-01-04T07:59:00.001-08:00

This is a 12" block I made to reflect the book, "The Mists of Avalon." "Mists" is one of my all-time favorite books. The burgundy fabric was stamped with Lumiere paint. I then applied phototransferred images to represent Morgaine, Morgause, Igraine, Guinevere and the Vivien. Then, I added a gold vine trim to connect all the women. Crystals, pearls, petal sequins and bead caps were added for embellishment. The moon was appliqued with satin stitch. The mists are made with crinkled silk/metal fabric and organza. The swan button was sewn on, as was the goddess charm. The gold and pearl trim was purchased from Flights of Fancy. On the border, I stamped more images onto a plum taffeta and fused them onto a strip of fabric that had been stamped as well. Rose montees were sewn to the centers. Copper spirals were added to the border. A celtic knot was quilted onto the dupioni silk in the upper left. I bound the edges with a French wired ribbon.

Winter Wonderland

2007-12-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

I’m imagining the Winter Queen made a journey through my neck of the woods last night. As her snow white swans silently pulled her silver chariot throughout the realm, a blanket of white descended to cover the earth. Can I be sure that what I see falling from the sky is snow? Perhaps the sparkles are fairies cascading through the still air to land gently upon the frozen ground. Are the little creatures looking for a winter residence within the spruce branches? Or under the rhododendron foliage? I espy a softly rounded shape in the snow. I don’t recall a rock or outcropping there before the snows fell. Surely, a fairy mound! The soft tinkling of bells compels me to look closer. I’m mindful of the stories of humans unable to return from the fairy realm. Am I ready for that experience?

antique crazies

2007-12-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

In addition to making modern crazy quilts, I collect antique crazy quilts. And not just crazy quilts, but needlework booklets, some needlework tools and other vintage linens. There had been discussion on a list about a book which talks about historical quilting news. Mention was made of a catalog which listed items in a crazy work exhibit. I have a catalog similar in my collection. The cover is shown above. Inside, there is a listing of 1808 items on exhibit. There are also ideas for crazy quilt stitches within the catalog.

Not everything listed is of a crazy nature. Examples:
7. Picture, "English Line of Battle Ship," worked by Capt. Thomas Wood, during his leisure hours at sea. For sale.
115. A painting on Velvet, exhibited by Mrs. H. C. Blake.
202. Pillow Shams, drawn thread, exhibited by Miss A. McDonald.
1443. Crocheted skirt, exhibited by Miss Mary Woods.

Some of the crazies:
2. Crazy Quilt, consists of 5,000 pieces, exhibited by Miss Ella McArthur.
19. Pin Cushion of Crazy Work, made forty years ago, exhibited by Mrs. Roach.
29. Sofa Pillow of Crazy Work, exhibited by Mrs. I. W. Derby, made by a gentleman, and contains 2,500 pieces.
42. Crazy Quilt, entered by Miss H.I. Ellis, made of pieces of the dresses of the leading society ladies in Washington.
123. Crazy Chair, upholstered by the exhibitor, Mrs. E. Dunne.
189. Crazy Quilt, made by a lady sixty-four years of age, exhibited by Mrs. Thos. Cahill.
273. Crazy Fan, exhibited by Mrs. H. Hart

Interesting to note that in this 1885 exhibit, #19 was a "Pin Cushion of Crazy Work", made forty years ago. That would make it 1845. I would like to see what the pin cushion looked like! Was it as I define crazy quilting now, i.e., random piecing and decorative embroidery? If so, that would date crazy quilting well before the 1876 centennial exhibition. I believe crazy quilting had been around for a number of years and simply acquired the name of crazy quilting (or crazy patch or crazy patchwork or crazy word) after the centennial exhibition of 1876. The mosaic-like patches in a crazy quilt reminded viewers of the crackled/crazed glazing on Japanese pottery of the time.

Happy Solstice!

2007-12-20T06:46:00.001-08:00

Saturday is Solstice, the time of year in the Northern Hemisphere where the days start getting longer once again. After the longest night, the sun starts to make its northward journey, bringing light into the land. Each day, a few more minutes of daylight accumulates. This year, Solstice also happens to be a full moon. Surely, a day of good omens! This is the day my husband, children (and now grandchildren) get together to celebrate the season. Apples trees are wassailed, bayberry candles are lit, greenery is placed about the house, presents are exchanged and much feasting is enjoyed. This year, I made bayberry candles from real bayberry wax and beeswax. In a few years, my bayberry bushes will be producing berries of their own and I will be able to make candles from wax I have processed myself. Until then, I have procured real bayberry wax, not the artificially fragranced stuff so prevalent in stores. The folk lore about bayberry candles is:

"Bayberry burned to the socket
Brings food to the table
And gold to the pocket."

Meaning, if you burn a bayberry candle down completely during a night at the holidays, you will get good luck. My mother always had us burn a bayberry candle and the scented smoke would drift across the miles, bringing thoughts of loved ones separated by miles.

Envision something you would like to accomplish as the light returns. Scratch that sentiment or wish into the side of your bayberry candle and light the candle. As the candle burns to the socket, know your wish has been carried to the heavens.

And, don't forget to catch your sweetheart under the mistletoe!

I made the fiber postcard above for my friend, NutMeg, last year for Solstice. May you all have a blessed Yule!

tagged for meme

2007-12-05T03:41:00.000-08:00

Allison Aller just tagged me for meme. So, here goes:

4 Jobs I have had:
1. Medical Transcriptionist and Instructor
2. Regional Secretary for European offices Embry-Riddle University
3. Admin for Family Advocacy
4. Owner, Green Spiral Herbs

4 Films I can watch over and over:
1. Practical Magic
2. Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Don't watch many movies!

4 TV shows I watch:
1. Monday nights on CBS
2. CSI
Others, I can take or leave.

4 Places I have lived:
1. Philadelphia, New York up near the Canadian border
2. England
3. Mojave Desert
4. Nebraska

4 Favorite foods:
1. Dan's chili rellenos
2. chocolate cake
3. Dan's smoked pulled pork
4. fresh peaches

4 Places I would love to be right now:
1. Right here in my cozy home in the northern Catskills
2. Mountains of North Carolina
3. Shipwreck Beads
4. Margaret's studio

4 names that I love but would not use for my own children:
1. Ardelia - except I would use it

4 People I would love to tag with this meme
1. Leonie
2. Tina
3. NutMeg
4. Sarah

Heart-warming soup

2007-12-04T06:22:00.000-08:00

The snow is falling heavily here in the hills. It's a brisk 20 degrees. A perfect day for home made soup. Here's a recipe we have enjoyed for many years:

Potato Cheese Soup
1 Tbsp butter
Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3-4 potatoes, cubed
1 large carrot, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup milk
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
1 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
chives for garnish

In large pan, saute garlic and onion in butter and olive oil until translucent. Add veggies, chicken broth and water. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in milk, cream cheese and spices.

Pour mixture into blender and puree. BE CAREFUL!!!! Hot mixture will really cause blender to bubble over. Do it in very small batches. Or use an immersion blender. Return pureed soup to pot, add cheddar cheese and stir until all is warmed and melty. Serve with chopped chives and a dollop of sour cream, if you desire.

Of course you can add other ingredients as you like. Broccoli is very good. A couple shitake mushrooms are also delicious. Enjoy!

The Old Stone Fort

2007-11-30T06:33:00.001-08:00

The Old Stone Fort is located in Schoharie, NY and is now a historic museum with emphasis on its participation during the Revolutionary War. The Old Stone Fort has a Festival of Trees each year and this year I decided to decorate a tree. The tree is artificial and is 3 feet tall. Each ornament (and angel topper and tree skirt) is hand made by me. These have been ornaments I have done over the years and the tree skirt itself was made in 1991. If you would like to see the entire display of "Christmas at the Old Stone Fort", go to Schoharie, NY December 1-9, 2007. www.schohariehistory.net for more info.

Today, Friday, November 30 and tomorrow, Saturday, December 1 you can find Green Spiral Herbs vending their herbal goodness at the Holiday Farmers Market in Cobleskill, NY. Held at the Elks Lodge at 1 Legion Drive, the Market runs from 3-7 pm Friday and 10-4 on Saturday.

Sunday, December 2, from 11-5, Green Spiral Herbs will be vending at the Chocolate Expo and Holiday Marketplace at the New York State Museum Institute on Madison Avenue in Albany, NY. Stop by and say hello and get your herbal goodies for the holidays!!!

Lemon Herb Bread

2007-11-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp chopped fresh lemon balm
1 Tbsp chopped fresh lemon thyme
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh lemon verbena
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 lemons
Confectioner's sugar

Add herbs to milk and scald. Let sit until cool and strain. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs. Alternately add creamed mixture, flour mixture and herbed milk. When mixture is combined, pour into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 for 50 minutes or until insterted toothpick comes out dry. When cool, make lemon glaze by combining juice of lemons with enough confectioner's sugar to make thick glaze. Pour onto loaf.

Beaded Ornaments

2007-11-13T05:11:00.001-08:00

There was a request on a crazy quilt list: please show us your beaded ornaments. So, here are some that I have beaded over the last few years. They get to be rather addictive to make! My holiday tree is decorated with handmade ornaments I have fashioned over the years. I have made a crazy quilted angel and tree skirt as well. In mid December, when the tree is set up, I'll post a picture. This year, I'm decorating a tree for the Historic Stone Fort in Schoharie, New York as part of their festival of trees.

First snow of the season

2007-11-11T05:34:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, November 10, we awoke to the first snow of the season. It was just 2 inches, but left a pretty coating on everything. It melted with the sun. This morning it was 15 degrees. So, autumn has definitely departed, no matter what the calendar says. I still have clean up to do in the garden - putting away decorations, bird baths, etc.

Necklace for Business Cards

2007-11-06T13:07:00.001-08:00

Discussion on a list turned toward what you can make with crazy quilting that wasn't a quilt. I've made lampshades, vests, jackets, ties, runners, box covers, etuis, pillows, purses, tote bags, book covers, wall hangings, Christmas tree skirts, Christmas ornaments and an angel tree topper. And lots of other things. I made this necklace to hold business cards in the mid to late 90s. It's been through a lot of wear, as you can see by the missing beads on the right hand side of the fringe at the bottom. It's just large enough so I can fit a few business cards in it. If I am teaching at a hotel conference, the room key can slip into it as well. I knew someone who made them a little squarer and called them "Prom purses". You could fit a condom package into the Prom Purse! Fill yours with what is most useful.

Clematis

2007-11-05T02:45:00.000-08:00

Clematis are lovely flowering vines that come in a wide variety of colors. There are vining clematis and bush clematis. The clematis in the center is an example of a bush clematis and is called 'Betty Corning'. It is absolutely covered in blossoms for most of the summer. Clematis likes its face in the sun and its feet in the coolness. So, we make sure other plants are around the base of the clematis. So far, it has worked well for us. The clematis on the left I can't remember the name off the top of my head! I'll look it up later. The one on the right is 'Polish Spirit'.