Foraging, Spellcraft, And Fun Times

| green witch | forager | reptile/cat/fish parent |

[globeshaped]

First meal new home ❤️❤️❤️ okra spicy lucky

[wretcheddthing]

everybody give it up for this brand of green. round of applause for most under appreciated green

[creature-wizard]

For the witches and pagans who need to hear it, connecting with nature is supposed to be about like, actually observing nature over long periods of time, not doing stuff like hoarding endangered bird feathers and beach sand, or just meditating out in aesthetically-pleasing locations. Can you tell me exactly when your wildflowers and weeds start blooming? When do your bugs come out of hibernation? When do migratory birds come and go? How does the air feel during different times of year? If you can't do stuff like that, you aren't connecting with nature.

[hellenhighwater]

I was going to share this process before winter hit but I. didn't.

[hellenhighwater]

You can, of course, just dry mint out like you can any other herb, but I like this better. You can use salt and sugar relatively interchangeably as desiccants for preserving herbs, and if you want a stronger minty sugar you can actually do the same dicing/drying method I did for herb salts.

[glitterwitch-what]

Come springtime, this baby is going to be a garden snail terrarium. Right now, I'm getting the soil/plant cycle going. I mixed bone meal and worm castings with organic potting soil and plopped some of my pothos babies into it. I also seeded it with an alfalfa/clover/broccoli/kale sprout mix to help get the growth/decay cycle started. I'm pretty sure I got some springtails and a few baby red wigglers with my castings, so here's hoping it'll do well!

[kaijuno]

Moon and Venus conjunction

[glitterwitch-what]

A restful Christmas Eve morning

[glitterwitch-what]

Baby's first Xmas tree

[glitterwitch-what]

Barriss is finally big enough and recovered enough from her (pre adoption) tail drop that I felt good about putting her on a soil substrate instead of paper towels. She's big mad about it, but she likes climbing enough that I think she'll appreciate the new terrain eventually.

[glitterwitch-what]

As of a few weeks ago, we for sure acquired a cat. A friend found him wandering into their garage. He was clearly a farm cat, an unneutered male that the older adults had been attacking. I took him home, got him fed up and vaccinated, and he's unbelievably sweet. I'm waiting on the last of the bite wounds to heal and then I'm taking him in to get neutered.

Welcome home Dipper

[sioltach]

THE OLD FRIENDSHIP OF BLUEBERRIES AND SWEET FERN:

"In the time before refrigeration, Ojibwe folks kept their blueberry harvest fresh by lining their birchbark storage containers with a plant called sweet fern that often grows right alongside blueberry bushes!

The leaves of sweet fern produce a compound called gallic acid, which is a potent anti-microbial and keeps harmful bacteria like salmonella from growing on the berries.

It's name in the Ojibwe dialect I've learned is "giba`iganiminzh" meaning "it covers the berries" because of this usage and its contribution to keeping the precious staple food of minan (blueberries) fresh!

I don't use a birchbark container but I do pop a few sprigs of sweet fern into my gathering bag when out picking and then into my tupperware when storing berries to remember and utilize the gifts of this wonderful plant!

(Sweet fern can also be used as a medicinal tea to help the intestines and colon! And when added to a fire, the smoke will help keep away mosquitos and horse flies--in addition to smelling lovely!)" - The Native Nations Museum, founded by Chippewa Bonnie Jones

[glitterwitch-what]

We accidentally (maybe) acquired a cat today. L asked me to come hang out in the backyard with the stray cat he was giving water and tuna to (a pass time he has enjoyed everywhere we've lived). When we headed inside, she followed us and invited herself into the house. Crossing our fingers that when we take her to the vet tomorrow she doesn't have a microchip!

[glitterwitch-what]

Tank building in progress for the new Leo, currently known as Baby until they settle enough for me to sex them. Next steps will be to carve and paint!

[stormwaterwitch]

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits

Reblog this on the first of the month for good luck all month long!

[dumbbbunnnyy-deactivated2021021]

[glitterwitch-what]

My daily bit of joy -- our rental house appears to have several small but productive mulberry trees. Looking forward to the childhood nostalgia of picking mulberries in the summer months, staining my fingers and feet with fallen and freshly picked berries.

[glitterwitch-what]

L can’t have legumes because of dietary requirements, but i love peanut butter in smoothies, so as a compromise i’ve gone the more intensive (and weirder) route of just making almond butter at home.

L and i are both more than satisfied with the results.

[wastelesscrafts]

Visible Mending

Introduction:

Visible mending is a decorative way to fix up an item. Instead of trying to make your mend as invisible as possible, the idea is to make it part of the garment's design.

Visual mending is not a single technique: it's more of a mindset. If you've got an item you love, it deserves to be mended, and if you're going to put that love into stitches, why not show them off?

That being said, there are some specific techniques that are popular with visible menders. Let's take a look!

Sashiko:

Sashiko is a type of traditional Japanese embroidery that is used to both decorate and reinforce fabric. In visible mending, sashiko is often used to cover up holes with patches or to reinforce thinning fabric. This technique uses a variation on the running stitch.

(Image source)

Some resources on sashiko:

SashiCo on YouTube: sashiko livestreams and information on the cultural aspect of sashiko.

Written tutorial by Upcycle Stitches.

Free sashiko templates by TheSpruceCrafts.

Fixing jeans with sashiko by Soluna Collective.

(Image source)

(Image source)

Embroidery:

Regular embroidery is also a popular technique to accentuate your mends. Check out my embroidery 101 post to learn how to get started. You can embroider patches, or use embroidery to hide or accentuate any stitches you've made to fix holes. Embroidery's also a great way to cover up stains.

(Image source)

(Image source)

Patches:

There are many ways to add patches to a garment. My tutorial on patches is a good place to start if you want to make custom-shaped patches to sew on top of your fabric. You can also sew your patch on the inside of your garment and have it peek out from beneath the hole you're trying to fix. Fun ideas for this are lace or superheroes.

(Image source)

(Source)

Darning:

Darning is a technique used to repair holes in fabric by using running stitches to weave extra fabric over the hole as to fill it up again. While traditionally darning is done in an invisible way by using the same colour of thread as your fabric, you can also use contrasting colours to accentuate your fix. Check out this written tutorial on darning by TheSpruceCrafts.

(Image source)

(Image source)

Conclusion:

Visible mending is a creative way to fix up your clothes and give them some personality at the same time.

You should be proud of the fact that you took the time and learned the necessary skills needed to mend your clothes! Show off what you did!

A fun side effect of wearing these obvious mends is that people will notice them. They'll remember your fixes the next time they're faced with a hole in their wardrobe, and it will make them more likely to try it for themselves.

These are just a few ways to visibly mend your garments. Want more inspiration? Check out Pinterest or r/Visiblemending on Reddit.