Spirit Cloth

stitching a trail mix

what is it to be at the half way mark? that's what sharon asked for the July TIF. (yes, i am completing most of these on my own terms) ...and well somewhere in the middle of my needle chant it ocurred to me that question is quite difficult to answer. and i decided to use this piece to express my answer to that question. i am thinking that you can leave a trail of things, marks, behind you and you can keep going,sometimes following the trails of others. the journey is real enough. but i am not sure about the existence of the destination (at least i am not sure where i'm going)  and therefore measuring the half way mark, well, i don't think there is one. i think though that the intersections of paths can be marked. that is my thought process here.

dots becoming doodles on wednesday

something like dreams coming true.
especially after walter (not his real name) combined it with this.

needle chanting

......so much of my stitching is free form, it help me sometimes to exercise some discipline in the form of repetition.  often times it seems, when i look at samples of ethnic and primitive textiles, especially older ones, that the repetitive  element is quite important to the effect that the overall piece has on me. i think it is partly the awe at so much time spent and the respect for the purposefulness and dedication it represents. and then it is the rhythm created by the consistency of the elements.
hand sewing seems out of place in our modern day routine. mostly there is an effort to get the look of handmade through trickery and short cuts. i've chosen this rainy tuesday in july to embrace the ceremony of repetition. i have been listening to the rhythm of the falling rain. the obvious simplicity of doing the same thing over and over soon becomes the not so obvious complexity that is contained in a tiny stitch. not one of those stitches is the same, and the small journey of the needle into the fabric and out leaving a trail of thought behind it, could be the journey of a lifetime if you pay attention. so it is not zoning out and losing oneself.... but being there and finding oneself in every tiny moment. the rhythm, surprisingly, is created not by sameness but by infinite differences with a collective purpose. and this has comforted me today.

2 pieces of linen, stitched together over marker drawn lines with a double running stitch. first white, then black to fill in the spaces. so far just a chant.

quilting a new order

this throw fling is flowing nicely. using this method to keep things light, it has occurred to me that by framing the appliqué in block format, appliquéing the patch and cutting away the back once again, the patch becomes pieced into the main body of the cloth instead of just sitting on top. patchwork inserts. i am liking this idea because it might be a way to work a whole cloth backwards into a pieced one. just another point of view, a new order in design planning.

summertime

summer time thyme, and the living is easy, no fish jumpin' here but the cotton is HIGH! as a kite.

piecing a cooling effect

..... i have stopped whining about the heat. a little bit of sheer patchwork stitched at dawn.....it is cooler in the morning.....

flinging

....i will be unplugged, drinking lemonade until this heat breaks. no air conditioning. fling-a-ling-a-ding-dong.

quilting a summer fling

there is no way i can even go near FEVER for now, it is too serious in such hot weather. i picked up some nice sheer whites, and i am using the machine to create a white on white airy base for a refreshing summer cloth. and i will call this one a fling....something like a throw, but lighter, light hearted, something to snuggle up to but easy to cast off when the heat is on. something like lemonade.
the thing about cotton lawn and voile based fabric is that you can pile them up in layers and there is hardly any weight accumulation. no baggage. a new journey. traveling light. i feel better already.

i am using some of these.

i must mention Tonya here for she opened up my eyes to a free method of using the sewing machine which has really been a wonderful tool in combination with my unplugged work. there are a lot of great things happening over at her free class and i recommend her free and easy approach.
and her kitty pokey!

quilting a thank you

.....i owe a thank you to paula and thea and sara.....for the brillante weblog award....and like all the thank yous i have issued in my lifetime, it comes a bit late. (thank you all for your patience)
this is an old unfinished piece, one where i was experimenting with stitching and ragged edges. i decided to make it a thank you piece, adding to it as i remember all the kindnesses bestowed on me here in blog land. there have been many and so it will grow. let me not forget to thank William Morris either because i printed this from the internet somewhere directly onto linen just to have a design to stitch on.

instead of awards i will take this opportunity to review a couple of new places i was visiting today.
tracerapotts ....a fav of mine on flickr, now there is a blog. i like it. word quilts.

susan fennell shibori dyeing in indigo...what can i say, i need to find more indigo places. it is a new goal of mine to learn all i can about this magic blue.

small journeys continue

....it was a really sunny day today so i gave the flower rays.
that small journey is continuing with a row of ragged stars added to the bottom . now i am looking for just the right red linen to line this with. it will be a tote for a special friend. i might weave the strap. yay!
another small journey has simultaneously taken a new turn. i want to expand on the journey thing. i think this concept is easy to share because we are all traveling together. so these roaming beasts have become the keepers of life's journeys. there will be many of them.