Spirit Cloth

quilting past to present

....i suppose it is a bit ironic that i should be working on this project now. going back in time and reworking cloth i handled so long ago, while planning a change of life. the softness of the old fabrics layer on layer has drawn me to another method. i normally embroider on the surface over a quilted sandwich, especially full coverage but the needle slid through the fabrics so easily i decided to try embroidering all the way through so that i could quilt the layers at the same time. this hodgepodge of a piece doesn't always lay flat and this is turning out to be a great stabilizer.
and the look and feel of it is FABULOUS. it is very old style, like suzani ... but combined with the soft puff of the quilt, well....
even the back is making me happy. i have switched to 3 strand of floss for better coverage, drawing the design on the surface as i go with permanent marker. the split stitch is executed backstitch style  because it is easy to pull the stitch into place visually if necessary.  the ends are left hidden in the sandwich and the hit or miss catch of the back leaves a ghostly but colorful impression of what's on the front...i think i have a change of style coming. time will tell.

not quilting with fabric

just a break, loving the iris opening and closing and especially liking the the moments layered one on top of another.

quilting a change in climate

the weather has really changed here in the past years, much more water and odd heating and cooling patterns have made for a change in vegetation as well as animal population and variation.
in my own personal universe, the heat is on. some thing like solar flares on that curved skirt edge i added not so long ago. probably encouraged by my own hot flashes that seem to explode in this disgusting humidity. i am using some great hand dyed fabric gifts from Deb Lacativa for the sudden bursts of heat. i predict a new improved species of beasts will breed here.

doodling desperation

1970. not much has changed.

quilting control

the FEVER is back but with a different edge. the edge that use to be the outside edge (maybe all edges are temporary or ill percieved) is now enclosed by a new edge which was the old edge of the old quilt where it was an outside edge and still is. for now. whew. this new extension is more controlled, adding some logic to the confusion previously recorded there. the grid/checkerboard/ game of magic was badly in need of mending which was very exciting! i need no plan because this framework is calming enough. i am patching the holes, reinforcing weak seams and anticipating celebrating new meeting points with joyful and reckless decoration. (!!!!)

quilting and giving back

.....i think the connection that quilting has with recycling and mending is one of its biggest attractions. at least for me. the sense that have that i am renewing something instead of taking strengthens my connection with giving something back.
yesterday morning i was fixing my own mistake...and like always, i accepted that as an opportunity to use up some scraps...but the scraps at hand were so tiny, and they were silk, and as i layered them i thought to myself, let me pretend i am an embellisher, and with the tiniest stitches i meshed the little pieces together to form a web. the scraps were gifted and i used people power and and it was quiet and what a beautiful morning it was.patching the spaces between people and fabric. in peace.

quilting a myth buster

well it turned out to be quite a party. before you know it, although it took for what seemed like forever, bear number 4 managed to show signs of major transformation.
maybe it was the moon. or many friends. things really got rolling. there were wild berries and honey and faces came out of the rain. everyone was delighted and surprised at what was accomplished. it turns out, contrary to popular belief,  self discovery does not result in blindness.
but big (mama) bear wasn't surprised at all.
nope. she had heard this coming for a long time. there will be many stories to tell, but it has been a Long Day. let's rest now.
happy summer solstice.

quilting after the storm

...we have been getting a lot of rain here. new growth in the garden. you can just smell it.

facing things

....i have chosen one of my older faces for doodle wednesday. a self portrait from so long ago all can remember is that i was very afraid of things then,  and i am not so much afraid anymore. i think now after all these years...fear might be only part of a thought, one that is simply not finished yet.   creative thought often springs from some sort of anxiety, it needs time to become.

watercolor and pencil on paper. 19seventy something.

the soft edge of change

......beach walks always yield treasure...and to answer jan, no i have not found any agates.... but i picked up some worn shell fragments. this kind is my favorite because i love holes. at closer range i noticed the softness created by time and wear and the almost lace like border that had transformed the edge. the dissolving of the boundary has undefined the hard edge and opened passages to something new.
i am finding jowynn's tag appropriate to answer now and so here i go.

1. What was I doing ten years ago?

i can't  remember exactly but i was basically struggling to put my son through college and feeling the early warning signs of menopause. and oh yes, i was temporarily separated from my soul-mate. we just took a break. my son was out of the house too. i think back now and acknowledge that i was a bit sad. and lonely.  i was also getting back into sewing after  a long life pause....i made the cat quilt around then. i was planning to make some changes in my life, to grow and learn more. to sew more. to GET BACK. i am still working on it. but the edge has been softened. (thank you jeanne for your keen observation about that overcast stitch in the last post)

2. Five things on my To Do list today

respond to this tag,  deposit my tax refund, organize my links (poof they are gone for now) , shop for dinner, make a to do list

3. Snacks that I enjoy

cheese, bread and honey, green tea ice cream, fruit, more cheese.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire

i am really not sure about this, i have a few ideas but i haven't thought it through because it'll never happen. i think mostly i would enjoy giving money away , volunteering my time as some kind of teacher.... and living in peace. i still would not buy fabric. i would GET BACK.

5. Places I’ve lived

not enough places. been in new york all my life. born in the bronx and lived on city island in someone's renovated garage/bungalow till i was 2 ( with my parents of course). moved to and grew up in massapequa on the south shore of long island, moved to new york city while in college, moved to queens, moved back to the north shore of long island after my son was born so he would know what soil was. i plan to be much more adventurous when i retire. any minute.

tag yourself if you like.