Spirit Cloth

quilting for comfort

change is a marvelous phenomenon. and witnessing change is a special priviledge. unfortunately i find myself feeling uncomfortable with the in-betweens sometimes. especially with my surroundings or my creative endeavors. it is hard not to anticipate some gain from change. hard to retain the innocence of marveling in the observation.
after framing the transition embroidery i felt that the square format was all wrong. that i had interrupted a process with boundaries. after many steps that i felt were the wrong direction, i finally feel comfortable with the path. i am continuing.
pillows are a great way to embrace small expressions in fabric. this one will be a pillow.
a garden stroll revealed a tiny traveler riding change with great grace . if we admit we are part of the puzzle we will probably enjoy where we fit in.

some steps on the path

stitching transition

......the first of the cicadas started to sing this evening and that sound brings forth both backward and forward feelings. it is summer yes. but it is falling into the next season. transition is what the season is called in the fashion industry...summer number 2. this eyelet sampler will be used for something. it is a transitional piece.it has the spirit of the season.
a busy week will keep me from posting too much. thank you all for your support over at what if. i am encouraged to go forward.

i have been visiting this lovely blog.

sharing in motion

....i always loved dancing. it is a very outward way to share your feelings. and it feels so good. this one was sketched to the song 'you make me feel like dancing' a long time ago and spent way too long folded up in a wallet. i feel good today and i will not be able to post on wednesday so here is doodle wednesday on monday.

i have some questions for you over at what if ...if you are not too busy, i would appreciate any feedback.

doodle wednesday album

stormy sunday

stitching and quilting has commenced on the fling. this and that until i get a feel for how i want to go. there is almost more stitch than fabric on this one, a strange new texture and weight. i want to add some holes, so i have been what-iffing on that idea. it is raining. really raining.

deb is doing her own version of this, i love it check it out.

the many lives of a fling

late last night the fling (continued from here) was flung over the table, spread out and prepared for the first stage of basting. in the morning it had become clear that besides a curtain and a quilt, it will also be a tablecloth. a multi purpose 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 helps 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 a cutaway appliqué 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.