Spirit Cloth

stray thoughts

....i did not sleep hardly at all last night. just woke up and didn't feel tired till dawn. i hate to sleep when the sun comes up, so i am still awake. i am thinking about all kinds of things except coma. diverting thought is good sometimes.
taking a slightly different path, a short journey to somewhere and back. some comic relief, a vacation, a change of pace, an adventure, a rest.  new eyes.
another  crazy cat in the garden was the result . i like how cats wander from here to there. i admire their curiosity and independence. their lack of loyalty to only one place or way of life. their ability to adapt and sleep anywhere with calmness. the ability to just BE where they are.
 all this stitching seemingly unrelated to my current project was not that at all. it was just a different path to the same place. the cropped moon with the radiant dots of light has caught my attention. it is like time sliced. a nice new symbol for me.
.....now i think it is time for a catnap. WAS has gently revealed a few white hairs on her underbelly. a secret until now. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

how it might continue

.....all those thoughts that came before the beginning, they are never lost or wasted. and so i think the way it continues is by undoing expectation and allowing things to flow in some experimental manner. not hoping for any result other than what happens... and keeping the original thought right in front of you as a control.
.....i cut 9 holes (DOTS?) out of a gauzy hand dye from dijanne and placed it over the velvet. the fabric is dreamy in lightness and the color is confusing, which is perfect. a minus nine patch, a dice pattern or maybe just a mask. revealing hidden layers is rather key here.
the faded bird fabric has been pinned to retain the wrinkles of time and to show the reverse as a comparison and i think it will be sewn down just like that.
 i did stitch these blocks together with the sewing machine by the way. odd for me but i think it is different and good for me to change my habits for this project. the blocks are 9 inches square (of course) ...but not exactly because i really don't think it matters. they seem like nine inches. that is good enough.

please check out what  lee is doing. she is my hero when it comes to continuing. she just keeps the idea going. a master what iffer. her new flickr set.  her blog. say Hi!

how it might come together

....you just have to start somewhere. and although it may not be where or how you planned, it is still a way to begin. so no. it isn't all light and fluffy and transparent and liquid. not yet. but it is a nine patch. some moodiness seemed more appropriate last night. i am using a grey cotton velvet for the alternate blocks. it is soft and foggy, like the color of  WAS. once i sew a few pieces together i always feel better. it is something to hold onto and the momentum changes. i pressed all the seams outward, and basted them. when working with different weight fabrics i find this the best method to keep the thickness to a minimum. i take more care to look the seams over, occasionally clipping and flipping the seam from side to side if i find any extra bulk. i have also basted a very light weight gauzy backing to this section. no batting. i am using the extension method. completing the center section, quilting and all before adding the next one. always on the edge.
...that bird fabric... metsky's shirt from college....i use it in everything. i found another scrap that has a hole and has sun faded. i am on my way.

the inevitable

coma.

doodle wednesday- ninepatches

.....still thinking about nine patch variations for coma.
.....  i tried one where i asked what if (#138) cut out the check sections and pieced them.
.....and then the dice version..... loving this and want to do more. i am thinking what if i scatter these game pieces throughout the bigger piece?  perhaps, by chance that might be a great idea.
i am inspired by this photo by jeff to include some transparency experiments also.

one world, one heart, many hearts

.....i have decided to participate in this year's One World, One Heart giveaway. you can meet new people and give something away. hey, why not?
 .....my gift will be a small quilt called  renewal. this piece, originally what if #117,  was most recently published in the article i did for Quilting Arts Magazine. (dec/jan 2009 issue).  many hearts coming together promising shelter from the storm. recycled fabric, hand stitched, applique on a quilt woven base with embroidered detail. 10"x10". cotton/ linen/silk.
i might stitch a bit more on it while waiting for the winner to be picked. any one can play, please leave a comment or an email if you want to play!  a winner will be announced on february 12th.

you have time to join in too....

c'mon, sing now....'lets get together and feel all right.......'. NOTE: this event is closed. thanks, jude.

13 moons

.....i am glad i asked myself what if (?) i make cloth versions of my plans because stitching plan one has been very enlightening. i am sticking with the basic layout i think. it works as a calendar as well as a 9 patch. it is basically square which mean it is right side up which ever way you turn it and it works well  with a circle theme (dot) also.
.....the cloth version of the sketch also gave me new ideas. it is printed on a sheer which has given it transparency and potential for layerings. i am using a ragged edge version of skitch skatch to try out different things. i like the solid stitch against the fabric, it adds dimension and controlled bubbling, also making the flat surface look a bit like holes.  the lightness of the fabric inspired single thread kantha stitching which outrageous because all those stitches do not stiffen the cloth. love it. and melting the indigo dyed shiblori to the base work well with the tiny stitches.

the result of all this is i am going with something that will turn out somewhat dream like. something to document this year's 13 moons. something with a lot of dimension. something based on a grid but something with edges that are difficult to define. at least that is where i am today.

undoing pattern

.....i have been thinking a lot about coma in terms of perception from both sides. the lack of normal reference points and the unfamiliar landscape that results. and i am still assuming that the basic structure remains but that part of it gets covered up or temporarily lost... shifting patterns normally recognized and confusing the mind. and i am thinking that this can also be a creative process. breaking old habits and seeing things differently can often be a fresh start. i am interested in translating this to my way of creating a cloth. this project is moving very slowly... because building by undoing takes more time. fortunately , i don't have a time limit on this one. i have decided it is a gift...for me.
the nine patch is still a focus because it is so familiar to me as a starting point. and i have been playing with it. tearing it apart and putting it back together. and yesterday i went back to that woven pattern (another familiar place) as my guide and became curious about new patterns that might be created by hiding part of it. this is really a what if (#137) but i have changed the pattern of handling those too. i am basically shifting all my focus to this blog. i will post my finished what ifs as tutorials ...to the other blog... as a record (for me and maybe you).... but i will be be working here from now on. the reasons for this are many but in a nut shell, i am simplifying by focusing on  technique as a learning process while i am working on current projects.  i will create a what if category. which brings me to my big question today. what if a body of work can be created through the planning of another?

9 Ps

.....i will be visiting mom this weekend. she said Please don't forget the Pie Plates (she makes me pie and i always forget to return the plates) and the Pennies (she is completeing my dad's coin collections and i am saving my change). oh and she wanted me to bring the Paper from inauguration day (she doesn't drive and walking to the store is difficult in this winter weather) . and in addition i will bring my Paints today. a Plan is forming.
the plan seems to involve  a pieced grid as batting and a lot of velvet. i leave you with a Picture of the vevet dress. mom's wedding dress with mom in it...Perfect. 

dreamstorming

....as i ripped the velvet from mom's wedding dress into strips, it sprinkled everything  with a dreamy fairy like dust. and i dreamed of warm snow instead of vacuuming.
...with the intention of skatching a border for the pathways and bridges, i drifted with the snow idea and the harshness of the piece is now softened by a blanket of white and light, sculpted by stitches to retain the character of how velvet snow might come to rest. and now it is resting for a while.
...i worked a bit more on alphabet soup. just to stitch. because i was inspired by the childlike enthusiasm during the inauguration. and because all of a sudden D was for Dreaming, L was for Love multiplying and J was for Jude Juggling many thoughts at once. .

sometimes i just let myself float. day dreaming. letting the thoughts flow without struggling to focus. and i have been dreaming furiously at night. i don't jump up and jot things down  anymore. i try to become more conscious of the thoughts without waking so i don't destroy the melting process, the soft slow drift.  i think slowing down is what causes ideas to form. slow thinking is dreaming. i really feel sad when a child is given the impression that day dreaming is a waste of time.
today i woke with memories of uncurling and giant holes floating in liquid squares and the shape of trying and transparency and snoring as a language and cropped circles and huge ninepatches and velvet and silk shibori and lullabys. i can feel the shape of coma forming. without intention. 
today WAS is practicing yoga.