Spirit Cloth

nature's glue

yes. it is raining again. and i got out with the camera between drops to notice some real life stepping stones that had been decoupaged with random bits of summer. glued to the slate and brick with yet more water.

so i am indoors once again, trying to interpret nature's collage by gathering a few scraps to scatter about on stepping stones. a few bits of silk and sheer have been pinned here and there. i thought to pick an  ivy leaf for a template for some embroidery.  the light is weird today, color keep changing. 

the dot as a stepping stone

well guess what? RAIN. it just won't let up. i noticed the beautiful drops on the grass after the first big shower. looked like a green path to somewhere and the dots were like the rain had left its footprints behind.

...since it was an indoor day, i was sorting though things i pulled out an old what if...and thought i would make it into something. the dots i added are like stepping stones. a place to begin and a way to continue. a way to circle this crazy yet calming center.

...i took a shadowy photo to show the cloth this is stitched on. it is a metallic coated linen that has been washed with an abrasive to wear off some of the shine. i call it shisha cloth. (you might remember it from here) it has a liquid shimmer. after the washing is is very drapy and soft.

...i filled some of the dots with tiny leftovers, softened with wear as if they had been walked on many times. this piece has a calm about it and it has me thinking more clearly. today i have decided to return to posting on what if. because it has its own focus. a focus that excludes whining and feeling sorry for myself. it is a way to continue on a learning path that always helps me feel better. and i miss it.

doodling on

...one section ...from today's doodle page.

redefining busy

putting an edge on things

when it comes to telling a story, containing it gives it focus and context.  less confusion.  i've applied the edge and the backing to this one even though i am not done editing the details.  it measures about 16" square but now, with the frame,  it seems smaller. (maybe i need a new category..." seems like small cloth" ...?)

...the backing is a hand dyed cotton that has an overall machine embroidery.  somehow when it touched the cloth with all the hand stitching it's technology became softened . ...the beast now has a stormy heart and a moon to dream on. ....and as soon as the edge was sewn on the thoughts that were forming gathered at the border.  i want to try some new methods for stitching the words.

putting a face on things

the weather was not cooperating this weekend.  although the sun was out saturday there were lingering dark clouds.  the humidity was unbearable and the only fun in town was being had by mosquitoes.  and there was rain yesterday.  lots of it.  we managed to gather all the green beans, 2 cucumbers and a handful of tomatoes and to do some weeding. i pulled out a few stubs that used to be eggplants thanks to the wabbits.  i had my markers and paints outside so i drew and painted and wrote on the surface of the piece and then stitched on sunday.  the plan was to give this cat really big eyes for a better perspective. but really the face of this weekend cloth pretty much reflects the daze i've been in.

the raindrops are drawn on with marker and colored with paint.  and i carried the motif, sort of like liquid dots, across different patches of fabric to make a back drop. i like the transparent effect and how the color changes and the prints show through. i find myself drawing painting and stitching as one activity now. it is all flowing together. like it always does.

redefining trust

the dawn was foggy and humid, but the sun dissolved the mist quickly. i felt refreshed this morning as soon as i went outside.

....it was a dark week here due to some personal issues which seem yet unresolved.  the long cloth has been put aside waiting for another chapter.  i spent the morning selecting a few projects i might finish in this moon's cycle and i was naturally drawn to "trusting in darkness" because of my mood.  but i put it aside. not today.  we have decided to spend the weekend in the garden.  unplugged.  so much is happening there so quickly.  stories are unfolding at the speed of light.

.....i  have put one old crazy cat on the garden bench and i will make it my weekend cloth.  a real time story.  i will use it to record a few moments as they unfold.  i imagine there will be things like color shifts, wings, a watering can perhaps and of course a few of the critters i spot chewing on the cucumbers and eggplants.  was?   us?  who knows?  today, trusting in darkness will just be to forget it.

to trust is to let it go.  to let it be.  let it be something else maybe.

undone

when it comes to story, sometimes it just an expression of being there. it is just true and the creative part is not really apparent. it is just the recording of moments as they happen, the pictures aren't planned, and there is no time for focus. no time for arranging things only time to witness. and wonder.

this story has required stepping outside myself herself. the story is happening with no time to reflect.

it is obvious that it is no where close to over.

the birth of the long cloth.

life and a moldy rag

absolutely without intention i left an old sheet outside all winter and part of the summer.  i was using it to haul leaves over the hill and must have forgotten it at the edge of the woods.  now it is a beautiful slow cloth stained with soil and leaves and mold.  very fragile with lots of holes and a wonderful palette of grays and browns.  the fabric had a weave in it which gives it an added texture.  i love how it looks like shibori in some places and ikat in others as the mildew grew along the threads and left a darkened mark. and then how the mold around the holes makes them almost look burned.

i've washed it and dried it and steamed it and washed it and on an on to clean it up and get rid of the musty smell.  deb sent me a piece of mold patterned cloth that she drew inspiration from.  a nice dotted drawing was the result.  beautiful.  these two seem to like each other.  as we age we become sort of an old moldy rag don't we? i suppose this is a good time to practice making something beautiful out of it.  finding the beauty in our own decay will probably require a lot of preparation.

redefining doodles on wednesday

doodling is like leaving a trail. a random mark. it could be footsteps even. that is what i am thinking today. i found two feathers in the garden today. bird doodles. i placed them on a beautiful rust experiment that was a gift from peg yates not so long ago. a what if.  a rust doodle. rusty dots. 

....i think coma has become a doodle cloth. something mindless, some thing random, something direct. cloth instead of paper. doodles with a pen, doodles with thread.

doodles with fabric, yes painting with fabric.