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this is a section of a little quilt i made for mom years ago. some of you might even remember it. i was looking at it and revisiting the bird idea. this is the time of year that the crows gather.
i love the eyes.
after we went grocery shopping, i did a bit more stitching. i like how the bottom of the feather has a hint of nine patch in it. and how the colored leaves are feather-like
mom said, "how about a toast? to you, and me...
and everyone else."
so cheers.
today there is sun on the cloth on the wall.
a chill in the air.
and that sense of season turning. deep breath. and sweaters.
off to mom's.
who can tell really? another day of rain and darkness. i slept late because there was no sunrise here.
she slept longer than usual along side the dried indigo leaves, some sympathetic hibernation.
i am glad i kept going on this one. turning the points inward on the top edge, allowing for some day dream underneath.
that's better.
couldn't help being distracted by this one. it was looking right at me. wrapped around my new pet rock. an old cotton dishcloth mordanted with stale soy milk. better than throwing it out. i am still trying to get away from the botanical print look but still employ the marvelous techniques inspired by india flint, to color and pattern cloth in my own way. a group of beasts is what i am after at the moment. the eyes are coming from marigolds positioned right over the screw that holds the steamer basket together in the center. the butterfly is onion skins cut to shape. the green is from some left over indigo leaves. there are still a few stubby plants outside. as the cloth dried, the brown became a warmer shade. i steamed this one so the bottom of the rock bundle was in walnut and oak juice and the top was above the liquid. i won't be cooking any more of them until it is cold enough to use the wood stove. in the meantime i can experiment with stitch on this one.
i think i answered my own question about why we might dye cloth. for me i think it is about learning more about cloth and perhaps stretching the story of cloth a bit. doing things from scratch helps you understand so many things. the Man asked last night, could we grow cotton here? wow imagine that? still i think a sheep might be easier. anybody ever spin cat hair? ha!
today i really like this, watch the videos...
and this...
cloth as fringe.
i used the extra cloth to redefine the edge where conversation is talking place. a good conversation will redefine your boundaries i think.
another sunday, nothing important to say. there were plans to stitch yesterday but it didn't happen.
some wood was moved inside. but it is still warm enough without lighting a fire.
i looked at some cloth and thread hanging on the wall. touching a piece of old indigo boro that glennis brought back for me from japan. i thank her for that.
this morning i asked myself how small could i make that feather?
since i seem to have so many questions lately. this seemed a simple enough one to answer.
i know it's september but i am still lost in august. or somewhere.
in a panic, i processed the last of the fresh indigo leaves today. this small second batch was much more of a turquoise compared to the first round . and the vat seemed to exhaust very quickly... it didn't seem right, the leaves had a funny color after some very cool nights, maybe the late harvest effects the color. in any case, i like the color even though it isn't really blue. and i dyed over some natural unbleached linen which added to the yellow cast, sort of short cutting the walnut dip i did last time. now, back to stitching. i have more than i need to work with. the dyeing is fun but it is sidetracking me. enough for now. i keep reminding myself to dye when i need to, not just because i want to.
it is raining, the roof is leaking and some feathers came in the mail today... goodnight.
a corner of where the children (might) play.
If the path before you is clear,
you are probably on
someone else's.
-Carl Jung