Spirit Cloth

How Real Heart Persists

Actually, I stumbled upon these.

Looking for a stack of stars I stashed to use on the Endless Wishing Cloth, the spring/summer project.

I found these. Hiding in a basket. Resting.

Old hearts. Simply stitched to cloth-woven nines (this method, three strips each way on a foundation, lightly tacked). Some old stitching project suspended in time. The cloth weave creates such a soft bed for stitch. Especially when the cloth is old and worn. Just turned, line guided applique, (I use rough cut scraps and draw the heart, the turning line) Ragged, once just lazy, tips have become a symbol over time. No heart is perfect.

And this one has one turned edge and one ragged edge. But what I love is the fade that came from what I call seam shibori. Light and wear resist. The cloth from a garment. The darker side was inside for years, the light side faded from wear and light. Newer technologies prevent fading so we don't see this as much anymore. Maybe folks don't even keep things that long. Too bad. To know these things softens life. So anyway, my heart hearts are here, but I have to be Away for a while.

The Softening of Winter

Dried Zinnia.

Faded. Still from seeds from Mom's Garden.

I like perennials, the ones that come up by themselves. Over and over.

But there is something special about being part of the planting, and gathering and planting again process. Not just going, but going with tender loving care.

It's been cold, not that cold but the grey cold that nags on you after a while. I'm tired of it. Tired of keeping fires, tired of spending more time indoors than out. Tired of the news. Dry skin. Laundry. You name it. I'm tired of it. February. Every year. The winter bitch returns.

I've got a lot of the old unfinished ClothWoven pieces on the wall today. Because I love them. Looking. Not stitching cuz my fingers are split and chapped from the cold and hauling wood, and washing dishes and such. This one is an old wishing star.  It's the first time I have looked at it as a basket, the wishing star. Basket self in new form. The center was like heart but now I think it is more like wishing self.

Wishing is softer than bitching and it is Valentines Day so I'll be nice.

 

Considering change

 Taking extra time to witness.

Over night there was fading and curling.  I wonder if it made noise I couldn't hear.  I love how the Grape  leaned over to touch Sassafras.

The serious stray that has been moving So Slowly has become caught up in it all.   It was change that drove my selection of leaves.  How every one was unique. A different little splendid Journey.  Yet changing all the same.

It is possible, that even though moving slow seems to not change fast enough for us sometimes,  that moving slow is the one way  to capture the essence of it. Hold it. Understand the how of it. Change.

 

Waves of earth is what I want to call this today.