Spirit Cloth

fabric moss

These velvet squares are feeling very right for the forest floor, some of the others may need some manipulation. more tomorrow. i am am very tired.

special scrap

finding the right fabric is like a treasure hunt but sometimes one just jumps out and speaks to you. this one is definitely enchanted but i am not sure how it will wash. i'll test it first to see if the dye is fast and if it is too fragile. it is old silk faille and it has a jacquard leafy pattern woven in. there is a tarnished gold  metallic yarn running through here and there but not too much so it sparkles just when you look at it from certain angle.  because of the weave, the shine comes to the surface only on the foliage...like early morning dew.  if it doesn't fray too much i may just cut some of it it into strips and weave it into one of the velvet squares. some fraying will be good because it will look like moss or grass. i think weaving it in will stabilize it . i fear it will rip and wear too much as one whole piece. it also has ancient quality that reminds me of old vines.

more green

i have prepared more squares for the enchanted forest floor. and i have mixed in some corduroy in this batch, still a nice soft texture that fits in. i use an overcast method to piece blocks in almost all my work. it is similar to an old english paper piecing method but that is not how i came to use it. i will document the details of  this method and how i came to use it  in one of my my next few posts.  it has many advantages for the mobile sewer.

open air ritual

i always place my cloths in natural settings from time to time to make sure they are in harmony with the seasons and the surroundings. it gives me a fresh view and time to think and of course it gets me off my chair and out into the fresh air. 

so since my gifts take generally 6 months to a year to complete i take them out to the woods or the sea every so often, and i shake them and hang them around and adjust my colors and stitches and shapes to reflect the time of their birth.  in this way the cloth's design  comes to reflect the the time it took to make.   the longer the project takes the more wise it becomes ...and to me it is more of a gift.  this is a personal method that keeps me from rushing and always thinking about finishing.  it creates patience in my heart and allows me to let the project find its own end.

The other side

This is a reversible multi- layered textile.

I had chosen a new method that I felt would allow me to work anywhere, especially in transit to and from work. The back is another pieced quilt designed around the same 6 inch block grid.  This allows me to tack corner to corner for basting an everything stays in place.  I started by adding one block at a time but it was not practical. So I am now working in sections.   The outer rim that corresponds to the 9 patch blocks on the front are being done as a garden.  An orderly arrangement of earth, herbs, flowers and edibles that only a botanist could arrange so well.  The center (the lining for the lava blocks) is velvet and ultimately the base for an enchanted forest. 

Nine velvet blocks have been pieced and I will finish preparing the rest today. a few corduroy and silk ones to be mixed in.  I have already dreamed of very sheer painted appliques for the forest inhabitants, but nothing clearly formed yet. 

So here I am ready to go forward.

where am I ?

So this is where I start.

I am in the middle of a project, Listen to the River.  This is a gift, the source of all my work, and it will grow to reflect the spirit of the one to receive it.  And so, with this post, I start right where i am.  It is a good enough place.

The basic piecing of the front is complete. The basic 9 patch is made in indigo and linen. The pattern choice was based on something simple, traditional and controlled, representing the simplicity of the little house and the outward order presented by the owner of this little house. The indigo blue and natural linen were chosen for their history and natural qualities. The center blocks are the lava, the heart of the quilt, meant to be enclosed by another layer to remain hidden and molten beneath the surface.  I have changed this original plan to include a separate 49 block cover cloth (the river) that will tie or button on and so be removable to expose the fire within when desired.  This idea came from a thought that it would be foolish not to give this heat an opportunity to radiate.  So it will be covered by the river sometimes and sometimes not.