Spirit Cloth

Mending

Today's worn spots.

 

Stars

Star Block 1 (from the Cat Quilt which at this point I think needs a new name.)

They were all supposed to be the same. But it didn't happen that way.

Ten years ago. Before Spirit Cloth. Remembering.

The indigo here, collected over the years.

Some samples of cloth designed while working in the textile industry.

Some from old clothing. Some, from grandma's scrap.

Before considering the possibility of dyeing.

Before that became so popular.

Each one was so precious. Held story.

About ten years ago, or maybe a bit more, I think that is around the first time I used the note to self: scraps of self. Notes to self. Scraps of self. Not much difference really.

The quilt needs repair. Instead of restoring it with re-patch, I will mend it with stars.

As Winter Approaches.

Old sky needed a bit of help this morning.

It's been grey. Like November, here, becomes.

Two little things on the wall became one. Which is good. I ran out of room.

A seasoned stray knows winter (here) well. She knows that she, herself, might be the path through it. That she can be that. Do that. Pull those scraps of self together and make something useful.

I'll be on the road for a while.

Mending the roof

 

The real one still leaks.

Whirling Patchwork

...Need to mend this old table cloth today.

I noticed one block gathering itself ito a basket.

I made this when I was working. From fabrics that the company manufactured.  I never did completely finish quilting it. Because they used it in a photoshoot. You can see some unstitched areas. This is a good example of how the cloth is gathered into the stitch over time and washing. The cloth settles into the tension of the stitch. I made this early on and might not even known that then. Not that it bothers me at all. These days I know more about tension. If it is important to the look of a piece, I can manage it. Sometimes though, it is just fine the way it might move over time. In this case it has always been flat enough and has been a table cloth for 30 years or so. With blankets, well, who cares really? Except maybe some judge of perfection somewhere. That has gone a bit out of style at this point as we have all been exposed to the global textile arena. Generally if there is some dense stitching near some unstitched area, there will be movement, especially if washing and drying is involved. A lot of "art cloth" just hangs there. Although, there is a slow flow there as well, if you look carefully over time.  Personally I like a living cloth.

Looking at how cloth and stitch react to one another, well that might even give you some ideas. That happens to me. And these days I manage stitch in a different way. If I want to quilt but prefer some areas to be less busy with stitch, I alter the length of the stitch, sometimes using that very tiny invisible stitch so the tiny stich hardly shows but still hold the cloth in place. I call this Wizard stitching (and sometimes Sympathetic Quilting). Poof, the thread appears and disappears as needed yet holds all together like magic.  Managing a stitch like this is not possible on a sewing machine. And there is much less play in a machine stitch because there is a more consistent compression and not the weaving in and out that  gives the cloth space to relax.

Since I am at the point of finishing a lot of old work and because I have some patchwork that will become blankets soon enough, I'll be talking a lot about quilting.

To be mended today as well...

Some crazy raccoon party last night. By the light of the moon.

 

 

The August Ick

It is on us. So many of us.

Heat index of 106 today. That is not good coupled with the unbearably high humidity. And days and days of it to come.

Not much more than that going on. Except the fan.

The rambutan (new at the market and obviously not local) rinds gave up some color overnight. Just to see. Ok.

A little stitching with sweaty fingers. Nine seems to be vaporizing. Along with my ability to hold a needle.

Because I am back to this. This time I cannot even hold a pencil. We all have that something to keep us grateful for everything else. This will be mine. The arthritis is managed with diet and exercise. It is always there to remind me. Things get out of balance easily. Of course housework is also out of the picture at the moment. That's a plus. Floating. We'll float. You with me? A slow flow. Flowing rhymes with going.
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ThreadSpeak

 

Thanks to you all for your kind concern. The comments. The emails. The phone calls. The wishes for healing. I am better today. At least I slept most of the night. It seems a minor sprain coupled with some underlying hip bursitis which is linked to the arthritis thread that runs in the family, on Mom's side.  Moving has been a high priority this year because of that. I believe this (just moving) has better prepared me to recover from injury. I am out of the bed. With help, since getting up is the hardest part. My target is to be up and around as soon as possible. I've chosen to swim in the old cold sea (that glorious liquid basket) for medicine. Float. And then wallow in a hot shower. Rock between these things. In my mind I picture the pain radiating outward. And away like ripples in water. I visualize these things and it helps direct my energy.

It's sort of like planets aligning. The power in even imagining that.

Nine for almost aligned. Stitched very slowly during intervals of sleeplessness. In a chair, propped up by pillows. Aching. Grateful for all these little pre-prepared squares that save me over and over.

Twist of Fate

It wasn't the clearing of the overgrown hill.

Or the lifting of the heavy rocks. Or moving the houseplants in before the sudden hail.

It wasn't even the thousands of trips up and down the loft ladder as I sorted through old cloth and junk, part of the lessening project. Or the yoga or the cycling. Or the weeding.

Nope. It was a simple twist. In a car. A quick brake. Zap. Pulled something in my lower back and hip.

I am posting this from my phone in a laying down position. Which is not comfortable either. Getting up to pee is a nightmare. Even sitting hurts. And moving in general will be impossible for a while. I'm ok, just a bit useless.

I have this photo of a fairly new weaving. Snapped by my phone camera a little while back. Based on an old weaving. And 9 in some new way. Soon to inspire other cloth stories. Woven Sanity.

It is very special to me so let's look at it for a while.

I have postponed the launch of my new shop among other things. I'll be laying here, resting, mending, catching thoughts at least. Right now I can't think of anything but ouch. Times nine.

Don't worry. Be happy and keep stitching. Or whatever it is you do.

Rocking Back and Forth in Space.

Notes on Sanity and process.

(This block continued from yesterday)

 

audio link if you see no player

 

And then, reel it back in again.

I feel like I'm kneading bread.

Mending a net. So I can keep fishing.

Letting March be March

Does it seem that I am less attentive...?

There are gaps in my thinking. And everything else.

This month is both free and not free.

We cleared the hill of last year's growth. Just to be here, outside in the warmer than usual days. I saved the remaining sumac berries which have dried on the branches of small trees we have removed to get rid of brush that holds dampness and encourages mosquitoes. It will rain for days now so I left the copper bucket outside while we are away and around. I've plans to remove all dyestuff stored in the freezer here as well. Perhaps a little spring dyeing to use it up.

And I drew this. And I will draw it 8 more times. Repeat the thought. 9. A good number. Now, more often back on paper, I have begun to grasp the effect of being with cloth for so long. As I did in reverse when I moved from paper to cloth so long ago. The materials reshape us, like any relationship. I have found myself mending. Patching holes in old paper with bits of paper. Patching over lines not wanted with bits of paper instead of erasing.  This also allows me to use bits of paper too small to draw on. Design mending. Mostly though, I am thinking about paper like I think about cloth. This will help a new style emerge. This is exciting and feels freer than just trying to go back to something. Repeat it.

I have decided to move Feel Free to another site, to make it better. It takes a lot of planning to get it right. In April I will resume my efforts with all of that. Right now I am just going. I appreciate all the new support and your patience as I navigate March, which finds me so in between.