Sunny Jim

Right now I am in love with designing these little elements one at a time. This must be the same jazz that drives the folks who make the journal quilts. I'm just making sure that there is something magical in each one of them before moving on to the next one. Some of the more vivid yellows here came from the old damask I just bought on Ebay and the first summer crop of hand dyes that Jan and I worked on yesterday here at the marvelous Outdoor Lawrenceville Frankenstein Dyeworx. I have finally found a way to kill a particularly nasty patch of weeds growing in the back yard - dump the salty water on them. There's a full basket upstairs waiting to be ironed but the pool is blue, it's pushing 90 degrees outside and the Braves are about to take on the Dodgers here at Turner Field after sweeping Chicago. I think the fiber will have to wait a bit.

Green Monster

In pieces on the design wall but it's well underway. This will finish out to be about 50"x65". I've decided that I'm going to have to break down and buy decent fabric for the backsides of this one and Picnic in Hell since these are going as real QUILTS. Keep-warm-in-the-backseat, cuddle-on-the couch, picnic-in-the-park QUILTS that will come with sleeves just in case they look good on the wall too. {{{{Delicious shudder}}}}

Gardens

Every spring I grow jealous over postings of beautiful gardens from all over the world. Although I'd like to blame it on the miserable clay here in Georgia, I'm sure other southern gardeners would have me flogged so I'll admit that my lack of garden is due to my unwillingness to break a sweat over the whole process. Where I grew up in the Hudson Valley region of New York we had real top soil, the kind people pay actual money for down here. I just threw down the seeds or popped a plant into the ground and it flourished. Here, if you don't pour a fortune in cash & sweat into the dirt, you are not likely to reap much. After ten years I have finally figured out which perennials will get by on little more than dog piss and a brush with the lawn mower. I never water and only pull weeds when they get taller than the flowers. That's a coreopsis trying to escape into the street - I'm sure the mailman will run it over soon. A Confederate jasmine and a few different varieties of ivy that we rescued from a dumpster loaf around the pole that they refuse to climb. I have no idea where the poppies came from and the peonies on the back row were taken from a plant that my grandfather originally planted at my parents house fifty years ago. And this is Jinx doing her bunny rabbit imitation while stalking squirrels.

Series Wrap up (for now)

That's the Old Liver on the left and Blue Liver on the right. Don't count on clean living for long life! . I've run out of stuffing for now (thanks, Kitty!) so it's a good time to pull back and take a look at these as a group. Tomorrow I will scooter on up to the hardware store and buy a package of brass swivels so I can hang them. Piling them in endless configurations is entertaining but something is always obscured and I am not a good enough juggler to consider any performance art.

More Internal Exploration

There are so many different ways to say GUTS! These on the left are three different views of "Gall" which is about 14" at the widest point. I have decided to attach brass fishing swivels to these pieces and suspend them at different heights from an acrylic rod about six feet long. And this piece is titled "Parts Unknown " which is where I seem to be heading but is really old home ground for me. Last years "Alien Autopsy" has been sold. This is so cool I can't stand it and I may do some beadwork on it. Bigger than the others, it's about 18" long but don't ask me on what axis.

The Lost Week

It feels like a week anyway. I am upright for the first time in 24 hours. Some unknown malaise gave me a bad night's sleep Thursday with alternating fever and chills. I also ran up and down the stairs at work more times than my back would tolerate and so I wasted all of Friday in bed. I couldn't read, do handwork or even websurf with my laptop. Changing the channel became too demanding so I dozed and made imaginary pieces in my head where they don't generate a lot of enthusiasm or sweat. I have to thank Frieda for reminding me why I have a button linking to Danny Gregory's blog and this post in particular. I'd like it if he would expound on those "rare, apparent exceptions who don't give a good god-damn what anyone else says" but wouldn't that just be confirming his first notion that "Creative people care so very much what others think of them." It's a great article and it confirms my thinking lately about voicing my opinion in public places. Who cares what I think or have to say? If it wasn't for the fact that I am prone to talking to myself and listening intently, I wouldn't write anything, ever. Here's a true story. Jim told me that once I woke him in the dead of the night because I was laughing in my sleep. He asked me "what was so damn funny?". I said "I told myself a joke" and turned over and went back to sleep. The headache is gone, the fog is lifting and maybe I can get a start on the imaginary pieces I've been working on in my head. So instead of talking or writing about the work, I will be doing for a while.

Picnic in Hell

Picnic In Hell about 50"x70". Well, what if it is commercial? These days selling my work is my prime objective and I hope this will keep me from putting a DONATE button on this site. I made a cool one yesterday that read [Send Me To Art Camp] but then I decided to hold off. When I was attending school in NYC I was fascinated with the social politics of begging and would spend hours sitting and talking with panhandlers trying to figure out how one replaces pride with determination and take up street begging the way others take up carpentry or quiltmaking. Piecing this top took nine loooong innings on Saturday afternoon (Braves 8, Mets 5) and I loved every minute of it. It will keep someone warm and cozy before too long. I have made a vow to honor my frugal nature and NOT buy any new materials in the coming year. It will probably take me at least that long to use up what I have collected in my studio. These are hand dyes and some commercial overdyes and batiks, all cotton. I plan on using up the nine miles of Warm & Natural I bought at MaryJo's last year. I may wind up having to piece the backs of these bigger things but that will be in the spirit of things too.

Woman possessed by fabrics..

....but she showed them a thing or two or three. Slashed, layered and stitched into submission, the fabrics lay defeated. Little did they know she planned to either drag them into the front yard and set them afire OR soak them in acrylic medium and squash them between two sheets of plexiglas or then again, drag them behind the Honda for a few days. I guess I deserved at least this.

Liver...Again?

These are all pictures of the same piece, just different views. Now the question is "What is to be done with these things" or better yet "Can I borrow a few onions? approximately 12"...I am too lazy to go upstairs for the tape measure.

What Blogging is all about (for me)

Like I said "SHOW ME THE PICTURES!". Dijanne Cevaal's blog Musings of a textile itinerant was the very first textile art blog I discovered on the web and has been the gold standard for me ever since. Her newest piece "Persephone's Rug for the Underworld" is spectacular and we have had the chance to see it all the way from the dye vat. Gorgeous work, Dijanne. And to think I have been shying away from using contrasting thread colors in my quilting. DOH!

Ornamental Innards

Every time I post an update on this piece, this series, it has a new name. What's up with that RightBrain? And when, exactly, is enough? I am still inclined to pick it up and settle in with the sewing basket and work on it for nine innings. I am running out of that iridescent sheer stuff and need more as it's finally starting to look like fascia. Ever attend a butchering? Spankin' stuff, fascia.

Hot DAMN she's good with tools!

"YEEEAHSSSSS!" as the sports announcers are fond of bellowing. I fixed Big J thanks to at least a dozen knowledgeable and generous people from the Quilt Art mailing list. Evidence to the right. I was in a perfect funk yesterday thinking I was going to have to haul that bugger 45 minutes into Tucker and leave it there for a week or more and then have to shell out who knows how much of an idiot's gouging which I would have richly deserved for not trying to help myself. Thank you all.

skeeered...NOT

After a great start this morning (see previous post) and some piddling around (this postcard) my Janome decided to derail my creative afternoon. After about an hour of frustration, I took out the old Kenmore only to find her cranky and fussy, refusing to deal with bottom line bobbin thread and hating the fabric I was trying to work with. Basta! I'm going to finish watching the ball game.

skeeered...NOT

I decided to stop being intimidated by those hand dyed antique fabric. At first I thought I might use them to wash my car first but didn't want to risk losing any brightness. Then I saw the scissors laying there and the evil sister inside took over.It's in the wash right now, getting hairy.

Awwww

How did I know she would do that? (the first chick died and she ate it)

Does This Baby Look Worried?

Owlet number one has hatched and I have been spellbound. Yesterday morning I peeked in and all was as usual - Mum brooding and DOB snoozing on one leg, leaning against the wall. Suddenly, the Mrs. sat up very straight and looked right into the camera with what could only be described as amazement and then stood up to reveal a tiny naked scrap of life bobbling his head this way and his wings the other. He had already been out of the shell a few minutes because when she stood up, I could see the pieces behind her, but her manner indicated that she wasn't used to things squirming around under her. At first I was terrified that she would eat him each time she used her sharp bill to gently gather him back close to her. I struggle not to anthropomorphosize animals. I'd rather liken the things humans do to animal behaviour, good and bad. I wonder if the baby owl is worried that mom will eat him. I wonder if Colin worried when I used to take his whole little hand or foot into my mouth and make Yummy noises.

Funk Finished

"Stigmata" Well, it wasn't going to let me go until it was done. Sometimes I get that SYBIL feeling that someone else lives in here and gets to make art from time to time. I have been haunting the Owl family waiting for the first eggs to hatch. Mrs. O has thoughtfully dragged the eggs closer to the camera in her zeal to keep them evenly warmed so I have been spending way too much time on the computer. Between egg rolling, I have done my annual website crawl through Marie Elkins astounding list of fiber artists. I have seen work that makes me want to do crazy things and I have gone back to read my Quilter's Prayer We don't do any of the traditional Easter things in this household now that the boys are grown. I made a clutch of hardboiled eggs last weekend. Sick of eating them, I didn't bother making more just to color. Bought big chocolate bunnies for Jake and Nikki and made them promise to give me the eyes. Then I spent the afternoon listening to baseball and working on the largest of my Uninformed Innards series..here's Unidentified Part #4 in progress. The thing about sculptural work, I haven't figured how to photograph or display it what with all the angles.

More Overdyes

All this talk on the QA list about hand-dyed versus commercial fabric and then seeing Leslie Riley's beautiful overdyed commercial fabric spurred me to get filthy once again. I have been dragging around this navy blue & cream fish print batik for ten years or more. If you look through my completed work, those fish keep popping up. I am much happier with it now. Dyeing is out of my system for a few weeks and at this rate, I predict that by the end of summer, my entire stash of store bought will have been overdyed with something.

Better Pictures

When will I remember that the best light is the Light of Truth..that is, DAYLIGHT!

Drum Banging

The National Quilting Association, Inc. 37th Annual Quilt Show June 8-10, 2006 Columbus, OH Dear Deborah, The entry form for your quilt, Night Traveler, has been received, and your quilt has been accepted into the show.

Results

This is the first round. I overcrowded the mason jars so the soda ash didn't get full distribution causing some splotching and wash out. I picked the splotchiest, palest pieces out of the basket and overdyed them (there was leftover dye that I put in the refrigerator on the deck). This time I gave the pieces plenty of space both in the dye and plenty of soda ash. My camera refuses to see how vibrant these colors really are. Even the dark purple glows. What looks like a lame teal in the second photo is an intense leaf green. Von has asked about using more dye and overdyeing. I say "yes & yes". The more research you do on dyeing, the more conflicting information you will find. My methods fall somewhere between Melody Johnson's Lazy Dyer and something gleaned from Paula Burch's thorough and technical compendium of information. There are so many variables that it hurts my head to keep deadly track of each one (except for safety concerns) and doing anything 100% by-the-book was never my style.

First Fruits

We had our first outdoor dyefest today. It hit 82 degrees just now. Typically for Georgia, we go straight from bone chilling wet days, head over heels into summer. I don't know how the plants and animals manage without spring. This is the batch of antique table and bed linen I have been hoarding since last summer - some of it a gift from a friend in FL who ran out of closet space and some of it booty from the estate sales and flea markets of Rhode Island. There is everything here from swatches of lawn so old and fragile I have to be careful wringing it out, to gauze, sateen, shirting, and embroidered damask. Total fatigue is causing me to let this crop batch properly before my color greed gets the best of me. Did something a little different this time. I tossed the water damp cloth with the dyes on the tabletop like so much salad or bread dough, then stuffed the color kin in the mason jars to stew awhile in the heat. I ran out of jars in pretty short order so there's a dozen gallon plastic baggies stuffed with fat colors too. After a few hours I went back and gave each bag and jar a good drench with soda ash sauce. I go out there and turn everything from time to time like Mrs.Owl with her eggs. Now, I'm going to try to forget it all until tomorrow afternoon.

Blues Bound

I spent time in the studio all weekend getting those small pieces ready to ship to Maine and packing them and of course grazing through all the fabric that is tossed all around the studio, fondling this and fingering that. This always leads to sorting fabrics into teams that seem to get along together and could lead to works full grown later on. I was gravitating to small pieces of solid hand-dyes (I am supposed to be making a lap throw for my Mom in Easter-ish colors for when they kick her out of the rehab hospital sometime in April) but I had one of the big Bubbles series under the needle for quilting first so there were just little piles of scraps here and there. Then Jim and I got into it as good partners must from time to time. Hot words and spiky emotions quickly flash to tears that are good for me to spill rather than save up because I can say some really horrible things given enough spark. Instead, we wisely parted ways for the day and when I got back from doing errands I gathered up those bright scraps and slashed and sewed myself some calm. You can sure tell that this isn't how Lisa Call goes about her work but there you have it. Now, I have started quilting and pulled the stitching out three time and dreamed it had smaller needle-turned rectangles appliqued inside some of the bars. Which ones? What colors? Stitch in the ditch? Stitch at all? Time will tell but it feels good in my hands and heart.

Lost Sketchbook

Now I know why Karma and Jinx have been lurking under the bedskirts. I woke early to hear tiny chewing sounds. Once it was light, I started pulling out the drawers built into the bedframe. There must be a mouse under there somewhere because in one drawer there was an old paintbrush with all the bristles chewed off. I left all the drawers open to let the girls do their stuff, hopefully while I am not looking. Deep in one of the drawers I found an old sketchbook I used while I was in some kind of technical training at work. Spatulitis is where I keep non-fiber artstuff-photos and the like.

Cash in Hand

"Southeast View" SOLD Well, a check anyway. My face has been hurting from grinning for a month. It's official. Up to now I have been afraid it was all in my imagination but here's a nice slice of reality complete with cream cheese frosting! About three weeks ago, I was approached by the owners of a new shop opening in the booming downtown Arts district of Portland, Maine. They came across my shop on Etsy.com and made me an offer to buy ALL NINE of the small pieces I had listed there. (The things there now are all new listings) "Ladder" SOLD At fist I had a cold panic fearing that the offer was coming from Belarus or Moggadishu when I had clearly indicated on Etsy that I would only ship domestic. I have enough headaches, thanks. Then I studied the Esty listings and wondered where the heck these little pieces actually were. An afternoon of rummaging and unpacking, I found all the pieces in good order. Whew! I had donated several small works to the Art Doing Good project and worried that I had screwed up and was offering stuff for sale that I no longer had in my possession. I have to start keeping better track of the product. Then I had a very pleasant email give & take with the owners of "Edith & Edna, Inc. - a curated shopping experience" and it all looks like a launch. I am spending this weekend sewing on sleeves, perhaps a false back, a little touch up pressing here & there - wrapping and then packing the whole lot to be shipped off to Maine as soon as the owners give the word. "Test Pattern 2" SOLD And here are the Crunchy Sugar Sprinkles on top of this tasty item - they are going to be offering classes starting in the summer and have invited me to consider teaching something. I would be great at teaching "Grinning Idiot 101" right about now!

Changes

Thanks to Lisa Call who reminded me that manipulating images is a great way of wrestling with design problems before you get out the rotary cutter. I am happier now but am considering some color changes/additions.

Passing Through

I stopped machine quilting on this one - did all I intended too. All of the discharged rings are sewn all the way around (if you click on it, you can get pretty close up) - and then put it up on the design wall to just eyeball it. Something is bothering me about it and I don't want to face the music. Step up and have a shot. 36x36, I think I named it "Passing Through" because it's not going to be around very long.

The Owls

This is seriously addicting. Melly told me that Mr.O. had been gone all day. Concerned, I tuned in. Poor Mum is crouched on her egg chanting to herself glumly. I wandered off to read some more complaints about Blogger. Then I tuned back in to the nest just in time to see the Dirty Ole Bastard barge empty-handed through the front door and pounce on Mum's back for some 20 second owl sex. (At least I hope it's DOB and not friendly Uncle Freddy from three trees down). And now he is leaning up against the wall, scratching his belly and snoring. This beats Desperate Housewives hands down.

Testing Blogger

Sure, after days of nonsense (I ask myself how they make any money on giving this aggravation away for free) I upload any old .jpg to test the photo upload tool and look what I find, our resident cross-dressing entertainer, Atlanta's own Baton Bob tweaked to death by my son fooling with Photoshop for the first time. And that is one of my hand dyed velvet scarves he's wearing, btw.

The Silent Bell

When it tolls inside your head and makes you let out the jib and lean hard on the rudder, you had better pay attention. I heard it sometime late Friday night when I caught up to Melly's post about a new addition to her studio. The photo of the desk in the nook is so compelling and mysterious to me - the two things that hook me deepest when I look at any kind of art and the things that I strive for in my own work. She has kindly given me permission to use this photo and I am planning a very large piece - think California King large. There will be no stalling in the search for the perfect black because that's a fool's errand. I will paint my own. I have a tub of carbon black gesso that is like looking into a hole in the universe. Just thinking about birthing this one is giving me chills. Straight lines, plumb and true! See it here until Blogger recovers it's wits.

Treasure from the Trash

(DIAL-UP WARNING! If you click on the picture, it will take you to a huge version) OKAY all you weavers out there. Just what is this that my son rescued from a trash pile? This is dumpster diving at it's best. The fabric is almost spotless, cut raggedly from the bolt. About 45" wide x 3 yards! I dare to think it might be silk but the experts at HGA will set me straight on Monday.