practical matters

The sun coming in over the sewing chair is rich in the mornings, strong until 11 almost, but once the trees get leaves all that will change. For now, I'll take advantage of it if I can.

The washing machine heard me boasting about getting a good deal on those lumberjacks yesterday so it decided this would be a good time to up and die. Not if I have anything to say about it.

We jackassed it off the base because I thought we had to take the back cover off. Then I did a little web surfing and found the trixie technique for getting at the works - flipping the lid and yanking off the cabinet from the front. It was nasty in there.

 In search of a clog, hoses were disconnected, but I forgot about the several gallons of dirty water still in the tub, even though we siphoned off most of it. Damp carpets will look cleaner someday. There was NO sock blockage, although I did find an ATM card in the basket that I hadn't even missed yet.

The next part to be investigated/replaced is the timer. Part ordered and an excellent tutorial found. All I need is a strappy t-shirt and crack-revealing jeans.

passing time

I was going to call this post "killing time", but it's such an awful expression when you think about it. Lately, if anyone was to tell me to my face that they were just killing time I might smack them!

While I got even more fussy with the corded lines on this piece, I waited for a phone call from the tree guy.

The house phone was ringing the other day and out of sheer spite, I answered all prepared to send some telemarketer, politician or bill collector to a venomous hell with my snappy repartee. Instead, I took a cold sales call from a local tree company who must have scouted the property from the street even though my concerns are in the back yard.

He came, he saw and he conquered me with an amazing price for felling a group of trees that have been threatening my pool for years. The time has come. Well, it will come later in the summer after I've sold a few pounds of cloth and/or a few gallons of blood.

In the meantime,  it's Spring Break at the Froggy Club Med. This strange climate year has emboldened a host of tender-voiced leopard frogs to come out ahead of the shrieking tree frogs. Who will eat whom? All of them will be evicted in the coming days.

             I cleaned and relocated my favorite, deep-voiced wind chimes.

for Grace

unhinged

Is it just me?

The almost complete lack of winter (as lame as it is here in Georgia) has me unsettled and not recognizing these days as Spring.

Our pool is a pit of green slime, the algae never died off and turned black like it usually does. We are going to have to move up the purge a whole month.

I spent the morning avoiding all (current) media input. It's verging on toxic. I've done my part - did my investigation, made a contribution, slapped on a bumper sticker and voted. For a few days, anyway, the whole process can just catch a handbasket to hell.

What I'd really like is to go to a baseball game..no radio, no TV, just watch and listen, maybe stitch a bit while they are out there having private conversations on the mound.

spring?

Seasoned readers will think "oh, oh. she's been doing a whole lot of nothing." but, not so.

Mending, putting new bindings on old service quilts, actual zipper replacements - real old school stuff. I have new callouses.

It was warm enough to leave doors and windows open today and I was outside looking at the dyedeck wondering what would be next.

spring wear

This has been missing for a while. It needs a little work, but I'll wear it out today just for some fun.


A better look..

utility

I've been looking at the large chunks of good quality commercial cotton I still have as I shuffle tubs and containers around trying to make room in the closet.

The Janome behaved well recently and the activity was rewarding mentally. This kind of design work sparks flow. Winter weight quilts or two layer flings..tops are tops.

I've had to make some major changes to my manuscript - pacing issues - and looking at this quilt, I'm realizing that good design is good design, no matter the medium.

The cloth speaks.

you know I'm procrastinating

when it was new

That must mean it's Tax Time! Really, I know just where all the paperwork is. I know what room it's in and what set of baskets to go to.

In the meantime, the first quilt I made for Charlie has finally gotten the long promised and long overdue mending. I have not turned on the Janome since this quilt was first made more than eighteen months ago. I suppose I should clean and oil it.

I don't know what I was thinking when I discharged already tender cottons on the quilt top. Some of the pieces began to fray and develop holes just from day to day wash and wear.

At first, I was afraid I was going to have to deconstruct the entire thing, but the backing is substantial commercial batik so I'm counting on some sturdy, well-placed shirting patches and a new binding to hold things in service another year or two. I'll finish hand stitching that binding when he's sleeping tomorrow.

new now

hearts progress

It seems that this is where I fall back when nothing else is possible. Reflexive self-care.

I have a five alarm head cold that is already passing. Cold medicine leaves me with breezes blowing between my ears. No thoughts.

art at work

3D art pieces born again as Toys!  Charlie especially likes the one in the foreground for its handle.

back to badges

I went back in to the studio this morning and started a new badge, adding on to the series I started two years ago.

Finding those UFOs yesterday and digging into their history has proven to be a catalyst for a much-needed mental rest, although, while in the design phase of the project, I'm finding paralelles to writing that I never did in the past.  I think it's because I focused on this one..."the Heart of Life",  a personal favorite that sold pretty quickly.

 I found the post about the genesis of the badge project which includes a good shot of this piece in progress.

I can remember selecting and rejecting cloth, then cutting and folding and moving the shapes over and over until it was right.
Selecting and building the blended threads, choosing and executing each stitch. There was no hurry and no room for "whatever". I gave this little thing my all.  That's what it takes, no matter what I'm doing or I'm not going to be satisfied with the outcome. This one will get finished soon and I'll mount it to a small canvas. They will all be for sale.

wondering

We had snow showers all day today and the light was unusual. I was in the studio early and sat looking at the design wall for a while wondering what happens to the work when artists die. There are eight or nine pieces nailed up there for lack of better storage and will on my part. Nice and flat they are. What a pain in the butt for the families left behind!

           Yes, for reasons I won't dwell on, I missed both of those deadlines so the pieces that I started in 2012 and finished in 2013 probably they won't seen any exposure at a national show what with restrictions on the age of pieces. Or is that bit of fiber tomfoolery becoming a thing of the past?

         Then the sun broke through and I got this shot of "Consolation" 2012.
 It worked it's charm on me. No one out there has enough money to buy this one.

not locked up or in Tahiti

But it feels like the first one.

I've been writing critiques for a handful of other writers from a new group that I've joined. You have to give 'em to get 'em, as the saying goes.
My neck hurts, my shoulders are all hunched, there's a crease between my eyes and I have agita. No, not from working at the computer all day. From trying to be civil and instructive at the same time. It's exhausting. You can't just say "This sucks. Stop writing." The Karmic implications are grotesque!  What I really want to do right now is curl up with the river basket and maybe just mend something.  feh.