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.

Begorrah!

So this is what goes on in my studio on St. Patrick's Day, who was, my GoodMan hastens to remind us all, Italian. Yes indeed, there is a feline snuggled into a fabulous piece of handdyed cotton. Did I tell you I have stock in the company that makes packing tape? So while my back is turned, sloth reigns supreme. And why are they so exhausted? While we are at work, they invite the Yorkies from next door in through the cat/doggie door and play poker in the kitchen just like you've seen in the tapestry. All I have to do is rig a cam to prove it.

Work in progress

Yes Melly, you are right about the dark spots. I was happier with them after I trimmed the darker edges off. Now the quilting is going well. Oh, and thanks so much for the Owls. Voodoo and I enjoyed the show for about 20 minutes. Beat prime-time TV all to hell last night. While I was working on this one last night, I was wondering about the satisfaction I get from "bounding" poorly defined color areas from one another, in this case with stitching. This piece was on it's way to my mental shredder almost from go, but something in the discharged shapes kept calling me back. Each step along the way, even false ones, has delivered on it's promise of pleasing me. All I had to do was see it through. Thread color choices have never been a big deal but right now I am stalled because I want the right colors of mauve, violet, and navy to continue - and I have to get in gear and go to work today. Hmmpf.

Beyond the Whine

After reading that last post I had to remind myself that, in the midst of all this personal turmoil, I have been getting some Art done almost daily. This one is plaguing me. I took my first shot at using Melody's Escape Hatch Finish and of course, screwed it up. Don't ask. Now I am spending hours re-arranging the spots and have a sneaking suspicion the dark ones are not going to make the cut at all in favor of some other color. I should know by now that this series does Not shine until way, way into the design process and a lot depends on the machine quilting. It's still in the sow's ear stage. Just had to mention that last night "West Wing" and "the Sopranos" were equally breathtaking entertainment. Figure out what that says about yours truly.

Find Me A Beach Somewhere....

Some of you are probably thinking I skipped my meds. I used to have regular nightmares of alligators twisting my legs off after I got hurt in the bombing at the '96 Olympics in Centennial Park, Atlanta and last night the alligators were back and I woke up with a cramp in my calf that took an hour to soothe. My husband and I have a code. If one of us calls the other at work and it's a really bad time, the callee simply says "Alligator" and the caller knows to just hang up and try later. It's actually a contraction of the expression "Up to my ass in Alligators" which is where we have both been for about six months now. Did I mention that my mother is back in the hospital again? this time with pneumonia. She has been in and out of hospitals for about three months and I am afraid she is in the Broken Hip Death Spiral and no one in the family is willing to say anything about it. So do I go up there and stand around in a hospital room and be useless or do I wait and go up there for a funeral? Both? Then there was a really interesting email Friday morning from some nice folks who are starting up a new shop/gallery in Portland, Maine. They made me an offer on eight of the pieces I had up for sale on Etsy.com. Just when I was getting ready to take everything off that sight. It just seemed to be getting overcrowded. I will keep you posted as to how and if this deal goes down. The money is almost exactly what I need to go to Arrowmont. Now all I can do is hope it's all legit and the check isn't drawn on a bank in downtown Niarobi. Friday night we went out for the first time since an office Christmas party. An associate of Jim's gave him four all access, VIP passes to see Charlie Daniels perform at a local cowboy bar called Wild Bills. There is a big sign over the door giving a long list of what is unacceptable attire including - no biker gear, no bandanas, no group-affilliated colors, no pants below the waist(?). As I read down the list I fully expected to see "no tie-dye" but I was willing to give it a shot. Jim is a big fan of old fashioned country western music so I promised myself I would do my best to be a good sport and have a good time. Surprise! About three hours into the evening, after two earsplitting local bands, swarms of drunks, bimbos in chaps with fake boobs dancing on the bars, Charlie Daniels started beating us up with His Personal Savior and by the way, you had Better Support the Troops or else. I just got up and walked out the door. Jimmy was pretty good about it. He was grateful, I guess, that I didn't leap up on the stage and choke some hymn singing hypocrite with the microphone. I am getting pretty damned sick and tired of the so-called cultural wars going on inside this country. Being proud to be an Ameican used to be enough. Now, you have to be the right kind of American and that is nothing to be proud of. So, I spent Saturday morning with ringing ears going through my inventory looking for the pieces in question and uploading just about everything else I have for sale to my Etsy shop.