a weekend with (not at) the Beach

It's going to be a rainy weekend here in GA for the first time in ages and the plan is to settle in and stitch on the two large pieces I have in progress.


The piece of sugar dyed percale to the right in this picture popped out of a pile while I was rooting around for something else and it keeps calling me back wanting to be incorporated into "Beach".

Before I go chopping into it I'm going to fiddle with the two of them digitally to see if it's only my imagination that they have something to say about each other.

PS
After cutting and pasting some images together I decided against the juxtaposition. It was just too jarring. Phyllis, I went with another piece of that wonderful soft cotton you sent me.

ocean homes progress

It's been too hot to handle cloth much less do any stitching here in the south, but enough of that whining.
Yesterday there was a slight break in the oppressive weather and I sat under the fan in the studio and took up this long cool drink of water once again. Holding it at arm's length, I can't believe I've committed to a mile of crossed stitches but there you have it. As soon as I started sewing again, I knew this was what the piece required. I also know that one moment I'll find the last stitch is done and then it will be time to add the second layer and start hand quilting the waves.  Each of these pieces of cloth has a history and character and it's a pure pleasure to be bringing them together in this way.

the grove moves forward (only if you are not looking)

Remember this notion of a grove? It's made it's way to the next step of becoming and I hope all the scribbling in my notebook won't be for nothing. There will be hand dyed silk organza and this color example is not even close because there is just no rendering how it will look . Having never worked with this fabric before I have a lot of questions and little cloth to waste.

more for the foot freaks

Just come from dr. footsy who gave me a newer, bigger, better ON TARGET injection of magical monster juice and, if pain of process is any measure of a good outcome, I'll be dancing like Ginger Rogers in no time. 

And for a little added fun, I  get to wear this contraption at night but he said I could wear it at the office too whilst roosting. Mine is not this spiffy yet but give me a few idle minutes and some metallic Sharpies. He says there's no need to be cutting on me for this issue. I am relieved already.

banners continued

I'm still working on my battle banners. Here are a couple of unrelated sections...they should have been vertical of course. Haste and harried.

readying and fresh starts

We almost lost Louie this past winter. This dieffenbachia was a wedding gift from Donald and I left it out on the deck through a freeze and thought it was a goner.   I cut sections of the cane and tried rooting in water but they all seemed to rot rather than root. I buried the slimy chunks of stem in various pots out on the deck and they have almost all managed to make a comeback in the company of lavender and tomatoes.

This Painted Lady stopped by my work table this morning and asked "what the hell? Where's the work? Who stopped making the donuts??"

And I cleaned out my go bag and decided that my needle roll was pretty grubby looking and put in for a soak.  All this by way of preparation for some new beginning. No clue as to the direction right now but vacuuming the floor of the studio so I can actually see it is also a good start.

I've also decided to put these in more competent and inspired hands than mine are at the moment.

having a slothful wallow at the PC

Did I mention that as of five-ish this morning I became a new grand-auntie! Congratulations to Kim & Rodrigo and Welcome to Bryan!

Having watched the Braves take a beating at the hands of the Reds, I'm spending the rest of the evening listening to my old friend Vin Scelsa give us some rare, free-form radio after a long hiatus from WFUV . He's been away contemplating a career change with one foot wiggling towards retirement but is back on the air/internet  for two hours tonight and I thought I'd listen live for a change instead of playing catch up.

I've been listening to this Idiot's Delight in one form or another since the late 60's. You don't last that long without serious substance.

It's too hot to sew, there's certainly nothing to see on TV that I can't watch another time so I'll spend some time weeding my bookmarks, catching up on eye-candy, window shopping and taking a beating at Lexulous all until the thunderstorms bearing down on us take out the power.

I love everything at this site and it seems like the things I love the most cost the most. What's up with that?

I have websites bookmarked going back to the 90's. Here's a sampler of some that are still around. I was quite the geek at one time.

Dr. Ozone
Lizard House  speakers on!
Art Beat Street
Josh Simpson    (I have a planet!)
the OzQuilt network 
round stuff
Some stunning creatures
grafitti

possessed

Has anyone figured out a good way of getting non-linear shapes out of woven fabric so that all the edges can fray like this?  I'm looking to take a big, organic looking bite out of this cloth and don't have enough to waste. Razor wheels I guess?

If I'm not messing around with fabric at least I am thinking about different ways to mess around with it. possessed.

Jake's Home

I spent the night sitting in the chair from Hell besides Jake's bed at the hospital. He gashed the bridge of his nose on a rock while swimming at a state park on Saturday, and despite good first aid, he developed an infection.

Except for the blue, he kinda looks Navi-ish. Nothing was broken and the scar will be small . Missy called me from the hospital last night to say that he was in pain and fevering again after being there all day. I was so upset I got lost between work and the hospital for a few minutes. 

PS - He went back to work today (friday) and will be handsome as ever in no time

Marketing Monday

If you have craved any of my larger pieces, please contact me regarding pricing.

This are extraordinary times and like many people,  I have been reevaluating my expectations about art and life in general More than anything, I want my work out in the world, not languishing on a shelf out of sight.  You will be pleasantly surprised, possibly amazed at the prices, and I am willing to work with you regarding payment arrangements. To the gallery 

good intentions...

...paved the road to nowhere last evening when it came to holding something in my hands and working on it.

I made the mistake of selecting little pieces of my favorite, most recent dye experiments for the go-bag - scraps of dense damask, frayed and flawed and drenched with rich color.

I couldn't chop into any of them and just started daydreaming about rich little shapes floating on a field of cream, surrounded by lines of white stitching, like a zen garden.

More large, functional pieces of machine built muslin foundations with hand appliqued shapes and hand quilting but no batting. It seems like a calling that I have to honor.   I wonder if I keep coming back to blankets because it's so cold in the office?

The slow pace of work allowed for a good bit of time for paying attention to all the senses.
Sights- all those delicious colors in the go-bag and the almost full moon peeking through the pines.
 Sounds - a great ball game with the radio announcers clearly favoring the home team as Brooks Conrad smacked a grand slam home run to save the game!
Smells- someone making fresh coffee, my own Sea&Ski and Spanish Amber and a whiff of Georgia pine every time someone comes and goes through the door behind me.
Touch-my booboo foot resting on a frozen bottle of water under my desk and the smooth pages of the sketchbook as I scribble and see how my handwriting has deteriorated for lack of practice. Taste - cold ginger ale and a fat red plum equal parts tart & sweet. Do you every inventory all your senses?

PS. I also started reading Anita Shreve's "Light on Snow"...too early to tell. Our free lending library at the office is improving.