Come on Spring.

But Brrrr...it's still too chilly and damp out for dyeing. Those blacks were more than forgettable, btw, but the cloth is sturdy  despite its age and will hold up to discharge and over dyeing.

My spring banner keeps growing (that grid paper has one inch squares) but it's very unstable comprised mostly of vintage linen and damask pieces joined edge to edge.

Mission accomplished...added a few elements, layered it over a strong but lightweight base - formerly a kitchen curtain, I left the trim peeking out of the bottom. Nothing left but to set a good sleeve and send it off. But wait...what about some beads and buttons....

banner and new blacks

My spring flag has grown into a banner as I cast about for a starting place on the Next Big Thing..

As warm and beautiful as it was yesterday, the weather has turned raw and damp here with violent thunderstorms coming this afternoon.

Flying in the face of this nasty business, I ripped into that Persian cotton and have two pieces steeping with the new Procion blacks, 628 & 629, just sprinkled on straight from the packets they sent me. I'll leave them overnight because I have to work tonight. Updates and pictures in the morning.....

pillaging the westside

 Booty is the only way to describe it!  JR and I braved the drunken hordes and hit the road yesterday and found three (or was it four?) new reuse/recycle locations in the Marietta/Buckhead neighborhoods of Atlanta.

All I can say is blessings on the  people who buy stuff, never use it and then give it away. And bless too,  the reformed hoarders who finally break down and give up the stuff they've been sitting on for forty or fifty years.

For a song and a smile I got yards of heavy, cream colored cotton sheeting loomed in "Persia" which dates this cloth from sometime before 1935. It came out of the washer and dryer soft and fresh and ready for the dye. There was a square yard of vintage, fine woven flour sacking, and this hooked rug pattern printed on burlap.

I've written to the company to see if they can date it for me and perhaps give some guidance about what materials and colors to use, should I decide to commit which I doubt I will..burlap really puts me off. For a dollar I couldn't leave it behind.

We couldn't help but cackle gleefully as we roamed the aisles. And bless JR who kept me from buying a pair of used men's golden Nike Hi-tops.

spring flag

Just a little flag for Spring.

I find myself thinking about other things entirely while I stitch on this one. Gardens, beaches, warmth, sunshine, sleep, peace ..so I don't know what will become of it. For now just some warm-up pitching.


(and yet I took hours to decide where that "eye" should go)





I used my Goodman's new little Coolpix in a reckless point and shoot mode for this picture and I am seriously covetous! Click in for some wicked detail...

very happy friday

Two pieces of cloth uncovered in the churn. The top one I'm working out how to incorporate into a larger whole. I may have to dye some cloth to do it.

The one below, I just can see ever cutting it apart so I'm just going to hang it up and be entertained.

We have a house guest and I am so happy.

cold sun, fresh starts

 I spent some time yesterday churning the scraps looking for some inspiration.

While I was in NY I cut the tip of my index finger (cardboard is worse than paper!) and this morning was the first time I could do any stitching without pain but more importantly, without getting blood on things. My fingerprint is permanently altered.

It's nice to find my way back to color after all that black and white. The first dye fest of the season will be on me before I know.


This mostly finished piece turned up in the churn. I think it's ready to finish and let  fly.

back in service

I brought Spooky Stories back home with me from NY.



I wanted  Dad to use it but made the mistake of telling him that it had been on display at a museum briefly. After that, it stayed folded and draped over the back of the chair by his bed.

It's one of my favorite "crossover" pieces. Fully utilitarian, (I even used  Silamide thread for the beading) I built it to be used, dirtied, then machine washed and dried.

I remember that it was fun to make, each foot square block composed independently. I do recall selecting all the fabrics and sequestering them in a project basket..my feeble attempt at limiting my palette.

Once the top was complete, it was layered over W&N cotton and backed with two beautiful Timeless Treasures  prints and then hand quilted with doubled 12wt. Sulky cotton.

home

my Goodman, '76?

I got home from NY late last night and was received by the grateful hairy horde. My son appears to have been dating Martha Stewart in my absence because  windows were washed, the microwave scrubbed and carpets vacuumed.  I'll just be thankful and not wait for the other shoe to drop.

Some dear old friends who came to the viewing brought some photos that I had never seen and, earlier,  I was tasked with going through my family's heaps, boxed and books of photos to make two collage boards for my Dad's wake.

moi in mouton

My sister Kitty looks exactly like my Mom. 

This poor photo had mold and blue crayon marks ..my photoshop skills are basic but I think I'll have a print made of this one.

Spring Snow

The TV says this area (Goldens Bridge, NY)  will have a foot of snow before it stops.

All the preparations for company are done. It remains to be seen how many will  be able to get here for Dad's wake today but then again, this is the northeast and more people are accustomed to and equipped for driving in this kind of weather. Back in Georgia this would be Armageddon.

Now there time for some quite stitching.

caesura

A very large box of the most exquisite treasures has arrived from New York.

Here is a heavy cotton damask tablecloth that I could probably cover my car with, four or five yards of the blackest fine, wool gabardine and three vintage woven towels. There is also an expanse of cream colored raw silk and at least a dozen other assorted damask tablecloths, all from the 20's or 30's, like my pop who was born in '26 or '24 depending on who you talk to.

It also occurred to me that I packed this box myself back in January on my last trip home when Dad and I had good, meaningful conversations and said our goodbyes.  I'll be taking a hiatus from this space for the duration of the memorials and celebrations and take inspiration from all these glorious pieces of pure potential. He's like that.

the aforementioned Bon Vivant

Word came this morning that my Dad died at home after a short illness and a long wonderful life. Bless my brother and sisters and all the friends who have been there to help him.



Charles Henry Useted 
1926(maybe) - 2013


(Like many young men of his time, Poppy fudged his age by a few years to be eligible to join the navy in WWII.
 He never would never divulge his real dob. Rest in peace Old fox.)

for my Bon Vivant

I've not been able to focus on any creative stuff for a while. My Dad appears to be slowly but surely wrapping up his earthly business. My sisters and brother are by his side at home and I get reports long distance. It's hard for everyone, there and here.

Later, there will be stories to tell dressed with tears and laughter.

To distract myself, I've decided to light up the shop with a party of vibrant color.
Three views of the same pile.....

From this steaming heap of exuberant damasks, linen and cottons I'll be making up a bunch of Party Burritos. More over at the store

orienteering drama (decision!)

Thanks to everyone who commented here and in private emails! Horizontal wins the day but when it's sold, I will offer the patron the option of another sleeve. 

Now to cut, fit, pin and stitch, stitch, stitch. Because my pieces are large and sometimes heavy (not this one) I'm kind of obsessive about attaching the sleeves. I use a coated, cotton quilting thread and bury five or six old fashioned hem stitches per inch. It's like moving a mountain with a teaspoon; you look up, and it's gone.

 I haven't looked at Cephalopod 1 since it was finished back before the holidays and now I'm not so sure about the vertical orientation. It's pretty imposing either way but now I'm inclined to want it displayed horizontally.

Before I commit to 136 inches of tiny hand stitches for the horizontal sleeve (it's 60 inches on it's longest side) , WHAT SAY YE?   And...has anyone ever put TWO sleeves on a piece making the orientation optional? All input would be most welcome.

shifting the art around

I picked "Pirate Circus" (center) up from Phoenix & Dragon yesterday. It's been on display in their learning annex since the show last fall and it will be heading to another display opportunity in NY.

"Front Runner" will be taking its place shortly.

I had mixed feelings about both these pieces even while I was still working on them. Even though they are only a few years old, I feel very distanced from both of them. The banner series I had in mind didn't go forward because..well, I just fell out of love with the project. I had envisioned majestic battle flags fluttering  in the air - not these imposing but ponderous works.

As an artist, have you ever found yourself derailed by the limitations of your medium or technique?

a week evaporated

 Despite whispered reports, I've not gone into witness protection. Just days full of details.  Measuring, cutting, pinning and hand stitching sleeves is my reward for finishing five major pieces all bound for better things than languishing rolled up on the shelf in the closet. There is more tedium on the horizon - photography and forms to fill out, but most of you know the drill.

 More thinking about how Diego Rivera consistently lit his subjects from below, as if there was a mirror on the floor in the late afternoon light.

And just this morning I unearthed one more very large WIP that is equal parts wonderful and awful. This one is headed for major surgery but will be born again transformed.

at the High

the Flower Carrier - 1935 - Diego Rivera

 Linda and I ventured into the city yesterday to see "Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting" at the High Museum.

I found Frida Kahlo's work sad and depressing and could    only  think how a caring therapist or the right meds could have helped her. Given her physical calamities, she had every right to her sorrow but it was tedious alongside the lush exuberance of Diego Rivera's work.  If you are in or near Atlanta don't miss this show.

Lush Life rescue

What I really need to be doing is cutting and fitting five sleeves onto the black and white series. The biggest, KV, is pinned and I'm stitching away. Hours of mindlessness.

And here's more..."Lush Life" dates back I don't know how many years. There is so much I love here and I hope I can save at least some of it. It's another example of being in love with specific elements  of a piece and totally disregarding crucial design concerns.

The first order of business will be picking out all the insane, loopy and the ill-advised machine quilting buried in the tender damask and a half inch of a felted cotton batting that weighs a ton.

 I'll just sit here and pick.

chapters end

I finished "Karma V" this morning. I never did count all those french knots. Final size - 44"x36".  Nothing new on the design wall right now but soon.

This one is still under the needle but there isn't going to be a lot of stitching. The truth is that I was in love with each of these pieces of cloth on their own and don't want any of the colors or textures to be secondary to any unnecessary surface embellishment. Color field painting has always been a favorite  

b

a tear soaked headless blue horse

Here I am happily working away through the rerun of last week's episode of Downton Abbey blissfully unaware of what was heading down the pike at the end of the one that followed.

Jimmy, it was good you were not here for this one because the weeping and swearing was just awful! You would have woken up growling.

It's crazy that I get so emotionally invested in one or two TV shows a season. The funny thing is I've only just started watching this show and have barely gotten the names and faces straight before the writers started knocking people off!

Juicy

Jake's cat Juicy has lived with us for a while now but he is still extremely shy, mostly of me.

He misses Jim, who has become his best bud.

A consummate opportunist, he has made camp in the first place in the house that gets the morning sun, my sewing chair in the studio.

(the little quilt he is claiming was made for a cat and says "you can help by sleeping here")

adrift

That's me. Headless and blue. Talking about being on my own and actually living it are two different things.
Jimmy left mid morning and was 20 minutes out when he somehow realized that he had left the power cord to his laptop at home. Colin saddled up and got it to him with little to no time lost.
At least it's a beautiful day for driving in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Meanwhile, up in New York, my Pop is having a hard time of it. Life that is.

love all year long

Have I really committed to several hundred french knots? Looks that way...

It turns out that one of the UFOs ("blue headless horse" is the unhappy working title) is going to be machine quilted after all, so this one will be my "hands on" work for some time to come.


In case you were wondering, me and my Goodman celebrate Valentine's Day all year round so we don't do the Hallmark hokey-pokey. There will be much boo-hooing in the driveway tomorrow though when he drives off to the mountains for a few months at a work location.

color comes to light

There has been some scurrying about here at Lacativa Abbey. My Goodman will be hitting the road for a new job and needed just the right sized tub with lid to safely transport his printer and such. My WIP bucket was just the ticket and there were only three things inside. Waiting, waiting and the time is here.

I'll be needing handwork now to keep me company while he is away.  Work is good, being away from home for weeks at a time can be tough.  We just figured out how we can make video calls via FB...funny from one floor to the next in the same house but it will be wonderful when he's five hours away.

This last great expanse of fleece came out of the UFO box too and it's big.

I found it very interesting that a blank white canvas of this size can be intimidating but this black one prompted so many visions of what will come next, it's exciting. For the moment, I'm just going to let it brood over my shoulder.

Season Finale already?

Did the announcer really just say that?  That next Sunday will be the season finale of Downton Abbey? Woe is me. 

 I am so glad that I decided to spend the past two hours in that past rather than sit wondering and frowning over what passes for musical talent on the Grammys.

Once upon a time people conducted themselves with a measure of dignity. I like that. And the hats.

The hand stitching and finishing is done on Karma 4 and I can give over the rest of my studio time to finishing K5.

Changes are afoot in our household (more about that when I know more) and changes are coming in my work. Color is calling me back and I'll be answering soon.

Karma IV (30"x39")

Karma V continued

 Machine stitching continues on this piece alternating with hand stitching on K4. I really should stay out of the morning light.

Sand, Ashes and Roses

I had a long overdue day on the town with my buddy Janice yesterday. The world cooperated and sprung me sunshine and 60's. I ate off the chain at a food court - yeah there was bourbon chicken and a red velvet brownie - and then saw "Silver Lining Playbook" which was terrific. Halfway through the flick my stomach started  flipping like I was on a carnival ride. I'm sure it was a combination of the rich food and the onscreen emotional mayhem but I toughed it out, kept the lunch and was restored by a little more fresh air and sunshine. A good time was had by all.

Today, by several special requests I have put my nose back to the grindstone to update the inventory over at Random Acts of Dyeness. Seems like folks are in the mood for the muted, natural tones that some people work so hard to achieve using a variety of natural dye processes so I've put together a grouping titled "Sand, Ashes and Roses.

I tip my hat to the natural dyers but my colors all come from Procion MX dyes. This grouping comes from my "overdye" basket because I'm inclined to harder edged, more saturated colors and were destined for another dose of color.
 My loss is your gain!  More about it here