cold work

I thought I try (once again) my hand making something with the heart symbol.
I cut four before this one, all just as wrong and misshapen. As usual, my freehand heart comes out looking more vegetable than meat and the whole thing looks like an international flag warning of contagion, fitting as I am battling a cold.  When I'm finished I'll hang it in the garden to scare off pests.
File under "what was she thinking?".

More satisfying has been stitching a tiny hand-rolled hem all round a large square of the softest cotton I have ever worked with. It feels just like sueded silk. This was from the batch that was dyed with cream of wheat + bugs.

real inspiration

feeling uninspired?


Read this and this for the back story if you don't know about Kate and her journey.

sunshine=lack of focus

It was too nice outside this weekend to get serious in the studio. In anticipation of dyeing (months away?) I did take my fistful of coupons to HoAnn's and scored some white cotton and a batt blended from cotton and bamboo based rayon, whatever that alchemy, it felt soft to the touch.

There are so many grades of muslin on the shelves there that I wound up closing my eyes and groping the bolts of cloth until I found what my fingers wanted. At one point I peeked and found that I had wandered into a field of homespuns done in violent greens and pinks. The cloth was horrific but the raw selvages were so interesting. Closed my eyes again and groped back along the row and settled on the very tight, smooth Kona. Only because I had two 50% coupons, I swear it.

I flipped the devilment cloths (above) out onto the bed to see if anything changed since I last balled them up and flung them in the corner. Nothing new except for those two hits of blue. Back into a ball they go.



And it looks like cropping is not the answer to ever design problem. Back into the basket with this one too.

I'm going back to making a list of annuals for my deck garden..purslane, marigolds, lantana, portulaca....

and "Serpent of the Grove" is back from the show in Arizona (thanks, Diane)and will be available in the store this time tomorrow.

apron lift

On the first warm sunny day that we've had since memory, I spent time sitting in the parked car at the washywashy catching up on a backlog of towels, blankets, and sheets and such.

The sun was bright, the music good and I brought along my apron with the intention of elevating it from "splotchy with copper paint" to "I'm up to something" gear. Inspiration on the spot was a few cuts from Tom Wait's "Blue Valentine". Inspiration for doing it in the first place, Heather's apron.

painted lines

I was always complaining to myself  about how machine stitching gets lost in larger pieces. Heavier thread, contrasting colors - it was never enough for me.


Now that I've committed to using paint to highlight the stitching on this piece, we'll see how much I'm in love with it when it's finished.

I can tell you I find the process messy, tedious and exacting - not what I am feeling at the moment. Just when I was feeling loose, exuberant and ready to fling things finishing this piece is demanding precision and control.