The basics and planning

Last year, it was off-the-wall weird stuff. There's plenty of that left to mess around with. This year, I restocked the basics plus a few new things. 

That Admiral Blue needs help. I will fiddle with it. It was on sale.

The Bronze seems to have been reformulated, and I'm excited about it. 

The unfortunately named Tie Dye Black appears (on paper) remarkably neutral with neither a green nor blueish cast.

There's a two-pound bag of soy-wax pellets in the box, and I have to think about why I ordered them. 

There'll be no new table top as we no longer have a truck. I stood there in the lumber section trying to figure out how an entire sheet of half-inch plywood could be sectioned to fit into the trunk of my Honda Accord. Not and have any structural integrity. Instead, I bought a heavy vinyl cover to staple over the old, deteriorated wood. 

The tent will go up only for the duration of the event. Don't want to lose this one to any pop-up thunderstorms. 

I'll have running water on the deck for the first time in ages! Since the main water pressure valve was replaced, I can run a garden hose without fear of it exploding. The showers are meh now, but the hot water heater may last a few more years. 

NO CLOTH goes in the washer or dryer ever again. It's all hand and foot work. A sight to behold. And this year, I'm going to have both feet in technicolor and will be selling glimpses on that foot-porn website. Just kidding...maybe.

A return

 

It's good to be home. As much as I love spending time with Charlie, time away from my life reminds me that I've got shit going on that needs attention.

It's very chilly here, but the promise is a return to the 80's for the coming weekend. 

Prep for the first dyefest of the season is ON. 

~~What colors are you feeling? 

I need some strong, emphatic color statements right now. My thread box is looking anemic.

Yes, Dee, rust, burgundy, and teal. And there will be more b&w textures. 

Suggestions are always welcome.

The cat posse is working hard to forgive my absence. Everyone wants to smell the baby cat. Somebody peed on my sandals last night. I have my suspicions. 

And will you look at that wrinkled paw!

 

I knew that I wouldn't be using stitched lines with this piece. There is too much going on, and the fabric itself is fragile. 

This "seeding" seems to be the answer to securing and enhancing the elements of the design. 

This piece has the tenuous feel of works that have, in the past, teetered on the brink of failure or success. Only time will tell, and I'm in no hurry to find out. 

Composing

 

This is the part I like the best. Round up a bundle of likely suspects. There will be a commonality I can't quite put my finger on while snatching them out of the baskets and boxes. 

Then I'll take them someplace out of character - out of the studio is a biggie. Different place, different light, different eyes.

Then the interviews begin. Shapes, colors, textures. Things that cozy up. Others rebel. 

I start to lay things out on a base without knowing why. Flying blind and under the influence.

I had an hour to pass while Charlie had math tutoring.

A shady, quiet corner of the parking lot. Good music on the box.

Things fell or were pushed into place. Moved, torn, divided, and replaced.

There were pins. Many pins.

My pins are loud, yellow-headed devils that are very distracting. 

Then comes the hopscotch basting. Half-inch stitches with a single strand of turquoise rayon. Easy to snip and replace if needed.

This was presented with coffee.

There were onlookers galore.

And once the day warmed up (it only scratched the mid sixties here today) I took the project outside.

Neighbors came to gawk.

Not the finale. Tomorrow, I'll take it all back outside. There will be changes.

Spring break in the country

I was restive and grumpy about being unable to actively participate in the Saturday protests. The Hands Off actions were well represented in this shithole state while I and one other person sat at a picnic table in a sunny, nearly deserted park and aired our mutual grievances. Inside, I still want to run through the oval with a flamethrower and damn the furniture.

Sunday, I got out ahead of the storms and landed here in the country to spend Spring break with Charlie. Forty-eight hours of rain and personally, twenty-four with some kind of upper respiratory nonsense. 

The sun is out now, the too-early heat and humidity gone with the storm, and I'm on the upside. The kid and the kitten are working their magic.

Speaking of same, this morning's cards. One on the draw and one that snuck out with her. A message that I need to get back to the book. My characters are bored with my foot dragging. 

Ms. Nibbler is still the tiniest fur-snake I've experienced. As bold and aggressive as a leopard and this one WILL eat your face. 

Mr. Smooth. 

One moment, wise beyond his years, the next an ordinary ten with his fears.

I'm not sharing much with him about current events these days. Adults who know right from wrong in positions of trust and accountability seem to be at a loss for dealing with the moment-to-moment insanity of the current regime. 

Who am I to sanitize or summarize for a child I love? He's only just fastened on to Harry Potter.

Where's a real wand when you need one?
 

Telltale

 I was tired before I drew them.

 It's good to have a green light. The path has been there all along. 

Sleep, now.

I will yield for a question...

 

...while retaining the floor.

He's still standing. There's been help. It's been eloquent and emotional. 

Since it's not his style, I did a lot of cursing for him as I listened and watched more on than off since before sunrise. 

I listened while I made my very first General Tso's from an actual recipe. Almost delicious.

Listened in the car when I went to the post office. Reported to the counter people, "He's still talking."

It was good to witness some uplifting history being made instead of the appalling shit that's been the daily fare for 72 damn days. 

This is the nursery pot where I plant the "nearly dead" I get from the big box store half-price racks. The poppys are a first. A little lavender, a strawberry plant, those pansies. All of them were in rough shape. Then we had a nice 24 hour rain and cloud cover. 

All will be well.

The second needle party for my back is early tomorrow. I am not looking forward to it. 

This needling is a pleasant distraction.