Laid Low

I have been knocked flat by some sort of domestic Montezuma's revenge. You don't want the details but there is no good way to lose ten pounds in two days. Now that I can sit up for fifteen minutes on a chair that is not porcelain and have the energy to thread a needle and pull a stitch, I've started work on what will be a very slow cloth. Something about the scope of my design mind has contracted but things that might have died on paper will get a second chance in cloth and thread.

the Wheel Turns

I've been in a nesting frenzy for a few days, cleaning things that have given up waiting to be cleaned. Wanting to paint ceilings, beating carpets...all the things I should have been doing whilst essentially unemployed. That time is drawing to a close. In the meantime, there's some arting going on. These are some soft muslins that I dyed yesterday and a piece of cotton batting that did a little clean up work and turned into something quite interesting. Yes, more flings on the horizon and there's a slew of sketches for some smaller work. Seems like there's a market for some smaller, less pricey pieces. I have a pile of them squirreled away but I think they need to be mounted on canvas so they won't be mistaken for potholders. Any advice on mounting small works to canvas would be welcome. I've decided to upgrade my Trunkt listing to premium and will be listing some of my Flings for sale there. Might as well take advantage of all their marketing efforts. And here's my sewing chair cushion with the printed photo of Karma on it.

what's on the burners

No, that's not a cat in a basket, it's a picture of a cat in a basket that I printed on muslin three or four years ago with Bubble Jet Set. Something about the whole process left me cold and the printed fabrics found their way into the scrap tub. I'm still sorting through things and found myself building a pile of playmate fabrics around this print of Karma. I've started a slow cloth for myself. Something to hold and work on during the morning chill. I'm going to try some embroidery on it down the line. This dyed scrap will be incorporated into it. It's from a long ago find on the public beach on Naragansett, Rhode Island. The weather here in GA holds perfect and I put a batch of fabric into the soda ash pot yesterday. Once it warms up this afternoon I'm going to be dyeing a small batch of fabrics for some new directions. Got to get that Carnegie entry rounded up too.

Rejected?.... Next!

Jeanne Williamson has written a great post about her feelings and concerns around getting into (or not) a certain prestigious exhibit. Read it here.

threadpainting

...is not something I normally get into but Frank Ze's Scribbler lends itself so nicely to it. I go there from time to time to sketch. Too many times I find that when I put an idea to paper it stays there never to be hatched. Putting ideas into a computer program seems more like dreaming about something than actually doing it. Makes you wonder how many pieces get wasted .

new things

A friend has decided that the best way to recruit new members to her particular form of crack is to give lovely gifts and I am oh so joyful! Thanks so much M. I am hard at work looking for inks and papers. Today was Senior Citizens Discount day at the local Goodwill and I got carded AND I got my 25% discount. These are all new and close at hand along with what used to be just sewing glasses. I'm on a mission to get the two sides of my brain talking to one another - maybe for the first time.

New work

I took advantage of the alone time today and spent the entire day stitching on this as yet unnamed piece. It was part of the Mob Scene series. It was dyed, discharged and later overpainted with metallic acrylic paint over a year ago and lost UFO land until the other day. I'm glad it was put out of "grab and slash" reach. 39"x52"

Chili Time!

Here's my contribution to Team Climax. 12 pans of Cliff's Magic Cornbread, oops make that Yankee Climax Cornbread. We won first prize for it in 2003. This year, it's the chili's turn to shine. Jim looks forward to this outing from year to year the way some folks do Christmas. It borders on obsession but I remind myself it could always be worse and this year all the planning and anticipation contributed to his recovery. He left early yesterday to set up camp at Stone Mountain for the 2008 Great Miller Lite Chili Cookoff, which despite the sponsor, is a family venue. You are more likely to get your toes run over by a stroller than you are have a drunk spill beer on you. I got up early to bake and Colin will deliver to the booth shortly. I'll post more pictures and judging results later tonight. Cross your fingers! To the Anonymous commenter who was concerned that this was cheating. Our entries are prepared in camp according to the rules and regulations under the watchful eye of the judge's observers. The food we generously serve to the public for free is prepared with quality ingredients under hygienic conditions. Please come by next year and watch Chef Jim make magic but you had better be up with the chickens! Although we didn't place this year, a great time was had by all. People who have to cheat to have fun camp out with cowards who make anonymous posts!

A Good Morning Laugh

This morning I gave my son Jake a ride to work and as a routine part of most morning commutes, I got to grouse about a tail-gater. Jake told me he had seen this bumper sticker on a car and was determined to get one for me. I laughed to tears and made this up as soon as I got home. Just warming up for a big piece to go under the needle later today.

Scrap Baggies Sale

Of course, studio cleaning is always followed by a good sale. These quart sized storage bags are stuffed full with everything from hand dyed damasks to satin jacquard with lots of hand dyed cottons in between. Most pieces are hand sized or smaller, some bigger but not much (I throw out nothing) so there's tons to work with here. Every bag has a nice chunk of something silver and stretchy. I have no idea what the fabric is but it's fun. $8.00 each includes postage in the US. Email me for availability first deborah@lacativa.com

Lucky Break

Late yesterday I found out that both "Exubera" and "Limbo" have been juried into "Art Quilts XIII: Lucky Break" at the Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler AZ along with a pretty star-studded roll of contemporary fiber artists. Congratulations, everyone!

unearthing

Spiders have been routed from the windowsills, UFOs are being tilled up from the subsoil and archeological societies are camped out in the yard. All operations are being overseen by one of my ablest studio assistants. Boxes and bags are being filled with snips and scraps that will be on their way to other people's studios keeping in mind that there is really NO trash. Take my word for it, his eyes are open.

the Stall in the Fall

I know pictures like this of art studios turned into public dumps are both common and boring but taking them and looking at them has helped me diagnose my Stall in the Fall, my unwillingness to take up serious design considerations and start something new besides another .....

...comfort piece. The time for patting myself on the hand and tut-tutting has passed. Lots of people have had tough rows to hoe and come out the other side in one piece as I have.

Nope, it did not kill me and therefore, I am stronger.

And so, in between other things that need accomplishing, today is Fold & Sort Day. Throw Crap Out Day. Spray it and Wipe it Off and Vacuum Day.

Thinking about a Change? Lisa Miller cuts it to the bone here.