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.