contented confinement

It's just too cold to get the studio up to warm enough and I'm coming down with a cold myself. For now I'll continue hanging stars in this firmament. I've given up on the notion of somehow darkening the sky but I keep thinking about the song lyric "the stars in your sky are the stars in mine" and keep finding places in the sky that need more stars.
  

And this little holiday looking trinket continues and it has me thinking about what I need to put together a "learn to embroider" kit for a five year old little girl that I've not yet met.

Gates of Grace

And speaking of mummies, I pulled this one off the too-large canvas that I had nailed it to because I've never been happy with it's value weaknesses.

It's been sealed under matte acrylic so I'm going to have to concoct some kind of acrylic wash to make the changes I want.

Time to drag the heater back into the studio.

missed summer

"Missed Summer" 11x14
 

Just warming up to my old mummification technique.

Here's the tutorial.

The first piece shown there went on to Art Quilt Elements and never came home. Not lost but sold. Turns out it's a pretty effective way of presenting smaller, hand stitched fiber art.

This one is now available on the store page.

Karma VI

"Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” 

― David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas


Calling this one done except I'm off to find a 20"x 20" canvas so I can mount it permanently.

gorging

         "Memories Feast" from 2009. The piece that saved Christmas.

detail from Memories Feast

dear friends and family

I really should check myself before I post here lest you all think I'm coming unhinged. It's all true for a few minutes out of every hour and then I dry my eyes and busy myself anyway I can whether the muse moves me or not. 

There's been a lot of rooting and rummaging. We were big on stuffing things in boxes to be dealt with another day. The days are here my dear. The other day Colin and I drove into Atlanta to take most of Jim's winter and working wardrobe to an outreach program for homeless veterans. I know he would approve.

There was an actual breakfast this morning and Jake has taken up his fathers Sunday mission of making sure I have the NY Sunday times which I parse out over the course of the whole week. I've been working on our deteriorating photo archives the best I know how with an ancient version of Paint Shop Pro dreading the day when the next version of Windows will render it senseless and I have to purchase and learn something new.

Ewok costume by y'rs trly

It's been wet and cold here so I decided an old fashioned spaghetti dinner was in order so while Jesse& Walt cooked meth on the tube, I cooked up a batch of sauce and meatballs that will carry us through most of the week in one form or another. 

Later it was Earl Gray and cinnamon scones in the study for a good long stitch with cats in attendance and  Downton Abbey and then Beloved for background.

Thank you all for your compassion, support and love while I am in sadland. (Thanks for that Steve, your perfect description of this time and place)

Who was she

..all full of exuberance and extravagance?

Without thinking about the answer I would have once said "wife, mother, artist" Now I have to redefine my life and maybe not use any of those words for the time being.
Find a broader perspective.

There are baskets of beautiful cloth everywhere. At least I can still see the beauty in each piece even if I have no inclination to make. Anything. Food and clean clothing is almost too much. If it wasn't for Colin, I would have given up cooking altogether and gone raw by now.
Thank the force for Chinese takeout.

a pause for bearings

I feel like my life has been swept from under me but

I am a strong swimmer.

back in the studio - updated

Thanks for all the orders that have rolled in since I posted this. I will be sending everything out first class USPS on Monday morning so you should be seeing the goodies before the end of the week.

....after a fashion.

Years ago I wrote my own Quilters Prayer.  I'm sure it's not what people were looking for when they googled the words but to me it was never more true than now.

I'd much rather see my cloth in the hands of other artists right now so I spent the morning packing up a squad of fat baggies and will continue making them available through the holidays over at Random Acts of Dyeness. If you are sending one as a gift, make sure I have the right shipping address and I will make the package festive for you, no extra charge.

Doing what I always do when the muse has fled, shaking my moneymaker,
tis the season or so they say.

Thankfulness

Colin and I will be spending Thanksgiving with Jake & Missy and her wonderful tribe who have folded us in with warmth and kindness.

My heartfelt thanks to all of the friends and family afar who have reached out to us with messages and prayers of condolence. Every word, every gesture has meant a great deal to us.