Sewist’s soul food

August 19, 2017

Gobs of embroidery floss purchased at an online auction ... and I got a great price!

Finally finishing this little taupe nine-patch. I thought I might make it a sewing roll-up, or even a book of some sort, but no - I just want it to be a nine-patch with no particular purpose but to please the eye.

"There’s a loaf of moldy bread on the kitchen counter - please don’t throw it away. I want to see if I can get some prints from it." Yes, that is a typical sentence at our house.

Bill and Adeline ... two of my favorite people.

Vintage glass floats (most of which were gifts) in an awesome vase (which was a gift).

studio clean-up progress report 8-13-2017

Studio clean-up: slowly, slowly reclaiming my space.

So sorry ... Were You Trying To Read?

Linen & Laughter

March 22, 2017

LINEN LOVE - My darling daughter gave me this sweet selection of linen kitchen towels from Not Perfect Linen. Lucky me - in so many ways.

WORK IN PROGRESS - Recycled linen and vintage lace ... I had set it aside, feeling uncertain about what it would be, but now I know. I'm very psyched to get on with it, now that I know where it is headed.

LOLOLOLOL (apologies to Ellen, who doesn't like the LOL thing) - I was experimenting with the bread machine. My intention was to make Cinnamon-Raisin Bread, but I neglected to put the raisins in at the proper time. In a misguided effort to correct my mistake, I added them way too late in the process, thus creating a "new" baked good: Raisin-Studded Cinnamon Bread.

SOMETHING I'VE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY - As you get older, all your juices start drying up and so you don't really need to shower as often. At least that's what older people think and believe ... which is why older people smell funny.

Crosses

March 25, 2016

Stitching tiny crosses in each quadrant, but concerned that there is not enough color contrast. Do they disappear into the textile? Also really wonder where I am going with this.

Some pieces are glorious ideas, fully realized in my mind before I start. Even though they may veer off course once I start doing the actual work, there is a certain exhilaration in knowing I am working toward a goal which I already love. This isn't one of those pieces! This is the sort of work where I pick up pieces which I yearn to make into something beautiful and then I hope those pieces will talk to me once I start handling them. It's an equally wonderful process, often more satisfying than the one which involves the pre-conceivd notion. But I sometimes feel a bit lost and quite unsure if I am heading in the right direction. That's where I am at the moment.

Blue cross beginning

March 9, 2016

Preliminary Pinning ::

The two squares at the bottom were part of a linen jacket my mother-in-law bought for me while we were on an outing at Canon Beach, in Oregon. The leafy pattern was mostly blue but I discharged much of the color, with bleach. Even though this piece is starting out looking brown, I think of it as being blue.

Starting Stitches ::

As I started stitching the cross pieces, I wondered if this will become another exploration of crosses, a shape I want to investigate this year. Then, during that dialogue one has while stitching, before the meditative peace settles in, the word cross flew across my brain and attached itself to the word blue. And that's how it became Blue Cross. I kind of hope I'll come up with a more beautiful name for it, but I'm not terribly good at naming. One of the best names for my work was a piece called Nostalgia, but Jude Hill came up with that; she's very good with words. Maybe she'll stop by and give me an idea for this one. Or, if you have any suggestions, please do tell me!

Treasured Textiles

March 7, 2016

I've been gathering some of my favorite pieces of fabric ... the ones I tend not to use because they are so special, they beg to be saved. What??? How much sense does that make? If they're so special, then why on earth would I not use them? If I make a pot of soup, I use the best ingredients I can find. Shouldn't the same logic hold true for my textile art? It is time to start letting these special textile "ingredients" become part of something bigger than themselves.

It's a reminder of how important it is, in all areas of life, to use the "good" stuff: the good china, the special silverware, the delicate silk sweater, and, yes, the irreplaceable scraps of vintage textiles.

Here's what I think I'll do: I'll save small scraps from each larger piece and use the scraps to create a little book of special textile samples. Maybe I'll make two books; one for me and one for you. But for the most part, I hope I'll feel free enough and generous enough to allow these lovelies to fly out into the world and create pleasure for others, rather than just me.

Whatever I make with them, I hope I do them justice.