Pink - Like a Baby

I'm trying to stay away from the computer ... working on several projects ... if I get near the computer, I end up glued to it for hours ... would rather be with my needle and thread ... so I will be posting pictures, more than words.

Nearly Finished

I know I will find it difficult to stop.
There is always one more space that can be filled with a stitch.
If I add more stitches to this space, then that space looks too sparse.
At some point, I'll have to say - It is what it is.

UPDATE: Please go HERE to see how this piece finally ended up.

Slow Cloth

Slow Cloth, a term coined by Elaine Lipson to describe an approach to working with and relating to fiber and textiles, is what comes to mind as I continue to work on Flying Geese. I started Flying Geese in 2006 and I first thought it was "finished" in 2007. But after a while of having it hanging in my studio, I realized I was bothered by a feeling of not-rightness. It was too dark and too monochromatic - both qualities I had intended, but they didn't translate from mind to material the way I wanted them too. Eventually, I picked up the piece and added a multitude of edge stitching, on all the strips and on the triangle edges. That was better, I thought, and so I declared it "finished" again. But, no, I was soon to realize it still didn't satisfy. Next step was outlining all the triangles, but still not "finished." After that, I added a single French Knot to each triangle of background fabric (an old Army blanket). Now, thought I, it was "finished." I even blogged about it - HERE and HERE - and put it up for sale. But still it has been calling me, for a long time, to do something I had been avoiding. All those background triangles need to be filled with stitches. I have thought this for so long, and avoided it because it seemed like so much work. But, now, suddenly, I find myself approaching it differently. That's what makes this Slow Cloth. It's not the fact that it is taking so long; Slow Cloth isn't about duration. Slow Cloth is about a way. The stitching I am now embarking upon doesn't feel like work; it feels like pleasure, like a chance to explore a new idea.That's Slow Cloth.

To read Elaine's Ten Qualities of  Slow Cloth, go HERE. There is now a Slow Cloth Group on Facebook, created by Elaine, with help from Glennis, Jude and Michelle. It is quite wonderful, the kind of place that makes you glad you spend too much time on Facebook. See you there!

Note: Elaine Lipson has written about Slow Cloth in the latest issue of HandEye magazine.

UPDATE: Please go HERE to see how this piece finally ended up.

"You Are A Miracle"



What a beautiful video.  It makes me teary ... remembering moments gone forever, the astonishing realization that I have so many memories which she has forgotten - lost in the swirl of childhood; mourning the moments I failed to share, and the ones I shouldn't have shared; the everlasting worries over things left undone, or done not well enough. But it also makes me grateful to be a woman, and a mother, especially a mother of a daughter, and most especially mother of  Adeline ... remembering so many moments of joy: middle of the night joy, with a newborn baby whose skin, in the dim light, looks like a wax doll; cuddling joy, playing in the mud joy, creating "food" from clay, being gifted with Mother's Day breakfast in bed - handmade pastry adorned with fresh-picked flower petals (how did such a young child know to create such beauty?); shared lunch at the park, followed by pushes on the swing; a red plaid jumper just made for twirling; incredible, artful, outlandish, beautiful outfits; delirious dresses; paper napkin art, tucked into a lunch bag; gourmet dinners, now cooked by her, a young adult where once there was a child ... oh, my, how lucky are we to have this life? Thank you to Katherine Center for the lovely reminder, and to Oriah for posting it on Facebook.  :-)

More Sunset Dreams


Sunset Dreams is the eleventh item in my Pieces of Dreams series of Little Quilts. This series, which I started in 2003, is my most meditative work. While I stitched this little piece, I dreamed of the beautiful sunsets I see from my kitchen window ... reds, pinks, blues, purples ... a collection of colors stitched upon the sky. It is made from recycled sweaters, embellished with wool stitching and antique buttons, and has a silk border.