Monday, February 20, 2012

magic diary monday


not moving forward. not moving backward. just jumping in sideways. . .

it's all too easy to get yourself bogged down in the minutia of everyday concerns. like a crow lost in the euphoria of finding so many sparklies that he just can't figure out which one to grab first, knowing full well the limitations of his beak!

several months ago, i embarked on jude hill's most amazing whispering series yet, the magic diaries cloth whispering series. last month began part 2 of the series. part 2????  wait! i haven't even begun needle chanting my way through part 1 yet!!! sure, i've been reading along, listening to the sound bytes, watching the vid clips, entertaining ideas, daydreaming about fantastical magic diary cloths... but i've had to limit my participation to...well..none! which is entirely strange for me. i'm an immensely social being and to not interact is...is...as odd as weird exercising poodles (and this is absolutely surreal!).  

so, in an effort to get back on track, yet not be so ferociously behind, i've decided to jump in sideways. i have this idea of taking a vintage quilt...one in which i can find little to admire...and use it as the backdrop for my own spin on the magic diary cloth. i've seen so many amazing things manifesting in the workshop already! so many ideas. directions. but being one who tends to listen to drummers that others rarely hear, i had to come up with something different...yet attempt to maintain the essence of the magic diary cloth. i don't know if i will succeed. or if i can even find myself liking anything that manifests from this hideous old quilt! but i'm willing to try...

first, some ground rules (which, for those of you who know me, will probably be broken soon enough):

1. utilize this unfortunate twin sized thrifted quilt as the foundation and stage for my magic diary cloth.

2. maintain, as best as possible, the integrity of jude's shared ideas, techniques and visions for the magic diary cloth, yet stay true to my own, oft times warped, artistic view.

3. allow the deformed creature that is the salvaged quilt a certain amount of presence in the finished cloth (how much, you may well ask? i have no idea...but my idea is to have at least some of the quilt's personality radiate through the transformation).

4. utilize, as much as possible, salvaged materials to express my ideas through this cloth building experience.

5. participate in the amazing community that jude has founded through the whispering series itself and its forum.

6. document the transformation here with weekly updates each monday. monday. moon day. a touchstone that bespeaks of jude to me and therefore relevant in my thinking on this cloth experience.

that's it for the moment. i am quite certain new ground rules will introduce themselves as i delve deeper. i am also quite certain that there will be pieces that will need to be picked up along the way....

and now, i'm headed into the studio to hack that obnoxious machine stitched binding from the edge of the elephant cloth! it will do little more than the torn burlap sack did for the elephant man....but it will be a start.

namaste'

11 comments:

  1. Joe! That video was so wierd, but mesmerizing!!! If I focused on the "dog's" heads, it was as though they were real dogs. I like what you have outlined for your magic cloth. I am working on a jacket as I didn't think I would have time for a quilt. Using a well loved thrift find is a great idea and I will look forward to every update. I wasn't able to sign up for MD2 and I sorely miss the community. Jude has gathered such talented and generous stitchers to her fold. Have fun and break lots of rules!

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    1. it took me a while to figure out they weren't real. go figure! ha!

      i am never unaware of how blessed i am to have found jude and the amazing group of creative people (yourself included!) that surround her!

      namaste'

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  2. That poodle exercise video is just bizarre!

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  3. this is one of my favorite ways to start and you get to rescue an old cloth at the same time.

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    1. i always seem to argue with myselves over whether to alter them or preserve their "integrity"... i have to remember that they are tools and raw materials...

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  4. Bizarre! I remember that Susan Powter, she was all about food is fuel and she meant carbs!

    Sounds like a fun magic diaries project, Joe -- I like your mission statement! xo

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    1. thank you! it's a work in progress, but i'm enjoying every moment of it...

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  5. Love your idea of bringing life back or even creating a new story with the old quilt.
    That video....creatively bizarre!

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  6. aha yes I've had this problem with Jude's class before - not keeping up and not achieving what I want, but a year later those ideas are probably contributing to many of the things I do now - all stored there in the back of my head, waiting, pregnant and sometimes keeping me awake at night ( the little tinkers! ). xx

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  7. OMG - I love those poodles! Must post to FB. :-)

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