peaceful new year to you

"i made no resolutions for the new year. 

the habit of making plans, of criticizing, 

sanctioning and molding my life, 

is too much of a daily event for me." 

~anaïs nin

 i don't know if i could have phrased it better...except, perhaps than by letting go of all of it and quietly sitting in the moment...allowing it all to just be.  harder than one might think...sitting in that elusive moment...our nature is to attempt to pin it down...fasten it to the surface of our minds...mark it...tag it...define it...but as soon as we attempt to do so, it is no longer and we are grasping at the whisping threads of the past, rather than sitting and peacefully being in the moment...

these are amongst the thoughts that stream through mind as i sit and stitch in the new year...well, stitch out the old year, in any case, as i'll be fast asleep long before the new year puts in her appearance since i have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to prepare for another day's work....

i've been allowing the midwinter cloth and the woven c2c cloths to rest a bit while working on this winter small cloth:

and i realize that there appears to be a pattern forming...a pattern of trees...growth...dormancy...quiet fortitude...left facing and therefore entering...or standing quietly in passivity...but not true passivity for they are standing in their knowingness...and in their beingness...circling back to into that thought of being in the moment...trees are never anywhere else but standing in the moment...being what they are...random thoughts urging me back into the needlechanting that was unfolding before i took pause to write these words....

wishing you all a joyous new year, filled with moments of being...

namaste'

"new" source of glorious silk and other thoughts

several hours of blizzard strewn mountainous driving later, i am safely at home, ensconced in warmth and the adoration of a certain cat who was certain i'd left him behind for good this time!  i would like to say that i hope never to have to drive through such winter madness as this again, but i know mother nature wouldn't listen one wit...

meanwhile, i've been unloading goodies from my trip, and settling back into my home.  amongst these treasures are two drexel living room club chairs that i remember growing up with (mom bought them back in the 50's) that have been in storage in my folks' garage for nearly 25 years now.  they are in quite a sorry state, but as such, are crying out for restoration and recreation...but more on them later...  while dropping these off at my storage unit (where i have many antiques and other items that don't currently fit in my tiny cottage, but simply can't bring myself to let go of yet), i spotted a huge basket full to overflowing with.....silk ties!!  glorious and wondiferous silk ties from days of old when i worked for lawyers and wore suits (oh, the hideous crime against humanity!!).  ties were one of the few garments with which one could be creative when working in such a conservative environment...and i took to them with wild abandon! old ties, new ties, hand painted/hand dyed ties...it didn't matter, so long as they were silk, i loved them!

being the horribly addicted clothes horse that i have always been, i amassed, quite literally, hundreds of ties! it seems the last time i counted them, i reached 346 before i gave up because they kept turning up in the oddest of places.

these, of course, were immediately loaded up into the truck and brought back home.  i think at one time i had contemplated the idea of making a crazy quilt...or maybe it was a dresden plate quilt?...from them.  clearly, they had other ideas since they immediately began whispering a myriad of requests...all related to my more current work with slow cloth, kantha stitching, boro techniques and spirit cloth!  i think these lovely snakes of silk will live in my studio for a bit before slithering their way into my quilting...

tonight, however, i am going to watch eat, pray, love and start a small cloth for something i have in mind...

oh...and i saw this fragment of wonderfulness today...

namaste'

  

merging cloth with cloth

the midwinter long cloth has been resting in its work box these past couple days while i've been cavorting with cloth strips and jude hill's cloth to cloth workshop and am thoroughly enamored by the process!  i can so hardly wait for her contemporary woven boro workshop to commence.

now, i have a background in weaving (i studied zapotec weaving with an 8th generation weaving friend and family in oaxaca (mexico) and have woven rugs, tapestries, rag rugs and bobbin lace for many years. however, i'd not even entertained the idea of weaving cloth to beget cloth! it's been one long continuous "duh!" experience and i am completely under its influence now...

the snow has all melted in the rain these past few days here in boise, idaho and even the rain has quieted down to a light drizzle, so it was good to get outside by the waterfall and pond, if even for only a few minutes before getting soaked.  this first woven cloth that i did (as well as the other two experiments) delves deeply into the madness which i have come to know while exploring this workshop.  why madness?  could it be because i did not bring any fabrics with me (aside from the midwinter long cloth, which was started before leaving for idaho) and i did not long to go out and purchase new cloth to use knowing that i have two rooms full to overflowing with cloth, both new and repurposed?  perhaps.  but madness probably more because of the manner in which i chose to feed the addiction that jude has introduced me to...

i arrived at the folks' nest with an overstuffed suitcase, not being one who knows how to pack lightly because i can't bear to leave behind too many of my favorite clothes. not having any other source of cloth at my disposal (save for a couple stray fat quarters and the odd cloth napkin found in the job box of my truck) my gaze turned toward the overabundance of cloth that nestled safely in the old leather suitcase at the foot of my bed.  "hmmmm...do i dare?"  without further further contemplation, scissors were flashing and cloth was ripping and before i knew it, i had an enticing heap of cloth strips to dabble about with! yes, by this i quite intend to convey that i have cut up several several shirts and even a pair or two of boxers with which to weave cloth.  are you able to wrap your mind around this idea? i perpetrated this carnage against my own wardrobe, quite joyfully i might add, and i'm still uncertain if i can get mine wrapped securely around it! hence, the reference to madness...

in any case, here is the result of that manic insanity.  this is the first cloth.  it has been stitched alongside every raw edge thus far.  i am quite certain it will get much more kantha stitching...but am allowing it to rest a bit until it reveals what it wishes to become...

and here is a close up (still with the inadequate droid cam)...

i suppose in this manner, i will have these clothes around much longer than if i continued to wear them...

the stitching on this first cloth has taken several hours as it is a rather large cloth (the strips are about 2 inches wide).  i thought about tearing them narrower, but didn't want to lose the print on some of them...  the stitching itself is done with various hand dyed variegated pearl cotton threads. some are lost in the prints and are more subtle, others stand out in a bit more contrast...

next, i pulled from my weaving background and wove to more cloths...one in a basketweave pattern (over 2, under 1):

and a freeform woven cloth, primarily because i wanted to see more of the central horizontal strip of fabric. the darker strip running vertically through the center of the cloth is begging to be embroidered or to become the background for applique' or some other work (either that, or will be replaced before basting so as not to detract from the mudcloth strip):

i have several other ideas roaming around in my skull but will need to tear narrower strips to allow for more complicated weave structures without having to create cloths that are larger than the approximate 16" x 22" format of these cloths.

for now, the weather soothsayers are predicting a massive snowstorm headed our way.  just in time for my journey home to montana tomorrow, how very special!  the rest of this day shall be spent in preparations for that journey, time with the folks, and perhaps a little basting this evening...

namaste'

radiance redo

i'm much happier with the new radiance stitching.  i pulled out all of the kantha stitching that went out in rays from the moon and replaced them with a more subtle combination of vintage off white pearl cotton and hand dyed variegated pearl cotton in a randomized spiral.  this maintained the quiet peacefulness of the cloth while still creating a radiance from the moon.

and a close up (it's difficult to see the variegated stitches...i can hardly wait to get home and get my good camera out instead of relying on my droid cam):

that woven cloth peeking out from behind the midwinter cloth is one of my c2c pieces.  i'll post pics once i get some stitching done of it, but right now it's just pinned...

meanwhile, these remind me of what is falling gently outside at the moment...

and i'm really enjoying this...and this...

namaste'

dissatisfaction and impending change...

i've been sneaking time in to work on the midwinter long cloth. the roots are all couched down and reaching off deep into the ethers in search of food for its soul, so i turned my gaze upon the  moon.  her glow of modified kantha stitching looked a bit too much like a garish display and it occurred to me that perhaps extending the radience out a bit would help.  once half of the stitching was put in, it began to look a little too much like a white sun and sunshine to my eye...creating way too much noise in the once quiet and peaceful landscape, so i've put it aside for a bit to contemplate how to proceed.

i'm fairly certain the next move will be to start tearing out the new radient stitches and to put in some softer, more subtle strokes. perhaps some skipped spiralling parallel marks, alternating with some darker, bluer stitches with some hand dyed variegated threads? i don't want to lose the calm, restfullness of the cloth, nor do i want to obscure the peaceful tumbling of the snow...

meanwhile, i'll continue working on something from jude hill's c2c vid series class and post pics soon.

it rained early this morning, melting some of the snow in its wake and blanketing the landscape outside with ice.

of course, the weather soothsayers are predicting a lot more snow in a couple days...just in time for our journey back home to montana!

appropriately, the icy snow outside and this tidbit are capturing my attention this morning...

namaste'

happy holidays!

the hustle and bustle is left behind in the city. i am thankful my folks bought a house in the country as well, even if they didn't buy one in montana...  it's almost as quiet here as it is back home.  these past couple days have been spent finishing up some handmade holiday gifts and baking holiday treats.  we have made homemade marshmallows rolled in toasted coconut, turtle candies, snowflake cookies, and lots more! today is filled with baking and cooking for the big holiday supper.  after which i'm looking forward to settling down by the fire and working my way through jude hill's cloth to cloth class so i'll be ready for the advanced class next week!

i really do need to get out my digital camera when i get home, too.  i love my droid but it's photo capabilities are not the best.

meanwhile, i hope you are all celebrating your holidays with love and joy!

namaste'

  

some stitching, a fine dinner, and a quiet night...

spent a nice afternoon stitching on the midwinter long-cloth, sipping a good merlot, and spending some quality time with the saint wrapped around my feet and my folks on the davenport.  mom, of course, has decided the midwinter long-cloth is hers.  i'm not certain what the cloth has to say about that...it's still revealing itself and hasn't spoken much above a whisper....

i've added some modified kantha stitching around the moon to give it some radiance... i think it may need some more...maybe some spaced stitches to suggest fading light?  i have also started adding french knot snowflakes.  think the cloth still wants some random seed stitch snowflakes to add texture and visual interest.  as you can see, the roots definitely extend beyond the outer edge and will become part of a fringe with the cloth is complete.

you can see the modified kantha stitches better in this close up as well as some of the french knot snow flakes.  i'm not certain where that little dragon pup flew in from but he seems rather interested in what's going on there...

here you can see the beginnings of that bird's nest i mentioned in an earlier post (i used the scissors to point at it to help you find it since it isn't well-defined yet).  that little curl on the left side is couched down.  i'm thinking it needs more thread or at least an egg or a bird or something, but will come back to it later...it's being somewhat vague with it's desires at the moment...

here's a close up of the root system of this quiet little tree.  it's still just pinned down and patiently awaiting to be couched (if you could see the rest of this picture, you'd be groaning at the pun since the cloth is sitting on the couch at the moment).  i will most likely work on couching them all down tomorrow before going back to stitching snowflakes, moonbeams and other various sundry bits.  somewhere, just out of sight, is still a quiet presence waiting for the right moment to present itself.  the anticipation is of meeting him/her is poking me in the side like an unruly child.  i can hardly wait...

this was the wonderful dinner my dad prepared for us tonight (odd that he seems to do most of the cooking when my mom is the master chef!).  the crustacean was delectably amazing.  i could have eaten three more of them but had to remind myself that i'm trying to watch my consumption these days....

now i'm off to bundle up and go sit by the waterfall out back with the saint and soak up some of the crisp midnight air and bask in the starshine now that the snowstorm has passed us by.  i wonder if the saint will be wanting a scarf tonight, too?

namaste'

  

and we're off...

we left early yesterday morning before the sun was quite awake...off to spend a week with the folks in idaho.  fresh on the heels of an unexpected winter storm was probably not the best time for a road trip, but apparently mother nature didn't get my request for clear roads...

i've never traveled so far in the truck with the saint.  she's used to having full roam in the back of the blazer, so it was interesting trying to juggle the wheel with the saint trying her best to make like a lapdog...especially while attempting to drive on two feet of packed snow and ice!

ah, the joys of living in the country!  after fourteen grueling hours on the road, we finally pulled into the folks' driveway at midnight last night.  i would have slept in this morning, but the saint had other plans for me...

now it's time to settle in and work on the midwinter long cloth for a bit while mom is off getting her hair done...

namaste'

"...a little more comfortable in the nest.”

the lure and gravity of the midwinter long cloth was too great for me to withstand today. the roots multiplied.  the trunk thickened. the branches grew. some unseen bird built a subtle nest in the upper left branches from the laundry cluster of threads.  the nest is empty.  i can't help but wonder whether the bird will return or may nestle an egg or two in its gentle embrace whilst i'm not looking once again?
the roots have been pinned down and are ready for couching.  will probably start on that tomorrow (i've decided i need some sleep for a change tonight).

some of the snow layers are beginning to curl in the corners...  i get the feeling that they may do more of that before being kantha'd into place.  but i am reserving from forming preconceptions.  i am enjoying sitting quietly and allowing the midwinter long cloth to whisper into my ear what it wishes me to do next to help it manifest.

from a design point of view, i feel as though the piece is weighted a bit too heavily to the left. of course, the kantha stitching and other threadwork may shift it back into balance on its own.  or perhaps some as yet unknown character in this story will put in an appearance before the telling is done...

i would hold my breath in anticipation, but i'm enjoying the process and the moment too much for that!

namaste'


p.s. for those of you who might be wondering: the post title is from a quotation of bill moyers, "when i learn something new - and it happens every day - i feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.”   it seemed appropriate in so many ways.....
 

pardon the brief interruption...

didn't work on the midwinter cloth today as i realized how very close xmas is becoming and i haven't finished my dad's hand knit scarf yet.  it's not anything particularly complicated (dad isn't flashy), but it still takes quite a bit of time...i'm estimating about 30 hours to complete (i'm a slow knitter since i knit for the process rather than the end product) and i'm only about a third done.

if you have some perverse desire to see some of my past knitting, weaving, bookbinding, bearmaking, whatever projects, you can find them on my flickr photostream (link in the side bar).  there isn't anywhere near anything approaching a decent representation of my past work there...but there's an odd pic or two in any case.

it's cold out, the "kids" are sleeping, and i have a little more to do on this scarf before turning in tonight, but i'll be back on track with the midwinter cloth  tomorrow...

namaste'

somewhere a tree grows...

got to work on the midwinter cloth some more today, in between and after the many errands and preparatory chores that had to be accomplished before closing my eyes.  who knew there was so much to do to get ready to journey to boise to spend the holidays with my parents for the first time in nine years? amidst all this frenetic activity, my mind turned to a quieter scene...  my morning meditation practice is one way i find peace in the middle of all this chaos. a deep, enduring peace that i take with me into the journeys and interactions of the ensuing day.

as i gazed at the midwinter cloth, it seemed that a moon was required in the night sky.  upon reflection, i realized this was a gratitude moon...in particular, in gratitude to jude hill for being the first to introduce me to this particular forest of ideas and in memory of all the beautiful and blessing moons that grace her cloths.  it will still need an echo of radiating kantha stitches to give it depth and presence.

next, a tree began to grow somewhere in the snowbanks.  it is still growing and whispers of many more branches and a more textured trunk...but the promise of what is to come is already chanting quietly across the snowscape.

the roots have decided that they are not going to hide beneath the snow (though they are not yet couched down) and the sky is already asking for french knot snowflakes.  there is still a lot of kantha stitching to be done in the background as well... and i can hear the quiet chant of something not yet known that promises to put in an appearance before the midwinter cloth is complete.  it seems, too, that the frays of laundry resultant tangles on some of the blues have need of some stitching, too, though they have yet to speak up and tell me in what fashion they want to make their mark...

but for the moment, this cloth is going to sleep for a bit...as i am in need of the warmth of bedquilts, the purring neckwarmer that is cat, and the gentle tug and kick of the saint lost in puppy dreams at the foot of the bed...

namaste'

meandering midnight threads

an hour later and the eyelids are growing heavy sooner than expected.  some stitching done, though, mostly couching down some meandering midnight threads across the snow field.

i'm using vintage crochet threads that i had thrifted years ago (because they looked good in an old hand-carved wood bowl) since i like the way the stitches stand out more, being thicker than quilting or sewing threads.  i very quickly discovered that you definitely want to use short lengths when stitching with vintage threads...and especially so when using a thread that wasn't even intended to be used for sewing, since longer lengths tangle horribly and break more easily as the fibers are upbraided in unintended ways...  yes, it was a "duh!" experience...

now i must make my way to bed.

good night and namaste'

first steps and snow-covered neighbors

a flurry of snowflakes has been falling on the neighbors in the pasture next door...

and not unlike this poor soul, a flurry of ideas have been swirling around in my head.  i've spent the better part of the day today wandering around with a lost look upon my face, digging about in my studio, scribbling down ideas on whatever scraps of paper that came to hand, fretting over the general state of my fabric collection...

oh my wurd!  that fabric collection....

let's just say that i am first and foremost a "collector".  sad, but true.  cricket cages, chairs, buddhas, stoneware, lacemaking bobbins, vintage stitcheries, fabrics of every type and description, threads of any size, color, age and dimension, boxes (oh, do i LOVE boxes!), ithyphallic art of indigenous peoples, beads, malas, antique ivory coast masks, looms, spinning wheels, treen, antique tree ornaments, dias de las muertos paraphernalia, handwoven rugs, baskets, bats....and the list goes on!  it's a sickness, i know...but one that knows no cure...happily, at any rate!

but my mind is leading my fingers down bunny trails...so back to the topic at hand...the chaos that is rampaging through my head...the ideas that are flinging themselves too quickly against the fabric of my reality.  until i reorganize my gargantuan stash of fabrics (modern, vintage and repurposed), i must start with something simple.

liking the long cloth format that Jude has been working in so much lately, and needing to start somewhere, i've dug into the top layer or two of quilting fabrics (for the blues), and a few recycled ones (for the whites: an old jacquard napkin, some yardage from an old curtain, and an interesting bit with a little color that came from who knows where).  start with the long cloth format....a snowy foreground receding into a wintery night sky...

there's a lot of texture going on in the snow... i decided it needed some motion, too, so slanted and overlapped the torn strips and then basted them down onto a cotton strip about 12 inches wide and 17 inches long.  there are a lot of stray thread clusters (some a result of laundering, others from the nature of the weave when torn) that i look forward to playing with as i begin stitching these together.

my creative muse began screaming that this is too near to what i've been digesting from so many wondrous blogs over the past few days (many of which can already be found linked in the side bar, more to follow soon).  perhaps...but one must start somewhere!  where i go from here with this cloth will set it apart, however.  at least, considering that there truly are no "original" ideas anymore, i can't think of ever seeing anything quite like what i am proposing to do with it.  i know...you are now wondering what it is that i'm conceiving...and you may think me cruel or mischievous for refraining to share these thoughts at this time...but i think it's not ready yet to say "hello"...

it's getting late here now...nearly 1:00 a.m.  the snow has stopped.  the saint is asleep at my feet, dreaming of rawhide chews and kitty kibble treats (not from me...the cat finds it terribly amusing to plink a single bit of kibble onto the floor for the the saint to devour...though how she can even taste such a teensy little morsel on her gigantic tongue is beyond me) and i think i'm going to stoke the fire, retire to my rocker and do some stitching on this long cloth for a while before heading off to bed.

perhaps tomorrow the dreams this little cloth is entertaining will coalesce and present themselves for your inspeciton....

namaste'

changing direction

sitting next to the wood-burning stove, looking out at the falling snow, my thoughts turn inward...changing direction from their usual ilk.  finding myself contemplating the creative life, and the various avenues i have found beneath my feet, it seems that a new blog is called for.

over the past 30 years, i have been a bearmaker, woodturner, sculpter, potter, painter, illustrator, weaver, knit designer, dollmaker, quilt designer, textile dyer, spinner, author, teacher, caretaker, beadworker, builder, philosopher, gatherer, repurposer, observer, and general free-thinker.  the foosteps echoing beneath these feet now ring with a softer thud.

the snow is falling gently in soft, fluffy flakes, blanketing the countryside with a fresh canvas.  like the pastures around my home, my mind (and i use the terms rather loosely) is shaking loose and settling into fresh grooves.  most recently i have been a quilt designer and textile artist.  for years i have honed my craft and sought technical perfection.  points and angles must meet at proper degrees.  colors must harmonize in symphonic melody.  threads must be submissive and lay as they are told...  order must be achieved!

but why?  why must this be so?

why can't threads jump to the fore and make themselves known, not merely as fasteners, but as primary actors in the play of textiles? why can't points stray? why can't seams meander and forge their own paths?  isn't it out of chaos that creativity springs?

studying traditional and contemporary boro textiles has split my imagination wide open and spilled the possibilities all over the worktable in my studio.  designers such as jude hill (of http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/) and ann wood (of http://annwood.net/blog/) have pushed me outside my comfortable box and inspired me to let go of all that i have ever known to be "required" of my art.  they, and others like them, have unwittingly left the thread crumbs that have lead me off the beaten path and deep into the woods of chaotic vision!

this blog will serve as an introduction and record of this new descent into artistic insanity and vision.  i hope you enjoy the journey and find yourself pushing on into your own forest of creative abandon!

namaste'