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.....
hi joe. i think there could not possibly be a
ReplyDeletemore beautiful tree...i really love what you
have done here and it looks as if the root tips
are extending off of the cloth..if so, i like
that A LOT...
yes. kantha will change everything.
and i am watching your decisions as you go...
about balancing with another "character" or
with stitch????? the BIG question for me, always.
i am trying to find myself in that question. it's important. thanks for posting as you go.
it's nice to watch other people's process.
hi grace, thank you so much for your thoughts and excitement over my piece! :) yes, the root tips are extending off of the cloth and have already whispered desires to become a fringe of some sort or another... some of the threads in my basket have also expressed an interest in joining the fringe.
ReplyDeletemeanwhile, we'll just have to wait and see what happens to the balance...
yes...the balance. sometimes i have a
ReplyDeletepreference for imbalance. another thing i am
thinking about a lot with my stitching. somehow,
for me, imbalance is a
certain kind of
balance.
watching this piece grow is very nice. i am not able to sew right now... am moving my studio upstairs... so its good that i get to watch the progress of my fellow stitchers... its a treat every time i come here!
ReplyDeleteYour words are as beautiful as your work. Looking forward to following the progress of this piece. Than you for sharing.
ReplyDeletenandas, I know, i'm redesigning my studio and had to rescue a box or two of supplies to work on this cloth. don't know if i could manage if i didn't have some kind of hand work available! so i'm so happy to be a part of your vicarious stitching until you get your studio situated in its new home.
ReplyDeletegilli, thank you for joining in the journey! i hope you find it as enriching as i have!
ReplyDeleteJoe
ReplyDeleteSo good to see this cloth. It is so good to see it grow and I love this tree. I could step right in. Would love to know how you did it. Is it stitched down? I also love that quote. It is a good thing for me to read today. Thank you and have a wonderful holiday with your family.
Great to see how your cloth is growing.
ReplyDeleteLove your thread tree! (Did something similar in a journal quiltlet and loved the difference with those made out of strips of cloth)
(My... thought I signed in ages ago but .... something went wrong I think ;-) )
linda, i've been trying to figure out how to describe this without pictures. i'll do a tutorial and post it here within the next day or so. it's easy, but i'm not sure how to describe it. i'd video it, a la jude hill, but i don't like being in front of the camera, so it'll be a step by step tutorial with photos each step of the way....
ReplyDeleteels, would love to see a pic of your journal quiltlet, if you have one! i mentioned somewhere in an earlier entry that there are no original ideas anymore (a statement that has many strings attached to it). just when you think you've thought of something original, you start looking around and you see it crop up here and there in the most unexpected places. i've accepted this many years ago...but i truly enjoy, in fact quite love, to see how other people express the same "original" idea when it touches them!
ReplyDeleteI love two things about the progress so far. Like Grace, I love how the roots are growing down off the cloth. Roots grow deep and these are searching for more wonderful ground to grow into. Healthy roots! The other is the nest in your tree. Tree is protecting and nurturing nest until there is new life in there again. I like that thought!
ReplyDelete;~) Debi
thank you, debi. i agree and enjoyed the wordsmithing you did in your post. maybe there won't be anything in the nest just yet...we'll have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteso finally, i have found the tree that you referred to in your comment~!
ReplyDeleteit's beautiful. the whole piece is quite special and as i've come to this post in a sort of backwards way (i seen the finished piece first) it's been interesting to see it 'deconstructed'.
the nest might be my favorite part but then again those roots trailing off of the piece are great too . . .
really it's completely amazing. i'm glad i found it and had such a quietly good time skimming through your whole blog while searching.
:-)
libbyQ