bundle of joy in the mail

i was the lucky winner of an amazing little bundle of joy from deb over at more whiffs, glimmers & left oeuvres this month. . .and the reality of this joyous bundle far exceeded any expectations garnered from the pics on her site! granted, i was already familiar with her amazing dyeing techniques as she had sent me one of her wondrous burritos a few months ago simply because i asked her what they were before i had ever seen one (such a lovely, and generous lady!).  i was flabbergasted by the sheer volume of marvels that she had managed to stuff into one of her little cuss pots...and with the beauty of the spring-filled damask napkin...and continued to be amazed as i dug deeper into the parcel to find a mountain of colored floss!  i'm already playing with ideas as i listen to these treasures whisper quietly in my ears...

thank you so much, deb!!

and now, i'm off to my studio to get some much needed selection time for a long-overdue australian package and a trip to town to find a post office!

namaste'

remembering Was...

been spending more time contemplating than stitching lately. more so since hearing the sad news about Was... allowing it to unfold as it will in the quiet depths of my mind...and slowly working on a little sorrow cloth for her...complete with paisley angel wings...

namaste'

magic diary cloth update

it would seem that attempting to ply a rigid schedule to my organic living style is not working. no big surprise there. it was an experiment that harvested expected results. in light of this, i will continue posting magic diary cloth updates, except i will allow them to unfold and reveal themselves in a more natural order. that is to say, as they present themselves to me.

this has begun as a very interesting exercise in discovery. of the nature of this particular cloth. and of my artistic working style. . .which may appear to the outside viewer as chaotic. random. perhaps this may be, as well. . .but whatever the format, it is how i work. create. experience.

i am only just getting started on the first letter of my magic diary cloth. there are hours of needle chanting to perform before its whispers will quiet down enough to allow the patient b to speak up and begin its story-speaking. this particular letter is formed by couching twisted blue scraps with hand-dyed red cotton threads. i have only just begun to explore other surface embellishments...

behind all of this is another chant, quietly whispering in the background of mind. more about which will be the topic of another posting. . .

namaste'

a new romping ground

"when you believe

something can be done,

really believe,

your mind will find

ways to do it."

-dr. david schwartz 

it also works in the reverse. i know from personal experience that this is true.  when you believe that you don't have the skills or abilities to achieve something, then your beliefs will undermine anything you do to make it true.  i find myself thinking things like, "i can't do this" or "i can't limit myself to one idea" or "i just don't have time to devote to this." or i find myself thinking things like, "it's not going to turn out" or "it's not going to come close to becoming what i have pictured in my mind". in times like these, the subconscious mind works very hard to make them happen just as i have feared. funny how that works.

what if (uh oh, now i'm sounding like jude again) i were to wake up and actually expect the best to happen? what if i were to start a project and expect it to turn out as best as it can? what if i were to be flexible enough, and compassionate enough with myself and my surroundings to allow things to unfold and become what they want to be instead of trying to force them into my own preconceived ideas? can you imagine what i could accomplish? can you image how much joy would permeate everything in my life?

it's crazy when you start to think about life in these terms. . .when we start treating ourselves with compassion and understanding just as we would treat our loved ones. our entire attitude changes. our aspirations grow and blossom. stress begins to melt away. . .

i know, to the casual observer, it appears as i do this effortlessly already. but it doesn't. i struggle with these dragons, and others, just like everyone else. i tend to get in my own way more often then not. but i'm working on it. 

to this end, i've been diving deeper into my piles of cloth and fearlessly (ha!) cutting into bits that i've been "saving" for that "perfect project."  i've come to realize, there is no "perfect project." they are all perfect projects!

this one above is my latest panorama. it hasn't begun whispering its story yet, so i'm listening quietly to hear what will unfold. meanwhile, i'm needle chanting my way across the woven indigo sky and gazing into the face of the rusty moon to see if i can discern her features. those hills look like they would be terrific fun to romp around on! for those of you who sew clothing (or salvage it for cloth making) you might recognize the shapes of those rolling hills. they are shirt sleeve crowns! and so many textures! i'm having so much fun with these hills and i haven't even really begun to play with them yet!

namaste'

magic diary monday... on tuesday

it is easy to get sidetracked. sometimes even without realizing it. work. life. new interests. friends. all conspire to pull us from our intended path on a daily basis. for me, it is usually stepping up and helping co-workers out by covering shifts for them even when it means i'll be working 42 hours in 3 days... hence, my somewhat tardy magic diary monday!

the snow has returned quite unexpectedly today and has been falling gently on the trees outside my studio windows. and so i am quietly working. listening. to my magic diary cloth again today...

this oblique cloth has proven more of a challenge than originally expected. of course, this should have been no grand surprise since starting from nothing, you have infused every stitch, every fiber choice, with intention. stepping in sideways with a foundation cloth created by some unknown, long perished clothmaker draws one down avenues you may never have taken. colors. prints. pairings that would have never found their ways into your own cloth are now front and center, crying for attention. but i am persisting. digging deeper into my fabric and salvage collection. auditioning unexpected fabrics. looking through new eyes. finding new directions....

namaste'

through the background of night

long days spent working with dementia patients. quietly dark nights filled with the silences made by an empty house. it is the needle chanting that keeps me going. the occasional snort of the saint asleep at my feet. the purr of the dreaming cat in my lap. the soft crackle of the logs burning in the hearth. the silent voices of cloth and thread whispering through the background of night.


namaste'