Monday, October 8, 2018

when orphans are no more

"i feel akin to the platypus.
an orphan in a family.
a swimmer, a recluse.
part bird, part fish,
part lizard."
-trevor dunn


everyone knows how much i enjoy working with orphan blocks. they somehow seem at home in the selvedges of life and creativity where i reside. these all roads blocks (pattern by angela waters) are fast becoming a family of favorites!

my mother-in-law began making these half-sized from the original blocks in red and white a while back and then orphaned them as she grew bored with the monotony of them. knowing how much i love orphans, she gave them me, along with a stash of red and white minnick and simpson charms and jelly rolls.

after playing with them a while, soaking up their beauty and possibilities, i've begun to really have some fun with them. toss in some greys, blues, plums, and creams and all of a sudden they are coming to life and coming together in their new family! with each unit measuring in at only 4-1/2 inches finished, i've got several hundred to go before i can call it a quilt, but 4 dozen done seems like a great start!
.
namasté

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

thread chanting

"chanting is the
waxing moon
that spreads the white
lotus of good fortune
for all living entities."
-sri  chaitanya-caritamrita


if you have followed me for any length of time, you've heard me speak of needle chanting many times. it is a term coined by jude hill long ago, referring to the meditative nature of hand sewing and kantha stitch. lately I have found myself contemplating this concept in my own work and how the focus has shifted.

needle chanting becomes thread chanting. the focus moves from the act (needle) to the legacy (thread). from chanting to that which was chanted, and its lingering effects.

chanting is very powerful because it aligns our core energy, centers and raises our personal vibration through vocal resonance. it is much the same with stitching slow cloth. a meditative process that chants with needle and thread. holding self in the present. creating with intention. the silent chant of needle echoing softly as thread is pulled through fragments of cloth. the voice of slow cloth, a quiet voice of the soul. silent whispers becoming the roar of peace, harmony, creativity, and all possibilities!

namasté

Saturday, August 4, 2018

getting lost

"it's okay to get lost
every once in a while,
sometimes getting lost
is how we find ourselves..."
-robert  tew


ever wake up in the middle of the night and feel like you don't know who you are anymore? like you took one too many turns without being present and now nothing looks... right?

last night i woke into one of these moments and wandered into the sewing studio and just sat there. communed with a few of my stitched and dyed fragments. expressions, really, of self. tiny bits of who i am. or was. or am yet to become. who knows which?

i need to be present more. to myself. to the expression of my own fragments. i've wandered... strayed a bit too far. become lost. 

it's time to find me again..

namasté

Saturday, June 30, 2018

hexies on my mind



sometimes you just want your hexie papers to be as pretty as the fabrics you are stitching with them...

namasté

Sunday, June 24, 2018

darkness intruded

"light thinks it travels faster
than anything 
but it is wrong. 
no matter how fast light travels, 
it finds the darkness has always 
got there first, and is 
waiting for it."
-terry pratchett


no matter how hard i try to hide from the morning sun, it always finds a way to intrude upon my thoughts. waking my day to the reality coursing through the world outside my bedroom window.

yet, daybreak is one of my favorite times of day. teetering between the realms of dream and waking. some of my best ideas are born during this between time.

Sunday, May 6, 2018

"writing in a journal reminds
you of your goals and of
your learning in life.
it offers a place where
you can hold a deliberate,
thoughtful conversion
with yourself."
-robin s. sharma


sometimes time slips. unexpectedly. swiftly. disappears from before your eyes. it's almost like taking a wild ride in the tardis with your very own personal doctor who! 

it's been rather like this here on my blog. i got swept away by allure of instant gratification of instagram. don't misunderstand, mind you. i love instagram! but it moves so quickly. makes it difficult to gather ones thoughts. so i find myself drawn back to the wellspring of my blog.


a blog can truly be one's journal. that place where you can explore thoughts. share them. get feedback. wander from room to room in one's imagination.


a place to jot down notes and thoughts to come back to and develop further. 


to collaborate. drink from the wellspring and refresh oneself.

i think i shall be spending more and more time here, once again...

namaste'