miss GRACE

GRACE:ful earth



thank you so much grace! i can feel you and your desert in this cloth. i think i can even smell the beautiful air/earth of the New Mexico i long for...



i was so excited opening the package up grace... i burst into tears when i saw 'you'/the cloth. my son just stood over, looking at me like i was crazy hahhahhaha. the diamond shining, the soft light butterfly hovering, the thread pearls... lovely. to see/have this piece in person, i feel so honored.



your beautiful writing on the lovely stationery, the warm cloth... i want to put it all up in a scrapbook of some kind. but i will keep it out so i can look at and touch it and remember my relation.

thank you for this wonderful connection/communication grace. :)

small starts

like small steps?



i made these last week, but did not get the chance to post them. little foundations for the spirit cloth workshop i'm participating in. random scraps from one of my cloth bags.



the non-blue one, i made it countrified... inspired by traci :)

if i were a :geniE:ous

maybe i could say poof and make everything appear.



i think it's supposed to be disappear, but i'd like for somethings to appear.



all the ideas in my head :poof: and they'd be here.



i know the fun is supposed to be in the journey. but maybe i'd replace fun with expansion or growing or understanding.

---

i don't know if i've written about this yet, but in about 2 months... i have some life changing things that will be going on. as the time approaches, the :real:ity of it becomes closer to touch. 2 years ago, i started my present situation under circumstances that seemed viable. but those circumstances were ever changing spiraling twisting beyond anyone's control. so i'm in this place where i did not foresee i would be. no one's fault... no blame... just here. but that does not cancel the reeling feelings of fear, uncertainty, sadness, loss of control... so all the moods i can finally admit to myself are my just realizing what's becoming more real everyday and trying to figure things out. i guess the ability to pretend :things are not what they are: serves a purpose sometimes...

in a comment, grace brought up in me the idea i've been holding for a long time of having an online shop. i've been thinking more and more of doing that. hahahahahha i have no clue what i would offer there. maybe today, i will sign up for it.

The cat comes out

i realized i'd not cut any wavy weaves.



did not come out as ~curvy~ as i'd imagined.



did some wavy back stitching (was really nice to do) and added some scraps colors...



got a little carried away on the stitching again... hahahahahha



mr. cat agreed to come and help me tone it down a bit.

i made his eyes and fringed up the strips edges the jude way.

not finished yet... i think a spider wants to come hang out. and the moon is looking a little stark/bare.

:HOME:work

been sick... still am, but at least i'm not flat on my back.



haven't been doing ANYthing cloth related. it was taking all my strength to keep the grands from clobbering each other. i vowed this weekend to get back to it though. ripped up some strips and got to work night before last.



i'm trying to get caught up on all the methods at class. the tapestry, the double weave, cut out and mask... check check check. i think that's all of them.



i am going to use all these methods more extensively in the HOME comforter work. i just wanted to try em' out to get a feel for them.

For the comfort

over the weekend i started work on covering the comforter.



weaved strips of scrap cloth over several hours. several more hours of stitching. have to remember to find a comfortable position while stitching. don't avoid sitting on the cloth.



had a lot of fun here. everything just flowed. if my fingers (and my back) would've held up, i think i could've done a lot more.



i basted all the outer edges with leftover pieces of floss like a tied quilt so i can easily cut later to insert more fabric as i go. will be working on the quilting over the next several days.

i'm feeling agitated this morning. granddaughter and grandson decided i did not need any alone time this weekend. they were back to their old lock picking ways. add to that caffiene, icky rash and fruit flies. i'm on the edge. and i'm trying to talk myself down. hahahahaha

Weaving and unraveling

these are my two latest pieces for the cloth to cloth class.



i accidentally realized that light shines through this block.



this is all just pinned not yet basted. i think because i wasn't totally sure of the framing fabrics, but i'm gonna just go for it and leave em be.



this is the same type of weaving with as the previous post only with a backing. yellowish fabric is from an old 1970's sheet and it was a nice accident that the circle of the flower appeared in the lower block. the print is also a little darker than it's looks in this photo.

so that was the weaving... now the unraveling. this class is amazing. not only am i learning more about the feel and personality of cloth, i'm learning about the feel and personality of me. cloth is magic.

remembering my lifelong friendship i've had with natural cloth. how a certain blanket gave me comfort and security as a child. how silk ribbons rubbed against my cheek calmed me down. tears and fights with mom over polyester pantsuits and turtlenecks... hahahahaha they suffocated me! loving my levis, indian print gauze blouses, fringe leather mocs...

also learning an organic organization for working and enjoying. the natural process seeping over into and making it's way out to the outer overlooked corners of my experience. :thanks to suzanna and grace: for the words on the quiet and the slow.

i yam what i yam.

Getting it together

it's been a long time since i've taken a class. the class i'm taking is a freeform freeflowing one and thank goodness. i'm still a little overwhelmed. i am really slow. i'm realizing more about how i work... my :thought to manifestation: process. i take a lot of time thinking about things. which can be good, but i'm realizing where it makes me stop action. where it stops the freeflow from :wherever things come from:.

also realizing just how quiet i am. probably a mixture of shy and just not inclined to talking a lot. i think a lot about what i see, but it feels only relevant to me. i'm not used to voicing my thoughts all time. feels strange to me. probably a cultural thing. runs against the grain of this internet world. i'm trying to figure out how to make a balance of this, since i obviously want to participate in this forum (i'm here).

can't forget to factor in the grandbaybees... a terrible two and a frazzling four... :)

so i'm in the process of figuring it all out or at least as much as i can, from what i'm aware of at this point...

Carried away

this is the back panel for daughter's bag. it was supposed to be simple patchwork with maybe a little something in the corner... what happened? hahahahaha



i guess it has no back now. only two fronts. she can choose.



more wishing... the land of magic and dreams lies just beyond the heart. love is the gateway.

justa little bit

i didn't do much to it... added the star's face and rainbow :wish:drops.



also quilted in up a bit. still trying to figure out what/why/where of the words. going to turn it into a bag today.



adding this photo because it's the only one to show the cloth's true color. i took it by accident.

i was on a high yesterday. had a pretty good day. talked to the kids, visited mom, ate some food, did some shopping, watched a movie.

For the wishes

on the stars.



i finally started one of the makeup/catch all bags. this one's for daughter. her favorite color is red. she is currently far away from home trying to make her dreams come true.

i guess you'd i'd call this a wish pot. came out a little funky. i freecut/handed it and i plan on adding the words "star light, star bright..."

i received a huge mother's day card from daughter today. it made me cry. i miss her so much.
---

i forgot to add that the star is made in the style of jude at what if.

Moment with the Moon

a memento.



it's been pretty hectic around here. most of the hectic in my mind i'm sure. rush rush rush. conflict with slow slow slow. i feel fear when i'm rushing. fear of losing something, missing something. fear of the tic. tock.



noticed how tangible the moment/story is with one of these cloths. the thoughts jump out at me. they jump into my brain complete with feeling, ideas, problems, solutions. magic. and i did not realize how powerful that could be.



also noticed i question the quilting part of the cloth. i wonder why. fear/conflict of perfection/non performance going on in my head? after i do it though, i love it.

while stitching this, i forgot this was supposed to go on my comforter. is that yarn/vine/umbilical cord going to hold up to washing? is it gonna get all wibbly wobbly? well we'll see...

Luna:see:

i'm finally feeling like i'm back on this plane. that starry way out feeling is fading. she set me down softly. luna:see: gone.



i didn't do too much to the panel last night. i'm not quite sure where it is going from here. last night, it was looking finished to me, but i think there's more to add. i'd wanted to do some running stitches across it to quilt it. i'm not sure if it will look right though.



i plan on starting the make-up bag cloths this evening and maybe doing a little work on the second panel.

*
One night as Dick lay fast asleep,
Into his drowsy eyes
A great still light began to creep
From out the silent skies.
It was the lovely moon's, for when
He raised his dreamy head,
Her surge of silver filled the pane
And streamed across his bed.
So, for a while, each gazed at each-
Dick and the solemn moon-
Till, climbing slowly on her way,
She vanished, and was gone.

-- Walter de la Mare

That journey

traveling the vine.



i think miss moon is camped out on my left shoulder. she's been whispering in my ear forever now.

i've had many moons like this past one and i've forgotten or wasn't aware of many many past moons. i realize (again?), this moon, however that remembering/knowing helped/helps me to ride it out.



the journey a symmetrically imperfect tangled vine. it's not straight, but it's not too scary either. just enough curve to sway me from one side to another and jostle me around a bit, if i'm smiled upon. it's a vine growing from emotions fueled by a clear or cloudy perspective.

i put the quarter moons together using jude's paperless piecing video. i tried it out last week on some entsy teensy squares for practice and the stitchin felt really good. it forced me to hold the pieces in my hands in such a way that produced really good sturdy control.

now to add some words and other stuff?.

New blue

of course blue.



i resisted the urge to chop chop chop. it was a lot easier since i knew mama was in play. looking at it through calmer eyes, it appeared to be two pieces. so i cut it up the almost middle. of course i'm choosing the blue side to work with first. i figure i'll use the other for patches or something.



granddaughter in her cinderella dress pretending to photograph her polly pocket's pants like granma :)



♥

[↑date thank you jude and grace... i needed the words. :)]

Chaos

i'm in it. inner chaos.



i didn't get enough rest over the weekend. everything feels wrong. i know it's probably an overreaction but it still sucks.



the panel is not working. i'm fighting not to take a scissors to it. chop it up, just so it can be gone. it's representing my disconnected frustration. the back looks better than the front.



maybe tomorrow i'll feel better, but i think it's gonna take some days. my weekend's still 3 days away and the gran-baybees are on one.

*
:hope ray:
i tell you: one must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. -friedrich nietzsche.

[↑date - how could i have spaced that it's a full moon... explains a lot. pink moon. sprouting grass moon.]

123 slow

i'm starting my first purposeful unplanned/improvised projects. 3 of them so i don't get overwhelmed or bored. 2 make-up bags (one for daughter, one for niece) and covering one of my comforters. i've been wanting to cover this comforter for a long time. it's about 15 years old, dingy, filled with pills and holes, but it's still warm and i like her.



i'm using scraps again that were in the junk it pile. nice and worn misfits. for personal encouragement, i will be adding the semi finished blocks to the comforter as i go. patches style. starting in the corners, then edges and into center. the center block is going to be the size of 4 blocks and will be where the :wishes: go.

i have a :prayer to the WARM blanket project: in my head, but it doesn't have words yet. i'll add later when/if it materializes.

Just a little SUNthing...

:indian summer:

i've been feeling a little sketchy here lately. can't quite get back around to center. been traveling around in circles, missing the midpoint. the one theme/thread running through my scattered thoughts... to make a pad to remind me when i'm gifted with the prospect of another day, to wake up, relax and enjoy it. the warmth and life giving properties of the sun and the lazy days of the end of summer. lying in the grass, letting the earth move around me, not me trying to move the earth. now to do that would be great.

Moon Tide

:i hope miss mama moon is happy here on this little mishmash section of sky:

think it's pretty much finished. i'll probably add a couple of little things here and there. and it needs a binding... a thin one maybe.

it feels pretty good... it's got good weight and texture for the hands/touch. i freehand stitched the lettering. i did it partly because i am purposefully skipping the aspects of sewing that are usually roadblocks to either my finishing the works, or obstructions to : flow:. i also thought the loose look may fit in here. quilting it was a good light full experience.

Mama

i think miss moon might be a plain sort, but maybe she'd like some cosmic garlands or flowers. :space flowers:



i didn't know if i was going to keep going with this scrap pad, but i think i will. maybe i'll hang her in the kitchen when i'm done/satisfied. a kitchen moon.