handstories

What we can do

    Many thank yous for all of your love and kind thoughts on the last post.  You folks fill my spirit.

    I was alone the last few days.  The guys were all scattered to the wind with fun plans, and I was looking forward to really concentrating on stitching for the shop...  and then the last week happened.  Letting things go.  I did spend hours watching really stupid TV and quilting on the woven quilt.  Some really bad stitching in places.  Letting that go, too.

    There will be more definitive news this week, hopefully with a plan, hopefully with some kind of hope.

    Whenever I don't know what to do, I think about feeding them.  Especially her.  On Thanksgiving I spent two hours making stroganoff.  Not the kind of thing I normally do, but no one in the house likes mushrooms as much as I do. It was a good distraction, delicious, and I was so glad to be able to hand her a warm bowlful when she picked me up today.

    "Turn off the car for a minute and eat this."

    We went to batten down the hatches on their sailboat before the rains come.  While we worked, I kept hearing my dad's voice... all the things he used to say when we were out fishing, hunting, etc.  "Pay attention, you might learn something," was a favorite saying of his.

    While driving home, I fed her grapes.

    "Eir" for healing.

From the Edge of a Maelstrom

    “The Shape of Hope”

    Delirious.  Last night was spent holding vigil in the ER for dear friends.  Their lives have been turned upside down over the last couple of weeks.

    “Nadine” for hope.

    I try to channel my big sister/mom/teacher/bossy self in useful ways...  bring (and share) wine, applesauce, snickerdoodles, take out the recycling, take away piles.  When really there is nothing that anyone can do other than being there and keep shifting the ways that hope is held on to.

    The other day, while walking and thinking of them, there was a blue bird near the sidewalk.  Not the Stellar's jays that I usually see, it was one that I've never seen around here before.  I don't know what it was, other than beautiful, and a gift.

    “Holding Light”

    Home at 4:30am.  Head buzzing.  Two and half hours of sleep.  The body keeps its patterns.  She is sending texts of things to visualize.  That procedures will happen for him, answers will be found, with solutions.  Medical textbook images are rearranged and surrounded by swirling rainbows, stars, and blue birds in my thoughts.

    “Brighid” for strength. 

    Yesterday I wrote, "If only we could stitch safe places for who and what we hold dear."

 

    If only.

Fortuitous

    K. asked if I get tired of making these little trees.  Nope.  Each one is a surprise with its own tiny story, and I love choosing names for them.  When one is finished, I hold it and wait for a word to come to mind- night, wind, song, light, whisper, etc., and then look up names with that meaning to choose from.  So many wonderful names out there...

    Also, each one reminds me of my wonderful middle school art teacher, Mrs. Trytko, who taught us to draw trees this way.  Tall, wearing caftans and huge framed glasses, she swirled through the room giving praise and constructive critiques.  She offered complicated lessons and projects, treating us with generosity and respect, making us feel like real Artists.  How lucky we were.

    Speaking of lucky... Juliann's name was drawn for the copy of Stitch*illo!  Thanks everyone for sharing your lovely stitching words and thoughts.💙 (Juliann, I've sent you an email.)

Lights in the Dark

    "There Was Humming"

    This one was all about playing... Enjoying circles and the tiniest stitches.  Looking for balance and rainbows.

 

    "The Stars Hold Our Stories"

    This was finished on the way home from spending time with family in Oregon.  It was a different group than usual.  Noticing how the mix in personalities brought new dynamics.  How the same old stories took on new perspectives.  More layers.  

    Mom, who has had such a long, lonely year since her husband died last January had moments of silliness.  Which was wonderful to watch.  And we all enjoyed listening to her laugh as she told the story of how she and Dad met and got together.  How Grandma thought he was a nice guy because he was happy to eat leftovers.  I love how in spite of the turns their marriage took, she has fond happy memories of her time with him.  

    The change in light seems to be reflected in my color choices- things have taken a turn for the dark.  But I'm still trying to stitch light and hope into it.  These story cloths will be in the shop at noon today (Pacific Time).

    Just in case you missed my last post, there is one more day to leave a comment for a chance to win!

Giveaway...

    As promised...

    Some of you might remember this book from a few years back.  I wrote (and jumped up and down with joy) about it here.  It's a beautiful and inspiring book that celebrates the work of textile artists. Being included was an honor and a turning point in seeing myself as an artist.

 

    With many thanks to Janine Vangool (creator, publisher, editor, and designer of Stitch*illo, Uppercase Magazine, and so much more) for generously sending two copies of Stitch*illo to share with you!  

 

    If you live in the USA (With apologies to those who live outside of the USA.  Posting is just too precarious and costly.) and would like an opportunity to receive a copy of this special book, please leave a comment below sharing a word that sums up some of what stitching means to you.  Mine might be "homecoming."

 

    Next Wednesday, I will randomly choose from the comments here and also on Instagram to send the books to.  Good luck!

Hello!

    The love/hate relationship with technology continued...  Our house has been without internet service for a week.  After several phone calls, three new modems, and two trips across town for exchanging... we finally have one that works, with enough oomph to reach the studio, and doesn't hum.  Hallelujah.

    Meanwhile, there has been stitching.  These two nine-patches were inspired by Jude's post.  Some of the blues are from her too, the earthy one is made up of naturally dyed cloths from Deb of Artisun, and both have a linen napkin edge from Deb L.'s dyeing.

    Not finished at all, with many sketchy lines in blue-grays that have something to do with how the sky might hold our stories.  A thought that came while thinking about how the starlight that we see is from the past.  There's more to do and think about.

    Ideas are brewing on this one, too.

(P.S.  Tomorrow, I have a giveaway to share!)

Until Later…

     “All the Paths to Home”

     Posting on the phone.  Our internet isn’t working, in and out. Mostly out. K spent two hours on the phone about it (and endured my frustration).  Some new box thing arrives today. I am done in after everything this week. 

     There are gifts from Jude, Nancy, and Deb L. in this cloth. Things to be grateful for.  Take care out there.

From within the Bermuda Triangle of Technology

    It started here, with the wonky photos last week.  There was an attempt to post on Instagram. The photos showed up as black squares.  Worked around that.  Dishwasher died.  After it leaked over the kitchen floor.  Working around that with handwashing, which I mostly don't mind.  (K. does the silverware.  I hate the silverware.)  On Monday there were more Instagram issues (for many of us).  And Typepad, this blog's platform, went completely down.  For days.  It seems to be back-ish, photos and spacing still wonky and with photos that come and go.  It feels like everything might be fading away...

    But yesterday... Yesterday, I took a bus and a ferry to join two dear souls for a day- Velma and Catherine.

    Lunch, dinner, hanging out, and time at Bloedel Reserve.  A place that I love.  With folks that I adore.

    We walked and talked among the trees, moss and ferns.  The two of them know so much.

    Such a good day.

    If not for technology, chances are I wouldn't know either of them.

    Today our internet was out for much of the day.  It appears to be working. For the moment.

“Hope in the Darkness”