Been away...
Relaxing. Hardly any stitching.
Lots of wave watching.
Came home to a beautiful package of cloths and threads from Deb and dove in.
I'm not sure what's going on here on Typepad, not sure what I should do going forward, and I'm too relaxed to deal with it just yet.
Indigo did happen, but I timed it wrong, forgot about a zoom appointment. The result was meh at the hottest (whiniest) part of the day. The main goal of blue wrapping cloths for the shop was accomplished and there were a few of these overdyes that made me happy. (I wonder if I will ever stitch a piece that turns out straight with 45° corners?)
There was another unexpected happy place... I've been thinking about zines, small books, as a way to bring some things together- stitching, painting, writing. Also, a friend likes the boat paintings, so I've been thinking about how to make a little book of them for her. On Thursday, a favorite artist/teacher of a friend posted a photo of blue papers with the words "the sea" announcing that he was teaching a zine class... sold!
I meant to work on the boat idea, but Grandma showed up.
Her name is whited out here for privacy, but it's a long list... Blanche Ione Sp., Sh., W., St., St., and Ab. Born Sp., married Sh. (who died while she was pregnant with my mom), married W. (who only lasted for six months when Mom was in first grade. A mean man.), married, divorced, re-married, and re-divorced St., and then Ab was her on-again/off-again boyfriend in the later years. (She said that she was done getting married.)
I loved Grandma, but not her cooking. I remember begging to go over AFTER dinner. You never knew what would be on the plate. Especially when it was a last minute invitation, which meant one of the old-timers at the bar had offered some of their catch of the day.
The frog legs were chewy.
There's a growing list of ideas for more bite-sized booklets of Blanche.
And the boat idea was begun... It was a really good day.
There have been a lot of comings and goings, but finally back home.
The workshop was good. Christine is wonderful and generous with sharing her wealth of know-how, inspiration, materials, and ideas. There was lots of playing, especially with trying out printing ideas. Aiming for a new layer on the cloth, I experimented with this clever little press, gelli plate printing, indigo, and cyanotype.
I really enjoyed exploring this liquid cyanotype process. An area is painted with the mixture and then exposed to sunlight.
There were experiments with overlapping layers, wet and dry fabric, and using various objects to create shapes.
And then collaging things together...
There are still some questions and ideas to try, and I'm looking forward to diving further.
A Table Story... Years ago, at a craft fair, M., a friend, bought the bear necklace. I loved it too, but there was only one. Recently, M. gave it to me. She lives on my worktable. Her occasional adventures are photographed and texted to M. Yesterday she and the "Story" doll (made by Cathy Cullis years ago) celebrated the finishing of this piece under a sunny scrap of Deb's cloth with party favors of a jay feather and a piece of a tumbleweed from a road trip with M.
It's funny how elements of stories that have been looked at over and over can suddenly take on new meanings. That memory of Dad, after all of these years, seems to have opened a door to some understanding and compassion for me too.
"Soul Work"
I'm keeping this one.
This was started in the few quiet moments of last weekend, in between hours of this...
Blue Angels. They roar over our house for four days- two of them practicing, and then two days of shows for Seattle's Seafair every August. One of the silver linings of the pandemic was the event being cancelled for two years, but they came back. They can be seen out of any window in the house. Sometimes so low that you can make out the writing on the sides. The house shakes, my brain shakes, the cat runs.
We went to the co-op to escape. The display of currants beside apples and strawberries was beautiful.
"An Exuberance"
Fresh indigo dyed silk on Tina's midnight purple above Deb's fiery cloth. It felt like a party.
And this one, started yesterday. Often it all comes down to what scraps are scattered closest. It began with the pink arc. I was thinking rainbow, but then went looking for a moon. This is one of Jude's, beneath a starry gift also from her... and then the two small scraps by Deb and Maiwa were within reach...
Sometimes everything finds each other, reaches out and connects in ways that feel outside of me, a kind of floating into place.
"Mirabel"- meaning "wonderous." The vibrant colors in Tina's dyed cloths and Deb's threads are wondrous.
Results of the second harvest from Deb's plants. Most of the cloth was originally off-white to pale brown from walnuts, making the results lean to the greenish blues.
Seattle has joined the heatwave happening for almost everyone. This tub made all the difference while stitching this afternoon. (Please excuse the dirty feet.) There are larger containers of water freezing for tomorrow, so it will last longer. I am a big baby about heat. Yep, yep, I am.
Last night I melted fell asleep on the couch right after dinner, 7 pm. Woke up two hours later and went straight to bed after spraying myself and the sheets with a water bottle. Waking at 3 am when the screen fell out of the window and jumping out of bed at 6 to open all of the doors and windows that will open in this old house.
There I've whined. I will try to make it the only time this season. No promises.
A couple of other things that are not quite finished or named yet.
There was something else I wanted to think and write about, but it has dripped out of my brain.
Covid or not, Deb's indigo plants were ready to be harvested. The alchemy of squishing leaves, salt and cloth into blue was pure magic.
I am going so slowly these days. Is malaise the right word? Melancholy? A lack of oomph, or even desire, to move and or do anything. There are windows of energy spurts and I try to take advantage of them. The bathroom did get cleaned. Some stitching is happening.
There is good news about K's surgery. There was a cancellation, and he was at the top of the waitlist, so now it will happen at the end of August instead of November. Counting the days until he will be out of pain.
Houses, jars and bottles are showing up. Even when the initial intent was something else.
Two friends and I went on a day trip yesterday to visit our friend and former boss (my Iowa friend). She is 86 now and starting to slip away in many ways. She was younger than me when we met, it seems a lifetime ago. While talking with her lovely caregiver, I realized that she only knows who she is now, not the strong, opinionated, sharp as a box of tacks, force of a woman that we have known over the decades. She's still full of light and spirit. Seeing her is wonderful and sad.
There are so many things that I wish I could hold on to.
First fresh indigo experiment using the salt method. Two leaves, some salt, and a scrap of cotton (it already had some iron or walnut smudges on it) and of silk. Enjoyed the process and results very much, thanks again, Deb!
Played with one in my dream that night. Something I always wanted as a kid (along with Colorforms), but never got.
While working on the turquoise patchwork from the last post, I thought about hot pink and orange. The next day a friend handed me this beautiful silk scarf that had accidently been chewed up by her washing machine.
It was just the right thing.
The green side of turquoise with shimmering velvet. Her name is "Opal".
Someone shared the story of when their husband first said, "I love you." A very romantic mountain top moonlit moment. Which triggered my own memories... I said it first to K. Sixteen, New Year's Eve, got up my gumption and blurted out, "I realize that I love you!"
His reply, "That's great!" (Heart swelled with hope.) "I realized that I love L.!" (Deflation of heart.) "Isn't this great, all of this love going on!"
No. No, it was not great, but I put on a cheery face, bided my time (knowing that L. was not interested in him), and got my declaration four months later. Boys.
Speaking of boys. Moon has been home a week. He is so in love with math. There are pieces of paper like the above scattered throughout the house, representing his attempts at sharing this passion with us. It may as well be written in ancient Greek. He doesn't understand that we don't understand, so we nod and smile with awe.
It's been good to spending time with Moon, having long conversations, hearing what he's thinking about (besides math), and it's been really useful too.
K. has been struggling with arthritis in his hip, and the fall last January pushed it all downhill. Replacement surgery is scheduled (The first available appointment was in November!). The steep long staircase to the bedroom is too much for now, especially since the only bathroom is on the main floor. I did offer to move out of my studio room, but thankfully his reply was, "There is so much wrong with that idea." So, there's been a mattress and box spring in the living room for the last month or so. Moon helped to move the heavy furniture into a better arrangement. At least now the bed isn't the first thing you see when you walk in the door.
"Here in the Turquoise Sea"
Yesterday's turquoises. The silk waves on top of the boat were the same as the brighter back wave until they were dropped into the morning tea.
Stitched while singing an old family favorite from when the boys were young. Have a listen here, I'll bet you'll be humming too...
"...They play on the beaches the colour of peaches, there by the turquoise sea, oh, my...under a blue, blue sky..."
"Sip of Dreams"
Many swell happenings over the last few days... Friday- to Bellingham for Moon's a cappella concert. It was great to hear him sing, watch him have a great time, be so happy. And then the treat of meeting up with Deb for dinner.
After that, a night in Vancouver, B.C. in a room with a city view (across the street from the Coliseum-ish library), strolling Granville Island (Maiwa's!), a delicious Italian dinner... It's been so long since we've gone somewhere, just the two of us. It was a very nice time.
On the way home, there was an extra dose of Deb time! Tea in her cozy sweet house with two of the friendliest cats you'll ever meet (Widget wasn't interested in socializing).
Her GOOD Enough quilt is even more wonderful in person (as is she!).
Today I potted up her gift of indigo plants, with hopes for their survival under my blue thumb.
Sunday night I dreamt in cloth. The memory became the morning painting. By afternoon, the image was fading, but not the incredible feeling. A cloth began...
I didn't refer back to the painting at all and was surprised this afternoon to see the differences. The tree had completely slipped away. Dream to paper, paper to cloth, maybe I'll complete the circle and keep going, back and forth, forward and back, in and out of the dream.
Deb and Tina's cloths melting together with one of the indigo moons from last summer's vat. A new thing with the rings, instead of just stitching. Trying to make them more of the story, their own stories, too. A bit fiddly, but still enjoyable, especially playing with bias possibilities and limits.
These rings of color and light make me think of a rainbow. Dismantled and reconstructed at the same time.
There was rain yesterday, all day, the kind that makes you think "monsoon season". We didn't mind. We worked quietly at our own things. Quiet except for the Stellar Jay that yelled outside the window most of the afternoon. Complaining about the rain, I think.
Two of the rings are from new cloths. It's been a long time since I was in a fabric store. It was kind of like a visit to a candy shop- beautiful and overwhelming. I bought a few fat quarters, which may have been chosen partly for their selvedge messages. I used to be excited by the color dots on the edges, but now there are whole thoughts!
"Here We Are"
