While I Was Waiting

an unexpected window

2012-01-23T12:14:00.000-05:00

of opportunity yielded a few additional components for an ongoing project (as well as a cheesebox for storing them).

an alternative

2012-01-14T15:27:00.000-05:00

So far I like this better than this.

With only four completed of a planned sixteen, the current arrangement is not permanent.

a large project

2012-01-14T11:55:00.000-05:00

is currently taking shape but due to the size remains on my design wall upstairs on the third floor, where it's too cold to spend any substantial amount of time. So in the meantime I've been using up bits and pieces of yarn on another project that is really more about process than about the finished item. While I'm downstairs where it's warm and my fingers are busy crocheting, I'm working out the details in my head for the fiber collage/quilt project upstairs.

Recently I came across an interesting quote from Teresa Barkley

“And the realization that this was a very time consuming way to work made me very anxious to do something that was one of a kind. I really like the tactile quality of quilts and I loved working with fabric. But the realization came to me very early that fabulous quilts had been made for a very long time by people with more time and skill than I had and it was really kind of pointless for me to duplicate those designs in contemporary materials when I had so little time, I would rather use it on something that was uniquely my own. One - that it would be more interesting looking, and two - it would be a better use of my time. The world doesn't really need another flower garden quilt and that was the quilt that I had admired so much of my great-grandmother's and the first traditional one I had begun to piece and I've never finished it because I made a lot of technical errors along the way. It was a learning experience but I never felt the need to finish because it became much less interesting to me to make a quilt to use. I wanted something that was interesting to look at . . . “

in stitches inspiration

2012-01-06T09:48:00.002-05:00

Currently a collaboration between Westtown School and the Chester County Historical Society provides an opportunity to see "select samplers and other embroidery made by girls from Chester County and the surrounding area 200 years ago."

IN STITCHES: Unraveling Their Stories

This exhibit is inspiring on many levels, not just for the needlework itself but also for the approaches, categories of samplers, historical information about differences in philosophy between function and decoration, examples of mixed components that provide inspiration for current art quilt/fabric collage making, and some sewing items previously unknown to me.

There were several examples of this type of pincushion or pinball. This example came from this source.

In the forefront of the postcard you can also see one of the many embroidered globes featured in the exhibit.

not working out

2012-01-05T20:06:00.000-05:00

This project (like so much else) is just not working out. I'm going to leave it on the design board for now and have started in another direction with the strips already cut out.

happy hopeful

2012-01-01T15:59:00.001-05:00

new year!

In the spirit of bricolage . . . using what was at hand . . . this cuff is the result of working from the box of leftovers from Low Tide.

regrouping

2011-12-31T11:29:00.000-05:00

A small background piece is ready for "collaging."

The studio is about as organized as possible at this time.

last week

2011-12-31T11:14:00.001-05:00

more cookies

Christmas pudding and

kitty under the tree

another whirled

2011-11-18T09:26:00.000-05:00

as a respite from my own one of the things I've done has been to peek into India's whirled and so as a result took a look outside

at the last possible minute before they all blew off and away, I was inspired to gather

a few leaves from the ground and around

added the leaves . . . maple, Japanese maple, oak, serviceberry, for example, and some avocado peelings . . . to pots with bits of cotton, silk, doilies, some bundled, some not

and so have some slightly altered fiber pieces in a natural dye sort of way but nothing spectacular and no prints. nevertheless a good diversion

why stitching helps

2011-10-28T10:27:00.001-04:00

No stitching yet but here are some good reasons why it would be a good thing to do.

unraveling

2011-10-14T11:09:00.000-04:00

just waiting. no stitching. no writing. just going back and forth to the hospital and waiting.

low tide

2011-09-30T11:07:00.005-04:00

The stitching is now complete and a few new embellishments have been added. It has probably been about a year, working on this on and off, and I think it is finally finished.

Background fabrics are assorted shades, weights and textures and include blueberry-coffee dyed cheesecloth. Embellishments include:

lace bits and fiber scraps

yarn and yo-yo's

paperbeads under produce netting

buttons and beads

a decoupaged washer

shells from a North Carolina beach

“Eternity begins and ends with the ocean's tides.” ~ unknown

different stacks

2011-09-24T13:27:00.005-04:00

Corrine posted hers here. I'm not a participant because mine are fabric and not paper but after looking at hers and after following the link to Seth's Stacks I noticed this little group of ATCs and other small fiber pieces I already had stacked on a shelf in my studio.

what I actually did

2011-09-23T13:25:00.000-04:00

watched the sun rise

watched the sun set

and basked in moon glow

Despite intending to work on the log cabin blocks during the week, I did not sew a single stitch.

what I meant to do

2011-09-22T17:36:00.000-04:00

I cut an assortment of dark and light fabric strips and background squares, and packed scissors and thread.

berries

2011-09-22T16:56:00.002-04:00

These berries were from weeds pulled from my backyard and I have no idea what they are. Not having time to do anything with them before we left for vacation, I left them out to dry.

They now look like this.

This aren't the same kind of berries she used, but these results are inspiring.

returning to the sea

2011-09-20T10:33:00.000-04:00

For a long time I was sure I would never be able to return there. But my youngestandnowonly daughter wanted to go. And she was right. It was time.

“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.” ~ Isak Dinesen

"For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one." ~ Khalil Gibran

“All loose things seem to drift down to the sea, and so did I.” ~ Louis L’Amour

sparkle

2011-09-19T10:41:00.000-04:00

I've been away but am now home and trying to catch up. I did manage to create an inchie for this week's Every Inchie Monday word which is sparkle.

Sparkle Days Studio comes to mind when I think of sparkle.

feathers, rain and trees

2011-09-08T15:59:00.001-04:00

It rains and rains and rains.

Two trees are down and this one bounced off the house.

Two feathers are now on their way to jude.

first feather

2011-08-24T08:21:00.000-04:00

Currently I'm working to contribute a block with an embroidered feather to jude's magic feather project. This is my first attempt. The top background piece is linen. I'm considering this one a practice feather. Next time I won't try to draw it while riding in a car.

having fun

2011-08-22T15:56:00.000-04:00

with Betty. I found her last week at Goodwill and thought she might be a good portable display for some of my necklaces. I don't know why but for some reason I just think her name is Betty.

I left her on the dining room table (instead of taking her directly upstairs to my studio) and when I came downstairs the next morning this is what she looked like.

2011 erosion bundle materials

2011-08-11T16:18:00.000-04:00

became a scroll.

All of these papers, fabrics and embellishments came from the bundle set out in the elements earlier this year for the Erosion Bundle Project except for a few torn snippets of coffee-dyed fabric with a Parisian post motif and a couple of sticks found in the woods.

(diamonds and) rust

2011-08-09T10:56:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile but finally . . . another inchie for Every Inchie Monday. This week's word is rust and was inspired by leftovers from my Erosion Bundle Project creation which will be posted soon. This piece is comprised of rust-stained paper, fiber and lace attached to a colored inchie square from inchie arts.

When I think about rust I also think about this.

contrasts

2011-08-08T08:45:00.001-04:00

so far it's been a summer of contrasts, with some stitching in between

wild sweet orange

2011-08-04T15:14:00.000-04:00

This little work in progress is built around the gift of wild sweet tea received earlier this summer from a friend. Paper and fiber include the tea bag wrapper, candy wrappers, and Laurel Burch and Kaffe Fassett fabric. I've added a blue "jewel" that seems more appropriate here than on the blouse it came on, and I will be adding a beachtag from the one afternoon we spent at the shore.

not only this

2011-08-04T10:46:00.000-04:00

but all of this. A lovely box, inside and out. Fiber confections rolled and tied with coordinated trim. Silk sari yarn. A felt flower brooch. A lavender heart.
I was the lucky recipient of Corrine's mystery box of goodies celebrating her blog's topping of 100 followers. Not only is her dosfishes blog inspiring and informational, she also has a studio blog Sparkle Day Studio featuring the studio of my dreams.

Since it arrived in a box, of course I had assistance opening it.
Many thanks to you Corrine for your generosity and as always, your encouragement.

now it looks different

2011-07-26T10:45:00.002-04:00

It started out like this.

After the base was stitched down and the basting removed, I added cutouts from a variety of commercial fabrics, some dyed with coffee, bits of old lace and trim, some buttons.

weaving ways

2011-06-27T13:19:00.000-04:00

This is the completed piece.

sneak peek

2011-06-23T19:36:00.000-04:00

Another wip completed last weekend, this one was inspired by jude's weaving pieces.

summer slowness

2011-06-22T19:27:00.000-04:00

kitchen sink crazy

2011-06-21T19:07:00.000-04:00

is now off the design wall. The blocks are sewn together and ready for the backing to be added.

perspectives

2011-06-17T10:57:00.000-04:00

For many of my neighbors summer officially commences this week with the conclusion of the school year.

This seemed like a "summery" little wip to complete. Most of the quilting was already done and all I added were the beads, the binding, and some additional quilting.

Despite a ferocious thunderstorm and rain during the night, it's nice to still find these in the yard.

"The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning." ~Ivy Baker Priest

"If you do not raise your eyes you will think that you are the highest point." ~Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin

If you look closely, you can still see the raindrops.

time piece

2011-06-12T16:24:00.000-04:00

This little quilt is finished and ready to be donated. Components and embellishments include scraps from old prom dresses, bits of lace, buttons, beads, crystals, yarn from Mrs Moen, scrapbooking supplies, a paper bead, and blueberry and coffee stained cheesecloth.

It's titled "Time Piece" because it includes a clock face under the lace and the word "time."

"There is no present or future, only the past, happening over and over again, now." ~ Eugene O'Neill, A Moon for the Misbegotten

"We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; in feelings, not figures on a dial." ~ Philip James Bailey, Festus

celebration

2011-05-18T17:46:00.000-04:00

Paint, beads and a strip of ruched fabric are used to embellish this small piece that started out as a fiber postcard.

As you can see from the back, it is fairly heavily quilted.

Snowballs in the backyard would be reason enough for celebration.

"Celebrate what you want to see more of." ~ Thomas J. Peters

buttons and beads

2011-05-12T12:05:00.000-04:00

are the embellishments added so far. More to come . . .

erosion bundle results 2011

2011-05-04T09:47:00.001-04:00

These are the results I had hoped for . . . but did NOT achieve. This remnant from my erosion bundle has been stamped with strawberry halves, creating images that almost look like hearts.

My erosion bundle has been unwrapped, photographed and mostly neglected for the past month. Despite my addition of berries that I was sure would create a red stain, I achieved no rosy results on the fabric.

There was, however, plenty of mottling.

returning to the pond

2011-04-25T10:37:00.001-04:00

and a challenge necklace. I've added a few blocks to the Frozen Pond wip that I started last winter.

The colors in the quilt blocks and the necklace are amazingly similar but totally accidental.

all together now

2011-04-06T14:37:00.001-04:00

What if I put a selection of artist trading cards together to make one small quilt? I believe it was Eva who made this suggestion and this is a possible arrangement.

embellishing the embellishments

2011-04-04T08:27:00.000-04:00

Progress so far on what I'm thinking of as "Kitchen Sink Crazy Quilt." This is the first time the photo hasn't been flipped.

Yesterday I started embellishing some of the embellishments. I've used washers before but this time I decoupaged them first.

My plan is to start adding them this week.

sing anyway

2011-04-04T01:02:00.001-04:00

"Some days there won't be a song in your heart, sing anyway." ~ Emory Austin

The word for this week's Every Inchie Monday is sing and this one is made entirely of paper.

"I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument while the song I came to sing remains unsung." ~ Rabindranath Tagore

"Truly to sing, that is a different breath." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." ~ Maya Angelou

components

2011-04-03T02:21:00.001-04:00

As much fun as I had playing with resin a couple of weeks ago, I really admire Mary's work at White Clover Kiln. Every time I visit her blog I can just imagine how I would use her components in both jewelry making and as embellishments on quilts.

studio views

2011-04-02T14:20:00.000-04:00

it doesn't look like this

2011-04-01T11:25:00.002-04:00

outside today. Instead it has been snowing and my Erosion Bundle will have to wait another day.

In the meantime, I've come across some interesting posts such as this one by Austin Kleon.

juxtaposition

2011-03-28T03:19:00.002-04:00

This is the beginning of a fiber/paper collage that incorporates two sizes of vintage blocks (approximately three inches and seven inches). I've had these blocks for over 25 years and they had belonged to an elderly family friend. I've used some of them before but not together. It appears that the larger (seven inch) block may have been part of a quilt top at one time and then taken apart. The vintage buttons are not yet sewn on and may be re-arranged.

once the winged

2011-03-28T01:21:00.000-04:00

Fiber and metal.

As once the winged energy of delight
carried you over childhood's dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges.

Wonders happen if we can succeed
in passing through the harshest danger;
but only in a bright and purely granted
achievement can we realize the wonder.

To work with Things in the indescribable
relationship is not too hard for us;
the pattern grows more intricate and subtle,
and being swept along is not enough.

Take your practiced powers and stretch them out
until they span the chasm between two
contradictions... For the god
wants to know himself in you. ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

weaving wip

2011-03-25T13:45:00.000-04:00

Jude is the master and I've seen many wonderful examples by her students. Inspired by her work, this is my first attempt and is still a work in progress.

celebrating

2011-03-23T09:14:00.000-04:00

Last week I celebrated my birthday by working on this block and

with roses from my husband

and with this package from my friend Corrine that included

wonderful things to play with! Many thanks Corrine!

rhythm

2011-03-21T17:04:00.000-04:00

This week's inchie has a fiber base and is embellished with beads and wire.

"Everything has rhythm, everything dances." ~ Maya Angelou

"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony." ~ Thomas Merton

"Now this is very profound, what rhythm is, and goes far deeper than words. A sight, an emotion, creates this wave in the mind, long before it makes words to fit it . . ." ~ Virginia Woolf

tactile history

2011-03-14T14:03:00.001-04:00

Diane Savona refers to her art as "bricolage, a technique that makes creative use of whatever materials are available regardless of their original purpose." She "uses salvaged cloth and garments, domestic found objects and intense hand stitching to construct fossil specimens that present textiles in an archaeological context."

I don't know how I missed learning about her before but she certainly accomplishes what I sometimes strive to do.

endless mountains

2011-03-14T05:27:00.001-04:00

Endless is the word for this week's Every Inchie Monday challenge and for some reason I thought about endless mountains. Having grown up in the Roanoke Valley, I have many fond memories of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

flower show inspiration

2011-03-08T19:53:00.000-05:00

It's still cold here but at the Philadelphia Flower Show it's Springtime in Paris.

dance

2011-03-07T01:47:00.001-05:00

"If you danced from midnight
to six A.M. who would understand?"

from the poem "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" by Anne Sexton

This week's word for Every Inchie Monday is dance.

I don't imagine this is what their dancing slippers might have looked like but this does like something a princess might wear.

This inchie is comprised of muslin, lace and tulle, none of which are visible since I decided to add beads.

conventions

2011-03-05T10:27:00.002-05:00

You may notice a pin in the top left corner of this block. There were a couple of conventions I adopted for myself early in my quiltmaking and this is one of them. This is code to myself for the orientation of the block.

The other day I was fascinated by the shadows of the lattice fence and gate when I went outside to make sure my Erosion Bundle was still there. (It is.)

"Be happy for this moment.
This moment is your life."
~Omar Khayyam

Barbara's New Blog Pinelands Treasures

2011-03-04T08:56:00.003-05:00

Poof! It disappeared! Barbara deleted her gmail account and her entire blog Pinelands Patches Beadscapes and Spirit Dolls disappeared. So for anyone who followed her blog, she has now created a new blog called Pinelands Treasures. She'll be posting photos of her beautiful Spirit Dolls.

thread and beads and lace

2011-02-28T13:52:00.001-05:00

This picture is still flipped but you can generally get the idea. All but a couple of the blocks have gone through one round of embellishing with embroidery. Some have beads and/or lace.

frolic

2011-02-28T01:45:00.001-05:00

The word for this week's Every Inchie Monday challenge is frolic. According to The Free Dictionary the definition of frolic is
n.

1. Gaiety; merriment: fun and frolic.

2. A gay, carefree time.

3. A playful antic.

intr.v. frol·icked, frol·ick·ing, frol·ics

1. To behave playfully and uninhibitedly; romp.

2. To engage in merrymaking, joking, or teasing.

adj. Archaic Merry.
My original intention was to make this inchie out of fiber but instead I ended up using a copy of Victorian scrap mounted on a paint chip and embellished with bits of lace. This copyright free image is from Penny Plain Scraps.

lucky

2011-02-27T13:35:00.000-05:00

None of the photos I've taken do her any justice at all. Her name is Amaia and I am the lucky recipient of her from Joanne! She is exquisitely detailed and incredibly gorgeous. According to her tag, "Amaia is a sturdy Basque mountain nymph, ready to lead you on any path you set out on. She is a bold guide and a trusted companion." I am so lucky to have her for my companion!

Joanne included this lovely card that is also a piece of artwork in itself. I'm trying to decide whether to frame it or to use it as the cover for a journal I'm creating to use for collecting and consolidating my little scraps of paper with sketches and ideas.

Thank you Joanne for your kindness and generosity!

another block

2011-02-23T10:46:00.002-05:00

This is the fun part. I continue to skip around, trying to balance the types of embellishments among all of the blocks.

secret ingredient

2011-02-21T15:17:00.000-05:00

Tim Holtz or Industrial Chic? Usually I mix them together but this happens to only have the Tim Holtz "secret" key. You would think I wouldn't need to buy new keys when I already have a few vintage ones, but these were just so appealing.

cosmic

2011-02-21T01:53:00.002-05:00

is the word for this week's Every Inchie Monday challenge.
The definition "of, relating to, or concerned with abstract spiritual or metaphysical ideas" from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cosmic is the one I chose for this interpretation, focusing on abstract. This inchie is comprised of woven fiber strips and is beaded.

block by block

2011-02-19T13:57:00.000-05:00

the embellishing continues on this everything but the kitchen sink crazy kind of quilt.

some prints

2011-02-18T14:19:00.000-05:00

made during a recent Lunch and Learn

may become

pages in a journal

or cut into strips to make bookmarks

since you asked

2011-02-18T09:59:00.001-05:00

There were a couple of questions about the little log cabin quilt I recently added to my sidebar. I completed it several years ago and it was one of my first attempts at free-hand cutting and sewing, no measuring, just cutting light and dark strips and sewing them by hand (of course) around the red "chimney" that makes up the center of the block.

It's a little wonky, not perfect. It's also small, about the size of a placemat. It may be hard to tell but in the top photo it's shown placed on a small stool.

flurries

2011-02-14T10:11:00.000-05:00

It's nice when

you meet a goal

of finishing up a small project over the weekend.

A flurry of stitching during a couple of days with bursts of snow flurries without additional accumulation.

something fishy

2011-02-14T00:22:00.001-05:00

The word for this week's Every Inchie Monday challenge is fishy. My inchie for this week was inspired by Low Tide and incorporated some of the leftover materials including blueberry and coffee stained cheesecloth and cotton strips. Other fibers include two different yarns, one of which is a Japanese silk, wool and angora mix.

The 'fish' are scrapbook components from the "Little Hopes" workshop held last year.

Art Journey Blog Giveaway

2011-02-11T11:05:00.001-05:00

I can't believe I won this and I can't believe it's here already! This lovely little punchneedle bag arrived from Penny for her Art Journey Blog Giveaway, overflowing with chocolates, beautifully wrapped, and accompanied by a Valentine.

I briefly considered waiting until Monday to open it, but only briefly.

Many thanks, Penny!

studio views

2011-02-11T11:05:00.000-05:00

I've been putting a few things away and took a few more photos of my studio. It's hard to tell from the photo but these are the two heart-shaped rocks I came across on a path last year.

I still need to make a decision as to what to name her.

Wish Upon A Quilt

2011-02-10T10:01:00.000-05:00

Last fall when I participated in Amy's Bloggers' Quilt Festival, I won a $10 gift certificate from Wish Upon A Quilt. Finally I made my selection which was a scrap bag since I love to work small and with a variety of fabrics. I'm looking forward to using this stash builder of stripes. Thanks Cathy and Amy!

inspired by jude

2011-02-08T10:49:00.000-05:00

This little traveling piece was inspired by jude and is an experiment for me in the use and placement of solid colors and fabrics I don't normally use. Currently basted, it will also be an experiment in stitching.
Why is it called a traveling piece? Because all of the placement and basting was done while riding in a car and with the intention of having a small transportable stitching project.

in the process

2011-02-07T08:37:00.002-05:00

of embellishing the squares that make up the project on my design wall here. I did start with the block I intended to start with but I've been skipping around to try to get a good balance of thread colors and embellishments throughout the quilt.
This was my least favorite block and now it's my favorite.

electrifying

2011-02-07T02:00:00.002-05:00

is the word for this week's Every Inchie Monday. This one is made of fabric and beads.
Maybe the word for this week should have been maudlin because that's how I feel. Six years ago today I lost my oldest daughter.

snowed in

2011-02-05T15:28:00.001-05:00

and remembering the warmer days of summer solstice and low tide

fiber heart collage

2011-02-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

Here it is in its unembellished state. I always enjoy projects with hearts, particularly this time of year. Last year I made a collection of several flat or slightly stuffed hearts.

This year I started out with a rectangle of blue linen from a skirt and stitched down some hearts, lace and stamped vintage fabric pieces.

My plan is to stay with the blue and white theme using thread and buttons and whatever else might catch my eye.

I've also been enjoying hearts made others including these by:

A bracelet from last year's heart projects:

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." ~ Carl Jung

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." ~ William Wordsworth

art therapy

2011-02-03T16:17:00.000-05:00

At today's Lunch and Learn we made valentines.

It was fun decorating them inside and out.

This month's facilitator was an art therapist who encouraged us to channel our inner child and to just have fun.

on my design wall

2011-01-31T13:53:00.001-05:00

today. I spent the weekend arranging and rearranging the blocks. They may or may not stay in this arrangement since before I start sewing them together I plan to embellish them.

I'll start with this one.

My erosion bundle is still there but you can barely see it since it's covered with snow. It's across from the birdfeeder, hanging from a hook on the woodshed.

mirthful inchie

2011-01-31T01:42:00.001-05:00

The word for this week's Every Inchie Monday challenge is mirthful. This fiber inchie is made from mottled yellow cotton fabric, a bit of lace, a rose cut out from another piece of fabric, and an overlay of fine slightly sparkly netting. It's embellished with beads and a bird charm.

"The kiss of sun for pardon. The song of the birds for mirth. One is nearer God's Heart in a garden Than anywhere else on earth." ~ Dorothy Frances Gurney

collection of hearts

2011-01-26T12:08:00.000-05:00

from last year. It looks like there may be a couple of candidates for transforming into focals for necklaces.

quietly remembering

2011-01-26T10:51:00.000-05:00

It is steadily snowing. At first it was lightly and sparingly sprinkling outside but it is now coming down harder. This is a heavy snow and our street has not yet been plowed.

But inside I have plenty of beads and wire and fabric and thread. Twenty-six years ago it was snowing, too.

frozen

2011-01-24T09:10:00.001-05:00

The name Frozen Pond so aptly suggested by Corrine still holds.

I'm reconsidering my original intent to make 25 blocks. Currently there are 6 blocks, not counting a seventh that has mysteriously disappeared. Now I'm thinking of other possibilities such as 8 blocks placed in rows of two by four, creating a longish cloth. Or maybe a square of a total of 9 blocks, 3 by 3. Still creating them and playing with the possibilities.

In the meantime

it's still frozen outside

on the outside, looking in

on the inside, looking out

maudlin monday

2011-01-24T04:11:00.001-05:00

Not really. But the word for this week's Every Inchie Monday challenge is maudlin. This has been the most difficult one to conceptualize so far.

From http://wordsmith.org/words/maudlin.html

"After Mary Magdalene, a Biblical character who was a follower of Jesus. In medieval art she was depicted as a penitent weeping for her sins (she washed the feet of Jesus with her tears) and her name became synonymous with tearful sentimentality.

The name Magdalene means "of Magdala" in Greek and is derived after a town on the Sea of Galilee. The name Magdala, in turn, means tower in Aramaic. So here we have a word coined after a person, who was named after a place, which was named after a thing."

This inchie features Titian's painting of Mary Magdalene and a photo of a sign for a place called Maudlin, which I believe is in England. The images were digitally altered, printed out onto paper, and mounted on a paint chip.

an unintentional addition

2011-01-22T14:33:00.000-05:00

may become a permanent one. Loosely intended to be a modern version of a crazy quilt, each improvisational square was created using a stitch and flip foundation piecing technique. I used the brightest colors in my stash and then embellished the top with beads. A doily ended up on top of it when I was moving some projects around, and I'm considering incorporating it.

inside the studio and out

2011-01-20T16:02:00.001-05:00

trio of dolls looking out over the room

inside: some views inside my "studio"

flour sack, doilies and crocheted goods

miniature perfume bottles purchased as a collection, keys, tins

outside: a recent sunset as seen from my kitchen door

something from last year

2011-01-17T16:41:00.000-05:00

While gathering fabrics for the contents for this year's Erosion Bundle project I came across a little quilt I had made from some of last year's bundle materials. It was with the leftover materials and was totally forgotten. I thought about adding it to this year's bundle, which is why it's photographed the way it is, but changed my mind.

caring

2011-01-17T03:30:00.001-05:00

is the word for this week's Every Inchie Monday challenge.

This fiber inchie features a heart created by cutting the shape from the top muslin layer to expose the red velvet middle layer. It is further embellished with white and clear beads. Sides of the inchie were deliberately fringed.

Erosion Bundle Project 2011

2011-01-16T15:24:00.003-05:00

In addition to Every Inchie Monday, Kris Henderson is again hosting the Erosion Bundle Project. The idea is to create an artistic bundle from one's choice of materials and then "hang, bury, submerge, or just place" it outside in the elements as a collaboration with Mother Nature.

The contents of my bundle include cloth and paper doilies,

bits and pieces of a variety of papers,

and an assortment of fabrics . . . cotton, silk, vintage and new, and a couple of pieces that were leftover from last year's project . . . they get to have a second time around.

Other additions include . . .

some dried poinsettia leaves,

rose petals and a marigold head,

some rusty things,

pinecones, a pod and cinnamon stick,

some frozen berries

defrosted,

and fresh cranberries.

The fabrics were rolled around the rusty things and bundled together with a sprinkling of leaves and berries with the other items tucked among them.

Everything was wrapped in a vintage napkin and then encased in a mesh bag that formerly contained limes. It's hanging from a hook on the side of our woodshed in the backyard.

the game of love

2011-01-13T14:15:00.000-05:00

I've long made quilts and small fiber pieces and years ago I made heart brooches from vintage fabrics. For a while I added ribbons to them, making necklaces for my daughters.

Lately I've been enjoying making necklaces. Recently I was inspired by some work by Nina Bagley that has inspired me to combine both the fiber work and necklace making.

After making the fiber heart and starting to assemble the necklace, I realized many of the additions were game pieces, including several Industrial Chic and scrapbook components, hence, the name for the necklace, "the game of love."

journal mining

2011-01-12T13:38:00.001-05:00

While I'm a few steps closer to what I'm intending to do with this,

mostly I've been busy taking care of Mollie who has been sick.

Dalla tries to help.

In the meantime I've been going through years and years of old journals, notebooks, really. Some are bound but most are collections of half-sheets of paper punched with a single hole-punch and held together with a ring. At various times some of them have been in 3-ring binders and organized according to subject matter.

Some are notes taken at meetings from when I was a librarian.

Some are to do lists and range from as far back as when my children were small.

Many of them are small collections of quotes and these are what I've been mining.

"Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it." ~ Rabindranath Tagore

powerful

2011-01-10T01:31:00.001-05:00

The word for this week's Every Inchie Monday is powerful. This inchie represents "the power of gold" and is comprised of slivers of gold fabrics, paper, gold threads and beads and mesh, all attached to a red paint sample chip.

heart in progress

2011-01-09T14:27:00.000-05:00

front

back

This is a small fiber heart work in progress. Intended to be a part of a larger piece, we'll see how it goes.

winter wonderland

2011-01-09T13:21:00.003-05:00

This fiber holiday greeting card is a lovely surprise I received yesterday from my friend Nina Lise.

We've also had a little snow here, just enough to make it festive.

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
- Anais Nin

needle pulling thread

2011-01-03T13:07:00.004-05:00

Recently I received this winning from a drawing held by Dale Anne Potter. A Needle Pulling Thread is a Canadian publication featuring needle arts. Her article "Wrapping Up Memories" (featured on the cover) looks like a great project and she even included a CD tin. I'm looking forward to trying this out! Thanks, Dale Anne!

eclectic inchie

2011-01-03T12:44:00.000-05:00

Eclectic is the word for this week's Every Inchie Monday. Challenging is the word for how difficult it is (for me, anyway)to photograph something so small.

happy new year

2010-12-31T12:25:00.002-05:00

revisiting white

2010-12-27T11:52:00.000-05:00

snow as the inspiration for

returning to working on

some white and peaceful pieces

2010-12-24T17:08:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

the reveal

2010-12-17T02:32:00.001-05:00

Today is the reveal date for Lorelei's current Michael's Reader Challenge! The challenge was to buy the beads pictured in her post at Michaels and create a necklace, using your own stash to supplement two extra types of beads, a clasp and a focal.

I wasn't able to find the mother of pearl faceted beads and substituted a white nebula. The focal is a skeleton key I found packaged as "Santa's Key" at a craft show. The clasp is a toggle with a dangling sparkly heart.

Check out the other participants:

http://silverrosedesigns.blogspot.com

http://blog.elysianstudiosart.com/

http://threeredbeads.blogspot.com/

http://starcitystory.blogspot.com/

http://erinsiegeljewelry.blogspot.com/

http://www.thistlefarmarts.blogspot.com/

http://therabbitmuse.blogspot.com/

http://lindalandig.wordpress.com/

http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/

http://rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com/

http://jenjuddrocks.blogspot.com/

http://formysweetdaughter.blogspot.com/

http://www.mylifeunderthebus.typepad.com/

http://deborahmpurdy.blogspot.com/

http://beadhappytoday.blogspot.com/

http://pinkicejewels.blogspot.com/

http://craftyhope.blogspot.com/

http://gr8findings.wordpress.com/

http://tropicbeads.blogspot.com/

http://melissaruth.com/blog/

http://maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com/

http://beautifullybrokenme.blogspot.com/

a tree as story

2010-12-15T18:32:00.001-05:00

ornaments from Paris

The first Christmas we were married, we bought a single Christmas ornament and decorated the tree with popcorn and cranberry garlands and other homemade decorations including salt dough and paper ornaments.

Early in our marriage during our first, and very brief, visit to Paris we bought these ornaments.

ornament from Paris

2010

For thirty years now we've added to the collection, at first one or two at a tine, then as a family each of the four of us would select an ornament, usually at Chrismastime and occasionally on summer vacations. Although we are now only a family of three, our tree still tells a story through the ornaments selected and made by a family with two little girls. The decorations represent and are comprised of school pictures, musical instruments, fluffy pink birds, dancing shoes, and small toys. In recent years we've also added the ornaments that used to hang from the trees decorated by my husband's parents.

It's just a tree but each ornament tells a story.

every inchie monday

2010-12-09T22:21:00.002-05:00

These green inchies were made by Kris of Erosion Bundles fame whose project for 2011 is Every Inchie Monday. This is a weekly challenge for interpreting the Inchie Word of the Week by creating one square inch of art with anything on it.

Beginning on January 3, 2011.

One inch of art a week.

This sounds like a commitment I can make.

I've made inchies before but I like the idea of experimenting with different techniques, adhering to a schedule, and the exercise of working within the parameters of the weekly words.

an inside flurry

2010-12-09T10:15:00.000-05:00

of household tasks, and we haven't even yet gotten to the inside decorating for Christmas.

We've been painting, re-hanging stained glass, hanging new art work, clearing out clutter to make room for houseguests over the holidays.

"We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves." ~ Dalai Lama

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." ~ Jimi Hendrix

With red walls in the living room, though, in a way it looks like Christmas all year round.

sometimes there is ice

2010-12-07T16:52:00.000-05:00

I often start projects with specific fabrics and colors in mind, although not necessarily with a specific theme or direction in mind. For this little quilt, I've cut out 25 background squares, selected the fabrics and have a general pattern in mind.

So far I've completed 4 of the squares and this is one possible arrangement. They won't be permanently arranged until I've finished all of the squares.

I love Corrine's interpretation of one of these blocks featured a couple of posts ago of ice in a frozen pond "with leaves and such trapped in the layers."

This morning I took some photographs of the ice in our little backyard pond.

Now I'm thinking that the white nebula I'm using for Lorlei's second Michael's challenge looks a little bit like ice.