Do We Got Any Cloth in the HOOOUUUUSE?!!

AKA:
Building a Wall

Last weekend I went with a dear friend to the local Quilt Show.

I haven't been to one in years and years, but thought

some fun and friendship was in order.

So off we went, to look.

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*AS ALWAYS - CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE*

 

Ode to Obama!  Yay!

Made me think of my Moon Lovin' Friends!

The venue was not great for photos, but I took some anyway.

There were a few quilts I liked for one reason or another.

What was so interesting to me, was that I fell in love with nothing, 

did not want to purchase anything from the quilters/vendors and

I had no regrets about the two large tubs of fabric 

I donated to Project Linus during the frantic move.

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Also over the past few weeks,

I've been hanging the beautiful clothwork of myself or ragmates 
or purchased by loved ones.

It has been a semi-slow process, filled with consideration.

In the bedroom, my La Conchita quilt, of long ago.

Wall hanging gift for us, from my mama

Every time I gaze upon these old favorites, newly hanging,
I feel proud.  I feel loved.  
I am so grateful.

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Interesting fabric choices, a different kind of 'home'.

Frida seems to be more and more popular!

This cityscape had me thinking about Dee and her 'home' themed cloth.  I was intrigued by the choice of ethnic looking fabric for a city looking scene.
The Frida cloth caught my eye because she seems to be everywhere these days.
Whenever I see Frida art, I take a photograph.
I have a tiny collection going ☺

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Dee by the living room keyboard!

Saskia in the bedroom

J. chose this piece of Dee's to hang in the living room,
as he likes the brighter colors.  
I like sitting on my side of the couch looking at the moon,
as we can't see it easily at our new place.
Dee's other piece, gifted by my son and wife, 
hangs from books on the bedroom bookcase.
Her pieces are a slice of home! 
This Saskia piece was a gift and I couldn't be more glad that it came to me!
I am especially happy that this one includes her weaving as well ☺

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Perfection

Tiny

 This quilt sadly suffers from the poor light situation.
It was gorgeous, deep forest colors, tiny patches surrounded by ferns!
The colors here were so deep and rich!
I was thinking of Valerianna and her home in the woods ☺

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Left side of door: LOVE

Right side of door: More LOVE!

 These cloths, framing the door, are filled with so much love!
On the left: My own love in the piece I made for Mo's: 
"I Dream of a World Where Love is the Answer" 
(middle cloth) is back home. 
The lace remains safely tucked between the layers for now.  I may stitch it there.
The white wrapped twig hangs from a bit of the 'magic' thread from Jude.
I plan to stitch the blue wrapped twig to the top edge.
I won the top 'hearts' cloth from Jude waaaay back when!
It is feather light and filled with love and her special magic!
They both hang from an antique 'corn dryer' which was a wedding gift back in 1979!
Over the years since, it hung in my kitchens and held either mini-Indian corn cobs
or gorgeous, artistic, handmade wood spoons.
Now, it hangs her in its reincarnation of usefulness ☺
 The bottom cloth, is one I bought from Grace and it holds 
her love of her New Mexico land and her goats and more.
 The right side: There are three special cloths grouped together with things we wear.
On the top is a feather cloth from back in "The Magic Feather Project" days.
The lightness of the blues and feather remind me to float!
The bottom dark blues and weaving cloth of Jude's is rich and deep of color and memories.
It reminds me of her blog banner in the days of when I first entered the 
Spirit Cloth World.  I'm so lucky to have found her space, this community.
Words do not express.
I even bought some wooden push pins, pinning it up a la Jude style!
The little, long cloth was given to me by Els.
Its tiny stitches and artistically arranged flower-work 
speak of her love of detail and big heart! 
Els and her felt-work, fundraising work and painting...
so much talent!
I keep a sewn feather pin of Els' with me in my car, hanging near Liz's peace pin.
It's good to have companions to travel with!

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Long cloths

Back of long cloths

This is the first one that caught my eye.
It was too high to read the tag or see the fabrics well,
but I believe there was an Asian influence.
I just thought, what a great way to use up scraps!
And again, I was not sorry that I no longer have these types of scraps, not that I can recall!

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Tree! - Click on photo since it is so bad! I may have to edit this one!

"Dancing Men"

Also hanging: We hung J.'s tree photo(s) in the living room where we can finally look at it daily!  Hanging it in my old studio didn't allow for that.  
He did a great job of building a tree ☺
The "dancing men" (and women) came from an art fair I attended years ago with my mom.
It is made from banana leaves.  This weird place between the kitchen and living room 
is the perfect place as the ceiling fan helps them dance!!
The small women figures with the tiny brooms represent a special dance where they sweep away evil spirits!  Who couldn't use that kind of help, right?!
They bring me so much joy!

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Weavings among the quilts

More weavings

 I especially liked the native weavings and would be content
to have one of them on my walls!
Are you fond of these?
Which one do you like best?
As my friend and I strolled around, I ran into another old friend!
We spent a log time standing in the shade of an
African Woven Basket (the kind Grace uses) vendor.
I hadn't seen her in years, but think of her often!
A lunch out topped off a perfectly lovely time!

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This one waits for its strap

New on the loom

 I'll leave you with my own current handiwork.
The top weaving is almost completely done, 
I just have to add the finger-crocheted strap and it will be getting mailed out.

The bottom one, I am experimenting with a wider bag.
It's hard to tell, but it is about 3-4 warp threads wider.
Yesterday in between the muddy white and the almost pure white,
I added some reddish for love and heart.

We need that, right?
Thanks for coming along with me.
This is as much a recording so I can remember 
as it is a sharing. Ha.
However, I can tell you,
it sure feels good to be surrounded 
by cloth and friends again.

Photographs by NAE ©2019 

Rhythms of Life

                                                                                   FOLI (there is no movement without rhythm) original version by Thomas Roebers and Floris Leeuwenberg

 Movement with Rhythm

Rhythm with Feelings

Movement ~ Rhythm ~ Feelings

Life

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I thought I'd shared this here, maybe yes or no.

Maybe it was on FB or sent to my Brother-in-law, who was a drummer.

Well, no matter it is here now.

Isn't it wonderful?

My own life has had its rhythms based on movements and feelings.

Ins, outs

Up, downs

Pains, contentment's

all of it.

Woosh, woosh

Jingle, jingle, jingle

giggle

Mooo, Mooo

Cough, wheeze, cough

Scritch, scratch, pick, prick

GASP

Sigh

    Sigh

          Sigh

SIGH

 Breathe

In your every breath...

every beat of your heart...

May you know love, feel love,

see beauty,

touch kindness, 

hear laughter,

smell nature

and taste the wonder that is life!

Woosh, woosh

Jingle, jingle, jingle

giggle

Mooo, Mooo

Cough, wheeze, cough
Scritch, scratch, pick, prick

 GASP

Sigh

    Sigh

          Sigh

 SIGH
 Breathe

May your days be filled with the rhythms of

friendship, joy and 

Love.

xo 


Photos by NAE ©2018 ~ Central Coast, CA

It Is In The Mail

                                       "Kiss the Earth" (La Luna) by Ajeet Kaur: Live in Amsterdam from the album 'Haseya'

It is in the mail,

traveling off to Mo.

My contribution to her gathering

for her and Old Man Crow's collaborative project

"I Dream of a World Where Love is the Answer".

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It started with an idea, a drawing scribbled on the back of a bank envelope.

A single candle, smoke rising, in a flat dish with a curled circular handle.

A light lit.

I knew I'd use 'earth colored' cloths, layered.

This was the beginning.

Then I began working and things morphed, a bit.

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I stitched the outline of the heart that joined me on this journey.

It had appeared on an old self-dyed piece of cloth.

(Kind of dye = ?   Kind of cloth = ?)

Then I layered my 'earth' cloth's on the other side.

The bottom earth cloth is a piece of my grandfather's cane cover.

You met it first here.

All the rest came from the wizardly hands of Deb, the master dyer!

Her cloth is not only really something to gaze upon, but a dream to stitch.
I also used much of her threads.  Beautiful.

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 It became, on it's own and with my help, this.

My input was that I wanted it ragged, messy.

Isn't that how our world can be?

How we can be?

So, I had ripped, not cut, the added cloths.

Instead of ripping 'pennant' shaped...

they became more 'prayer flag' shaped.

A quiet, tattered prayer for our world and all who inhabit it.

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Things not added:

I never did add that candle, although I planned to for a while.

Then it felt like clutter, even though in my head it felt like 

those times where many come together for a cause or a memorial or a prayer...

and one candle is lit to light another and another and another...etc.

Even though it felt like the song "This Little Light of Mine"...

where you can add or make up your own words.

The part where so many come together to shine.

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Things not done:

I had planned to stitch the two sides together, but I didn't do that either.

I thought it better to be 'open'.

Open.

I used Jude's 'invisible baste' stitch to add my dyed cloth to the pennant and some of here magic thread as well.

The stitches mostly hidden and tucked away, leaving the heart to shine.

On the earth side, I allowed the invisible to show as I stitched each one over and over,

creating invisible baste thread beads.

I saw them as seeds.

Thread seeds.

Seeds, upon being planted, with enough care and proper conditions...grow.

Seeds...spread.

Seeds are the start to everything...food, shelter, ideas...

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Things I did end up doing:

I added a vintage and mighty awesome blue moon charm from my treasures.

I added a tiny bell, a bit green with age, to the bottom of the blue moon.

To me the bell symbolizes all of the hopes, dreams, melancholy and delight

in a world filled with people.

Bells that call one to service, to dinner, to learning.

Bells that ring out for justice, for honor, for peace.

Bells as music to our ears!

I added a typical to me braided and knotted hanger,

which Mo can alter or remove if it doesn't work for her.

I took photos in the bright light of SoCal sunshine, 

letting this cloth soak up the rosemary, aloe vera and our beautiful yellow rose

goodness that is my slice of this Beautiful Broken World. 

While I had planned for way more stitching, the cloth spoke quietly,

as is often the case for me.

It spoke in my heart as much about the people of our earth,

and my people in particular,

as it did of our earth herself.

It spoke of beautiful and messy...

light and dark...

success and room for improvement.

It spoke of all that we are and all we can be.

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I hope it speaks to the other cloths at the gathering.

I hope it speaks to you as well. 

xo

Photos by NAE ©2018

Jai Jagdeesh - In Dreams ~ I Dream of a World Where Love is the Answer

   

This was posted on FB last night.  It brought me to my knees.
The beauty of it.
The pain of it.

Today, I finally began my stitching for
Mo and Old Man Crow's collaborative project:
"I Dream of a World Where Love is the Answer".

I will write about this piece and the surprising, serendipitous way it is moving thus far.
But for tonight, I will show you all what showed up in cloth, in dreams.

Do you see it?
Do you see the heart?
Do you feel the love?

Love.

      I'll write more soon.
May your surprises be delightful and filled with Love.

xo
       Photos by NAE ©2018