Next in the Mail

These two will be heading off in the mail next week.  They are my contribution to

The 70273 Project

Please head over to the link and check out the pages of information.  You may be inspired to make two X's of your own.

X's

I made the bottom one first, using the removable cross stitch fabric.  I chose this method because I like cross-stitch and this was a way to put it here on the muslin.  Plus if you imagine a couple of O's with them...well, you've got hugs and kisses!  As I worked, many thoughts floated around in my head.  I thought of many people I know/knew who may have gotten those XX's placed on their medical charts.  In thinking of them, I considered how many lives they would touch.  How each person deemed not worthy of living was loved by many.  Many little X's make up the bigger ones.  Every life touches another.  Every life is made up of many who love that person deeply.  As in other projects, I wrapped the XX's in the blanket stitch, my symbol for a loving hug and sense of security.

finger paint XX's

The second set I made was created using what I think of as my finger paint fabric.  Bought on a road trip in 2010, one in a set of many colors, it has always reminded me of the finger paint art of young children.  I've known many children over the years, children who may have had XX's at the bottom of their medical records.  The red here touches my heart.  The marks that look like finger painting led me to reflect on the idea that fingers have a fingerprint.  Each one of us, as  individuals with our own unique fingerprints.  Each of us with our own strengths and weaknesses.  each of us whole in some ways and broken in others.  Each of us worthy of our lives.

I used this same red fingerprint/paint cloth on my contribution to the Hearts for Charleston project (follow the link on the labels of this post).  This fabric runs deep.

I'm posting this on a day when the youth in our country came together to inspire all of us in the world.  The youth that used words and their power to shine, for us all.

Because we all deserve this life.

May you find love, meaning and compassion in your days.  May you shine.  May you thrive.

xoSage

Photos by NAE ©2018

THE BINDING IS MADE

After I completed my block for Dee's Hearts for Charleston. 

I was quickly onto the next cloth project to be donated to a special event.

My son requested I create a special binding (AKA cording or ribbon) for the upcoming handfasting ceremony at his wedding in the beautiful Adirondack's.
I did a quick Google search to learn a bit about exactly what this cording & ceremony was...
and then basically did my own thing as I knew that is what they were doing!
My impression was that this was to symbolize a coming together, a binding together as I'd seen done with the pouring of separate vessels of sand into one or the lighting of one candle from two.  At this point in time, I had no idea how unique their ceremony would be.
I just knew I was invited to be a part of it in this way and was so honored to do so!

Later when more photographs have been organized, I'll try to share a few.
For now I'll just say they were barefoot at the lake's edge and along with the handfasting,
swords were exchanged!

Gorgeous and so soft

 I began with a gift from my pal Deb over at Random Acts of Dyeness...
beautiful, super soft dyed cloth.
I knew I wanted to use some of Deb's cloth as this binding needed to drape or wrap around their wrists five times, so I wanted it to be soft and flexible.

I chose 4 of the colors she'd gifted me with to represent the four seasons.

Fall and Summer

Winter meets Spring

Spring, Summer and Winter (peeking) ~ with Earth on the back

 I interlocked the seasons.
Blue = Winter
Pinkish = Spring
Green = Summer
White with Yellow Specks = Fall

I did two similar colors of "people colors" (tan) in a running stitch all the way down the length of it...that was 6 feet long!  This symbolizes the two of them on their journey through the seasons, year after year, after year.

The backing is a beautiful rusty earth linen, bought in 2010 in Wyoming on our 'big road trip'.  It too is super soft.  It symbolizes the natural world, which is so important to them.

I used a deep red and the good old blanket stitch to wrap them in love!
Yes, again with the blanket stitch!

Two Hearts

I put two hearts on the back of winter, which if I am correct is when they began.
They are made out of the cover from my grandfather's cane.  Some of you may remember that from a long time back.

Crocheted Trim

I added some trim made by either my daddy's grandmother or great-grandmother (I can't recall).  I tea dyed it a while back.  I have a whole roll of this trim!  I wanted to add a finishing touch and a bit of weight so the binding would hang well.

Trim

Last, I added some of the some deep red to hang down in the breeze!
I had planned on adding some special family charms and trinkets, but as I mentioned in my previous post, searching for them in my mess of a studio did not reveal them.  Additionally, the special items the Bride's Mama sent me got lost in the mail, only to land on my doorstep upon my return from the East!  It seems the universe had other plans for this project.
I placed the whole long binding into a small golden box that belonged to my mother as a  child.  I included the "Marriage Box" quote I'd recently seen floating around the Internet.

Most people get married believing a myth that marriage

is beautiful box full of all the things they have longed for;

Companionship, intimacy, friendship etc.

The truth is, that marriage at the start is an empty box,

you must put something in before you can take anything out.

There is no love in marriage, love is in people,

and people put love in marriage. There is no romance in marriage,

you have to infuse it into your marriage.

A couple must learn the art, and form the habit of

giving, loving, serving, praising, of keeping the box full.

If you take out more than you put in, the box will be empty.

~Unknown

For C&C

 It was such an honor to create this cloth for the bride and groom filled with symbolism, family history and gestures of love.  Seeing it as a part of the wedding ceremony was pure pleasure.

Beginning

The binding is wrapped around their wrists

 After each wrapping...
the crowd is prompted to chant...

May you two enjoy many, many years together,
bound together in all all of the ways important to you!

Created with love and family history

With Love.
Ma

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2015

Hearts For Charleston

My Hearts for Charleston quilt block has been sent and received!

I am incredibly happy to be able to say that.

For one reason, I ran pretty close to Dee's deadline, as my usual way.

 But, mostly because I am so immensely  honored  to be a part of this amazing group.

If you've been looking at Dee's Hearts for Charleston posts as I have been, I'm sure you'll agree that this is one group of talented ladies.

I'm practically surprised to be among them.

Beginning ripples

 After completing the weaving and tacking down lots with Jude's invisible baste, I added the heart.  The finger paint fabric, in red, was used to symbolize Cynthia's beautiful uniqueness...to represent her, as individual as her fingerprint.

 I wrapped her heart in a blanket stitch to symbolize the loving care she gave to all of the patrons of the library...

to symbolize the love she gave to her friends, family and church community...

to symbolize the love those who knew her gave back to her...

to symbolize the loving care we should all give to each other...to symbolize the loving care that, because of this tragedy, is being shared with Cynthia's family.

A good blanket stitch can say all of that. 

Finger paint - Finger print Heart

 I next began the ripples I had envisioned.  The ripples grew and grew and grew.

They began close to the heart in red to symbolize both the love 

Cynthia shared and the love sent back to her.

They began as a heart shape.

Hugging close in.

As they radiated outward/inward, the heart shape morphed into a lumpy circle.

Years from now, way out in the edges of the ripple...

may Cynthia be remembered well.

The stitches turned blue to represent the community.

The community who knew her.

The community who loved her.

The community who only got to know her because of her untimely passing.

The community surrounding her, holding her in light and strength.

There are a lot of stitches.

In honor of Cynthia Hurd

Ready to fly

 I love seeing that left-over collar piece in there.

It makes me feel so connected.

I still can't completely recall if the shirt was my mom's or my dad's.

If it was my mom's, it works for all of the reasons I mentioned in a previous post.

If it was my dad's, then it's just pretty darn funny because he rarely read more than select sections of the LA Times and had a fondness for mispronouncing the word "library".

So, that works too (in my opinion).

Light

My not so tight weaving made me think 

of this favorite quote by Leonard Cohen.

 "Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in."

My weaving is not perfect.

This life is not perfect.

This world is not perfect.

But, it is beautiful.

Really beautiful and strong enough.

Stitches & Braids

 The button that was easily seen in previous posts holds eight braids to symbolize the other 8 lives lived and taken that day.

I considered tacking them down in a variety of placements.  Instead I left them loose, able to fly...able to be handled (if possible).

As I braided the eight, I considered the Black Lives Matter movement and I hoped these could be used as a physical source for comfort for those remembering 

Cynthia and the others...

for those deeply troubled by the current state of affairs.

It is comforting to hold them.

Trimmed

 When I trimmed it up, it became a bit wonky with very uneven squares.

When Dee goes to add it to the others, some of the outer stitches may disappear.

I kind of like that though.

I like that the love will radiate out into an unlimited future.

It may seem to fade...or disappear.

But we know that it will still be there.

This time

This person

...will not be forgotten.

Glowing

 This cloth is thick in your hands.

It is sturdy.  Dependable.

I like that.  From what I read about Cynthia, it feels fitting.

The back

 I always love the back as much as the front.

No more needs to be said.

Look at those stitches...

you could get lost in them.

They hold you.

They send you.

They travel.

Looking over the landscape

 In considering how I would sign or label my block, 

I knew I'd include my usual signature.  This is the one used on over 100 Christmas stockings and all cloth work since the mid-1990's.  My initials and the year.  Simple.

A dear friend once told me, "I have an one of the first NAE's".

What a touching thing to hear.

I also knew there is no way I'd have time to make a beautiful label, 

even if I wanted to.

So, my label became another often used technique of mine...

just write right on it by golly!

I thought this felt fitting too, what with the whole previously mentioned 

'words' thing!  I liked writing my words on this words fabric.

My typical signature tucked into the heart, "NAE '15"

 My label reads: "Memory - Love radiates - Leaving ripples

Nancy A. Erisman August 2015"

It's simple and says it all, just like this block.

"In memory - Love radiates - Leaving ripples"

Love radiates.

Love ripples.

Love heals.

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2015

What About the Words?

This truly is SLOW going!  I woke up this morning and remembered the words.
How could I forget or not include the words fabric?
On Cynthia Hurd's end of this, she worked in a library...a place Filled with words and ideas!
On my end of things...I come from words.  My mama taught English, sold children's books, made up new song lyrics in many arenas...she read, she wrote lesson plans and generally embraced words her whole life.
I am cut from her cloth!  I have continued each of those traditions she began in my childhood. I read, write,make up new song lyrics with infants and young toddlers.  I even make up words now and then!

So, a few cuts and slips later...there are words.  There is also more light and I like that.

I need to finalize my decisions here so I can pin and stitch before the work week begins.
My current consideration is the balance of books to words (there are more words right now) and the random placement (which I pretty much like as is).

I should add that what is seen in the top photo is the all of it and it is bigger than Dee requested, to leave extra room for error!  Dee, you can cut off what you don't need and adjust as needed.  I've tried to keep the placement of the books/words/denim cloths with-in the 10 inch square.

Just goin,
Nancy

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2015

Moving Forward

...I was going to do a full post, with lots of photos.  But, not tonight.
I will tell you that yesterday, we had another small fire close by and two large fires not close.
But...TODAY IT RAINED...A LOT!!!!

OK, so just this for now.  The cloth is woven and ready for the next step, invisible baste.  I wanted to have that done tonight, but I needed to look at it a bit more before locking into this lay out.

Excuse the poor lighting in this photo...I was in a hurry!  You can click on it to enlarge.

I pretty much like it as is.  I'll finish 'looking' tomorrow.
Goodnight, Nancy

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2015

Ready, Set, Post

OK, so I sense all my posts will be slap-dash.  Quickies, if you will.

I'm having a slow start, which is typical for me.  I always seem to start feeling like I have No Ideas.  Then I get going.

Last night I worked the late shift (tonight too). so I didn't get home til 8PM.

But, I accomplished some things:  I found my pins, which I'd been looking for for two days!  I also cut some strips (after finding my rotary cutter) and played with layout.

After Dee's comment about the finger paint fabric, I remembered I had it in red too.  I thought that may make a good heart.  I considered heart fabrics.

I auditioned backing fabrics.

I cut the bottom off the denim shirt.

I remembered I had burlap and considered that.

Backing?

The cloth at the top is a dyed flat-fold cloth diaper.  Mmmm...
I like the words one a lot too.  Mmmm...

Hearts?

Playing

Dee's comment on the finger paint fabric got me to thinking about fingerprints, so unique...the who-nees of us.
I don't think I'll use all of the choices I've pulled out.  I didn't realize I had so many blues!!
I don't want it to get too busy.

Pins

I have had this one box of pins since 1981 when I began sewing again, or for reals.  Bought 'em in Gardnerville, NV when I made a little patchwork quilt for a friends new baby.
I love the fact that this one box has served me so well, for so long.  It's all I need.


That's it for this morning.  Off to work...
Have a good day all.
Nancy

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2015

A Start with the Blues

Just starting.

A slow start, but ideas are coming.

This is a very quick post before work, so no links and please forgive any errors and such.

Colors are not true here. 

I'll come back and edit tonight.

Blues, books and words

First grabs at cloth.  The sewn blue piece at the top is 

the middle of the collar used on Els' gift.

I chose my 'books' fabric as my square will be for Cynthia Hurd, who was a librarian.

The blue grid was a gift from Peggy.

Shirt, minus the collar

I've been planning to change the hemline and this gives me a great reason to do so. 

It gives me more blues.

I really don't have much indigo around here...or much of any indigo!

Cloth from Deb

 Not real sure about these blues, but I was pulling out all of my choices to consider.

More

I remembered the 'finger paint' blue on the right in my shower last night.

I like that it has fingerprints embedded in it.

That's it for this morning.
I'll alter the post or post anew tonight.
Until then, you can head over to Dee's blog for more.

Have a good Monday, Nancy

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2015