Please Don't Feed the Bears-Arrowmont

 Last Sunday I drove up to Arrowmont for my much anticipated class with textile artist,  Helen Geglio.  The class "The Keeper's Quilt" was about using treasured textiles in a newly designed quilt.

This is my fifth visit to Arrowmont and it is something I look forward to each year.  My only disappointment year after year was never seeing first hand the much lauded black bear visit.  But during lunch one day, two bears ambled through.  They did not approach us even though we were eating about 30 to 40 yards away at the picnic tables outside.  What a treat!

The class was exactly what I hoped it would be, a relaxing yet deep dive into using old textiles and hand stitch.  Helen is a knowledgeable and generous instructor, both in sharing her design process and materials.

One of my favorite aspects of the class was seeing her work close up and working with an old quilt with fabrics from the turn of the century and the 30s and 40s.

There is a whole back story about the fictional Hesperia, the maker of the old quilt Helen brought for us to use.

The class was small, only six of us.  It was a really pleasant group of like minded people of all ages.

Helen had us do some small samplers to practice some techniques.  My first was titled "Night Watch" .

We all worked then on a primary project.  Here are some in progress shots of mine, "Three Sisters".

Here are some of the other projects from our class.

Delightful Dilemma

 Last year my annual trip to Arrowmont was canceled due to COVID.  That makes this year's trip all the more precious.  I am taking Cloth, Needle and Stitch: The Keeper's Quilt with Helen Geglio.  I have been collecting old pieces of quilts, lace and trim.  This weekend I did some natural dyeing.

Osage Orange

Logwood

It did not take long to dye my way through seven yards of linen and some commercial text print fabric.

My array of purples and gold

I also took some of the leftover dye stuff and steamed some wrapped bundles for some variations.

I threw some yarn into the pots for fun.

For the dilemma, do I approach the class with a plan...there are so many possibilities ?  Or do I pack up a bunch of odds and ends and see what happens. 

What a lovely problem to have.

I Am Too Old for Homework!

 It is Saturday night at 9:00 pm.  I just finished my quilt class homework, despite having two weeks to get it done.  We were to machine quilt our small quilts and make our bias binding.  I have been practicing free motion quilting but put off my homework until tonight.

 

My forty year old Pfaff machine is a champ and a workhouse.  The quilt class has been great fun, made even better by taking it with my friend Susan.  Cary Quilting Company has done a terrific job of making this class fun, effective and safe.  No easy task in this pandemic.  I have learned a lot from Kim.  She is a patient and flexible instructor.  Lord knows she has had to demonstrate both with me.  Apparently, I have difficulty with measuring accurately, straight lines and following directions in general.  This video shares some highlights.

I have been stitching and quilting since December and it reminds me of  learning to sew as a girl, making Barbie clothes and a truly awful purple pantsuit.  Murchel, the cat pictured was my best friend and an important part of my life from pre-school to  my first year of college.

I should probably apologize for those peeking in looking for weaving content.  The weaving muse is no where to be seen, perhaps on a long walk about.  That is partially why I haven't blogged in awhile.  Slowly hand stitching and quilting feel like coming home to myself.  Rather than stressing about the loss of weaving and knitting mojo I am just going to enjoy the learning and the making in whatever form it takes.

My Pandemic Secret Weapon- Cary Quilting

 I like many others have exhausted my usual arsenal of coping devices during this pandemic and political season.  The combination of increased work and life stress and limited opportunities to socialize and commiserate in person has been exhausting.  Top that with my long loved husband being a conservative Republican.  Oy Vey!

But this post is one of gratitude for the big and little things that get us through. Like Cary Quilting Company. As my interest in stitching developed, this store was a lovely distraction. In the worst of lockdown, you could order a bag of scraps, fat quarters or whatever and pick it up curbside.  This was such a treat to have a bag of surprises to grab and take home to play with.

Within this happy space is my primary destination.   Just digging through this bin during my lunch hour on a discouraging day at work was my remedy many days.

Scraps are sold by the ounce.  I found when too down or tired to craft, I found satisfaction just washing and ironing them.

This store has been a lifesaver for me. Both visiting and playing with my scrappy treasures.

Thankfully I  have moved beyond just ironing scraps.  The staff at the store helped me pick out fabric. I am making a quilt for Riley's birthday. 

This long ago pieced and forgotten throw has been hand quilted and bound.  Need to work on those mitered corners though.  Thank you Cary Quilting for getting this weaver through a season of despair.

 

Purposeful Play

 Dyeing is such a serendipitous activity.  I do not approach it scientifically and precisely therefore the outcomes can be wildly variable.  Indigo is a favorite and I have always great results.  Until the last vat a few weeks ago.  Not sure why but I did not get the nice swampy green and purple flower.

In an effort to revive it, I heated it to 170 degrees for 30 minutes, stirred gently and added more reducing agent, thiox.

It worked!  I combined some rust dyed linen with this revived indigo and played all Saturday afternoon.   I continue to be inspired by https://spiritcloth.typepad.com/  I followed a link on her blog and made some moons.

Lots of choices for stitching projects.  I continue to think about the role of making in my life.  How to maintain a thoughtful slow approach and not think in terms of "making art."

These hand dyed fabrics and naturally dyed threads make me happy.  As does this finished small piece below.

And enjoyed a breakfast picnic and cookie baking with my favorite turtle wrangler.

The Quilt that Saved My Life

Ouiser Boudreaux: I’m not crazy, I’ve just been a very bad mood for the last 40 years!

• Steel Magnolia

Another blog post so soon, yes!  I had an epiphany today.  If you have been following along (bless your heart)  you know I have struggling.  It feels like I've been in a bad mood for forty years or going crazy.  None of my crafting efforts were sparking joy.  Knitting, spinning, weaving and dyeing were not doing it for me.  I dove into the world of slow cloth and gratefully gobbled up blogposts new and old from Jude Hill.

This is my third slow stitch monthly journal.  I am enjoying cataloging the bright spots each month.  I already have April and May on the wall in the studio.  I am working on July now.  There were bright spots this month, fresh tomatoes from Wendy's garden, a family dinner and a long phone call with my bff.  But work is still overwhelming and news of the outside world dismal.

I want to make something beautiful, unique and meaningful.  Baby quilt, make a baby quilt a little voice inside whispered.  A blue, scrappy quilt with lots of love and hope for the future stitched in.

There is no baby needing warmth and comfort on the horizon in my life.   I will send this out into the world for a little one needing a welcome.  Thank you, Jude Hill for all the care and love you have sent out into the world.

Ragged Edges

It was not... that she was unaware of the frayed and ragged edges of life. She would merely iron them out with a firm hand and neatly hem them down.     P.D. James

Work continues to be overwhelming, the virus casts a cloud of uncertainty over every facet of our lives.  The news continues to frighten me.  Not the unrest but our government's response to it.  My natural tendency is to pull in, a turtle safely esconced in it's shell when feeling in jeopardy.   I am going to resist the pulling inward and move forward gently with myself and everyone else. 

 

The two small tapestries above were woven on the Saffron loom.  My big Mirrix is warped and ready but there is no weaving mojo to be had.  I have faith it will return.  For now, I am doing some dyeing with indigo, rust and brazilwood and exploring slow stitch.

Indigo and Rust

 

Brazilwood on linen

Indigo and Rust

I am toying with the idea of embroidery on this...

What a tool!

Do You Know What Love Is?

The month of May has been challenging for oh so many reasons.  At the beginning of the month I felt really lost.  Unable to find joy in my usual distractions of spinning and tapestry weaving.  Needing an outlet, I started exploring slow stitching.  I found the blog of Claire Wellesley Smith and purchased her book Slow Stitch and was happily engaged.  On May 4th, I decided I would just mindfully stitch during the month of May.  No plan or focus on product just a record of my days.

This is some linen dyed with black walnut hulls.  This has been my constant companion, knowing it could not be finished before May 31st kept me working slowly and mindfully.  Incorporating moments big and small.

The moss from our mother's day hike memorialized in thread.  I also added an old washer I picked up in a parking lot and a bottle cap.  The cap has Reed's on it.  Dear hubs name is Reed and I put the cap on this to remind me of  a tender moment.  He is Republican and I am a  yellow dog Democrat, sometimes I have to remind myself that I love him in spite of that.

I also discovered the work of Jude Hill and her wonderful blog.  Her work is so delightful and her observations on life so thoughtful.  I especially love her beasts.  I decided I needed to create one.  I decided my inner beast, at least for the last week has been a really pissed off bunny rabbit.  I have named this "The Terrible Awful No Good Hare Day."

Everybody needs a needle book so I made myself one.  I have planned a couple of slow stitch projects for June.  I will continue down this rabbit hole

for now.