Some Stitching

I worked on this while we were floating up the Rhone, practicing the Kantha stitch.

And this one which I am still working on; the middle I'm thinking of as spirit intertwined.  The other two are from designs I saw in Arles and Avignon.  I'm adding one more design from the Pope's Palace in Avignon to this one; then it will be time to start another blue strip.

Just Back From France

 We started out journey in Arles.  A riverboat took us up the Rohne as far as Lyon.  Stops along the way in Avignon, Viviers, and Vienne we interesting as well as picturesque.

 Since we were with a group there wasn't time to just stop and sketch a bit but I did take plenty of photos and plain to put together a sketchbook from our trip based on those photos.  One of our stops in Arles was the hospital where VanGogh was treated when he cut off his ear.

Our original plan was to do the River Cruise, then spend a few more days just exploring.  That's the time I had planned to do some sketching since it was just the two of us.  My spouse is used to me wanting to stop and sketch.  That plan didn't work out.  My spouse has been suffering with hip, back and knee issues and by the end of the cruise, he was in a great deal of pain.  There were also train strikes and I seemed to be coming down with a cold so we decided to cut the trip short and enjoy the good memories.  Back him we discovered it was good he was hurting because I was recovering from pneumonia and didn't realize I had it.  That probably comes from being raised by a mother who always said..."it's all in your head, you're fine, just keep on going."  Anyway, I am recovering and doing just fine though a little weak.  I nap which is new for me.

A couple more photos.... 

I did some stitching along the way but haven't photographed it yet.  When I do I'll post.  And once some of the sketches are done I'll post those too.

Another Square for the blanket

The more I looked at him the more I thought he ought to be the center block.  I may end up making this block larger than the others.  I'll have to look at it for awhile before I decide.

Last post I said I need to get back to color.  This is a piece of pillow ticking that I'm using to practice some stitches that I like but need to practice more and to add some color.  It may become a small bag to carry my stitching tools in.  Once again, we shall see.

And I haven't given up painting entirely.  I still paint with my Tuesday Morning group and I plan to take a sketchbook with me to France.  This is yesterday's effort.  It was a grey day but I added color in the name, we were at a local restaurant, Jelly's.

More Work On The Winter Blanket and Sorting

I'm working on the winter blanket, a bit at a time.  I did a bit more on the center block, the one I didn't like.  Since I have so much lace I decided to add some to this one

and since I was using things I already had, something I like to do, this fish got a spot on the quilt but it needed water so I added a few waves.

this is a wallet to go with the bag I use for a purse when we travel.  The bag is big enough for some sketching materials and a purse so I can carry it on along with my carry on bag.  The wallet will hold a passport or other papers.

Another project, sorting old photos and I realize I was once much more colorful than I am now.  That's me in the white with colorful strips.  It's a jacket I designed and made, no pattern but I think I could repeat it.  It's crochet and I do still have some yarn.  The one below is me with my parents.  I know I made the white top but look how colorful the shirt is.  I need to get back to colorful.

Ahh, but alas, I looked at the yarn I have left and it appears that I have either used up or given away all that is colorful.  Parting with old things is hard for me to do.  I looked in the cedar chest and the only color I found left were these... not going to make it without some that is a whole lot brighter..  Guess I'll need to visit a yarn shop.

It's Derby Time

Our Main Street DDA is doing a Derby Day party and has asked artists to decorate a hat which will be raffled off at the event.  I delivered mine today.  The hat had a plain black ribbon band so I went to my fabric stash to see what I had.  I found something black and white with a touch of red and blue that had horses on it.  

Okay, that's it; however, all I had were small scraps. So more digging, lots of black and white scraps, some heavy duty interfacing make a pretty nice bow.  The center, a rhinestone pin... did I mention I sometimes think maybe I'm a hoarder.  My house doesn't look like it but my studio sure does.  I have never been one to wear a rhinestone pin yet I have several, probably my mother's or my grandmother's or Ed's mother's... who knows.  I have them and one worked perfectly as the center of that black and white bow.  

That's why I save all that stuff, one never knows when one may need it.

Once the hat was delivered I did some more stitching and thinking about stitching.  Actually I was thinking about something I read that Dee Thomas said about contemporary embroidering and her stitching, "Perhaps it is decorative, a damning term in the art world, but I would rather people liked it for what they see and what they think about it, rather than as a concept that needs explaining."  

She also mentioned not thinking she wanted to stitch because when she was learning she never did it perfectly and hated it.  I could relate which got me to thinking about Mother.  And the more I thought about it the more I realize that given time, she would have been in the contemporary camp. 

Yes, her stitches where perfect, she was a certified Master Embroiderer.  However, her work wasn't traditional... Instead of flowers of a white pillow case, she did perfect stitches between the lines of the pillow ticking and stitched it into a purse.  I have no desire to do those perfect stitches, I am not nearly as patient as she was; however, I don't think she'd mind if she was still with us.  

Another Silly One and a Blanket Block

I haven't decided, is she an angel or just throwing up her arms wondering what the h#%l was she thinking when she stitched me.  Whichever, I like her and I think she'll live on my studio wall with some other dolls that hang there.  They'll like her company.

I worked a bit more on one of the blocks for our winter blanket.  Her face is trapunto, there's a bit of old lace (have to use some of that stash) and now I'm adding some embroidery.  I'll be doing more embroidery on this one but haven't decided where or what.

That's it for today, I can't believe I have been so good about posting this week.  Spring Break and my grandson isn't here every morning before the bus so I have time early morning.  That will change next week.

Something for the Garden and Some Stitching

As I was stitching the face on this one I was thinking, actually singing in my mind,  "I see the moon and the moon sees me..." Guess that's why the eyes got so big.  I have no idea what I'm going to do with this but I've gone back to redo a class I took from Jude Hill several years back and this is one of the pieces that has resulted from that.  I like everything but the big eyes.

And this, I did for our garden a year ago but it was too top heavy so it has been sitting in my studio waiting for me to add a larger plate at the bottom.  I haven't found the right plate for the bottom so I added some heavy stones and cemented them in that bottom piece.  No longer top heavy and ready to go in the garden if Spring ever arrives.

Yesterday was Tuesday Painters day but I haven't photographed what I did yet.  I'll post that later in the week.