Last Day of June

The last Journal Page is finished. Five days in June. It sounds like the title of a book, or a chapter in a book. I wonder how I could make a book of these five differently-sized pieces that were not measured out beforehand and designed to be bound into a book. . . . There's always a project at hand, isn't there?

I was cheered on by a flutterby having a sip on one of the Lantana plants.



But, despite the Very Good Day In The Studio, the best news is that Jordan phoned today and asked if I would be able to pick up Bethy from School (Pre-K) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays beginning in August! Well, would a starving man like a steak? I can start working on dress-up clothes for her, now. Fun, funky clothes. Altered clothing. And hats. All little girls need hats with outrageous silk flowers and lots of ribbon.

Life Is Good!

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh. . . . .

I think I have the hang of blogging. Thanks to Cynthia's exceptional tutoring, I have been able to get back into this blog site and even import posts from the one I started (in frustration) on another site, WordPress. What a difference a little education makes!

I've been stitching on Journal pages these past two weeks. Not steadily. I don't think I could produce a journal page on a daily basis, even when I am stitching at a manic pace. These are the results, so far:

It has been so dry here, and near 95˚F for 18 or 20 days, that my garden's need for water must have crept into my dreams. Fortunately, on Monday night (past 10 pm!) we had a storm of magnificient proportions, the lightning and thunder going on for more than an hour, and heavy rain pouring over us. The petunias would have been happier for a more lady-like rainfall, but I think We Should Be Very Thankful For What We Have Rather Than Looking The Gift Horse In The Mouth (my mother's admonition creeping in here).

This Monday Journal Page was a lot of experimenting with Knotted Stitches and couching heavy matt cotton thread (DMC Broder #4) while listening to Charles read the paper to me that morning. I was having a lot of fun altering the stitches. I love the texture that multiple lines of couched threads creates. It is especially nicely done in linen, which stands up and refuses to squish down. A Thread of Considerable Opinion, I think. Very vocal.

I will post today's Journal Page when I think through some parts that seem to gape at me with an air of expecting answers. This page would not be pleased to be photographed too soon. And it is lunch time, and I have a scrumptuous chicken salad left over from dinner last evening. . . . So sorry, Charles, you are in Knoxville today. But, I can add avocado chunks to it, since it is only for me!

Injection #2

Second epidural today (Tuesday). Less painful than the initial injection two weeks ago. I waited a long time in the doctor's office, so I got some stitching done. I am immune to the curious stares of strangers as I choose my chair by the quality of the light source and begin to setup my work area.

Hmmm...I am not supposed to operate machinery, and I think that warning extends to the computer. Off for a bit of a nap. The pain meds will wear off soon.

Busy Stitching Week

Garden Tiara Done!

My tiara is made from scraps of an old quilt that I found bagged up at a flea market. I couldn’t believe that someone would really cut up an old quilt, but when I saw how badly some of the pieces were rotted (especially the reds), I forgave the culprit. I’ve used these scraps for several years now for all sorts of projects. The points of the tiara are lined with felted sweater wool, and a piece of heavy-duty artists’ canvas stiffens the head band, to keep things from stretching out of shape. It will lie flat, with a button closure.

Next is a journal page from the 17th of June, which got the whole creative surge started.

It was a bit like reading Virginia Woolf, being Clarissa Dalloway as she moved between the present and the past. Whatever came into and out of the needle was simple where I “was” at the moment. Linen, cotton, silk threads and scraps, vintage rick rack and some lovely old mother-of-pearl buttons, beads– this was the impetus I needed to get started playing again, to stop worrying about the boxes of things still unpacked in the house.

Then, another journal page:

This one is a bit more rigid (I had started to worry about closet space again, I think). I made the surface from strips of linen and small bits of things that I basted to a scrap of an old linen napkin. It was following the strips that gave the perpendicular shape to it. Not sure this one is such a happy piece (it is NEVER happy to contemplate a lack of closet space). But, it was the piece for Thursday the 24th.

Yesterday I meant to clean things up in the studio, and I wanted to start with the gibblets and nibbles of wool left over from felting and embellishing. Yes, I save EVERYTHING. On my way to the trash bin, however, I made the fatal error that took me to the next project: I TOUCHED the little bits and pieces. Immediately I turned back to my work table and began to play with everything. On the table were scraps from embroidery, some silk threads, wool yarn, bright cotton flosses and perles and knitting threads– all things I’d been doing over a year or so. I wrapped some of these pieces with a length of wool yarn. Added some more. There were scraps from a winter coat my mom had made. And an embellished piece I’d done last summer. Before I knew it, I had wound an entire box of these scraps into a loverly froo-froo ball! But wait– there were more boxes. And a metal tin . . . this went on and on until I had not one or two balls, but THREE delicious spheres!

All the texture from the left-overs of projects is dizzying! Up close, this is what one of the larger ones looks like:

Makes me want to take off my shoes and dive in!

And other things are in the works– I am on a wonderful run, and can’t stop the flow!