working

A  number of things have been percolating along agreeably from winter into spring. I picked up a class at the Hudson Valley Writers Center in Sleepy Hollow. I had forgotten how much I love teaching. The class has been going really well -- largely because of the talent, diligence, and enthusiasm of the students -- and I'm on the calendar through the end of the year. In the unfailing spirit of "work begets work" they asked me for a second class and that's going into the next catalog. This tiny job doing something I love is so much nicer than sitting in the house nursing the fear that I'll never work again.

I recently saw a call for entries on the theme "How Simple Can you Get?" I can get pretty simple. There was some confusion about the date that the call would close. I was ready in time, but decided not to enter. I'm enjoying this free-form embroidery in a scroll format and I want to make a few before I start thinking about sending them into the world. One day I will learn either to focus the camera or how my software works (or both) but clearly this day is not that day.


Time and Tide
9 inches x 34 inches /23cm x 86cm
Muslin, lace,tone-on-tone commercial prints.
Hand embroidered, machine constructed.
(monks cloth background)

 

 

macro progress I

I still don't have a source photo. Nevertheless, I think I'm making excellent progress on interpreting it. Don't you? Thus far, I have a foundation piece approximately 12 inches by 18 inches comprised of a backing fabric (grayish off-white), white low-loft batting, a single layer of cheesecloth, and all-over seed stitching in grey carpet thread. That's a whole World Series, plus a couple of evenings, worth of stitching (minus a little time diverted to exuberance about a happy outcome for the home team). Here's a detail, almost life-size:

I think what comes next is kitchen twine, metallic silver thread, slim-slim-slim twigs, and some of the metal bits I've found in the street and in drawers, and in tins in the closets. Maybe some glass. But if there's glass, there will need to be a reinforcing layer to support the weight. More cheesecloth, definitely more cheesecloth.

Never let it be said that I don't know how to have a good time.