Finally! Kayla Quilt photo

"Kayla"

16" x 16" (21" x 16" w/ trim) fused cotton & silk, machine quilted

photo transfer on cotton, wood & glass beads, brass charms, sequins, rayon thread, silk ribbon

Didn't do anything differently today, just opened a new post and uploaded the same two pictures I tried to show this weekend, except this time they appeared. Fine. I think you'll agree the little wooden beads give the stark graphic design a bit of playfulness. Glad it all ended well.

I'm home with a sore throat and achey body today. Need to go to the doctor this afternoon for some meds. It makes me feel sick just thinking of the emails piling up at the office computer, but tomorrow is another day, so no need to worry ahead. It's a gray, rainy day here on the coast (I call them 'watercolor' days because of the soft, washed edges) which adds to the feeling of just wanting to curl up in bed and sleep. Good idea...talk to you later!

"Kayla" Quilt - Final Version

The quilt I made for my friend Sheena managed to return to me after I gave it to her as a gift when leaving my last job in December '05 because she wanted me to figure out how to hang it. Originally it was to be framed, but when we went together to a frame shop the man came up with a combination of matts and frames that ended up with a $350 price tag. No thank you...but a simple sleeve on the back didn't seem right and she wasn't too keen on putting it onto a plexiglass backing, but didn't really tell me what the budget parameters were, nor any preferences of what style would coordinate with her home (the piece was originally envisioned hanging in her office at the workplace). Too many possibilities, not enough information to make easy choices and there was too much going on with looking for a new job to deal with this unexpected puzzle.

While in itself it was an intersting design challenge, it was also frustrating because I did not want to undo any of the work on the finished piece and disliked the idea of attaching something else to it on the outside (back) of all the finished edges. I purchased two different styles of ribbon and another time some strips of beading that reminded me of children's wooden blocks and seemed like a playful addition, but again wondered how to attach it and hide it without doing a lot of extra work.

In the end, I sewed the beads onto the bottom and the ribbon loops on top, with a clean stitch edging, found a wooden bar at home to give her as a starting point so she can see how it would look hanging that way and took her out to lunch on Tuesday to give her the adjusted gift. These additions were conceived to open up the design if it was to hang on the wall by itself and to add some length to the original square format, so a standard size rectangular frame could be used if she decided to frame it after all. What a relief! She loves it! I'm glad she's happy and very glad to have that weight of expectation off my shoulders. Here's the finished quilt of little "Kayla"

Sorry. 4 attempts and Blogger still doesn't capture the photo's. Will try again a bit later.

Dove Delight

I came home from work earlier this week and found three little visitors on the deck outside my kitchen. I got the camera and took some photo's through the glass sliding doors, moving very slowly so they wouldn't be startled and fly away. On the contrary, feeling very safe and cozy these little birds sat around for a few hours!

That's my bonsai maple in the planter--it is six years old and came home with me as a 8 inch seedling, retrieved from my sister's forest. It's a joy to watch it grow and change colors with the seasons. Local sparrows particularly enjoy sitting on the little branches, using the leaves like umbrellas to rest from the bright sun. I can eat breakfast while watching them hop on, change branches and fly away, all the while chirping with delight. One of life's daily pleasures...

Tiny Potted Garden

Coral bells that remind me to peal with laughter and joy at the constantly renewing cycles of life. Hosta to remember that even the shady patches are full of beauty & potential. And the fern, which I plucked as a couple of fronds from the stream bank behind my sister's house years ago, has held for me the image of the entire forest scene, where others see just a plant. I keep these containers at the driveway entrance of the apartment to liven up the asphalt stretch.

Worked all day in the studio yesterday, with only a couple of breaks. One table is totally clear. The desk has only a few remaining papers to file. The drawing table now has only a few stacks of files to review. Sounds like a lot left, but there was so much more. Felt great to break through the inertia, that feeling of it being too overwhelming to even begin. Today is Sunday, a day of rest. I will re-energize beside my girlfriends woodland pool and work again tomorrow. Have a wonderful day!

Clean-Up... Again

An essential element for creativityfor me is a clean, organized working space. Right now, my studio is not that. It is the graveyard of withered ambitions, forgotten intentions, aborted efforts and a holding area for the many ideas still clinging to life, waiting for the chance to take form. It is dusty from lack of use, but filled with the energy of potential ready to be stirred into action. Yes!

I woke up this morning at 5:00 a.m. and decided not to turn over this time, to get out of bed right away and go excavate the studio, face the piles and half-finished artworks and clean it up. It's time to make a decision. Use it, file it, give it away or toss it. Everything must have an active purpose for being in that room. I'm pruning the tree of my life. I'm weeding the garden of my dreams. I'm tilling the soil of my future. I'd better get back to work!

"Every moment is an opportunity for another choice." Elias
What will you choose today?

New Beginning

Good morning!!!! That's the view from my new job, which has been a large part of my focus during these last months of readjustment and reconsideration. It's time to get back to the studio. It's time to open to blogging again (at least once a week), to share with you. This is a just the start...