Fiber and Pulp

I've actually been working ....

.... on some art! One of my employees brought in a bunch of fabric and stuff to give away one day last week. Among other goodies, I found in her bags two pieces of an old, old quilt (c.1875 or so, I think) that she had bought. The seller had cut the quilt into 18" squares -- probably because it was obviously heavily used and very worn. Something made me snatch those two blocks up instantly.

I don't usually work with such old textiles .. and I pondered what to do with them for a couple of days. They really are fragile! Still, I loved them -- they evoked deep feelings in me that I just could not ignore. So ... I've spent about 20 hours or so since then, from thinking and researching and working, to make my first piece. I guess I'd call this a fiberart collage since it is part fabric and part other stuff -- transparency images, old buttons, embroidery, etc. It isn't finished yet -- tomorrow I will work on mounting the whole thing with a backing stretcher so it is completely supported. I think I'm going to tone down the white face and paper with some beige ink, too (still pondering that).

Making this first piece has been very contemplative -- I think this is about Mae, my little girl that never was. (sad smile) I always wanted to have one more child, but it never happened (miscarried several times). I fantasize that she would have been a little version of my grandmother. The two children I do have, whom I love beyond reason, both resemble their father -- did as small children, do now (you can see bits of me in them, physically, but mostly they look like their father's line:). In my fantasy, little Mae would be dark, like my side of the family, and maybe small and sturdy. :)

Anyway, here is an all-over shot and several close-ups of my piece, 'Forget Me Not':

PS I saw the foot doctor this morning and got the sutures taken out of my heel. I was surprised that the removal hurt -- walking on a needle for 14 days was less painful. ;) My heel is very tender but seems to be healing well -- no nerve damage, no circulatory problems. I am EXTREMELY HAPPY to have my usual shoe back (and so is my back:).

Progress

Saw the foot doctor this morning. He took off the dressing and looked at my sutures ... and said all is healing well. Put a new dressing on, said come back next week, we'll take out the stitches. (sigh) I was hoping that I"d get this boot off and could wear my shoes again -- my back is really getting tired and cranky from all this hobbling around. :P But, NO infection, no pain (anymore) ... not so bad, all in all. :)

I have a dentist's appointment this afternoon (lost a filling ... what else can happen? NO, NO, forget I said that!!!) Then I'm going to the store and SEW for several hours. I need a break. :P

Finished!

In line with my decision to think about FOCUS and ORDER this year, I have actually managed to finish an old project today that was cluttering up my office (one down, several zillion to go:). I started this lap quilt maybe three years ago -- the design is actually printed on the fabric which is flannel. I could not find any flannel in stock tonight for the binding that matches so I used a flat green cotton print that was the right color. The back of this quilt is the same print as the outside border -- an all-over floral. This one is for me -- maybe I will take it with me tomorrow to cover me up in the recovery room after my surgery? :)

This little quilt is going to 'live' in my bedroom -- it will keep me cozy when I am sitting in my armchair to work (my chair is right in front of a window which is lovely in the summer but kinda cold this time of year!)...and when I am taking a nap on my bed (that is a pleasure I rarely get but enjoy when I can:). I wonder why so much of my life seems to be involved with sleep -- too much of it, too little of it, the wrong time for it ... never ends. :)

Prepping

Well, I have a date -- this Wednesday (1-16) at 2:10 p.m. -- and a place -- Howard County Ambulatory Surgical Center (next door to the county hospital, run by Johns Hopkins).

I had an ekg today and chest xrays (2) to look at my heart (apparently this is standard pre-op procedure).

Now to get this over with!!

:) Linda

ICK!

That is my general opinion of this entire situation. :)

The foot doctor told me on Friday that he needs to do 'real' surgery with an operating room, general anaesthisia, fluorscope, etc. to get this needle out. They are trying to get a slot for me at the county hospital, maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. :P

Meanwhile, I'm using my cane and stepping carefully (trying not to put pressure on my heel). Went to the store today and actually got some real work done (designed two diffferent ad spots for two different guild show programs:). Maybe tomorrow I'll try to sew -- so many projects, so little time. (grin)

Say What?

A blank look and that were my response to the nice young woman XRay tech this afternoon at the office. I hurt my heel about a week ago and went to see my doctor for a referral to the foot doctor (I thought) this afternoon. I was assuming that what ails me was plantar fasciitis. Well, no ....

My doctor (William Saway, great guy) sent me to get an Xray -- to be sure there was nothing broken in my heel. NO, not broken. The nice young tech tells me (and I saw for myself on the xray print) that I have a needle in my heel. Say WHAT?!!

Yes, there it is, in plain sight -- probably a #12 between since the entire thing is embedded in my heel, poking into my heel bone. :P (gag) I have NO idea how it got there, sure didn't feel a needle stick. :P

My dr. sent me to the ER ... no surgeons there -- they gave me a tetanus shot and two stiff doses of antibiotic (on then and one for 2 a.m. this morning:) and sent me how with two surgeons' phone numbers. this thing has gotta come out!

I spent all of yesterday in bed with sore throat and nasty cold coming on (literally -- slept from 11 p.m. til 8:30 a.m., moved around gently, went back to bed at noon and slept until 7 p.m., moved around some more gently, then went back to bed at 11 p.m. until 12 noon today!)

I wonder what strange adventure tomorrow will bring? Well, the day will start with a call to my dr. :P

Great Saturday

Wow, what a fun day I've had today (was a good way to keep my mind off Eva having gone home:). My friend Barbara Bennett and I were scheduled to go see the new National Treasures: Book of Secrets movie today. Yahoo _said_ the matinee showing was at 10:10 a.m. ... so, I dutifully got up (early for me!) and got ready. when we got to the movie theater, it was locked up tighter than the proverbial drum. :( Peering through the window told me the show was at 1 pm. :(

We decided to try to find a new-to-me knitting yarn shop on Route 108 (north side of Columbia) -- even though Barbara is not a knitter, she decided to take me there (she was driving today) in trade for me taking her to the quilt shop in Savage Mill which she had never been to see. :)

The knitting shop is _fabulous_ -- very small, chock FULL of great books, yarns, samples -- and a truly nice, helpful staff. They had some of the exciting tape lace I saw last fall from a customer who came into the store -- knits up in ruffly waves. Of, course, I had to buy some! :) Two balls for me (bright variegate) and two for Eva a scarf (soft, organice variegated:). Now to find those size 9 needles ...

We drove down to Savage Mill and strolled through Queen's Ink to get to the quilt shop (saying hello to Lolli on the way past, she was waiting on customers and checking in new fibers:). The shop is having a pre-inventory sale today and tomorrow (guess they are doing inventory early next week?) and all the fabrics were 20 - 25% off, kits were _40%_ off! They had two (not one, but _two_) bolts of mah jong tile prints which I had to have a half yard each of ... and a panel print of 'tree of life' I liked the colors of ... and a really cool six pointed star pattern from a new-to-me company called American Jane. :) Barbara found a cute table runner pattern to make her friend Tobi who is moving to NC soon, and some 'jewish' fabric to make it with. :)

We ate lunch at the Boar's Head Tavern (pretty good food, nice waiter, slooooow service) and drove back to Columbia in time to see the 1 pm movie. I enjoyed it quite a bit (predicatable, but fun!:).

What a great day off! Now I have to pet all my new goodies and go find those knitting needles (oh, and I just found some more chipboard die-cut houses for Eva's Halloweentown gifts:).

Humble Pie

I decided to play about with crochet again a few days ago. I found a pattern for some very pretty crocheted flowers made with cotton yarn -- went online and ordered some balls of the yarn as named in the pattern -- got the goodies in yesterday's mail. Very pretty colors -- hot pink, tangerine, lemon yellow, blue, variegated green ... this afternoon I went next door to the Yarn shop and bought two crochet hooks (one the called-for size and one size larger as i tend to work tight)....and a book of many, many crochet squares that caught my eye. :)

This evening, being Thursday, my friend Barbara B came to the store to sit and sew with me (we've been doing this for several years) and I decided to try to make a square. Now, I quit doing crochet more than 10 years ago because it was making my hands hurt ... so I had to review which stitch was called what in the back of my new book (I could remember how to make the stitches but not what they were called:). I think my work might need more than a simple review -- I fear that my counting skills might be a bit rusty, too. (big grin) My square came out more than a tad 'wonky':

Clearly, even someone that is pretty good with fibers gets their comeuppance once in a while (chuckle). :) I don't care for the particular green that I ordered -- it is not as nice in person and I don't like the way it mixes with the other colors. So, note 1 -- get a new green, maybe something brighter and more clear. Note 2 -- try counting correctly. :)

I also don't like the way this piece feels -- I need to wash it first (and block it, too:) to see if the thread softens any. If not, I'll mail the lot to my aunt Jean who crochets as well as quilts ... and go next door to buy some nicer cotton (I saw a hank today that I really liked but it was $13 for about 200 yards!). :)

Eva, Alan, and Hugh came to the store for a few hours this afternoon.It was lovely to get to sit and chat. Eva and Alan are leaving tomorrow morning to go back north -- first to New York to get their kitties and then to fly home to Wisconsin. I miss her/them already. (sad smile)

Catching Up

I am finishing things today. Thought I'd share some photos with you. :)

First, I managed to finally bind the two small quilts I made over holiday my November and December versions of Mermaid's Realm:

Here is a close up shot of the coral behind Cleo the mermaid -- I stencil painted the coral (made a freezer paper template from a quick outline drawing) using Shiva paintsticks, then quilted the lot with a 'pebbly' meander design. I am pleased with the way it came out. :)

The October design I had already done which features the seaweed designs (and the Mermaid's lost necklace) was a little dark in places for me -- I painted the darkest frond of weeds with a mixture or white (opaque) and green Tsukineko inks. Now you can see all the fronds correctly. :) Every once in a while I still find myself getting caught by the fact that I rarely walk away from my work to look at it from a distance -- gotta get that value contrast so the shapes will show off. (smile)

Another thing I did over holiday was to finish embroidering the felt beads that Arlene and Helen brought back from Houston for me. I had fun doing the embroidery!! I strung the three of them onto a multicolored rattail cording and used a wooden charm of three women by Laurel Burch as a counterweight (it hangs at the back of my neck:) THese photos are not great but I hope you can see things ok.

Ok, FOCUS and ORDER! :)

HAPPY 2008!

Happy New Year to all!

My words of resolution for 2008 are FOCUS and ORDER. My home life is totally out of control so I am going to try to focus on reestablishing order in our environment this year. :)

Today is going to be a lazy, rest-my-body kind of day. My joints are all on fire and I feel drowsy. Think I'll take a nap. :) See ya later, alligator!