Studio Notes

2009-05-19T14:30:00.001-07:00

Please visit me at my new blog here.

2008-09-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

We went to the county fair.
The birds and the beasts were there.
The fastest Hollywood Pigs. . .
the smallest horse. . .
the tallest giraffe . . .
the quickest tongue. . .
the bravest high-wire artist.

But my favorite was in the 4-H building where we had the pleasure of watching the loveliest 5th grader present demonstration on making a south western snack dip. She was serious and determined standing before the judges panel. My heart went out to her at blip and bump that she encountered but oh my goodness, she just kept on keeping on ...... a real little trouper. And how I hope the judges were kind in there marking of her work in organization and presentation.

In the crafts building, I was wowed by some beautiful quilts and quilted things. A colleague of mine at school entered a lovely country-styled christmas tree skirt in tans and browns embellished with yo-yos and buttons.

In the end, I did not enter my quilts but chose instead to enter my concertina fabric book made with African fabrics. Happily, it took a second place ribbon.

2008-09-08T16:48:00.001-07:00

Of Quilts, County Fairs, and Hippy Wanna-Be's

I have never exhibited a quilt (or anything else) at a county fair.
But I always wanted to.

This summer I began thinking that it was time to have a go.
I mean, if not now, when?

_________________

So tomorrow, I am bringing two quilts to the Rochester County Fair which runs from September 12 until September 21. One is the quilt above called, Churn Dash with an Attitude. Each element was hand-drawn and hand-pieced; it is bed-sized. And was machine quilted.

There is a nice story behind this quilt, I think. A number of years ago I took a week-end quilt class with Diane Hire. It was a technique class, learning to draft and hand-piece. I was intriqued as I had only done machine-piecing until then. Diane learned these old techniques from her Kentucky grandmother with whom she stayed one summer.

The class was to make one Churn Dash block. I loved the slow, patient drawing, cutting and sewing and so I just kept on making blocks. Every where I went, I carried these little plastic baggies with parts of blocks in them. This quilt took several years and was worked on in quite a few states, on business trips, on family vacations, in cars and on planes.

I am also taking the wallhanging above which is based on a children's book called the Egg Lady about a ditsy, hippy-wanna-be woman named Mrs. Penntwort whose chickens lay eggs that look like everything the chicken looks at: the sun, the clouds, a Picasso and lots more. Obviously, Mrs. Pennywort and her colorful chickens become the hit of the town.

And that is the beginning of the story.

And this is Mrs. Pennywort.

You can see that I have taken broad artistic license with the poultry!

I'll keep you posted!

2008-09-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

ORPHAN PAGES
....... from my first altered book .......

This is the cover from my first altered book. I experienced a lot of difficulty with the text block and had to sacrifice the work that went into the project. The learnings and take-aways from this project were many......among them:

1) be patient and let the project evolve;
2) be certain the text block and binding on an old book is sufficiently intact and strong enough to withstand the glue, paint, and embellishments;
3) embellish the inside cover pages -both front and back- LAST....... there will be so many more options for covering and embellishing the completed work.

Most of my work did make it into the new book but I have never figured out what to do with the cover....which I like very much.

The little squares decorating the cover are pieces of glued and painted antique lace, a fun project that produces an entirely new material. The background is home dec fabric, rather silky. And I like the framed face of the woman.....she is somehow restricted by the frame and yet her large expressive eyes are so open and curious they suggest freedom.

This page too was sacrificed.

The background is layers of paint printed with bubblewrap.

Over top of the background is painted card.

The focal points are the word 'faith' ---- a commercial piece that I cut and glued.

The little square beneath is made of fabric and fibers with a tight satin stitch border which is glued to the card beneath.

I was really sorry to lose this page.......

And think it can stand alone but I haven't put the time into figuring out how to display it......

This is my TS Eliot page based on Prufrock.

In addition to paint and paper and glue, it is embellished with sea glass, beads, fibers and more.

I am open to ideas about how to display these orphans and would welcome any suggestions.

2008-07-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

Pages from an unfinished altered book

This page started with leaves I printed onto fcotton fabric and embellished with
thread work,
beading,
leaves,
rick rack and fibers
flowers and ephemera.

My images, my inspiration is almost always women.

This page is based on a Virgina Woolf quote,

"One is not born a woman
but rather becomes a woman."

2008-07-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

This year I joined a couple of Yahoo groups, altered books (AB) first, and then clothpaperstudio (CPS). Both are populated by warm and friendly, talented and generous individuals whose work is inspiring. I've been a 'lurker' for most of the time I've been a member on both groups but just this summer I decided to participate in the 'themed swaps' on CPS. The current swap has a simple theme: PINK. This evening I rummaged through my stash to assemble some nifty items to mail on Monday.

I chose a silk blank (hand-dyed with cochineal);

a commercial garden print in pink-orange tones;

pink and pink & white ribbons;

an array of papers of various weights - solids, prints, florals, stripes, and borders; victorian, post-modern and atomic patterns;

some ephemera and found items in shades of pink.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In June, my family celebrated my Mom's 85th birthday with a surprise party and family dinner at the Old Mill in Westminster, Massachusetts. My 5 siblings; their spouses and children and even great-grandchildren brought the party to nearly 30 strong and ranged in ages from 2 years to 92 years. It was a fine, happy day.

I created a memory-lane guest book with places for each family member to leave a personal message.

I used a commercial spiral bound scrap book that I found in JoAnn's.

I used a variety of things to embellish the pages:
pictures both original and reproductions;
purchased and found objects;
fabric flowers;

buttons, rub-ons and more.

It was fun sorting through old pictures and making selections;

playing my own solitary memory lane game.

In the book, I traced my mother's journey starting with the earliest picture I had through to the present year.

Images showed her as a young girl of 16;
as a bride;
as a new mom in 1944 and 1946;
and with her expanding family in the 50s and 60s when 4 more children were added.

In addition to the pages with pictures,

I left space for personal messages.
On this page I affixed ephemera from World War II for the message.

The V-Mail is pristine and never-used from a stationery set that I acquired at a yard sale.

I left some pages only minimally embellished;

these were designated for memories or stories.

Each section of the memory book, is divided and identified by its contents.

2007-10-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

A NEW OBSESSION

I've been making small, clutch bags from collaged fabric, vintage Edwardian silk, wool blends, and narrow wale corduroy.

Some of the motifs I am using include Japanese, Southwestern and African. I am hand-beading and using antique buttons for embellishment. All are lined and have magnetic closures.

This one began as a fabric collage. After cutting the shape of the bag, I used my sewing maching for some 'thread play' . The bag has a pale satin lining and hand-beaded embellishment.

The two bags below are also fabric collages with a Japanese motif. Again, there is a lot of 'thread play' throughout. The linings are black faux suede; the buttons are a stacked mix of vintage and contemporary.

I am quite pleased with the simplicity of this one made from a vintage linen that has a homespun' feel. The button is circa 1920s, painted celluloid.

I just love this one created from a collage of antique laces sandwiched between a base of antique damask and contemporary chiffon. Once the sandwich has been made, I continue with the 'thread play'. The laces offer interesting textural opportunities that are not available when using a collage of fabric because of the raised designs below the chiffon.

The image below shows the satin lining as well as fringe and beaded embellishment on the inside.

The three quilted bags below are all hand-beaded along the edge and embellished with vintage buttons.

This weekend, I am weaving narrow bits of fabric, fibers and ribbon onto rug canvas. Once the canvas is prepared, I take it to my sewing machine for the first pass, which is just to hold the strips in place. Then the fun begins. Again using the sewing machine for some 'thread play', I complete the surfaces and then assemble the parts. I'll have some images to show soon.

The bag pattern is free and downloadable from Kwik Sew, #5001.

It is a simple little purse that offers a lot of scope for the imagination (a la Anne of Green Gables).

2007-06-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

FABRIC ART MINI BOOK

A concertina-style book that folds neatly into itself and has two self-covers.

There are 6 panels on each side which give lots of scope for embellishment.

I used a variety of African-imported textiles.
The panels are embellished with kanta-style embroidery
and primitive cross-stiches and lots
of beads and buttons.
This was great fun to create.
I am using this book in a small class that I am teaching at artstream studio.

Below are 2 photos showing each side of the book.

This book doesn't have such as strong a narrative as I have done in the past.
It really was an exercise in color, texture and dimension.
When the concertina book is closed, there are 5 external spines which I beaded in several different ways. In the photos above and below, the spines are finished with beads made of bone interspersed with hand-made fabric beads that are entwined with metallic threads.

I really love the concertina book and have another that is about 95% complete.

This one is an "Homage" to Celia Thaxter.

2007-06-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

On my reading table. . . .

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Kim Edwards

Viking 2005

I just finished reading this wonderful first novel by Kim Edwards, a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop. The book, its compelling story and beautifully written narrative, was given much praise by other writers -- writers who I admire and read over and over again like Sue Monk Kidd, Jodi Picoult and Ursula Hegi.

The story begins in Lexengton, KY, 1964. Because of a snowstorm, a physician is forced to deliver his own twins with the assistance of his nurse. The first born is a boy, healthy and strong, "an 8 on the APGAR" the nurse reports to the doctor. The second, a girl, has all the physical characteristics of a baby with Down's Syndrome. In a moment of panic, the physician tells his nurse to take the baby away to a 'home for the feebleminded' where she can be with her 'own kind'. He tells his wife the twin died and the body taken away for burial. He truly believes his decision is right and it will protect his wife from hurt. But the decision turns out to portend a life of sadness, lies and mis-taken steps.

Chicago Tribune: Unfolds from an absolutely gripping premise, drawing you deeply and irrevocably into the entangled lives of two families and the devastating secret that shaped them both. I loved this riveting story.
Sue Monk Kidd: Anyone would be struck by the extraordinary power and sympathy of "The Memory Keepers Daughter.
Sena Jeter Naslund: Kim Edwards has created a tale of regret and redemption, of honest emotion, of characters haunted by their past. This is simply a beautiful book.

Caroline, the nurse and a single woman who believes her real life has not yet begun, prepares to take the infant to the 'home' but on arriving finds it such a horrific place, is unable to leave her there. And another of the powerful, life-altering decisions are made: Caroline decides to keep the child herself. She is not impulsive woman but a careful, conservative one so she does not run away with the child. A careful but quick departure is planned and executed.

And so the novel has presented us with powerful moral issues in its first pages. Even so early in the narrative, the reader feels a certain empathy for both David, the physician and Caroline, the nurse. We know these are basically good people; not evil or malevolent. These are well-intentioned choices.

Kim Edwards has said in an interview that a paster at her church 'gave' her the story -- planted the seed for the novel that grew overtime until later, a friend re-told a family tale of a brother who was institutionalized because of a genetic or birth defect.

The story unfolds around secrets and lies . . . lives built on lies . . . and how the lies shaped their lives and their marriage . . . and the secret silences that filled their homes, their hearts.

David felt he knew precisely the medical prognosis of the twin. He predicted a short life of illness, respiratory and cardiac problems. A short life of intellectual, physical, developmental retardation. A short life would be a sad and frustrating burden on the family.

A personal memoire: it is 1967. February in Massachusetts just after a blizzard. I have just come home from the hospital with my second child, Jonathan. Throughout the 4 or 5 days in the hospital I worried that 'something' wasn't 'right' but this was actively and vociferously denied by the ob-gyn and the staff pediatrician. At home, Jonathan was too quiet. Didn't seem to get hungry. Didn't cry. But he did have a frightening wheeze. I never left him alone; I carried him with me everywhere, from room to room. Finally, frightened, I phoned our pediatrician with my concerns; he agreed to stop by our house to look at Jonathan. (Yes, that was done in 1967. Imagine.) This doctor was a good doctor, one I liked and respected. He examined Jonathan. Held him over one large hand and let the arms and legs fall loosely, as in a mini-APGAR. Jonathan had no instinct or the ability to try to 'save' himself. The doctor turning to me said, "this is a mongol baby, you know; you'll have to institutionalize". To protect the child? To save the family? The town? The schools? What? Why? We did not institutionalize Jonathan.

What has changed since the 1960s.
are we a more enlightened society?
We have the right to education act
the civil rights of the disabled
and the ADA.
closed our state institutions.
But do we really have a more generous
attitude towards people with disabilities?

2007-05-29T05:43:00.000-07:00

More Altered Book Pages

I have 2 altered book projects going simultaneously
and enjoying both
~~no, more than that~~I am addicted to them!!

What's her story?

This page includes:
painted vintage lace,
original ephemera:
(the Paris hotel calling card & uncancelled German stamp).

The hotel card is in a glassine envelope and adhered with mounting squares.

To give the pages texture and dimension,
I layered paint, paper, fabrics and stamping.
This page features original ephemera ~~
advertisement from a Vanity Fair magazine circa early 1930s.

The angle of the photograph creates a wonderfully sensuous feel.

2007-05-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

New Altered Book Pages

I'm teaching a class in creating altered books at the Rye Public Library. For class samples, I prepared two books. One with only pages removed, others glued and gessoed with a first coat of a light color paint. The surfaces of the other book were prepared in much the same way but for this one I prepared a niche or shadow box at the end and some folded pages in the center of the book and another area that is ready for inserts.

The pages below are not complete and may yet change quite dramatically before they are but I wanted to have samples for the class.

The book isn't terribly old really and the binding is tight. There is an ugly place on the jacket that got chewed up somehow making the book a perfect specimen for an altered book project. I don't have a single theme for this book but am letting some of the original images and text guide me. One of the images was of tango dancers and that lead me to the internet for research and more images.
The title of the book is, The Afternoon Tea and it included a nice history of tea, how to prepare the perfect cup of tea, and all sorts of tea parties from tea dances, to tango dances that featured tea, and garden parties. I maintained some of the images from the book. For example, the small tango dances in the background in the photo below and the Japanese tea ceremony in the photo that follow were kept used as jumping off points.

This is the right side of the first spread. Already I have "repented" (as Lillian Hellman says). This is the second incarnation of this page; the first just wasn't working. Perhaps, that's why I love altering books -- a very forgiving craft!

2007-05-15T04:35:00.000-07:00

I am blessed

. . . with Esther, nearly 6, first child of my baby sister (18 years younger than me). A lovely little lady who uses big words, loves tea parties and making pictures. After her first day at kindergarten, her mom asked if school was all that she imagined it would be. Esther answered,

"I had no imagination of it!"

. . . with grandson, Dylan, going on 4 years old:

a little boy with a big boy's curiosity.

Dylan lives in Florida; what a delight to see how much he has grown, learned and discovered between visits.

In between we miss him.

My Victoria ... second grandchild who spent nearly every weekend with us and weeks at a time during the summer.

A bright-eyed child, a beautiful young lady.

Talented.

Curious &

Loving.

Twins
Ari & Noah.
March, 2006

Esther's little brothers.

Their mothers' precious boys.

Ari & Noah ... a few months later.

Becoming little boys.

A magical physical closeness.

2007-05-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day

to daughters, sisters & mothers
in thousands of generations:

women whose skills created
beautiful and bountiful civilizations.

2007-05-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

in Just-spring

when the world is mud-luscious

the little lame balloonman whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come running

from marbles and piracies

and it’s spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer old balloonman whistles far and wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing from hop-scotch and jump-rope

and it’s spring

and the goat-footed balloon Man whistles far and wee

e.e. cummings

2007-05-10T05:29:00.000-07:00

Early 20th Century Linen Figural White Work Heavily Padded Satin Stitch
Outline Stitches Creating the Dance
A Celebratory Cloth ~ Beautiful and Joyous ~

2007-05-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

Chocurua, New Hampshire ~we stopped here along Route 16 north on our way to the Mt. Washington Hotel. The weather was warm and almost summer-like on the coast, we packed a little picnic of sandwiches & tea but the high wind made the air temps too chilly to stay long.

We drove up Route 16 and on towards the Mt. Washington Hotel via Route 302 with breath-taking scenery. Spectacular, even. Above is a sign along the roadway showing the elevation of the Presidential Range (of the White Mountains) with Mt. Washington the highest at 6280 feet.

This was our destination, the Mt. Washington Hotel, nestled beneath Mt. Washington, a real beauty and one of the few 'grand old ladies' of the 19th/20th century.
Sunrise over Mt. Washington~~ and the Hotel.

The long drive from Route 302 onto the property of the Mt. Washington.

History has it that the long drive was a great advantage during Prohibition: by the time the 'revenuers' got to the hotel, the guests were drinking tea!

Oh, she is lovely!
Imagine packing trunks of finery and boarding the train for a long summer's stay.Tennis? Snooze on the porch?

Dance in the Grand Ballroom?

Good night, Ladies.

2007-05-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

Of Radio Days & Memories

The last few days brought pleasant memories. . .

It was about 1970 . . . . I was a young mom . . . very young by today's standards. . . a stay-at-home mom with two children under the age of three when we bought our first home.

The house was in a tiny village in that little corner of the world where Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts sort-of-meet. A mere 300 souls inhabited that quiet village whose life centered around the village green. Our house joined a few others to surround the green which also had a country inn-past-its-prime, the town hall, general store, post office and library (only opened on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons).

The house had been occupied by the same family for a quarter century and was always called, "the Anderson house" -- even after the Anderson's were long-gone and we were paying the mortgage, re-roofing, and gardening there. It was a large house; we had little money and were grateful to relatives who offered furniture from their attics which I stripped, sanded, painted, stained and recovered. And so we created a home with an interesting, if eclectic mix of styles that we loved; our rooms always brought smiles to the faces of visitors.

One of our prize possessions came from the home of a family friend who had lived in the same house all her married life. Their home was at the end of a short, narrow lane, a small cottage style with seven rooms, two large porches front and back, a wonderful grape arbor, pear and apple trees, French lilacs and the tiniest tiniest garage you can imagine. The husband died first; they had no children; the widow became frail and forgetful. The only relative, a New York city cousin arranged for her to live in a nursing home and asked us to house-sit (and that is yet another story!). Later when we purchased our own home 50 miles away, they offered the contents of the house to us.

The house was packed with the stuff and things of their long life together: Mission and Stickley. Lots of the heavy, ornate oak. The dining room table was claw footed with a matching glass fronted tall chest and buffet typical of the 20s and 30s. Tall, Victorian pressed-back chairs. But oak and other pieces from this period were NOT desireable at that time; you could NOT sell them; it was almost necessary to PAY someone to cart them away.

But we accept their offer.

Among the furniture was a tall floor-model tube radio from the mid-1930s. It was in pristine condition, it's cabinetry was smooth and glistening without a scratch or a dent. The original purchase papers were folded into an envelope and tucked into the back. And, wonder of wonders, it played. And so the radio, along with other treasures from the house moved with us to our new house in the tiny village.

The tall radio stood proudly in the dining room and was often a topic of conversation ~~~ which was, really, all we ever asked of it. But one day a friend and neighbor who had moved to the village about the same time we did stopped by for coffee. I am certain she had seen the radio before but I doubt she'd ever commented on it. On this day, however, she did make note of it and then asked:

"Does it still play the old radio programs!!!!!!!!"

2007-04-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

I know. I know.
Millions of Americans have been to Niagra Falls.

Generations of lovers honeymooned there. But it took me 60 years
--- oh, right --- 63 years to get there.

Larry and I drove up to Canada on April 19 to attend a conference on leukemia that was being held in St. Catherines, Ontario at the White Oaks Resort, Spa and Conference Centre. And that was finally the excuse I needed to do this American of all trips.

The conference ran from noon on Friday through noon on Sunday and kept us very busy and very focused....no time to play. But on Sunday, we drove down the Canadian falls and did the typical tourist-y things. And had a ball!

We found the casino where I took the opportunity to try my hand at gambling -- and won $119 in about 10 minutes! I like that! From the casino, we walked down what might be the tackiest of the tackiest vacation streets in North America. It is at the end of the this street that one can gaze at the Falls. We drove the parkway through wine country; I gazed at its natural beauty. Our destination was Niagra-on-the-Lake. We parked the car and wandered the main street of little boutiques and restaurants. One quite wonderful place called Prince of Wales Hotel offered high tea at 4 and a dining room for dinner. We, however, passed it up as being a tad too pricey. I mean, $36.00 for meatloaf -- and that's Canadian money, mind you and the least expensive entree on the menu. It turned out to be a good decision as we found a nice little basement restaurant that featured delicious Mediterranian fare.

And now I can't wait to go back. I want to drive through little towns and stop along the way. I want to re-visit wine country when I really have the time to sample.

And I want to go back to the casino.

Artsy

Fartsy

Art furniture at the conference center!

2007-04-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

Fabric Journals

This is a page from an art journal that I made to celebrate my daughter Amy and her dream of owning a horse. It was a dream that she made come true and I have been so proud of her. Over the last five or six years, I've made fabric journals to mark important occasions, to honor a special person, or to commemorate an artistic achievement. For example, the page below was made to respond to a challenge put out by Quilting Arts in 2004 and was to illustrate the process of creating a piece of wearable art. It was published in the spring issue 2004.

In May and June, I am teaching a series of classes in making fabric art journals at artstream studios in Rochester New Hampshire . Go here for more information and to register.

2007-04-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Make 4x6 Art with me
at artstream studios

in Rochester New Hampshire
Two Saturdays in May, 12 & 26

Go here, for information and to registration

2007-04-12T00:52:00.000-07:00

I am passionate about making things

from paper,

fibers,

fabric,

and found objects.

. . . from beads and buttons and bijoux

2007-04-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Easter Weekend
Pale blue sky
Green shoots rising

from cold earth
Crocus and grape hyacynth
Daffodils barely visible

Snow on Wednesday this week. Today temps are only in the 40s: too cold for Easter finery; we're still in winter coats. Larry has twice put away the snow blower when signs of spring appeared and twice took it out again when unexpected snows came.

Back 'in the day' when I was girl, it was exciting to shop for a new spring coat, hat, dress, shoes and purse for our own Easter Parade to church. The shoes were, of course, patent leather with a tidy, dainty strap -- odd but I writing this I can almost smell and feel their newness.

When church was over there were Easter baskets treats.
Soft yellow candy chicks
Chocolate bunnies.
Jelly beans. Egg hunts at a park.

This year we are looking forward to having brunch with Amy, Mike, Tony and Tori and Larry's Dad. Tony and Tori are too old for little Easter baskets so we've created a family Easter Gift basket that is fun, delicious, personal to each and pretty.

Easter brunch menu starts with Bellini cocktails for the adults followed by baked ham; fresh asparagus with hollandaise sauce; corn cakes & pancakes with syrup; baked eggs; and Easter breads. I just finished a chocolate ganache cake that will be a decadent dessert.

A walk on the beach after brunch will complete the feast.

I am blessed to have my family here tomorrow.

2007-03-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Living graciously in another era

Wearing an elegant silk wrap with luxuriously long white fringe and embroidery ~~ perhaps to the opera or a ball.

Table settings with fine white linens, cutwork and lace
Dried roses and pewter

Your boudoir linens are personalized in old world script with your initials

Taking tea in fine and delicate china on lovely white linen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This weekend Larry and I are taking the train from Exeter to Boston for the annual Boston Antiques Weekend being held in the convention center. Art, antiques, books, linens, textiles, period clothing, a fashion show and seminars ~~ and of course, all the vendors and potential for making wonderful, one-of-a-kind purchases. The exhibits and seminars are all weekend long but granddaughter, Victoria and her dad are joining us on Sunday afternoon. Larry and Michael are going to a Celtics game; Victoria and I are going to see Blue Man Group. Mostly, I am just thrilled to be spending time with my lady, Victoria. We come back home on Monday so all in all it promises to be a fine long weekend and the weather forecast is looking pretty good, too.

This is my sweet Victoria. Middle schooler, drama queen in every sense of the word, soccer & softball player, budding thespian, chorus member, honor roll student.

A special young lady.

I admit to bias.

I am entitled to brag.

2007-03-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

INTIMATE NOTES!

Thanks,

Cloth, Paper, Scissors

for the inspiration

The winter issue featured a sweet little project that turned paper, ephemera and bits of stuff into note pads fashioned after purses. Several weekends ago, I spent a weekend afternoon playing in my studio/playroom to see what might emerge.

In the studio, I keep a basket of paper, fabric, trim and fiber off-cuts from other projects. I also put parts of previous projects that didn't quite make it because one never knows when a piece of this or that turned on its head might be just what is needed for a new venture.

I started this project by gathering my antique and reproduction ephemera ~~ the basket of stuff, and added some new contemporary designs just for the fun of it!

As it quite obvious, this is a black and white purse using card stock for the covers and plain text weight white paper for the inside. The purse has a strap of black rick-rack.

This purse is about the same size as the one above, black with an oriental theme. The Japanese lettering came to me a paper band around fat quarter of fabric ~~ too good to let go. Along the bottom is a metallic trim from India. The feather is real. The handle is gold metallic ribbon. The inside pages are white text weight paper. I really like the look of this one.

This little purse/note pad is very tiny and is made from decorative contemporary paper.
The image is part of an antique greeting card. The handle is made of silk fibers which also embellishes her cap.
A little bottom row of lace completes the picture.
Inside pages are text weight pastel colored paper.
She might be my favorite ~~ I just love her rosy cheeks and the dove resting on her arm.

Here is another very tiny one.
The black silk cording that I used for a handle is embellished with a hand-crafted fabric bead which unfortunately did not photograph well. This was a fun project and the little note pads can be used as small gifts or favors or tucked into a card or letter.

2007-03-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have a passion for collecting

Antique Linens

These are elegant white work

with cutwork and padded satin stitching
in various sizes to grace the dining table.

Old books that have been held and loved by others:

There is something wonderful about small leather volumes
that just fit in the hand or slide easily into pocket or purse.

I am fascinated by the personal inscriptions

written in spidery black ink. It must be the hidden voyeur in me.

I love period clothing, especially the Edwardian Era.

Above is a lovely child's silk cape and matching dress
in a quiet peach-y color

I am passionate about vintage ephemera

and use it in altered books and fabric postcards

Vintage China & Glass

that once graced Victorian tables.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My linens, books, clothing, china and glass have been selling at the

Poppy Seed Studio
in
Somersworth New Hampshire

A really fabulous little shop that features

the work of local and regional artisans
vintage clothing - hats, bags, jewelry, gowns & furs
unique & unusual gifts

2007-03-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

Ah for the wearin' o' the green.

Today my world is covered in frosty white. Yesterday's winter storm blew through New Hampshire dropping about a foot of snow on the coast. The day is dark and dreary; the trees are somber in their gray/black against a stormy bleak sky.

A sweet site in my neighborhood today is a little tyke helping mom to shovel -- scratch at the snow he goes, swing high the shovel, dance a sort of jig, twirl and try to move the snow and start it all over again.

In the recent past, we moved our snow around the 'old fashioned way' -- with shovel and muscle. Last year, we became the proud owners of a snow blower/thrower. We look very x-urban like all our neighbors. A small bow to conventionality.

Not only for the wearin' of the green. At noon today, I'll start the traditional St. Paddy's Day dinner of corned beef and caggage .

Oh but my recipe (or, I humbly confess, one that I found on the net a few years ago and has become 'mine) uses beer, white beans and lots of wonderful aromatic spices. In the pot it will go to simmer slowly all afternoon infusing every corner of the house with blissful blessings. That and an apple cake. Oh heaven.

Today is for playing. In the last few months, I have been 'product-oriented' and while it has been enjoyable, it is time to play with my toys just to see what emerges.

My recent 'products' are wearable art jackets that are for sale at Poppy Seed Studio in Somersworth on the main street and owned by Sherry and Jeff Pratt two really special people. Sherry is a jewelry designer and afficionado of all things antique and collectable. Her shop is joy filled with the work of local and regional artisans, fabulous gifts, antique furniture, new and antique jewelry and vintage clothing. In Sherry's Studio are also housed some of my antique linens, some wonderful vintage books, some vintage glass and china from my collections.

Cheers.

Make it a great day!!

2007-02-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

"Let your life lightly dance

on the edges of time

like dew

on the tip of a leaf."

Rabindranath Tagore

Indian Poet & Novelist & Philosopher

(1891-1941)

2007-02-14T16:25:00.000-08:00

What could be nicer than a holiday to celebrate love?

Lovely Hearts: On Saturday, we went to the Lovely Hearts exhibit at artstream gallery where more than 100 artists submitted work for the event were on display. One half of the purchase price of the art work was donated to breast cancer research. The show was a good success with many visitors and lots of purchases of one-of-a-kind art work. Sister Donna, husband Tim and daughter Sarah drove up from Massachusetts to attend the show with us (Donna had two pieces on exhibit). What a treat to spend the evening with them!

And, best of all: The show is still on via the gallery's website: www.artstreamstudios.com ~~~ you still have a chance to support breast cancer research and an artist.

CLL Forum: Yesterday was the first anniversary of an international forum designed to provide support and information for people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In just 12 months time, the CLL Forum, has attracted over 1,000 members from all around the world. It was a life-saver for me last summer when I was diagnosed with CLL. There is just no way that I could have learned so much so fast and felt such warmth and encouragement without the Forum. It was started by volunteers who are also living with the disease; it is operated and moderated by folks from around the globe. www.cllforum.com

A Nor-easter today: A powerful winter storm blew into the northeast today and it has been snowing and blowing all day long. In fact, the weather advisory says that blizzard conditions will continue throughout the night and into the daylight hours. A definite problem for florists, restauranteurs, and others who were standing ready to help lovers celebrate.

I always find myself at odds during a stormy day like today. At 6s and 7s as the British authors say. It was difficult to concentrate on projects. I kept up a vigil on the weather .....

Valentine Evening at home: We were snow-bound today in New Hampshire. Literally didn't move an inch as the snow continued falling all day long and winds up to 50 miles/hour blew it around and around making visibility beyond a few feet nearly impossible.

Anticipating the storm's arrival, I brought in all the ingredients for an Italian spaghetti feast for tonight. The sauce simmered all day long. The aromas were fantastic! Larry made Bellini cocktails before dinner; the wine was a Spanish Rioja and the food was sublime.

Love is in the air.......

2007-02-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

Collections: bit and pieces

4x6

Silk

lace fragments

antique buttons

and new

a scrap of antique text:

assembled on my worktable

a miniature art quilt

2007-02-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

Today's Quote from Anais Nin

The years march ever forward through the decades
it is absolute and concrete

but we are as infants
attempting
faltering
stumbling
through life's lessons

Expecting completion with chronological benchmarks

2007-02-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

Beautiful
Turn-of-the-century White Work

A wedding dress of white batiste
fragile, soft, feminine
Embellished with heavily padded white work

We were at an auction preview when I saw these fragments of wedding fabric. They were in an old, not very attractive frame. Just sitting on a non-descript bench among other relics from other folks' past.

The framed fabric pieces did not seem to be generating interest. Except for me: I was drawn to it ~~ captivated by its untold stories.

The fabric did not come up for bid until late in the auction. When the bidding opened, there was no competition. It had, I suppose, limited extrinsic value. But for me its value was not monetary. Its value lies in its past and the questions it evokes.

Who wore this dress?
What happened to the rest of the dress?
To the marriage?

I was the only bidder and purchased the fabric for a small sum.

I don't know its truth but I know its essence.

2007-01-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

When this you see, remember me.

This quilt was hand-made in the late 19th or very early 20th century. Tiny scraps of colorful cottons are sprinkled over the once-white background. I imagine the maker, a woman, a surrounded by her sewing basket and a collection of fabrics saved and ready. Perhaps she sits in a great-room by a fire. She lifts each piece of cotton, turning it over and over; some are selected, others are saved for another day another quilt.

She cut the selected fabric scraps into little half-square triangles of red and blue and black. Small prints on cotton. Checks and plaids. Each little triangle is sewn by hand and it is quilted with hand stitches. If you look closely, you can see the stitches that were made with pride to keep a family warm and safe.

This quilted was was made to last.

Now here and there the dyes have run onto the white background. And in several spots the print has fallen out of or escaped from the fabric leaving only a trace, a memory of what came before. But I am not bothered by these signs of age and loving use.

This quilt wears its age with grace.

And yes, we do remember.

2007-01-27T06:12:00.000-08:00

A frost-bound day, gray & cold, in New Hampshire . . . . temps hovering around zero.

Bits and Pieces:In email correspondence with Beate yesterday, Beate said to watch the mail for a complimentary gift of unique art. I was one of the "first five" to post a comment on her blog and thus, one of the winners. Beate, who is photographer in Dusseldorf, is also a very creative and prolific fiber artist making fabric postcards and now, mixed media art.

More email correspondence from my sister Donna, an artist living in Massachusetts, who told me that she submitted two pieces of art to the Lovely Hearts exhibit at artstream. Way to go, Girl. She and her daughter, Sarah, will attend the opening which features not only art but cocktails and chocolate. One half the proceeds of the sale of art will be donated to breast cancer research. I had an opportunity to introduce Donna to artstream co-owners, Susan and Rainer, at a fund-raising dinner in November, something I had wanted to do for a while.

Last weekend, we drove down to Templeton in Massachusetts to see a high school production of My Fair Lady. Our granddaughter, Victoria, who is a middle-schooler, was in the play. Those kids did a fabulous job of acting their little hearts out.

Victoria is one of those very special kids: she plays soccer and basketball and softball ~~ sings in the school chorus ~~ has been in three senior high school theatrical productions ~~ and, is an honor roll student.

...... an ocean storm is predicted for tonight and tomorrow.

Snow out at sea will undoubtedly cause huge sea swells.

We'll go down with cameras hopefully to record for the blog.

Stay tuned.

2007-01-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

THE WRITER

. . . . .is my sister, Michelle

This image is the inside spread of a booklet I made recently celebrating my Michelle who is a writer and English professor. That is Michelle on the right side of the spread. Yes, smoking a cigar. The picture was taken during a vacation on the beach in Maine.

What a strange winter season we are experiencing here on the coast of New Hampshire: only two very small, nearly insignificant snow falls and lots and lots of days in the 30s, 40s and even some in the 50s. Today we have a clear blue sky with high winds but mild temps in the 40s.

Just yesterday, I learned that I was among the lucky first five on Beate's blog and that a unique piece of art is on its way to me. My responsibility is to put the same challenge on my blog ~~~ paying it forward, as they say. Who are 'they' anyway??? Oh well but it is a great idea and I will; I am, that is.

So, to the first five readers of my blog who post a comment, you will receive a unique piece of art from me.

2006-12-28T08:28:00.000-08:00

"Imagination is more important than knowledge"

This has been a wonderful season of friends, family, entertainment, cooking and sharing. We rang in the season with a trip to the North Shore Music Theater for an absolutely fabulous production of The Christmas Carol and the Friday before the Day, we saw The Irish Tenors and enjoyed a lavish evening of song: their voices filled the Rochester Music Hall with joy!

Stephen and Joann (who live in Seattle) were with us for 5 days prior to Christmas. On the 17th, we had an early Christmas party with them, Amy, Mike, Victoria and Anthony. We prepared a glorious buffet of traditional family foods and some new recipes as well.

Christmas Day was joyous, indeed, as Shelly, Katherine, Esther (age 5), Ari and Noah (9months) came up for the day. What joy! A grand day! A great feast that was topped of with 'steamed pudding', a Spiller family tradition.

I have the great gift of working in a loving environment that has lots of spontaneous holiday cheer as well as the organized variety.

We'll cap off the season with dinner and a show at the Stone Church on Saturday night where Bill Morrissey is playing; he is one of our favorite folk artists. And of course, there's New Year's Eve; we, however, are not party-goers so we'll stay in with a festive meal and champagne.

One very nice slice of Christmas joy came from Artella -- the on-line e-zine. The folks at Artella offered a holiday swap and I signed up for it. Yesterday, the mailman brought an artistic creation by Sherry from Tennessee. You can see it at the top of this post. Imagination IS more important than knowledge. The body of the little person is articulated; his arms read: "Think Big". His head is an old, rusted bottlecap. It will find a spot by my desk at work. Sherry is a very creative woman; I visited her blogs (stillwatersstudio.blogspot and stillwatersart.blogspot). On a very interesting and unusual note, Sherry makes art from found objects and leaves the items anonymously in restaurants, rest rooms, the gym where she works out and other places! Fun. Probably makes the day for the reclaimers!!!

2006-11-06T16:52:00.000-08:00

SINGING WITH A FULL VOICE!

That's the title of my second altered book. It's a very personal book. A strong personal representation of who I am and what I was thinking and feeling in the summer/autumn 2006. This altered book, its title and thematic presentation grew from an antique book that I found in Larry's stash: THE WARRIOR GIRLS.

In this book, I painted on: paper, antique lace, paper towels, antique doilies, photographs and magazine photos and pictures downloaded from the internet. I used plain old craft store acrylics and lovely Jacquard products. Alcohol inks. Water colors. Colored pencils. Fabric. Machine embroidered pieces. Found objects. Beads. Buttons. Fibers. Stamps. Leaves printed on hand-dyed fabric. And, ephemera from my stash. Text and quotes from my collections by favorite authors.

This page celebrates the Triple Moon Goddess: the maiden, the mother and crone.

The completed altered book has been entered into a local art show; I really pushed to meet the deadline. Well, it felt like a push because completion ~~ saying it was complete ~~ was like giving birth: the time had come even tho' I wasn't totally ready. And, even as I submitted the book for the show, I was thinking, "Well, I can make these changes later ~~ when I get it back....." Looking at it today in the show, I couldn't remember what I wanted to change...........

In my haste to get the book into the show, I forgot to take photos for the blog. So today the photos were taken in haste and without only indoor, overhead lighting: some pages and spreads did not make the cut for my blog.

I gessoed on the old record book paper and then painted over it, and over it in many layers to get the kind of texture I wanted.

This spread is actually 4 pages ~~ the two in the center are cut and folded and are doorways into Artemis' Island.

Quite a bit of the focus of my book is "Artemis". Goddess and Protector of Maidens. Of Mother's in Childbirth. Of wildlife. I have had a fascination with Artemis for many years. She is known as the Virgin Goddess but actually that title really referred to her INDEPENDENCE!

I went to Greece just before my fiftieth birthday. Alone. Solitary. Spent 3 weeks in Leros, one of the tiny islands in the Dodocanese (actually closer to Turkey than to Greece. Twelve hours by ferry from Athens.

Leros is known as Artemis' Island.

Some images of Leros today.

Being in Greece was a JOYFUL time.
I felt completely satisfied with myself, in my solitude.
Curious.
Brave.
Daring.
I loved it!

Few English speakers on Leros. Not a popular vacation spot for Americans. Lots of Scandinavians. Germans. So I was nearly totally silent except for the few Greek phrases I learned and the lovely 16 year old Leros girl who loved practicing her English with me.

This spread is based on text about looking at the moon, solitary.....and knowing oneself wholly, in every aspect.

This spread presents a visualization of the question: "how might you have been different if you had" an older woman or women who helped you through you growing up, your growing into adulthood. It comes from a wonderful book by a Jungian (oh, but now I can't think of its title). I used to buy this book in multiples to give away to my women friends. Who then followed my lead and either passed it along or purchased another for other friends.

This is an important message to me/for me: a personal mythology, I suppose.

This is actually the first spread in the book.

Hecate is the image on this page.

The last page in the book; reminiscent of the Venus of Willendorf.
A reminder of how important it is to love our bodies.
Irrespective of what body type is "selling" on
Madison Avenue,
in Vogue,
in Cosmo,
or anywhere.

2006-10-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

An Exercise in AB-Making

This book was the inspiration for me to enter the world of altered books.

You should know that this was my first attempt after thinking about, reading about altering old books. And of course Larry is a collector of old and fine books so I have an almost endless supply. Which is just where I found this book, The Girl Warriors.

I suppose I was feeling a bit of a warrior this summer. And, indeed, the AB project seemed to offer just what I needed: something that could be fitted into whatever amount of time I was able to muster for my studio.

Let it also be known that I am someone who begins projects with a great deal of excitement. Which has a way of falling off. And the project becomes a UFO: unfinished object. But don't ask how many; I never tell! Anyway, this summer, I discovered a new patience for problem-solving and perseverance for completion with this altered book. Why? Don't know. But I think of it as a great gift. Among several that I received this summer season . . . . .

The summer of my altered book and gifts was also a summer of learning new lessons. "And this is the rest of the story". Now who used to say that on the radio? A bit conservative for my taste but I did like that almost-crying-voice that said those words. Oh, where was I. Oh the summer of lessons.

Chugging along on the AB but feeling constrained by the tight binding and in the interest of "art" I ripped the entire text block out of the spine. That's lesson #1: if you don't know how to get the text block back in, don't rip it out!
Working on the unconstrained pages I just tripped right along. And, discovered that two pages would make terrific inside front and back pages. Impatient novice that I am, I adhered them both. That is lesson #2. Don't! It seriously limits your cover options. Who Knew!!!
With the number of pages I wanted complete, I searched around for a way to get the pages back into the spine. And found a Japanese valley fold type of binding. A wonderful idea. For a Japanese book. Not mine. That type of binding is too tight; I couldn't open the spreads sufficiently to view my work. This really belongs to lessons # 1 and 2, suppose as does the following.
So, I invented my own type of valley fold binding -- but it didn't work. Two times!
Along the way somewhere, I covered and embellished the old book and think I did a great job.
But of course, its an empty book; it has no pages ~~~~~ just a spine and altered covers!!!!!! Huh????

So, here's where I am now. This is over-long, I think but here goes.....

I abandoned the wonderful altered covers. I will get backt to them one day; promise.
I prepared pages in a new-old book.
The new-old book is one that I've saved for a long time: it has a sewn-in text block, leather trim, the words, "Newspaper Clippings" in gilted script.
This book is smaller in overall dimensions, so the altered pages must be RE-altered. Hmmmmm????
But that gave me another go at "Pentimento" ~~
The new book is nearly done and I WILL post pix.

Of course, since my obsession with re-binding the first book, I came across Lisa Volrath's instructions for removing and re-binding the text block!!!! on the Yahoo Altered Book Group.

But what stopped me from thinking outside the BOX during all that angst? I mean who said those "pages" had to be in a book. With covers? And it's just come to me that I could have created a wallhanging with them using any number of ways to string them together. Eyelets and fibers. Wire. Leather. Beads.

2006-09-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

"The full soul tramples upon the honeycomb,
but to the hungry soul, any bitter thing tasts sweet.
Proverbs 27:7

I just discovered Monica Wood, a Maine writer, and this fabulous book published by Ballantine Books in 2005. And, what a find! What a story-teller! What delicious prose: Wood's use of language is imaginative and captivating; she creates compelling word pictures.

Oh, and by the way, the citation from Proverbs is the book's opening.

Frankly, I wanted to give up everything and just keep on turning the pages of her book. It is the story of a friendship, a marriage, and a search for a past. Lizzy Mitchell, orphaned at the age of two, is raised by her only caring relative, a Catholic priest in rural Maine which in itself is an unusual plot twist. But the book opens nearly 30 years later with a horrific accident that becomes the counter-point to the story of Lizzy's childhood.

One reviewer called it a story of "desertion, trust, faith and forgiveness". Another reviewer said "it is exquisite, soul-satisfying" and, finally, another said it is an "intimate exploration of faith and love, betrayal and penance". And, I recommend it highly and without reserve.

I googled the authors name http://www.monicawood.com and found a delightful, appealing and informative website and, best of all, several more books by Wood. On the website, she has included tips for writers and other items of interest. Take a look.

2006-09-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Monarch School of New England http://monarchschoolne.org is a year-round school for children with severe physical and developmental disabilities. Approximately 40% of the students are diagnosed with autism; others, are medically fragile. The student body of 30+ students come from 20 towns in central New Hampshire and southern Maine. There is a staff of about 60: administrators and support staff, teachers, therapists, and nurses.

I am the school's Development Director. I immediately fell in love with the kids and staff; and found to my delight that a sign over a door in the school was completely true:

"Love spoken here".

When I came to the school, about three years ago, it was with a "phased-retirement" plan. You know: getting ready to retire but not q-u-i-t-e there yet. Ready to stop working at impossible jobs with crazy expectations and hours but not ready to stop working. The school advertised half-time; that suited me just fine. Of course, over the three years I've continued to respond to need by adding more hours.

This Saturday, we have a very special fundraising event planned:

The Matt Savage Trio http://savagerecords.com

Rochester Opera House http://rochesteroperahouse.org

Rochester NH

7:30 PM.

What's so special about that? Well. For starters, Matt Savage is only 14 years old and he has played the BlueNote. Birdland. The Kennedy Center. He's played with Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Chaka Kahn. He's appeared on the TODAY show. He's won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award 2 consecutive years. He just released a new CD on September 19, QUANTUM LEAP on a national record label.

Matt was diagnosed with autism at the age of three; he taught himself to play the piano at the ago of 4; studied at Berkley Center at the age of 7 and cut his first CD at the age of 9. CNN just ran a special news report entitled, "Genius" which featured Matt and several others who are termed, savants.

Matt is a busy young man: he is playing the Regatta Bar in Boston tonight and opening for Wynton Marsalis in early October (I've forgotten where?). We are proud to bring him to the seacoast community and I am so excited to see him play!

So, take a look-see on the Monarch School's website and while you're there, view our videotape, a visually and emotionally appealing look into the school and its students that was done by a wonderful volunteer, a professional videographer. By the way, our website took a first place award in the education category in a state competition just months after it was launched in 2005. The website was designed Rainer Schwake at http://artstreamstudios.com. A great art gallery, art school and design studio in Rochester NH.

And when you have a moment, do visit Matt Savage at his website. You can sample bits of his music and look at a photo album covering his musical career.

And you can probably tell that I LOVE my job!

2006-09-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

This is a Black Throated Grey Warbler!

And I am not a birder. And I don't play one on the internet.

But while Larry and I were on Appledore Island several weekends ago, there was a great buzz about the sighting of this bird. It was seen in a tree just off the large deck outside the dining commons on Friday night and again on Saturday morning.

What's so special about that you might be asking?

Well, this bird lives in thegreat northwestern regions (USA and Canada); it winters in warmer climes like Mexico and is not usually seen in New England. In fact, this sighting was the first ever sighting on Appledore. This is significant because there is a bird banding station out there and birders find Appledore an appealing spot. I'm told that this sighting would make in to the Maine Rare Bird Sightings list.

Well, I was curious about this phenomenon and asked my questions of the friendly birders who are more than generous with information.

Did you you know that birds fly groups of mixed varieties?
Sometimes a single bird will join a group of other birds - not his relatives - and travel with them for a while - stop somewhere and then join another group for more flying.

Which is probably what our little warbler on Appledore did and .....got a little off home-base, I'd say.

But lordy, isn't it a beauty!

2006-09-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

A Monarch on Star Island

This is the time of year when the monarch butterfly begins to make its annual 3000 mile migration from northern United States to the warmer southern regions of California and Mexico.

Their travel south is one of the wonders of nature. Did you know that the monarch butterfly who leaves New England for the south is the great-grandparent of the monarch butterfly that returns?

In all the world, no butterflies migrate like the Monarchs of North America. They are the only butterflies to make such a long, two way migration every year.

Amazingly, they fly in masses to the same winter roosts, often to the exact same trees. Their migration is more the type we expect from birds or whales.

When the late summer and early fall Monarchs emerge from their pupae, or chrysalides, they are biologically and behaviorally different from those emerging in the summer. The shorter days and cooler air of late summer trigger changes. Even though these butterflies look like summer adults, they won't mate or lay eggs until the following spring. Instead, their small bodies prepare for a strenuous flight.

One unsolved mystery is how Monarchs find their overwintering sites each year. Somehow they know their way, even though the butterflies returning to Mexico or California each fall are the great-great-grandchildren of the butterflies that left the previous spring.

No one knows exactly how their homing system works; it is another of the many unanswered questions in the butterfly world.

I took the photo on Star Island in September 2005.

2006-09-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

Winding roads that seem to beckon you.........This past weekend, we spent a lovely long weekend on Cape Cod. Drove down on Friday and returned today. On Sunday, I took a solo drove down Route 6a, one of the most beautiful roads in America, I think. It winds through little towns ~~~ Sandwich, Barnstable, Brewster, Orleans, dotted with antique shops, b&bs, restaurants, glorious architecture and green farm land. Tomatoes, pumpkins, asters, mums: A lush world in September.

Miles of sand beneath the sky so blue......The weather was grand each day: clear blue skies; perfect late summer temps in the seventies. We stayed in Falmouth where I once lived for a short while in my twenties as a new bride. Too many years ago to say. The hotel we stayed in is at the head of the of Falmouth Harbor looking out towards the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.

With every turn on yet another lovely road, I hummed that song.

And I even remember Patti Paige.
How's that for an admission!

2006-09-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

APPLEDORE ISLAND

This weekend Larry and I went out to Appledore Island with a group from the Seacoast Science Center. This is an annual trip for us, one that we look forward to this pleasure.

Appledore is a tiny island, one of the nine islands that make up the Isles of Shoals.

In the 19th century and early 20th century it was the home of Celia Thaxter, the poet and artist whose family ran a summer hotel and catered to well known artists iof the time such as Childe Hassam.

Now it is owned by the Star Island Corporation and leased to Cornell University which maintains a marine laboraty. It operates from April to September and is buttoned up all winter long. As you can imagine, the accomodations are a bit on the primitive side: dormitory style rooms, single beds, and a walk down the corridor to the 'ladies'.

Appledore is only 9 miles off the coast but it offers a perfect escape: no automobiles or streets, no public lighting, no television, radio or newspapers, no computers or cell phones. Just quiet. Solitude. Relaxation. We walk and hike and hang around with naturalists and soak up new knowledge along with the ambience. Otherwise, we read and rest and re-coup. There is always a lobster dinner on Saturday evening and Sunday brunch before piling onto the Kingsbury, a research vessel for the trip home.

My Newest Postcard Trade

Isn't it just splendid! I love it!

This fabric postcard was made by Francoise of Belgium.
We planned the trade in the early summer but agreed to do it later in the season.

I hope she is as pleased with my postcard as I am with her work.

Oh, the Altered Book!

Well, all the spreads are done. I am working on the binding and cover. The lesson I learned from this project: never, never, never remove the text block from the binding. While working on the pages, I felt quite constrained by their size and lack of flexibility. So. I took the whole thing out in one fell swoop. And boy am I sorry. I have been teaching myself a binding method whereby one creates mountains and valleys, pastes the pages into the valleys and mounts the whole into spine. I will post the completed book soon.

(she said with great optimism)

2006-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

NEW PAGES FOR THE ALTERED BOOK

I am still working in the altered book format and finding it both enjoyable and challenging. It is a project that I have thought about doing for quite a long time.

The page above is an homage to t s eliot's 'Lovesong to J. Alfred Prufrock.

It uses paper, acrylic paints, fiber and beads.
Here is a close up of the right side of the mermaid page.
Beads and fibers on the bottom and along the left side.
This is the left side of the page.
I had used this image in an earlier version but was not pleased with it.
Also, uses fibers and beads and a vintage button that has the appearance of something one might find in the ocean.
My altered book celebrates the three ages of a woman's life: maiden, mother and crone.
The text on this page above reads:
"The human woman gives birth just as the earth gives birth to the plants. She gives nourishment, as the plants do. So woman magic and earth magic are the same. They are related. And the personification of the energy that gives birth to the forms and nourishes is properly female.
From the Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell.
This page is the left side of a spread and is incomplete.

Here is the right side of the celebration of 'mother'.
The text reads:
"The middle aspect of the Goddess is the Mother-Queen. She Who Rules. She is always celebrated for Her fecundity. She Who GIves Birth to New Life but what about her "ruling" aspect, making decisions, taking responsibility, contributing leadership to what has been created? Middle age is a mental state. It begins when you accept your own power and are willing and proud to exercise it, by shaping your own life and contributing society at large. "
Paper, acrylics, antique lace, hand-painted dryer sheet.

This page brings together the maiden, mother and crone.
The text reads:
"Most ancient symbol systems recognized the triangle as a sign of the Goddess's Virgin-Mother-Crone trinity and at the same time as her genital "holy place", source of all life. The triangle represented the Virgin Moon Goddess called Men-Nefer, archaid deity of the first Mother-city of Memphis. The triangle itself was worshipped in much the same way that modern Christians worship the cross."

I don't think it is entirely complete.

I have re-worked this page several times and am liking it now although I think it needs some work still.
The text on this page reads,
"How might your life have been different if there had been a place for you.....a place of women where you were received and affirmed? A place where other women, perhaps somewhat older, had been affirmed before you, each in her own time, affirmed, as she struggled to become more truly herself."

2006-08-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

NEW ALTERED BOOK PAGES

(post-pentimento)

The first page (above) is meant to be a celebration of the crone, the 3rd and final phase of a woman's life which she attains at the age of 56. It honors her wisdom and her power.

Paint, paper, fibers, fabric sheers and burlap, found objects.
I haven't decided if she is complete........

The next page is based on text about looking at the moon, 'solitary and mid-sky', and coming to know oneself completely, in every aspect.

Paint, paper, mesh ribbon.

The third page is based on text from a marvelous book entitled, Circle of Stones and poses the question, 'how would your life have been different' if you had a circle of women, older women who helped you to be comfortable in your own skin, your female-ness?
Paper, organza, antique lace and ephemera, vellum image.
This one is not finished.

This little piece is part of a page entitled, Faith, that was not sacrificed (to pentimento).
I had attempted to photograph it several days ago without success;
this try worked just fine.
These are shiney fibers over faux suede and entrapped under tulle and surrounded by satin stitching..

This final photo is from the page entitled, Hope.
It is created from bits of antique lace laid over muslin
and topped with a layer of fabric glue and then painted.
I am quite enthralled with this process.

2006-08-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

Pentimento & An Altered Book

(I love that word)

Pentimento; the freedom to change, modify what has been done.

Yesterday, I practiced pentimento on my altered book.

With more time in my playroom, more focus and more energy
than at any other time during this entire summer,
I was able to look more critically at the initial pages of my altered book.
And didn't like some of what I had done.

An altered book is a great format for pentimento:
just cover over with paper or gesso. Start over.
I did: liberating myself from what hadn't worked.
This idea of pentimento is a nice nudge to the 'inner critic'.
You know the one, that says:
"not good enough."

It was so freeing to just move away and helpful, too,
as I really like what I've done and will post them later today.

Oh by the way, the image on this post is one of Celia Thaxter's Garden on Appledore Island, one of the Isles of Shoals. Larry and I will have our annual retreat there in September with a group from the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne Point.

2006-08-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

A Mixed Media Altered Book

I've been working in an altered book format for the last week or so. The book is a pristine old journal found at an estate sale or auction some time ago. It is cloth covered with the word, "Record" on the cover. The only writing inside was a lightly penciled name: the father of the atomic bomb. Strange, interesting, curious. I covered over the name.

Today, I want to post some the book pages in progress.

Hope

Paper, acrylic paint and distressed lace.

The lace technique was in Quilting Arts magazine and the finished product has great texture

(I tried getting up close and personal with the camera but still couldn't do it justice).

Here's how I did it.
Bits of antigue lace are laid over muslin to cover the entire surface. Using both straight and patterned stitches as well as free machine work, I sewed the lace tightly and then applied a thin layer of fabric glue the lace. After drying, I painted it with opaque paints and dyes. It just has so many intriguing uses: mount on driftwood, use in collage, little art quilts and so much more.

Faith
Fabric, paper, paint, fibers.
The text reads: "Last night I did not know that today it would be raining."
I received a card with this little sentence about 30 years ago and WOW just never forgot it .

The little fabric rectangle on the left is faux suede with lots of shiny fibers captured under tulle and satin stitched all around. Same deal: difficult to photograph.

Untitled, 1st spread
Paper, paint, fabric, photo fragments
Way more work to be done!

Girl Warrior I -- 1st page
Torn paper, acrylic paint, mesh ribbon, colored pencil.
She needs more work: the flowers are wishy-washy and the bottom left is totally incomplete.

I like her very much ~~ she exudes strength and purpose.

This is the cover of an antique book that is the catalyst for my altered book.

I'll post more when finished.

2006-08-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

A Postcard(quard) Trade with Deb

I found this wonderful beauty in my mail box recently. And what a treat it was to open!

Deb in Alaska suggested we trade and I was immediately pleased to do so. She is a wonderfully artistic quilter. Deb wanted one of my postcards with original ephemera and I sent one of the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair. My quard from her was a total surprise as she made it especially for the trade. Isn't is grand!

You will LOVE her blog and her website:
http://www.coldfeetquilter.com
http://akquilter1.com

Deb lives in Anchorage, transplanted there from the midwest. She's a full time nurse, wife, mom and grandmother. Her blog is a delight to read. Homey, cozy, warm and full of life. She has also posted images of their new cabin near Anchorage.

What I have enjoyed through her emails and blog are my memories of being in Alaska during three jaw-dropping trips. Several career moves ago, I worked for a research and training company that required a lot of travel to clients around the US. During that time, I made a number memorable trips to Anchorage and to Juneau.

Larry came with me on these trips. One year, we went to Anchorage in July: drove down the Kenai to Homer. Took the train to Denali. Drove to Seward. Spent a day in Talkeetna and watched for the famous bachelors (didn't see any). Also surprising was the 'newness' of everything -- towns that were incorporated in the 20th century; some that only electricity in the 1950's; one that had only recently paved an access road for autos. It is a show-stopping-kind-of-place.

Ate salmon and halibut and Japanese soups. I remember a picnic on the Kenai, eating fresh crab purchased in Homer; Larry took a photo of me wearing two sweaters and ear muffs. It was July.

We marveled at the late night sun. And used the over-worked word 'awesome' because no other word would do, was BIG enough, descriptive enough.

We returned in October that year to snow on the ground and nearly all-day dark. We watched little school children getting off the bus in what seemed like the middle of the night with snow falling.

So, thank you Deb for a gift of friendship. For releasing memories. And for a glorious tiny art quilt.

___________

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet
and the winds long to play with your hair.
Kahlil Gibran

2006-07-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned
so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
E.M. Forster

2006-07-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

These days.

I don't have as much time in my studio/playroom.

Oh, I'm not complaining.
Every moment I spend there is pure joy.

______________________

This little post card (or postquard as Deb H of Anchorage likes to say)
is antique lace over contemporary furnishing fabric
with various vintage and retro buttons.

The images are reproductions. 4X6

_____________________

These days.

When in my studio,
I am playing with an interesting technique.
Laying antique laces over a base fabric,
covering all with a fine layer of fabric glue and painting.
The effects are quite magical.
Photos to follow.

_____________________

These days.

We are enjoying a visit from Victoria, our very special 13 year-old granddaughter.

While here, she is working on a project with antique lace
that will become a strapless camisole when completed.
I'll have some fine photos to share.

2006-07-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy,

if a blade of grass springing up in the fields
has power to move you,

if the simple things of nature
have a message that you understand,

rejoice,
for your soul is alive.

(Eleonora Duse)

EXPERIENCE JOY

2006-07-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

"Has it occured to you that what feels like calamity may be a gift,
given to you because you are the rare being who can use a hard gift like this?

Dr. Hallowell to Hillary Stevens

Mrs. Stevens Hears The Mermaids Singing

May Sarton

2006-07-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

At last!
Time and the high hot summer sun have given us lilies!

One small oval garden spot is dedicated to early spring blooms ~~~ tulips , narcissus, columbine & poppy. After that comes ethereal dancing daisey white & tall.
Then we watch and wait as lily's foliage becomes lushly green and the buds pregnant with color fairly burst from the pods.

Yesterday's unveiling: the first Pink Lily of the season.

And so in tribute to Lily, the Pink, I present here a children's lyric from the 1960's .
I love it!
Somewhat irreverant, amuzing and whimsical, and not at all descriptive of the "romance" of my garden's lily, it is actually an ode to Lydia Pinkham's potion or "compound.

LILY THE PINK

We'll drink a drink a drink
To Lily the Pink the Pink the Pink
The saviour of the human race
For she invented medicinal compound
Most efficacious in every case.

Mr. Frears
Had sticky-out ears
And it made him awful shy
And so they gave him medicinal compound
And now he's learning how to fly.

Brother Tony
Was notably bony
He would never eat his meals
And so they gave him medicinal compound
Now they move him round on wheels.

[Chorus]

Old Ebeneezer
Thought he was Julius Caesar
And so they put him in a Home
Where they gave him medicinal compound
And now he's Emperor of Rome.

Johnny Hammer
Had a terrible ss..ss..ss..ss..ss..ss..stammer
He could hardly s..s..say a word
And so they gave him medicinal compound
Now he's seen (but never 'eard)!

[Chorus]

Auntie Millie
Ran willy-nilly
When her legs, they did recede
And so they rubbed on medicinal compound
And now they call her Millipede.

Jennifer Eccles
Had terrible freckles
And the boys all called her names
But she changed with medicinal compound
And now he joins in all their games.

[Chorus]

Lily the Pink, she
Turned to drink, she
Filled up with paraffin inside
and despite her medicinal compound
Sadly Picca-Lily died.

Up to Heaven
Her soul ascended
All the church bells they did ring
She took with her medicinal compound
Hark the herald angels sing.

Credit for growing these lovelies pink lilies goes to Larry-of-the-green-thumb.
The lyric can be found at http://www.mum.org/Mrspink1.htm

"I'm sure that someone may already have told you about this, but there was a "pop" group in the 1960's in Britain called "Scaffold" whose main claim to fame was that one of them was Paul McCartney's brother and one was the Liverpool poet Roger McGough. However, they had a long-running number one hit with what most people took to be a children's song called LILY THE PINK."

2006-07-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

Things We Do at 4:08 AM
when SLEEP*LESS*NESS Reigns

n: temporary state in which you are unable to sleep;

The One Word List

Borrowed from Susan, who borrowed Something to Say who borrowed from Scenes from a slow-moving train.

Only use one word answers.

Yourself: wondering

Your partner: caring

Your hair: short

Your mother: giving

Your father: deceased

Your favorite item: Pfaff

Your dream last night: none

Your favorite drink: margarita

Your dream home: open

The room you are in: office

Your pleasure: grandkids

Your fear: illness

Where you want to be in 10 years: seacoast

Who you hung out with last night: Larry

What you're not: tall

Your best friend: Larry

One of your wish list items: space

Your gender: female

The last thing you did:

What you are wearing: pj's

Your favorite weather: 70's

Your favorite book: novels

Last thing you ate: chicken

Your life: mine!

Your mood: hopeful!

The last person you talked to on the phone: Mom

Who/what are you thinking about right now: sleeplessness

Favorite food: ethnic

2006-07-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Just Can't Help Myself!

. . . From making these little mailable art pieces.

This one is called:

"I'll dance with you in Vienna".

Cotton prints, paper, tulle, oil pastels. 4X6 (this one is on its way to Shelly in Massachusetts)

This is the second in the series.

I started this project by culling out black & white fabric prints and looking through boxes of images and ephemera. And then searched for some color to add a punch.

And, this is the result.

Cotton fabric, paper, antique lace, oil pastels. 4X6

2006-07-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

More Mailable Art

The postcard above is free machine thread-work on cotton and silk fiber bits, 4X6

Mawata (attenuated silk cocoon) over commercial cotton, thread-work, 4X6
(This one is on its way to Deb in Anchorage AK)

I have a small collection of ephemera ~~ original paper such as ticket stubs, advertising booklets, vintage postcards, photos and more. In the collection are pieces from the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. I thought it would be fun to build a fabric postcard using 1930's reproduction fabrics (that I've had for ages) and the related ephemera. This one has a Yellow Cab ticket stub that was good for five days while in Chicago at the Fair ~~ and cost was only $15.75! Just imagine!

Commercial prints, trim, vintage and contemporary buttons, ephemera, 4X6

A little expressionist art postcard. commercial prints, contemporary buttons, trim, 4X6

And, once I started in on the World's Fair theme, I just couldn't help myself. Here's one more.
Contemporary prints, vintage buttons, antique lace and a 25 cent ticket to the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. 4X6

Life's a Journey (not a destination)
Echo stitching on contemporary sheer fabric, paper, thread embellishment, 4X6

One fish, Two Fish
Commercial prints, tulle, mawata (attenuated silk cocoon), beads, thread embellishment. 4X6
(this one is on its way to Maddie in Florida)

Oh, well. She perseverates.

Collaged bits and pieces from the World's Fair postcards. Commercial prints, 1933 ephemera, vintage tape measure piece, buttons and snaps, found embellishments.

These mailable art pieces can be posted for 39cents in the US. They aren't machinable hence the little higher cost to mail.

All are available for trade or purchase. Email interest to me at:

pats_studio@yahoo.com

2006-07-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Recent Mailable Art

Available for Trade or Sale

Antique lace, ephemera, commercial prints, reproduction image, 4X6

Antique lace from 19th century jabot, contemporary sheers, reproduction images. 4X6

Reproduction image on silk, antique crochet lace, commercial prints, 4X6

Collaged cottons, fibers, thread-work, 4X6

Broderie perse from Japanese sample cloth, echo machine quilting, 4X6

Collaged cotton, thread-work, large fabric beads, 4X6

Commercial print, ribbons, sequins, fibers, stacked vintage buttons, paper, beads, 4X6
(this one is on its way to Olivia in Florida)

Bear's Paw
From the southwestern tradition, symbolizes "power" and "direction"
Hand-dyed fabric on commercial print background

You can email your interest in trade or purchase at Pats_studio@yahoo.com

2006-07-13T06:48:00.000-07:00

My mailable art trade with Beate

Beate lives in Dusseldorf, is a photographer and fiber artist. She contacted me requesting a trade of mailable art. I was thrilled and delighted as I had been visiting her blog and was inspired by her work. The postcard above is my trade from Beate. She named it, Explosion.

Beate's use of color and the wondrously thick thread-work is very effective. I love how the thread seems to take on the effects of paint.

Well I consider this a wonderfully successful trade!

You can find Beate at this address:

http://www.Beates-Fabric-Art.blogspot.com

We each chose the card we wanted from among those listed on our blog. Each card selected was very different. Each has its own strong narrative line. Mine uses antique lace and ephemera and is a sentimental presentation; her's is all contemporary with lush coloration.

We were both ecstatic with our trade!

2006-07-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

It's A Summer-Kind-of-ThingThe New Hampshire coast is only 14 miles long.

But interesting and diverse.
It's a cultural landscape that abuts Massachusetts to the south
and Maine to the north.
Along the way is a funny mix of towns:
honky tonk Seabrook;
lush and quiet Rye;
old money New Castle;
boom town in Portsmouth.

One of our favorite spots is an old clam shack in Seabrook called Ceals's that was started just after WWII by a woman who handed down the business to daughter and then to granddaughter.

I suspect it has not changed one iota in over 60 years. It's success in based on a secret recipe for fried clams that is absolutely the finest on the coast.

Ceal's opens in early May on weekends only
but by June is open for business every day and night.
Larry and I will visit Ceal's once or twice a season to savor some of her delicious
(if artery-clogging) food.
It is a take-out sort of place with a little attached covered porch for eating.

A few weekends ago on an overcast Sunday, we made our trek to Ceal's and then made our way up the coast to Hampton Beach - which is a bit honky tonk now but wasn't in my youth.

We were set to match skills at Skee Ball on the board walk -
also an annual event for us.

I beat his pants off with great scores!

That weekend was the official annual challenge of sand sculptures and here are a few photos.

All on a fantastical theme.Pretty wonderful.

2006-07-04T04:25:00.000-07:00

Mailable Art Trade

New Hampshire to Dusseldorf & Back

Recently I was contacted by Beate to make a fabric postcard trade. She had seen my postcards here and liked them.

I had been admiring her work for quite awhile.

This is my first postcard trade.

We made a plan to trade, each choosing one fabric postcard from the others collection that had been posted on our blogs.

Beate chose this card for her trade.
It is constructed of antique lace; I sewed a small antique greeting card to the base that dates from early 20th century. Under all is a hand-dyed dryer sheet and a contemporary sheer with a floral design.
I collect and sell antique linens and sometimes buy ephemera at auction. The little calling cards and small greetings cards always make me smile.

I mailed the card to Beate on Monday by air letter post and she should receive it within one week.

I cannot wait to receive my card. Beate's work is just wonderful. I chose a postcard entitled, Explosion. I will post it here when it arrives.

2006-06-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

A Class with Kaffe Fassett

Kaffe and his partner Brandon have come to the seacoast area to teach and give lecture/slide shows. Usually they are hosted in the autumn by Gretchen at Portsmouth Fabric and the classes are held at the Connie Beane Communty Center.

Kaffe has been my hero for about 10 years or more.
I am continually inspired by his use of color and simple designs.
I may own all of his books.
One can never have too many inspirational books.

The photo above is from one of the design walls during the 2005 class.

These two photos are during the "crit" at the end of the day when Kaffe offers constructive criticism to the day's work on the design wall.

His classes are no-sewing formats; his students cut and work on a design wall.
Fabric pieces are pinned into place and rolled into the flannel for transporting home.

Kaffe has lived in England for quite a few years moving there from California.
He designs in a range of fiber work from knitting to needlepoint to quilting; and also in mosaics.
From this trip to New Hampshire, he was going to Japan to teach and lecture.

2006-06-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

More New Postcards

Japanese Cotton and Japanese varigated thread
Hand-stitched in sashiko
Machine-stitched around the geometric shapes for "pop"
A sentimental view:
This one is made of antique lace,
an antique calling card was stitched on,
contemporary sheers under and
a hand painted dryer sheet

I love this fabric and so I did very little to it
A few snips and cuts
Some quilting
That's all for the Indonesian bird

Antique lace and vintage buttons
A contemporary sentiment
Tulle and thread work over all
(this card is on its way to Sherry in Newmarket NH)

2006-06-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

Four new fabric postcards
1. Graffiti
2. Japanese Collage
3. Controlled Chaos
4. Silk on Silk

2006-06-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

These pieces were used to protect linens for storage.
I don't know if they had a name.
Please enlighten me if you are aware of such.

This one is cotton, rather like a chintz, I think

although I have also had some that look more like barkcloth. They usually have cotton twill for tying.

I love the floral design ~
~ what some decorators are calling,
"shabby chic" these days.

I find these lurking in the bottoms of auction boxes of linens.
Sometimes they are still rolled.
Sometimes with the cardboard (card) still inside.
After ironing, the "housewife" would lay the linens on the pretty cotton,
roll and tie them into these lovely little packages.
This, to protect the linen fibers which tend to be brittle
and can break if stored folded.

2006-06-25T03:38:00.000-07:00

Gina E. in Victoria Australia (Patra's Place) requested additional posts on my linen collection.

These four images are representative of embroidered linen I have found.

Above is an embroidered sampler from the American Thread Company.

35 cents was the original purchase price (first half 20th century?)

I just love the primary colors and beautiul stitching on the corner of this cloth.

This piece dates to the early 19th century, probably about 1812 or so.
It came with hand-written provenance. An exquisite find in an auction box
that I didn't know was there until I got home and found it lurking at the bottom!

Isn't this grand! An embroidered linen laundry bag.
Just imagine having the time to hand-embroider a laundry bag!

It is a pea-soup kind of day on the New Hampshire coast today.
We are socked in with rain and fog that is forecast to last the week!
And, I ask, "haven't we had quite enough of this". Such a soggy season.

Yesterday I began organizing a box of 18th and 19th century lace
purchased at auction. Lace caps, shawls, collars and berthas, flounces and trim
Fabulous handmade lace pieces from antique dresses and gowns ~
I am in heaven!

2006-06-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

I've continued with making these small 4x6 art quilts mailable as postcards.

The African-influenced one above is my favorite of this group.

I'm quite pleased with this Asian-inspired one of "fabric bundles".
This one was an experiment in layering sheers with cottons, a faux suede and a kind of lame and lots of pattern thread work.
No. Maybe this is my favorite.
I am not a "fuser" but I experimented with fusing small bits that were left from other projects. And I like the results.

I really am partial to highly saturated colors and ethnic patterns.

2006-06-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

Me mi ma

May moo mow mom

Many moxa mira miro math

Manny minion melody mirror maudlin million

Monarch McDonald malodorous magnificent millionaire

2006-06-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

Poppy season....

here and then gone.

Exquisite while they last.

Drink them in.

Strawberries & Peas.

Ahhhhh.

I LOVE the taste

the crunch the smell

the look of summer.

Tickles my senses.

2006-06-17T07:22:00.000-07:00

"L"INENS

Linens antique treasures blue lagoon

laurel lake Mom learned to swim after being thrown from a canoe
lampoon landlord landscape & sun spots Steve & Vivianne languages romance and
late, the Mrs lathe laughter laurel park law & order lawyers legal seafood
league of craftsWOmen leather work legionairre lent libertine libertarian views
"O Liberty! How many crimes have been committed in your name!"
light lilac lion -ness literature loafer lorgnette love songs luxury
lunch luscious lover levi V Lynn library lazy day and
Leominster where I was birthed
Larry Larry Larry III

2006-06-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

A bright shiny penny of a girl, Victoria is 13. Plays soccer, softball and basketball. A budding Sarah Burnhardt after her 8th grade experience with Little Shop of Horrors and a one-act dramatic competition. An honor student. A love of a child.

Yesterday we drove down to Massachusetts to watch Victoria's softball game, stay in our favorite hotel and see my sister, Donna today. (I don't have any photos of Victoria playing softball this year but here she is in a soccer game.)

Anyway, the game was postponed so we had a family dinner instead: Mike, Amy, Victoria and Anthony and Larry and me. What a great delight to engage Anthony (16) and Victoria in conversation. They are bright, funny, articulate. And nteresting.

I can't say I relished the IDEA of grandchildren before time but once they came to me I knew what it meant that:

"sometimes,

perfect love doesn't come

until the grandchildren"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-06-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

Fleurs du Printemps

Each bloom that survived the downpours

of early spring are a miraculous blessing.

We purchased the daisy from the Portsmouth Farmer's Market one (read ONE) nice Saturday.

I love the way the bright sunny yellow plays with the chinese blue of the pot and the blue of the ageratum.

That Saturday of the Farmer's Market was a wonderful seacoast sort of day:

blue sky

dry air

light soft breezes.

It was a joy to walk around the Market.
Listening to live music.
Marvelling over the fresh produce, herbs and plants for sale. Enjoying the aromas of the Indian Cuisine.

After enjoying the sensuous-ness of the Market, we drove across the bridge for lunch on a dock facing Portsmouth
on the Piscataqua River.

A perfect Saturday in every way!

I'm particularly fond of this window box .
I love the lacey sail boats
as a backdrop for the orange flowers.

I worked at home today
preparing sponsorship letters for a fundraising
event in September.
In the middle of the day, I got the camera and walked around taking pictures of the flowers in bloom.
Nice interlude in the day.

A poppy!

A beautiful big white fabulous poppy.

Each big luscious bloom is a treat to behold.

Not all will give us as much pleasure as this one.

A lot of the buds are just heavy with wet -- water-logged

This one came from a bulb sale we had at school; the bulbs were purchased from Johnny's of Maine.

And the confession:
I love flowers but I am not the gardener.
It is Larry's hand that produces these lovelies.

2006-06-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

WORDPLAY

Kaboom

Kathryn Katherine Kathlene Kathy Kate & Katy
KKKK-Katy

Kalamazoo

Kiss The Kiss Klimt Kahlil Karma
kaleidoscope kit/kaboodle K-12 K-Mart K-nine

Knight

Killing Me Softly . . . . .

Knit

Knitting

Knitter

Knitted

Kid

King

Kong + Fay Ray

2006-06-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

Made2Mail Fabric Postcards

Here are a few more examples from my flurry in the playroom

The postcard below is is a commercial print that I highlighted and outlined with thread and flat shell-like beads

The second postcard began with a layer of solid cottons both commercial and hand-dyed in values from soft and muted to medium. These were sewn together in narrow strips with raw edges showing. A grid made of thread became the basis for building up cording with satin stitching on the sewing machine. A layer of tulle and embellishment of "eyelash" yarn

I had lots of fun with this one using a variety of commercially printed fabrics and lots of thread play

The next one is a piece of Japanese cotton with sashiko done by hand with a variegated Japanese cotton thread. I did a bit of machine quilting along the sashiko lines to accentuate it. My plan is to add a small bead in the center of the intersecting lines.

2006-06-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

Another One.

Here is another fabric postcard from the past week:
It has an acrylic- painted dryer sheet layered over a piece of cotton fabric.

Then it was play time at the sewing machine

Adding wool fibers.

A layer of tulle

And more thread play and fibers over top of all.

Lots of fun!

2006-06-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

FabriCards (again and again and for the same reason ~~ What's up with the blog?)

Anyway, here is another sample of my play this week.

I like this one with its asian feel.

The fabrics are commercial prints; the background piece has been in my stash for literally years and keeps showing up here and there in projects!
The other fabrics are new and might be from Amy Butler????

The little fabric bundles and metallic "ties" will be complimented with some final embellishment ~~ yet to be conceived.......

2006-06-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

FabriCards (again)

For some reason I've had difficulty with getting more than one photo image on my blog this morning.

This is another of the fabric postcards from my week's "play".

This one is made from a piece of batik on which I spread small bits of silk threads and fibers from left over woven silks .

It uses silk hankies (mawatas) to entrap the silk threads. These actually are attenuated silk cocoons called Bombyx mori .

Lots of thread play with my Pfaff; cording made from yarns and satin stitches; and little satin stitch beads over silk slubs.

2006-06-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

FabriCards

I've been making fabric postcards this week.

This one has layers of antique linen salvaged from less-than-perfect linens from my collection. These have one or more flaws so that they cannot be used "as-is". Imperfect 20th century linens have no intrinsic value but are great for any number of fabric projects from pillows to wearable art and children's clothing.

Antique silk is set against the linens and lace; they add a nice counterpoint to the texture and monochromatic linen and lace. The silk bits are old, fragile and their colors, muted which works well on this little piece.

The final embellishment will be completed with a few antique beads.

The ephemera is a reproduction image on cotton that was stitched to the background.

2006-06-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

"Stand still. Stand still and stop the sun." May Sarton.

We were living in a small New England village of about 300 souls when I discovered May Sarton. We lived on the village green which was surrounded by white houses trimmed in black with a general store, school house, church and library that was open on Wednesday and Saturday.

I was a stay-at-home mom then with two kids under three. We chose not to own a television. Not by choice we had only one car and it went daily to work with DH. The nearest town of consequence was about 30 miles away. There was no public transportation. Ever. To anywhere. So I tended children. Built a garden. Refinished furniture. Painted walls. Braided rugs. Sewed little girl clothes. Taught Sunday school. Put in a bid for selectWoman (the first such in the history of the town!). Did volunteer work. And I read and read and read.

One day I asked the librarian to recommend an author and she said, "May Sarton". "If you're looking for something with no sex and no violence."

And I never stopped reading May Sarton. I became a groupie. I believe I own everything written by her and nearly everything written about her. A prolific writer, she produced novels, poetry and journals. Her New England fans consider her their own: she lived in Boston, Nelson NH and York ME. She died in the early 1990s in her 83rd year. I considered her "mine" and when she came to read her work in a nearby town, I was appalled to see that others shared my love and loyalty! And felt like a jealous lover.

You might ask: "What about her writing so captured the imagination? Like no else, May Sarton knew a woman's soul; she knew about duality of solitude and wrote of its joy and pain. In her journals she wrote of the struggle to be an independent woman, to live the live of an artist needing time alone to create and needing the fulfillment and solace of companionship and friendship. She was an actress, a director and producer in the thirties. As a young woman she had a passionate affair-of-the-heart with Virginia Wolf. She needed a Muse for the work. Always. She was essentially European, born in Belgium; she lived part of most every year in Europe. Her loyalty, her cultural sensibilities were European. After she settled in Nelson NH, she became an avid, passionate gardener.

Early on I fell in love with her short novels: The Poet and The Donkey; Joanna and the Donkey; Mrs. Stevens Hears The Mermaids Singing andthe journals and the longer novels. Hardly a winter goes by that I don't re-read favorite novels and poems. Here is one I love!

Now I Become Myself
Now I become myself.
It's taken Time, many years and places;
I have been dissolved and shaken,
Worn other people's faces,
Run madly, as if Time were there,
Terribly old, crying a warning,
"Hurry, you will be dead before--
"(What? Before you reach the morning?
Or the end of the poem is clear?
Or love safe in the walled city?)
Now to stand still, to be here,
Feel my own weight and density!
The black shadow on the paperIs my hand;
the shadow of a word
As thought shapes the shaper
Falls heavy on the page, is heard.
All fuses now, falls into place
From wish to action, word to silence,
My work, my love, my time, my face
Gathered into one intense
Gesture of growing like a plant.
As slowly as the ripening fruit
Fertile, detached, and always spent,
Falls but does not exhaust the root,
So all the poem is, can give,
Grows in me to become the song,
Made so and rooted by love.
Now there is time and Time is young.
O, in this single hour I live
All of myself and do not move.
I, the pursued, who madly ran,
Stand still, stand still, and stop the sun!
May Sarton

2006-06-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

WHAT A GREAT RELIEF!

juice-y gossip
jiggling jello
java-hyped-insomnia
june, bug lady~ah-h-h-h-h-h ~ july
julip oh my mint

creativity exercise

sitting at the keyboard

the blank monitor

I might "have a go" at wordplay

nothing

funny

interesting

provocative

memorable still I sit

& enjoy

the child-ish fun of it

I write something everyday.

Proposals. Press releases. Articles.

A newsletter.

A brochure.

A fund-raising letter.

Left-brain task

right-brain proclivity.

Always a product

on-time on-demand.

So it is difficult to just 'play'.

No product

intended.

I think these funny little word exercises help me to play in my studio/playroom

Always I felt the need to 'produce' something

To have 'something' that said

"this is justification for these hours alone".

I'm learning to play again

be child-ish again

no 'end to my means'

What a great relief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-06-02T14:27:00.000-07:00

MAIL ART

I've been working on a series of fabric art postcards:

using commercially-printed & hand-dyed fabric

Tulle & embellishments such as

ephemera, vintage & contemporary buttons & found objects.

I love this piece of vintage ephemera ~~ a table placeholder

probably from a restaurant ~ cruise ship?

The hand-dyed fabric is a mixture of logwood (purchased)
and basil (from my garden).

I used an acrylic-dyed dryer sheet
that was pulled apart, entrapped under tulle
and embellished with thread work

None of the group are totally finished;
I need to design backs for them.

2006-06-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

The June issue of Rye Reflections has a brief story and photos

of the Fiber Art Show that is on display through the end of June

in the downstairs meeting room of the Rye Library.

There are quilts, wall hangings, knitted pieces and more

from 22 artists in a variety of styles and materials.

Below are representative images from the show.

Trinity Church, York Harbor by Nancy Morgan

Falling Leaves by Carolyn Scheck

Window on Celia's Garden by Claire Russo

And my beaded quilt, Glitz, Glam & Gigawatt

2006-05-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

wordplay on

in inner intuit

indulge fanciful imaginations

invoke illusion

implore forgiveness

inspire innovation

improve (dance better, he said)

in-print in-the-pink and in-love

2006-05-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

my haiku

tuesday

without you
drank japanese tea
birds called

love

2006-05-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

WORDPLAY ON "H"

AND A RESTROSPECTIVE

The days that the rains came down . . . on southeastern and coastal New Hampshire . . . the Monarch School of New England flooded; it flooded on Sunday ~ and again on Monday.

On Tuesday, 25 volunteers came to start the clean-up process. On Wednesday, 30 volunteers came to begin the sanitizing process. Monarch students are severely disabled and medically fragile; it was necessary to go beyond . . . everything was cleaned with a 4-1 bleach solution. No matter how big (like freezers and large filing cabinets) or how small (like desk top stuff). On Thursday and Friday more volunteers came to put everything back in place and make the school ready for students.

heart ~ full * heart ~ filled * heart-to-hands * hands-to-god * happy heart * light hearted

Next, the rug cleaners came. And the tile cleaners. Then the health department and the environmental safety people; all pronounced the school "good-to-go". And we did!

Happiness is . . . a clean, dry school: School re-opened nine days later. Students and teachers came with happy faces.

2006-05-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

"I think if one kind property is sacred,

it is the kind that is the product of our own minds

and made with our own hands."

Camille Pisarro

2006-05-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

WordPlay on "G"

gulls on Appledore
gardenia * constant gardener

glen, gleeful, glee club, goat cheese

gabby, gargantuan,

galahad, sir & glenda, good witch
go go girl and same for boots
gallo, gallon, gallup, gobble

gurgle, gown and gwen

Greece & islands

Grecian Urn, An ode to * Glass Lake

poor george, he was born with a

silver foot in this mouth

George and Gracey, both Burns Plimpton, too

George the Younger, gorgeous, too

Washington, G. father of......

gold, digger, filling, karats

golden, paint and colorado

gelding, geezer, giddy-up

stop 'n go * get up 'n go

2006-05-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

wordplay on "f"

fanciful

fabulous

foremost

fortune, my grandchildren

fortune cookie, for a while all mine read,

"you will get new clothes"

Fried Green Tomatoes

which I've watched fourteen times

formal

finicky

flimsy

floosy

Funky Divas of Gospel

I am fammy to Anthony, Victoria, Dylan, Maddie and Olivia

flossie, you did read the Bobsey Twins.

Pfaff (I know) but it works in Germany

2006-05-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

An Unexected Event Challenges

Patience * Peace * Quiet

Yesterday I needed to be in Natick for an early morning seminar. The day was dry and clear; MapQuest assured me I could do this drive in under an hour and a half. My target was to arrive by 8:30; the seminar started at 9:00 but that would give plenty of time for coffee and registration.

So, carrying an umbrella (just in case) and my ever-present travel mug of coffee, off I went. By the time I was on Route 495 it was raining.

Buckets.

Sheets.

Blinding water.

Traffic thickened and slowed. I started running behind.

Directions from MapQuest put me on I-90 for a short while and then with a fews hooks and turns I'd be at the Crowne Plaza on Route 9 in Natick.

This was not to be the case.

As I approached I-90 it was clear that something was wrong! Automobiles were jammed and coming from all points. Converging. Attempting to merge onto the on-ramp.

I could feel tension. Palpable tension. And looking briefly to my left I spotted the cause: an overturned tanker truck cross-wise across I-90.

And the rain continued. I mean major rain; scaryrain considering the 12-inch rainfall of recent days.

Well, at the end of the day, it turned out the tanker was carrying propane and both the east- and west-bound lanes of I-90 remained closed for the day and the traffic back-up lasted for ten hours. The chemical had to be drawn out of the tanker before it could be moved, dangerous indeed.

I did finally get to the seminar but it was 11 o'clock and I was two and half hours late. And I was tired. Wired. Frustrated. Cranky. Sweaty. But the presenters were good; the information useful and I came away pleased that I had doggedly pursued my destination.

And one the way home later that day, I treated myself to a shop that I have only visited online and that was a truly wonderful glorious redeeming part of the day.

2006-05-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

WordPlay on "E"
elfin * small * tiny ~~ the opposite of enormous
meet each day with enthusiasm

be open and expansive

Sleepless in Seattle, the epitome of chick flicks
expensive, my champagne taste
expand, time to BE in my studio/playroom
exploding in possibility
emote ~~an ever-present cross-word puzzler

experience

2006-05-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

AEGEAN TREASURES

is the name of this little beaded number

that has been my focus during this long stretch of rain and more rain.
I've been beading. Sitting alone and quiet in my studio. Listening to the rain and hoping the lakes that have nearly formed a moat around the house recede before the next band of rain comes in.

This is the back of a small purse.
I'm beading the lower front now.
Both will be lined with deep blue velvet and then assembled using a bead embroidery stitch.

2006-05-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

Here in coastal New Hampshire,

we need a little sunshine.

I need to remind myself that this rain

will produce bountiful beautiful blooms in June.

This is another of the flower photos I took last summer

in Celia's Garden on Appledore Island.

Surely a one of my favorite places in all the world.

This rain brought an unexpected hiatus from work as flooding has overcome the neighborhood where my school is located. The effects of this storm on the infrastructure of the school building are quite major; there is no indication when school will resume.

A planned vacation is one thing. If it is a trip one has planned there is the preparation and then the savoring of new sights and sounds. If it is a stay-at-home-and-catch-up kind of vacation, one plans projects or day trips, picnics at the beach and relaxing with a good book.

But this unexpected vacation from work has me at sixes & sevens (I have always LOVED that sooo British of phrases!). And so I wait.

For the rain to stop.

We are told there could be another three inches of rain today on top the previous eleven inches from the preceding days.

But how fortunate we are here in my little coastal town. There have been no evacuations as in other towns. Our roadways have held strong with the exception of two washouts.

Perhaps the sun will shine tomorrow.

2006-05-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

Another rainy day

if this keeps we'll soon

need an ARK

Raindrops courtesy of clipartfromheaven.com

2006-05-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

MORNING IN THE GARDEN

TANSY
BRONZE FENNEL
ROSE MALLOW
MARIGOLD
ZINNIA
WOAD & MADDER

My garden yielded lovely flowers, herbs and vegetables for the table all summer long. But it also gave me petals, leaves & roots for fabric dyeing.

These are some pages from my dyeing notebook in which I recorded my experimentation with various herbal and floral mixtures, various fabrics, with overdyes and with different mordants and after dips.

I pressed the petals or leaves onto the pages and recording whether the dye bath used dried or fresh plant material. Almost always, I added the finished fabric to my notebook.

The day I found woad plants for sale, I shouted with joy as they are not commonly found in garden centers. In fact, I never had seen it growing before that day! Although some people consider woad a pervasive weed, it was the northern European version of indigo, used mostly by the early celts who painted their bodies with it before going naked, or nearly so, into battle.

The results of these vegetable dyes are a wonderfully soft palette of earthy colors ~~ not highly saturated. But they are color fast because of the mordants used.

2006-05-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

Dale Chihuly, art glass-blower

extraordinaire!

I took this photo at the San Antonio Central Public Library in February.

It was the first time that I'd seen Dale Chihuly's work

up close and personal and was blown away.

Just imagine.

He had no inclination towards art

and no desire to pursue a post-secondary education.

It was the only the urging of his mother

that got him into a junior college.

While in college, he helped his mother redecorate

one of the rooms in their home

and that directed him towards art.

In a weaving class, he was challenged to weave

with a non-fibrous material and chose glass.

And that turned him towards art glass.

Fascinating.

2006-05-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

"Your life is your art,

your own creation

constantly in the making.

You are designing it

moment by moment....."

Opra,

quoted from "O"

The photo at the left is me reclining on a Victorian chaise in the Oceanic Hotel on Star Island . With a balloon hat on. And a huge smile.

This is what coming home looks like.

It was taken on the first day of our annual summer retreat at the opening cocktail party in the verrry formal Victorian parlor. A professional clown is a regular part of the group and he was busily making funny balloon hats for everyone. Silly icebreaker. This was the most organized part of the week.

Time on Star has wonderful positive effects because there are:

No automobiles.

No news in papers, radio or TV.

No telephones, cell or otherwise.

No streetlights.

No ambulances. No fire trucks or police cruisers.

What is there, you ask? Well. There is time. To be. Quiet. Thoughtful. Reflective. Dreamy. There are wide old-fashioned porches with lots and lots of New England rockers: the grandest place for reading. Or napping. Or chatting. There is hiking and walking and taking dips in the ice-y Atlantic. There are exquisite sunrises and sunsets.

One can do; but it is not de rigeur.

So a softening begins. One feels it (and it can be seen by others) in the face muscles.

A sweet letting go of STUFF. Day by day. Ahhhhhhh.

2006-05-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

Victorian White Linens

I am an avid collector of antique linen. And I derive a lot of the pleasure from hunting for beautiful things that tell stories of a gentler time, a more graceful life style.

This cloth was probably used at family celebrations. It is a huge banquet cloth that I purchased from the Tarbell estate in New Castle .

Edmund Charles Tarbel, an American Impressionist (late 19th and early 20th century) lived in New Castle and was reknowned for his paintings of family life at the turn of century. The cloth is drawn thread and cutwork and depicts a celebratory scene with dancing, a jazz sax man and florals all around. A wonderful special occassion cloth that came to me in pristine condition rolled around a long, large heavy cardboard cylander and wrapped in paper. Just so perfect!

2006-05-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

Kitambaa

Piece of cloth

in Swahili

I finished the beading!

This close-up photo shows the thread work and beading.

I felt more comfortable -- well more confident with this piece. Much more confident than "Glitz, Glam, Gigawatt" on which I agonized, doubted, picked out, re-beaded and re-beaded.

The photo below is a close-up of the upper right corner. You can see the batik on the right and the Japanese barkcloth next to it on the left. Both photos above show the Crazy Quilt style of embroidered beading.

Here is the entire "piece of beaded cloth".

It is tiny, a mini-beaded quilt only about 6x7 inches.

I haven't put a back on it yet and need to decide what type of hanger to apply.

2006-05-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a wonderful New England day! The rain is gone. Blue sky. Soft spring air. A day to experience. What will bring joy to your life today? Me, myself and Larry are making a picnic lunch. Going to the beach at noon for our first of the season.

I will look across the 9-mile expanse of water to the Isles of Shoals. And try to see Star Island, shimmering on the horizon. On a clear day, I can almost knock on the front door of the Oceanic Hotel.

Today, I want to drink May.