Morna Crites-Moore :: wicked waif

Four Years - and a Give-Away!

2012-01-26T03:43:00.001-05:00

Today is my FOUR year anniversary with this blog. I think that deserves a give-away, don't you? So I made something in honor of the event. It's a little pinkeep .... nothing fancy .... but definitely fun. I made it from recycled sweaters, which I've felted, of course. It's all rolled up ..... because it's a "roll-up" .... a sewing roll-up, to be more specific. It has a sweet little vintage mother-of-pearl button. Because I like old buttons. A lot.

If you'd like to be the owner of this little sewing roll-up, please leave a comment. I'll select the winner, using a random number generator. When? Probably in about a week.

Traveling Through The Dark

2012-01-02T01:45:00.000-05:00

Traveling through the dark I found a deer

dead on the edge of the Wilson River road.

It is usually best to roll them into the canyon:

that road is narrow; to swerve might make more dead.

By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car

and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing;

she had stiffened already, almost cold.

I dragged her off; she was large in the belly.

My fingers touching her side brought me the reason--

her side was warm; her fawn lay there waiting,

alive, still, never to be born.

Beside that mountain road I hesitated.

The car aimed ahead its lowered parking lights;

under the hood purred the steady engine.

I stood in the glare of the warm exhaust turning red;

around our group I could hear the wilderness listen.

I thought hard for us all--my only swerving--

then pushed her over the edge into the river.

William Stafford

One year, we had a young buck, antlers not yet full-grown, come through our yard, crazed. There was an arrow in his swollen neck. He stumbled and weaved, not really understanding what he was doing. He stopped and looked at us, young Adeline and I (we were in the car, coming up the driveway). We sat and stared at each other for a while. I felt helpless, wondering what to do, coming up dry, no coherent ideas in my brain, just a jumble of questions. Then he ended my questions by stumbling off. Going somewhere to die, whether he knew it or not.

Hello 2012

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Nap time

2011-12-26T14:24:00.001-05:00

It's time for a nap, a break from the www. We'll see how long I last. I'd like to stay away from the blog for the rest of the year ... or maybe just pop in ever so briefly and ever so sporadically. Stay away from Facebook and Flickr, too. Spending time listing things on Etsy and Ebay would be okay ... especially listing "vintage" items, i.e. downsizing the collections that have grown through the years. I crave simplicity but I am way far away from achieving it.

I'd like to spend my time with the real world. Catch a movie with Adeline. Try some new restaurants with Doug (thanks to gift certificates received from Adeline, er Santa). Maybe do some yard work, if the mild weather holds. Cook, bake, walk. Do the things I always neglect. Spend time sewing. Make something for Adeline. Teach her to make something for herself. Explore the metal working I've been dreaming about. Read, of course ... but I always do that! Make some books. Rearrange the bookshelves in the family room ... they used to be arranged by section (poetry, art, biography, etc.), but when Doug repainted the room we were rather sloppy about how we put them back on the shelves.

It would be nice to go places. I spend way too much time at home. I need to get out and about. Visit with friends who put up with my hermit ways, but wouldn't it be nice to spend more time together? Before we die? I'd like to catch up with extended family, too. I'd like to spend time in The City (New York). Explore Brooklyn ... visit SRI. Rejoin the yoga group. Get a massage. Experiment with encaustic. Maybe spend a day or two in Boston. Maybe spend some time with the natural dye pots. Make some dolls. Do some photography that's been on the back burner for far too long. Get rid of the To Do List by actually doing the chores ... or not! But do get rid of the list. It does not enrich my life. Oh, my ... this is turning into quite a list in itself. But it's a healthy list. I think it might rightly be called New Year's Resolutions!

When I come back, I'll have a nice giveaway ... it's been far too long since I've done that.

So, I'll see you when I see you. May you enjoy your days and nights and may 2012 be our best year yet.

xo.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T18:17:00.000-05:00

Gorgeousness (aka Flickr Favorites)

2011-12-17T00:45:00.000-05:00

May you enjoy as much as do I these photos from the artists who post on Flickr.

1. a bit of this and a bit of that, 2. red, 3. studio today7, 4. Journal-Quilt-close, 5. Alphabet Fabric Wallhanging, 6. Tears for you, 7. ., 8. 043 Yew Bark, 9. 083 Coral Spot Fungus., 10. folder, 11. wood anemone, 12. 009 Sempervivum 2., 13. Untitled, 14. The Gathering Tree, 15. A bird in the house, 16. Thread and mirror-work

December Newsletter

2011-12-16T01:15:00.001-05:00

I've sent my December newsletter -

if you are expecting it but it hasn't arrived,

please check to make sure it wasn't sent to your junk folder!

Monika Bulaj: The hidden light of Afghanistan

2011-12-14T17:04:00.001-05:00

This beautiful, courageous, inspiring TED talk needs no adornment from me.

I do hope you will take the time - less than six minutes - to watch.

To inspire greater empathy toward animals - a very special photo project

2011-11-30T16:05:00.001-05:00

Handsome One - Thoroughbred Horse - age 33. Photo by Isa Leshko.

Today my heart is swollen with love and sadness, looking at the Elderly Animals project by photographer Isa Leshko. This extensive photo essay arose as a response to her mother's Alzheimer's disease and became an exploration of her thoughts and fears about aging and death. Her subject: the elderly animals she encounters in her visits to farms and sanctuaries across the country.

Finn Sheep - both age 12. Photo by Isa Leshko.

Leshko writes, in her artists' statement: "I also want my images to inspire greater empathy toward animals, particularly farm animals. It is rare to see a farm animal that has actually lived its natural life span, given that most of these animals experience brutality and death early in their lives. I want to challenge people's assumptions about these animals and inspire reforms to the treatment of farm animals."

Capuchin Monkey - age 30+. Photo by Isa Leshko.

This project touches me deeply and I just had to share it with you. I discovered it at NPR's blog, The Picture Show.

* * * * * * * * * *

Nola

Before closing, and on the subject of an animal who did not live nearly long enough, please indulge me as I pay homage to our sweet Nola. She has been missing for a couple of weeks now, so hope is rather faint.

Nola was probably the most amazing and interesting cat I've ever known. She was noticeably smart - as in casual visitors to the house would remark on how smart she was. She was incredibly inquisitive and explored absolutely everything that ever appeared in her path

Nola was also an extremely loving cat. She won over quite a few people who had no interest in cats before meeting her. She loved to be held, cradled in my arms on her back, like a little baby. She was a tiny thing and still looked somewhat like an older kitten rather than the four-year-old cat that she was.

Nola takes a nap.

Nola was adopted from a shelter, by Adeline and her then-boyfriend, Garrett. She was so sickly that they immediately took her to a vet who told them they had saved her life. One more day without treatment and she likely would have been dead. Adeline and Garrett kept Nola in the college dorm (against the rules) during the spring, where she received lots of love and attention. It's no wonder she was such a sociable cat! She came home with Adeline that summer and though I started out saying "Not another cat! She is YOUR CAT! Do not leave her here with me!" I ended up saying "Oh, no! You can't take Nola. This is her home now. She LOVES us and we are madly in love with her."

When Adeline returned to school in the fall, Nola really became my cat. Whatever room I was in, she was there, too. She even went on occasional walks with me, trotting along like no cat I've ever seen. She was my buddy. We had a lovely nightly ritual. When it was time to go to bed I would carry her in my arms as I wandered about the house, turning off lights and checking doors. Then we would get in bed where she would invariably end up deserting me for the comfort of sleeping in the crook made by Doug's slightly bent knees. It was her sleeping place.


Nola "knocking" at the door.

In recent weeks, Nola's place as Absolute Princess of the House was usurped by the arrival of our adorable new kitties, Charlie and Puddle. Nola was clearly upset, but that was to be expected. It seemed to us, after a difficult week or so, things were getting much better. I was especially heartened when all three began sleeping on the bed together. It was kind of amusing. Nola would spend the night with the kitties - and she slept with me rather than near Doug's knees, no doubt as a means of letting the kitties know just exactly who "owned" me. In the morning, she would wake up and be fine for a while but eventually she would "rediscover" the interlopers, give them a loud hiss and leap away.

It was disturbing to see Nola feeling upset and it is all the more troubling now, since it coincides with her demise. Our nightly ritual had been interrupted by the presence of the kitties - she was in no mood for it. But I was so pleased that we had recently been doing it again. My last memory is of carrying her about the house in my arms, working our way to the bedroom, but feeling sad because instead of her usual relaxed self, she was looking around to see whether the scary kitties were nearby. That night, Doug let her out of the house in the wee hours and we never saw her again. I hated it when Doug would do that, but he was a pushover for her. She loved to go out exploring and he just couldn't say no to Nola.

So, was she killed by a predator? Hit by a car? Did she get adopted by people who had the good sense not to own other cats? We will probably never know. My theory is that she was exploring one of the many trucks and vans that were in the area at the time, as it was just after the big storm which knocked down so many trees, closed roads and left us without electricity for nearly a week. I think it is quite possible that she was inside a workman's truck when he closed the doors and drove off. By the time he discovered her presence, he had no idea where she had come from. Or maybe when he opened the doors she ran off, to a strange new area.

I cling to the small hope that she may still be alive somewhere .... and maybe she will find her way home. Every time I walk past "her" door, I look to see if she might be there, waiting to be let in. I yearn to hold her in my arms again and when I realize that will probably not happen, my heart breaks.

Flickr Favorites

2011-11-21T23:57:00.001-05:00

Please enjoy this delicious group of photos from the artists who post on Flickr. Hopefully, I will have some photos of my own work to show you, before too much more times passes! And, speaking of delicious ... Have a wonderful, happy, satisfying Thanksgiving. :-)

1. tattoo lady with black tutu, 2. Mist, 3. Embroidery, 4. Autumn Beech, 5. universal yes, 6. Untitled, 7. Untitled, 8. Ullswater at dawn, 9. green tomatoes, 10. Barrhill Woods - part 1, 11. Misty Bench, 12. Flowery Fabric Paper, 13. Cochinilla, 14. koigu kersti woven scarf, 15. charm, 16. My mother said, 17. rust-dye-flowers, 18. felted scarf, 19. Nature's Embroidery, 20. batik detail, 21. Flying to somewhere, 22. untitled, 23. off on world wide adventures, 24. Mossy Roots of Beech Tree, 25. I Want To Sleep

All together now . . . . . awwwwwwwwwww!

2011-11-11T21:44:00.001-05:00

There may be something sweeter than kitties in a blissful sleep hug, but I don't know what it is.

Arrangements

2011-11-06T18:06:00.000-05:00

Arrange yourself
I'll follow
Or you'll return
We'll spiral
(I fear we'll never meet)

You’ll curl up
I'll merely curve
I'll never catch up
You won’t come back

(I fear we'll never meet)

We'll go in circles
Our orbits sometimes optic
More often not
My back your front other way around
(I fear we'll never meet)

- Morna

The photos above are from the wonderfulness that is Flickr. 1. Spirals, 2. Spiral insets, 3. Spiral, 4. Subiendo al cielo - Catedral Manizales, 5. Vertigo, 6. Scroll For The Letter A (view 3 of 3), 7. Fascination, 8. Untitled, 9. 22802 Pyrus calleryana, 10. If you give a chimp a typewriter he will eventually write Shakespeare, 11. aloe, 12. Staircase at the Lighthouse II

Little Glimpses

2011-10-23T00:23:00.001-04:00

The ache for home lives in all of us,
the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.

~ Maya Angelou

Where thou art, that is home.
~ Emily Dickinson

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.
~ Jane Austen

Don't you stay at home of evenings?
Don't you love a cushioned seat in a corner, by the fireside, with your slippers on your feet?
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world,
had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon
and then lay down on our blankets for a nap.
~ Barbara Jordan

Lucille

2011-10-13T22:41:00.000-04:00

Lucille and Chloe

Perhaps you've noticed a slight change in my profile photo. It's still Lucille, but a more realistic view as it shows her with all her pins in her head. She's my A-1 Pincushion. The kitties, of course, are fascinated by all those pins, so I have to keep her well out of reach when she's not in use. And, yes, it does seem that Baby Girl is going to be Chloe. Baby Boy is Charlie. So, there you have it. Oh ... one more thing ... I still haven't filed the 2010 taxes. One more day.

UPDATE 1: Taxes have been filed. What a relief.
UPDATE 2: Baby Girl is not Chloe, after all. :-)

Bells

2011-10-11T16:35:00.002-04:00

A bell's not a bell 'til you ring it,
A song's not a song 'til you sing it,
Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay,
Love isn't love 'til you give it away!
~ Oscar Hammerstein II

Any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in Mankind;
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.
~ John Donne

Every time you hear a bell ring,
it means that some angel's just got his wings.
~ Frances Goodrich

I am trying to stay on task, which means I am trying to ignore my blog (more or less). Top priority: file the 2010 income taxes before my niece arrives from Oregon, at dawn on the 14th. I guess that gives me about two days, yet I'm still avoiding it. Second priority, which I actually am working on, is to plow through the many piles of papers and also pay the bills that sit here and languish, waiting for someone to pay attention to them.

Meanwhile, not wanting to totally desert my lovely blog readers, I am posting pictures and quotations. I do hope you enjoy them!

Simplify

2011-10-08T03:02:00.000-04:00

In the end, what affects your life most deeply are things too simple to talk about.

- Nell Blaine

Our life is frittered away by detail ..... Simplify, simplify, simplify!
~ Henry David Thoreau

Less is more.
~ Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

What's My Name?

2011-10-03T22:17:00.001-04:00

It seems we are getting closer to consensus on names.

We are pretty sure that Orange's name is Charlie, although I had a moment's doubt last night when I visited Art Spirit and saw Mary's lovely Henry. Henry is such a good name for a cat. And then Baby Girl could be Anne.

Baby Girl still has many possibilities: Mia, Chloe, or Annie (if we name Orange Henry), to name a few.

Or we could follow Native American tradition and name them Stinky Farts and Smelly Poops, or Runs Like A Maniac and Crazy Sideways Hopper.

Fiber and Felines (or) Cats and Cloth

2011-10-02T02:41:00.000-04:00

I did some cloth weaving tonight,

a passion inspired and nurtured by Jude Hill's Cloth to Cloth workshop.

It took me all night to get from this:

To this:

I was half-way though when I took it all apart and started anew.

Now I have to baste it all. I'll use Jude's brilliant invisible basting method.

Kitties "helped."

In between naps.

White

2011-09-22T11:50:00.000-04:00

Today's online issue of HandEye Magazine has an article about the color white, by Sass Brown. It prompted me to share with you some of my favorite white images, which are at my Tumblr blog. These are images I have found throughout the www. To see the details regarding these photos and their makers, click HERE (you'll have to click on the photos twice to get to the details).

I do have a question regarding the composition of the color white. The HandEye article defines white as being nearly devoid of color and describes black as consisting of all colors. I was taught, in the 1950s, just the opposite - that white was composed of all colors and that black represented the absence of color. Have times changed? I know I was taught about the GNP (Gross National Product) but now it's the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), and the number of planets has changed, and the role of women in society has changed. So, what's the truth about black and white? (Yes, I know - the relationship between Black and White has changed too. )

Sweet Nola

2011-09-21T05:00:00.000-04:00

Nola would like it so much better if we hadn't brought two kittens into her palace.

Flickr Favorites

2011-09-17T22:06:00.000-04:00

My homage to the creators of beautiful images posted on Flickr. To be taken to the source, click on the title: 1. hunting in the dark, 2. Quay Brothers Exhibition, 3. i wish all fields were paper, 4. mixed media textile art beads, 5. new artquilt, 6. stitching a date with destiny, 7. bridges, 8. flea Market Find Dice Collection for Assemblage, 9. View as I drank morning coffee on the terrace of "The House on the Hill", 10. walnut, 11. The Tree and The Mountain, 12. birdie, 13. The Oregon Coast, 14. fresh feathers, 15. Untitled, 16. Subiendo al cielo - Catedral Manizales, 17. Feathers, 18. Yellow Bird, 19. Umbrella III, 20. Happy Easter to you

I'm Smitten

2011-09-14T19:24:00.000-04:00

I've lived with The Cat Whisperer (aka Adeline) for about 24 years, so I should have learned something by now. Like, when she said Let's go look at kittens!, did I really think we'd come home empty-handed?

Okay, so maybe I knew we'd not be able to resist, but did I realize we'd come home with TWO?

Now ... we need names. Any suggestions? (Black and white is female, orange is male.)

OCD Stitchery, Courtesy of The Muse

2011-09-12T22:54:00.001-04:00

I think of it as OCD Stitchery. It seems I can't stop.

I wanted to make it all creamy and dreamy, but The Muse isn't having any part of that. Color is creeping in, as it always does.

I've lost track of how many times I've embarked on a wonderful project of whites, but never ended up with one. The Muse, the one who resides in my studio, my head, my hands - will not allow it.

I think to myself, I'd really like to make this all white and ivory, but Muse talks me into adding something more - a piece of grey linen with a purple-brown undertone and a border of khaki, for example. But those can barely be called colors, so I agree.

I stitch and I stitch, all pale and ethereal, and Muse whispers, how about just a few stitches of something darker, something which can speak to that piece of grey linen. It seems harmless enough. In fact, it seems like a good idea, so I agree.

And when I think I'm nearly done with this lovely little piece, Muse comes along and taunts me. Why don't you just put a few tiny red dots here and there -- it would be perfect.

And maybe some lavender, urges Muse, just to lend a cool tone - really, it would be very pretty.

I'm just wondering, when will my Muse decide she is done with this piece? And when I add my signature label, should I give her credit too? Or does that go without saying?

Happy Cat

2011-09-07T13:25:00.000-04:00

Note to self - Studio mess is getting out of control.

Must Get Organizized.

Movie Talk

Travis: I know what you mean. I've got the same problems. I gotta get organized. Oh little things, like my apartment, my possessions. I should get one of those signs that says 'One of these days I'm gonna get organizized.'

Betsy: You mean 'organized'?

Travis: Organiziezed. Organiziezed - it's a joke. O-R-G-A-N-E-Z-I-E-Z-D.

Betsy: Oh, you mean 'Organizized'. Like those little signs they have in offices that say "Thimk"

★ How many of you out there recognize what movie this dialogue is from? ★

The Magic Feather

2011-08-28T00:04:00.000-04:00

My Magic Feather - on a 5" square piece of repurposed linen

Jude Hill's Magic Feather Project is sweeping the internet, with contributions floating in to her mailbox from all over the planet. Here is Jude's description of what it's all about:

The Magic Feather Project is a collective stitching project focused on creative sharing and giving. The magic feather has been my personal symbol for almost forever. With the idea of making it a symbol of something bigger than just myself, I thought I would share it with you and you in turn might stitch one (at least) and send it to me so I might, in turn, sew a bunch together and put the larger cloth to some charitable use.

One thing that is wonderful to do is to read all the comments on the project page. From all over the world, comment after comment expressing joy and love, caring and creativity. It's a wonderful thing which Jude has initiated.

I'm a bit disappointed in the shape of my first feather, which doesn't truly look like a feather. That's okay - imperfection holds a place of honor in my life. I guess part of the problem is that I chose to fill in the feather with French knots. I thought they would be really pretty, but they're just too round and therefore not feathery looking. Live and learn. Maybe before I stitch the next one, I'll actually watch Jude's instructions. :-)

I made a backing, mostly to hide how hideous my stitching skills are. I tore a piece from the cloth I chose for my first eco-dying project (see my most recent post). The cloth was a little gift from Jude, so it seemed fitting.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

(Emily Dickinson)

And maybe ... you are a little fat bear cub with no wings, and no feathers.

(Else Holmelund Minarik)

Erotica is using a feather, pornography is using the whole chicken.

(Isabel Allende)

It's To Dye For

2011-08-25T23:51:00.002-04:00

Another book has arrived. This time it is India Flint's latest, Second Skin. So beautiful and soulful is this book. I will treasure it.

Doug also looked through the book and found it very moving. India's approach to life resonated with him the way poetry does. It was very nice to see.

I admire India for walking her true spirit, for so generously sharing her abundant knowledge, and for "showing up" every day and doing the actual work instead of only dreaming about it, as I so often do.

If you Google "India Flint" and then click on Images, here is the gorgeous screen you will see (just the first of page after page of beautiful images).

How many years has it been that I've thought about dyeing with plants? Since I was a teenager, in the 1960s, as is evidenced by this little book which I have carried with me, from place to place, but never actually used.

One of my big "issues" is that I think about doing things and somewhere in my head is the notion that I have forever to do whatever the thing is .... so I never actually try doing it. I fear I may become one of those people who lie on their deathbed, filled with regrets over lost opportunities and roads not taken. I guess I'm not the only one - that's why Bucket Lists have become so popular, and all those books about the 100 places you must see, the 100 foods you must eat, the 100 books you must read before you die.

Many years ago I spotted this wonderful tile and scooped it up. It speaks directly to me and I try to remember to heed its advice. I keep it on the wall in my studio, where it reminds me that there's no time like the present. My little tile says: Time to take dreams off back burner, try it!

It reminds me, also, of these lovely words: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift; that's why we call it the present. I'm afraid I cant properly credit the author; it has been attributed to so many different people, I have no idea which one is correct.

After browsing through India's new book, I decided it was time to get off the pot, so to speak (more about that in a bit), and try an experiment in natural dyes. I sailed right past my usual stumbling block, which is to worry that I don't have the right materials and supplies. My other stumbling block has always been mordants. As soon as I see the word, I feel like its going to be too difficult for me to figure out.

But how can it be too difficult? When I read India's words it seems to me that I am making too much of a mental fuss and I should just go with the flow (haha - this is actually a bit of a pun, which you'll realize in the next sentence). So, I decided to try the most readily available mordant I knew about, which was my very own urine. I crumpled up a lovely piece of cloth which came from Jude, put it in a jar and, quite literally getting off the pot, I peed into the jar instead. No kidding. Then I screwed on the jar lid and let it sit for a while. I kind of figured Jude is into nature and she wouldn't take offense at my very organic addition to that lovely cloth she used to wrap up the little quilt I purchased from her. Plus, I got the idea from India, so that's a definite blessing.

After I had let the cloth soak for a while, I removed it from the jar. Let me tell you something: You do not want to be around to experience the aroma of urine which has been allowed to age in a tightly closed container. I think I'll be branching out to other kinds of mordants in the future.

I thoroughly rinsed both the jar and the cloth and lay the cloth on my work surface. Then I scattered lots of different flower heads on it, bundled it up, tied string around it and put it back in the jar, this time with some hot tea, sugar, and freshly ground nutmeg, cinnamon and peppercorns. I know patience is required, but this being my first attempt, after about 24 hours I wanted to see if anything had happened. So, I undid the bundle and this is what I found:

It's pretty in a subtle sort of way. I definitely want to do more. I can tell this has the potential to become an addiction -- and a way better one than my internet addiction!

Clearly, I have a lot to learn! Here are things I will do differently next time:

Grind the natural materials into the cloth a bit, with a pestle.
Allow the cloth to sit in the dye for more than a day (maybe).
Do some serious reading in India's books as well as in my little book from long ago and online.
Buy a variety of mordants and some natural dye materials, too (although, ideally, I would do all my dyeing from windfall materials).
Keep records. It is so easy to ignore that part, but so useful to have sample textiles with notations of process and materials. I will have to discipline myself to do this, but It will be worth it - think of how wonderful the resulting sample book will be.

That's it for now. I may even get in bed at a decent hour tonight. The last two nights I've stayed up until 5am and then gotten back up by 10am, so I'm about due for a good night's sleep.

Yesterday is History,

'tis so far away --
yesterday is Poetry,
'tis Philosophy --

Yesterday is Mystery --
Where it is today --
While we shrewdly speculate
Flutter both away

- Emily Dickinson

500 Felt Objects

2011-08-22T13:05:00.000-04:00

I've received my copy of 500 Felt Objects (Lark Press), by Nathalie Mornu. What a gorgeous book! It is amazing, with so many incredible examples of felt fiber art, it takes my breath away. I am really, truly honored to be included in this international group of fiber artists.

The juror for this book was Susan Brown, associate curator of textiles at the Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City. Brown was curator of the 2009 exhibit, Fashioning Felt, which was a spectacular assemblage of felt art. Just knowing that she looked at my work and chose to include it makes me feel extremely good.

The diverse objects run the gamut from garments to sculptural forms to home decor, with many stops in additional categories along the way. With so many diverse objects pictured, the layout of the book must have been a wonderful challenge. Art Director Matt Shay's thoughtful choices make the book a lovely pleasure to behold. You'll have to pick up the book for yourself to see how beautifully put together it is. As an enticement, here is a small selection of felt objects from the book:

Elena Kihlman: Rugiada Panel; Pudelskern: Fat Sheep; Malin Sjostrand: Carpet

Angelika Werth: Ode to the Fishmonger; Sarah Fox: Home Bracelet; Yeseul Seo: The Reborn Rabbit

Morna Crites-Moore: Pieces of Dreams

In other news, you may have noticed that my blog has a whole new look. It is still a work in progress, but I think I have the general look figured out. I did it mostly because I was growing tired of all the brown in my former design. I love brown and I used to love having it as my background color, but somewhere along the way it started to look dark and depressing. I just started hungering for white and light, so here it is.

I also decided to make my banner non-specific to a particular art form. Traditionally, I've represented myself with pictures of my fiber art, but I know jewelry will become more and more a part of what I do and I also do so much more here than just show my own work. So, instead of representing some particular art form, I hope my banner simply says: Something beautiful is happening here.

I'd love to know what you think.

Friday Flickr Faves

2011-08-19T12:03:00.000-04:00

My homage to the creators of beautiful images posted on Flickr. To be taken to the source, click on the title: 1. Pale, after the snow I, 2. birdie prints in the snow, 3. # 1367 "Stars", 4. # 1370 "What Is", 5. Lady of the Lake, 6. Chinese Moleskine 17, 7. Black Moleskine 18, 8. rose window, 9. Untitled, 10. Untitled, 11. Snapshots of the weekend, 12. magical, 13. landscape 120 x 140 cm, 14. Nice place to read., 15. wilting, 16. sculpted by nature

Antique Square

2011-08-15T01:07:00.006-04:00

It started like this, old and soft, languishing at the bottom of a box of old textiles. I had the perfect brown linen to complement its colors. The linen was from an old outfit of mine ... a down-to-the-ankles jumper with matching bolero jacket ... truly hideous. I never wore it and I carry some guilt about that; it's so wasteful, throwing money away. I feel a wee bit better every time a piece of it finds new life.

The elderly square wasn't perfect, as you can see. There were discolored bits here and there ... not even noticeable ... except through the camera's eye.

I was itching to start stitching. I chose the perfect blue and brown shades of DMC floss and went to work. Or should I say I went to play? The process was pure pleasure but the result looked awful. The thread colors were all wrong and I was uncertain how I wanted to direct the stitches. I ripped it all out and started anew, more than once, until I found what made my eyes happy.

It might be nice if it had an impressive title, but I just call it Antique Square; a fitting name.

For sale at my Etsy shop, WickedWaifFiber.

Art Journey Pockets

2011-08-13T18:17:00.001-04:00

I was just visiting Penny's Art Journey blog. She is making the most precious needle-punch pockets. I really like them. Here are two examples:

Leaf by Penny at Art Journey

Confetti by Penny at Art Journey

These sweet little pockets make me think of the many pockets I have made from old sweaters .... so much easier than the labor-intensive work that Penny does!

Little Cuff Pocket

Pocket with a Heart

And then I got to thinking about how I used to make little pockets from the ends of sweater sleeves - "Cuff Pockets" - and then I'd stitch a penny on the front - "Penny Pockets" - and then I'd put a little doll inside and call them Penny Pocket Dolls.

Penny Pocket Doll

Penny Pocket Dolls

If Penny, from Art Journey, were to put a little doll in her pockets, she could call them Penny's Penny Pocket Dolls. Ha! But, truthfully, her pockets are so special, just as they are .... they don't need a doll.

I think I'll go have another look.

Today is the only day . . . . .

2011-08-12T20:21:00.003-04:00

The point is to see today for what it is because it will be gone before you know it. If you waste it, it is your life that you are wasting. If you look the other way, it may be the moment you've been waiting for always that you're missing. All other days have either disappeared into darkness and oblivion or not yet emerged from them. Today is the only day there is.

(Frederick Buechner, 1926-)

Friday Fleur

2011-07-29T13:21:00.002-04:00

Photo by Doug Crites-Moore

Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Baby and Me

2011-07-26T18:55:00.005-04:00

Oh my! See what happens when I clean out the closets?

My baby and me, circa 1988.

Such sweetness.

“Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother.” - Lin Yutang

“A little girl, asked where her home was, replied, 'Where mother is.'" - Keith L. Brooks

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.” - Rajneesh

In Love ...... with Bob Green Pottery

2011-07-22T22:38:00.008-04:00

RAKU VESSEL MADE BY BOB GREEN

I've just stumbled upon Bob Green's website and I am absolutely in awe of what he does. It is Drop Dead Gorgeous, and then some. He has been a potter for thirty years and he clearly is a master. He also teaches in several New England locales, which is tempting, but I have enough in the way of art forms to explore as it is. I will not entertain thoughts of ever being able to create anything like this, but I will dream about purchasing something of his.

RAKU VESSEL MADE BY BOB GREEN

There is a nice calender of craft shows at his website. I do hope my homebody leanings don't keep from finding my way to his booth. Even if I can't afford to own one of these beautiful works of art, I'd really like to see them in person.

BOB GREEN WITH HIS WIFE, KAREN TOTMAN, and MILES, THEIR AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD.

They look like very happy people, don't they? Living the life they want to live, on an old dairy farm in western Massachusetts. Absolutely lovely.

"I am passionate about being a potter and working with my hands."

~ Bob Green

(photos courtesy bobgreenpottery.com)

Quilt Love

2011-07-13T22:57:00.004-04:00

Just sharing with you some of the quilts which hang out (ha ha) at my house.

1. Ralli Quilt 3, 2. Miniature Quilt (detail) by Kate Adams, 3. Mennonite Quilt - detail, 4. Ralli Quilt 2, 5. Brown Quilt (detail), 6. Tumbling Blocks, 7. Antique Woolen Mennonite Quilt (detail), 8. Ralli Quilt 4, 9. Baskets

Flickr Favorites

2011-07-04T20:40:00.001-04:00

My homage to the talent I find while wandering around Flickr. Click on a title to see the full picture on the photographer's Flickr page: 1. moody mary package 2, 2. Seattle, SAM, Kiefer, 2, 3. pieced, 4. ditty bag 8 opt, 5. Remains of the summer, 6. # 295 "4 Women" (18X24, acrylic and pen on paper)(g), 7. treecloth 009, 8. 36163 Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', 9. Abstract Log Cabin Quilt, 10. lobster pot, 11. Carter & Jauquin...5 days old, 12. Molly as a Kitten, 13. Viking ship detail, 14. Baby Black Skimmer "I think I can fly" (Explore), 15. Gnomo na floresta - aquarela, 16. Cobweb felt

Tell me .....

2011-07-02T11:04:00.004-04:00

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?"

~ Mary Oliver

Yup, that's me ... circa 1953
(and I still have that teddy bear)

Other Amusements

2011-06-26T21:48:00.005-04:00

During this period of time when I seem to be taking a break from this blog, I encourage you to visit my MEANDERINGS blog at Tumblr. There you will find hundreds of photos of very beautiful things, almost entirely not of my own creation. These are photos of things which inspire me. I tend to add a new item each day. You can click on a photo to enlarge it and click a second time to be taken to its source. I hope you enjoy it!

Flowers

2011-06-25T18:46:00.002-04:00

“A country where flowers are priced so as to make them a luxury

has yet to learn the first principles of civilization”

~ Chinese Proverb

“See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence;

see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence ....

we need silence to be able to touch souls.”
~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta

“I like flowers, I also like children,

but I do not chop their heads and keep them in bowls of water around the house.”

~ George Bernard Shaw

I salvaged the pale pink ranunculus from last week's store-bought bouquet. The pretty lavender babies are growing like weeds down by the road. They grow straight up, single spikes, with the lovely tiny flowers on them. Does anyone know what they are?

Flickr Favorites

2011-06-06T00:47:00.000-04:00

Since I haven't been posting lately, here is a nice, juicy mosaic for you ....

with thanks to the generous artists who share their work on Flickr.

1. Lotus, 2. autumn leaves04, 3. 44272 Rheum rhabarbarum, 4. Inhabit 3 collage. Left image: Kathryn Clark Right image: Vanessa Filley, 5. Modesto Foreclosure Quilt block detail, 2011., 6. textile piece, 7. # 1300 "New Age Girl", 8. touch of pink - Melaleuca glaberrima, 9. teabag quilt panel detail 11, 10. Low sounds by the shore. Finished at last, 11. ready to bud, 12. ditty bag 1, 13. Seafarers Log book, 14. waterproof jacket for William Young, 15. string vest for William Young, 16. crofters handbook, 17. free machine, 18. tyvek experiments, 19. weaving cloth, 20. low fired stitchery project

Feed the Muse

2011-05-21T00:13:00.005-04:00

In order to keep my passions alive:

I have to spend time playing with my raw materials ... textiles, threads, wires, stones, buttons, paper, dye pots, inks, paints, pencils, pens, stamps and ink pads.
I have to spend time with people who set off sparks in my head ... people who enjoy a good discussion ... people who go way beyond the "never say anything controversial" politically correct crowd.
I have to spend time with nature, exploring with my camera, or my rake and shovel ... getting in touch with the mystery all around ... marveling at the trees, the moon, the flower buds, the air.

In order to do those things which feed my passions and nourish my muse, I really have to spend less time on the computer. I know this is a familiar refrain, but maybe you've noticed that I actually am spending less time here lately.

I don't want to stop posting altogether, but maybe I'll post less often. I hope you understand. In fact, I hope you go spend more time with your art, too.

P.S. I like the Aynn Rand quote but please do not take it to mean I am or am not a fan - I've not read Atlas Shrugged and I just don't know enough about her, one way or another.

Where Does the Time Go?

2011-05-14T14:22:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T02:31:00.005-04:00

The Fish & The Doll: a stop-motion animation by Rima Staines with music by Orla Wren. From the album The One Two Bird And The Half Horse (see Tui on Vimeo)

The Desert of Forbidden Art

2011-05-05T19:43:00.002-04:00

This film played on PBS's Independent Lens recently. It is an astonishing movie, about a spectacular art collection and the tragic stories which whirl around it. The most pressing tragedy is the current one, which threatens to destroy the collection.

I keep hoping the MacArthur Foundation will give them a grant.

If you are lucky enough to be near an upcoming screening, go see it!

Nostalgia

2011-05-04T22:35:00.002-04:00

Somebody was adorable .... but that was about 1952.
I guess that means somebody is old.

Geeze, from happy and cute to old and miserable, in sixty seconds flat!

Flickr Favorites

2011-05-03T23:12:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted Flickr Favorites. I hope this nice collection will make up for lost time. Interesting phrase that .... to make up for lost time. Not possible. Treat your time with care, dear cyberfriends .... it is irreplaceable.

1. pick me, 2. karkötő, 3. Detail, Black Shirt, 2010, 4. Fly, 5. Spotted bowl, 6. Whole garment bundle, 7. Manuka, 8. we seven, 9. Untitled, 10. Untitled, 11. Untitled, 12. Untitled, 13. yesterdays, 14. 31 1 11, 15. Zwerge by Deiter Roth, Hamburger Bahnhof Museum, 16. Anselm Kiefer, Book With Wings, 17. Hollyhock, Sepia tone., 18. Untitled, 19. Untitled, 20. Untitled

Myth - Magic - Dreams - Art

2011-04-30T23:43:00.003-04:00

That's a Wrap!

2011-04-28T02:09:00.003-04:00

1. Quadruple Wrap Bracelet with antique button closure, 2. Triple Wrap Bracelet with antique button closure, 3. Triple Wrap Bracelet with antique button closure, 4. Double Wrap Bracelet with antique button closure

I recently learned how to make these wrap bracelets and I love them! They are fun to make, although a bit maddening to get started, and they look so fabulous. Perfect for when you want to wear a bracelet, and you want to sparkle, yet you don't want "jewelry" in the traditional sense. I guess they satisfy my inner hippie. :-)

Secret Dreams

2011-04-13T01:06:00.015-04:00

Some dreams are hidden, behind a silky bodice.

There is an edge, softened with age. It's taken to curving in on itself.

Buttoned up. What would you see, if you loosened those buttons?

Would you see my dreams? I think so.

They're right there. Just look.

This piece is made with repurposed textiles, including a piece from the bodice of a 1940s silky blouse. The portion around the linen central "window" is woven strips of cloth, a technique I fell in love with while participating in Jude Hill's workshop. The border is made from cloth hand-dyed by Arlee Barr.

This piece of interactive textile art - thank you, Dee Mallon, for giving it that identity - is a diminutive 7.25" wide x 6.5" high.

Added 4/19/2011:

On my Flicker page, Dee Mallon at Cloth Company commented on the new direction taken by this piece. That got me to thinking about which aspect(s) would be perceived as new direction.

Stitching on this sort of textile? Well, I did do that ages ago, but then I was distracted by the beauty of the felted wool. And when I say distracted, I mean addicted! But I do enjoy traditional hand sewing and embroidery very much - the action of the needle on thin cloth is so rewarding; with felt it is so much more difficult!
Then there is the cloth weaving. I tried this exact technique with the felted wool about twelve years ago! The process was pleasant enough, but the result was not at all satisfying to me and I quickly dropped it. This, again with the "normal" textiles, is so much more wonderful. And learning from Jude, being encouraged to experiment with this and that technique, has made it extremely interesting to me. I hope to do more cloth weaving, for sure.
Finally, there is the pale palette. My pieces are usually so drenched in color ..... yet I often swoon when I see a piece that is all misty shades of fog. So, I decided to somewhat force my wild muse to settle down to this paleness, just for a bit. It was tough going --- she really wanted to add red --- and she got her way, didn't she, in the "dream field."

So, what's next? I have a felted wool project which has been bouncing around in my head for several years! I fear the beauty I am imagining will die, if I don't get working on it really soon. This reminds me of a book, Father Flashes, by Tricia Bauer. At one point in the book, the narrator describes her brother, saying he procrastinates "until possibility fades to loss." Is that not a perfect description of the sad truth? I have to thank Tricia; that one elegant phrase has provided a gentle nudge, much needed, to get to making.

I Made This

2011-04-07T23:26:00.004-04:00

I made this for my gastroenterologist, Clifford Appel, M.D., in 1995. He has seen me through gall bladder removal, he's been around for Doug's kidney stones, and he diagnosed my colon cancer - six years ago and I'm still alive, thank you very much.

I painted a small, papier mache box.

I stitched a felt envelope,

made from old sweaters with a vintage brass button fastener,

and I placed it inside the box.

Inside the felt envelope is a teeny, tiny book.

It is an abecedarium.

For Dr. Appel

A sampling of the rest of the pages:

I hope you enjoyed it.

I know Dr. Appel likes it, because he's kept it all these years,

even through an office move.

He thinks I took it back and want to keep it.

But, no, I really just wanted to photograph it.

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

2011-04-01T18:20:00.005-04:00

Tiny Endodontic Tools

It has been a fairly productive week! I had the third and final session of treatment for two root canals - and it was all painless. I love my endodontist - Evan Christensen, with offices in Ridgefield and Fairfield (CT), in case you're interested. He is so gentle and kind; a fun conversationalist, too. And, when he is done working on my mouth, he actually massages my Temporal Mandibular joints, ever so gently, to help assuage that horrible ache one gets after sitting with one's jaw wide open for an extended period of time! He even sent me home with a collection of tiny tools of the trade, because I was admiring them so much. I wonder what I will make with them. I have an idea, but we'll see what happens as I start playing with them.

Sweet Baby Dreams

I am very nearly done with this latest in my Pieces of Dreams series. I really, really love it. I kind of want to save it, just in case I have a grandchild someday. Wouldn't it be just absolutely perfect, hanging on the wall in a baby's room? I have a friend who bought one of my Sweet Baby Stars at a craft show one year, saying "I'll just tuck this away for my first grandchild." I think that is such a great idea. However, my daughter insists she "lacks the gene" that finds children to be cute, so maybe I shouldn't start a Grandchild Hope Chest just yet!

Sweet Baby Stars

In a somewhat related vein, I'm not sure if I've already told you (i.e. bragged) that one of my little felted wool quilts was selected to be in a book! It is called 500 Felt Objects, published by Lark Books, and it will be coming out in the fall. More about this as we get closer to the date.

I'm just starting on a little sewing project. It is a vintage quilt square - my favorite kind of pieced star, in beautiful blue and brown. I will be adding a thin filler layer, backing, and lots of stitching.

Vintage Pieced Star

*

I've also been having a ball making wrap bracelets using leather cord and various beads. I love how they look and I am very excited to be able to feature some of my special antique buttons as clasps.

Double Wrap Bracelet
with Antique Dyed Mother of Pearl and Cut Steel Button

Triple Wrap Bracelet
with Brass Beads and Antique Brass Police Uniform Button

Finally, I want to share a little video with you. It is quite strange, but I hope you'll stick with it - it is wonderful. It made me think about how I feel when I am sewing a doll. I often feel very uncomfortable about sticking the needle into the doll, especially as she becomes more and more real. The closer she gets to her finished state, the more I feel like I am injuring an actual being. Anyone else ever think about that? Or am I just too weird?

Blast From the Past

2011-03-18T15:43:00.004-04:00

An Itty Bitty Kitty brooch, from long, long ago - he usually hangs out on Lisa's beret.

This Pieces of Dreams, started in 2004, is finally finished to my satisfaction.

It speaks of spring.

In the language of colors, this piece has lovely meaning:

- yellow- a symbol of true friendship and happiness.

- white - a symbol of purity and new beginning.

- lavender - a symbol of enchantment.

and

- green - a symbol of new growth and freshness.

I think I'll name it Crocus and Daffodil Dreams,

instead of Lilac and Jonquil Dreams.

Or maybe I'll name it Spring Flower Dreams.

I just don't know.

What a Wonderful Way to Start the Week . . . . .

2011-03-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

New Banner

2011-03-05T00:09:00.000-05:00

New banner! Ta-Dah! Do you like it?

Everything is more complicated than you think

2011-03-03T01:04:00.000-05:00

From The 300 by way of Izabella's Blue

"Everything is more complicated than you think. You only see a tenth of what is true. There are a million little strings attached to every choice you make; you can destroy your life every time you choose. But maybe you won't know for twenty years. And you may never ever trace it to its source. And you only get one chance to play it out. Just try and figure out your own divorce. And they say there is no fate, but there is: it's what you create. And even though the world goes on for eons and eons, you are only here for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Most of your time is spent being dead or not yet born. But while alive, you wait in vain, wasting years, for a phone call or a letter or a look from someone or something to make it all right. And it never comes or it seems to but it doesn't really. And so you spend your time in vague regret or vaguer hope that something good will come along. Something to make you feel connected, something to make you feel whole, something to make you feel loved. And the truth is I feel so angry, and the truth is I feel so fucking sad, and the truth is I've felt so fucking hurt for so fucking long and for just as long I've been pretending I'm OK, just to get along, just for, I don't know why, maybe because no one wants to hear about my misery, because they have their own. Well, fuck everybody. Amen." ~ Minister, Synecdoche, New York

My Gorgeous Girl

2011-03-01T01:19:00.000-05:00

Photo by Jessica Yau. Photo editing by Bill Fusco.

Sweet Adeline. Sometimes a mother just has to brag. :-)

KIDZOOM - Fascinating - I'd Like to Be at His Party

2011-02-24T13:15:00.003-05:00

KID ZOOM - This City Will Eat Me Alive from kidzoom on Vimeo.

Lilac and Jonquil Dreams

2011-02-13T18:43:00.000-05:00

I'm dreaming of spring ... lilacs and jonquils and tiny buds of green leaves.

This is a piece I made long ago but now I have picked it up again to complete it with many, many stitches.

The squares are tiny (about one inch) pieces of wool felt, made from many recycled sweaters.

The antique and vintage buttons are from my collection.

Nola is very interested in the Persian wool tapestry thread.

Photo of Nola by Doug.

I Stand in Awe of the People of Egypt

2011-02-11T11:19:00.001-05:00

It's been amazing to watch this unfold. What an incredible victory for the people of Egypt. I wish them well.

Photo: Huffington Post

Sharing: Natsuyo Koizumi

2011-02-07T14:54:00.000-05:00

Here is why I love to troll the web in the middle of the night: because I end up discovering things like the thrilling work of Natsuyo Koizumi. Koizumi creates window displays from recycled materials. She also paints, makes collages, creates enchanting three dimensional scenarios, and makes artist books. She was born in Japan and now lives and works Berlin, Germany.

I know I need to stop spending so much time on the computer, need to be making things instead of gazing at all the wonders in the big cyber-museum, but for now I do seem to still be hooked! Bonus: I share my discoveries with you. :-)

Heavenly Cuffs

2011-02-05T21:57:00.001-05:00

I'm really loving these cuffs . . . all the tattered textiles, the old velvet, the sari silks, the vintage lace, the pearls, the antique buttons . . . these are all things that I love. I've listed them at my WickedWaifFiber Etsy store. I do hope other people will love them, too . . . it provides nice motivation to continue.

Are You Awake Yet?

2011-02-05T01:02:00.001-05:00

From iheart-stolenimages (click on the picture).

This is so true - and makes me sad because I feel at a loss to "fix" the inevitable.

Nap Time - But First a Few Cuffs

2011-02-03T11:22:00.001-05:00

Three cuffs to put in my Etsy shop. I thought you might enjoy a sneak preview.

I never went to bed last night so I'm just about ready to crash. I was awake for sunrise - all that early light glittering on the ice covered trees - wow! It was magical. Maybe after my nap, I'll put the cuffs in my Etsy shop. Or else I'll do it this weekend, at the latest.

Nighty night!

You Know What I'm Thinking About

2011-01-29T06:17:00.001-05:00

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."
~ Proverb from Guinea

Good Morning, Starshine

2011-01-27T22:38:00.000-05:00

The snow-covered back woods at dawn, the puffy white outstretched arms of the trees

like so many ballerinas, arms a flutter and curved just so,

I know I see it clearer than you do, for it's in my soul, this winter freeze.

The sun will change it, it's only here for me now, and then it will go.

So, I take it with me in my head, and let the image tease:

The trees (at dawn) . . . . . The memory (gone).

~ Morna C-M

Hungry For Color

2011-01-20T18:15:00.002-05:00

Too much snow! I want some color. This is my latest Etsy Treasury (you can click HERE).

Love Me Tender

2011-01-19T01:31:00.003-05:00

An Etsy Treasury I Just Created (you can click on it).

Hopefully

2011-01-15T14:59:00.000-05:00

The Dove and The Crow

2011-01-14T14:56:00.000-05:00

True Love

2011-01-13T23:42:00.000-05:00

“True love is like a pair of socks: you gotta have two and they've gotta match.” ~Anonymous

This particular pair of socks, such as they are, were made from a sweater that belonged to Les Parker. Les was one of the Excellent People in the World and I am lucky that I knew him. He died way too soon.

Eccentric, Delightful, Artistic Huston Dodge

2011-01-10T22:18:00.002-05:00

I love this video about 92-year-old Joel Huston Dodge, an eccentric, artistic descendant of Sam Huston. He is surely a man who has lived life in exactly the way it ought to be lived. The video is directed by Ashish Dawar.

I'm sorry I don't remember how I first saw this, because I would surely give credit. It must have been on somebody's blog and I probably saw it at 3 a.m., so that gives me an excuse for a fuzzy memory.

UPDATE: I've just been told it was posted a while back on Jude's blog, which makes perfect sense. Among her many talents is that of being the Great Finder. :-)

Uh-Oh --- Get me off this computer!

2011-01-09T01:24:00.000-05:00

Can't leave well enough alone, I guess. I went and changed all the new banners on my newly redesigned website - so now they are new, new banners. Or something like that. Here's how they look. I think it's an improvement.

So, enough already, right? Spend time making things to post to the website, instead. That would be nice!

Friday Flickr Favorites

2011-01-07T00:01:00.015-05:00

A NINE-PATCH OF FLICKR PHOTOS

1. pleats or tucks in progress, 2. "Sea Change" oct13, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled, 5. I've reached the end of the world, 6. crafting 365, day 1, 7. The Lonely Fishing Hut, 8. Silk wallhanging, 9. Resim 430

New Year - New Website - New Items - New Outlook

2011-01-01T23:48:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year to you all. I have truly enjoyed our past year together. Your comments mean so much to me. I apologize for being such a sloth when it comes to responding to those comments.

I have a total redesign of my website to greet the new year and I want to share it with you. I'd love to know what you think of it. There are still many areas for improvement, I'm sure, but I think it is much better than it was. Here is the new home page:

I'm hoping to post many new items to my website this year. I am right now working on a wonderful fiber project which I should be able to post about before the end of the month - and I'll be posting the items for sale in my Etsy fiber shop. Santa left a Dremel 4000 for me, so I'll be doing more silversmithing at my jewelry table, and listing those items in my Etsy jewelry shop.

In the spirit of the fresh slate of the new year, I plan to reinvigorate my efforts to clear out the clutter. That means I'll be listing more items at my Etsy vintage shop and my Ebay site.

CRYSTAL CLEAR COACHING

I'd like to make some meaningful To Do lists for 2011, I'd also like to actually cross off items from the gargantuan 2010 To Do list. It seems I am psychologically programmed to believe I have accomplished something, merely because I have added it as a bullet item to my list.

I'd like to enjoy life more in 2011. Eat, drink and be merry. And hopefully not die; at least not yet. Am I tempting the fates, by putting that in writing? I hope not.

I'd like to be more mindful of how I am living. I'd like to carry within me more of an awareness that we do not get "do overs," that what's done is done and therefore it matters to take care with our words and actions. It's important to remember that every day we are creating our lives, and we are creating our memories. And we don't get to rewrite history, so better make that history what you want it to be.

MEDITATION-YOGA.BLOGSPOT

I would like to take better care of my body in the new year - and every year thereafter. I hope I go to yoga class instead of just talking about it, that I get the juicer out of the closet and start using it again, that I get out of the house for at least a little while most days.

I want to do a better job of feeding my soul. Clean the cobwebs from the corners of my mind. Get the studio in better order so that I can easily go in there and create something, instead of being stymied by the seemingly endless clutter of things that I find so hard to let go. Making things with my hands - that's important.

I'd like to do more exploring, even if only by car and not too far from home. I spend so much time exploring wwwland, discovering many wonderful things and places; it's time to go see some of those things and places for real. Maybe even interact more with people in the flesh, too. Which is not to say that I do not love you, my cyber friends. I do, I do. You have seen me through all sorts of weirdness and wonder these last few years. I trust we will always be friends.

If I keep writing, I'll have to call this post a list of New Year's Resolutions - and I don't do those.

TTFN, my friends. Here is a parting thought:

One summer night, out on a flat headland, all but surrounded by the waters of the bay, the horizons were remote and distant rims on the edge of space. Millions of stars blazed in darkness, and on the far shore a few lights burned in cottages. Otherwise there was no reminder of human life. My companion and I were alone with the stars: the misty river of the Milky Way flowing across the sky, the patterns of the constellations standing out bright and clear, a blazing planet low on the horizon. It occurred to me that if this were a sight that could be seen only once in a century, this little headland would be thronged with spectators. But it can be seen many scores of nights in any year, and so the lights burned in the cottages and the inhabitants probably gave not a thought to the beauty overhead; and because they could see it almost any night, perhaps they never will. ~Rachel Carson

HARVARD.EDU

Sweet Seat in the Snow

2010-12-25T15:31:00.004-05:00

Winter No. 5 by Patti Roberts-Pizzuto * Missouri Bend Studio

Waiting For You by Todd Klassy

Take a seat, please ..... by Kerstin I.

Just Waiting on a Friend posted on pixdaus.com by Gotinha

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL. MAY YOU HAVE A FRIEND WHO WAITS JUST FOR YOU.

✿

Tiny Things

2010-12-20T14:31:00.004-05:00

Little blue kitchen shelf with Go Fish hanging beneath it.

Tiny Paper Shoes, made by Doug - the larger pair is 1.5" long.

They are made of index cards, using an Exacto knife.

Difficult to see in the photo - they are actually woven with teeny tiny strips of card stock.

Doug is 6'4" with hands to match, so how does he do this?

A Yesterdays Doll by Cathy Cullis.

The most amazing gift, from Cecilia Galluccio, arrived in the mail.

This is an example of her pyrography - i.e. wood burning.

What a lovely surprise. Isn't it beautiful?

And she made it especially for me!

Candles from my childhood.

And a trick-or-treater who refuses to let go of Halloween.

This Goreyesque spun cotton character was made by Maria Pahls.

It takes time, sometimes

2010-12-19T19:47:00.001-05:00

I finally decided what I wanted for a border on Moon Star.
I really love this particular style of strip weaving,
taught by Jude Hill. I hope to do many more.

✿

God Jul

2010-12-14T00:44:00.005-05:00

Grapevine wreath in the dining room alcove.

Santa Lucia dinner with our dear Swedish friends yesterday. The 1800s farmhouse was beautifully dressed in all things Scandinavian . . . red candle holders and wooden hearts, tiny tompten - cheerful, Swedish forest elves - frolicking about, decorations made of straw, Swedish linens on the table and aromatic glogg to sip while eating salmon and cheese and crackers. Dinner included traditional Christmas ham, Jansson's Frestelse (potato and anchovy casserole), Sillsalat (pickled beet and apple salad with potatoes, herring and relish), and aquavit . . . followed by wonderful cakes with strawberry and cloudberry fillings between the layers. Ann-Margret creates memorable meals like this many times each year and has been doing so for far longer than the thirty years I have known her. She is incredible . . . I have learned so much about life from her and I treasure my friendship with her as well as all her wonderful family.

Matilda, Finnigan, Anders, Lucie, Kajsa * Photo by Kate Kenney

After dinner we were treated to the Santa Lucia procession -- all six children dressed in finery, with crowns of lighted (electric) candles on their heads. Not many sights more beautiful than happy children at holiday time. Suddenly it was time to exchange gifts . . . what? Oh, no! I felt so stoopid. We usually do a poor job of getting together before Christmas and we end up celebrating together in January. I am so used to this that it actually never crossed my mind that this was (obviously) going to be our traditional Christmas gathering. So there we were, opening such lovely gifts, with nothing to give in return. No problem . . . it gives us an excuse to get together again in January, this time at our house.

We came home with generous packets of food for Adeline, who had stayed behind to study. I wasn't home more than ten minutes before I was happily savoring a little sandwich of Christmas ham, followed by yet another slice of cake.

God Jul!

Just a very quick Hello

2010-12-08T22:51:00.000-05:00

photo: pixdaus.com

"If you talk with the animals, they will talk with you, and you will know each other.

If you do not talk to them, you will not know them, and what you do not know, you will fear.

What one fears, one destroys."

~ Chief Dan George

Pomplamoose - Always in the Season

2010-12-06T18:30:00.000-05:00

I may not be posting for a while.

I'm hoping to place more attention on home and hearth.

And I'd love to spend time in the studio on the opposite side of the room from where this computer sits.

♥

Lovely Threads

2010-12-05T15:15:00.000-05:00

Shall I thank my cleaning lady for leaving this lovely concoction behind?

Did she leave it for me to find?

Shall I sweep it away?

Or leave it for another day?

How long do you think it's been there?

Living beneath the old blue chair?

Dear cobweb, I name thee Isabel.

And I wish thee well.

♥

Nostalgia and Nola

2010-12-03T18:38:00.003-05:00

I wanted to photograph the back of Nostalgia, for putting it in my Etsy shop.

Nola decided she should be part of the presentation.

Do I have to write Cat Not Included in my product description?

Manhattan Meanderings with My Old Friend

2010-12-01T16:28:00.003-05:00

Log Cabin * Artist Unidentified * Silk, including Satin * Possibly New York State * 1880 - 1900 * 75 3/4 in x 64 in

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Weinstein

I spent yesterday in Manhattan with one of my oldest friends. It is a friendship which has waxed and waned and endured. I like that so much. I like that he has known me forever, knows most of my secrets, knows when I am full of baloney and calls me on it. For some reason that I don't fully understand, we enjoy needling and annoying each other; but when times are tough and a friend is needed, I feel certain he will always be there for me. And when times are not tough, he generously shares the fun with me.

First stop: the American Folk Art Museum. It is The Year of the Quilt and there were three floors of glorious quilts to see. Heavenly.

Freedom * Jessie B. Telfair (1913–1986) Parrott, Georgia * Dated 1983 * Cotton with pencil * 74 in x 68 in * Gift of Judith Alexander in loving memory of her sister, Rebecca Alexander

Quilt Photos by Gavin Ashworth

Then to the East Village where we did a lot of walking. Spent a nice long time at the St. Mark's Bookshop. It's like going to a book store where a personal shopper has chosen hundreds of books that will interest me the most. Wonderful. The most gorgeous book I saw is called Beauty in Decay: The Art of Urban Exploration.

From the book: "'Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints.' This is the unspoken rule of urban explorers, who sometimes risk their safety, police records, and even their lives to explore abandoned buildings, sewers and storm drains, transit tunnels, utility tunnels, high-security areas of inhabited buildings, and even catacombs such as those in Paris, Rome, Odessa, and Naples." The book is a lush collection of photographs from urban exploration — or Urbex — around the world. Overgrown industrial complexes, disused lunatic asylums, abandoned palaces and forgotten monasteries are showcased, and paired with clear-sighted, poetic text.

I think I must add this book to my Christmas wish list.

More walking. We ventured into some shops that sell vintage clothing and interesting antiques. Mostly expensive.

It was a rainy afternoon - the kind of afternoon that lends itself to sitting in a cafe and enjoying the day from inside a comfy space. We chose Vandaag, a new restaurant with a Northern European style. The ambiance is definitely European and the service was fabulous. Our waiter was friendly, helpful, and very good looking. I hope he is waiting tables while he works on becoming a movie star. Talent scouts take heed: he's got IT.

Vandaag has an interesting menu which claims to be Dutch but seems more Scandinavian to me. We tried several dishes. The one I liked best was hete bliksem - "hot lightning" - crisp fingerlings, bacon, apple, and stroop syrup. We also had drinks which seems de rigueur to me if you're going to sit inside, with a friend, on a rainy afternoon. The waiter referred to it, approvingly, as "day drinking" which made me feel like maybe it is not so common as I assume. Anyone who thinks they shouldn't drink in the afternoon is missing out on one of life's pleasures.

The highlight of our Vandaag visit was when Frank Bruni walked in, camera crew in tow. He was making a segment about the bartender's special egg nog and we should look for it next Thursday, on the New York Times website. It was fun watching the segment, especially hearing the bartender explain her recipe, which is quite a bit different from the traditional brew and sounds quite tasty. While we watched the taping, our waiter treated us to a Stroopwafel, a thin waffle with a gooey filling - messy and good. With our check came a tiny jellied fruit treat. I don't remember anything about it except that it was marvelous - a wee burst of heaven on my tongue. (Vandaag photo by Gloria Chung.)

Back to walking. We visited Obscura Antiques, a place I have enjoyed viewing on the web and wanted to see in person. Not nearly as wonderful as I had been expecting. But I'm glad I've seen it.

More walking. More rain. Back to Grand Central. I was sorry to leave but also looking forward to home sweet home.

I do have slightly neurotic tendencies, like feeling a wee bit of claustrophobia on the train, and trying not to think about the horrible things that could happen - terrorist act, derailment, collision, etc. (Need I say that I don't fly?) Imagine my pleasure when the train suddenly stopped, in the middle of nowhere, all around us black as can be, and the engineer's voice explained that we were stopped because there were flames coming out of the engine. OMG. But I actually handled it quite well; I was too tired to get worked up about anything. Specialists were called to the scene and we eventually hobbled to the next, mercifully nearby station, where we were loaded onto another train. At yet another station, we were loaded onto buses and taken to our various destinations.

I slept very well last night.

Update: I couldn't resist. I just ordered the book. :-)

Autumn Rose

2010-11-26T22:28:00.001-05:00

You have gone to the secret world.

Which way is it? You broke the cage and flew.

You heard the drum that calls you home.

You left this humiliating shelf, this disorienting

desert where we are given wrong directions.

What use now a crown?

You have become the sun.

No need for a belt.

You have slipped out of your waist.

I have heard that near the end

you were eyes looking at soul.

No looking now. You live inside the soul.

You are the strange autumn rose

that led the winter wind in by withering.

You are rain soaking everywere

from cloud to ground.

No bother of talking. Flowing silence

and sweet sleep beside the Friend.

~Rumi

Imagine my surprise on finding this autumn rose in bloom today.

Keeping Company With Trees

2010-11-26T00:51:00.003-05:00

Walter Launt Palmer :: Hoar Frost :: at Hawthorne Fine Art :: I Love This Painting

If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen. ~Henry David Thoreau

It is well that you should celebrate your Arbor Day thoughtfully, for within your lifetime the nation's need of trees will become serious. We of an older generation can get along with what we have, though with growing hardship; but in your full manhood and womanhood you will want what nature once so bountifully supplied and man so thoughtlessly destroyed; and because of that want you will reproach us, not for what we have used, but for what we have wasted. ~Theodore Roosevelt, 1907 Arbor Day Message

I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines. ~Henry David Thoreau

Only when the last tree has died, and the last river been poisoned, and the last fish been caught, will we realize we cannot eat money. ~Cree Indian Proverb

As the poet said, "only God can make a tree" - probably because it's so hard to figure out how to get the bark on. ~Woody Allen

Wishing You a Lovely Holiday

2010-11-23T12:32:00.002-05:00

LEAVES by Arthur Rackham

"Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves . . . . "

~Humbert Wolfe

Moon Star - Nearly Complete

2010-11-09T03:50:00.008-05:00

MOON STAR BY MORNA CRITES-MOORE

Moon Star is nearly complete. It still needs a border.
It is a project from Jude Hill's Cloth to Cloth workshop.

I truly enjoy the cloth weaving Jude has introduced me to.

And I've always been a sucker for stars.

MOON STAR DETAIL

MOON STAR BEFORE I STARTED THE STITCHING

Moon Star is my take on Jude's Earth Star, which she demonstrated for the workshop.

Moon Star is heavily influenced by Jude's style and sensibilities, as you can see.

Although it does contain my obsession with stitching.

Someday I'd like to make a piece that takes a more minimalist approach to stitching.

EARTH STAR BY JUDE HILL

I also blogged about Jude's Cloth to Cloth workshop HERE.