Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thankfully

Hello everyone!  I'm home from my latest cross country Amtrak trek to and from my family back east.  I slipped in between Sandy and the nor'easter that dropped a little snow. All in all we fared well...I arrived after the power returned...my family was fortunate. There was SO much damage. Many many trees down. So much suffering and loss.

I'm going to try posting from my iPad...this is the fireplace we all gathered around the night before I left:

Here is the crack of dawn the day I left New Jersey:

And here is the crack of dawn the day I returned to California...sorry about the reflections, but  a very intense rainbow developed during breakfast as we sped through Nevada and the enthusiasts rushed to catch it while it lasted.

Here is one of my favorite scenes in the Delta before we arrive in the Bay Area:

And finally, here is a Thanksgiving star to thank you all for being there and for reading my blog.  Have a safe tomorrow.  xoxo, s.

p.s. Posting from the ipad didn't work so well,  it seemed to get overwhelmed after the third photo, so I finish up on regular computer.






8 comments:

  1. So much wonderful work coming after your journey.

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    1. Elizabeth, thanks! I've been creating a new work routine and loving the act of stitching through homemade felt, but also realizing that too much stitching makes for an unwelcome soreness in my thumbs, so I'm looking for the right balance.

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  2. There is a natural limit to handsewing. One folktale says that when the girl who spins gold agrees to marry the prince the good fairy makes him promise no more spinning, for spinning too much will twist his bride's back, fatten her lip and flatten her feet! I've been pottering around lately trying to make and use the paints of mediaeval Europe - earth & natural pigments bound with egg and applied to wood. Many of your textile works have the magical feel of icons to me - small intense, formally detailed but bursting with energy. Want to play with paint when you need to rest your fingers?

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    1. You have got me thinking and reminiscing here! Definitely I have to not overdo the stitching, but I just love the doing of it. Today I used the machine a little, just for some quick seams, and I was so glad to return to my rocking chair and the hand-work. I bought a special glove and some ointment to rub on the sore places...so far so good.

      I would love to see what you're doing with the paints. Once upon a time I experimented with egg tempera, but not on wood...it sounds rather delicious. I love the medieval panels...hmmm...

      For right now, I'm still so crazy about the softness of the felt and cloth, but I do still have my old brushes...

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  3. I do understand the pleasure of handsewing! And rocking chairs are just the best things to sit in as you sew.

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    1. Hi Elizabeth, I think blogger deleted my reply from several days ago! Anyway, after a little show this weekend, I'm ready to return to my rocking chair to make some presents. Oops, first I better pay the bills.

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  4. Glad that you had a safe trip and time with family. A beautiful star...

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    1. Thanks Deb...this trip was so much better than the one before...traveling while healthy is the best. My family suggests maybe I should someday move closer. Hmmm...

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