Returning Prodigal

I've been absent for quite a while.  Thanks to those of you who emailed to see if everything is all right--I appreciate it.

Not only did I take a long blogging break, but I also took a long stitching break.  The only thing I was doing in the studio was my yoga sadhana and meditation.  I didn't  clean up the piles of fabric on the cutting table, put away my threads, or even pick up the white on white project to see what could be done next.

What I did do was read.  And read.  And read.  And work in the garden.  I have five passions: reading, stitching, making eccentric dolls, gardening, and yoga.  I can never seem to divide time equally between them; I go from one obsession to the next.  I haven't made a doll in months, but when that obsession returns, another obsession will suffer neglect.

This week, though, I've returned to stitching.  I've made some progress on the white on white, although Karen Ruane's class has ended, and I'm not nearly through with my piece.

Pinning some blocks together.

I have also done quite a bit of work on a boro jacket.  Last summer, I took 2 of Fee's old shirts to use as painter's smocks.  The shirts are huge, one had a rip in the front, and both were worn around the collar and cuffs.  Both also had paint on them, so they were a perfect fit for patching boro style.

Watching Korean historical dramas, I fell in love with the jeogori jacket worn over the traditional hanbok.  So I cut the shirt very short, cut 6 inches or so off the sleeves, and changed the shape of the neck.  After pulling out all my blue fabric scraps, I began applying the patches with simple kantha stitching using a cream Danish flower thread from Hedgehog Handworks and a black pearl cotton.  I'm going to order some more of the Danish flower thread in shades of blue.

The video below is so cool...what a sensational place for young people!  Makes your heart beat faster and makes you want to move and "dance with him".



Via The Small Object