Open -- Says Me

The newest prayer flag "open" -- to new ideas.  I intend it to encompass listening with a more open attitude, to refrain from settling into any particular mind set, something I'm inclined to do.

I've been practicing stitching on gauze-like fabrics (I'll be taking Karen Ruane's class in May and this is one of techniques I really like, so I decided to practice a little in advance.

Stitched a grid onto the fabric, cut a square out of the muslin, and attached the grid.  Then some feather stitching on top.  You can see right through the sheer gauze.   Does it look like a window to you?  It does to me, so I decided to use "open"as the word for this flag.  Open a window, let in some fresh air.

I've stitched on three of these pieces so far and will be doing more--maybe today.  The other two are more lacy, and at least one, would be great for costuming a doll.

However, the creative steam may be running out.  Not the steam for experimenting, but the ideas of what to do with the randomly stitched and fabric-resist cloth.  What to do with them?  They are currently joining all of the other pieces that I loved making, but find myself at a loss when considering the next step... of using them in some way.

The door to my storage cabinet is covered with stitched and eco dyed cloth of various sizes.  Some have been there for about 6 months.  They still please my eye, but are waiting for inspiration.

Rain yesterday, lots of it.   After checking the fountain this morning, it became evident that a lot more bailing will need to be done (Murphy's Law), but since it is fresh rain water, I should be able to use it for eco dyeing.  Except...I'm feeling really lazy and unmotivated today and may retreat to my reading chair with a book.  :)

Asteya Prayer Flag

Asteya is the third of the yamas and means non-stealing.  Steya means to steal, asteya means not stealing.  Asteya means far more than refraining from taking physical objects--it means not taking what is not freely offered, i.e. attention, ideas, or time. 

When we impose on another by taking up their time or attention (when not freely offered), it becomes a form of theft.  I read somewhere about a yoga teacher saying that being tardy or late falls into this category of theft of time.  Of course, there are times when being late is unavoidable, but if it is through laziness or carelessness or done deliberately, then it violates the precept of asteya.  

You know what I mean.  Have you ever told someone to be present at a time earlier than you told everyone else--in hopes that the entire group wouldn't have to wait? 

Asteya also means we should refrain from taking another's ideas, thoughts, words, or techniques and claiming them as our own original ideas, etc.  Taking credit when it belongs to someone else is a form of theft.  When these things are freely offered, we can take advantage of that generosity, but not claim it as our own original ideas.  

Asteya is honesty, in any and all aspects, tangible or intangible.

There is so much generosity on the web, so much sharing.  Most of the people who share ideas and techniques aren't saying they "invented" it out of thin air, so to speak, but more that they have "embellished," "developed," "expanded," --have taken a technique further in some way and shared it freely.  We are all grateful for this generosity, and ideas and techniques spread outward, rippling through various communities. 

Building on a foundation is wonderful, as long as we don't claim to have built the foundation. 

2:37. When the yogi has subdued  the stealing tendency in 

human nature, material existence endeavors to serve 

him. Thus it seems that all precious things become 

available to him.   --Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

:) I got a little carried away on this one, and I have 2 more yamas to go!  Bear with me, and I'll skip the niyamas. 

Today, I hope to finish the AAQI quilt I've been working on.

Namaste.

Prayer Flags in the Garden

Yesterday, I spent a lot of time sweeping the path, cleaning up leaves, pulling weeds, and trimming up the Confederate jasmine on the arbor.  It was such a nice day for that kind of work, especially in the morning.

Then I went upstairs and gathered the prayer flags, took them out, and strung them up.  After I had them hung, I realized there were two more that I'd finished and left upstairs, and one more in progress--I'll have to add them later.  Right now, though, there are 17 prayer flags offering prayers and good intentions to the breeze and 3 more to be included!

Here is a review of some of them a little closer.

In the afternoon, I went to a little nursery in Benton and bought some plants including two butterfly plants (milkweed) to go with my butterfly bush, 3 more basils, parsley, dill, begonias, sweet potato vine, verbena, etc.

Today, I have to get busy and get them in the ground.

I bid on two quilts for the AAQI auction, lost one (Michele's) but won the other.  So here is a pic of  Moonbeam by Cheryl Jordan of Corvallis, OR.   I love it!

 Materials/Techniques: Design created using discharge paste; outline quilted with metallic thread and beaded.

Cheryl's quilt was made in memory of her father, who suffered from AD.

Aside from the fact that I'm contributing to AD research by buying these quilts, I'm accumulating them for another purpose, too.

AND I'm finally working on another quilt to donate.  I have 2 that never got mailed and want to finish the work in progress and make one more before registering them.

I'm trying to catch up on my blog reading...being away means getting way behind!

New Prayer Flag Finished

Satya - a commitment to truth in our thoughts as well as our speech;  being honest with ourselves and others.  It does not take precedence over ahimsa (non-violence) so being honest or truthful with the intention of being hurtful is wrong.  Ahimsa, the precept of compassion, comes first.  (satya is the second of the yamas as set forth by Patanjali)

Unbleached muslin, beads, various stitches, appliqued leaves.

 I participate in two reading challenges a year on my book blog:  the Once Upon a Time Challenge in the spring and R.I.P. in September & October.   Once Upon a Time is fairy tale, fantasy, folklore, and myth; R.I.P. is gothic, scary, witches, vampires, mansions, murder, or anything suitably Halloween-y.  These challenges provide the perfect opportunity to indulge oneself, and I do.  

If you like to read and enjoy fantasy, fairy tales, etc. check out the Once Upon a Time Challenge.  A lot of the books are fairy tale re-tellings and many are written for young adults, but some of these authors are just good, not matter how old or young you are.  

I'm tired of writing my return address, so I've ordered return address stickers from Moo Cards.  I have some "business" cards that I ordered a couple of years ago, but always forget that I have them.  Oh, yes, and even before that, I had mini cards made from my photos.  Making the cards/stickers is fun, and I always get compliments (when I remember to use them).  This is my first time with the stickers, but I'm looking forward to using them!

 Yesterday, we had a visitor.  I've heard grey cat mewing on the other side of the fence on a number of occasions, and he finally to decided to pay a visit.  When Edgar gets out, he over the fence in a flash, but grey cat is more cautious than Edgar.

I wanted to get a picture of our three with noses to the window inside and grey cat with nose to window outside, but by the time I'd gone upstairs to get the camera, that tableau was no longer in place.

Lucy and Stinker are looking out the window, but Edgar stays watching by the door.  Grey cat has backed off a bit.

I went outside, and he began that game of you approach three steps, I retreat five steps.

He has rather curious eyes, and even from a greater distance than this, those eyes glow.  More than the picture suggests.

Debra sent me a box, a big box, full of linen and home dec fabrics!--am I going to have fun with these!  Thanks, again, Debra!

Finally finished this prayer flag.  Ahimsa means non-violence of thought, word, or action.  I want to do all of the 8 yamas and niyamas, ethical precepts set forth in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.  They compose the first (yamas) and second (niyamas) of the eight limbs of yoga.

Since some of you have wondered how many prayer flags to date, I counted them:  17 finished and the 18th almost done.

Have a great day!

Company in the Casa and TAST Stitch

Spring Break for Bryce Eleanor, no kindergarten on Friday.  We took a nice walk.  Our walks go something like this:  Bryce Eleanor runs.  I judge that to be far enough and yell, "Freeze!"  I catch up, then release her to run again.  Repeat.  I get to walk at a reasonable pace.  She gets to run and work off energy.  We both have a good time.

We also played with blocks and puzzles, of course.  And she (not I) dismembered Erin and Amelia's old Barbie dolls.  I'm useful when she wants them re-assembled.  Not sure but what there is some resemblance to Dr. Moreau in this process as I doubt all of the legs are on the original bodies.

I'm just thinkin' that the rolled up legging looks a trifle gang-like. Other four-year-old members would probably include Paddy and John David.  Terrors, all three.

Her dad came to pick her up around 4:30 to take her to soccer practice.  I'm sure she worked off the rest of her excess energy there.

I've been doing more reading than embroidering lately, but did get the weekly TAST stitch worked into a couple of prayer flags in progress.  This week's stitch is the barred chain stitch. I think it would have worked better with a very fine perle cotton than with the embroidery floss.

On eco dyed muslin and silk.

On plain muslin.  I also tried to imitate Deepa's honeycomb chain stitching in the right hand corner.  Not an impressive attempt; will have to work on it.

Rain, Rain...

After last year's drought, we appreciate rain, and given the dramatic and dangerous weather that parts of Texas and Oklahoma endured Monday, we are grateful that all we received was rain.  An 80% chance for more rain today.

I worked on a couple of prayer flags yesterday and got in some reading time as well, so staying in and watching the rain in comfort was quite pleasant.  That is--after I got over the generalized anxiety that sometimes occurs when there is a sudden change in barometric pressure.

When the anxiety hits, I'm restless and unfocused, unable to settle down and get anything done.   After a little yoga,  I was able to sit down with needle and thread and enjoyed myself.

This is a glimpse of one of flags I'm working on at the moment.  This week's TAST stitch is the barbed chain, and I've managed to work it in on the left.  I'm including this stitch in the other flag I'm working on, too.

 Here's the thing about the prayer flags that puzzles me a bit.  I rip the fabric instead of using the rotary cutter and making sure they are squared up, so they are all a bit wonky.   I spend no time on making the basic flag; they are all uneven and raw edged.  Then, for some reason, I'll spend hours embroidering them, knowing that they are meant to hang outside, subject to the vagaries of the weather.


Books:

Trying to my book blog back on track after a dry spell of little reading and less reviewing.

Reviewed Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey.   Have a review scheduled for The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney. Reading How Firm a Foundation by David Weber the 4th in the Safehold series.  Three really good ones in a row.

I'm debating about how badly I need groceries because I'm not eager to get out in the rain.

Have a great day!

Another Flag Complete

Ho, Ho!  I've finished this week's TAST stitch (whipped wheel) and my prayer flag!  "be still" is a mantra I frequently repeat to myself; it has multiple meanings for me and always seems to calm my mind.

I love the little scribble looking lines that came out in this piece of eco dyed habotai silk.

I used eco dyed scraps again for this one.  And included Cy's wheel, something I had been meaning to try anyway, so this week's TAST stitch was perfect.  I didn't use as many spokes, but I'm going to try more spokes soon because I love the way Cy's wheel looks.

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:)  She calls it Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder; one of my teacher friends several years ago called it CRS (Can't Remember Sh**).  Diagnosis it as you will, I suffer from this disorder and evidently had early onset.  (via Kinship in Color and Wool)


Actually, I don't always forget, sometimes I just decide that I'd rather read or sew than clean out the pantry, etc.  Still, when I walk into a room and forget why I walked into the room, I'm frustrated.  Do you do that?

After reading Moonwalking with Einstein (I reviewed it here), I am trying to pay more attention to what I do.  So much of my activity is sort of on automatic pilot.  Memory requires effort, and I'm pretty lazy.

It is a lovely Friday here.  Perfect spring-like weather with temperatures expected to reach the 80's again today.  Some part of me is thinking that it is just too warm for the time of year and worrying about an extra long, extra hot summer.

Ah, well, might as well enjoy it.   Have a great weekend!

Two New Prayer Flags

Joy is a series of paisley leaves.  In life, the appearance of spring leaves on the trees provides a joyful experience denoting the end of winter, in summer there is the joy of watching the leaves move in the wind or dapple the ground with shade, and in fall, the joy and wonder of the leaves turning all the various shades and colors, in the leafy piles, in the sight and rustling sound of leaves blown across a path.

Explore has an eco dyed scrap that I embroidered with running stitches in the fall, then attached to the flag.  I then added chain stitches over the other stitches.  Bad photo.

I've finally reviewed Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick over at A Garden Carried in the Pocket.  Geez, I love his language; although I could hope for a happier story, it is so beautifully written.

Continuing to read my books of essays, a little at a time.  A Dyer's Hand by Auden is a re-read, A Common Reader by Virginia Woolf is new to me, as is A Visit to Vanity Fair by Alan Jacobs.  No hurry to any of these, an essay here, an essay there.  None of the compulsion of my mysteries --which I've been trying to wean myself from temporarily.

Oh, and I won a give-away which I will share with you when it arrives!  I'm very excited about this because I love winning anything and this one will fit so well into my various crafty projects.

Good mail: Yesterday my sign from Goldiloo's Etsy Shop arrived!  Love it.  Can't wait to put it up!  I might have to order another one of her signs--she has a-plenty.

Trust

This week's TAST is the detached chain stitch, and I used it in Trust.

More eco dyed scraps in linen and habotai silk.  Hapa-zome prints of grass and salvia (the brown stem-- even the purple flowers,the little round spots to the side of the stem, came out brown; dianthus which is only a purple blob over which I embroidered detached chain flowers.

The term trust works well for both eco dyeing and embroidery; I have to trust in the outcome as I seldom have a plan in mind.  Of course, we also have to trust in ourselves and in others in this often chaotic life.
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Prayer Flag Project

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Valerie's Thankfulness Project has been featured at Lucid Communication!  Wonderful photos--stop by and check out the interview and the photos.

Have a great weekend!

I was dismissed from jury duty.  I didn't even make it to the selection stage, but I'm grateful not to have to undergo trial procedure.

The blue habotai silk and gauze that took the red cabbage dye so well worked for the latest prayer flag.  When I first saw the blues the red cabbage dye produced, I thought of Dylan Thomas' "sky blue trades" from "Fern Hill."  I love that poem, and although I tend to like almost everything Dylan Thomas wrote, "Fern Hill" remains one of my favorites.

I included some fabric beads I made several years ago from discharged fabric and also found a yoyo in my yoyo stash of the same fabric.  (if yoyo isn't an amusing enough word on its own, having a yoyo stash completes a ridiculous picture).  I used some blue linen embroidery thread and some of that lovely variegated fine perle cotton from Sassa Lynne for the detached chain stitches and the button hole wheel.

I really liked the blue of that discharged fabric and used it for an outfit, quilted with metallic thread, for this doll.  I used the fabric beads for her arms.

 I only have scraps of the fabric left, a small piece of the quilted fabric, and a few fabric beads left, but it goes to show that sometimes hoarding stuff pays off.  :)

I said I was going to straighten up the studio today; I said I was going to work on dolls today. So far neither has happened.

More Prayer Flags and Jury Duty

Two more prayer flags.  Wonder features the chevron stitch.  I had two main thoughts about the meaning of wonder while working on this flag:

 1) to be in awe of something, to marvel.  The world is full of things that cause one to be amazed and full of admiration--nature, art, music, the talent of individuals in so many fields of endeavor.  So much to fill one with wonder and appreciation.

2) to be curious, inquisitive, to reflect--"I wonder about what would happen if?" or "I wonder how he did that?"

Wonder uses a practice patch for the chevron stitch on a linen flag.

And for Valentine's Day, a quote from Shakespeare.  I didn't have enough room to add the name, so used his initials.

Below--some of the prayer flags hanging in the studio; they aren't all up there, and there is no more room.  Soon I'll string them between two crepe myrtles in the back yard.  Or begin doing some guerrilla art and just finding places to hang them...

Fee has been out of town since last Monday, but came in last night.  He's at the office now, catching up on paper work.  Poor man.

Tomorrow, I must report for jury duty.  I'm not pleased about it, especially as there is an 80% chance of rain tomorrow.  I've only served on one jury,  a Grand Jury at the Federal Court House in Shreveport over ten years ago.  While I'm all for of a trial by your peers, I didn't like being responsible for the decision.

The jury I sat on rendered a unanimous guilty verdict, and I did think the man was guilty, but was uncomfortable about sentencing a man to jail.  Right after the trial, the judge called the jury into his chambers and told us that he realized it was a difficult decision, but that he thought we'd given the right verdict and had performed our duty well.  That helped.  The evidence presented by the FBI was pretty overwhelming, still--a verdict that sentenced a man to Federal Prison was not an easy thing to do.

This will be in Petit Court at the parish courthouse, and I'm really hoping to be dismissed.
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On a more pleasant note, I ran into an old friend Friday at Sunshine Health Foods and had a great time catching up!  We taught together at Byrd, but she and her family moved to Austin.  Now, they have returned, and Lisa has a cookie company.  I have bought her cookies before without realizing that Middlebrook Bakery was hers!  Delicious cookies, all natural ingredients,  and very, very good.

Chevron

I've tried some chevron stitch variations.  I've cut two out, fringed them, and will attach them to prayer flags.  I kind of like the chevron.  It requires a bit of attention, but not too much, and can make a great filler stitch.

Have a great weekend!

Grounded

In yoga, being "grounded" refers to the ability to focus awareness both on a pose and on the present moment.  A grounded pose enables strength, stability, and ease in the asana and a sense of mental alertness and intention.  Being grounded helps us with proprioception, awareness of where our limbs are in space and where our minds are in time,  allowing us to correct our stance physically and keep our minds in the present moment.

Of course, being grounded also means having the basics, the fundamentals on which to build in any area.   TAST is providing me with a grounding in the basic stitches of embroidery and ways to build on those stitches through variations and additions.

Grounded has eco dyed flour sacking and a Dorset button I made several years ago.

Making Dorset buttons can be as addictive as embroidery!  I was on a kick of making Dorset buttons for cuffs for a while.

I used all of the suggestions from Tuesday Stitchers (thanks, ladies) and improved "Cultivate" -- still don't really like it because the trellis looks so messy and out of place, but I like it a lot better than I did before.

I toned down the stark white, went over the vines with some darker floss, added leaves, and lots of kantha stitching.  What I liked is using my favorite stitch; I love kantha stitching.  It is the most pleasurable and meditative stitch for me.

This week:  the chevron stitch!

TAST
Prayer Flag Project

Prayer Flag -Bloom

Bloom is linen with a strip of eco dyed habotai silk.  I used India Flint's hapa-zome technique (flower pounding) on the silk strip and just attached the strip to the prayer flag.  The flower was a pink dianthus, and I think I used vinegar as a post mordant.  At any rate, the pink became mostly lavenders and purples.

I used this one to practice the Cretan stitch.  After embroidering the word "bloom"--it just couldn't support any more embellishment, stitching or otherwise.

                                                                                                         

I don't like the next prayer flag.  I was working on this flag with nothing in mind and then decided to add the herringbone stitch (last week's TAST stitch) -- but I wasn't pleased with the addition, a kind of trellis made mostly of herringbone stitches.

The words "bloom" and "cultivate" kind of go together, but I also wish I had not used the floral images twice.
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I've just read some comments about Cultivate over at Tuesday Stitchers, and although I had decided to just give up on it, I may return to it keeping in mind the suggestions!  :)
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Another Chloe-ism:

Ren: What did you learn in school today?
Chloe: We learned that dinosaurs are extinct.
Ren: And what does that mean?
Chloe: It means I can't have one.

I've written about Ren's daughters Chloe and Alison on this post.  Chloe is just so quotable.
She cracks me up!