State of Flux

Meet State of Flux, completed in April. Inspired (among other things) by discoveries of ambiguous creatures whose life cycles may metamorphose into something that could consume every leaf off of the tender plants I have so carefully planted and nurtured, or...be the awkward beginning of something beneficial and beautiful. Inherent or instinctive behaviors can be very hard to identify by outward appearances.

Making something 3-dimensional was challenging and inspiring. I look forward to working on something like this again and applying what I learned this time around.

State of Flux is currently at the Indianapolis Art Center as part of the Curio Cabinet Exhibition until August 5. I found the theme behind Curio Cabinet so inspiring -  "examining the role of art in inspiring curiosity, mystery, intrigue and wonder".

Go and see the flags...

I am still stitching stars. These above are hand-embroidered on a pieced field of blue fabrics I inherited from my grandmothers as well as bits of clothing that my boys have outgrown. 

I have been wanting to share a wonderful source of information I’ve found while researching flags and hand-sewn stars. When I started working on my current projects, I did an online search for “hand embroidered stars on flag”. The top result was a link to RareFlags.com, a site which provides information and photos on a portion of Anthony Iasso’s collection of the historic American flag. I find something new and fascinating every time I visit. Many thanks to Anthony for sharing his wonderful collection and knowledge on the history of the American flag.

Anthony says, “Many people are both surprised and amazed when they discover that the American flag that they’ve known for most of their lives has such a varied and storied past. The American flag is a treasured icon, woven through our nation's history. Our national flag, in its many forms, has been present during all of our nation’s wars, national triumphs, national tragedies, and in our every day lives. Flags have been manufactured in factories and sewn in our homes. The number of stars has changed as the nation grew from the original 13 states to our modern union of 50 and the number of designs and patterns found on flags over our nation’s 235 year history are almost limitless.”

Please go and have a look over there - RareFlags.com. Anthony welcomes comments in the Rare Flags guest book or contact him by email with any questions about your own rare flags.

A few of my favorites on Anthony Iasso’s rareflags.com site are listed and linked below (though please don’t limit your visit to just these pages!). 

Methods of Creating Stars

Updating the Flag with Stars

The Suffrage Flag

"Grand Luminary" and "Great Star" Patterns

The detail photos of these flags and the techniques used to make them are wonderful. I am finding the connection between national history and the history of handmade textiles so very inspiring. 

Burr oak leaf whorl

I started this little tablequilt inspired by a few large Bur oak leaves I had pressed from last season. Spring arrived as I worked on it and I decided to show the way the leaves grow as they emerge. All of the leaves are from a tree in our yard that my husband started from an acorn five years ago. The acorn was dropped by gigantic and ancient Bur oaks that stands at the edge of a favorite park in our town. Now our little tree has already set acorns and is well over six feet tall.

The leaves are attached to each branch in a beautiful radial whorl pattern. This is very noticeable at the ends of the branches. It's really beautiful. So this little quilt has turned into something to honor this young tree and what is just the very beginning of its' timeline. 

A sensitive edge has been sketched in so that it will follow the shape of a few of the larger leaves. I am going to push the limits of what I have done so far with a shaped edge and see what happens - trying to work a few things out to make something on a much larger scale.

We really are so impressed with this little tree - proves it is well worth it to plant an acorn or two in a  special spot and see what happens. The squirrels took all of the acorns last year but more are on the way.

color journal II :: a few blocks into April

 Green is here. The Redbuds and Virginia bluebells are showing off their pink and purplish blue buds.

A favorite green from our garden right now - the emerging lady's mantle leaves. Just fuzzy enough to catch dewdrops and rain.

These are the blocks I have so far - a seasonal gradation.

I finished the binding on the first color journal quilt this weekend and it has been through the wash. I will try and photograph it a bit better at some point. I was thinking as I looked at the April blocks I just made that the green and purple color combinations are a favorite, on the first quilt and also the new blocks. Noting that here to remember.

color journal II :: another one for March

It's sleeting outside every few minutes as I type but this past weekend was beautiful. I have stitched a block inspired by colors I found on Sunday morning.

British Soldiers lichen. Lipstick lichen. Matchstick moss/lichen.

A miniature fairytale landscape.

winter stars

More of the star, but winter colors now. We have snow and cold. The white backdrop of the snow makes it easier to appreciate the lovely lines of the plant stems and seed heads that have held on on through the weather. There's a lot of inspiration out there.

and I think I have worked a few things out for the construction of these stars, but only in my head so far. I learn a bit more with each one. I am now cutting things out to make a few more with the new plan. Some pieces of pale indigo I dyed during Glennis Dolce's online class a few years back are giving some variation against the whites. I think the pieced stars nicely echo the frost patterns, snowflakes and crispness of winter. Natural organization.

We have been busy celebrating 8 years old with our youngest and it's official today. Above - waiting "patiently" at 5:30 this morning to open his gifts. He's a funny one.

off in search of...

ferns and green. I will be back later. Happy summer to all.

how it always is

Summer is almost here and we are looking forward to a few things slowing down a bit but many things are speeding up. Everything is growing fast (except the vegetable garden I still haven't got around to planting). Lots to do outside. School projects finishing up with the boys and special events to end the year. Family vacations and first plane rides are in the works.

It might start to just be a photo posted here now and then for the summer months. Everything cloth, thread, clay, plants, wildlife, boys and pets all tangled together. Wait.. that's how it always is here.  : )

shared inspiration :: love of leaves

I wanted to make a post with easy links to the people who have left links in the comments or are working not their own leaf projects. There are some very inspiring things leafing out. So sorry if I have missed anyone, just give me a nudge. Each sentence is a link so just click and visit. I am enjoying the spring momentum of this little leaf project. Thanks to all.

Robbie is working on a beaded leaf with wonderful color and texture. 

Marijke van Welzen creates beautiful quilted coats. This one with snakes and lots of leaves is my favorite.

Linda used fabric pastel crayon on leaves of grass with lovely results.

Linda also transferred really beautiful impressions of leaves onto fabric by pounding leaves against cloth.

Jude is stitching a lovely ivy leaf onto some of her own delicately colored eco-printed/dyed fabric.

and just in case you missed it...
These leaves were made by friends in a little newly formed sewing circle during our time together last week.

oh yay

The surprise lily leaves having a peek at the sunshine today.

color journal :: August sunflowers

In the very early spring of last year we lost our biggest and favorite sugar maple tree. The huge empty unshaded space left behind was a constant reminder. I planted many perennial plants and also lots of varieties of sunflowers by seed where the tree had been. The plants grew throughout the summer to help fill the space. I would have much rather kept the tree, but the sunflowers we had by the end of the summer were beautiful. I look forward to planting them again.

The goldfinches enjoyed them too and let us get quite close while they munched on the seeds. You can click and enlarge this photo taken August 2013. The goldfinches are in the middle.

This is my last block for the color journal quilt. I hope to have them all sewn together very soon.

color journal :: July rain garden

 

We had a pretty rainy spring last year and our rain garden had its best year yet. This photo was taken mid July 2013 and it looks like it had just rained, the best time to photograph plant I think. The purples and yellows still the favorites. Native Tall Ironweed in deep purple, Joe-Pye weed in the dusty pink and Stiff Goldenrod is the yellow.

Just one more block to put together, and then the whole color journal quilt!

color journal :: May and June

These two have so much to do with the green I am all too anxiously waiting for. I am all out of green fabric now.

I am in a late winter mood and I am ready for a little color. Aren't lavender and yellow the first to arrive? (this blue-eyed grass from May 2013) Some insects would be nice, and not just the stinkbugs that are hatching from the potted plants overwintering inside. (Butterfly weed and Great Spangled Fritillary June 2013)



It always seems like winter is taking her sweet time moving on out of here but I have been looking back on a lot of photos lately and I found a few of us last year wading in the creek no coats on March 10 and then a few snow photos dated March 25. So, whatever.

It's predicted to warm a little these next few days, maybe even a thunder storm and possibly some flooding. If all of this snow and ice melts I will be out there looking for the first signs of any daffodils - even if I have to dig a little.

under the bright white

Our snow layer has been restored to bright white (again).

Thinking about the hope we hold in what lies beneath all the snow - the sleeping seeds and green.

color journal :: April

I think this might be my favorite block so far. I can hardly wait to see these colors again.

A favorite walking destination of the pup and I, taken after a big rain April 2013.

(See all color journal blocks so far… here.)

color journal :: the ocean in March

I am going to try and catch up on the color journal blocks so I can get on to piecing the quilt. I had made a few little piles of the fabrics in the colors I wanted to use for several of the months last spring, but never managed to get the squares cut and stitched. All has resurfaced after tidying the studio and so I am putting them all together almost a year! later and here we go. This block is for our March 2013. We traveled to the ocean for a week, thanks to good friends who agreed to share their lovely accommodations with us. It was a really wonderful time. The sunset was my favorite part of the day.

It's going to be fun to look back through the warm weather images that inspired the fabrics I chose for each month. A nice reminder of Spring to come.

sugar maples in November

Golden inspiration. It has that same pleasant overwhelming of the senses, like with all the white of snow, but in yellow and gold.

and now it is fall

It rained last night and today fall is everywhere. It seems a little sudden, maybe because the weather has been so warm.

It's the time of year I start to consider what I might accomplish in the way of homemade gifts for the holidays. There seems plenty of time to feel very ambitious - but I think if I can make a couple of things for my boys I should be doing well. So more on that soon - the sooner the better if I hope to finish them in time for the holiday.

hold and reach

bloom

Our native buttonbush is blooming for the first time and it was worth the wait. Each little globe of flowers about the size of a ping-pong ball.