New Post Cards, a Book, a Heart Rock and a new Project

I found another heart rock in my walk way yesterday on my way to the car to go to Dallas to sew with my mini group friends.  I picked it up, scraped off the mud (we've had a little rain lately) and dropped it in my basket to take with me.  I remembered to show it to only one friend while there, Andrea.  I photographed it on one of the postcards -- it's in the last photo.  I saw this heart shaped cloud while driving home from Dallas and sewing.

While there, I started a new project.  I've been wanting to make a "grief" quilt for some months now.  I asked if anyone could remember the stages of grief and Shelley and Andrea both got online and found them for me.  Andrea's website had 7 stages: 1. denial/shock, 2. pain/guilt, 3. anger/bargaining, 4. depression/loneliness/reflection, 5. upward turn, 6. reconstruction/working through, 7. acceptance/hope.  Shelley printed out the 5 stages that I am more familiar with: 1. denial, 2. anger/resentment, 3. bargaining, 4. depression, 5 acceptance.

I decided to go with the 5 stages that Shelley found and possibly throw in a little of Andrea's findings also because I didn't want the fabrics to be too think to sew.  I found fabrics to represent the different stages of grief for me.  For "denial" I used the orange and grey originally, but that wasn't really enough.  I later added the purples they are on the top of the quilt, thanks to Maxine and Kari for suggesting it needed diagonal movement and purple.  Everything on top of the red, represents "denial and shock".  Red represents "anger", the next fabric is a blue with red and blue freckles (or dots) which represents bargaining, then the black is for "depression" and finally the yellow peeking through is for "hope and acceptance".  I'm not there yet, but I'm hopeful that I will be one day.

As you can see the top fabrics are ripped and woven through each other.  They are very confusing, just like the feelings in the beginnings of grief.  The denial and the shock are so confusing, my very fiber feels ripped apart at times.  I had not trimmed the quilt to the point that it's at in this photo when I had taken it over to a part of the quilt shop that has all the thread.  I was looking for black and grey and maybe a dark purple.  An older woman saw my quilt at that point and said "oh what a mess!".   I turned to her and thanked her.  I told her it that it represents grief.  She said "Grace?"  "No," I said "grief.".  She said "Greece?"  "No, grief as in someone has died and I am grieving for them".  At which point she just looked at me with disdain and confusion and her friend dragged her away.  She just could not comprehend a quilt that was not of a traditional making/pattern/design.  That's OK.  Someday she may feel like ripping fabric and remember my "mess" and give herself permission.   

I've already stitched a broken heart into the quilt.  I plan to stitch tears into it at some point, but other than that, I'll just stitch and see what happens.  I don't know if it will be donated to the Quilter's Guild of Dallas' live mini auction in March or if I'll put it in the show.  Right now, the only thing I know for sure about it is that is not messy enough. 

My momma sent me a book that I got in yesterday's mail.  It's Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt.  She said in her letter to me "It is amazing how it applied to both of our lives this terrible year."  She also said she felt that she was guided to the yard sale that had it.  I agree.  I loved every word of this book.  I read it very quickly and I plan to reread it again soon.  Then I may return it to momma and buy another one for myself, so that we can both have a copy.  It just feels like we'll need it.  I don't know. 











I've got some postcrossing postcards to share with you too.  The first is from Louisiana and is of the Superdome.  I didn't know the facts that are listed on the front of the card.  Fun.  Click on the photo if you want to read them yourself. 

The next one is from Spain and shows the Ebro River. 

Then I got a surprise card from a young woman that I had sent a card to in the past.  She didn't need to send me a card in response or as a thank you, but she did.  Very sweet.  It shows a fountain in St. Petersburg, Russia. 

The last one I have to show you today actually came in an envelope!  Also from Russia.  It shows a lovely hotel and speaks of hot air balloon rides!  That would be so nice.  Isn't the envelope pretty?  I love the stamps too. 

Art Day #7

Today is the 7th day of Art Every Day Month. This is my art play for the day, although I may not be finished playing today. This is the little art quilt top I just made. I'm thinking about making it into a "quote" quilt. If I do, I'll need to decide which direction I want the words to go.

I guess a lot will depend on which quote I choose to put on here. I posted photos of the top in both directions so that I could hopefully see which I like better. The blue looking squares are actually black. Not a dark black, but black to very dark grey, almost as dark as the black splotch on the brown fabric. I didn't end up with as much of the brown in it as I thought I would and I did put all 7 fabrics in it instead of the 5 I originally intended to use.

The first block or grouping of fabric used was pulled from a bag and used as it was pulled out. Then I decided to try to get three pieces of each fabric in the little top. My favorite fabrics in this top are the ones in the corners, the dark green with stripes and the black. I wish I had a yard of each of those instead of just a fat quarter. The quilt top is 14" x 16 3/4". Off to play more.

Today's Art Everyday Posting Day 5

I finished RAGE today! This isn't the best photo. I may try to take another one tomorrow during the day light hours.

I made this quilt in an effort to work through some rough times and feelings. The heart is all cracked and broken, but holding together. The other wound is where I felt that I was kicked in the stomach by the things that filled me with rage.

This little quilt (12" square) if made only of fabric. There is no batting in it. I ripped and cut each piece of fabric too. I wanted the fabric to show the pain I was in at the time. Even the binding has cuts in it. I have sewn up the holes in the backing black fabric with large obvious stitches to represent surgical stitches of old and sewn the cuts in the binding in basically the same way. Click the photo to see the quilt in a larger photo.

A New Art Quilt

I think the top is done, but I'm not totally sure. There are three of the fabrics I purchased from Marcia Derse in this one. I'm debating names for it too. With any luck, I'll have it complete in time for Dallas Quilt Celebration 2010.

Catching my Breath

Last week was so busy. I don't feel that I've even recovered from all the fun I had yet. Time doesn't stand still for that to happen though, so here I am playing catch up.

Houston Quilt Festival was amazing, as usual! The quilts were stunning. I just love to see them all. I did really well staying out of the vendors. That is until I met up with my friend Mary for lunch. Then I started shopping with her. I bought wonderful, fun things that have my creative juices flowing! I can't wait to get to work on some of the ideas I have. I think the items I'm most excited about are the hand dyed fabrics (a real weakness for me!) that I bought from Marcia Derse . I'm going to try my hand at art quilts with these fabrics, possibly to add to my etsy shop. I had such a difficult time picking out what to get from her! I wanted all of it. Luckily some of her fabrics have inspired a fabric line that will soon be out. The Gerta Collection is designed for Troy. I'm hoping and praying that at least one of my "local" quilt shops will carry it, but Marcia assured me that I could get it through her website if it isn't.

I spent two days at the show. Finally did get back to finish seeing the quilts, including special exhibits from China and Russia. I always love the exhibit by SAQA -- Studio Art Quilt Associates and this year there was a digital photo exhibit of photos taken by quilters. Amazing. I was wishing for a book of that exhibit. It had been four years since I'd been to the show. I'd like to start going more often, but I'll have to figure out how to spend less if I'm going to be able to do that.

A Little Preview

I've started a new miniature quilt. A little therapy, so to speak. The finished piece will only be around 12 or 12 and a half inches square. I'm calling this "RAGE".

The fabrics in the top photo are layered between the black fabrics used for the back and front of the quilt. There is no traditional batting. I've stabbed, cut and ripped each of the fabrics that are used in this art quilt. That was very therapeutic and actually quite fun. (I may cut a lot of therapeutic fabric in the coming weeks!) It was especially fun watching the faces of the people around me while I did the cutting. I was in a miniature quilt class at the time. Most of the folks who saw me were just horrified!

I haven't made all the decisions concerning this quilt yet. Don't know exactly how I'll bind it. Could be traditional or it could be cut up so that it will eventually fray or it could be something else altogether. I may tack some of the cut fabric pieces open to show the "wound" inside. You can see the area I'm talking about in the bottom photo (to the left of the heart) although the pieces are closed for now. I'll also quilt it with embroidery floss in the same manner that I quilted the Black Cat mini I made last year. More than likely using the same colors as the fabrics used.

What do you think of the crackle heart? The fabric already had the crackle print on it, but I darkened it with a fabric pen to show my broken heart holding together. Click on the photos to enlarge them so that you can see details more clearly.