Beautiful Morning

I may have shared this Mary Oliver quote before....
but not with this artwork by Lisa Condon, an
artist/illustrator that I admire.

It was a beautiful morning to be in the garden.  I was making my way around the yard in Lexington weeding and watering when I noticed something odd on my foxtail fern.  I have had this fern for years each winter taking it inside....then out again in the spring.  It is a beautiful specimen and thriving this year with the rain and humidity. 

At first I thought it was some sort of insect infestation or powdery mildew.  But on closer look I was surprised to see tiny white blossoms.  I'm not sure I've ever seen it bloom before...I was thrilled. 

There are all kinds of fuzzy new shoots coming....a sure sign that
some things can thrive....even in this broken world.

 

Note to Self:

Always take a bag when you go to the beach.

There's nothing like a little rocky coast therapy on 

a beautiful Maine afternoon.

Favorite Find

It started with a small green crabapple Paul handed me on a walk a couple of days ago....and before long my hands were full of seeds and tree fruit.  I absolutely love the long seed pods....I hope they dry just like this.

A tri-color bouncy ball got added a day later...one of Paul's found objects.  Fits right in with the other orbs.

And just today I noticed some of the berries/fruit are two toned. Did they start that way?  I don't think so.  I think they are shedding.  Cool!

The new seeds and fruit replaced the driftwood that I found on the beach. It's all nice and dry and ready for a project or display.  

I wish I knew the story behind the spool....what was it used for and how did it end up in the ocean? It may be my favorite find in a long time.

 

Rainbow Stack

A few days ago I mentioned Vicki Welsh and her fabric dying. I love this picture of her stack of hand dyed fabrics waiting to be ironed from her Facebook feed. What's not to love about a rainbow stack.

Glorious Sky

It was a glorious sky this evening as a little storm rolled in.  Do I see the hint of a rainbow?  I didn't notice it in person.  Cool! And even cooler is that the glorious sky was also enjoyed by Paul and Sam.  A delightful evening with two of my favorite men.

The Other Piece

Mounting this piece will have to wait...I'm back in Portland now and I don't have what I need. I like to install the hanging hardware before I mount a quilt and I don't have those supplies with me.

I do like the way it's going to look wrapped around the board.

While I was in my stitching mode I quilted the other piece I'd been working on. I like the way the dark purple thread outlines the stripe strips.

I kept the quilting simple...just wonky lines and I'm pleased with it so far.

The hand dyed fabric was done by Vicki Welsh of Colorways and is called "Abundance." She is a talented quilter and fabric dyer.  I follow her on Facebook and I enjoy reading about her process and projects.

Fabric Stack

Anita and I came across these amazing cone flowers on our morning walk....they remind me of Rainbow sherbet. 

And they coordinate well with my fused stack piece...which is a bit further along.  A few days ago I fused all the layers and today I topstitched.                                                                              

I cautiously decided to use some of the simple decorative stitches on my machine and was pleased with the result. Phew! I don't think I'll do any more stitching on the solid pieces. The texture in the fabric makes them look almost painted.

I'm quite fond of the Kaffe stripe stack layer....

especially that it's a bit wonky.

Because some of this is commercial fabric and doesn't always fuse as well as hand dyed I wanted to make sure everything was tacked down with some sort of stitching.  I added vertical lines on my slice and shift panel so needed to pull all the dangling start/stop threads to the back.  I was tempted to use black thread for the stitching but chose a medium dark purple instead.  It's still a nice outline but it blends really well.

I want this piece to lay really flat so didn't use batting.  Instead I added a piece of interfacing the size of the front of the wooden canvas to give it some structure and make the stitching easier. I will glue the top...and fuse the sides around the wooden canvas. That's tomorrow's project. 

Coneflower

At the end of our walk this morning I stopped to admire this beautiful coneflower.  At first I was just noticing the full blooms.....how vivid they were and how the light was just perfect to make the colors pop.  But then I noticed that every stage of bloom was right here in this clump.  I was fascinated.

 

Transition Day

Transitions are sometimes tough for me....and I do a lot of it as I go back and forth between Lexington and Portland. This particular transition day was filled from beginning to end with good friends, good food, and great conversation.  Breakfast with Margie in Portland, lunch with Linda and David at their beach house in southern Maine, and dinner and the whole evening with Joan in Lexington. Perfect way to transition!

I love stopping at Linda and David's...the gardens are spectacular.  My favorite garden moment had to be the 7 foot meadow rue.

I wrote a post about David's gardens a while back....and the gardens of a man named Pearl.  You can check it out here.

If you read that post you'll know why it was fun seeing this sign in David's garden. 



"It wasn't important to me to create a garden...I wanted to create a feeling, so that when you walk through here you feel different than when you came."  Pearl Fryar

Everything about this transition day made me feel different than when I started....I'm so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.  Thank you Margie, Linda, David, and Joan!

"Might As Well Be Fun"

Brian Andreas  

It was an inside puttering day....a little of this and a little of that....a good mix of chores and play. Even the chores were kind of fun....or at least that's what I'm telling myself.   

I did fiddle with some of my stacks. I pinned the catalog pages I folded a few days ago onto a board so I could start imagining what it might be.

This isn't where it's going to end up....but it's helping me see where it might go.  One thing was clear....I needed more strips so it was back to cutting and folding.  I see a little Netflix in my evening while I glue these pieces together. 

I do like the simplicity of the rows of color....we'll see.

A Girl And A Saw

I found a third blue pot in my garage...so now all three rain lilies are lookin' good...a happy little corner don't you think?  It's the first time all three pots are blooming at the same time.  

We've had a beautiful stretch of weather...so I've been compelled to be outside.  I'm actually looking forward to a rainy day tomorrow and plan to spend a good chunk of it in my studio doing a little organizing and cleaning....and hopefully something creative.

But today was about a girl and a saw.

There is something about a using a pole saw that feels empowering.  There was a droopy branch in the back yard at the condo that's been bugging me for months so I finally got out my pole saw and cut it down. Then I got on a roll and trimmed lots of dead branches in the woods....I really like a clean sightline. The previous owner did a good job getting this started and I plan to continue.  I also trimmed branches for my next door neighbor so she has a better view into the woods too. The best part about it is once I cut them down all I had to do was drag them a little deeper into the woods.  I love that!

And while I was in the the neighborly mode I helped Sandy across the street reclaim a small over gown garden.  Today we dug out a lot of scruff and roots and trimmed back some bushes. We'll amend the soil and I'll divide some plants in Lexington to help her create a new little garden. Phase two will be sometime next week.

The day started with a swim and ended on the patio under a blanket....with a little sawing in between.  Just about perfect don't you think? As the saying goes...."Maine, the way life should be."

Coddiwomple

This kind of sums it up for me some days......

Stacks

Three years ago I wrote a post about my love for stacks.....and my fond feelings for them hasn't changed.  I just love things stacked up.

A few weeks ago I wrote about falling in love with fusing again.....and two days ago I shared a Tina Fey's quote: "Say yes and you'll figure it out afterwards."



So what do these three posts have in common?  I'm pretty sure I said yes to Dr. Adams about another art show in November and/or December....I'm rediscovering the versatility and joy of fusing.....and my working theme right now for my next art series is "stacks."

The first piece I've been playing around with is going to be long and skinny and mounted on this repurposed wooden sign wrapping around the sides. Starting with the fused Kaffe stripe panel above....I've been "stacking" layers of fabrics trying to come up with an interesting combination of colors and patterns.

A few days ago I pinned it all up on the design wall so I could get some perspective...it's always good to stand back and look. I decided it needed a little more purple for balance. I will fuse all the layers together and add top stitching before I mount it.

I do realize that all the pieces can't be this busy. I have some beautiful hand dyed gradient fabrics that it's time to use. I want to feature the beauty of the fabric accenting it with a band of "stacks"....and of course some stitching.

 

Like last time I plan to keep the show cohesive by using common elements and colors. I'm still loving the Kaffe stripes....I'm just using them in a different way.

I also plan to use a variety of media this time....not just fabric.  I spent a little time a few nights ago glueing pieces from my favorite catalogs together in color strips that I will stack and stitch. The colors are have the same intensity as the fabrics.

I have dozens of "stack" ideas in my head....stay tuned as they evolve over the summer and fall.

100

Nelson Mandela would be 100 today.


"As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." Nelson Mandela

Beach Walk

Spent time at Jane's beach house today....her garden loves the salty air. 

                

Of course it included a beach walk and I'm taking you along.  

I love the boardwalk through the dune grass and that moment

you get over the hill and there's the big beautiful ocean.  

I was looking for small pieces of driftwood...I need to go back when I have 

more time to search. I was surprised to find an old wooden spool....

I can't wait to see what it looks like when it dries out.

All is well at the beach.