Pride

It's the last day of June...and June is pride month. So I'm celebrating

along with Sesame Street with rainbow pride colors!

I'm getting ready for more stained glass projects so I've been adding fusible webbing to more batiks. The colorful scraps are quite scrumptious....but sadly....I just can't save everything.

The webbing comes with a paper backing so I can iron in onto the fabric.  I trim up three sides leaving that little edge making it easier to peel the paper off.  Once the paper is off I trim that last side. I'm trying to have a big stash of colors to choose from for future projects.  

I'm also celebrating a some splashes of color from Janice's yard.

Happy Pride!

Ahead of Schedule

"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different."  C. S. Lewis

On June 12th I put the last colored square into my cathedral window quilt wall hanging.  There weren't any fireworks....but there certainly was cause for celebration. I took it on a little tour to show some friends....and now it's hanging prominently in my studio.

My goal was to finish it before we moved to the condo full time....and I'm happy to say I'm way ahead of schedule.  I almost never get to say that.

I started it the summer of 2007 at Patsy's family camp near Moosehead Lake in central Maine. Patsy taught all 3 of her stitching buddies how to make one....she is on her 5th or 6th full size one.  Jane is on her 3rd,  Janice is still working on her 1st full size one and I....finally finished a small wall hanging.  

I'm easily distracted.

This is how it started.

The stats:

13 years in at least 5 states, 481 white squares, 900 colored squares, 52 beads....

and a zillion hand stitches....give or take a few

One of the questions I've been pondering is will one of my boys want it when I'm gone? If they don't....someone will....I hope.

  

Hydrangea Blue

"You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.  What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."  Jane Goodall

There is just something about hydrangea blue.   

I think the color will deepen a little more as the bloom matures....but I just learned that I could deepen the color by adding coffee grounds to the soil to increase the acidity. I'm on it....starting tomorrow!

But this is just what mother Nature gave me...and I'm tickled pink blue.

The slow opening is a beautiful process.

The lace cap variety fascinate me.

Zen Things

I've had a screenshot of a list titled "Zen Things" sitting on the desktop of my computer for a while now. I loved the concept....but I wanted to adapt the list to better suit me.  So today I used some of theirs and added some of mine and came up with:

Joyful Puttering's Zen Things

1.  Do one thing at a time

(doesn't mean you can't have several things in the works...

just be present with the current thing)  

2.  Do it slowly and deliberately

3.  Do less...more thoughtfully and thoroughly

4. Create time and space between things

5. Foster creative daily practice and rituals

6.  Let yourself get lost in the exploring and learning 

7.  Go where inspiration takes you

8.  Keep it simple

9.  Make the mundane meditative and meaningful

10,  Look for joy...always look for and celebrate joy

The inspiration list had 12 things....but since zen is a play on ten....I thought that was the right number....for me.  😉

Keep in mind that I don't always do these things....but I'm working on it.

This morning as I was working outside in Lexington....I tried to make the yard chores meditative and meaningful.  One of things I did was finally knock down an old wasp nest hanging under our patio roof.  It was tiny....and I'd been looking at it all season  often thinking..."I should get that down."

It was paper thin....so quite fragile.  I carefully picked it up and flipped it over...

....and the magic presented itself.

   

I had a hard time holding it without crushing it so I grabbed a little pottery piece from the kitchen so I could examine it more closely.

Simple...special...slow.....one of those happy zen things.

Joy Quota

As a special education teacher I learned that fair meant people should get what they needed....not that everyone should get the same. And if that were true in the joy world I would have reached my quota for the day by about 9:00 this morning.....I had all I needed.

I'm guessing there are people in the world who don't get their fair share of joy....and I wish I could give some of mine away.

It's was a perfect summer morning in Maine....

sunshine...birds singing....and a gentle breeze.

Paul and I had our first swim of the season at 8:00 this morning....the first minute the pool was open on the first day it was open....all by ourselves. It was restorative and heavenly.

I got a thoughtful e-mail from Margie in response to yesterday's post about the John Calhoun monument coming down. She shared her experience about a road trip she took with my father-in-law Dave so she could check off the last two states on her list of visiting all 50....Florida and South Carolina. Being an activist for peace and justice, Margie wanted to visit many of the civl rights sites and museums along the way....all of which Dave would also enjoy.  But Dave, being an engineer also wanted to see Stone Mountain in Georgia....because of the engineering aspect of the carving feat. The stark contrast of this massive monument celebrating Confederate White Supremacist Generals with what else they had seen was a little more than she bargained for. 

It brings me joy that Margie and I share our stories....and I appreciated hearing her story this morning. Now I want to know more about this trip....because I have much more of a context for it.

Then this happened....4 of 8 rain lily buds opened by the end of the morning before we headed back to Lexington. And...the last of the little yellow day lilies opened too.

I always check on things in the garden first thing in the morning....and two had opened.  I set up my camera on time lapse and caught the third one opening and you can see it on my Instagram page with this link:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CB6j217nfJl/

At least 30 minutes of video in just 15 seconds.

I was so excited to get this photo from Linda. She has named her "Miss Lily" and she is now safely at her new beach cottage in southern Maine.  She'll be happy there.

And it was one of those amazing cloud days for our drive back to Lexington...the whole way!  Joy quota reached and surpassed!

Batik Meets Stained Glass

I've wanted to experiment with batik fabrics and a stained glass look ever since I did this piece a year or so ago.  

And...after being nudged by some friends who are interested in a commission piece for a new space in their home we started brainstorming ideas....this was one of the pieces they were drawn to. Amy and Lisle have bought several fabric pieces from my shows....so they know what they were getting into with me.

                 So over the last couple of days I've gotten back to fusing as part of my concept development.....and I'm loving the meeting up of batik and stained glass! The black border in this photo was added digitally so I could see how it would look. I will bind this small quilt in black and mount it on a black canvas. Hopefully it will be a piece ready for a possible next show.

I forgot to take photos along the way....I almost never forget...but here it is part way through. I drew my design with a sharpie on heavy weight stabilizer and puzzled in the fused pieces. The shapes didn't need to be perfect since all the seams would be covered with black.

Using Colorways hand dyed fabric I fused all the side branches....I do them first so the ends get tucked underneath the trunk pieces. I use hand dyed fabric for the trees because it fuses securely. I missed one branch....do you see it?  

Finally I added the trunks and horizon lines....and that missing branch which didn't get tucked underneath.

I think there's potential here and I'm excited about where it might take me!  🌈

My Black Lives Matter journey continues....and sometimes I feel compelled to share something here. As with everything I write....you're never obligated to read it. 

I got very emotional last night when I saw images on the news of the 110 foot monument and statue of John Calhoun being taken down in Charleston, South Carolina. As recently as just a month ago I wouldn't have had enough of a context for it to affect me so deeply. But I have since learned that John Calhoun was one of the most despicable defenders of slavery and white supremacy.

About a week ago I read  another article in the 1619 Project by the New York Times  called Undemocratic Democracy and was quite troubled by this John Calhoun quote: "Liberty is a reward to be earned, not a blessing to to be gratuitously lavished on all alike - a reward reserved for the intelligent, the patriotic, the virtuous and deserving - and a boon to be bestowed on a people too ignorant, degraded and vicious, to be capable either of appreciating or of enjoying it."  Liberty....was reserved for the the superior race....the white race...and black people were to be bought, sold, and used so white people could hold and gain more power.  

And...just yesterday afternoon I had a conversation with Paul about white power and supremacy...giving me even more clarity for last night's news segment. Today....I dug a little deeper and I came across this article in the New York Times about this particular monument and the story leading up to it being taken down.  The mayor of Charleston said the purpose of taking is down is "not to erase our long and often tragic history, but to begin a new and more equitable chapter of that history."  

A councilman said "We are not on our knees praying today - we are taking action today. Racism is violent and evil, and is the foundation of an unjust America.  This system, it's not broken - it was founded and designed on violent, vicious evil racism."   Oy!

Just two years ago another article was written about the history of the monument giving almost no hope of of it ever coming down.  What a difference a few years makes.

Both journeys continue.

Blooms

Morgan Harper Nichols

As I've already shared...my garden is mostly made up of a variety of shades of green and interesting textures....but I do appreciate the blooms.  I love the anticipation....the sometimes slow openings....and even the spent blooms.  So I'm celebrating the blooms in my garden....and beyond.  I know I'm a broken record....but it's garden season and these blooms bring me joy. I know I've already given a backyard tour...but this is more up close and personal with just the blooms.  

I'm enjoying the wispy blooms of the coral bell...and right behind them are the teeny tiny buds of my moonbeam coreopsis.  They're one of my favorites!  

Spent rain lilies and a yellow day lily bloom....beautiful in their own way. And the good thing is more are coming.

One yellow lily bloom and one more coming....and one pink rain lily...and 5 or 6 buds coming..

It wan't planned...but I love the way the foliage of the meadow rue has framed my little metal dancer....but the most exciting news is.....  

...there are buds! And they aren't 7 feet high like last year so maybe I'll get to enjoy them up close! Oh....the anticipation! David and Linda just gave me three little baby meadow rue plants so if they settle in well I'll have more scattered around this year and/or next.  

I spied one of my old time favorites on a walk.  

My mom always planted bachelor buttons in the garden....

...there's just something about that blue.

The Bowman's root plant has dropped its pretty pink petals....but little awesome red ends were left behind.

 I snipped this little piece to enjoy on my window sill.  I love the delicate foliage!

Every year I've planted purple verbena along my patio...giving us color all summer. The last two years I've added in some scaevola....or what I call fan flower. Both are doing well this year.

Anne texted me this update on her rain lily blooms....

and I think I see hints of a few more coming down deep.

I handed a pot off to Linda and David a few days ago that had three buds.

Paul took these photos on a walk because he knew I would enjoy this petunia  sprouting along the asphalt. "You were in my head" he told me....not only to pause and celebrate the moment....but to take a second shot with a little more context and a better angle.  He knew I'd like the second photo better...and he was right. I AM in his head.....how can that not be a good thing!

And finally I'm celebrating a bloom in our woods that I've never seen before.  It doesn't matter if it's a weed...because it's lovely.  I hope you "notice the blooming flowers....and trust that grace will find you."

Embracing the Clover

This is where yesterday's snippets took me....and I've already passed it along to a friend.

I remember looking for 4-leaf clover in our yard growing up....do you?

I used to be one of those people who wanted a perfectly manicured lawn and I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't give the products that needed to be used to achieve that much thought.  But, like in many areas of my life, I'm learning that the old ways are not always the best ways.

To better protect the waterways, pets, and natural habitats, Portland, Maine has a city ordinance prohibiting the use of all synthetic weed killers and lawn treatments.....and I think that's a really good thing.  What that means is that our condo association lawns, which were weedy before the ordinance, are now even weedier...and I've made peace with that.

After some gardening I was sitting on the patio enjoying the beautiful day and making peace with the clover that was blooming all over the lawn. I decided to do a little research and was absolutely delighted with what I learned. For those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know when something delights me....I usually share it with you. 

I read the Portland City Ordinance and several articles about clover from all different angles....including the benefits and how to get rid of it. But the one that helped me make my attitude shift was "Five Benefits of Keeping Clover in Your Lawn."

https://www.wrightmfg.com/articles/five-benefits-of-keeping-clover-in-lawns/

Before the second World War, white clover was a standard ingredient in grass seed because it was beneficial.  But once weed killers and pesticides became a thing....clover got lumped into the weed category and killed off by the chemicals.   We never treated our lawn on the farm growing up....so that's why I remember the clover.

I highly recommend the short little the article...but just in case you don't here's a summary of the 5 reasons you should not only keep clover in your lawn....but embrace it.

1.  Clover acts as a natural fertilizer.  It takes nitrogen from the air and transfers it to the soil.  It tends to "move in" where there's poor soil and works to fix it.

2.  Clover stays green....even in dry conditions.

3.  Clover brings diversity to your lawn....this one made me laugh out loud....it seemed so on topic in our current social climate.  The nectar from the flowers attracts bees and other helpful insects....and "the more diverse a lawn, the better off it is."  JOY!

4.  Clover smells good....what's not to love about that! 

5.  Clover kills other weeds.  I have some other pretty ugly weeds in the lawn...and the clover may actually smother them....works for me! 

So keep moving in clover....I'm embracing you....and you're a welcome addition to my lawn.  

I thought it would have been fun to find a 4-leaf clover for the end of this post...but no luck.  ha ha

Creativity Explosion

I got an e-mail titled "creativity explosion" from my Madison friend Lynn....her watercolor art is all over my houses. She most certainly is an artist I admire!

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/03/lynns-zentangled-watercolors.html

Lynn was inspired to give gel plate printing a try after reading about the class I took this winter here on the blog....and just shared these fabulous pieces with me.  This sunflower is absolutely stunning! I love the organic flowy quality....it looks like it's dancing in the sun!  Inspiration has gone full circle...because now I'm inspired.

And  speaking of flowy......isn't this a fun ocean inspired piece!

And this one looks like it might fold up.

And I also had the pleasure of spending some time today with my stitching buddies in Maine....in the fresh air of a screen porch.  We had a little show and tell....I shared my cathedral window quilt (I learned how to do it from this group) and they shared their recent work.  Jane is ready to machine quilt this amazing star quilt....Janice finished her adorable blanket with the bear pocket....and Patsy knitted an adorable alligator sweater for her granddaughter.  How lucky am I to have such talented artist friends!

I didn't stitch during our visit....but I did snip.