Sunday, December 17, 2017

Christmas from 1960 something . . .


This little Santa (left with only one eye now) brings back a wonderful memory from one of my childhood Christmases:
One year, my Mother took my brother and me on the bus, to the
Woolworth's store, at our local Shopping Center.

We each got to pick out one Christmas ornament to take home.
After that, we were treated to lunch at the Soda Fountain inside the store.
I specifically remember the red upholstered chrome stools at the counter
. . . and maybe something about a grilled cheese sandwich accompanied 
by a root beer float.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017


One year post Stem Cell transplant for Multiple Myeloma,
I was feeling grateful to be able
to enjoy the wonderful experience of attending the Sister's Quilt show this year.
For me, it proved to be gratifying in many ways.

The quilts of course were so much fun! 
My husband estimates that out of the 1,500 that were displayed, we probably saw about 85 percent. That's pretty good! considering how hot a mid-July Saturday in Sisters, Oregon can get.

Among the treasures that I brought home with me, was a fat quarter I found while perusing one of the town's antique shops. It was $1.25 and had been previously cut into by someone wanting to use only one of the many butterflies.


I took it home and proceeded to cut and fuse a few of the butterflies onto scraps of fabric that I pulled out of my scrap bins and stitched together. Some of this fabric was an old dish towel that I had previously watercolor painted and used in another quilt.
The top quilting was random and included a handful of different thread colors.
To finish my little quilt, I faced and mounted it onto a stretched 8" x 8" canvas.

This morning, while looking up butterfly symbolism, I found the following:


The Metaphor of the Butterfly
The cycle of the butterfly in and of itself holds spiritual teaching and insight for us.
Birthed from an egg the butterfly lives its early life as a caterpillar.
It then retreats within the pupa or chrysalis where it undergoes a transformation, and finally when it leaves the chrysalis it is reborn as a beautiful winged butterfly.
The magnificent life of the butterfly closely mirrors the process of spiritual transformation as we each have the possibility to be reborn through going within.
By retreating from the world into our inner being, surrounding ourselves in cocoons of prayer, meditation, spiritual books and courses, we're ready at some point to emerge. Awakened and ready to fly, we're transformed and reborn into an entirely new way of being.
In addition to how they live their miraculous life, butterflies don't live long. They typically only live for a few weeks or months at the longest, which in and of itself offers more guidance for us. Guidance that life is short. Even for humanity time moves quickly, and so the butterfly with its magnificent and yet short life, reminds us to enjoy the here and now.
I also like to think that the transformation of the butterfly, as well as each of our own spiritual transformations continue onward after death. With death we retreat from the physical world, but once again we are reborn into another dimension where we get our wings, and remember our full light and how to fly.
http://www.ask-angels.com/spiritual-guidance/butterfly-meaning/

Saturday, July 15, 2017

The glory of a summer morning


This morning I went out onto the patio to enjoy my coffee as the sun came up.

I realized that this was it - 
the perfect summer moment that we all wait so patiently for all year long.

How glorious it felt. The air was warm and smelled sweet. Summer birds were beginning their chatter. A small group of them rustling about in the ivy leaves. 

. . . And all was well, for that special moment, here in my corner of the world.
I felt so blessed.


Friday, June 23, 2017

Choices - Direction - Moving On . . .

30 x 30"



When I first began this quilt, I was thinking about choices:
All the choices that each of us are called to make, each and every day of our lives.

My kids are constantly making choices –
Where to live, who to date, should I buy a car? Etc.

I feel like I am personally in a constant state of making choices –
How do I want to spend the time that I have left?
What other interests should I explore?
What would I enjoy?
Should I down-size a lifetime of accumulation to prepare for the next place that I am going to live?
Where would that be?
How do I simplify my life so that I am able to manage easier day to day?
How do I make new friends?
. . .
The triangles in this piece, represent all of these choices.  Each pointing in a different direction - toward a different outcome - maybe. By using complementary colors with related surface design, I am trying to imply some abstract connection between them all.

In my quilting, I wanted to show ‘flow’, as in a current of water (life) where everything keeps moving and changing. I used clear monofilament thread to give texture and direction to the stitching, without overwhelming the viewer with color in the thread.
. . .
After a rough year of personal challenges while trying to finish this, I finally completed my quilt this week.
Hanging sleeve, label and all.

Now, it’s time to move on. . .