Monday, May 23, 2005

New Fused Quilt


A quilt to blog at long last! It has taken me a long time to make time for myself. This piece is 18" x 19" and is silk fused onto cotton with some hand embroidery, couching, and machine quilting. The metallic threads don't show too well in this photo. I'm still very much a beginner, practicing techniques for the next, always another, quilt on the horizon. This piece began with the fern-like background and a hand-painted silk scarf I never wore. I like the motion, looks like flowers floating on water, but I don't like the colors, muddy to my eye.

Back in March, my husband Marc and I joked about being in the canyon, a white water rafting phrase to describe how one is in a turbulent channel and unable to manuever, but must hold tight and ride it out. Little did we know how apt the analogy would be! The end of another school year is always turbulent and SJ's two big science trips really churned things up in our household. But last Monday when we returned from traveling to the daily grind, we were stopped cold by the death of my father-in-law. We've really been in the canyon and holding on tightly. Nothing like death to shake you up, set your priorities straight, and give you a clear sense of grace and gratitude. At least that is true for me.

This morning's NPR broadcast had a piece on podcasters and blogging. I was glad to be on my way to work, where I am fortunate to be able to read and post blogs as "professional development." And it is with gratitude that I read the other blogs in this Ring. What wonderful, creative souls you are! You reach right through cybersphere and touch this virtual woman. Thanks to each of you.

3 comments:

Karoda said...

I'm really digging this Cheryl. The green looks like it was sun dyed with the leaves and the flowers look very painterly.

Gerrie said...

Lovely work - the flowers have a delicate, realistic look. Sorry about your FIL.

Jen said...

Neat quilt Cheryl.
I understand about that holding on in the rushing water thing, that's a good way to put it. The last few years have been like that for us too. Sympathy and caring thoughts go out to you and your DH. Jen

PURLS OF WISDOM

"Color is the real substance for me, the real underlying thing which drawing and line are not."
--Sam Francis

"The great man is one who never loses his child's heart."
-- Philosopher Mencius

"We wear our attitudes in our bodies."
-- Patti Davis

Colour embodies an enormous though unexplored power which can effect the entire human body as physical organism.

Colour is a means of exercising direct influence upon the soul.
--V. Kandinsky
I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way.. things I had no words for.
--
Georgia O'Keeffe

Nothing is really work unless you'd rather be doing something else.
--
J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Faith is like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
--
E. L. Doctorow

Somebody once said that people become artists
because they have a certain kind of energy to release, and that rings true to me.
--Dale Chihuly