opening the door

 Trinity came back from exhibition in Vancouver and I was able to touch it again.

(now when i don't know what to do next

taking space between thoughts

pausing,

looking at the sky a lot )

I needed to re-place the velcro strip
and re-mount the textile on it's supporting board,
and then return it to the local church's pulpit.

(just being present

and having self confidence

even while not knowing)

In the book, MY RELIGION, Leo Tolstoy implies that whatever happens in a violent revolution, there will also be an inner and hidden revolution in the people, out of which a new religion will be born which  will have the same effect of making life possible as the Christian religion used to.

We shall have had enough of cynicism, scepticism and humbug, and will want to live more musically.  How will this come about, and what will we discover?  

Instead of seeing absolutely nothing in the future other than the disasters that are bound to strike the modern world and civilization like so many thunderbolts, through revolution or war or the bankruptcy of worm eaten states. 

 Vincent Van Gogh letter to his brother Theo September 24 1888

(being kind to myself

becoming kinder to others

opening that door more and more

seeing what happens when I don't protect myself so much )

signed

judy evelyn grandmom

Manitoulin Circle Project comes home

The Mended World exhibition ended its showing at the Art Gallery of Sudbury in early March.  I was impressed with the careful wrapping by collection manager, Deanna Nebenionquit when she packed the work up.  She used tissue paper and cotton tape to fold and roll the four meditation panels.  

I left them like this for a month.  They seemed so safe.

This weekend I unpacked the bundles in preparation for their re-install in the Little Current United Church.     Above is the marimekko back of the Earth Ark panel.

Marimekko panels were the important 'inner' side of all four of these panels, they link to my Finnish heritage.  They also give these pieces of public art an interesting secret self.  

Once unrolled, I stacked the panels onto a bed.  (shown on the wall, a bit of April's painting of a hibiscus)

Unrolling each panel gave me time to handle and consider them again. 

I love the reverse side of the thick linen thread that was used to hand quilt Mended World with back stitch.   reverse side shown above, public side below.

I pay attention to the small area of pale yellow that acts as a subtle focal point of the large panel. 

Precious water unbundled and stacked on the bed.

Ned hung them on Saturday.   Above is Mended World.

Earth Ark

Precious Water.

My husband was supported throughout the two days of installation by Rick McCutcheon.  Thank you Rick.

Carol and her daughter Colleen brought fresh pussy willows for Easter.  Placed between the panels their open armed gesture welcomed the panels home.

Layers of Time

for Easter Sunday

The Four Meditaiton panels of the Manitoulin Circle Project 

now permanently installed

Little Current United Church on Manitoulin Island. 

resisting time's erasure

I laid out my daily stitch journal on Little Current's waterfront boardwalk over the weekend. Although it was a sunny day, I placed it in the cast shadow of the post office building so that I could photograph it from my studio window. My studio is above the post office. The window right above the sign is mine, also the one to the immediate right. They give ample north light all day long. The panels got a little damp and snowy. I laid them out on the table to dry out for a day.
Remember that a journal is a unit of space, it's the surface area a farm labourer can work in a day.
Georges Perec

magic feathers

keep your mouth shut guard the senses and life is ever full open your mouth always be busy and life is beyond hope Tao Te Ching Yesterday's circle stitching was learning how to make magic feathers. The feathers are for Jude Hill's beautiful internet quilt gift project.

Jude's blog, Spirit Cloth, is one I visit regularly. Her imaginative genius with stitch and her spiritual voice keep me believing in the good power of an internet community.

Jude has made an excellent video with full stitching instructions on how to make one of these magic feathers. Just click on the magic feather graphic in the sidebar to read more.

We'll be making more next week at our circle. If it's not possible to attend, it's still possible to contribute a feather. I'll send a bunch to Jude before the end of this year.

the blue and the dim and the dark

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and the half-light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

William Butler Yeats

This encaustic collage is part of an art show at the Little Current library next month. I'm delivering it today.

celebration

We enter our third year of the Manitoulin Circle Project this month. You can see by the stitching on the left side of the second panel, Mended World, that it was ready to be rolled yesterday. Rolling a quilt on a frame needs more than one person. 110 different sets of hands have worked on the project over the two years. We celebrated. I made a cake. Lots of people came for that and the slide presentation about the first panel's creation and installation. The two panels that are still being pieced were put on display. In the lower right is the fourth panel, so far a grid of re-purposed wool. Precious Water, the third panel, is laid out above that, and in the back you can see Mended World on the frame. I have a pin wall in my studio at home, and have been trying to keep ahead of things. The lower half of Precious Water is entirely made from three inch squares. These are either reverse appliqued with dots or embroidered with horizontal stem stitches. They are being pieced together by hand.

Still lots more dots to make. It's careful work.



Lots of touching.

Lots of laughter.


Dots of love.