She’s ready for attaching to her background.
I have still to audition the fabric that will hold her–and that woogle in her arm on the right side of the photo will be straightened in the stitching.
There will be more roots as everything comes together as well. She rises from river and earth as my Mother.
Fortunately, *she* doesn’t have any, or they’d be dragging too….
I do love the “crackle” stitch approach for the indigo areas, and relatively fast they are, but they aren’t, too ;( !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least the roots work up fastly! I’m thinking she may be ready to attach to her background by the weekend. Of course, that means i now have to start auditioning fabrics for behind her–and am getting the feeling i may have to either indigo up some cotton, or go in a slightly different feel. She has to be integrated: she rises from Nature, but she also has to stand “out”, alone.
I’ll have to start mixing strands of thread together for the roots—-my variegated browns in thickness and colourways are all too different from each other!
I have started the fifth moon in the series as well, but here is the 4th one done. Kept it simple simple, but i think the surround needs a *wee* bit more of that wonderful rhubarb root dyed thread.
The next few of these are slightly different in configuration–a circle can be a sum of the parts, and the parts can be unique.
One (now in Australia!):
Two, the big one from the main exhibit piece, still in progress (sigh):
Three:
Four, almost done, a few squigglies left to do,reminding me of Van Gogh’s Starry Night:
Again, indigo and Procion, a bit of indigo batik in the centre pieces, possibly some potassium permanganate, as the background fabric was scrounged from the student reject box at ACAD a few years ago. I’m also going to have to fire up the rhubarb root dye pot, as the yellow threads are running out. They GLOW in silk and cotton, and without them, there’s not quite as much “life” in these.
I could make a million of these, and still have more ideas. I’m also eyeballing the few rusted fabrics i have left, for larger work, multiples, different moods.
Five, six and seven are in the pipe as well.
A rough week with a bad cold, the first of the year–hopefully the last as summer colds are abysmmal!—-i spent 37 hours of the first two days ASLEEP. Rest does help, as do copious gallons of water and watered juice. I dreamed a lot, rivers and moons and blue lady figures.
I remember a recurring dream i had as a child, a storied tall blue ghostly woman who glided down the hill, no feet, fast, no ripples from the wind in her gown, just swooping down the highway section i could see from my bedroom window. She would stop at the edge of the yard for a second or two, then vanish. Never threatening, but always making me a little uneasy. Every once in awhile i remember her again and wonder what my child brain was processing.
From the last of my indigo bits, there are 4 moons ready to stitch. The Leighton Art Centre wants smaller pieces for the attached gift shop, so these grouped, should be fun.
I’ve been doing a lot of writing also lately, the last few lessons in Jane Dunnewold’s “Creative Strength Training” course. Winnowing down themes, and what’s important, what really deeply draws me, has new horizon lines opening up. Looking at a new series that builds on previous work is a distinct possibility now. I can’t seem to escape the lure of hand embroidery, and indeed don’t want to, but i do want to build more meaning in, more depth visually and in concept/meaning. That Blue Lady may figure prominently, and maybe then i’ll understand what she was trying to tell me.
Well, first i cut the bottom half off. The borgles are wonderful, but are doing nothing for this one as i had intended. That’s okay because it can be pressed into service in other work. You have to know when to “cut your losses” 😉
The moon is progressing. I shall have to pull out that bungled running stitch on top of the outer ring, looking more petal than sky.
I’m getting “blue-ed out” as well, and need to turn my attention to something else to pace myself and keep the flow going. Interrupting myself is one of the ways i actually continue.
My computer and keyboard are having issues, so that’s enough today…………………………………….
Too many pots on the hob for the moment, i have to start concentrating again on the Leighton exhibit work!
7×7″ this one, to be mounted on a small canvas. Indigo, potassium permanganate on cotton, rhubarb root and indigo threads.
I was going to do just the indigo blue “crackle” stitching on this lovely figure, but decided that since she is a mother archetype for me, that the roots could strengthen the story. The moon will reflect on her, and she on the moon, and the mountains and river will enter the story easily as well.
This indigo dyed grevillea ecoprint could be one of my favourite fabrics now. Did i subconsciously choose the perfect layout for the roots across her? They twine across her body, cross over her breasts, even mirror her face. Only my subconscious knows.
albedo too 
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