Spring has come to the Midwest although there is talk of cold weather and a possibility of snow tomorrow?! I have been feeling spring fever to get outside as much as possible. Spring and fall are my favorite seasons. Spring is a burst of energy – birds return (my hummingbird feeders are stocked and ready for action), everything is in flower and the weather ranges from spring rains to blue skies and crystal-clear days that just make your heartache with the beauty. I’ve found myself distracted from my work to watch everything outside, until my allergies chase me back inside.
Dogwood Tree in Flower
I am preparing for a solo show that opens in September. Much of the work is finished, but I want to push myself a bit more. I have the time and plenty of ideas to work towards. I love having a deadline and a span of time to really see what I can do within it.
I’ve been slowly working on another whole cloth stitched map quilt form. I dyed the linen a few months ago with no real expectation for it. When it was finished, I knew it was another large map similar to one I stitched last year during the early lockdown days. I’m just beginning to put in the many layers of hand stitching that will go into the piece. The perfect color to define the many bodies of water within the piece turned out to be a thin rayon machine embroidery thread. It is a very slick thread which means it floats in and out of the cloth well.
The beginnings of a map
I’ve been breaking down my areas to stitch in order not to let my monkey mind get me worried about how much there is to do on this piece. Stitch by stitch, the work will get done. I might need to be reminded about this mantra later.
The stitching begins.