A Lull to Love

The Naked and the Dead

Just an aside- the guys came and took down all the leaning trees on the back side of my wall the other day. Now I have a huge view of the roof next door, not something I want to see! Between the missing tree cover and the poor old Octopus' empty pot I am sad looking out into the courtyard. We went looking for a replacement octopus but there weren't any at this time, will check back in the fall to see what comes in. And maybe by then the bougainvillea will grow taller and more over the wall. This view reminds me of a person who takes off their glasses they wear all the time, and all of a sudden they look naked! My wall is naked... But enough of my landscape issues.

I know, I know, I have not been posting anything at all about art or the studio lately. Once I got the three big projects out of the way and of course the smaller 'satellite' itches along with them, I've been planning on big stuff a'comin. But it hasn't happned so much lately.

Oh, I am at the studio mucking about, but no biggies are in the pipeline. I spent three hours the other day looking for tubes to send quilts off. The largest I could find was only 8" at 60" long, so I finally bit the bullet and sent off for a case of them only to find that the shipping on the tubes I am BUYING FOR SHIPPING (!!!) cost $92 for delivery! Fer cryin' out loud. I was using my home address because they will leave deliveries here whether I am here or not, so I tried using the studio address instead and whammo- the delivery price went down to $62. The problem with the studio address is that it's in a huge industrial park and if you don't know where you're going, well, ummm- then you don't know where you're going! For instance in just my little part, there are five different buildings going back from the main road, only one building fronts on the road with the main address. Each building behind that has many units, it's own street address which isn't into GPS systems yet, and many separate units in each. Unfortunately they numbered the doors the same, for instance my unit number is #1100 but there are 1100s in every building! Five of us. UPS and FedEx have this figured out by now but any new deliveries or new drivers have the trucks driving around and playing bumper cars with each other as they try to find where they are going. Consequently, if it's something I can lift myself, and it usually is, I have deliveries made to my house. But the tubes will be delivered 'sometime on the 9th or 10th' so fate is sealed for the next two days.

Make that sealed for the week. TY had a brain blast the other day to go down to Key West to 'check it out'. I was planning on doing this in the fall because we have to look for a place to hold the rehearsal dinner for Nate and Jackie's wedding next spring, but I suppose it is time to get it booked now to lock it in. So that's what we'll do, along with some hanging out and beer drinking. We haven't been for several years and it's a fun place to be even if you're not a real conch. We will pretend and put on a damn good act.

While (or for my Aussie sisters, 'whilst') I was trolling the web for tubes I ended up signing on for the 2012 Sketchbook Project too. It was fun last year, and a great way of pushing myself to complete something different. I've already forgotten what my theme is- something to do with stitching I think. But this is something I don't have to even think about until fall. In fact I couldn't even get the 2012 logo info off the site yet. More procrastinating and mucking about, I changed my FB picture. Not that I am thrilled with the newer one, just needed a change so stuck up one that will be a place-holder until I get a a glamour shot (as if...).

But, back to the studio. Yesterday I spent about five hours and got lots done, but it's sort of like getting your soffits replaced- all that work isn't the kind that actually shows! I finished up a blouse I was making from a skirt I bought at the consignment shop. It was simply gorgeous red silk, wrap around style and pretty dated that begged for new life. So, I took a blouse I had recently bought and did a knock-off by tracing a pattern off of it and drafting it onto some old fabric I had lying around that wasn't good for anything. The pieces went together well, but the red silk was extremely shreddy and a bitch to work with. I had to do all French seams to keep it from falling apart at the first wearing, so it was much more work than I had intended. In addition somehow one of my tools had wax from the encaustic table on it and in all the necessary pressing I got some wax spots on it I still have to deal with. But other than my poor work habits (!) and my bad housekeeping practices (!) I ended up with a really great blouse. Now all I need is a place to wear it.

As soon as that was done I started in on the wedding quilt I have promised. I got the design done, a simple dark and light two color plan, and am now trying to figure the best way to tackle the piecing. I admit freely, I am NOT a patchworky piecer, never enjoyed the mindless sewing parts but of course it isn't *my* quilt to make. So now I am using tracing paper and colored pens to lop off chunks to work on section by section. My idea is to get the strips cut here and take the project back to Boston where I have nothing else to do this summer but keep hundreds of little squares separate and distinct. I am also doing mock-ups to see how light I can get away with for the dark fabrics and how dark I can make the lights, trying to build in a bit more leeway for myself for color choices. Anyway, that's what I will be doing as I wait for my case of tubes to be delivered.

A Happy Mother today, except nobody brought me pancakes in bed. Or anywhere else. I'm still waiting.