Lovely World

fish

 

 
This fish continues my efforts to craft sea creatures in honor of all those creatures that have been threatened by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully, the oil has supposedly stopped gushing from the broken well. But, there seems to be an eerie uncertainty concerning the long term consequences of the spill on that region. Also, I wonder whether the momentum to find alternatives to fossil fuels slows as the drama of the spill lessens. Time will tell on both of these fronts.

This fish is made of duponi silk. The fins are hand embroidered. The belly is embellished with crocheted rings. It is about 12" long. With all the stitching and crocheting, it took me a long time to finish. But, such is the case with the first time I make most anything. I will make a crochet loop to attach to the back, as I think this will look best hanging.

Hope your weekend is a lovely as the one we are having here in the Berkshires. X Maribeth

wandering wednesday

I can't believe it is Wednesday again already! Here's my post for Garden Mama's Wandering Wednesday project. Taking a look down and noting where I am. A grounding exercise. Thanks Nicole.

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Deep summer, the weeds and grass grow willy-nilly all about the yard. At this point of the year it is always difficult to imagine the snow and ice and grayness that will dominate the winter landscape of the Berkshires. I certainly won't be able to wear my sandals then.

home

 

 

This summer has brought an unanticipated rhythm to my life. Every day is different from the one before. This can be a bit disorienting, but it is just the way things are right now. I'm taking the uncertainty and change I'm experiencing as an opportunity to perhaps open up new ways of thinking and doing. This is probably a good exercise for a woman in her 40s anyway.

I spent a bit of time wandering around my house this afternoon. I realize that this house grounds me. All the familiar corners. All the collections and books and piles of stuff. The quiet and comfort. It is good to have a home base.

Happy links:

Wayne Pate

Hermine & Lotte (I think this is brilliant)

Golly Bard

The Seventy Tree (clearly I'm thinking about the comforts of home)

wandering wednesday

I don't participate in many blog group projects, but I liked the feel of "Wandering Wednesdays"proposed by Nicole of Garden Mama. Here's her description of the project: "Let's all take notice of where our feet take us and point our cameras down to take notice of where we are planted." I had just seen the piece "Shoegazing" in the new issue of Uppercase Journal, and had planned on taking some shoe shots. Nicole's project has motivated me to do just that. Please join with her if you like! All are welcome.

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The plants I potted up last month were so small. Now, pots full of candy-colored flowers and foliage greet me at the front door.

 This bowl full of crochet-covered stones sits on the chest of drawers in my mudroom. I like how the thread colors echo those of the flowers just outside the door. The stones themselves remind me of beautiful flowers.

white and blue

More crochet-covered stones. I was happy to use some of the stones I recently collected in Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown on the Cape. I really like the star pattern, especially the way it changes based on the size and shape of the stone it covers. These were quite satisfying to make.

I covered the round stone for my friend Lauren. She found the stone on the site where her new house was recently built. The stone has some interesting white markings on the bottom. Lauren has some very beautiful blown goose eggs. Her hope is to make some sort of display with the stone and the eggs. I'm thinking of making her another covered stone or two to help complete her display...

If you are so inclined to make a crochet-covered stone yourself, go and check out the pattern that my lovely blog friend Margie just made for the Purl Bee. I really like the palette Margie chose for the example she made - the soothing yellows and creams. But, I could also see other combinations of colors to make the project in.

starfish

 

I have made three starfish, each in a different colorway. These were such a pleasure to make. Each has a linen front and a dupuoni silk back. I have appliqued a crochet motif and wool pieces to the front, and attached a crocheted loop to the back for hanging. They are about 9.5 inches/24 cm wide. I will put all three into my etsy shop, hopefully by the end of today.

It's a beautiful day here, sunny and warm. I've picked two quarts of raspberries and weeded about in the garden. I hope you are having a good day too.

back to work

I have been slowly getting myself back to my work room. A friend asked me to make a doll for her daughter's first birthday. It was a wonderful project to get myself to the sewing machine after more than a month away. I also started a fox, made with a rusty-orange wool.

Hope the week is off to a good start for everyone. I've just picked two quarts of raspberries from our bushes, and later today will head to a cookout at our friends' house. I am well-settled into summer.

XO M

dance

A dear friend invited me down to Jacob's Pillow last night. For those who do not live in my region, or do not follow dance, Jacob's Pillow is an internationally acclaimed summer dance festival in Becket, MA. We saw Barak Marshall's "Monger." Marshall is a renowned Israeli choreographer. This piece was spectacular dance.

uppercase

I am so glad I chose to subscribe to the Uppercase journal. I found the most recent edition in my mail box late last week. It has been consistently wonderful to escape into the beautiful pages.

july

It's July, and I'm attempting to get my bearings. I have been feeling disorganized and disoriented. Stress over some personal issues, the chaos that is always part of the school year ending and summer beginning, and a few days of travel out of town have left me with little time to find my equilibrium. I have also sorely missed my creative work. That is something that seemed to get pushed aside by the tide that has swept me through the month of June.

But now it is July. Time to set some goals and find some time to:

- relax and reflect

- sew some more starfish and other sea creatures

- update my sorely neglected etsy shop

- do some visual journaling with collage and watercolor

- apply to the Twist Fair in Northampton

- crochet while sitting by the local pool or pond

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The above photos are of some of the calendars about the house:

Top is Camilla Engman's calendar.

Middle is a sweet little desk calendar I received by becoming a member of Mass Audubon. Also in that photo is a new crochet stone done in navy blue thread. I found the white stone on Newcomb Hollow beach in Wellfleet. Smooth white stones are hard to find, I discovered as I combed the beaches last week.

The bottom photo is my Ffrench family calendar, made at their Dolphin Studio in Stockbridge, MA. They make the calendar on a small press, with different family members designing the monthly illustrations. It is exceptionally lovely. You may know Crispina, one of the family's daughters. She has been on the cutting edge of transforming recycled fabrics and wools into new crafts. Her craft book is widely available.

{Be well, friends.}