Grateful for simple things this week:
• Time off from the usual schedule
• Spending time with family
• Preparing for a hanukkah party with lots of cooking and gift making
• Celebrating my niece's 16th birthday
• A dusting of snow, reminding me of things to come
(Fox and doll in the middle photo are from Fanja of Le Train Fantome. Please check out her work, it is lovely.)
Hope you are having some restful time as well.
❀ XO Maribeth
I am drawn to images of animals, as I'm sure many people are. They are so a part of our lives, of our environments.
The above top image is from a memorial plaque at the Bath Abbey (The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul) in Bath, England. I just loved the aged marble and the sensitive expressions on both the animal and human faces. I was also very interested to see the beaver alongside all of the domesticated animals.
This is the second sheep I have made. It has a pink fleece (lovely German mohair) and a black ruffled ribbon around its neck that provides a somewhat solemn feeling to the piece.
We lost a beloved cat this week, so I am also thinking about how animals come in and out of our lives. If you own different pets over a lifetime, that is many losses along the way.
Be well.
❀ Maribeth
:: Dear friends. Thank you again for all the warm comments you have left me as I return to my blog. They are very meaningful.
:: Here you see a collage of many patterns (the lid of a vintage paper box, a small embroidery that an etsy seller from abroad tucked in my package when I ordered from her shop, and a clipping from a recent New York Times Weekend Arts section). I pair this photo with a "Bird in Flight" that I made this month. Hand-dyed wool, vintage silk flowers, and an old factory spool. I bought a handful of these spools at the Brimfiled Market last spring. I hope to get back to the show this year to find more of these. They allow me to portray and support animals in motion.
:: I read an interesting post on Bookhou this morning about the worth of handmade work. I recommend both makers and purchasers of handmade goods read this. Arounna is articulate in her argument. I also have to say that, as an owner of two Bookhou bags, her work is beautiful and worth the investment.
:: Finally, along the lines of work and worth, I read this in Mary Rose O'Rielly's spiritual memoir The Love of Impermanent Things:
"It was so hard for me to learn to value my own vocation - it's still my basic instinct to spill over for anyone who asks - and now, in midlife, I am not going to give up what I know."
Does that sound familiar to you?
Lovely antigue lace fabric: a gift from my mother.
Reminds me of the snow finally blanketing the ground. More snow expected tomorrow evening.
Merry Christmas.
xo Maribeth
Thank you all for your nice comments about the birds I posted earlier this week.
I just finished this bird. It is a wading bird. Long legs, long neck, long beak. I am very happy with its sturdy elegance.
I will be listing some new things, including birds, in my etsy shop. I will let you know in this space when that happens. Also, if anyone would like me to make a bird in a particular color, I can do a special order for you. Just let me know. I have many colors of hand-dyed wool just waiting to be turned into a lovely creature.
I finished these new birds last week. I am very happy with the bright and cheery colors. The hand-dyed wool is so nice to work with. I especially like cutting and stitching the tail feathers.
It was 77 degrees here yesterday. The resident birds worked themselves into a frenzy of song. I can hear them out there again today. I expect we'll be seeing baby birds before too long. I also heard the frogs peeping last evening. That is a sure sign of spring. The peepers are one of my earliest childhood memories. I remember my mother holding me as we stood outside in the growing dark. She told me that the peeping sound that enveloped us was the frogs awaking to spring.
What is it that makes early memories? An experience with strong emotion surrounding it? An experience reinforced by repeated retelling? An experience of something so new that it deeply embeds in our mind and heart?
Friday is the final day of spring color week at Poppytalk. White!
In particular, I was happy to revisit these photos of the goose egg and cotton boll that my friend gave me for my last birthday.
I hope you have a nice weekend. I'll be here to post my calendar and book on Sunday.
Thursday is lavender during Poppytalk's color week!
I've pulled out some vintage patchwork squares. The ones on top and bottom are quite old, from the early part of the 20th century. The one in the middle, signed by the maker in embroidery, was probably made a little later around the 1930s or 1940s. I like the middle patch of the top one - the little spade-shaped leaf pattern - and the bark-like pattern of the bottom one.
Wednesday is pink at Poppytalk!
I am loving the new group of birds that I finished over the weekend. This pink one is a preview. I'll post the others soon!