+ Her Barefoot Heart

Tag: legasee cloth

staying . . . again

Process

when i hatched the idea for 365 altars, it was on the fly – an impromptu project that appealed to me in many ways and for many reasons. (we’ll talk later.) but then i began to think too darn much, and before long, i’d thought myself right into the sideline bleachers. but here i am, back today with renewed commitment to persevering, even in the throes of uncertainty.

and to mark this occasion, i choose this particular cloth-in-progress. i’ve been working on it a good little whilein fits of starts and stops. i get to a place of blankness and stop, laying it down to work on something else a while, then like magic, i see what to do next with this cloth, so back into my hands it flies until the next blankness.

such is the nature of creativity, me thinks, ephemeral cauldrons swirling with alternating bouts of certainty and uncertainty, stitched together with a commitment to “simply” stay with it until the blankness is a certainty that you’ve reached the finish line and you raise your head to see a path, a doorway, breadcrumbs leading to what’s next . . .

~~ :: ~~

More about 365 Altars

take 2

Beads

today i stitched my way
through a block
on a piece i started
a while ago.
it was going well,
at first,
then i didn’t know
where to go next
so i laid it down.

but my hands
are so smart.
they pick up the cloth
and before you can say “thread,”
it is singing to me softly,
telling me
stories
of all it
represents.

stitching
slows me down,
gives me space.
it amazes
and amuses me.

My Tree Of She

MyTreeOfShe1

i am a grove
a copse
a rich, fruitful orchard.

my tree of she
bears the fruit
of music
and cloth
and sparkle
and words.

MyTreeOfShe3

my tree of she
bears blooms
of food
and flowers
and a strength
so soft,
it’s often mistaken
for weakness.

my tree of she
bears leaves
of dance
and duty
and generosity.
leaves of
preserving
and nourishing
and protecting.

MyTreeOfShe2

my tree of she
is rich
in the red roots,
of blood
and hearts
and spirit,
and tears,
in the determination
and tenacity
and quiet boldness
of the women
who precede me.
their fierce independence,
their unbounded love,
their unending creativity,
unlocking the wonder
and the aching beauty
that is
my tree of she.

MyTreeOfShe4

Today’s post is inspired
by the lovely Lindsey Mead
who sweeps me away regularly
with that special brand of wisdom
she shares over at a place called
A Design So Vast . . .

weaving

Weave7

from bandages
to bindings
(not necessarily in that order).
whether part of some great plan
or a contract signed before birth
or just the luck of the draw,
they’re here.
so what’s a girl to do?
weave them into the bigger cloth called life,
of course.

reworking

reworking

don’t like what i see,
but rather than toss it all aside,
and render it useless
and unworthy,
rather than walk away,
i rip out the stitches,
saving the bits of cloth
and threads,
(it is, after all, my cloth)
the mere act of
ripping
enkindling ideas of
other uses for them
in this project
that i’m now calling
my legasee cloth.

revealing

BindingsOrBandages1

back, forth.
up, down.
in, out.

are they bindings
or bandages?

don’t know yet.

either way,
the color
is showing through,
and there’s a story brewing.

centering

there’s something quite satisfying
and downright fun
about cutting the center
from the starched napkin
with the drawn-thread borders
and mitered corners

Core

then
ripping the center
into strips.
ragged, fraying, uneven strips.

CoreShredded

scratch linens

i’m spent. seriously. i’m spent to the bone. it’s the move – sure. of course it is. but it’s more than that. allergies, i think. could be. yep, that’s a possibility. then it hits me: i haven’t created anything in weeks. months even.

sure, i’ve nested and placed things and revamped and repurposed and reconfigured – and that is a type of creativity, but my hands ache to create something from scratch, to make the familiar new. they ache, i tell you.

so yesterday i made a quick dash through a vintage store in search of fabrics that caught my eye. didn’t give myself time to think or ponder or justify – just grabbed things that appealed to me, and here’s what i brought home:

Tablelinens1

i am blank – couldn’t buy an image or an idea if i knew where to look. so tomorrow i’ll just start fiddling with these 4 white(ish) linens and see where this takes me.