and sew it goes…

I have been away from the blog and the studio most of May for a number of reasons all of which seem to be attributed to the decision to have my second knee joint replaced in July.  I am now working backwards from that date, taking care of details like working my fiscal year hours at ACCI Gallery in Berkeley, doing some networking professionally and personally, giving a lecture, going to visit my father who has  dementia and providing support for my exhausted husband who has served as driver and tour guide for his visiting Swedish cousins.

Meanwhile back at the studio… last week I began an abstract piece of a stone path.  Very quickly I got the I hate this vibe! So I backed away (& no one got hurt) and approached it again a few days later with the idea that if I still got that feeling it would come down off the wall and I would begin anew with something that made my heart sing.  I was so surprised when during my second attempt at designing the path I was overcome with joy at the result. It also could have been just stepping out of the chaos of driving 1000 auto miles in two weeks to being back in my sacred space.

As I cut and pinned the entire design to the thrice-washed African batik it  never occurred to me that any miniscule amount of wax residue might impede the fusing process!  Until today when I stood at the wall, hot iron with long extension cord in hand and attempted to fuse the stones to the wall. No go. So I re-pinned the entire piece and took it to the machine and stitched the edges of every stone to secure before I next attempt to fuse it flat.

It seems now that the stitching pattern for the rocks has been predetermined! It will be a wonky random stitch to camouflage all the base just put down as anchor.  I am not sure if this has released any of the cortisol streaming through my body or merely added to it but I am working more and driving less which is always a good thing.