picking out stitches

Although un-stitching is not my favorite activity, it is kind of zen after you get into it -- especially if you've quilted straight lines that are not only not straight (mine never are exactly) but they are wandering so much that the stitches at the bottom of the quilt top end at a different spot than the stitches at the top, where you started. Before you know it, you started at 12" from the top edge and ended at 8" from the bottom edge. This will simply not do. This can be corrected with the next line of stitching, but only if you notice it before it gets out of hand. Long story short - (sort of) I spent a bit of time picking out four or five lines of stitching this afternoon. This is how it looked on the wall as I was designing it, but I have made a couple of very minor changes since then.

I've been playing around on the design wall with these re-purposed triangles for more than 2 months. Here is what they looked like in early September.

Needing a break, I decided to raid my surface design closet and see what was there after I moved to Florida two years ago and put everything away. Lo and behold - everything I was looking for was still there: dyes, soda ash, sodium alginate, gloves, dust masks, etc. (I didn't actually think someone had broken in and stolen it; I just couldn't remember what was in there).

It has been five years since I printed with dyes because I was so burned out after my commission of 50 silk scarves all the same color and all containing certain specific images. Yes, I was well-paid, but it was not worth the work.

However, after five years I am getting the urge to print again -- so I've brought a few supplies out of the closet. I now have to put on my mask and consolidate the dyes because I have, for example, six partly empty jars of blue 406 and duplicates of other colors too numerous to name - but that's for another day.

I haven't even touched the paints and screens, but I will get to those so I can teach my class, "Paper, Tape, and Glue" which is great fun and non-toxic. All in good time...

Meantime, I am going to continue in my next post. It is well after midnight and I have a list of things I must do tomorrow, starting with meeting the electrician at the studio at 9:am.

xo

R.