All the Eggs in One Basket

Posted on April 9, 2014 by edges

I made this little basket (or bag) from the Easter egg files designed by Purely Gates.

She only works with distributors and quilt shops, so you can ask for them at your local quilt shop (or at Sew Generously if you ARE local.)

You use mylar in the hooping as an applique. The sparkle of the eggs is not showing up well in these photos because I took them with my iphone, and did not pay much attention to the light.

The sparkle is obvious when you view them in person and turn them toward the light. Each egg pattern is different and distinct and the color palette and instructions are very clear. Just be sure to purchase some mylar too. I guarantee you’ll have some fun with this.

Here in the midwest we have a stretch of mild days ahead. My plants are not yet showing any signs of life, but it’s early.

I have faith.

May your Easter holiday bring you the peace of knowing that even the viciousness of this past winter is not the last word, and we cannot possibly understand or anticipate the resurgence of life just by looking at the barren twigs of today. Somehow, some way, spring will come and new growth and new life will triumph.

It always has and it always will.

Thank You Robert Frost

Posted on March 10, 2014 by edges

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Cedar Waxwing. Is this not a stunning bird?

Cedar Waxwing. Dozens of them.

Feed the Birds

Posted on January 28, 2014 by edges

So, I ran out to the store the other day and purchased a small bag of general wild bird seed. I threw about half on the ground and the other half up on the platforms since all the birds seem to be willing to sit at the platform to eat.

Today, we have an actual temp reading of -10 with a windchill of around -30. Kids are all off from school. I have been watching the feeders and many of the birds bulked up right before the cold, but they have steadily been at the feeders the last few days, including today. I’ve seen all the familiar faces…red bellies, bluejays, cardinals, chickadees (of course, they were the first to approach), hairies, downies, doves, sparrows, even a few remorseful robins who must have decided against flying south.

The pics are from the kitchen window which has a screen. I did my best.

Familiar face gathering 'round. Cardinals, doves.

Familiar faces gathering ’round. Cardinals, doves.

Bluejay brought his mate.

Cardinal. We had many pairs this week…all bring their mates.

7 squirrels and a pair of cardinals. You knew the squirrels wouldn’t miss out.

The Most Beautiful Place on Earth

Posted on December 29, 2013 by edges

The temperature is dropping all day today. By tomorrow morning, we’ll be below zero. Not unusual for this time of year in the midwest, just a reminder that we don’t control much.

I’ve had the privilege of having a week off during these holidays, and while I’ve done some sewing and done some relaxing, I’ve also had the chance to get out for a walk or two. I have a stunned appreciation for the beauty of nature in my immediate surroundings.

You just have to know where to look.

I ran into a coyote the other day…one of my biggest fears. He did a mild assessment of me, and, as my husband likes to point out, he saw that I was not walking a chihuahua that would make a good lunch, and he turned away.

Nevertheless, the winter landscape never fails to leave me in awe.

I am sewing, I promise, and I’ll share some of my latest projects soon.

But for now, a brief winter interlude.

Christmas Embroidery

Posted on December 20, 2013 by edges

Maybe I’m feeling blue this Christmas. Maybe I’m just inspired by all the recent snow we’ve had. Whatever the reason, the other day, I was driving down Randall road and a small grove of trees (weeds?) against a snow bank caught my eye.

On a side road I can usually stop and take a picture to capture the scene and the light. But not this time. This time I was in a hurry, running around doing Christmas errands, etc. No time to stop and enjoy anything. No time to stop and take artsy pictures. No time.

But the little vignette stayed with me.

And eventually, I had to sketch it out.

Within minutes, I had embroidered it in my mind. If I were using paints, it would be so much easier. Mixing a paint color does not require hunting down the right fabric. When you paint, you don’t have to purchase 3 different colors of paint to help decide which is right. You simply mix the colors yourself.

Besides, I wasn’t thread painting. I was digitizing. When you digitize you can start with a very simple sketch. The rest is done in software. I drew and assigned colors in software.

Here’s my little sketch. Squeezed in during the holidays, because it simply wanted to exist. I had no time for it. But it found its own way out.

Merry Christmas to all of you, and a happy and blessed new year. May all your artwork find its way out.

It’s about 12 inches wide

In progress.

The view from the sewing room.

The 30 second sketch I used to start digitizing.

The 30 second sketch I created to start digitizing.

I am grateful for…

Posted on November 27, 2013 by edges

…family. Immediate and extended. Functional and dysfunctional. Near and far.

…friends. Old and new. Tried and true and even those who think I’m the crazy one. It’s OK. They may be right.

…work. Getting paid to do things I love, to work with my hands, to teach.

…students. Passing along knowledge to those eager to learn. It’s lovely.

…a roof over my head. After recent storms I am reminded – it’s a gift.

…a warm bed. Enough said.

…more food than anyone at our house will be able to eat in one day on Thanksgiving. The abundance is embarrassing, and I’ve done absolutely nothing to deserve it.

…snow. Giant quiet flakes or howling blowing tiny ones that swirl on the driveway. There will come a day in a few months when this will come off the list and all I’ll be able to think about is spring. I am grateful for that too–that every season holds its own beauty here in the midwest.

…volunteer work. Knowing that at least I tried.

…creative outlets. Photography, painting, sewing,. Without them I would explode.

…good books. (If you like a good mystery, start with “Still Life” by Louise Penny. Follow it up with “A Fatal Grace”. Both perfect for the season.)

..nature. All of it. From the tiniest seed to the vastness of the stars. I don’t get it and I don’t have to. I’m grateful just to be a part of the mystery.

…faith. Knowing that I know nothing, and that my puny mind is not the last word.

…hope. “Sun follows rain. Peace follows pain.” (yikes, what a time to quote a Marie Osmond song).

..love. Without it of course, the rest doesn’t matter.

Wishing you and yours a blessed, abundant, creative Thanksgiving. Thank you for reading this blog.

Feeding at the Feeder

Posted on September 11, 2013 by edges

My favorite moments are when the parent birds bring their babies to our feeders and show them how to eat. I don’t know why but it stops me in my tracks every time. The natural and spontaneous affection between Mama Cardinal and Baby is both endearing and instructive. The baby is trusting. The parent is protective and gentle.

It scares me when I watch the animals for any length of time. It scares me because they behave just like we do in so many ways.

They are us. We are them.

And I wonder if, just because we can agonize over every move, (Am I at the right feeder? Will this feeder always be there for my baby? Is the food here healthy? Am I teaching my baby the right things?) does that make us any different than the birds? When all is said and done, we may be a little more complex and wonder about a few more things.

But it’s all a matter of degree isn’t it. I can question more, care about more, work more, worry about more, suffer more. But do I enjoy more?

The animals in our yard seem blissfully content with their lives.

Every day they teach me something new.

World’s Most Relaxed Squirrel

More Paintings

Posted on September 2, 2013 by edges

I painted both of these…probably 20 years apart. One was from a place I had actually visited, and the other from a postcard.

Can you tell which is which?

Maybe it’s obvious to you. It is to me.

I worked hard on both of them. One is a study in nature, the other…a study in nature. If you’ve ever painted, you know that when you are in the middle of a painting, you are in that location. You have to be. Whether it is coming from your imagination, or from a picture, or whether it was your experience in real life, at the moment that you are painting, you are there.

It would explain why I love to paint landscapes, scenes of tranquility or astounding beauty. Whether I am in that location or not, I have most certainly traveled there in my mind.

But a painting done from life experience almost always has more courage. It is more expressive, and usually more emotional. It may not be the best at capturing details but it captures a moment. And, on a good day, lets the viewer in on the wonder.

Ready for the answer? I gave enough hints. I’m sure you know by now.

The top one was from our honeymoon in Hawaii. I dragged my not-a-morning-person newlywed husband out over a bluff along the shore in Kauai. We sat together in the dark, listened to the relentless surge of the ocean and watched the sun come up. It turned out to be a stunning display, becoming more brilliant with every passing moment.

The other is a painting I did a few years after high school, from a lovely postcard. I don’t really even know the exact location. Wyoming, maybe? But I do love the mountains and so painting it was joyful.

Which is the better painting?

Well. I leave that up to you.

Chicago Botanic Garden

Posted on August 19, 2013 by edges

This week I went to Chicago Botanic Gardens. It was on my list of things to do this summer and I’m just squeezing it in under the wire before school starts. I went alone.

And what a joy.

Can you see the hummingbird?

How did I live here all my life and not spend time in these gardens? Actually, I was here once before about 20 years ago. I was managing a photo shoot and was overwhelmed by the work. Were the models on time? Was the photographer happy? (Because there’s nothing like a photo shoot with an unhappy, temperamental, egocentric photographer.) Was the merchandise correctly displayed? Were we on time and on budget? Would the weather hold? I can barely remember the scenery.

But this time was a different story. I strolled. I took pictures. I contemplated. I noticed.

It was lovely.

A few pictures to share.

Gaining Perspective

Posted on August 11, 2013 by edges

My husband is an astrophotographer. This photo of Andromeda was taken August 11 in the early morning hours.

Taking pictures of extraterrestial objects is far more difficult than it looks. Timed exposures of the sky have to account for the crazy, spinning, wobbling rotation of the earth. And the more I learn about that, the more grateful I am for gravity which keeps us all from being thrown wildly off into space. So you have to program a camera to turn at the exact same speed as the rotation of the earth or your pics are fuzzy. Micrometers matter. Milliseconds matter.

They do make telescope mounts that can be programmed, but let me tell you…they are not cheap or easy to use. It helps to have some technical background and the persistence to experiment , fail, and try again. And again. And again.

Andromeda is 2.5 million light years away. Reminder: One light year, for those of us who need a refresher in middle school science, is the distance light travels in one year. The speed of light is 186,000 miles a second.

Yeah.

The numbers are mind-blowing and therefore add some perspective to our pitiful existence. We are minutiae in the universe. A petri dish in the back of God’s refrigerator.

And let’s not even get into the idea of quantum physics–in which case, our viewing of Andromeda may cause it to change properties.

So, once in awhile I step back and contemplate the universe. My problems look so small. And yet, I’m here to look. I’m here to observe, to draw conclusions and to appreciate what I see. I don’t ever expect to understand the mystery of all this. But the older I get, the more comfortable I am with mystery.

I don’t know. You don’t know. No one knows.

And I guess that puts us all on even footing–on one small planet at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Edgestitch

Sewing is life. Life is art.

Category Archives: Nature