Bless the Beasts and the Children…

Bless the beasts and the children
For in this world they have no voice
They have no choice

Bless the beasts and the children
For the world can never be
The world they see

Light their way when the darkness surrounds them
And give them love, let it shine all around them

Bless the beasts and the children
Give them shelter from the storm
Keep them safe, keep them warm

Light their way when the darkness surrounds them
And give them love, let it shine all around them

Bless the beasts and the children
Give them shelter from the storm

Keep them safe, keep them warm

Keep them safe….

Keep them warm.

I will guys. Always.

A Slow Cloth....

......of personal symbols is what I have been working on in Jude Hill's Whispering White workshop.

A discussion has been ongoing about the character and meaning of white and how personal that can be. As a girl growing up in Ohio with parents of a country upbringing and European roots, white cloth had significant meaning and place in my family - and really, still does.

I have quite a collection of natural bleached and bleached cloth -  from which I tore up some strips and created a woven base.  I have decided for my first cloth, I would explore the use of personal symbols.  Something I've been thinking about lately,  

So for now, I will play with this idea of personal symbols, sketching some things out, maybe cutting out some shapes, stitching them out, and then making the decision as to whether I will keep this woven base as one unit - or, in the alternative, cutting it up into six or nine pieces, and layering the individual sections on to frayed pieces of light linen or lawn cloth and work on them as individual units.  

Something to consider.

Enough about white.

Let's go get dirty!

Whispering White...

In contemplating the recent Spirit Cloth workshop I am participating in (What If Diaries) which is going to begin with  "whispering white,"   while gathering my white linens and cloths, I  reflect upon one of my favorite poems for inspiration:

"There is Nothing in the World more Beautiful...

... than the forest clothed to its  very hollows in snow. 

It is the still  ecstasy of nature, wherein every spray, 

 every blade of grass, every spire of  reed, 

every intricacy of twig, 

is clad  with radiance.”  

                                                                                        William Sharp -  Scottish Poet
                                                                                                      1855-1905

Whispering white.  Whispering white. Whispering white.
Yes.  Whispering white.
How lovely.

This is Me - "What If" fing........

I've been "what if" fing in my mind for about a week now. There are some amazing CQRs in progress (I've been visiting your blogs) - and I'm inspired.



Jude just keeps creating - one gorgeous block after another. Acey's (Nicobella) "pink" CQR has a fascinating story behind it -- and Paula's -- well, you need to just go and check hers out for yourself. (All three blogs can be found in my blogroll on the right.)


I finally decided that today I would stop thinking and cut into something - one way, or another.


What "IF" I participate in this challenge?



At the risk of being ostrascized - I admit it - I'm NOT the biggest "traditional" CQ fan. They've just never appealed to me. Too busy. All those prints, flowers, fussy cut patterns, beads, baubles, rick-rack -- it makes my brain hurt just thinking about them. I tend to be more of a minimalist. Less is MORE. So -- as I contemplated Jude's challenge of the CQ "Revisited" - I found "revisiting" the concept of CQ appealing. I LOVE a challenge. So, of course I said, "I'm IN."



What "IF" I incorporate the theme of cycles into my CQR?


It seems almost everything I've been reading that's worthwhile (books, articles, blogs) point to this notion of cycles -- the cycles of science, psychology, the human body (circadian and biorhythm), geological, spiritual, natural (day/night, seasons, tides, phases of the moon, water cycles, nitrogen cycles, carbon cycles, etc.) emotional cycles, etc. I am fascinated with cycles and I've decided to work with this theme.




What "IF" - I consider the cycle of color density?

Perhaps playing with the intensity of hand dyes or batiks.

What "IF" - I use the cycle of color density and combine it with a cyle of nature?


What "IF" - I incorporate some of things I've learned whilest visiting Spirit Cloth from Jude and as well the other What If(fers?)

What "IF" - I just get started and STOP thinking too hard about this?

Here's the block I came up with, working with the "cycle" of the intensity of blue hand dyes.

Now, the fun begins.......