Marty's Fiber Musings: May 2021

Boro Inspired ~

What fun! Started in February, 2021, in the virtual QuiltCon workshop presented by Blair Stocker of Wise Craft Handmade - Boro Inspired! A patchwork quilt with lots of hand stitching.

Derived from the Japanese boroboro, meaning something tattered or repaired, boro refers to the practice of reworking and repairing textiles (often clothes or bedding) through piecing, patching and stitching, in order to extend their use.

I cut into a thrift shop linen blouse.....a slither of a t-shirt.....a feed sack....an aqua linen skirt plus one of my cut apart acid green floral silk skirts to add just the right patches stitched down, adorned and quilted using multiple stitches to maintain stability for continued use of this quilt.

This is a must-do-again way to design and finish a quilt: inspired by Japanese patchwork.

Haiku Poetry No. 11 ~

''A tear was shed and

the river ran on and on

At Granny Matlock's on Little Buffalo River, Arkansas

the way mother did"

Marty Mason

May your day be filled.....with tears of joy.

Haiku Poetry #10 ~

''A bird soaring high.

Temporary, a life is

light as a feather."

Marty Mason

There's a feather at the end of my upward soaring arrow surrounded by stars

See Haiku Poetry 1-9 at Reflections Unfurling ~

Sage Advice ~

Many years ago the teenage daughter of a close friend had broken up with her 'boy' friend and was really down in the dumps because she felt dumped. Her mother's now darling, this and now darling that did nothing to uplift the spirits of the downtrodden daughter.

When the teen's father came home, he very quickly tired of the moaning and groaning and just said to his precious daughter, "Enough, Wendy - GET HAPPY." And she did!

raw-edges

I think of this story told to me oh so many years ago and must admit that I've told myself to GET HAPPY on many occasions. How easy is it? To get happy, one must think happy and look happy and live happy. To get happy means I cannot dwell on the unhappy or the things outside my control. It means that I must be more accepting of the choices others make for their lives. It means I have a choice of either happiness or sadness regardless of your choice. I'm happier when I choose happiness and must admit that I'm not very empathetic to those who continue to choose other moods. I'll listen for a while, but then my mind keeps coming back to that dad's sage advice - "GET HAPPY."

It's a Sunday Morning in May ~

And a happy Sunday morning it is - a happy Mother's Day here in the U.S. While I've never had children, I am certainly enjoying the day.

To celebrate the day, I spoke with my sisters about their beautiful children and afterward reminisced about some of our mother's antics when she was here with us.

I made a doll quilt for community service...there's always a child out there who plays mother to her dearest baby doll.

From orphan blocks and fabric - a doll quilt - 18" x 20"

Lucky for me I had two orphan blocks given to me ages ago and also a half yard or so of handed down unwanted fabric with smiling lizards that made me smile. I first cut the blue and red block in half to spread the color, so to speak, then centered the stick girl for the perfectly sized quilt for a little one's doll.

Those smiling lizard eyes with oh, so much expression is enough to make for a Happy Mother's Day.

It's just how I flow ~

When I'm sad, I quilt and when I'm happy, I quilt. It's just how I flow.

A sad conversation with a friend about a friend left me listless last night so this morning I finished a little quilt top for a community service child in need. My mind just can't wrap around someone giving up on living. My hope is that this quilt will put a smile on a child's face and give them something to hold on to through a hard time. I allow this thought to make me happy ...as does this quilt top with pieced scraps and leftovers all set on point.

I don't know what's around the corner for me physically or mentally, but I will continue to push my limit for as long as possible......and continue to quilt in the meantime.

A view into my garden on a clear, cool morning - hosta and garden art.

.....and for the past two months

I've been busily enjoying myself, my husband, my home and garden.....but especially my time in the stillness of hand stitching.

Confession time: I have a problem. The problem is not necessarily a good one nor a bad one. It's just a problem I have of needing to finish what I start - whether a movie, a book or a quilt! I've learned through the years to walk out of theaters when the movie isn't giving me pleasure. I can even shut a book and return it to the library unfinished. Yet, I haven't been able to give in to having an unfinished quilt.

So, what started out in my mind to be a grueling task, turned into a joyous adventure. Two wool applique quilts finished in no time....an hour here, an hour there.

A quilt pattern....A Cottage Garden

Quilt pattern.....How Does Your Garden Grow

Add to that my newest wool applique table runner....a kit purchased years ago at a quilt show in Little Rock, Arkansas that was a bust for vendors. I stopped and chatted with one vendor who had not made a sale in her two days there. My heart went out to her and while I didn't embroider, I purchased the kit. Lucky me!

And still a work in progress that I had initially intended to finish with machine decorative stitch embroidery, but now might just do all the edging with hand stitches. Inspired by a painting I saw somewhere???