Hello Gentle Readers. Monday evening around 11:00 p.m., a thunderstorm rolled through. My first thought was, "darn this storm for keeping me awake." Then I regained my senses. July is a very dry month on the prairie so a gentle thunderstorm or three is a gift. Resting and listening to the rumbling thunder and the rain in the dark was lovely. Rest is essential and often enough.
Kat is not posting this week and I wish her well. This week I am writing about recent stitch journal pages. When I began I wondered if I could keep up with two pages per month but I continue to enjoy the process of adapting ideas from others and creating some of my mine.
The end of May and into June, iris bloomed. The flowers remind me of my sister and my grandmother so I downloaded a pattern and stitched one using a new-to-me stitch called the "split back stitch." I enjoyed the stitch and the finished result. In Greek mythology, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow. According to some sources, an iris is symbolic of faith hope, wisdom, courage, divine guidance, and strength. These ideas are a lot for an iris to carry when one considers the fragile nature of the petals.
Next up was the piece much like one from k3n Cloth Tales, inspired by kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending pottery with lacquer mixed with gold powder. I entered a verse from the Leonard Cohen poem, "Anthem". I rather like the "backstory" of the piece as well as the front.
I continued the theme of mending by patching a piece of old tea towel with raw-edge applique and mending an old cloth napkin piece with a yellow darn. I stitched the worn out piece of cloth napkin down with blanket stitch because I like the rhythm of that stitch. The phrases that accompany this piece, are "healing through mending" and "It's never too late to mend." This journal has become an interesting way to record this year.
This week I read Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks. I found Brooks' look at grief after husband's death honest, moving, and beautifully written. She thoughtfully examines her own feelings as well as the institutional trappings of sudden death in America. I'm waiting on some holds to come in from the library. We all know that is feast or famine.
What are you reading this summer?
I continue to enjoy seeing your stitching and imagine you will have quite a record when your stitch journal is complete. I also read and thoroughly enjoyed Memorial Days this week. What a talent that woman is to be able to write about some of her darkest days so beautifully!
ReplyDeleteYour stitch journal pages are lovely and thoughtful. I love how your fabric comes from different sources and it all tells a story. Thank you for sharing and I hope you get some more gentle rain.
ReplyDeleteRest is part of an internal conversation I am having these days. Why is it so difficult to be settled rest? Something to ponder. I also read Memorial Days earlier this summer and was so struck by her writing and thoughts on grief and death. So happy that you are still enjoying your stitch pages.
ReplyDeleteYour stitch journal is fun and creative. I am currently reading an interesting memoir "The Painted Pink Dress" by Minu Cash. I hope you are doing well. Have a good week. See you again soon!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely stitching, Jane! I know this will probably sound weird, but I love seeing the BACK of stitch pieces. I think it might be from my Great Grandmother who taught me to embroider when I was very young. She always inspected the back of my work very carefully, telling me, "If it's neat on the back, it will be beautiful on the front." (She was right, I've discovered.) I recently read Memorial Days myself, and I just loved it; such a profound and beautiful book. Enjoy the week! XO
ReplyDeleteWe had a thunderstorm last evening and gentle rain when I went to bed. Very soothing and comforting. Your stitching is marvelous Jane. So lovely (of course I really love your Iris!!). Last night I read a novella by Fredrick Backman: "And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer And Longer." Beautiful writing.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful stitching Jane! I love the Kintsugi inspired piece (and your Iris is just so lovely!) I also really enjoyed Memorial Days! My current read has me tucked into the south of France with dear Chief Bruno as he solves a mystery (and there is always such good cooking!)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing those peeks into your stitch journal - I didn't know that Iris had such a powerful meaning. and the kintsugi piece with the Cohen poem is lovely. We could all use some mending right now! I read J.L. Carr's A Month in the Country earlier this week and would recommend it. It's a quiet, contemplative story set in 1920. A young man just home from the Great War is commissioned to uncover a mural painted on the wall of a village church. 103 pages that took me through all the emotions.
ReplyDeleteYour stitching is inspiring and so very creative. I love that you tell why you chose each one. Have a good week!
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