A little of this.....and that......

on the media:

Brooke Gladstone, i am not.  but i might be the last person in the western world to see the movie, Australia.

i watched it yesterday settled into a comfy chair with cups of tea and knitting.

did you like this film?

i was mesmerized by the chemistry between the lead players, nicole kidman and hugh jackman.

i loved that charming little boy Brandon Walters who played Nullah.

the cattle rustling and wars between cattlemen reminded me of old-timey westerns.

the magic of the aboriginal grandfather, the mystical King George, played with awesome power by the Aboriginal dancer and musician David Gulpilil, was enticing.

but, on the whole, it was not the most memorable film or the greatest cinematic display, i suppose but a sweet treat for a lazy day after chores and a windy walk on the beach.

the day of feasting:
my youngest sister family joined us again this holiday .... Shelly, my sister, her partner, Katherine, and their children Esther (8+) and Ari and Noah (the twins, 3+) drove up from western Massachusetts . . .  it was wonderful to have children in the house  . . . 

after the feast:
but i am really not a traditional cook and prefer more exotic menus and recipes ...... ethnic specialties.  on this day, however, one feels compelled to stay with the traditional meal of roast turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn pudding and squash.  although the fruits of my labor was appreciated and received compliments, i was underwhelmed by it all.

maybe next year:
i'd really like to do something other than the obvious  . . . . .maybe
 

something a little lighter, please
in counter-point to the heaviness of turkey and its accroutrements, last evening i created a wonderful mediterranean fish stew cooked in a savory lobster broth with onions, garlic and tomatoes.  (the broth from locally caught lobster; the tomatoes grown just down the road, lightly cooked and frozen for later use)  and served with a nice little south african white wine, a gift from my sister, fresh salad and focaccia, it was a little feast.

i was not underwhelmed by this one . . .

recently read:

recently, i devoured a book called, Annie's Ghost and highly recommend this family memoir by Steve Luxenberg published in May, 2009.

the author's mother always said she was an only child.  even into late adulthood it seemed to be a point of pride which she interjected in nearly every conversational opportunity. but shortly before she died, she discloses to her physician that she actually did have a sister  -- a secret sibling kept hidden for decades.

Annie's Ghost is the author's quest to uncover this family secret but along the way he discovers there were other secrets so tightly held by this immigrant family.

the book is at once, a memoir, a mystery, a family saga, and a social history -- of immigration and institutionalization. 

the story illustrates the Ukrainian immigrant experience in early 20th century US; and brings the reader from Michigan to California to Germany; from the rise of the Nazis and their wave of terror and war; to the rise of institutions through de-institutionalization in the US.  




holiday gift-giving:
tales of black friday.
shopping malls swamped by people looking for bargains. 
i was not among them and will not be in days and weeks to come.
i prefer hand-made gifts
a slow holiday
am knitting
felting
sewing gifts
this year as in years past.  

will post pics as they are completed

For Gratitude: Take Joy

For trust & hope

For joyful days

For Larry who wooed me with lilies

For living by the sea

For music
that soothes
comforts
lifts my spirit
opens my heart
moves my body

For books
to fall into
fall in love with
& read again & some again

For family and friends that give love and comfort

Warmth within

What nature did
was remind her that ripeness is all,
that autumn is the richest season,
that preparing for snow means building a shelter,
that warmth within withstands whatever winter howls without.

from the poem,
"Ripening"
by Joanne McCarthy


Today's sunrise and sunset: 

Sunrise 6:48 a.m.

Sunset 4:11 p.m.

Grateful with singleness of heart

THANKSGIVING PRAYER

Give us truth in our thanksgiving
that we may be grateful with singleness of heart

We are thankful for the extravagance of the harvest

For flavors
fragrances
melodies
shapes and colors

For love, and the love that makes love
For new babies and old friends
For the strength that comes from courage
For the joy that is born of integrity
For the peace that flows from tenderness

For good books
interesting places
and unexpected beauty

For artists who make music
prophets who love justice
statesmen who make peace
and saints who make little heavens in places of distress

We are grateful for work and for days off
for letters from dear ones
and someone to write to

For things that touch our hearts
and bring tears to our eyes
for laughter and fun

For children who keep us young
experiences that make us wise
and friends who make us necessary

Today: 

Sunrise 6:51 A.M. 
Sunset 4:18 P.M.

wishing i remembered where i found 

this lovely thanksgiving prayer

so i could give an attribution

Korak on the wall

what i've been doing

my korak collection thus far. 

no specific project in mind. 

just the pleasure of playing with a new technique. 

early this morning i pinned each piece to foam core. 

to see what's there   . . . . .

what might be there . . . .

what might emerge . . . .

if anything can be built upon  . . .

 possibilities?

 

wondering. . .

 

wondering?

Korak Under Gold

 hand-printed leaf under gold organza

 

 center medalion for a korak patch

 

a companion

 and another

audition

a bin of fragments

and so I'm thinking and wondering.  a little 'what if' today.  what if I bead the leaf.  or embroider the veins.

My Korak

 still playing with korak-style piecing

for now each square has a secret: 

its own raison d'etre

 

to say this technique fascinates me is to state the obvious:

i should be busily making holiday gifts for family

but here i sit:
bin of fragments

scissor, needle and thread

losing myself in the rhythm

auditioning

selecting

stitching

 

 korak patches

paired with hand-printed leaves

fabric naturally dyed

with color from my herb garden

We woke this morning to the first serious frost.  Fallen leaves are icy white.  Frost on the mums. A crispy early morning.  But we joyously anticipate temps in the mid- to high 50s by mid-day.

Quilts and The Matriach

On the drive back home on Sunday from spending the weekend in Connecticut with my sisters and their husbands, we stopped in Lowell Massachusetts.  Home of the New England Quilt Museum and our favorite Greek restaurant, Athenian Corner.  At the Quilt Museum, it was the last day of the exhibit, "Master Pieces" -- Haberdashery Textiles in Antique Quilts "featuring quilts made from menswear, some of it recycled clothing.

". . . this remarkable exhibition brings together over 40 intriguing graphic works made from simple quilts.......Quilts on exhibit are made from suits and shirts, neckties, pajamas, military uniforms, work clothes, even woolen underwear and socks. Some resulted from the artful salvage of menswear swatch sample books and fabric mill remnants. Among the 40-plus quilts on exhibit are several that are made from military textiles, including both uniforms and medal ribbons. Like the Biblical hammering of swords into ploughshares, these quilts represent a transformation of military equipment to peaceable ends, with striking visual results.....Remarkable tributes to those who served, military quilts combine the material aspects of a serviceman's life with the comforts of home, creating works of beauty that transcend their time and the conflicts that gave rise to them."

 Among the early quilts on exhibit, were those made of shirting fabric from the first quarter of the twentieth century.  My grandmother made such a quilt.  She was a factory girl working in the local shop that made Arrow shirts to be were sold to men of fashion around the world. Her job was sewing pockets to the fronts of these shirts. 

At the end of a work day, factory girls were offered bags of shirting scraps for pennies. These were used for quilt making at home.  My grandmother's sisters turned their scraps into beautiful quilts with intricate designs. Not so my grandmother; she would rather be dancing and she hurried through the task giving short shrift to design and color.   Her quilt was very utilitarian.  She started it, dropped and finally  finished it 1921 when she was pregnant for my father.  It is still in the family and treasured by my youngest sister, guardian of the shirting quilt.

 
So today, I am remembering my paternal grandmother, Madora Bond, born in Massachusetts in September 1896 and who lived most of her life in Leominster, a booming factory town in late 1900s, a prosperous town that lured French Canadian immigrants seeking jobs and a better life for themselves and their families.

More korak, please

still enjoying
just playing

with bits and bobs

of different fabrics from my stash of fragments

sorting through fragments

selecting

auditioning

remembering the original purchase 
what i originally created

remembering the textile designer

 that black and grey

with partial circles showing

is a nancy crow fabric

from the 1990s

she was my favorite textile designer of that period:
it took a long while before i wanted to cut into her fabulous designs

the red with black and gold

is an african import

the large triangle is japanese indigo

A little Korak, please

 

 

 

 These are my first attempts at korak-style piecing.

I'm sewing fabric fragments onto a background fabric by making folds in the cloth and pinning them down. Each new piece is laid over the previous one and pinned and then hand-pieced.

Eva gave me instructions to get me started and I plunged right in.....my usual tempo.  But after a bit, I began to wonder what exactly defines korak piecing. Is it the folded-over- fabrics? Is it the style of the quilt?

Perhaps they typically used folk art as a central motif or design element? What do modern era koraks look like?

Eva, once again helpful, told me about Ruth Tschudy and shared this link with me where I got the following quote and description.

The word «Korak» (meaning «patch») is today’s applied word of an old technique from Central Asia (mainly Turkistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan). Little literature is available on the subject, which is why Ruth Tschudy wrote a book about it, in which she explains the art and how to learn it.

 «Korak» will always be produced and sewed by hand. The most important materials are several and different parts of fabrics and cloths. You then need a pair of scissors, a ruler, an iron, a foxglove, and some pins. First then, you make a drawing and then create accordingly a template of the planned patchwork. According to your puzzle, pieces of cloths will then be cut and pressed on to a basic surface of fabrics. Then, each piece will be sewed together and your art is completed. The book features the variety of patchworks; accompanied by small stories and insights of the artist (this publication is both in German and English).

This is one beautiful example of Ruth's work

And over here you will find excellent antique koraks.  I received this link from Eva today and was thrilled and delighted to view these beautiful koraks online.  Inspiring.

For now, I am playing.  With no clear thought of 'what my korak will be'.