Mrs. Delany Comes Full Circle

I moved into my house about 11 years ago this Summer and when I did, there was a wonderful artist who came to paint green glazed stripes on my dining room walls. One day, I showed her a little vintage sewing box I had found at an antique store in town and I offered to pay her if she would paint it for me. She said Yes and took it away with her.


At the time Jack was 2 years old and I completely forgot about the box for the next nine years or so.

When Jack entered Middle School at age 11, imagine my surprise when the artist who had painted my living room was Jack's art teacher! She remembered me right away and one of the first things out of her mouth was...."I know, I still have your sewing box!"


That made me giggle inside because I would have done the same thing ~ since I myself, have no sense of time, it didn't bother me in the least that she hadn't yet painted my box. In fact, I wass thrilled at the knowledge that the little box still existed somewhere in the world.


As Jack went through Middle School, I would see his teacher every now and then and she would update me on the progress of the box..."I've painted the background," "I've only a little bit left"..."It just needs a final coat of varnish"...etc.


One time, when she was wondering what to paint on my box, I suggested she visit my blog and see if there was anything there that might help her personalize the box for me.


And again, I forgot about the box. Until she walked up to me with a cardboard box at Jack's graduation and presented me with this beautifully finished box...inspired by the work of Mrs. Delany!

To say I was thrilled is an understatement! She painted the one of each of the four seasons on each side and used Mrs. Delany's technique of a black background.


I have always admired the sewing etuis that some of my stitching friends have made for themselves. Now I cannot wait to make my own version to go inside this special box.


Thank you Lee for the special surprise. It's all the more sweet knowing its inspiration.

8th Grade Graduation

At 6'1" and on crutches, Jack graduated from 8th grade on Friday. He goes to an all boys school so having crutches actually set him apart from the sea of adolescent blue jackets...


And he was psyched because he was the only one wearing shorts...


I suppose that made up for not being allowed to wear his hat.

Crutches awarded him a minor celebrity status with friends taking his picture...


And forever stealing his crutches...


When you see 13 year old boys in a group like that, they really are pretty endearing and very predictable.

You can kind of see them as adult men and hope that they never quite fully grow up. That they keep some of that boyish charm...


But what made the day so incredibly great was not Jack's crutches. It was that my Dad was there and could remember himself as that boy 60 years ago when he graduated from 8th grade.


That was the best.

I received an unexpected gift while I was there that day. I'll share that surprise with you tomorrow. But it has something to do with this post...

I wish I could go...

Kirsten is creating in overdrive for her opening June 17. And I was hoping by sharing this that some of my Northwest North American BNFs could go?? Go to her very inspirational blog to see more of her work and what washes up on the beach to inspire her.

I love how she uses a combination of machine and hand embroidery.



I love how she builds up her backgrounds...And I love how she interprets low tide...


Jack graduates from eighth grade today and goes for a CT scan of his foot. Thank you all for your good wishes an sympathy for both him and me! I haven't had much e-time the last few days so I'll chat and visit you all soon. And let's all pray that the Top Hat in the Gulf is working...

[Note: All photos used in this post are copyright by Kirsten Chursinoff and are used with her permission.]

The Left Leg and the Right Brain

Jack did indeed fracture his growth plate.


In fact, it's specifically called a Tillaux fracture, he's in a cast and the healing time is 6-8 weeks because the break is at the joint. That means the break is surrounded by synovial fluid hence the longer heal time.


This is Jack's final week of school so he's delayed his exams, graduation will be Friday and he'll miss the class pool party and the trip to Hershey Park. It's been a busy few days so I haven't had time to finish my little Alice Aftermath project.

But I have had time to put away some of my supplies and start clearing up my workspace. Which got me thinking about optimal methods of organization for right-brained people...you know, we creative types.

I was overjoyed a few weeks ago when I heard an interview on the radio where the guest speaker was saying how right-brained people and left-brained people had different organizational styles (Really?). And most organization books are written by left-brained people (that explains why I buy them and they don't work for me). That right-brained people can be, in fact, very organized -- they just tend to be visual...keeping things in piles and out in the open where they can be seen versus filed in folders and tucked away into drawers and cabinets..out of sight.

Eureka! For so long, I felt labeled (particularly at work) as someone whose organization was lacking because I liked to have piles on my desk. And, how I struggled with administrative assistants who were always trying to file my papers away....where I couldn't find anything...aaahhh!

I always felt organized....I always knew which piles contained what...and I'd have the pile I needed to take home with me at night by the door so I wouldn't forget it. But the left-brained people didn't see it that way.

Well, right-brained beauties, there are organization books written for creative people now...I found this one on Amazon and I'm going to look for it at the library.

But before I even knew about this...I had found a perfect solution for me and my needlework stash. And the solution is crystal clear.


Almost a year ago, I began converting my storage containers to crystal clear, acrylic boxes. Not those hazy plastic boxes but the totally transparent ones.

I used to have all my little bits and bobs in these aluminum boxes...and I can't tell you how much time I waste opening them up all the time...even when I clearly label them.


And so, I went in search of a better option. I've found lots of transparent solutions at The Container Store. And you'll find that the ArtBin brand like these provides lots of options and can be bought with coupons at JoAnn's, Michaels and A.C. Moore.


Only problem I have with ArtBin is that they leave too much vertical space for small items such as sew-ons, buttons, beads, etc. and so they waste space on the shelf.

Every now and then I find a fun one like this one I got from Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City.


Now that's my kind of candy!

All of these were great until I found my absolute favorite. I found it at the Container Store but I noticed they don't have it on their website (I wrote and asked about that so I'll let you know what I find out).

But here it is...


They are beautiful, thin and stackable transparent boxes sold at The Container Store sku#10048402 and they are titled "Transparent Box No. 6127"


I hope you can find them because they are great. And I am slowly replacing all the aluminum with them.

Maybe this might help some of you who have struggled with organization systems like I have.

And my absolute fave crystal clear solution for threads and ribbons and "soft" supplies...


The humble yet wonderful plastic ziploc bag. No need to say more...

The Alice Aftermath and a Break in the Action

Jack fractured his growth plate by falling off his skateboard the wrong way. At least, until we see the orthopedist...that's what we think happened. Needless to say, my weekend was spent fetching ice packs, food, drinks and study materials while Jack kept his leg propped up on the couch. We got the x-ray results late Friday which left us waiting until Monday when offices open back up again. And this morning, I am dogging the answering machines of our nation's health care system trying to get a human body to see him soon.

In between my fetching and being put on hold, I am cleaning up all the mess I made from Alice. All those little bits of lovelies...things I tried and rejected...little snips of fabrics and threads...extra stuff I didn't use like mushrooms and moss...

All that remains of Alice after shipping her off...


We all have project flotsam and jetsam when the creative fury has died down and blown away. And I've always wanted to try using it all up somehow. That's what I'm working on now. A little project that uses up leftovers...

Something that doesn't take a lot of thought or precision...


And what's striking to me, after I begin to put all the little bits back together again, the vision of Alice returns...albeit a re-invented version.

I'll show you more next time.

Fear of Faces

I have long had a fear of embroidering faces. Remember, I cannot draw.


And stitching a face on a piece of embroidery automatically draws the eye. It's the first place your eye goes...right to the face.

I think, as humans, we're programmed that way. And, when I look at the faces on some of my homemade dolls I've collected...they're very endearing. And I'd much rather see a doll with a face than without one.


Believe me, I am anxious every time I sit down to stitch a face, bu I still plow forward and do it. But stitching Alice and the Mad Hatter almost put me over the edge! So, one of my personal goals is to get more comfortable stitching faces.

Up until now, my technique has been to find an actual picture of a face I'd like to copy...enlarge or shrink on my copier...and then trace it. It works a lot of the time. But I'd like to become a little bit more educated about how to draw/embroider faces.


So I was delighted when I saw that this online course was being offered by Joggles...Hey Doll Face by Judy Skeel. Even though it's about sculpting a doll's head, face and hair...I imagine I will learn many new techniques I might be able to use.

I did find lots of interesting links when exploring my challenge of stitching the human face and all the emotions that go along with it. Most simply, I liked this freebie from kylanicole on Flickr but I think they're a little too simplistic for what I need....


And these freebies from davis.jacque which she uses in making her silly little dolls. But I think these guys might be a little too crazy...(albeit I like crazy...)


Without a doubt, the advice I found most helpful was from master embroiderer Gay Ann Rogers. Gay Ann has just recently completed stitching this piece, Elizabeth I.

Copyright by Gay Ann Rogers and photo used with her permission

And she has this to say about embroidering faces...

Many times people have said to me that needlework faces are so ugly. I agree that most are, but I think it is because people put too much detail into too small a face. Most of a needleworked face is best left unsaid.

One of the first things I learned about drawing is this: it is OK to suggest something and let the viewer bring her own experiences to the painting.

Go here to read more about how she stitched the Queen's face, ruff and hands -- I'm soaking it in as she posts another installment of how she designed and stitched this queen.

You can also learn more about where Gay Ann will be teaching Elizabeth I on her website. I hope to stitch her one day.

And guess what? In my search for ideas for embroidering faces, I found this post from my friend Mary Corbet...seems like I'm in good company with my fear of stitching faces...

For now, I'm heading to Joggles to learn how to draw/stitch better faces. Maybe I'll see one of you there.

Decision Portraits

I first came across the work of quilt artist Susan Lenz-Dingman through another blogging needle friend and her sister, Wanda Lenz of Wanda's World (Wanda lives in Germany.)

She engages in many innovative and compelling techniques like her stained glass art series and her grave rubbing art quilts.

But it is her Decision Portraits series that captivates me the most.


Susan's intent is to portray important, everyday decisions. There is no judgment in her work, she merely wants to document the decision made. She uses a xylene transfer method on tea-stained muslin designed to give the quilt a newspaper look. The result shows a specific person but also suggests others in the same situation. Each work is suppose to be both individual and universal.

And I was blown away by how effective this artistic method is when I had a very strong personal and emotional response to this portrait...(read more about it here)


Many of you know that I lost my Mom to acute leukemia two years ago. She was 70 years old.

When I saw this portrait of this woman who had survived aggressive treatment, I was moved by her story and delighted for her outcome.

But I found myself scrolling down through all of the other portraits, searching for the alternate decision...for the person who either chose aggressive treatment and died because of it or for the person who refused further treatment and let life takes its own course.

I didn't see either one. So I contacted Susan and asked her if she would be interested in stitching a portrait of someone who refused further treatment.

You see, my mother went through two 6-week in-hospital stays -- with only a one week break in between-- on the Hepa Filter unit for leukemia patients at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital. My mother's diagnosis was very dire. She had about one year to live with a 50% chance of extending her life if she chose to participate in a clinical trial that gave her the best chance for remission.

At first, her answer was "ok. yes, of course" because the diagnosis was new to her, she hadn't had time to process what it all meant and, of course, she wanted to live...to live to see her granddaughters and grandson grow up...to still be part of her family.

During the first six weeks of treatment, they used chemotherapy to kill off all of the bad cells and the good cells within her bone marrow...and then we waited for her good cells to begin to grow back. It was miserable for her. After all, it had had only been one week from the time of her initial diagnosis at her annual doctor's check-up in Florida to her first inpatient stay at Hopkins. And then she was almost killed by the aggressive treatment...weakened, loss of sleep, sick, loss of appetite, loss of hair...misery.

Because of the lack of white blood cells, she was totally at risk for infections and had to be in completely sterile environment throughout the course of her treatment. Which meant she had limited visitors and was unable to see her friends or grandchildren.

When she began to feel better, they told her she could go home for a week but that she had to come back again for another six weeks of treatment. She groaned. She wept. She left the hospital and went back to Florida...got her affairs in order...had a week of freedom. And then returned to the hospital, where she was almost killed for the second time.

By the end of the grueling 12 weeks, I think she would have pulled out her own hair if she had had any. She was released from the hospital, and only had to come back for transfusions and weekly blood tests to see if the leukemia had returned. She had a great Summer and we partied at the beach where she celebrated her 70th birthday and 50th wedding anniversary. It was possible to be in remission for a year and we were hopeful.


In the end she wasn't that lucky. Her leukemia levels returned in October and her doctor prepared the admission papers for another round of chemotherapy and torture. And my mother said No.

I'll never forget that day. My Mom's doctor was a wonderfully energetic and accomplished leukemia expert named Judith Karp...and she was almost the same age as Mom. They had a good relationship because Dr. Karp could relate to my mom's strong-willed nature and her hatred for a clinical environment that removed her self-control.

So, there we were in for a routine visit and Dr. Karp was busily writing her orders and clinical notes. Head down, her eyeglasses perched on the tip of her nose...ready to admit my mother for her Round 2 and Mom said No.

Dr. Karp stopped what she was doing, dropped her pen, pulled her glasses off of her nose, turned, looked my mother straight in the eyes and said, "no...Are you sure?" I got the impression that she didn't hear this every day. This No.

And my mother, with moist but determined eyes, said Yes. And my father and I slowly watched the scene as tears puddled in our own eyes.

And Dr. Karp said. "You, my dear, are a very brave woman."


When we left that day, Dr. Karp gave my mom a long, meaning-filled hug. She kissed her on the cheek and said, "You've got guts". Mom laughed and thanked her for all she'd done. We left the office and we didn't see Dr. Karp again though she did oversee Mom's care when she was on hospice.

My mother had about six more months to live; four of them good. To be in the home that she loved, surrounded by her family and by the life that she had built for herself. The last two months were harder, but I was proud of her.

Proud that she chose to die at home rather than die in the hospital like so many others do. She was brave to refuse further treatment. It's not a choice that many people can make. And it's one of the most difficult.

For 10 years, I was lucky to work as an administrator with some of the country's best geriatricians providing health care to senior citizens. And I applaud them for the work they do in explaining the unbelievable risks that seniors undertake when choosing to aggressively treat diseases. I admire geriatricians because they get patients to think about their own death and how they'd like it to go.

Death is never pretty. But there is a way to do it more gracefully. I think my Mother found that grace and she died in her own way, the way she lived her life.

I am delighted that, after getting permission from my Dad, Susan will be stitching Mom's decision...Refused Further Treatment.

Susan is on a short time frame as she prepares for a solo exhibition (Sept. 10-October) at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston. It will spotlight her Decision Portrait Series during the MOJA 2010 Festival. And she still needs more portraits. You can see the list of desired portraits here on her blog and here's what she wrote to me just yesterday...

"There are still lots of portraits on the list, but the ones I'm most interested in are Divorced with stitched words reading Irreconcilable Differences; State of the Economy with stitched words reading I never thought I'd accept food stamps; and any of the ones about "aging" and/or "beauty"....like tanning regularly, having cosmetic surgery, taking Viagra or Botox, etc. "

If you're interested, you can email Susan here. She needs a signed release form and a high-resolution image (the higher, the better) and she needs to finalize everything no later than mid-June.

Thanks for listening to my story and I'll update you here when Susan has finished Mom's portrait. I sent her the picture you just saw above.

Beading Heart Art

Look what arrived in the mail over the weekend...


It's a desk set I won from the Beading for a Cure Auctions held every year to benefit the Colorectal Cancer Research Foundation in memory of Layne Shilling. And, OH, how I wanted to win this set!

That's because I followed its creation every day on the blog, Beading Heart Art, of my friend and of very talented bead artist, Lynn Batt. The auctions are put on a schedule so that only 5 or 6 pieces are auctioned off every week. I circled Lynn's week on my calendar and I waited...and waited...and then I pounced.

I am absolutely in love with Lynn's artistry on this desk set. And I absolutely love that it is functional art. The fact that the auction proceeds go to a good cause is icing on the cake!


I love the edges she chose for both the rope and the crossed design.

I love how she looped this flower coming out of the top of this bead.


I love the contrast of the black velvet with the sparkle and shine of the beads. And the fan shapes that she repeated on the frame and the note pad with bugle beads.


I love having a piece of inspiring art made by a friend sitting on my desk.


Thanks Lynn for making it...it's stunning and I promise I'll take good care of it.

All of the participants have a specific kit that they base their designs on every year -- you can see all of this year's entries here. (Check out the entry of my other talented beading friend, Dot Lewallen or Speedie Beadie!! It's this incredible hippo which makes me smile every time I look at it!)

Lynn lives near Niagara Falls and got her start when her local historical society was offering a bead embroidery class taught by a native American woman from the Tuscarora Nation. Just recently, she attended a lecture on Tuscarora beading and there were so many great pieces to share that she's holding Tuscarora Tuesday where she details all of the items and history that she learned at that lecture each week. It's great!

She's also got me interested in participating in the Haute Couture Inspired Wearable Art Contest! The idea is to pick a haute couture image from the list of options here and design a piece of jewelry using it's color, style, shape or technique. Mixed-media are allowed though the majority of the design must use seed beads.

The design isn't due until November 19, 2010 but Lynn is a whippersnapper and is already well underway on her entry and it's GORGEOUS! Here's the dress that inspired her...


And here's what she has worked up so far....


Isn't it GREAT!

I'm still struggling to pick my inspiration dress....It's either this one...


Which I love because of the layered swirls over the embroidered underskirt. Or this one...


Which I love for the color, the pleats, the layering...those SHOES!

But I have plenty of time to decide. You probably won't be seeing my finished project until November...that's the way I roll!

Have a Lynn-inspired day everyone!

The Right Alice

Sometimes all it takes is for one person to believe in us. Often we don't even believe in ourselves, but there is someone out there that chooses us...that picks us out of a crowd...that knows we have what it takes to accomplish something for ourselves that we never dreamed possible.


I never imagined that this piece would end up being about Alice. In fact, I started the journey completely infatuated with the Mad Hatter and the idea of perpetually having tea. I knew those two things were absolute.


But over time, as I stitched and studied the story...I chose to remove the other characters at the tea party...the Dormouse, the March Hare and the Cheshire Cat. But what about Alice? Alice was growing in my heart day by day. And so I decided; Alice had to be on the block and she had to be Big Alice.


And holding the key? Well, of course. She's the key to the entire story...and she's the key to her own happiness, her own success, her own life.

Yet it's the Hatter who believes in Alice from first sight of her. Everyone else in the story is convinced that Alice is the "wrong" Alice...and even Absolem, the hookah-smoking caterpillar says that she is "not hardly" Alice...meaning, that he was reserving judgment until she had proven herself.


But not the Hatter. The Hatter needs Alice to slay the Jabberwocky...to free Underland from the treachery of the Red Queen...and he never doubts that she can do it. And to Alice, it seems to be the most impossible thing she could ever dream of...to have the strength to wield a vorpal sword and slay a Jabberwocky? Even in her craziest of dreams, she wouldn't have imagined that possible for herself.

Yet the Hatter did. And he had faith in her and he waited and waited for her to return. Their relationship in the story is very special and Alice becomes Big Alice because of him.


Don't we learn life's lessons through great stories? And isn't the craziness of Alice in Wonderland one of the reasons it has such mass appeal...such outlandish characters saying the silliest of things...and those silly statements resonate with truth.


I love this story. It teaches me that believing in someone I love can mean the world to them. It teaches me that what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger. It teaches me that believing in myself, believing that I can accomplish six impossible things before breakfast, makes me a GIANT. And makes me the star attraction in my own life.


I have really enjoyed blogging this journey bit by bit. And I have to admit that I'm a bit down now that it's over. I always need a few days after ending a big project, finishing a great book, throwing a big party...to wind down...to write the experience to my hard drive...filing the lessons learned for future use.


Thank you for all your support and your encouragement along the way. It means more than you might imagine.


And so you don't have to work too hard...here's what I added to the block from last time.

• The blue butterfly in the upper right corner to signify Alice's transformation
• I darkened the center dark grey piece to give it more depth like a hole
• I added some three-dimensional ferns and more curly ferns to the forest

• I added more Tulgey to the Tulgey wood
• and I put a few beads on the seams in the center...
• And I gave the Hatter a hat pin. It's a size 15 beading needle with two size 15 beads glued very carefully to the tip. I put on my small fingers for that task!

And now it's done.


I put all the pictures in this Flickr album and I made a slide show...it's kind of fun to see the block grow over time...kind of like time-lapsed photography.

Have a great day everyone and thank you for coming on this adventure with me!