Once there was a tree...

And she loved a kind and generous woman...

And every day the tree would go with the woman wherever she went.

She went to the school where the woman taught and she met all of her students.  She went to the grocery store, to soccer fields, to family parties, to hospitals and to the gym.

Everywhere they went, people noticed the tree and laughed and smiled at the woman and the tree was happy.

As time went on, the tree took on more responsibilities, carrying more and more of the woman's essentials.

The tree was full with the woman’s life...her papers and pens, her books and her money, her gym cards and energy bars, her receipts and the birthday cards that the woman gave to the people she loved.  The tree strained from the load and sometimes felt she might burst at the seams from the effort.  But the tree was strong and loved the woman very much.

And the tree was happy.

Then one day, some bad men who needed money, stole the tree away from the woman and took her far far away.

The woman was very, very sad.  She cried and told the policeman how important the tree was to her...how she was a very special tree, how much she loved her and how she carried the tree with her wherever she went.  They just couldn’t be apart.

The policemen heard how much the woman loved the tree and searched high and low to bring her back to the woman. As the policemen spread the story about the tree through the force, one officer thought he had recognized the tree in a trash dumpster they had inspected earlier that day.  Two policemen went back to the dumpster to see if the tree was there but the dumpster was empty.  The trash truck had already come to haul the tree away.

The policemen got back in their car and went to the landfill where they knew the truck had gone.  There amongst mounds of discarded trash, rotting food, old paint cans and muck, they found the tree.

The policemen drove the tree back to the woman’s house.

When the woman opened her door and saw the tree, she squealed in delight and hugged the tree and thanked the nice officers who found her friend.  The tree shook with joy  as the women held her, feeling safe once again with her friend who she thought she had lost.

And the tree was happy.

And the woman was happy too...

But also sad.

The tree was wounded and hurt and was covered in grime and gook.  And even though the woman knew it wasn’t her fault that the bad men had hurt the tree, she felt guilty anyway and she put the tree away.
 

And the woman stayed away from the tree for a long, long time.

Until one day when a wise and very good friend of the woman got sick.  The woman wanted to do anything to help her friend feel better so she asked her friend what she could do for her.  The wise friend knew exactly what she needed so she asked the woman to get the tree out of hiding and take the tree to where she could be healed.

 

The wise woman felt that the tree was a metaphor for her own aging and wearing body.  Like the tree, she was no longer perfect but was still very much alive and filled with generosity.  She herself has lots to give and so must the tree.

The wise woman knew that the tree was never intended to be put away on a shelf but to be carried and worn...to serve the woman until she was all used up and until her last leaf fell from her limbs.



The tree was so excited to be taken off the shelf and wanted desperately to be part of the woman’s life again.  So she dusted herself off and cleaned herself up as best she could.  She took a soapy bath and tried to scrape the paint and grime from her trunk and branches.

She couldn’t wait for the woman to see her again...

When the woman saw the tree, tears welled up in her eyes, she embraced the tree and clutched her to her chest.  She was so very happy to see her friend again.



And the tree was happy.

[If you are new to this blog, you may not know the background history of this tale.  I made The Giving Purse in 2010 for a fundraising auction.  You can see more pics and read the story of the original purse here.   To here the story of the woman who bought, carried and had the purse stolen, you can go here and listen to her tell it in her own words.]

[For all those who wrote to give ideas on how to clean the purse...I couldn't find a dry cleaner anywhere who would attempt to clean the purse with all those leaves and apples.  Finally this weekend, Jim slowly worked on restoring the purse.  He dipped into water tentatively at first, scrubbing little by little until we were certain that none of the velvets or silks would run.  The result was great and better than any dry cleaner could have done.]

Here's to happy endings and new beginnings...

Gauze Embroidery

Gauze.

Silk gauze.

That's what this beautiful embroidery on the front of this purse is stitched upon.

I've been enthralled with gauze embroidery for some time and was thrilled to come across this article in a 1930's edition of Weldon's Needle-Art series magazine.

The little purse that I have as an example looks very much like the one displayed in the article which is referred to as Viennese.

The pattern for this purse is included in the publication and was stitched on 40 count gauze over 1 thread with one strand of filoselle silk in the needle.

We are still able to find silk gauze today and I've stitched a few small pieces but nothing as stunning as the examples I'm sharing today.  

There's something incredibly elegant about this petit-point on silk gauze.  I love how the gauze allows the fabric underneath to show through.  

It makes me think of other uses particularly for crazy quilting...or for a purse for something special like a bride...and so I sit here dreaming of designs on silk gauze.

This purse also has a spray of chenille and metal embroidered edging.  Though we can find silk chenille today, our versions are much thicker than what was used on a purse such as this...

Silk gauze work is popular with miniaturists such as doll house hobbyists who make tiny tapestries, rugs, fire screens and pillows all stitched on silk gauze.

I'm dreaming of something a bit bigger than that.

Here's a second example of silk petit-point on silk gauze...

Though this purse has some spotting on the silk gauze, you can still see how the purse's front is made from silk gauze which allows the fabric underneath to show through...

I like the use of transparency and the layering of fabrics to create an overall stunning effect.

Even though the gauze isn't in the best shape, the beauty of the embroidery is in no way diminished...

The last example I have is stitched on silk gauze as well...

But the gauze is completely stitched over to the edges of the purse...

Though this example is still lovely, it's not nearly as captivating to me as the previous two.  

Something about not filling in all the background places the embroidery front and center.

If you're interested in giving silk gauze a try, Mary Corbet has a few articles on the subject here and here.  What would we do without Mary?  

I've found 40 ct silk gauze at Nordic Needle and both 40 ct and 72 ct at Lacis but I'll warn you...it can be a bit expensive.  

Happy dreaming everyone.

An Old Friend comes to Visit

When we make something and send it out into the world, it's rare that we are able to hear what happens to it after it leaves our hands.

We can only hope that the time, love and care that we put into our projects will somehow transfer to the receiver.   Maybe, if we're lucky, a bit of osmosis occurs through the cloth and the receiver feels loved.

Today, an old friend returned to my doorstep a little worse for the wear but with quite a story to tell...

Some of you might recognize The Giving Purse.  She was born in 2010 to be auctioned off at a fundraiser to benefit women in need in Howard County, Maryland.  Inspired by The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, you can read the creation story of the Giving Purse and my letter to the future owner here.

In this audio clip, I introduce you to my friend Maura who ended up winning the purse at auction...


After that night, Maura carried the purse for two years and they went to work creating connections and sharing their magic...




They were quite the pair until one day the purse was taken from her.

She's come back.  Albeit a little shabby...

A bit dirty...

And in need of a little rehab...

Here's the amazing tale of what happened and what it meant to Maura...


There are many elements of this story that I felt were important to capture and share here today.   When the fundraiser organizers named their event, The Power of the Purse, I don't think they realized how powerful a purse could really be.

I am very grateful for Shel Silverstein and his marvelous story, for my hands and my ability to create this purse.  But most of all for my beautiful friend Maura.  I don't think the Giving Purse could have found a more generous spirit with whom to travel.

Now Jim and I are off to figure out the best way to clean her up and get her working again.

Got any ideas?

And the Artist was Happy...

And so was my friend Maura -- She was the winner of the purse and bought it for $275! Maura was also the one who invited me to participate -- she's been on my blog before -- incredible Iron-Man-athlete-mother-of-five, humanitarian, and very very good friend...


And here is me talking with Pearl. Pearl fell in love with the purse, with all of its details and the little cards --


And the beautiful lady to the right is my swimming friend Natalie (she's been on the blog too since we swam Alcatraz together) -- she has that funny look on her face because Maura (who wanted the purse) is taking the picture...and Natalie was there to watch the table and drum up the price...and to protect Maura's interest. So Natalie is keeping tabs on Pearl's bid so she can report back to Maura... And my sister came too to support the event but I didn't get a picture of her *frown.

Anyway, imagine our delight when the bidding closed and Maura had won!

But the only problem with one person winning is that somebody has to lose. So, unbeknownst to me, while I was celebrating with Maura and Natalie, Pearl was very sad.

Pearl had bid $250 and lost.

So, Pearl and I agreed that if she were to donate $250 to the Women's Giving Circle, I would make her another Giving Purse...


And then Pearl was happy. And Pearl wanted to make sure that The Giving Purse II would still have the little cards included...

And I said, "Of course. It wouldn't be The Giving Purse without them." And now I'm off to find out more about Pearl and how I might make her purse unique.

And to all of you, I hope you'll take this card, print it out and fold it and pass it on.


As a sign of my thanks to you for all of your enthusiastic comments. I enjoyed each and every one. And for those asking how you could bid, I did check into that but they did not have an online auction option this year.

I didn't take many pictures but I thought I'd show you a few of the other purses...This one is made by a wonderful woman named Karen Geary. It's a bra...a big bra...and you're staring at one cup of the bra.


The two women who bought this had gotten it for their friend who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

And this bag was knitted with wire by glass artist, Bonnie Granek.


And this one was a ceramic purse (actually there were two in different colorways) made by artist Rebecca Bafford...


The whole idea of the Power of the Purse was great and I loved meeting the other artists and the women who attended the event.

So, I'll leave you with this last contribution by artist Trudy Babchak...


The donated artwork raised close to $2,500 for the Women's Giving Circle of Howard County. It's amazing what women can do when they get together.

The Giving Purse

I finally finished my submission for the Power of the Purse auction which will be held tomorrow...remember my word was "Connect"...

The Giving Purse

In this life, nothing connects us more than giving.

Giving of ourselves, giving of our time, giving of our resources.

Giving is demonstrative.

It requires action and connects us in ways that words cannot.

To me, no story conveys the power of giving more than the book by Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree.


The story is of a boy and a tree. As a child, the boy feels great connection to the tree as he plays in its limbs and swings from its branches and rests in its shade.

But over time, the connection of proximity is broken as the boy grows up and moves away. To stay connected, the tree continues to give something of herself to the boy each time he visits...her apples, her branches, her trunk. Eventually, the tree is nothing but an old stump -- and the tree continues to give. Her final gift to the boy (who is now an old man) is a seat on which he can rest.


The story teaches us so much about connection and giving. The tree chose to connect herself with the boy fully. She didn't just give some of her apples or some of her branches -- she gave them all. And the extent of her giving is inconceivable. For she appears to have nothing left.

But she was happy.


The story teaches us to respond to requests for help not just when we have an excess...not just when it doesn't hurt...but to respond for requests when we encounter a need.

And it teaches that we must have faith in the connections that we make. And believe that the universe will respond in kind to our need when and if it should arise.


And so the purse I made, The Giving Purse, is all about connection and inspiring us all to give fully to others.

Give compliments, give smiles, give money, give good fortune, give love and give your time.

To the Buyer of this Purse:

You and I are connected.


And I made this purse with someone like you in mind.

This purse has magic woven into every stitch. It exists to bring joy to the buyer and to all those who see it.


People will be drawn to your purse. And some will overcome their shyness and they will ask about it. Magic.


At that moment, a connection is made ~ you+me+them.

They may even compliment your purse.

How will you use the moment? To connect? To give?

Included in this purse are small cards of appreciation to give to anyone who comments on your purse as you use it. It's a reward for their kindness. The card thanks the receiver for their gift of connection and encourages them to continue to give gifts to the world. It asks them to pass the card to the next person they witness giving of themselves.


And so like that. The card will continue to move from giver to giver...connecting us all together.

If you are not going to use this purse, please do not buy it.

For to place it on a shelf is to do it a disservice.

And should this purse become dirty, should some of its leaves fall off or its edges begin to fray...


Then we will know that The Giving Purse had given all that it could --

And the world will be that much happier for the gift.

P.S. I'll let you know how it goes. Fingers crossed. I hope it raises a lot of money!

I am tired...

of making leaves.


It takes a lot of leaves to make a tree.

I think I just might have gathered enough...


To make some branches...


So that I might lie down in the shade and take a rest.

Though I don't suppose that I should expect a tree to grow overnight, now should I?

A Tree Grows in Maryland

I was honored to be asked by The Women's Giving Circle of Howard County, a local philanthropic organization, to be a participating artist in the "Power of the Purse" auction to be held at their 2010 Celebration of Women's Philanthropy, Wednesday, March 3, 2010, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm at The Spear Center, General Growth Properties Building, Columbia, MD.

The keynote speaker is Sondra Shaw-Hardy, a noted philanthropist, co-founder of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, author of the upcoming book “Women’s Philanthropy: Boldly Shaping a Better World”, and creator of the 9 “c’s” of why women give.

My purse represents Connect which is one of the 9 "c's".

I'm very excited with my idea and my purse which I'll share later. Let's just say...

I have miles of leaves to make before I sleep...


A leaf a day, keeps the doctor away. A leaf a minute, the sky's the limit! Never leave until tomorrow what you can do today... So many leave-isms, so little time...


Hello, I must be leaving...