Wisdom

Mom always says, "never cut a knot, always untie it. If you can't figure out how to untie a knot, you'll never figure out how to solve your problems."

Sunday, March 4, 2012

arriving with march

Emily Dickinson said, Dear March - Come In
So I invite you as well.  I've been gone a bit, I know.  But, I've been stitching away. I have finished fascicles 4 and 5. Only thirty-five more to go!  I will compose a separate blog for that but today I'm welcoming March. 
March cloth
Dear March - Come in - 
How glad I am -
I hoped for you before -
Put down your Hat - 
You must have walked -
How out of Breath you are - 
Dear March, how are you, and the Rest -
Did you leave Nature well - 
Oh March, Come right upstairs with me -
I have so much to tell -

and telling in the details:
detail
The cloth was first woven, ala cloth to cloth, and then stitched. The words on the cloth are there for me.  They are: 8th full moon, 3/14 pi day, 15th Ides, 2012, daffodils, after the Greek god of war, 31 days, Marze, Lentmont, 21 Spring and Ostara. Ostara is a Saxon/Germanic/pagan goddess that brings Spring. The swirls on the cloth are those March winds that have been blowing around. 
Ostara (1884) by Johannes Gehrts. The goddess flies through the heavens surrounded by Roman-inspired putti, beams of light, and animals. Germanic people look up at the goddess from the realm below.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostara
 
Another day remembered on the cloth is 11:00 am, March 11, 2008.  That is for my dad.  
I got your Letter, and the Birds - 
The Maples never knew that you were coming -
I declare - how Red their Faces grew -         
But March, forgive me - 
And all those Hills you left for me to Hue - 
There was no Purple suitable - 
You took it all with you - 
I also am going to do a Ides of March cloth - seems to me each month has an Ides but we only remember March's... Still a WIP but even so:

The cloth is dyed with the indigo carmine and acorn.  It was folded during the dye process hence the lines.   
Who knocks? That April -
Lock the Door -
I will not be pursued -
He stayed away a Year to call 
When I am occupied -         
But trifles look so trivial 
As soon as you have come
That blame is just as dear as Praise 
And Praise as mere as Blame -
I also played around a little with weaving.  Jude has been talking about it over at Spirit Cloth here and here.  This brought back memories of when I use to rent a loom...about 35+ years ago when I first moved out on my own.   I would spend my evenings at a place called The Weaving Workshop weaving away.  It gave me great fun to tell people where I worked that I was going out to warp!  Anyway this is what I did.  It's about 3x5 inches. The brown thread is my walnut dyed thread.  The blue is purchased cotton.  
weave experiment
My father made the little "lap loom" if I can call it that, many a many years ago :
dad's touch
I found this a while ago, going through a draw in one of my old room's at my mom's.  It brought back more memories. 

The poems is Emily Dickinson's "Dear March - Come In"

I should be back by week's end with fascicles 4 and 5.  Thank you for welcoming March in with me.  Spring can not be too far away.  Cheers










15 comments:

  1. the wind is well represented in your beautiful stitchery. and nice weaving...lovely colors. i don't have any of my home made looms anymore but i do have a maple wooden one and a plastic one that i use now and then. glad to see a post here. it's been awhile.

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  2. good post .. my favorite thing are spirals . it is in all my work . glad to see you again.
    kathyd

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  3. heya ani...

    i welcome march too... : )

    your cloth *looks* like march; leaves in the swirl of it all. and i like that the 'ground' is woven - somehow this seems appropriate...

    the ides of march cloth is wonderful! i love the eight pointed stars with the leaves. both such beautiful shapes. they're very harmonious together... and i love the colors!!

    i can hardly believe that it's march...

    xoxo

    (you've been doing a lot of stitching : )

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  4. I love the way your stitches look like writing on the March cloth (I can see there's actual writing there as well). Welcome, Spring.

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  5. i just knew you were stitching...!
    i have a little loom like that somewhere. when i was young i remember weaving on everything, but never saved any of it. maybe that's why i am ding it again.

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  6. It is such a pleasure to see your pieces...it is good to know that there is someone who loves to cover cloth with many stitches.
    I was thinking the other day about the copious amount of stitching I did on my blue and white cloth...Emperor Joseph II would have said "Too many stitches" Not the I am putting myself in Mozart's league.
    Thank you for sharing Emily Dickinson's wonderful poem.

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  7. ani, i adore this piece, it is strong and powerful and i must "ditto" the person just above: " It is such a pleasure to see your pieces...it is good to know that there is someone......"....composition, colors,all the beautiful little stitches that seem like little grains, seeds aligned gently on the cloth
    ♥♥♥

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    1. Thank you so kindly for your beautiful thoughts. You cheered me indeed today. I needed a little smile to come to me and your note did deliver that to me. A nice thought - stitches equaling seeds. Things to grow. Take care.

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  8. Ani, I welcome March with you and Emily! Spring is on its way with the robins, crocus, and lilies. Lovely work you are doing. Your weaving reminded me of how much I wanted to love weaving but ended up with sore shoulders and stressed brain when I tried it.

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  9. I've studied lots of different weaving techniques over the years. I always love the plain weaves best. The simplicity is part of the charm. And unlike weaving on the floor loom, all you need is a sturdy piece of cardboard and a sacking needle to take it with you. Love your work.

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  10. all wonderful but i really really like the
    Ides.....and, being me, i like it just
    exactly as it is...partially remaining drawn...
    to me, has the perfect feeling for March...

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  11. well...your response isn't here, but it is
    really hard to leave something "halfway finished" and intend it to be finished. if you do, i will learn.

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  12. i love your march cloth, ani. the emily dickinson quote resonates with it very nicely, too. the leaf being blown across your cloth by the march winds draws me in. inspires me. reminds me that even when we feel severed from our home and buffeted about by the winds of time, or chaos, that there is still a freedom in the flying!

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  13. This post with the Emily Dickinson poetry and your intentional stitching gave me the shivers. (in a good way)
    Happy March

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  14. I welcome March with you and Emily (I do love that little poem...thanks for sharing).
    In Australia March heralds autumn, but we still have the swirling winds and the leaves are beginning to turn.
    I love this project and all of your beautiful, tender stitching.
    Jacky xox

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