Quote of the Week – July 12, 2010

"Sell your cleverness. Buy curiosity, wonder and bewilderment."

- Rumi

The monsoons begin!

A little late, but this weekend marks the official arrival of our dramatic and exhilarating summer monsoon season!

As with the other four seasons, this “fifth season” is one of the many reasons I LOVE calling the flowering desert my home.  The air smells and feels sensuously intoxicating.  I feel deeply nourished by the daily rhythms and sounds of this place.

Wave-a-licious + Curve-a-licious

More curve play!

Yummy fabric palette for my next commissioned quilt – all organic hand-dyeds

Here, my dears, is THE most luscious collection of “my” own brandy-new naturally hand-dyed organic fabrics – in a specially selected palette of happy colors for my next quilt commission!  I’m getting started on it by doing some fun warm-ups with improvisational curved piecing.  Whee!

Warming up with curves

An interesting technique called top-stitched curve piecing…  running through some exercises the last 2 days to see if I can find a better way to piece deeper curves.  So far, this one, pictured above, is my fave.  The above “block” is approximately 18” x 20”.

Now, more practice!

Quote of the Week – July 5, 2010

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same."

-Carlos Castenada

My new natural-hand-dyed fabric stash!

All gorgeous 100% organic: cotton muslin, sueded muslin, cotton sateen, Fuji broadcloth (silk), raw silk, dupioni silk, heavy noile (silk), silk charmeuse, and more. YUM!!!

Quote of the Week – June 28, 2010

"Now I am light, now I fly, now I see myself beneath myself, now the divine dances through me.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Hand-dyeing with natural dyes!

Happily expanding my repertoire and diving into fuller creative expression with hand-dyeing using eco-friendly, all-natural dyes on organic cottons and silks!  With my hunny’s help – Ken has been dubbed my Color Master!

More videos and photos to come of our 2-week learning intensive with master dyer Gail Denton at the Natural Dye Studio just north of Boulder, Colorado.

Quote of the Week – June 21, 2010

"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."

-Guillaume Apollinaire