It is a good thing to get home and back into a routine, but it always takes me some time to reorient myself in the house. I tend to wander. I am in search of the worn path. Where was I when I left? What was my mind and heart embracing? I know it is here somewhere, but I need to resettle into that comfortable space mentally and physically. I have been coping with exhaustion at the same time and that seems to add further to feeling disoriented. I began the day with a morning walk, some phone calls, checking accounts, washing a load of clothes, sorting through mail and newspapers, and finally just heading to my space to work. I had diligently prepared hand piecing projects to take with me so I could feel I was not far from progress. It was not to be. I spent all my time driving or socializing or falling into bed each night. So this afternoon I opened my basket and started piecing the velvets. I finally basted all the seams because there simply was no other way to deal with the difficulty of this fabric. The last two pieces are only placed and not sewn.
When I leave for any extended period of time, my husband says the cats are morose. They hang around him, but they pine for me because they are my loves, and I let them know my heart lingers wherever they are when I am home. Today when I was back in my room, Sam, my oldest, decided his usual sleeping spot was too far from me, so he planted his body in the basket where I keep textiles and trims for current projects. I guess it is his way of claiming attention. If I want anything I have to move him, and he knows I will consider an alternative before I do this.
When I left Farm Sanctuary in Orland, California, I headed for Berkeley in the Bay Area before heading for Mendocino for one night. I went to a sale that I have gone to for years now by the Addison’s. (Wendy Addison has been featured in many publications for her remarkable work).
This sale was sponsored by her niece who has a uncanny sense of old textiles. I bought this piece above from her, an old indigo stripe. I also loved the tiny stitching that bound the piece together. It had much wear, but was lovely, just the thing I can’t resist….you hear those voices and it speaks to you.
“You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out.”
—Martha Graham
Wabi Sabi: The Art of Everyday Life
by Diane Durston
Don’t you love the way they lay claim to our attentions without a word?
Me, I would of let the laundry and mail languish a day while I just sat in the studio trying to work around Jinx and remember what I had been up to before I left.
If I knew my life would be one of care and love, I think I would choose to come back as a cat.
I should have let things go for one day since I was alone when I returned. My husband was on a business trip. Silly how routine and guilt drives one to mundane chores.
I’m smiling. I often work around the cat and the dogs. I frequently have to type with one finger because Hazel loves to sit on my hands and arms while I’m at the computer. I’ll know I’m in trouble if I end up with a chicken sitting on my shoulder too.
If the chook sits on a shoulder, you have to promise to post a photo on your blog!
My Sweet Willie always sits on the desk when I am doing book work. If I move, he comes with me. Someday I will chronicle our time together. A person who does not understand that animals are part and parcel of our souls, doesn’t understand being human! And I know what Deb is speaking of because more often than not, Chester is in my left arm and I type with my right index finger…..
I love your choice of color.
I sometimes type with one finger too. I think you should chronicle time spent with the cats. I often think about this myself and wonder why I am not taking the time to do this.
I have to tell you. I found a new heartbreaking site: http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/
I spent about a half hour last night indulging in my kitten lust.
That kitty site is soothing to my soul, but I want them all!!! Did you ever see such treasures in all your life? How can anyone say they don’t like cats or neglect or mistreat them? I bookmarked the page. I will be back to indulge. Thanks for sending this.
I love it! Sam goes so well with your current textiles and trims! What is it with us textile ladies and our very indulged and beloved cats?! Chya is more like a strange little ‘familiar’ if you know what I mean…
I like the simple shape of the velvet pieces, it allows all their irridescence and shine to sing out, without looking too showy. I shall enjoy seeing this piece as it continues to grow! xx
You have such a lovely black kitty, Chya, who seems to have exquisite taste in textiles!
I pieced some more of the velvets and sewed them on to the larger piece today. They have such a luxurious feel to them. This piece is growing gradually. I need to become more of a planner now as the ideas are becoming dispersed.
Sam does look perfect with those fabrics. I will post a link on my blog to a Ginger Cat site, about orange cats on a green.
I can almost feel the nap in the velvet! And the colors….to dream over.
Cameras…..as boring and dull as the reading of a booklet can be, do browse through your camera instruction booklet. Then you can put it away in a drawer and forget about it. The best way to get happy with your camera is to fiddle with it!! Mine has decided to take double prints of every shot….I think it may be the way I press the shutter button [are they still called that?] Good thing I don’t get paper prints of every shot!
I will look forward to the link on cats. I always have time for this indulgence. Yes, I will dig out the instructions and play a little. It would make life a little easier with my blog photos.
Darn it, I meant to mention “Berkeley”? You went to Berkeley? How is it? I am from Berkeley, native of a native. I worked at Poppies fabric store when it was on Addison [?]. I think they moved to Oakland.
Berkeley has not changed much. I used to go to Poppy when they were on Addison and then to the Oakland location. Did you know they closed the business about a year ago? I miss going there, but now I go to the shop on Shattuck instead, Stone Mountain. They always have a unique selection and lots of Asian fabrics. Sometimes I miss all the great things in the Bay Area, but I truly love Portland more. It is such an easy city to live in and I love the diverse culture here as well as the awareness of the “green”.
No I didn’t know that Poppies had closed. Or was it “Poppy”??? Gee, you would think I would remember my first job, other than babysitting. I miss the Bay Area, but I also miss where we lived in the mountains. Sierra City was a small town and I loved it. Portland is very nice, I agree. I am north of Tacoma now, and with all the new construction, we don’t have to go to Tacoma much anymore, so I don’t mind it here at all!
fabric just calls to you doesn’t it? and the kitty to i see.
indigo just jumps right out at me. some people cannot recognize it but i would know it anywhere.
i have been exhausted the last few days. my mind is wearing me out.
Yes, it seems to call me from many miles away. It is a bit scary. I guess I mentioned to you awhile back that my mother thought I was a bit odd because she had no idea what this sense was all about. I have no idea where this came from either. I guess it is better than alcoholism or drug addiction, and probably more fun too! Indigo is definitely one of those things that lurks and calls, isn’t it? Funny how one’s mind can wear a person out more than running a marathon, but I know this to be true because I have an ability to churn my mind in a way that is relentless and intense at times. I think you need a break from all this concentration.
I loved this post and the photos that came with it. It’s nice to be home isn’t it? I can tell by your words(and I can’t wait to see those velvet pieces in your project).
It is wonderful to be home amidst my cats, the garden, and my own food that I like to fix. I am still recuperating from fatigue. Too much time on the road I guess, but it was worth the effort and commitment.