Quilting on the Edge

Tuesdays Ten: August 25, 2009 Family Visits

The past two weekends we visited two of our children and their families, one in Michigan and another in Pittsburgh.  Here's the cradle I used for two of my sons, now it's been restained and a new mattress made, and delivered to the son and his wife in Pittsburgh expecting their first child in November.   There's a lot to experience in visiting your grown children, so that's what my list of ten will be about today. What's interesting about visiting grown children?

Seeing them managing a household, recalling how years ago you could not imagine that ever occurring.  remember the messy bedrooms?

Watching them deal with their children, realizing they are the ones in charge now of molding new little lives.

Seeing the grandchildren's bedrooms.  Times have changed!

Enjoying a meal they prepared for you.

Seeing them interact with their spouses in a kind and respectful manner.

Having them ask for advice on a household problem, and giving it carefully and tactfully.

Talking with the grandchildren about their lives.

Realizing something you said annoyed them, and not knowing why exactly. Note to self not to say that again.

Realizing they face some problems with raising kids that you never had to deal with when they were young.

Being aware they went out of their way to make your visit special, and being grateful for that.

Then you get in the car and talk about the visit for a bit on the way home, aand then you and your spouse are silent as you realize you're job is over.They turned into fine mature adults, and your jobs are done.  That's a good feeling....... 

Tuesday's Ten: New Uses for Old Bicycle Wheel

I've been doing a lot of cleaning out of stuff in our basement lately, and one of these items was an old bicycle wheel from years back....I'll bet the bicycle is long gone, surely it belonged to one of our sons who are all long gone from our home. At the same time I recently read an article about reusing items for something other than that for which they were intended.  So today I'm going to list ten new uses for an old bicycle wheel.

Roll it along the street using a stick as a guide.  (I've seen this in old movies, have you?) Good to  practice balance and coordination.

Hang it on the wall as art....maybe spray paint it first?  How about all black or all silver?  Sounds pretty contemporary to me.

Remove some the spokes, and use it as a way to keep things sorted.......like different screws, or jewelry, or beads.

Hang it from the ceiling as a flat base support for a mobile.

Hang it from the ceiling and attach balloons for a party........for kids, make the balloons low enough so they have to walk through the balloons.

Remove some spokes and turn it into some sort of game......tossing bean bags in areas with different point values for example.

Attach it to the ceiling as the background for a ceiling light.

Remove spokes as desired and plant a herb garden in it laid onto the ground.

Use it as a Christmas Star decoration......running lights in a star shape then attaching it to some surface outside, like garage side or porch.

Turn it into a roulette wheel for an at home casino game.

Okay, some of these are far fetched a little, but they are all possible with the right imagination and tools.   I did none of them.......I gave the wheel away at a garage sale and maybe that person eyed it with some really unique idea in mind.  Have any ideas for this bicycle wheel?  Post here.........it would be fun to read some others.  And next time you're faced with some item you no longer have use for, maybe thinking of alternate uses before you pitch it may be a fun idea. 

 

 

Tuesdays's Ten: Memorable Images August 4, 2009

I've seen some interesting things in the past few days, so that will be the topic of my list of ten.  I visited Millennium Park in downtown Chicago yesterday, and this photo is of the glass towers  with projected images on the falling water cascading down the towers is one or the highlights. I noticed today as I went about my chores in town that I was paying more attention to my surroundings........something I don't often do because I'm 'so busy' moving from chore to chore.  I'm trying to slow down....and see what attracts my eye.  Here goes:

The steeple of our county courthouse as I saw it from the library stairs, towering over the city.

An elderly lady packing selected books into a lime green tote bag.

The coarse thick grey hair of one of the ladies working in the library.

Children stamping their feet in the water by those glass towers in the photo above,  just having plain old fashioned fun without batteries.

Three young boys walking together on the street........looking for something to do. My maternal mind says time for school.

A woman guiding a bicycle across the street........you have to wonder.....is something wrong with the bike or her.....or neither.  Maybe she's just bringing it back from somewhere.

A man sweeping his sidewalk with a bright red broom, and stopping for a moment to lean on the broom and gaze off into the distance. thoughtful or tired?

Workmen demolishing old sidewalk concrete, wearing old tees and dirty jeans.

Marathon runners in a pack along Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, breathing hard and sweating yet keeping on moving forward.

Tall buildings in downtown Chicago surrounding the Millenium Park, as if to protect it and all the people enjoying this public space, all the while city traffic buzzing by and people walking everywhere.

I think there is always a lot of visual stimulation in our worlds that we miss because we're busy thinking something else, or just plain have tunnel vision.  I think creative people like myself can benefit from paying closer attention to what is in their line of sight.......see something today that you normally don't give a second glance.  It may be the inspiration for your next work of art in any medium.   me?  I'm still attracted to that lime green tote bag.

Tuesday's Ten: Taking Time

Here's an art quilt I call The Water Carrier.   This is one busy woman.....aren't we fortunate that most of us don't have to face that task everyday?  anyway, I've often thought about how busy my life has become with electronic devices.......iphones, computers, email....online groups.......and I'm retired!! Even I have to find time to do certain things that I need to do, or  things I want to do to maintain touch with myself.  Life can be a whirlwind that doesn't stop unless we stop it.  Today I'm listing ten things I believe would be healing activities to counteract the effects of too busy lives.

Taking a walk........or in some way, escaping the noise of everyday life.  Maybe it's ten minutes alone on the patio or deck without walking anywhere, that's fine too.   

Eating a meal without distraction.  A near impossible task for some I'm sure, but maybe, once in a while, you can swing it.  As a gift to yourself.  

Looking through your old photos..........a while ago, I read somewhere to keep a bunch of old photos loose in a decorative box or basket...and keep that box available in a favorite sitting spot. I've done this, and have often reviewed photos that I otherwise would not if they were neatly arranged in an album.  Memories!

Keep a book at the ready for reading at your imposed leisure time......

Create!!!!  anything........... a good meal, stationery, a pillow.......gets you out of this world and into your zone.

Challenge yourself to write one page in a journal at least once a week......who cares what you write?  it's only for your eyes.  Dump some of that stuff  you're mulling about onto the paper and leave it there and off your mind.  

Wander around a dollar store with no specific intention but to see what's there.  I recommend you do take a few dollars just in case.

Visit someplace you don't ordinarily visit.......maybe an area museum or exhibit, maybe a new section in the library.  This helps get us out of ruts.

Buy a magazine you have never in your life heard of before.........I love this one!  I have done this more than once when at the bookstore, and am always amazed at the escape it provides into a completely different world I knew nothing about.  My last choice was  a magazine for Graphic Designers, what a treat.  Step out of your regular life and see what others are thinking about.  This is one of my favorites.

Call a friend and start laughing like you used to........

Maybe you have some of your personal favorites.  The important thing is to do them,  even if you have to schedule a time on your phone or computer calendar.  Don't forget to program in the alert so your device will remind you it's time for yourself!!

 

 

Tuesday's Ten: Quiet Courage

We've been watching and hearing alot lately about the brave citizens protesting in Iran......how remarkable really.  Then we hear about celebrities courageous battles with illness, or other misfortunes, and admire them as well.  I started thinking about many instances of not so publicized courage........things we may see as we go about our lives, or even just hear about.  So today I decided to make a list of ten instances of quiet courage and bravery.....

An elderly man or woman pushing their mate in a wheelchair.

A child receiving the American flag at the funeral of his or her Dad.

An addict staying clean for the next 24 hours, or for even an hour!

A young mother padding a dresser drawer with blankets, the only cradle for her young baby.

A Dad working three menial jobs to keep his family intact.

A teenager turning over his paycheck to his mother to help pay the bills.

A mother making a meal from a limited pantry and making it fun....."let's pretend we're camping!"

A preteen without the "right" clothes suffering the ridicule of his peers.

A grandmother cutting back on groceries so she can send five dollars to a grandchild for her birthday.

A disabled women living alone, hoping for the phone to ring.

Maybe you are doing a quiet act of courage everyday....maybe nobody knows about it.  Or maybe you're one of those people who looks out for all those who are required to be courageous......I once heard the thought that if we were to see everyone's problem in a huge pile, and had to select one, we'd gladly take our own back when we realized what others were facing.  Something to think about. 

Tuesday's Ten: Oilcloth anyone?

Today I decided to list ten items I remember from my days in Catholic elementary school.....I'll bet some of you also have similar memories, so sit back and take a trip down memory lane.  Remember, this was back in the fifties, so that helps with perspective on this list.

The oilcloth square we all had to cover our desks for art work or for eating lunch.....I can smell it!

Whimsies......these are small round lacy pieces we used to wear on our heads when going to church......usually in black or white.  If you didn't have one, you wore a scarf, or even a Kleenex pinned with a bobby pin!!

Receiving milk in small glass bottles brought in daily from the local dairy.

Playing girls chase the boys, or vice versa, at recess.

Walking to the nearby neighborhood store to buy penny candy at recess time.  You could get a lot for five cents!  Or at another store, two pretzels rods for a nickel.

Going to Girl Scout Meetings at a nearby fellowship hall on Friday after school.

Being a hall monitor.......keep in mind there was one hall, one entrance, one way out.  Still, it was a position of status for 8th grade girls.

My friend Helen bringing cinnamon toast for lunch.

Cleaning the erasers by slamming them together out behind the school building.

Singing up in the choir loft and looking down at all the people messing around in church.

boy, I could list more, but I'll stop here and just think about those days. I know one things for sure, the kids today would never put up with some of the stuff we did...nor would their parents!  But that was a different time and place, wasn't it?

 

Tuesday's Ten: Openings versus Holes

Lately I've been thinking about

 the difference between openings

and holes........both  are new

spaces basically, yet to me they

imply completely different

feelings.  When you create a hole

there is an opening of sorts.   But

the effects of that hole are not 

always good or desirable. 

 

 

Openings sound like opportunities,

 whereas holes sound like losses.   Openings sound like good things,

with possibilities.  Holes sound like less than good things, like things to

avoid.  

 

Today I am listing ten causes for holes in our world.   Here goes:

Fire

Rust

Cutting Tools, like scissors or knives

Guns

Despair

Termites

A cutting remark

A Paper punch tool

Loss

Rejection

Fitting with my discussion of openings versus holes above, you can see

that holes are the result of something destructive, either to the physical

world or to the soul.  I found in making this list that I became a little

anxious and sad.  Did you get those feelings just reading the list?  Did

it cause you to remember feeling some of these holes yourself?   Next

time I'll list ten openings.............there, I'm feeling better already.

Tuesday's Ten: Textures

Today I decided to make a list of textures I see that make me want to touch them.......not always a good idea, but something about the texture begs me to feel it.  This photo is a good example......all the rocks piled up invites a second look. Here's my list:

a pile of seashells washed up on the shore

Palm bark........many varieties

Braided anything......rugs, hair, bread dough

Pottery with intricate patterns

Hand knit scarves or sweaters

Cactus plants......no touching here!

Pebbled walkways or floors

Large heavy rope, like the kind holding a large boat to the pier

Quilting Patterns on anything

A pile of nails in an old tin can

Texture is visually stimulating.  In some of my quilts I try to create texture by the stitching I use, batting I choose, or even the type of fabric on the piece.  Perhaps today you can look a little closer as you move about your world to see what textures attract you.

 

Tuesday's Ten: Book Titles as Inspiration

I have always had some sort of bookcase, even more than one, wherever I've lived.  This goes all the way back to even my days of being single.  The one in my bedroom caught my eye the other morning and I started looking at the books there and realized how book titles could be inspirational for art quilts.  So today's ten lists book titles I have that could be interpreted in cloth:

Cold Mountain (purples and greys and blacks?)

Small Change  (varied sizes of circles?)

Sea Glass (this one would be fun)

Sweeping Changes  (swooping lines)

Solitude (a very personal interpretation I think)

Ain't I a Woman (a self portrait?)

Night (stars, sky, moon......)

Kitchen Tables (long rectangles and flat surfaces)

Being Home (another personal interpretation)

White Oleander (a literal interpretation perhaps)

I tend toward the abstract in my work, and I can imagine a good start to all of these quilts based on the book titles. Is there any title that speaks to you?  Look in your own bookcase......you needn't have read the book to be inspired. 

Tuesdays' Ten: Favorites from the Past

This Tuesday I decided to list ten items that I played with  or enjoyed when I was young.  Maybe you'll remember some of them!

Comic Books:  Little Lulu, Nancy, Archie and Veronica

Jacks:  little red ball with ten metal pieces

Jump Rope

Lois Lenski library books

Sorry:  board game

Transistor Radio

Record Player in a carrying case:  first record was "At the Hop" by Danny and the Juniors  (how on earth do I remember this?)

Hula Hoop

Autograph Book:  Red plastic cover with a teenager photo on it

Plastic Indian Girl Doll:  souvenir from visting Wisconsin Dells

On a trip out west a few years ago, I bought another Indian Girl Doll very much like the one I had years ago.......I saw it in the store and remembered it instantly. And I know, somewhere in a box, I have my autograph book from eighth grade.  What strikes me when I look at the list is how inexpensive and simple many of my favorites were........yet, they were mainstays in my life.  Did I ever get to sixsies or sevensies with jacks?  Do you remember jacks?  This was fun to recall this Tuesday!