Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Deep Breath

Deep Breath for Christie

Embroidered flower lungs, with machine quilted background "breathe" - for my friend Christie

Approx size 10" x 10" - January 2017


I met Christie Logan when I started my graduate level work in Performance Studies / Communication Studies at CSUN in 2007.  I took a few classes with her, and quickly grew to respect her knowledge and experience, to love her energy.  Recently she had a lung transplant, and I thought she could use some good healing vibes. 

So on my trip to Punta Cana, I started working on these embroidered lungs, hoping it would absorb some of the beach/ocean energy, that I know Christie loves so much.


Here I am working on this piece with the rolling waves in the near distance.









Here is the piece with the hand embroidery complete:

This is Christie absorbing the ocean magic she loves so well  -  and here we are together, at a final lunch together before my move to New York in January 2015:



Christie brought Performance and Pedagogy to my life;  I really would never have taken those big leaps without her.   She taught me to look at issues on a continuum, in multi-dimensions.  She says "Its not either/or, its both/and."  She introduced me to the writings of Dwight Conquergood, bell hooks, and Anna Deveare Smith, and many, many others, and so much more.  I am a changed person.

I can only hope this small gift brings her a deep breath of ocean air.
Be well my teacher, mentor and friend.  I'm thinking about you from across the miles, breathing in the air of another ocean.

Peace





Sunday, March 19, 2017

If not now, when?






Hand embroidered Hebrew letters that spell out the phrase, "If not now, when" arranged in a circle.  The background is machine quilted translation to English. 

Completed March 19, 2017
Size 13" x 13"




This quilt was made for the final challenge in Project Quilting season 8 - Time is up!  and is my response to the urgency I feel for participating in our political processes.  We are seeing some deplorable policies and words by the current administration, and I believe the time to act is NOW.

The full quote, by Hillel, a 1st century C.E Jewish sage, is  “If I am not for myself, who is? And when I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”   

The first part, I understand to mean that we each have the right and responsibility to stand up for ourselves.  The second part, however, reminds us that we should not be selfish in our responsibilities;  we exist in communities.  And finally,  the time imperative.  Now.  Act now.





Using an arrangement I found online (by a company called Hebrew-Tattoos)  I drew the letters of the last phrase in a circle, which I felt also responded to the theme of time, in that its like a clock face.  Luckily, we had a snow day, so I had a full day mid-week to work on this project!  Here is my window/light box I use for tracing. 

Notice the snowy weather outside
I selected a course weave fabric, in a parchment color, to give a sense of the ancient text.  Then, after tracing the letters to fabric (adjusting some spacing I didn't like in my drawing) I selected 4 different dark reds that looked good on the parchment background.













Each letter is small chain stitch outlined then filled with decorative stitching.  The letters are about 2.5" tall.


Finally, I machine quilted closely around each letter, then background quilted the translation "if not now, when?" multiple times across the back  (this step nearly made me miss the deadline, as my machine stalled multiple times, reminding me that NOW is the time to get this baby serviced!)

Because the machine was being so balky, I hand bound this quilt.  Yes, I sewed the binding onto the front AND the back, by hand. 







Act NOW.  If you feel you need to stand up for yourself, do it.  If you feel you need to stand up for your neighbors, community, fellow citizens; do it.  And do it NOW.  The "time is up" for assuming that we are in the status quo, that things will progress more or less as they have in the past.  The administration inaugurated in January 2017 is showing their true and selfish colors.  They don't care about you or your neighbors.  Stand up.  now.


Sunday, March 5, 2017

A Well-dressed Man is a Feminist

A Well-dressed Man is a Feminist - This quilt is in response to this season of misogyny in the White House.  There were many men walking in the Womens Marches all over the world on January 21, 2017, including my son in California who proudly declares himself a feminist, because he understands he is not emasculated by supporting women's rights. 

20"x20"
completed on March 5, 2017 



I focused on the pink pussy hat, that became the symbol of the Women's March.  The overview images of those marches all over the world, is a sea of pink dots - captured in this drawing and this typical photo:  






There are many images on the internet of strong men wearing the hat - including this one of a police officer.  Since the marches were peaceful, the police presence was relaxed and supportive.








This is specifically in response to the Project Quilting Season 8 - week 5 challenge theme: Well Dressed Man,  but I also want to create for Threads of Resistance project, which has a minimum size requirement of 20x20.  So I created the pieced background, using some textured grey linen, some soft shirting type plaids, and other grey fabric. 

I decided to create a minimalist face with just a mustache to indicate male, and then added the glasses, to represent a sort of 'hipster' male, looking much like my son, Sam, who marched in Oakland with his wife, Kelly.













The hat is hand embroidered in a tight chain stitch, meant to mimic knitting.  I embroidered it on a pink background fabric,  with a variegated embroidery floss, using the entire 6 strands, then I appliqued it onto the pre-quilted background. 









Likewise, the mustache was embroidered on another piece of fabric, and then added to this piece.  The result is they add some dimensionality to a flat work.

I'm so proud of the men in my life who support women's rights, and fight against the repressive, hateful words and policies of the current US Administration. 

Resist.

Peace.