Summertime in Montana 2012
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Saturday, June 3, 2017
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Olga Norris quilts revisited 05-28-17
I added four of Olga's small pieces to the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection in 2012 and here are two of them. They are so delicate and amazing, I hope you can see her work in person some day.
"Red Hen" Olga Norris - Hampshire, England 2012 7.5"W x 11"L
Hand
dyed silk fabric, silk thread, hand stitched. This type of stitching is
in the style of Kantha work done in Bengal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kantha but
so much more refined and expressive.
Here
is a detail. (Don't you think this hen is has a satisfied smile?)
Notice how the beautiful hair is stitched to give it a different
texture. The black outline is the under fabric showing between the
cut out pieces of silk. I have tried to think of a name for this
technique which is done in slightly different ways by several different
artists, notably Terry Grant of Beaverton, OR. Outlined
applique? Edged applique? Puzzle applique? Channel
applique? It is not really reverse applique, a very old layered technique
used by the San Blas natives off the coast of Panama.
The
silk back is faced so the back of the work is not visible.
"The Crow's Story" Olga Norris - Hampshire, England 2012 7.1"W x 7.1"L
Hand dyed silk fabric, silk thread, hand stitched.
Beautiful even stitches.
A wonderful crow shape - I wish I could hear his tale. And the lady has a four toed foot! I am especially attracted to Olga's rendering of hands and feet
Saturday Stories - Dogs 05-27-17
It seems that some people just attract dogs. Diane's Aunt Dot was always the center of attention when there were dogs in the house. She complained because they frequently sat on her feet, no matter how large the dog or how skimpy her shoes. She always had a dog or two, so maybe the other dogs were trying to get close to them. Diane hasn't had that problem, although she loves dogs and they usually like her, but not obsessively so. One day when she was leaving for an appointment she drove out of her driveway to see an unleashed dog wandering in the street. Not a dog she had seen previously and there were never stray dogs in her neighborhood. She pulled over to the curb and got out of the car to approach the dog, who was quite happy to run over to her. She checked the tags, finding out the dog was called Chaucer and the address was in the cul de sac down a few houses. As she turned to get back in her car, Chaucer just jumped in the driver's seat and moved over to the passenger seat and settled himself. He was a fairly large dog, maybe a Labradoodle, with lots of curly beige fur. When she tried to pull him out by his collar he just licked her wherever he could reach with his tongue. This wasn't working. So, she got in and drove to the address on his collar. Nobody home, but the side gate was open. Easy, just put Chaucer in the yard and close the gate. But how to get him out of the car? As she tugged and pushed, one of the neighbors drove in. He smiled because he was familiar with Chaucer's car addiction. He went in his house for some doggie treats and tried to tempt Chaucer down to the ground. Didn't work. So, he pushed and Diane pulled and they finally got Chaucer to jump out of the car. After about fifteen minutes, between the two of them, they coaxed the dog through the gate and slammed it shut. Whew! By this time Diane was covered with dog hair and already late for her appointment. But how could she not get this dog back to his rightful place in the world. Over the years she saw Chaucer walking obediently on a leash, but not lately. The other day she say the homeowner in the yard and stopped to ask about Chaucer. He died about a year ago, she was told, after many adventures trying to take a ride with the neighbors.
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