Maybe I just need to take a break from the social media… which leads me to some things I’ve been thinking about.

A few weeks ago, I was privy to the tail end of a conversation about religion. Person One said that he believed everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and should practice whatever religion they want (so long as they don’t force it upon anyone else). Person Two said yes, she believes that God is the way and the love and that the bible is the truth, but she doesn’t hold anything against anyone who believes otherwise. I thought to myself, no these aren’t the same. One posits that each person may have their own truth, and that these different truths are nonetheless equal. The other posits that there is one truth and the others are wrong, though she’ll tolerate them.

I’d like to say that my beliefs are more in line with Person One. There are so many religions in the world, I find it impossible to believe that only one can be correct. I think that truth is relative to the needs of the believers. But then I got to thinking about other instances of truth and fiction, specifically the liberal and conservative schism in American politics. I am a liberal and tend to believe what the Democratic side is saying and trying to accomplish. I think that for the most part the conservatives have been misguided of late. Oops — now I’m thinking like Person Two. It is terribly wrong and unfair for me to think that my politics are right and those of my conservative friends and acquaintances are somehow wrong. Their beliefs are right for them. People have as much right to believe that Obama is a socialist as I have to believe that America is an oligarchy.

So here’s the hard part. It’s relatively easy for people in the USA to practice whatever religion they want in the privacy of their own home or place of worship. A pretty visible line can be drawn between not showing preference to one religion in public places like municipal government or public schools, yet allowing it in private places like homes, parochial schools, churches and temples. But how does a country deal with relative truths when it comes to providing for the society as a whole? Is it possible to draw lines between governing liberally here but conservatively there? How can federal government effectively meet the needs and desires of both Red states and Blue ones when they are nearly opposed? Is compromise possible when people are less willing to put up with less than getting their way?

Political scientists have my sympathy.

• Zeitgeist: it’s at the long arm quilter, hopefully getting all prettied up. There’s nothing I can do right now, but when she’s done with it I think I need to pull something like an all-nighter to bind it, photograph it, and burn a disc with all pertinent info to then overnight to IQF for the World of Beauty May 30th deadline. I can do this.
• The Marriage Equality Quilt: It’s done! I hope to photograph it today and I’ve been plugging away at a website for it. I hate the technical code monkey part of projects like this so I naturally procrastinate. My awesome cousin-in-law (is that a real title?) is excited to be my first quilt family and has an event in August she’d like to take it to, so I think that’s on cruise control in the background for a month or two. Of course, not needing to have the website done for another month gives me opportunity to drag my heels which I shouldn’t do, but probably will since, as I said above, I am prone to procrastination. Must fight natural impulses.
• The Army Wife: I still don’t know if this will be the year I get a turn in the McGuffey gallery or not. I could put together a show at the last minute just fine, but I do have at least three things I would like to finish/create if I have the time. If I use my time wisely (like work on these projects instead of frittering away time on Facebook or knitting) I could totally do it. The big ones: embroider a bajillion french knots on the Non-entity apron, finish embroidering the Service Star quilt and mount it on stretcher bars and then paint it, and create a “Suck it Up and Drive On” medallion quilt.

Meanwhile, when I have five minutes, instead of embroidering, I find myself knitting a few rounds on a sweater I’ve started. I thought knitting a sweater would be one of those forever projects, but I made a sleeve in just over a week so now I’m all excited that I could realistically have this done by next winter. Squirrel!

I’m kicking myself that I forgot to bring my good camera because Absence II is finally in a space that can accommodate it’s size. I may have to go back during the day to photograph it.

Exhibition Dates: May 3 – June 16, 2013

Craddock Terry Gallery at Riverviews Artspace
901 Jefferson Street, #113, Lynchburg VA, 24504
Wed-Sun: noon-5pm

(Deborah and another guest discuss quilt construction)

I had the pleasure last weekend to have just such an experience. On Friday, long time blog (and now real-life) friend Tonya invited Deborah and I to join her for a special presentation by Gee’s Bend quilters Mary Lee Bendolf and Loretta Pettway of their story and many of their quilts.

(Deborah chats with Mary Lee Bendolf about her work)

The event was small, and held at a law office hoping to help them find suitable venues for the quilts to be part of a permanent collection. It was unlike the usual shows, but absolutely wonderful to chat with the quilters, and to see the quilts up close — and even touch them!

(Deborah and Tonya admire — and touch — a quilt)

After the presentation we sat down near a food truck for lunch and great conversation about art and utility and definitions of quilts. Then we retired to Tonya’s house for show and tell and lots of laughter. I even accomplished a bit of sewing and enjoyed raiding Tonya’s extensive fabric stash.

Saturday, I took Tonya as my guest and met Deborah at the regional SAQA meeting. There was a particularly convivial atmosphere as we enjoyed seeing mini trunk shows from three members, and had a short but very informative presentation about critique techniques. Afterward, we continued the conversation at lunch together, and though I went home with Deborah, I had forgotten my overnight bag at Tonya’s so the three of us met up once again for dinner and margaritas and lively talk about goals and projects.

Finally, on Sunday, I worked a bit in Deborah’s studio and then met a third friend for an authentic indian lunch at her house. It’s been such a pleasure for me to have friends who I originally met in quite far-flung places now living in the same general area and not so far from me. On the way home I stopped at a yarn store recommended by my knit night compatriots and purchased needles for my next knitting project. By the time I got home, I was exhausted and fell asleep before 9pm, but I was full in head and heart,and energized in spirit.

The exhibition will be a selection of SDA artists from Virginia and West Virginia. If yo are in the area, please come see the show — especially on opening night.

Exhibition Dates: May 3 – June 16, 2013

Show Opening: May 3, 2013, 5:30 to 8:00pm.  Curator talk at 6:00pm. I’ll be there, as well as several other artists.

Craddock Terry Gallery at Riverviews Artspace
901 Jefferson Street, #113, Lynchburg VA, 24504
Wed-Sun: noon-5pm

My excuse is that I’ve been working on quilts, but really, I just spend too much time farting around and not focusing.

About the same time I decided to do the portraits, I also decided to see what I did with my time. That has turned out to be something I’ve kept up with.

I’m not marking how much time I spend doing each thing, but I do write what I do each day — including most of the mundane little things. I’ve found that taking a little time each morning to set out my goals does help the focus a bit, and keeps my to-do list realistic. I’m also really liking having one place to keep that list, rather than having separate papers all over the house.

Zeitgeist is at a bit of a standstill right now, but not for long! As I made it, I was pretty sure it would be most appropriate to have a long arm quilter quilt it. The person who came to mind was booked solid though, so I kinda resolved to quilt it myself on my home domestic machine. Friends came to the rescue with recommendations and I asked at the local quilt shop while browsing potential quilting threads, and, lucky me, a lady nearby will be able to fit me and my kitty into her schedule (I think the photo I sent convinced her that she couldn’t pass on this one — it’s probably the most fun quilt she’ll do ever!). I am relieved that I won’t have to cram that grumpy cat into my sewing machine, and I’m excited that I will probably be able to enter it into IQF Houston’s World of Beauty show. I know I’ve said that my work doesn’t fit into traditional “pole and drape” shows, but Zeitgeist isn’t my normal work, and I like the idea of it being seen by a large crowd. If it doesn’t get in, I’ll still have plenty of time to try the art quilt route with Art Quilt Elements too.

I’ve applied for several show dates at the MacGuffey art center for my Army Wife series. Now I just have to be patient and wait for the committee to sort out who will be showing and in what gallery in the next 12 months.

Which brings me to my other work in progress. With marriage equality in the news lately, one can’t escape the pink and red logo, which to me, looks like a quilt block! I whipped up a few blocks, liked them, and decided to make a marriage equality wedding quilt. As I work on this, I’ve been thinking of options for it.

Option 1: Take the finished quilt to my husband’s side of the family reunion this summer and have all the relatives sign it, then give it to his cousin and her wife as an anniversary present. Easy-peasy and a very nice gesture for two wonderful ladies, but kinda small thinking.

Option 2: Find photographers (because I’m no portraitist on canvas or film) who will photograph committed same sex couples across the country, with the quilt. Create a questionnaire to for them to fill in and present the photographic portraits, along with the stories (names, type of union, how long, is the union legally recognized, and what does marriage mean to you) on a dedicated blog. I like the larger statement of this, and I think working with a variety of photographers would be more practical and professional than trying to travel and take the photos myself. I’m just not sure I know enough of the right people, or have the resources to do this. I suspect some grant writing could and should be involved too. Thinking too big now?

Option 3: is really an extension of Option 2. A friend asked if she could make blocks too and what were the specs. I hadn’t considered making it a group project, but it does lend itself to such a thing. My fear is that I would end up not just with enough blocks to make the one queen sized quilt I envision, but enough for ten quilts! I’m not ready to finish ten quilts — and then what? But… I could finish my quilt and publish instructions so that other individuals and groups could make their own. They could send photos of the quilts with their recipients and stories to the dedicated blog. I’m not sure of the likelihood of pairing other quilt makers with professional photographers, but if I took it down a notch and the photos were snapshots from those involved, it could still be interesting, and potentially cover a lot more ground than I could alone.

Hmmmm, lots to ponder as I sew.

Plus this:

And you get this:

Internet memes are the soapbox for social commentary of the digital age. The Grumpy Cat meme has skyrocketed to internet stardom not least, I think, because she reflects current American cynicism over our economy, stagnating politics, and widening religious divides. Adding to the general gloom, there is an underlying craziness driving people to ever more polarizing views. “Zeitgeist” both mirrors and mocks this schizophrenic trend. In addition to appropriating the image of Grumpy Cat, the echoing lines of the quilt reference the work of Louis Wain, an early twentieth century illustrator known not only for his drawings of cats, but also for the increasing abstraction of them as he presumably battled mental illness — which makes a fitting backdrop to the pessimistic subject matter couched in the irony of a comforting quilt form.

So, this is what I’ve been working on for the past few weeks. I think the piecing is pretty much done, and now it’s ready for quilting and binding.

I continued to work on the quilt on Tuesday, 365:094.

But at the end of the day, after a conversation with my man, I posted this on Facebook: “I just had an idea not in any way related to my recent art, nor any current needs, but is so crazy I’m pretty sure I need to drop everything and do it.” And so followed the rest of the week.

365:095. One of several sketches. The others were on the computer, working through my inspirations. This one kinda sums it up.

365:096. At least one Facebook friend suggested I sleep on my crazy idea and see if it still seemed plausible in the morning. It did, so in I dove, choosing fabrics and auditioning them on a make-shift design wall.

At this point, I knew I wasn’t going to be drawing portraits this week. I’ve been fully immersed in this new quilt. Here’s the trail of fabric on the floor as I worked things out. 365:097.

365:098. Glue-Baste-It and pins — some of my favorite tools.

…and piecing traditional half square triangles. It’s amazing how quick they go in comparison to yards of embroidery or a bajillion machine embroidered stars! 365:099

I’m being a bit coy about this new quilt because i’m not yet sure of it’s proper context. It has nothing to do with my usual houses and roots or Army Wife series. I actually think it would blow some minds at Quilt National, but I can’t keep it under wraps until 2015. This is au currant. I think I’ll show it when the top is done and maybe a plugged in reader or two will know of the perfect venue for it.

My first quilt (though not the first finished). Inspired by a weekend in Amish Pennsylvania, designed from the eight pointed star sashing out, and hand quilted. Circa the mid nineteen-nineties.

In sponge mode — learning and trying on various themes and techniques. Inspired by my daughter’s quirky drawings.

From my first series, Impressions of Germany. Incorporating traditional blocks and techniques into somewhat pictorial quilts of landscapes and towns. Circa 2006.

Still trying out various techniques and approaches.

I still love a good bed quilt!

Moving on to houses and roots and starting to find my voice.

Getting even more personal.

But always willing to step outside my focus and try something else to see how it might feed back into my main body of work.

At the point where the story tells me the medium rather than trying to fit specific definitions. The Army Wife is quilts, but it is also embraces embroidery, knitting, felting, and domestic textiles in general.

I also don’t mind going back to traditional quilt forms — yet giving myself permission to mix it up and leave room for the viewer to discover the story inside.

I brought a lot more quilts, and brief notes to keep me on track. I was a bit nervous that I might drone on, but found that I could talk animatedly about my work and tie it all together quite nicely. I’m confident that the presentation went well.

Thank you Sharon for all the photos!

Anyway, enough complaining.

This is coming along. I’ve found that machine embroidering stars is kind of addictive. Once I add a star, I must keep going. It’s hard to stop. I’m not sure if this piece is developing how I want it to, but it’s pretty, so I will keep going.

This Service Star is killing me. I now have something that I think feels like Tennis Elbow must feel. I’ve had to take a break from embroidering on it to give my arm a rest, and it’s giving me a chance to take stock of this quilt. I started it when my husband first deployed to Iraq in early 2003.* I was still a pretty traditional quilter at the time. I pieced the top and started to hand quilt it, but then set it aside for a while. We moved and I joined a group of ladies that met every other Friday to have breakfast together and work on hand stitching projects. I came close to finishing the quilt and then moved again. By the time I unpacked it during hubby’s fourth Iraq deployment, I had moved on stylistically.

Having embarked on The Army Wife series I considered how I could bring this into the fold. Inspired by so much subversive stitch and gallery-worthy embroidery, I decided to add embroidered bumper sticker platitudes and a shadowy Uncle Sam.

It worked in my mind, but now, many, many, hours into it, I don’t feel like it’s coming together. I’m loathe to just throw the whole quilt away given the hours I have invested in it. But I feel like it should have just had the shadow figure and none of the distracting embroidered flags and sayings. However, I can’t really remove the embroidery because of all the guide lines below it.

As my elbow heals I am taking the time to contemplate cutting the whole thing up (perhaps into smaller pillows), continuing with the embroidery (adding more blending stitches, and maybe highlighting some facial details to make U.S. stand out); or stretching this on a large frame and painting over most of it (obscuring all but Sam, but probably also requiring more blending embroidery to keep the underlying texture even).

*Coincidentally, today/yesterday is the 10 year anniversary of the start of that war. Hubby and his troops had already been deployed for a few months at that point though — some of them, more than a few. War had been in the air.