Mandala CXXI and CXXII

(Above:  Mandala CXXI. Custom framed: 17 1/4" x 17 1/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Found objects include: miniature teddy bears; lids from vintage cans of Hoppe's gun clean-up patches; old keys; brass grommets; eight, small cookie cutters; and a plastic centerpiece of unknown function.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I've had the Hoppe's gun clean-up patches lids for at least two months.  They came from my local auction house where used household items are sold by the "table lot".  I've tried to use them on several, earlier Found Object Mandalas but they never seemed quite right.  Then, my friend Flavia Lovatelli donated the cute, miniature teddy bears.  There was something about "bears and guns" that just made some sort of warped sense.  This piece then came together quite quickly.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXXI.)

The quilt used was a scrap cut from a utilitarian quilt donated to my stash by another friend.  Yet another friend donated lots of things to me ... and in the mix, I found the plastic "thing" used in the middle.  I have no idea what its function was.  It is labeled "This side up" ... so that's the way it was stitched in place.

(Above:  Mandala CXXII. Custom framed: 18 3/4" x 18 3/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a block of an old Drunkard's Path quilt.  Found objects include:  a woven trivet on which a Maxwell House coffee lid was placed; yellow Tinker Toy connectors; badminton birdies; silver brioche molds; pinch pleat curtain hooks; small, crochet doilies; plastic combs; and buttons.)

Among the other interesting things recently donated to my stash were the badminton birdies and the Maxwell House coffee lid.  I couldn't help but to put them together on a basically red-and-white Drunkard's Path quilt block.  I'm very happy with these two pieces and am now stitching on a large mandala.  It will take at least a week to finish, especially since this weekend is OPEN STUDIOS here in Columbia. 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXXII.)

We really don't expect many people to drop in for Open Studios but it is an excellent reason to "clean up".  I might even have to tackle my studio.  It's currently quite a disaster area ... but I seem to thrive in all the mess of odd objects!