Mandala CCXVI

(Above:  Mandala CCXVI. Custom framed: 32" x 32".  Found objects hand-stitching to a section of an antique quilt. Objects include: An antique photo on a round metal base mounted on a wooden plate under which are nine, white, wooden checkers; clear plastic candle holders; beer caps; large metal washers; brass military uniform eagles; ViewMaster reels; laminated Hav-a-Tampa cigar labels; Mardi Gras doubloons; green, vintage cocktail forks; toy airplanes; green Monopoly hotels; vintage chiffon yoyos; assorted beads and buttons. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Like Mandala CCXV, this piece uses another section of the 1841 signature quilt. I started the design before laying out the earlier piece but wasn't quite sure about it.  I'm grateful that I have enough space here in my sanctuary-sized fiber arts studio to just let a design sit out in the open where I can look at it and contemplate the potential arrangement.  

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXVI.)

I moved the chiffon yoyos around for a few days.  Finally, I knew what was wrong!  I knew that I needed the two rings to be slightly different.  Out came the large, metal washers! 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXVI.)

Next came the challenge of attaching the round metal photo on the wooden plate ... and figuring out how to get the white checkers under the rim but still stitched in place.  That took some time but not as much as the rabbit hole I went down trying to determine the age of the metal photo.  I never did figure it out. I did, however, learn that photos were produced on metal back in the mid-19th century but it is unlikely that this one is that old.  Why?  Well, I browsed through plenty of over, similar photos on eBay and Etsy that certainly weren't from the 19th century.  Odds are that there was a time in the mid-20th century where this was a popular way to display photos of ancestors.  Still ... it is a nice picture with a great sense of nostalgia.  Soon, I had the center of this piece entirely stitched.  Again, I put it to the side and just looked at it.  Something was missing!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXVI.)

The corners needed "something".  This is how I often work.  I design part of a piece, look at the results, and then determine how to finish it.  The corner areas were done after a couple days of just looking and playing with other objects.  I'm very pleased with the outcome.  I'm also happy to show the picture above.  This picture shows some of the handwriting on the quilt but it also shows the layer of tan bridal tulle/netting that went over the quilt before any of the objects were stitched in place.  The tulle/netting protects the fragile, threadbare material.
 

Four new Small In Boxes

(Above:  Four, new Small In Box pieces ... leaning up against my sewing table.  Image taken using a flash.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Today the entire sky is gray.  It is wet outside and more rain is expected.  All is wonderfully quiet.  This is exactly the sort of day I dreamed about before retiring.  It is a day without interruptions, without the stress of holiday custom picture framing, without the sounds that seem to broadcast the rush-rush-rush of city dwelling.  This is a day when I can move from one stitching project to the next, leisurely.  It is also the sort of day that productivity runs high.  As a result, these four, Small In Boxes got put into their frames before I remembered to snap photos of them.

(Above:  The same photo as above but taken without a flash.)

Ordinarily, I don't need individual pictures of these pieces.  These are artworks that are often headed to the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville.  Yet with my acceptance into this coming spring's Smithsonian Craft Show, they might end up there.  I really love making them and often create more than one at a time simply because more than one will fit on my sewing table.  It is fun to cut up all the colorful bits of polyester stretch velvet, fuse it all onto the synthetic felt, and free-motion stitch it.  The other day, I posted a "story" on Instagram.  (I'm trying to learn more about all these social media platforms, including "stories" that disappear in a day but seem to drive traffic to my page.)

 

(Above:  The photo that Steve took of me melting one of the Small In Box pieces that became a "story" on Instagram)

The picture was taken on a much nicer but chilly day.  I was using my soldering iron to melt holes through the synthetic layers.  Wouldn't you know it!  This image prompted more than one person to inquire about the price of the finished works.  I promised to take pictures once they were finished ... but then ... I forgot to take them before they ended up in their frames.  So ... I lined them up ... leaning against my sewing table ... and took the pictures above.  One with flash; one without flash.

(Above:  In Box CDLXVII.  Framed:  19 1/4" x 15 1/4".  $235 plus the pesky South Carolina sales tax which is required even on out-of-state transactions and shipping. This is the same information for the three pieces below.)

Next, I hung each piece on one of the front doors and attempted to take individual photos.  Of course, I got a bit of reflection from the houses across the street.  Still ... its better than nothing!  Below are the other three.

(Above:  In Box CDLXVIII.)

 

(Above:  In Box CDLXIX.)

 

(Above:  In Box CDLXX.)

 

 

Mandala CCXV

(Above:  Mandala CCXV. 23 1/4" x 23 1/4".  Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique quilt. Objects include: A tintype in an embossed, gold foil spandrel stitched to half of an ambrotype case; a decorative porcelain plate; dominoes; silver paper binders; laminated, 1950s paper doll clothes; four "spinners"; vintage $25 farm store tokens; souvenir spoons; gold plastic thread spools on which anonymous photos were collaged; assorted beads and buttons. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Most of my Found Object Mandalas are created by assembling bits and pieces from random times and places.  Such was the centerpiece for this piece.  It started out with the tiny tintype of an anonymous little girl.  It was taped inside a small booklet sent to me from a friend.  Oddly enough, the tintype fit into the embossed gold foil spandrel I had in my stash.  Like the velvet lined case behind it, that spandrel predates the tintype by several decades ... but they looked so good together! So I poked holes in the foil and the case and stitched them together. 

 

(Above:  Backside of the porcelain plate.)

At the time, I wasn't sure this combination would work as the centerpiece for a mandala. Though I've used ambrotypes in the center of a few mandalas, I always put them on something round.  I wasn't sure I had anything that would work ... but then I noticed a porcelain plate I'd purchases at an antique mall.  I picked it up because it had a decorative border, one with holes!  But, I really didn't like the hand-painted fruit design ... so I hadn't used it.  Amazingly, the tinytype/ambrotype case assemblage aligned perfectly with the holes.  So I stitched it there!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXV.) 

Next, I needed a suitable background.  I rummaged through the box in which I store old quilts and pulled out one I'd never used.  Why?  Well ... it was really thin ... as in just a Southern summer quilt, the sort without batting.  It was well made but also damaged.  The red and white polka dot fabric used for the center of the medallions might not always have been "red and white". The "dot" had disintegrated years ago.  The "white" now seen is really the back of the quilt ... meaning ... just one layer of fabric.  There was another reason why I hadn't cut this quilt.  It was dated ... 1841 ... multiple times ... in sepia ink.  This was some sort of signature quilt.  The writing is difficult to read now, but many lines are Bible verses, names, and towns in upstate New York.  Like most of my quilts, I didn't pay more than twenty dollars for this one.  It seemed sad to cut something that old, but truthfully, it was the only real way to give parts of it "a second life".

 

(Above: Detail of Mandala CCXV.)

To solve the problems presented by this antique quilt, I simply stapled two layers of fabric behind the quilt.  (All my mandalas are stitched while stapled to a stretcher bar.)  What fabric did I use?  Of course it was repurposed!  I cut up an old damask tablecloth, one with stains from some holiday dinner.  This provided a more substantial base.  Like always, I pinned a layer of bridal tulle over the surface before stitching down any of my objects.  This nearly invisible layer protects the fragile, threadbare areas of the quilt.  

 

(Above:  Mandala CCXV, shown at an angle.)

Then, everything else simply fell into place.  I worked intuitively, picking up things that seemed to go with a "little girl" and the nostalgia of "long ago".  Most of the objects have been waiting in my stash.  I laminated the 1950s paper doll clothes more than a year ago.  I think the gold plastic spools have been waiting for even longer.  Of course, my stash has a big box of anonymous photos that were used on the tops of the spools.  The farm tokens were "newer to me"; I bought them last month at the Pickens County flea market ... which was also where I got the modern "spinner" toys for the corners. Best of all, I used colorful buttons.  I'm really pleased with how this Found Object Mandala turned out!

New Profile Picture

(Above:  My new social media profile picture.)

I would much rather be behind the camera than in front of it.  One of my eyes seems to squint if I attempt to smile much.  Often, I've got a stupid expression or accidentally move when taking a selfie.  Sometimes I get a finger in the way.  I must have clicked two or three dozen times before getting this result.  I don't really like it that much, but I was tired of trying to get something better ... something that shows me as I am but also my new, super cool eyeglasses.  I might try again ... sometime next week.  This will have to do for now.  At least it is current!  I subscribe to a few newsletters written by other art quilters and fiber artists who are still using the same image after more than a decade.  When I see their face on a Zoom meeting, I'm generally surprised.  They don't look like their picture any more.  I might not age gracefully but I'm not about to present myself with a picture from another era!
 

Mandala CCXIV

(Above:  Mandala CCXIV. Custom framed: 20" x 20". Found Objects hand-stitched to the backside of a vintage quilt.  Objects include: A tan, crochet-edged doily; a pair of old Wiss shears; two, gold metal pieces that might have come from a curtain stay with were fitted with antique button centers; an escutcheon; a piece of decorative metal; black toy car wheels; large, metal washers; natural wood toy car wheels; two, two-part buckles; assorted beads and buttons. Click on any image to enlarge.)

This particular mandala started as a way to use the pieces of a damaged frame.  One corner was badly chipped.  So, I started with the knowledge that the frame included black sides and a silver top.  The backside of an old quilt seemed perfect.  Then, I pulled out the old pair of Wiss shears that I recently found for a dollar at the Pickens County flea market.  The design flowed easily from there.  Everything seemed close at hand.  Most of the hand-stitching happened on Saturday while I watched one football conference championship game after another.  Later, however, I got curious about this brand name on the shears:  Wiss.

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXIV.)

A quick Google search was enlightening.  I'd heard of Fiskars and Gingher scissors.  They're sold at big box fabric stores.  I've seen Scotch and KitchenAid scissors at Target.  I knew that Singer made scissors too.  Personally, I own a pair of handmade scissors like those in this Made By British Hands video. (I love and protect them! LOL!)  Yet, I'd never heard of Wiss Shears and Scissors.  Why?  I have no idea.  

Founded in 1848 by Swiss immigrant Jacob Wiss, the company became the globe's largest producer by 1914 and later expanded to meet the growing needs of the medical and military industries.  From the start, Wiss replaced broken products regardless of the reason for the damage.  To this day, Wiss is the undisputed market leader of aviation snips. The brand is still being made and is part of Apex Tool Group.  On line, I found a PDF from the late 1950s showing all sorts of household items ... including tweezers, pruning clippers, cuticle snips, and fingernail files!  Who knew?!!!  There's a good chance I've seen and probably used a Wiss item but just didn't recognize it!

Mandala CCXIII

 

(Above: Mandala CCXIII. 2024. Custom framed: 32 1/4" x 32 1/4". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Found objects include: Model train cars; decorative wooden plate with a lion shaped belt buckle; coffee K-pods; dominoes; pastry molds; hinges; Tinkertoy connectors; hair clips; gold belt buckles; vintage poker chips; 1970 UAW pins; green Monopoly houses; and assorted buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

Over the years, there have been several occasions when a table lot of train parts has come up for bidding at an auction.  The price has always been too rich for my blood. I figured that using model train cars for a Found Object Mandala was simply not in the future.  Then, Steve and I stopped at the Lavonia Antique Mall.  One of the dealers specializes in model trains and had an extremely wide selection of very, very affordable parts.  

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXIII.)

 

It took plenty of time for me to examine all the train cars ... lining them up by their varied lengths, sizes, and colors.  Steve was patient while I selected an arrangement that would work on mandala.  I must have spent forty-five minutes in that antique mall booth!  It was time well spent.  Not only did I get these twelve train cars but I got eight more, shorter ones too!  They will go on a future mandala.

 

 

Some of these train cars were slightly broken (which explains the cheap prices!)  For the most part, this didn't both me, especially since I removed their wheels and bases before drilling holes in their sides. I am sure that real train enthusiasts would be horrified! LOL!  But without these extra parts, this mandala is a lot lighter than it looks!

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CCXIII at an angle.)