The Giant Diptych

 

(Above:  Me painting the tan side of the giant diptych.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

For several months, I've been working on a couple of VERY LARGE commissions. They all started with correspondence discussing size and price, a proposal, a contract, and a schedule for required updates.  (These are the same, first two sentences on my earlier post from today ... about the other commission, a giant triptych!  The diptych and the triptych were for the same client!)  This has been quite exciting ... and more than a little scary.  After all, I don't generally paint.  Yet, the art consultancy saw my earlier piece, Capitals in Blue and Gold.  They simply wanted the finished work to measure 7' x 3' ... which is really, really big!

 

(Above:  Me painting the blue side of the diptych.)

Well ... if I can paint once, I figured I could paint again.  Apparently, this attitude works!  I'm very, very pleased with the results. 

 

(Above:  The finished diptych.)

Of course, I really couldn't capture quality images of these works.  First, the size is enormous.  Second, the glare from the coating of UV filtering epoxy makes it really hard to photograph.  Yet, I did take plenty of pictures of the work while in progress.  These were needed for the periodic, PDF progress updates.  Some of image are below ... including ...

 

... a composite image showing a detail of the painting before being stitched (top) and after being stitched (bottom). 

 

 

 

The image above shows the same detail area from the back side.  Both pieces were free-motion embroidered using 100% black cotton thread on the single layer of painted canvas.

 

This image above shows the back of the piece clamped to the original stretcher bar.  Basically, the free-motion stitching outlines the paint while adding contrast and detail.  In order to share this part of the process with the clients, Steve shot a short You Tube video. Truly, I absolutely love my Babylock Tiara!

After the stitching was finished on both pieces, the work was sealed with GAC 400, a fabric stiffener and nailed to the back side of a heavy-duty stretcher bar.  3/4" galvanized roofing nails were used.  The sides of the stretcher bar were previously painted white.  (Why "nailed to the back side"? Well, the front of a stretcher bar has a raised outer rim.  The back side is totally flat!)  Once prepared, the giant pieces were coated with UV filtering epoxy.  This liquid is self-leveling.  A propane torch is used to eliminate any bubbles that form while the two-part solutions are aggressively stirred together.  There's a 22-second video of this too!

Once both the diptych and the triptych were finished and the arts consultancy got final approval from their Seattle client, crates were built.  Steve and I got to learn plenty about the high cost of freight shipping in this wild and crazy world of fluctuating diesel fuel costs, driver shortages, and supply chain problems that have tied up various trucks.  Some companies weren't accepting new clients.  Others had exorbitant costs.  Believe it or not, my best quote came from FedEx freight!

Both crates weighed nearly 100 pounds.  We put handles on them.  The FedEx driver couldn't have been nicer.

Yet, I think Ernie the Cat misses the boxes.  Everyone knows how cats love boxes.  These were no exception!  This project evolved over several, exciting months.  I was reluctant to blog about it until the crates were safely in Seattle (and ... yes ... I used FedEx tracking to see where they went every step of their west-bound journey!) 
 

The Giant Triptych

(Above:  Me with the two side pieces for a giant, commissioned triptych.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

For several months, I've been working on a couple of VERY LARGE commissions. They all started with correspondence discussing size and price, a proposal, a contract, and a schedule for required updates. It's been extremely exciting ... mixed with an expected touch of nervousness.  After all, this triptych was commissioned by an art consultancy for their client in Seattle, Washington. The artwork needed to please lots of people in very faraway places.  Thankfully, I know what I'm doing when using my own melting techniques!  Yet, this is bigger than I normally work!

(Above:  The finished triptych.  Please excuse the glare from the Plexiglas.  The sizes are 48" x 30" for each of the two side pieces and 48" x 40" for the center piece.)

Along each step of the way, I snapped photos in order to create the required PDF updates.  Some of the images are below, including ...

 

... a picture of me constructing the various layers of polyester stretch velvet on the center piece ...

... and a snapshot of the two side pieces after all the shapes were fused together on the two side pieces.

 

Here I am doing the free-motion, machine stitching on my Babylock Tiara.   

Here I am melting holes through the layers of synthetic material using a fine-tipped soldering iron.  There's even a video showing me melt one of the side pieces.  Because I posted it on You Tube, it has already been viewed more than seven-hundred times.  Yet, until now, I never mentioned that this was part of a commission.  Honestly, I kept this triptych under wraps until both it and a diptych were finished, crated, shipped to Seattle, and the final invoice was paid.  Yes ... there's a diptych too.  I'll be blogging about it as soon as I publish this post! 

Lost and Found II

(Above:  Lost and Found II. 14" x 14".  Found objects hand-stitched to a block of a vintage Drunkard's Path quilt. Found objects include: an old linoleum cutter; a metal coaster; two telephone ringers; six, rusty stars; beads and buttons. Click on the image to enlarge.)

Lost and Found I was a surprising success when shared here on my blog and on social media. It gave me the confidence to say, "This will be a new series!"  Of course, this new series is totally related to my Found Object Mandalas.  Both include found objects hand-stitched to sections of vintage quilts.  Yet, this new series allows me to design without conforming to the concentric circles that make the resulting artwork a true "mandala".  It also allows me to use one-of-a-kind things.  Ordinarily, I need at least four objects (other than the center medallion!)

I knew that the second piece would have to feature the linoleum cutter.  I'd tried several times to use it as the center of one of my Found Object Mandalas ... but it never quite worked.  I got the thing while enjoying an art residency at the Rensing Center outside Pickens, South Carolina.  In town, Bivens Hardware is a true delight. It is an independent hardware store that has been in the same family for years and years.  When I was browsing through the aisles, pulling open various drawers, I found this odd piece of metal.  I asked the owner, "Is this for sale?  If so ... how much? And ... by the way ... what is it?"  He laughed and admitted not seeing it for decades.  "It's a linoleum cutter.  How about two dollars."  To me, it looks just like the profile of a dinosaur head ... which makes it perfect for the concept of "lost and found"!

The rusty stars are elevated from the background quilt by buttons underneath them. I am anxious to start the next piece in this series, to use some of my stash that is otherwise "not quite right" for a mandala!
 

Not Beyond Repair

(Not Beyond Repair. 15" x 13" x 13". A collaboration with ceramist Gale Ray.  Broken ceramic shards crudely glued back together; repaired, vintage ceramic glove form; unraveled thread mixed into UV filtering epoxy; and letters clipped from vintage ephemera.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I've been working on this piece for weeks.  That might sound like a lot of time but it wasn't.  I'd only spent about ten minutes a day.  That's all I could do at any one time.  I wish I could say that this was entirely my idea but it wasn't.  At this point, the story needs to back up a bit!

(Above:  Detail of Not Beyond Repair in progress.)

Months and months ago I applied for a solo show at Park Circle Gallery in North Charleston.  My Found Object Mandalas were accepted for October 4 - 31, 2022. There's even a public reception on October 7, 2022.  The email announcing the selection included the fact that my work would occupy half the space.  The other half was awarded to Gale Ray for her solo show.  Gale Ray is a talented painter and ceramic artist living in Charleston, SC, but until reading my acceptance email, I'd never heard of her.  She got much the same sort of email as I did.  She didn't know me either.  In fact, we still haven't met but we connected on social media and by telephone.  We are looking forward to our joint solo shows.

(Above:  Not Beyond Repair, in progress.)

During our correspondence, Gale suggested some sort of collaboration. Perhaps this idea occurred to her because it put a positive spin on a very negative situation.  One of her large ceramic vessels had recently been broken while traveling to an out-of-state juried show.  The piece was literally "in pieces".  Gale suggested sending the shards to me as the start of a collaboration.  She thought that I might "make a mosaic" but I really don't know how to do that ... not that I have more expertise or knowledge about gluing shards back together but that's what I did.  I also sent Gale a box of strange things for mark-making on a new piece of ceramics (not that she's going to do that ... because ... well ... she might have other ideas too!)

(Above:  Using the attachment to my miniature grinder to remove excess Gorilla glue.)

For two or three days, the shards sat on the top of my dry mount machine.  I tried to think how best to use them.  I attempted to drill a hole through one piece so that I could stitch through them. My 1/16" drill bit refused to do the job.  Finally, I decided to pretend I was in some museum trying to glue together the remains from an archeological dig. (This fantasy propelled the idea!) 

Of course, I don't know what glue would be proper but I do have Gorilla glue.  Of course, I don't know what sort of clamps would be proper but I have some cheap plastic clips. Between the expanding glue and the lack of flexibility in my makeshift clamps, I knew that a proper "reconstruction" wasn't going to happen.  Maybe that's why I didn't start photographing the process until I had most of the shards glued together.  Honestly, I didn't think this approach would work at all ... but it did!  (I really wish now that I'd photographed the "before" scene!)

(Above:  Detail of the letters clipped from vintage ephemera to spell out the title.)

Basically, I glued and clamped together a few pieces every day until they formed a "broken pot".  Toward the end, I started thinking about the word "collaboration".  Gluing shards together might have been "enough" but it certainly didn't meld my fiber art approach with Gale's ceramic approach.  Fibers were needed.  Plus, the piece was rather fragile.  What it needed was "more support".  I had an idea as to how to best proceed.  

For four days in a row, I mixed up almost a quart of UV filtering epoxy with a pile of unraveled thread.  The thread was leftover from my installation Threads: Gathering My Thoughts.  I knew this would work because I'd experimented with thread and epoxy before ... and blogged about it HERE. This couldn't be done in one day because the epoxy isn't formulated for that much density.  Yet, the epoxy would adhere to the inside of the vessel ... reducing the fragility.  Also, I added a repaired, vintage glove form.  After all, this was all "handwork".

(Above:  Detail of Not Beyond Repair.)

More than just "handwork", I added the vintage glove form because it brought a human element and sense of resilience to the collaboration.  Why?  Well, I'd been thinking about a title.  I didn't want something that related to either my fibers or Gale's ceramics but something that spoke to the act of reclamation, of mending, of putting things back together ... of REPAIR.  As I worked, I googled for quotations with the word "repair" and landed on one by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York's 14th congressional district's US representative.  I knew immediately that this was perfect: I just hope that more people will ignore the fatalism of the argument that we are beyond repair. We are not beyond repair. We are never beyond repair.

(Above:  Detail of Not Beyond Repair.)

The final touches to this piece were simple and straight-forward.  I used the attachment to my miniature grinder to sand away the excess Gorilla glue.  I painted the exposed edges of the shards with gold metallic paint mixed with GAC 200, an acrylic hardener that increases adhesion to non-porous surfaces, and added letters clipped from vintage ephemera to spell out the title: Not Beyond Repair.  Gold paint was used as a nod toward the Japanese technique called Kintsugi.  Liquid gold is used to mend broken objects.  Kintsugi "treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise."  I like that!

I don't know what Gale Ray will think of this piece and I don't know what she is doing with the items I sent her, but I look forward to the show in October!  It's going to be exciting to share a gallery and unveil our collaborations.  

Lost and Found ... perhaps a new series

(Lost and Found, 18" x 18". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage, utilitarian quilt.  Found objects include: a hand mirror frame; two brass socket plates; assorted thimbles; brass screw eyes; two bors d'oeuvre forks; two, brown canoe-shaped cocktail stirrers; a copper brioche mold; several religious charms; two sunflower buttons; two different sets of locks; two inlaid backgammon pieces; buttons and beads; and other assorted items in a tack embellished custom picture frame. Click on image to enlarge.)

Perhaps this is the start of a new series, something related to my Found Object Mandalas ... but not designed using concentric circles.  Perhaps not.  Time will tell.  It always does.  All I know right now is that I felt totally compelled to stitch this piece.  The hand mirror frame was just so intriguing.  It seemed "perfect" for a Found Object Mandala even though it clearly wasn't perfect.  It doesn't conform to a nice, round centerpiece and I certainly didn't have four of them.  I generally need at least "four things" in order to use them outside the center circle.  The four, spiral-ended metal pieces (of totally unknown function) came with the hand-mirror.  As soon as I lay them on the table, I could mentally "see" the design.  

The idea came together within minutes and the entire piece took less than a day. My husband Steve thinks it might be "too busy".  It might be.  Many people have tried to tell me that "less is more".  I generally nod, as if agreeing.  The little voice speaking from the back of my brain reminds me that "more is also more" ... and doesn't need a lofty, art-ease explanation.  

I am certainly from the "more is more school of art" but still not sure whether this is the start of something or simply a fun "one off".  Time will tell.  I always does!

Mandala CXIX

(Mandala CXIX. 37 3/4" x 37 3/4". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Found objects include: a broken tambourine; a ceiling cover for a light; carved, wooden donkeys/mules; two types of coffee K-pods; four, bakelite purse handles; crochet doilies from an old tablecloth; round, brown circles of unknown function; four, chest latches; and buttons.  Click on any image to enlarge.) 

It's probably obvious that the inspiration for this Found Object Mandala was the carved, wooden animals.  Whether they are donkeys or mules or South American pack burros is unknown (and totally unimportant!), but I will think of them as mules.  They remind me of dawn while an artist-in-residence at Guadalupe Mountain National Park in west Texas ....

 ... and walking up the gravel road to the mule corral. I visited almost every morning, staring into the deepest, darkest, soul-filled eyes.  So, of course, when a box of carved wooden MULES was on a "table lot" at Bill Mishoe's auction, I bid ... successfully.  Not until I got the box home did I realize that I had different shades of wood and enough for more than one mandala!  

(Above:  The vintage quilt for this mandala.)

It might have been on the same evening that my friend Bert successfully bid on another table lot that included this vintage, utilitarian quilt.  Having no better use of it, Bert gave it to me.  With the odd arrangement of fabrics and the unbalance contrast, I wasn't totally sure this quilt would work.  Yet, when I put a piece of light orange netting over the top, it worked well.

(Ernie the Cat supervising the design process!)

Even Ernie the Cat seemed to approve!  I'm very pleased with this large addition to the Found Object Mandala Series.  So is Ernie and also my husband Steve. 

(Above: Detail of Mandala CXIX.)

Yet, Steve asked an interesting question:  Why are the legs of the mules pointing outward?  Honestly, I have no idea why I arranged then that way ... but I've started another mandala with more mules ... with their legs pointing inward.  Like real mules, they seem to go both ways! LOL!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXIX.)
 

Mandala CXVIII

(Above:  Mandala CXVIII. 22" x 22". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Found objects include: a brass, snowflake shaped trivet; a small, silver brioche mold; six, decorative souvenir spoons from Germany; pin holders; yellow Tinker Toy connectors; an entire set of checkers (tan and brown); shower curtain hangers; paisley-shaped charms; four, brass hinges; beer caps; small, clear glass prisms; buttons and beads.  Click on either image to enlarge.)

On a recent weekend trip to Hilton Head Island, Steve and I visited several thrift stores in search of "multiples" for my Found Object Mandala Series.  Shopping with Steve is different from shopping alone.  I'm cheap.  I'll pass by items that have double-digit price tags regardless of how unique they might be.  Steve is easily the better shopper (which is why he's known by first name in our local grocery store! LOL!)  I would NEVER have considered the set of six, decorative souvenir spoons from Germany.  They were in a lovely clasped box and cost $30.  Steve, however, insisted they were perfectly wonderful. 

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXVIII.)

Okay ... I admit it ... Steve was right!

Mandala CXVII

(Mandala CXVII. 27" x 27". Found Objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique signature quilt. Found objects include: a decorative, blue-and-white china plate; brass hinges; sky blue and clear plastic napkin rings; brass grommets; silver broiche molds; metallic blue Christmas tree light reflectors; keys; jingle bells; blue Tinker Toy connectors; small, round glass prisms; long needle-like parts of prostate radioactive seed implant devices; sewing machine bobbins with white thread; expired medical devices in clear/blue plastic containers; beads and buttons. Click on either image to enlarge.)

This is the last of four Found Object Mandalas stitched on sections of an antique signature quilt.  Like the other three, I just didn't work about the names of the anonymous stitchers.  I was more concerned with attempting to balance the arrangement and colors due to the fact that the solid blue applique seemed so much "heavier" than the other, floral printed fabrics. I'm not sure that I was totally successful but nonetheless, I do like the finished piece.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXVII. $550 plus SC sales tax and shipping.)

I've already finished the next piece and am nearly done with the one after that.  Like normal, I got behind on my blogging.  This time I have a good excuse.  The weekend was cold and rainy.  I participated in a local, outdoor art sale and nearly froze to death.  Okay ... that's an exaggeration ... especially since I live in South Carolina where "cold" is anything under forty degrees! LOL!  The sale was only on Saturday.  (Thank goodness!) I spent all of yesterday recovering ... which means I stitched in my nice, warm living room.
 

Mandala CXVI

(Mandala CXVI. 39" x 39" as a square; 55 1/2" x 55 1/2" as a diamond. Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt. Found objects include:  Yellow, plastic, circular knitting loom; sixteen children's toothbrushes with turtle handles; eight draw knob plates; Heineken beer caps; twelve, bright reddish-orange, plastic crabs (that squeak!); yellow, purple, white, and blue plastic bottle caps; brackets for a screen door; hinge pin door stops; neon green cocktail stirrers; white, circular pin savers; orange, plastic circles cut from a six-pack beer yokes; blue casino chips; purple, three-sided hair combs/picks; green, metallic Christmas light reflectors; buttons and beads.)

How could I possibly resist a box of brand new, bright reddish-orange plastic crabs that squeak?  They were in a box on a "table lot" at Bill Mishoe's auction.  I bid successfully ... which means I got everything on the "table lot" ... which meant "other things" in other boxes.  When I got home, I discovered the box of children's toothbrushes and the three-sided hair combs/picks too.  It was like hitting the jackpot ... which might account for the blue casino chips! LOL!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXVI.)

The drawer knob plates, the screen door brackets, and the hinge pin door stops came from the ReStore.  Other people donated the circular pin savers and most of the colorful bottle caps as well as the Christmas light reflectors.  I'm truly in debt to the generosity of other people.  Yet, I need some help too!  

(Above: Detail of Mandala CXVI.)

I'm supposed to teach two different workshops at QSDS in Columbus, Ohio. The first is a five day workshop (June 6 - 10) called "HOT".  This is the workshop that covers my In Box and Stained Glass melting techniques.  Every participant will go home with more than one finished piece.  One will even be in a provided frame.  There is no "supply list" ... other than a suggestion to bring one's own scissors because not all of mine are particularly sharp!  The other workshop is a two day experience called "One Woman's Trash is Another's Treasure" (June 11 and 12) .  This will be a fast and furious adventure covering all sorts of things ... from my fiber vessels, tagging keys, and how these Found Object Mandalas are made.  Again ... there is no supply list.  Yes!  I bring EVERYTHING for every participant.
 

(Above:  Mandala CXVI, hung as a diamond.)

One of the best things about QSDS is the fact that the studios are open 24/7.  I will be making work too ... lots of it.  Right now, there are only two people in the HOT workshop and four in the other one.  Basically ... this will mean plenty of one-on-one time in addition to the hours I plan on being available in the studio.  So ... if you've ever thought about an intense experience with me ... this is it.  If you know someone who would enjoy this, please spread the word!

Mandala CXV

(Above:  Mandala CXV.  Custom framed: 32" x 32". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of an antique signature quilt.  Found objects include: An antique ambrotype in half of a decorative case; one dozen brass drawer knob plates; anonymous photos in twelve wine glass charms; eight anonymous photos on earring charms; four decorative outlet covers; a dozen clear, plastic napkin holders; six coffee K-pods; four wavy hair clips; four aluminum brioche molds; brass grommet rings; small, round, glass chandelier prisms; eight paisley shaped earring charms; four folding travel scissors; long needle-like parts of prostate radioactive seed implant devices; buttons and beads.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Months ago Steve and I attended a great church bazaar.  We found lots of "multiples" for Found Object Mandalas ... including three, brand new sets of wine charms.  These were the type that were meant for tiny photos of friends, a way to know whose wine glass belonged to which friend.  Honestly, I thought this was ridiculous.  Who has tiny photos of their friends and time to cut and insert them in charms?  Sure ... I could manage the Photoshop skills to capture images from Facebook, resize them correctly, and get them onto wine glasses ... but still ... who, when visiting a friend, can't keep track of his or her own wine glass if it isn't pictorially identified?  Crazy, right?  Well ... it might be crazy but I knew instantly how I wanted to use them for ART!

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXV.)

I have literally hundreds ... if not well over a thousand ... old, neglected photos in my stash.  It wasn't long until the twelve ridiculous wine glass charms were ready for a mandala.  Yet, I didn't have a working plan for anything else until I found another ambrotype in my stash.  This one, however, looked badly damaged but I thought, "It'll do!"  Then I realized that the glass wasn't damaged at all.  

An ambrotype is an image on glass.  They were popular in the 1850s.  Afterwards, tintypes became more common.  To produce an ambrotype, the glass was coated with light sensitive chemicals.  While still wet, the glass was exposed to light through the camera's lens and then developed and "fixed".  The resulting "negative" image only becomes a "positive" when placed on a black background.  Often, a black varnish coated the reverse side.  The one I had was so old that half of the varnish became brittle and was chipped away.  I chipped away as much of the brittle varnish as I could. Once I had a piece of black mat board under the glass, it looked perfect again!

(Above:  Three, brand new packages of wine glass charms.)

Soon, ideas were churning.  When I put down the twelve, brass drawer knob plates and small glass prisms, I knew I had a good start.  I had this stitched down before determining the rest of the piece.  Yet, things just seemed to fall into place.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXV.)

When I retrieved the four, folding travel scissors from my studio (because I got them at Foust Textiles and they were still in the bag with my other purchases), I noticed a box of jewelry charms that a cyber friend sent.  Among them were little "cameo" like pieces ... the sort that looked like a photo was supposed to be added.  What a great idea!  

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXV.)

I'm especially pleased to have these extra "anonymous portraits" on this piece.  After all, the quilt used for a foundation was a signature quilt. I have no idea who any of these people are but I feel as if this work pays homage to all of them.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXV.)

Much of my artwork is created in the vain of paying homage to anonymous "makers" who came before me and also to those whose photos I've used in my solo exhibit Anonymous Ancestors.   This past week, Anonymous Ancestors saw its last days at the Black Creek Arts Council in Hartsville.  Steve and I packed it up on Sunday.  I don't have another show for this installation scheduled in the future but I hope to secure one.

(Above:  A Bench by the Road at the historic Mitchelville site on Hilton Head Island.) 

Before going to Hartsville, Steve and I spent two day on Hilton Head Island.  We attended a great, Ohio State Alumni Association arranged tour of historic Mitchelville.  This is the first self-governing community of former enslaved people in the USA.  It was established in 1862 and had upwards of 2000-3000 residents before an August 1893 hurricane destroyed most of the entire island's buildings.  The executive director led the tour and spoke in depth about grants and funding needs for a proper interpretive center.  This is a history that shouldn't be forgotten.  The Toni Morrison Society knows this too. In 2013, the society installed one of their "A Bench by the Road" memorials.  It was lovely to know that my inclinations to "remember the nearly forgotten past" is a shared desire.  There are artists and musicians and playwrights and poets who try to communicate many of the same thoughts as I attempt in stitches. 

Mandala CXIV

(Mandala CXIV. Custom framed: 22 3/4" x 22 3/4". Found objects hand-stitched to a section of a vintage quilt.  Found objects include: A blue plastic lid inside an antique adding machine's ribbon case with a sewing machine bobbin under a glass section of a table lamp; six, black chess pawns; old Ram car keys; small, round, glass prisms from a chandelier; green, metal can pull tabs; blue, plastic water bottle lids; buttons; and green golf tees printed with the word Hawai'i.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This Found Object Mandala is full of stories.  If it could speak, it would talk about my friend Bert Easter, a "regular" ... like me ... at Bill Mishoe's auction.  Bert has great tastes and several booths at the Red Lion Antique Mall here in Columbia.  Months ago, Bert was the successful bidder on a "table lot".  That means, Bert got everything on and under the card table ... and it was "loaded".  I didn't bid against Bert because there was only one thing on the table that interested me ... the small crib quilt.  But, this crib quilt was really dirty, rather ratty, and sort of smelly.  So, my interest was very limited.  Bert had no interest in it at all. Knowing that I often bid on quilts, Bert simply gave me the old thing.  (Thanks, Bert!)  Well ... I threw the thing into my washing machine.  The setting was on "delicate" but apparently that was too much agitation.  Lots of the fragile pieces didn't hold up.  I wasn't sure I could use this crib quilt at all.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXIV.)

More recently (and also at Bill Mishoe's auction), I was the successful bidder on a stack of old, framed artwork.  One of the frames was perfectly square, very chunky, and seemingly "perfect" for a Found Object Mandala.  Generally, my husband Steve and I build our own frames ... but this looked like a new challenge.  It also looked like a good time to try using the crib quilt.  I cut the best section I could and then used the leftover parts to replace the damaged pieces.  I'm never really worried about the condition of the fabric for my Found Object Mandalas because I put a layer of netting over the surface before stitching down any of the objects.  I used a yellow netting ... because there was a lot of yellow in the crib quilt.  

I worried about creating a strong contrast between the chunky black frame and the cheerful yellow fabric.  I knew I needed to bring something "black" into the composition.  The first things I tried were the black chess pawns (also from some random "table lot" at Bill Mishoe's auction).  Then, things fell into place ... not because of the black or the yellow or even the strong blue fabric ... but because the bottoms of the chess pawns were green felt.  Let's face it!  Blue and yellow do make green!

I got some of the car keys from Margaret Blank in Canada. I got the blue water bottle caps from Jane Hiller, a local friend.  I got the green metal can pull tabs from my local friend Flavia Lovatelli ... but the things that really makes this piece are the green golf tees.  Believe it or not, they arrived in the mail from a cyber friend, Rose Kauhane, who lives in Texas.  They arrived on the day I designed this work.  The timing was absolutely perfect.  In a sense, it takes a village to stitch a mandala!
 

Mandala CXII and CXIII

(Above:  Mandala CXII.  Custom framed. 17 1/4" x 17 1/4" when hung as a square; 24 1/2" x 24 1/2" when hung as a diamond. Found objects hand-stitched to a block of an old red-and-blue Dresden Plate quilt.  Found objects include: Lots of parts from a broken, antique adding machine; a glass lamp base; gold, plastic hangers for men's ties; keys; brass belt closures; four, plastic lids with thread labels and jingle bells; and buttons and beads. Click on any image to enlarge.)

This is the last Found Object Mandala made on the red-and-blue Dresden Plate quilt.  It's been fun trying to hide the original hand stitching ... because it was never done very well.  I've liked thinking about the anonymous woman who probably hated applique work.  I'd like to think that she is smiling down from heaven, knowing that her quilt was transformed into art.  

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXII.)

This piece, however, was inspired by a recent purchase from Bill Mishoe's Tuesday night "walk around" auction of used household "stuff".  One of the items that no other bidder wanted was a broken, turn-of-the-last century adding machine.  It had to have been state-of-the-art when first made.  Taking it apart required various sizes of screw drivers, lug wrenches, needle-nosed pliers, and finally a hammer ... because I never could figure out how to free the inner machine from its heavy, cast iron base without beating it until "things broke off". 

(Above:  Me taking apart an antique adding machine.)

There had to be more than seventy-five tiny, spiral springs ... and I still haven't freed the individually numbered key pads.  Dismantling this adding machine took almost a full day.  It was great fun!  My appreciation for the genius minds who invented late 19th and early 20th century machines increased with every passing hour.  It was strange to think about all the mathematical functions this machine was designed to do ... and how so many more were incorporated into my iPhone.  Truly, technology advanced by light years in a span of next-to-no-time at all!  The parts I retrieved were all so unique.  I'm glad that parts of this old machine will have a "second life". 

(Above: Mandala CXIII. Custom framed. 30 1/2" x 30 1/2". Found objects hand stitched to a section of an old, signature quilt.  Found objects include: Brown combs; pre-wound, paper sewing machine bobbins with white thread; a door lock; a ring from a towel hanger; orange and tan, plastic lids and aqua-printed lids from Arizona tea bottles; brioche molds from Sweden; laminated Tampa Nugget cigar bands; white, plastic "S"-shaped cafe curtain hangers; brackets for screen doors; brass grommet washers; brass knobplates; and buttons.)

This is the second Found Object Mandala made on an antique signature quilt.  When first cutting this quilt into quadrants, I seriously worried about the black thread used for the stitched names and initials.  I worried that I couldn't conquer the stark contrast and that these letters would stand out too strongly against any design of objects.  I stitched Mandala CVII with plenty of black-and-white layered buttons in an attempt to draw a viewer's eye away from the signatures.  In the end, I realized that it didn't even matter.  The objects do the trick on their own.  So, I didn't even worry about the contrast when stitching this piece.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXIII.)

While stitching this piece, I thought about all the ladies whose names or initials were stitched to the surface.  I hope they are looking down from heaven and smiling too!  After all, I am intentionally trying to give "second life" to old things but I am also trying to pay homage to all those quilters and stitchers and collectors of "every day 'precious'" as well.  These names just add to the artwork.

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXIII.)

I am also grateful to all those people who are really helping in these quests.  This is the first of what will assuredly be many more Found Object Mandalas that has incorporated some of the great things I recently got from the local, Central South Carolina Habitat for Humanity Re Store.  The manager is a friend.  He sent me a message saying that the available hardware had to be thinned out.  Much of it would end up in a dumpster headed to a landfill.  Of course I went.  The haul was AMAZING.  Not only did the screen door brackets and the brass knob plates come from the Re Store but the center door lock did too.  Using these didn't even put a dent into the stash I brought home that day!  I gave a monetary donation ... but seriously ... it was a paltry sum compared to the great things I got.
 

All in one day's adventure

(Above:  Foust Textile's Warehouse Sale.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Yesterday was a whirlwind of fun.  Steve and I were up and out of the house by 6:30 AM.  We stopped for coffee and headed up I-77.  On the road, Steve asked, "Do you think many people will be coming for this sale?"  I admitted having no idea at all and said, "This is a wholesale only company.  They've saved me from playing the 'coupon game' at Joann Fabrics by always carrying bolts of Pellon's 805 Wonder Under for a very low price.  I just want to see what sort of products are carried, things that might not be listed on their on-line shopping selection.  Maybe we'll be the only ones there.  Who knows?"

(Above:  Giant boxes stretching from one end of the warehouse to the other ... filled with cuts of fabric that were being sold by the pound.)

We were not the only ones there.  Arriving around 8:30 (just a half hour after the doors opened), we found the last place in the parking lot.  License plates were from Florida, Virginia, West Virginia, and both North and South Carolina.  By the time we left, both sides of the frontage road in front of the warehouse were parked full.  It was AMAZING!  We were greeted at the door.  Our credentials were checked ... wholesale only ... retail sales tax information and/or an established account.  We have both.  Two extremely large warehouses were connected to one another.  There was more fabric than I could imagine.  I nearly cried when finding packages of chenille needles.  I bought four little, folding travel scissors for an upcoming Found Object Mandala, another bolt of Wonder Under, skeins of perle cotton in boxes of six, and 6000 yard cones of 100% black cotton thread.  I even found three pieces of polyester stretch velvet.  It was like hitting the jackpot.

(Above:  Selfie with Didi Salvatierra.)

Best of all, we ran into Didi Salvatierra who was purchasing fabric for her guild's Quilts for Valor charity work.  Everyone was so nice.  Steve and I are already planning to return when the next sale happens.

From there, we drove to Carolina Steinway.  I'm happy to say that all three Found Object Mandalas, including the recently finished one featuring all 88 keys, were purchased for their collection.  I forgot, however, to take a photo.  Trust me!  It was a glorious feeling that these pieces have a new home!

  

(Above:  Giving my Artist Talk at the Sumter County Gallery of Art.)

Steve and I drove home, changed, and went on to the Sumter County Gallery of Art where I was treated like royalty.  Seriously, I'm almost always embarrassed by the kind introductions.  Executive director Karen Watson's words were no exception.  Curator Cole Miller led the conversation with some of the best topics ever.  This wasn't a "tell me about this piece" sort of talk.  We spoke about inspiration, legendary and mythical embroiderers from history, and the desire to leave a lasting legacy.  The audience seemed as captivated in hearing as much as I was in speaking.  Truly, yesterday was a great adventure!