Unknown Jungle Bird

Unknown Jungle Bird

The Ballarina Bird

The Ballarina Bird

Hides in the Jungle where all sorts of strange birds live.

A Rusty Moon

Dear Timothy,
As you know, I have been stitching. A lot. I am making progress because I have finished this Jungle Corner.

I did add this rusty moon to the corner. You will probably notice it is a bit of GP's shirt that I used on the backside except I laid it outside on some rusty stuff first. I love the rusty colors on this corner. 

Tim, I love you being here and seeing this as I progress.

Fall Jungle

Dear Timothy,
It was time to switch back to the front side. Since I didn't have components ready to connect, I'm adding this third side of the Jungle, the Fall side, a bit different. 

I started by attaching the base which by the way is from the underskirt of the Jesus Bed that you slept in as a tiny new boy. I really like the inclusion of it here even though it will be unseen as the piece in the middle that holds it all together. 

Then, I basted one of the sample fabrics in place before ripping the strips. I really enjoy the weaving of cloth. 

Corner Connection

Tim, just so you know, the new black and white piece added is from my friend, Susie's blouse. She was about to discard it as worn out but I knew I could give it new life. 

Timothy, I hope we have found new life together this week. You have my heart.

Thank You Tim

Dear Timothy,

Thank you so much for going with me yesterday to the Habitat Restore. I didn't go for these beautiful bits of fabric but as you saw, I couldn't help but pick up a few. In fact, twenty-seven is a few. I mean, at a quarter each how could I not partake. 

This first one is my very most favorite. I love the colors. I love how it feels so soft even though it is thick. I love the weave that is part of the design. And I have an idea about what I might make with it. 

I chose mostly linen, silk and cotton but that favorite piece has 63% viscose which I couldn't tell you what that was yesterday. Today, I can tell you that it is a special type of rayon. 

And I especially love the Ralph Lauren samples. They are a very generous size that I'm sure I will create something wonderful with. 

Another favorite is this sheer linen. I wish it were larger.

And now that I'm home with these bits of fabric treasure, I wish I had pillaged the whole lot. It is probably best I didn't though.

Thank you Tim for being such a good and helpful sport. 

Dueling Dragons

Dear Timothy,

The log cabin is growing. I now have to piece the shirt strips together to have a piece of the same shirt long enough to add. Slowly but surely I hope to finish this in our lifetime. 

 I really didn't think there would be a story on the backside as I only intended to quilt it to cover the messiness. 

But look! Dueling dragons. I thought that was what they were and I was thrilled when you saw the dye bath splotches and said they looked like dragons. 

Tim, I love that our imagination is "in sync".

Rorschach Inkblot

Dear Timothy,
I am making progress quilting the backside of your cloth where my story continues to develop. 

First of all, you probably won't recognize that I am adding the pieces of Grand Pa's shirt backs in a traditional Log Cabin patchwork design. When I planned this, it did not occur to me how symbolic the log cabin would be. In this case, GP's shirts representing home is so meaningful in a way only you might understand. 

I knew when this shirt came out of the dye bath it would take center stage. I saw the figure. I knew the flowers were about me. But the heart shape face had me perplexed; therefore, I left that area unstitched until last week when I finally understood the simple fact that this is the backside of the cloth and of course is the backside of the figure.

Today, as I look at this square I realize how much this looks like a Rorschach inkblot. My mind is tumbling with that thought and what my interpretation of it means about me. 

Tim, just know that sometimes we have to wait for inspiration. And I think you should also remember that everything we do says something about us. 

GP's Got Your Back

Dear Timothy,
I've known for a long time that I would use GP's old shirts for the back side of your cloth. But first I needed to over dye them in a green bath to bring them together in a color-way.  I ripped the backs from the shirts to start with, holding in reserve the fronts and arms. 

Tim, always know that GP's "got your back".  

I had no idea until I placed the first shirt back onto the center of the backside how attached I was to the stitches showing there. I frequently flipped it over to admire my handiwork. Aside from being beautiful in my eyes, to see all those stitches was some way of measuring my progress. Whenever I share your cloth with anyone, I always flip it for their response to the gazillion stitches. 

The stitches are becoming on the inside as I cover them with new stitches and GP's shirt backs.

Tim, sometimes we have to let go and just keep the beauty an inside memory.

Sometimes, I can't leave well-enough alone. I really thought I wanted to add color. I rolled and wrapped with twine this shirt-back before dropping it into the green dye bath. And I was getting excited about the image that emerged. I was thinking about how a story was coming forth on the backside of your cloth. And how this story was about me, the maker of Tim's Cloth.  And you know all of my stories are in color. But now, I wish I had resisted the color and just kept stitching. 

Tim, I'm going to remember that sometimes I should resist my first impulses. And maybe you should too. But most of all, I'm going to remember that "there is always two sides to every story". 

Jungle Blue Bills

Dear Timothy,

I know what they are now. The circling birds are Jungle Blue Bills. You can see why I'm sure. I've been stitching and today, I'm feeling like just sitting in the chair and stitching. It was so nice to see you and all the family yesterday. I gave thanks for that. 

Winter Jungle Connection

Dear Timothy,

It is true. I haven't stitched for 5 months. There were so many things going on during the summer and the fact is I have too many excuses to tell. 

The winter jungle was ready to make the connection to the story line and Green Moon Forest and that is what I did yesterday. 

After making the connection, I finished weaving the first Jungle corner.

And would you believe, there are jungle birds circling in the corner. 

Tim, I'm sure you know that sometimes birds circling means something below has died.  But that is not true in this case. 

Stitch Stitch Stitch Circles

Oh Dear Timothy,

I just needed to stitch and stitch and stitch. And so I did. In the jungle for the Winter side of the Green Moon Forest.  

Crazy Blue Circle Bird

Dear Timothy,

December a year ago when I stitched that crazy blue circle on this component, I never  thought it was a bird. 

Then, recently while stitching the circle that is not a moon it occurred to me that this section of your cloth is "The Jungle". Now, I don't really know what the difference in a forest and a jungle is but in my mind, I think the jungle is so full of growth that birds and beasts are not as visible and maybe even more abstract. Anyway, that is how they will be in your jungle.

Timothy, what I want you to remember is, things today may be something totally different a year and a half down the road.  

It's Not A Moon

Dear Timothy,
I did make the connection with the early components that was planned in the beginning. I thought I would be able to make great progress if I would just quilt stitch these added components. I told myself that nothing else need be added. But I became bored with just straight stitching. So your cloth has been just waiting for me.

Timothy, don't be confused that the added circle is another moon. It is not. 

Making Connections

Dear Timothy,

This is a favorite lettle section of the Autumn side of the moon. I have been stitching like a crazy fool. Mostly because stitching allows me to escape into my own brain and leave "stuff" outside. However, I have also been on a mission to finish the stitching of The Green Moons Forest square.

Which I have done and for the record, it is now 47 inches square and ready to receive the next part of the story.

The black connecting border is in place and I have been auditioning some of the early components that I thought would come next.  The problem is I may have changed my mind and so I will stop for a while and just be in the "thinking" mode about that. 

You know Tim, sometimes making connections can be hard.  All I can tell you about that is, when in doubt, give it a lot of thought. 

The Storyline

Dear Timothy,
Maybe you think I haven't been stitching. I have. I have been focusing on finishing all the stitching in the big center Green Moons Forest square. I am anxious to make the next connection using some of the first components that started this story.

I didn't realize until I laid the pieces together that the forest needed a ground.  So, I'm adding a border around the piece before conjoining the components.

I'm always amazed how doing one little thing inspires the next thing. Makes me think that all the options are  written down in order somewhere just waiting for my discovery. But I have to discover them in a certain order. It's like walking down a path.  The path splits into two paths. A fork in the road as they say. It depends on which path you take as to what you will find.  You should remember that.

I am excited about the black border. It is going to look really cool but more than that, I think it will become the story line.  That is the inspiration that was waiting for my discovery. 

Tim, you always need to know how thing are put together and what makes them work.  Well, just so you know, this is how I'm going to make the connection.