Happy Halloween!!

Just a quick post before I rush off to work, to say happy halloween from Marvin and I. Have a good day, everyone!

Sprucin' up

I've been working on cleaning up my studio space the last few days, and it finally feels somewhat organized. The last couple
of weeks I'd been thinking of how nice it would be to have a dresser in my sewing space, for fabric. I can't afford a new piece of furniture right now, and so I was going to just make do with some smaller storage units we have, mish-mashing them together...and then one morning I just decided to haul out my dresser from the bedroom and use it! I have no where to put my clothes now, but that's ok, I can squeeze my stuff onto Chris's shelves : )

I decided to paint my bulletin board the same colour as the wall, and I think it helps an already busy area look a little calmer and cleaner. Adding a table cloth to my desk made a big difference too, I don't know why I didn't do that sooner (my desk is covered in globs of dried paint).








Marvin has a spot set up for napping already,


I love these little ceramic animals. They used to come free with tea packages years ago, and Chris' mum found an entire collection at a yard sale. I especially like the "reject" animals, like the boar and the funky marmot family.


These were made by a girl I graduated with, Heather Keeling. I love her work, and I'm so glad I got these little guys when I did.

In my last post I talked about community, and it's still something that is lingering in my mind. Recently, a super-nice lady at work gave me a bicycle she wasn't using, and I'm planning on biking to work (as soon as I learn how to ride a bike again); I'm really looking forward to this. For some reason when I take the bus, it feels as though I leave home, there are some sights and sounds in between, and then I'm at work. I'm hoping that by riding or walking to work I'll see all of the "in between" and feel how home and work are connected. I realize this might not make much sense written and outside of my own mind, sorry!

It's getting chillier around these parts lately, and I'm remembering those unfinished knitting projects from last year. I have a scarf I'm determined to finish, and I think I'll work on that tonight. Chris will be playing Half Life 2 all night, so I'm on my own. Good thing I have a movie and some ice cream.

Completely unrelated, I was watching a decorating show the other day, and the home own said she was " flummoxed about what to do with the entryway". Isn't that a great word?! I've been using it here and there since then, to try and "install" it into my vocabulary.
Speaking of ?! , have you ever heard of the Interrobang? It's a punctuation mark that was invented in 1968, and it's a combination of the exclamation and question mark. Neat, eh? At work at the gallery, I came across an MFA show that was called Interrobang, and the rationale for naming it, was that the show was intended to make a statement while prompting the viewer to ask questions...wow, how clever is that.

Here I am! and do you know your neighbours?

I'm sorry, this blog has turned into a weekly publication as opposed to the daily one I had intended. I created this blog as a way to force myself to stop and think every day about what I had done, and to force myself to see the positive. But lately my work schedule has picked up, and so I have a new schedule which I'm trying to get used to. I'm hopeful that once I fall into this new routine, my blogging will also fall into a groove.

This weekend, Chris went away to visit his parents. They live in a little place called Meadowville, in the country. Wow, I miss the country. Eventually I'd like to move back there ( we'd probably need a car to do that though!). While he was gone I decided to do some small home renovations; I tend to do those things when he's gone. I think I doubt myself less. What I really wanted to do was paint the bedroom a really girly, pretty colour, like pink. You can guess that that didn't fly. So I settled on a compromise, and painted the entryway, which really needed some brightening. I chose a colour called Ocean Breeze (pictures to come), and also painted some new shelves the same colour, for the kitchen and my studio. While I was at it, I filled a ton of holes in the walls, and replastered the bedroom windowsill. It was fun! I really love doing those things. I just wish I didn't have 40-year old carpet that went four inches up the walls, and linoleum with holes and burn marks throughout (ahem, ahem miss building manager, if you're out there reading this : )

I read something interesting this weekend in the news. A man is apparently boycotting Facebook because he's frustrated with people calling themselves your friends, while they're actually only acquaintances, in order to gain more "Friends" to add to their "Friend" list. I've felt disheartened by this before too, and I was quickly turned off of Facebook (besides the fact that it's a complete waste of time once the novelty of discovering that your friends from highschool are still alive and well wears off) because I felt there was this petty competition going on, which really had nothing to do with friendship.

This made me wonder if there was anything really positive about these online communities. I think there is something good about people being able to form collectives with like-minded people, and in a way they are in fact forming connections within a community. So, are these online communities essentially replacing "real" communities? I have to say, this is the first time in my life I've ever even pondered the subject of community, and thought about my place within my own community. I wonder how many other people my age feel as though they belong where they live, and feel a connection with it and its landmarks. I can only speak for myself, but I bet most don't. Maybe that's just an aspect of city living? Maybe its intrinsic to our generation, since communication is so different than it was for our parents? We are connected with the entire world, across the planet, we can talk to anyone. But at the same time, we're isolated because we don't have to speak to people directly...it's strange.

Here are some more photos of Chris's parents' place,

We thank you for your patience...

...Trying to find a new pattern, so things might look a little hideous while I find something better

Signature quilting

Brought to North America from England with the first settlers here, signature quilts typically consisted of blank cotton squares framed in a patterned border. The squares were left blank so that they could be signed by people in the community, either in ink or embroidery. The purpose of these projects was sometimes to raise money for a worthy cause, the opportunity to have one's signature being sold for a small fee. Other times it was made as a way of recording memories for future generations.

I was deeply inspired by an image I discovered, of a signature quit made in 1880, in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. What really caught my eye were the detailed ink drawings of animals among some of the signatures. In one square, two lovely owls cuddle on a tree branch, and below is written "a comfortable couple", along with their names. Another square holds only a detailed sketch of a black fly. So I have decided to build my own version of the signature quilt, using embroidery. I have begun to work on the animals, and decided to depict only animals I would see here where I live. So far I've done a porcupine, a raccoon and two mice. They all have names, as though the animals have signed the quilt, as contributing members of their community. It's going to take me a while, at 85 by 105 inches, but it will be an ongoing, unrushed project.

In other news, I've been working a lot lately, and I'll be working a lot in the near future...which is good, but a bit hard to get used to since I had been barely working for the last while! I'm feeling a little uncreative, a little "blah". I'm usually pretty good at not sitting around too much, not watching much tv. Lately that's all I feel like doing. I lay on the couch and think about how much we need a painting for above the couch and how I should get on that...but I just don't have the energy :-s I've never been good at adjusting to new routines, or not having a routine.

Have a happy Monday,

Oh, the animals

Before I tell you about the my next quilt project, I think I'll tell you a bit about myself. This project is quite a bit more personal in nature than my two previous attempts at quilting. I am much more interested in the process of this one (and it will be a long one!), and in creating something that reflects the maker and those who will use it/keep it. I want to make something that acts as a teleport to us at this time. Holding memories.

The biggest influence in this project is my relationship with animals. Those who know me probably aren't surprised by this. I think I drive my friends and family a little crazy, actually, with my love of other creatures. I talk about animals a lot, worry about them, and basically I'm a pain in the ass any time we go out to eat, being somewhat of a strict vegetarian.

Most people like animals. It's not often you hear someone say they don't like animals. But I *love* them. Seriously, I could watch a seagull in a parking lot for half an hour. The thought of an animal suffering will linger in my mind all day, and knowing that they are suffering is without a doubt the thing that bothers me the most in this world. It's that they're completely innocent, and they lack the capacity to be cruel, or to understand the cruelty being done to them.

I know it started with my mum. My earliest memories of feeling empathy involve animals. My mum would always call out to me when there was something on tv about an animal being hurt, her teary eyes glued to the tv. Usually I couldn't watch or I'd have the image haunting me the rest of the day. Now it seems I'm the one with my teary eyes glued to the screen. In recent years the topic of animal abuse has become more prominent in my life, as I've come to read about factory farming and so on, deciding to face it, acknowledge it, and do what I can about it. Interestingly, when I think back I see that most of my nightmares involve animals, and I think they've come to represent guilt in my dreams. The guilt I carry from whatever is going on in life, tied into the guilt I carry on behalf of humans, responsible for their suffering.

I don't go looking for articles about what happens in factory farms anymore. I think I've learned enough to make an educated decision, and any more information would only serve to torture me, really. But this feeling I have toward animals affects my life in ways I'm only now coming to realize. I think in a way, animals have come to symbolize something for me. Dignity, simplicity, humility. I take from them qualities I want to develop in myself.

Here is a sneak peak of what I have so far, and some thrifted pillow cases that will used.

From the three of us

Just a quick post to wish you all a happy thanksgiving weekend. Hopefully you'll have some time off to spend just hanging out with the ones you love.

I pestered Chris for a family photo, and after a few attempts we got a half decent one of he, Marvin and I. Believe it or not, Marvin is not disabled, he is completely normal. Just really floppy, and happy to be sitting on a lap.



First try, not enough room for Chris, Marvin not in position



Happy thanksgiving : )

A place for Special Things

I'm so happy! Chris and I found a storage bench at a great price, that could double as my "display area". The trip home with it was not a happy one, but that is another story (I'll just say I now have to commit a new cab company number to memory). I've never had a spot just for display, and I'm so excited to change it seasonally, adding new handmade things every year. Now, I just need to get some gourds.



I'm planning another quilt project and I think I would like the next one to be a little more traditional. I would like to learn a traditional patchwork technique, as a challenge, and as a way to experience the kind of work that others have for so many years. While trying to decide what route to take, I began wondering about some of the terms used to describe block styles. The symbolism ingrained into the patterns is so interesting, and I think it would be nice to include my own form of symbolism in a similar way.



A stop by the library lead me to a book about Canadian quilting. The author begins by affirming the fact that although quilting techniques were brought to Canada from England and France, they do have an intrinsic "Canadianess" to them. I found this interesting and it reminded me of a Canadian Art history class from University. Settlers were isolated in an overwhelming wilderness, away from home, and eventually losing their identity, replacing it with a new one, and this is reflected in their artwork.

have a happy fall day!