marking time
during these strange, stressful times I have become acutely aware of how fluid the passing of time can be
as the days rush by, at times, it seems like an hour takes forever
and I try to fill those hours with something meaningful
24 weeks – 168 days – 4,032 hours
marked by the change of seasons
outside the window the mountain ash is loaded with berries
when I was a young bride, in England
the wise old farmer I bought my veggies from told me
when the berries are plentiful in the hedgerows (and the rooks are nesting high)
it’s going to be a hard winter
the final four book pages are finished front page – with the book title stitched in the center of the hexie
and last page – hexies from all the scraps
Japanese shibori patterns each have a descriptive name
extensive patterns of small dots are kanoko (fawn spots) shibori
these are my very crude spots – I need to practice shown with a silk haori (kimono jacket) I bought in Kyoto 30 years ago
the haori spots are square and known as square ring dots (yokobiki kanoko)
there are several different variations of dots each with their own name
skilled artists use a tying stand with a fine hook on the end (yokobiki dai)
picture from “Shibori” by Yoshiko Wada, Mary Kellogg Rice and Jane Barton
still the best book on the subject
this pattern, that looks so faded and worn
was created by stitching, gathering and capping the white squares
I used a double layer of plastic wrap, tied tightly over the gathered square, to resist each white area
the stitching and wraps were so close together the indigo didn’t completely reach into the dyed squares
lessons learned
and now I off to wind a warp for woven shibori
A few of us were discussing how during our isolation every day became the same and we had to invent rituals to mark the weekends or otherwise the passing of time. I thought of your hexies!
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Sue – how true and I go grocery shopping every second Monday and so it marks another 2 weeks. I wonder what the lingering effects of all this will be?
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I wonder to – both on myself and on those I love as well as the world in general.
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Sue – I think we are going to have to get accustomed to this as the “new normal”.
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I think you are right. I’m just not sure what the new normal will look like for me yet!
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Sue – of course, nobody knows where this is taking them next. Some will return to pre-virus and some will be changed forever, each in their own way.
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Your opening remarks are so aptly put and I love the way you observe nature outside through the seasons and how it affects your work. I tune into your postings when I can and find much comfort in them, such a beautiful connection to Japan as well… XX
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beadsandfibrelady – thank you, happy you enjoy my wanderings. Inspiration comes from different places for each of us, mine is nature and the work of amazing Japanese artisans.
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