What you Mean to Me...

Somehow, in the mix of launching my new website, I've goofed. I've really done it. I accidentally deleted my last post, and I've deleted the feed account to this blog. Relax Robin, it's not the end of the world... but I can't help but feeling like I've let you down in some way. If you are reading this, either it's working again, or you've bookmarked me some other way. Computers... sigh.

I know, I know, this is not something worthy of losing sleep over, I should simply consider myself blessed, roll over and go back to sleep, but this is where I'm at right now. You see, I've had this blog for about a year and a half now and according to the statistics, there are many of you who enjoy keeping up. I get e-mails from time to time thanking me for this blog, encouraging me to keep it up and revealing to me that I've touched them in some way. This may sound a little ego-centric, but I know I've done good here.

You see, I need you too. Knowing that I make you happy makes me happy. I've made real friends through this blog; people I've met in real life and trust and care about. I'm a richer person for having done this. It's as if I can feel the collective support you all give to me and I'm able to use that in my day to day. Okay, I'm getting a little "Kum By Ya" now, so I realize it's time to go back to bed. Just know, I care about you too.

This has to be my last post here on blogger. It's time to move on.

Please, come visit me at my new home: simply robin.

Take a moment to add it to your bookmarks or burn a new feed. I have so much in store, many new ideas I'm willing to explore, many facets I want to reveal. I know you will not be disappointed. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being here... I'm filled with gratitude. You guys rock!

Rainforest Animals Continued...

Still working on the project. I hope to have all the animals finished by today.

Seems like time has suddenly started speeding by... I've very little time to do much of anything lately. My house still looks good, but don't ask about the laundry... sigh. While I do like to have some sort of purpose for the day, I really dislike being too busy... you know, that busy that makes you not water the plants, or restock the fridge, or brush your hair... ahem... you ladies would understand.

So it's at times like this that I feel myself just on the verge of too busy that I'm happy to stumble upon this video by Carl Honore, praising slowness, and this site called The Slow Movement. Wish I had time to read more on it... that is the problem, isn't it!

Anyway, just know, I haven't lost my head yet and things do seem to be humming along. I just simply have to stay focused. As for the hair, I figure when the kids notice, it's time to get busy!

Maui Monday - Wild Weather

Thank you all for your kind wishes, comments and e-mails this past weekend. We were on pins and needles for half the day on Saturday and thankfully the tsunami wasn't as bad as we were preparing for. In the end, the level of the storm surge was just about a meter, and no damage was sustained to the best of my knowledge. Since that day, the wind has been blowing the rain around and the waves have been a non-stop show of booming turbulence.

I took a walk today... to the bay in Kahului... just to be a part of it for a few moments. Off in the distance I could see blue sky, while in the other direction, the weather was dreadful. That's how it can be here; the micro-climates are incredible. Enjoy!

Safe and sound...

By now many of you know that Hawaii is currently experiencing a Tsunami warning due to the effects of a large earthquake off the coast of Chile. Put briefly, we are okay. Our house is well away from the evacuation zone and thankfully we have food and supplies to last us days. That's not to say I'm not concerned; Jamey has been called in to the hospital and I'm sitting tight at home with the rest of the crew. Warning sirens have been going off since 6 am, the roads in our area are jammed with people trying to reach higher ground, and the the gas stations are beginning to run out of gas. The general mood is calm despite preparations being made to brace ourselves for this worrisome event.

So, with that in mind what else is there to do but make cookies! Thank you so much to those who've contacted me via e-mail and the book. It means a lot that you are thinking of us.

Moving right along...

... progress on the "Rainforest" project is being made. I'm reminded how much I enjoy working with these kids... their chatter about anything and everything is a source of delight and makes the work go faster. At this age they have important things to talk about, things that make them happy and sad, things that are fair and unjust, ideas to share and bounce off one another... much like we adults do. I simply love the rhythm at which they work, how uninhibited most of them are with making art, the enthusiasm they have for this project and the care and consideration they have for each other. After three days, half of the kids are finished and with a little bit of luck I'll be able to start piecing soon!

By the way, using discarded x-ray film was a stroke of genius! It's the perfect size and weight, it's stable yet not rigid, it cleans up easily and (fortunately) it's free! Look hard and you will see clues like that backwards "L" and the shadow of a person's ribcage.... which by the way, offer even more subject matter for that full and lively chatter!

Bokeh Thursday...

Every other Wednesday we travel to a run down part of town to visit this place... the music studio where Sasha takes drum lessons.

Despite the rugged looks, it's good to see that the people here have a sense of humor:

Even though Sasha's not my real daughter, I'm very proud of her just the same. As host mom, I feel it's my duty to brag a little and praise her about how well she's doing... even if it does make her blush a little! She has been practicing faithfully since she started taking lessons. Each day I can hear her drumming away upstairs... working harder and harder... trying to get better. All this hard work seems to have paid off; yesterday I was treated to a jam session with her teacher and the music of a timeless Beatles classic came alive right before me! Yes indeed, this host mom is rather excited to have a rocker in the house!

So, my bokeh today is of that shiny red drum set, which I'm told has a reputation for being the practice set for a few other cool rockers in our area! I feel like inscribing on them "Sasha was here," but I restrain myself because maybe that's taking it a little far! Enjoy!

I'm published!!

This is so exciting for me... my first feature in the world of publishing! I was contacted some time ago by the editor of "Art Quilting Studio" to write an article on the type of fabric dyeing I do which I call "flat dyeing." In it, I explain the process as well as my thinking which led to discovering this way of working. My copy arrived the other day and I gotta say, it was very exciting seeing the words "flat dyeing" right there on the cover!

There is a bit of yin and yang to this. At the end of the article they printed my contact information. I had them use a different website than this one in hopes that it will be done soon! This magazine hits the news-stands next week, and needless to say I'm not even close... ahem. Yikes!!! Time to get busy!

The Start of Something New

Around here preparations have begun for our school's annual fundraiser. It's a "Gala" and it has all the usual: fancy food, dashing attire, stylish decorations, music, wine, dancing... and a spectacular silent auction! Each classroom makes it's own contribution, and each year I enjoy watching perfectly sane people turn into absolute fiends when it comes to bidding on their child's project. Funny what a little liquor will do! It's all for a good cause, of course.

Over the years, I've helped the classrooms out by overseeing projects with them. When I'm involved, you can bet it will be either a bed quilt or a wall-hanging. This year I'm doing both.

For one class, the kids will be painting on fabric to create a wall-hanging. The theme is "Rainforest Animals." Thank goodness I know how to paint with dye-paints, because I've worked with Acrylic paints on fabric and it's just not the same. Today, I spent the day preparing the fabric and dyes.

I had on hand this old dye set from the class I took with Hollis Chatelain years ago. I added in some other colors like greys, browns and black, because even though rainforest animals are colorful, I'm sure they have more subtle colors too.

I was able to pick up old x-ray films headed for the garbage. Now that our clinic has gone "digital" there is no need for all these sheets of acetate. An computer-aged move which is also eco-friendly! These sheets of film are the perfect backing for a project like this. I taped prepared fabric onto a large piece of film. This will prevent the fabric from migrating as the kids paint.

The reason why I prefer dye paints to acrylic is simple. When you are finished painting, you simply throw the fabric in the wash and dry as usual. The fabric comes out smooth and supple; the dye a permanent part of the fabric, does not stiffen the fabric in any way.

Stay tuned for more posts on my work with these classrooms. I have two projects to do and I'm crossing my fingers that they will be "bidding-war" worthy!

These past few weeks...

I've been working on a quilt originally inspired by this quilt. I had wanted to make it BIG... maybe a hundred... maybe three-hundred blocks! What I ended up with was only 80, but at 59.5" x 47" I think it's big enough, at least for now.

I had my ups and down's with this one; first it's too yellow, then too colorful, then a little dark, next a little boring... these types of problems are par for the course sometimes. In the end I can safely say I really like what it's turned into. It passes the far and near test... you know, the one where you look at it from a distance and like what you see, and when you step in for a closer inspection you see things that still hold your interest. Maybe you can decide for yourself. First the far shot, taken the other day at the beach, on a rather thorny Kiawe tree... the quilt not shown in it's entirety to preserve the final image for certain show requirements:

Now for a closer view, this one showing the variety of colors I used... my usual propensity for using every color of the rainbow showing clearly here... also the addition of commercial fabrics and hand-dyeds with "movement" incorporated in some of these blocks, which is a new thing for me... I'm tentative with this step, really unsure of how to expand my repertoire of fabrics, but right now I'm thinking I've done alright with these wee first steps...

... and now for a much closer look, this shot highlighting some shibori dyed fabric... yes, I used authentic indigo dye to make this... instructed by Yoshiko Wada, author of "Memory on Cloth," ... these pieces are dear to me as they hold a special meaning and until now I've not found the perfect use for them. Working with indigo in a vat is almost a spiritual experience. I don't mean to sound goofy with this statement, it's just that everything about it is divine; the delicious smell, the way the color magically unfolds, the reverence one must treat the vat, the natural and organic nature of the dye itself... all making this simple patch of fabric much more than blue on white.

And finally, this little patch of silk, a scrap from old silk pajamas my husband had from years before we met. As the story goes, his mother brought them home from a second-hand shop, obviously smitten with the circus animals woven into its threads. I remember him finally giving them up when the threads in certain areas became too worn out to make the garment appropriate attire even for night wear, if you get my drift. Anyway, I squirrled away those clothes because I couldn't part with such beautiful fabric. Something tells me if I had ever met my mother-in-law, she and I would have shared a fondness for fine fabrics. So here too is another example of me stretching myself ever-so-slightly with the addition of this silk in this sea of hand-dyed cottons.

So there you have it, cotton, silk, hand-dyed, indigo, commercial... dark, light... organized and not... ups and downs... far and near... my latest quilt... Elements #28. Enjoy!

Bokeh Thursday...

Just a couple of shots from our trip to the shore. With these out-of-focus shots it's easier to notice that when I pointed the camera east, the emphasis was on figure-ground, and when facing west color becomes more important. Enjoy!

Designated Driver

In school this week, my son and several of his classmates are learning about the ocean. I'm one of the drivers. It would seem like a frustrating situation to be away from the house and spending my days driving, fetching lunch and looking after an excited bunch of pre-teens, but given my mild chest cold, sitting in my car, or in a beach chair suits me just fine.

Add to that the fact that today this was my view. No sir, being a driver hasn't been a burden at all.

Our trip today was at a beach called "Thousand Peaks" near Oluwalu on the south shore of Maui. Because of it's location, this area is relatively safe from large waves and strong currents. The kids spent hours out there today, snorkeling around. They saw lots of different fish, turtles, an octopus and even a Hawaiian Monk Seal, which is a rare and notable event.

With my renewed interest in using natural dyes, I gathered my other books in my library and have been paging through them as well. "A Dyer's Garden" by Rita Buchanan:

and "Wild Color" by Jenny Dean, which is now worth much more than what I paid for it... I'm not sure why, but I'll be taking a closer look at it this time around.

Looking at the offerings on Amazon, I'm happy to see that much more is available now on the subject of utilizing natural dyes. One could spend years investigating this and experimenting. If you have a favorite book on utilizing natural dyes, or some helpful hints of your own, please share! I'd love to hear from you!

This and that...

I thought I'd show you the basket full of Valentine's Shelby took to class the other day. Even though they are not red and there are no hearts in sight, I still find them simply lovely. Okay, she may not put her clothes away, and she may forget her lunchbox in the car from time-to-time, but at this moment she can consider herself forgiven! She loves to spread goodness with a little handmade... that's my girl!

It's fundraising time at the school where two of our kids go, so as I've done many times before, I've started working on projects with them in their classrooms. In Shelby's class we will be gathering plants from their campus and dyeing fabric with them. Inspired by the work if India Flint, I've been pouring over the pages in her book, Eco Colour, trying desperately to learn these natural techniques. To prepare for this project, we went into our own yard and gathered flora...

... rolled them up and steamed in an iron pot. The results? Not as brilliant as I had hoped, but then again, this was just a trial run. I have ideas on how to improve this... the first being to finish that book!

This is such a packed week for me... too much to do, too little time. It doesn't help that I've caught a cold. Serves me right; the other day I was practically bragging about how compared to when the kids were little, I rarely get sick these days. Now all I want to do is stay in bed and sleep. Oh my, I hope you are staying healthy these days!

Three Peas in a Pod

Things are beginning to get busier around here. This weekend I was lucky enough to meet up with two favorites of mine in this "art quilt" world that we live in, Deborah Boschert and Kristin LaFlamme! We shared lunch, a peek at our latest creations and stories of our "journeys." We could have talked all day... I'm wishing we did... but as you know, this busy mom was pulled elsewhere. We made a pact to do it again sometime... hopefully for a longer span of time. It's hard, this gentle balance of being a wife, mom and artist, we all agreed. I'm sure some of you understand as well. Anyway, despite our gathering ending way too soon, I'm left with nothing but enthusiasm and inspiration!

I'm wishing you love, prosperity and promise on this Valentine's / Chinese New Year / President's Day Weekend!

Bokeh Thursday... Where's the Boy?

Wait a minute... is it Thursday already?

Did I blink or something?

Am I being punked?

The problem with spending your time doing creative things is you lose all track of time... it's one of those left-brain right-brain things. Anyway, I'm on a roll in the studio, so that's where I'll be today... of course that's before the minivan, the basketball court, and the hockey rink... and so it goes.

My bokeh today illustrates the beauty in the blur and the non-blur. I can't decide which one I like better. Enjoy!