Yoga - Another Form of Well Being

I have taken yoga classes in the past, but this fall I have been going to a class once per week with a very good friend of mine. It’s called “Gentle Yoga” and is exactly that. A lot of stretches and concentrating on breathing, but not a lot of the traditional “asanas” or strength building exercises. We have discovered ligaments we didn’t know existed, and joints that don’t bend the way they used to, but it’s fun and each time we stretch a little further, we feel a sense of accomplishment.  Refer to this website for poses and benefits of doing yoga....it really does help:  http://www.yogajournal.com/

But what I wanted to share with you is my granddaughters’ reaction to my participation in this class. The two of them, age 11 and 6 had been visiting their father in Winnipeg for the past two weeks. Dad was escorting them home on their flight back to their mother, and my husband was going to pick them up. I couldn’t come along as the vehicle won’t hold five people and a lot of luggage, so I went to my yoga class instead.

This one I can do!!  And the following web site is a good one for practicing at home.  http://www.yogalearningcenter.com/?gclid=CMmCs-bDrJ4CFSReagod9mcUmQ

When the girls got in the vehicle the youngest one asked Grandpa “Where’s Grandma?” He said “At her yoga class.” She looked confused and grandpa asked if she knew what yoga is. The oldest girl suddenly burst out laughing and said “Grandma is at YOGA?????!!!!! That’s hilarious.” Of course everyone in the vehicle, Grandpa, Dad, and both girls had a great laugh over that. Now I ask you, what is so funny about a 62 year old Grandma doing yoga??? Could it be that the two men couldn’t begin to fold themselves into those positions OR stretch themselves in the twists? And the girls obviously need to have their preconceived notions changed…..I believe I’ll be handling a class of young people’s yoga next time they visit…..it will be their payment before we get to any sewing with grandma!

Most definitely NOT Grandma!

Bookmark Exchange Beauties

The on-line group I belong to organizes exchanges quite regularly. Our illustrious leader is Patti Medaris-Culea. Patti is a well known cloth doll artist who travels all over the world teaching classes in her various techniques. http://www.pmcdesigns.com/tomes.htm

The members of the on-line group are those who have purchased Patti's pattern to make tomes, a fabric book of textile art techniques. I wonder how many of us have finished the book? I certainly haven’t, but am working on at regularly with a friend of mine.  We hope to learn the techniques as well as have it for reference and a brag-book of sorts as well. After all, it’s not every day that any of us actually finish something!

The theme of the bookmark exchange was Art Deco/Art Nouveau. We all seemed to hesitate on this one and took a while to percolate an idea. But in the end, as always, everyone came up with spectacular work. I have posted pictures of my own bookmarks prior to this post, but here are pictures of the bookmarks I got in exchange. I do believe they’ll be on my display wall rather than hidden in books!

The bookmark my exchange group members received from me is shown in an earlier post. 

Wind, Rain, Floods, Leaks and Quilting!

Today has been one of those days you think you should have stayed in bed for.  It seemed decent enough this morning.....but not so now.  The wind is howling, the rain is going sideways.  Wind speeds are expected to reach 90 kph.  It's outrageously noisy and needless to say, my oriental gong has been removed from the garden!  The power went out at work and all the administrators had to go out into the halls and outside around the school to supervise the kids that were out of their classrooms.  That was when I was really glad to have my little office with the window.  But what I was seeing out there wasn't great. 

And then we came home to a big puddle on the garage floor.  There is a leak somewhere in the sidewall of the house where there is a little bump out.  Darling husband, who stays SO cheerful during these trials, has removed some gyproc, pulled out the soaking fibreglass insulation, and tried to find the source.  He's been outside up the ladder.....yes in this wind and rain.....to try putting some sealant in the join he thinks is the source of the trouble.  Is this covered by house insurance?  I'll be calling to find out tomorrow!  He is so frustrated. 

I have pictures of the river flooding, but they aren't digital.  However, here's a picture of me wading in the Oyster River last August.  It was hot and I was enjoying the "potholes" and the scenery.  This is my favorite spot on the river.  Bob and I went there for a picnic with the dog - have done many times in the past - but this is the first time with this dog.  However, I wouldn't be sitting there right now.  That river would be over my head twice and running so strongly I'd be gone with it.  It's amazing to see the seasonal differences. 

Check out Angela's blog....she has a picture of a different river in the area, flooding it's banks and putting the city in a state of emergency!   http://www.searchingforartinlife.blogspot.com/

So it seems the only solution to this drastic weather is to hibernate in my studio and work on my quilts.  Three are now quilted and one got a binding stitched on tonight.  Two bindings next evening and then finish quilting one quilt and it will be done.  I've discovered a magical thing about finishing.....four finished quilts leaves a big hole in your storage unit.....it fills up again quickly, but it's a little tidier every time! 

Beaded Goddess Postcard Class

It is a wonderful experience when you teach a class in something you love to do and all five students are just the absolute greatest combination of personalities. I had that pleasure last weekend when I taught a class in making fabric postcards. These are one of the projects in my recently released book, “Embellishing with Anything” and I had fun doing them for the book, but showing five other people how to do them and watching them learn to love the idea as much as I do was just the greatest day I’ve spent in a long time. Their choice of fabrics, their different styles and most of all, their conversation made the day so much fun. These postcards are theirs, the work of Sue, Margit, Tina, Paula and Nancy.

They all have a story and they are all a delight. We all had so much fun we decided at the end of the day to do a postcard exchange after Christmas. That means we will each make six cards, one for each person in the group and one for ourselves. The start of a new and delightful collection of textile art for each of us!

A Sunny Saturday Walk

Saturday was the most delightfully beautiful fall day one can imagine. My friend and I had planned a day together working on our blogs, our photo manipulation skills and just generally, computer art exploration done together. We had tea and with our lap tops side by side, we shared what we knew how to do (mostly her telling me), and made adjustments to our photos and discovered how to cut and collage within an on-line program. We got so enthused about what we’d learned and what a beautiful day it was that we decided to go for a walk and take pictures to come back and play with some more!  Here is a link to Angela's presentation: http://photopeach.com/album/uoemwj

Off we go marching down the middle of a country road taking photographs of trees with canopies of glorious color, leaves trying to outdo one another with their brilliance, rose hips red with their ripened blush, broken glass shimmering in the sun, a manhole someone has painted blue, and of all things, fire hydrants all in a row at the fire station. We ended up at a coffee shop, had a great cup and a great visit, and then walked back again, taking more pictures along the way. Here’s a small sample of what we saw and what we did with it. This is the short slide show I put together:  http://photopeach.com/album/rhkky7

Mortality & Reality

The past week was one that reminded me every day of our mortality. The first day of the week we heard that one of our teachers has passed away. He retired 2 months ago and deserved far more freedom than two months. Still reeling from that news, I received a phone call from my son to tell me that a friend of his has been diagnosed HIV positive. And still disturbed by that news, I’m told of the death of a young person from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. Such sad situations for young people and such a loss of a good man in the teacher. To make these situations even more thought provoking, all this is happening at a time which has often through the years, had the school in a state of shock with the loss of one of our students, usually in car accidents.

All this got me to thinking of how none of us thinks it will happen to us today, and of course it seldom does, but all this in one week did make me meditate on the blessings in my own family, the friends I have, the part of the world I live in, and my more often than not, normal daily life!

The photo attached is of a life size metal tree. It was started by one of our students. But before it was finished, he was killed in a car accident. Between the metalwork teacher and his girlfriend, it was completed and installed in the school courtyard as a memorial. At first it was all silver, freshly welded and shiny and didn’t really look very natural. But with time, it has weathered, rusted, mellowed and begun to fit beautifully into its environment, becoming a warm tribute to the student who began the project. I would imagine the pain of loss for the family members will do the same eventually, but I think it’s thought-provoking how this school art project keeps this student in our minds just as much as the memorials on the side of the roads in our area, but in a much more positive and pleasant way. Instead of remembering only the tragedy, we remember what he was like and what he enjoyed. I hope someday my art will serve the same purpose for those I leave behind.

Contemplating Autumn

This is looking up into the Deborah Maple in our back yard. Isn't it spectacular? This picture, taken today, belies yesterday altogether.

This weekend started out to be a typical West Coast kind of weekend. Saturday was the type of day that prompted my Dad, when I put sunglasses on for a snowy day walk in Edmonton, to say "Your eyes have grown dim from peering through the fog." Dad will be 94 this year. At the time, I laughed, but yesterday we were indeed peering through the fog and sunglasses were just something that needed wipers! It was rainy, windy, drizzly, dreary and totally designed for staying inside.....everything that everyone hears about for winter on Vancouver Island and accuses us of being waterlogged or in denial.

I spent the day with a friend in my studio, designing the cover page for a fabric tome, using the patterns designed by Patti Culea. www.pmcdesigns.com/tomes.htm
We had a totally pleasant time snipping and designing and sharing ideas. Joan's tome is going to have an African theme. Joan works with Kitambaa designs (note their blog in my favorites list) and goes to Africa once a year to teach women how to sew in order to support themselves. She has been deeply touched by all she has seen and done there.

My tome is going to be a theme of "Me, Myself & I". Sounds a little narcissistic but my intentions are not at all. I just like to design around the human figure so this gives me the chance to get lots of faces and bodies into the design. The entire project is designed to put various techniques to use. We started it FOUR years ago and never kept it up. We've decided we're going to try to meet every second Saturday and get this one completed.

Now this unbelievable picture, is the Half Moon Maple in our yard. It is also exactly what you see and definitely not touched up in any way. This tree is a favorite of ours, and has lived with us at three different houses now. It started out as a large bonsai, in a pot, but got to heavy and wasn't doing well, so we planted it. I think it likes it's new home! It is lime green in spring, bright green in the summer, has a wonderful round leaf and then gifts us with this in the fall.



And then there was today. Bright, sunny, warm, towels and sheets drying on the line outside and the colors......I could not resist the urge to go outside to take pictures of the colors in the middle of laundry and house keeping! These pictures are of the trees in my yard, and they are not touched up, adjusted or fixed in any way. So just imagine, if this is the color in my own little corner of the world, imagine what I see when I look up and out to the rest of the neighborhood and beyond to the mountains. It is truly spectacular and I'm certainly not peering.

But, if this isn't a quilt from nature waiting to happen, I don't know what would be!