I’m delighted to introduce you to Don’s 5th book in his According To His Purpose series, The Substance of Things Hoped For.
I maintain that art is life and life is an art. It’s true this week for sure. Forgive me for not having an art blog for you this week. A plumbing incident and an uncooperative leg have pulled me out of the studio for most of the week. The leg is slowly healing. The plumbing is easier to fix but much more likely to be moldy. But on the upside, Don’s book is available on Amazon in Kindle form, soon to be in paper print.
Don came to writing later than most At 57 he began his series that enlivens the Galesburg of the 20s. His viewpoint reflects his faith, but also creates an alternative historic view. He pulls things out of Galesburg’s past, but offers his characters ways to change how their lives in the real world worked out. He offers a knowledge of Galesburg, IL, a gentle world, and a Christian perspective. He also writes a good romance,
Why do we write? I would maintain it’s how we retell our stories. When we retell our stories, we can put things right, make things make sense, hope for something better, and plant the seeds of that. I believe Don is doing that as well. He’s having way too much fun to stop. I am so proud for him!
The Substance of Things Hoped For is a walk through a Galesburg that never quite existed, but should have.
I’m cleaning the studio. There is only one reason really I ever clean the studio. I can’t find something.
1006 Twin Dragonflies was missing. Blissfully she showed up in a gallery I’d forgotten about.
I have a small missing quilt. This happens from time to time. Most of the time they’re in a nice safe pile. Somewhere. Except when they’re not.
So one goes through those piles All of them. All 5,378 of them. And that has brought me to several considerations.
You can’t keep everything. You really can’t. The whole idea that you would use every scrap of every fabric is….. monumental at a certain point. At a certain point, drowning in scraps goes from a possibility to an invitability.
Koi, made from embroidered fish I did 8 years ago and didn’t know what to do with.
There’s a theory out there somewhere if you haven’t used something within a year you should chuck it. I’ve found that silly.. So much of what I do is cyclical. I may very well take ten years to find a purpose for something. I almost never throw out an embroidery, even one I consider unsuccessful. It’s too much work to lose. And I never know when they will fit somewhere.
Swish, made with the leftover fish head from Koi
Tools. I’ve had very odd experiences with useless tools I’ve bought that somehow came in useful years later. I’m hesitant to toss those without long thought. Unless they just don’t work well.
Books. I have given up books. At least once I think. They’re books.Throwing away knowledge just seems wrong.
But scraps? They do pile up. I have fancy scraps of sheers and brocades, hand dyed scraps and quilting cotton. And the occasional leftover dress scraps.
For some while, I’ve sorted scraps by size and type. There’s the rock pile, pieces of hand dye that make rocks. On a bad day, I’ll cut rocks all day with Steam a Seam attached, so I have rocks to hand when I need them.
But what about strings? Raggy patches? Snips? Thread ends?
Useful, maybe. But in mountanous proportions? I know someone uses them. But am I drowning? Um, yes. A nice pile of them went to my last class as sample pieces. That worked. But they had to be big enough.So it’s a question of size. I can use a 3″ x 2″ piece but probably not a 1″ anything.
Where can it go? In a land filled with landfills, how do you find them a home? It’s like finding homes forwell-deserving kittens. They need to go to the right place.They need rehoming.
Of course, schools, other crafters, church groups, nursing homes all accept donations. Other artists always need supplies and sharing supplies is a glorious thing to do. But in the same way you’ve found wonderful things at the thrift store, it’s a good place to give them wonderful things. Except that it’s mixed in with household goods and sports equipment.
We have a new store in Galesburg called Yours 2 Create that I am in love with. It’s a thrift store for artists and crafters. Not only can you find all kinds of arts and crafts supplies, but you can also donate all kinds of things for other artists that you no longer want to work with. The range is astonishing. Crayons, paints, fabrics, tools, broken jewelry, trims, silk flowers. I’ve always gone in there on a mission for a particular thing, but they have almost everything from time to time.
some of their trim collection
I wonder how many of these stores exist. This is the first one I’ve ever seen. But it’s an astonishment. What an incredibly smart idea! What a great resource!
Yours 2 Create is located at 2188 Veterans Drive, Galesburg, IL, United States, Illinois, They’re getting a big bag of goodies from me next week. And I may be able to walk through the studio without creating a landslide.
I’m also hoping I find my lost quilt. There may be a few more piles to go through.
You haven’t heard much from me as a quilter lately. I really try to subscribe to a no whine policy online. Everyone has their hard days, their dry times, their desert experiences. I’m not sure it’s better to be public about it. Misery is not lighter for sharing it. It’s more like lightly smearing a huge spill with a paper towel so it covers a larger space.Over the last four years, my major occupations have been negotiating two knee surgeries and figuring out dinner for two.
The surgeries are over. My rehab continues, but that’s life long. I would say I was on my knees grateful, but I can’t get on my knees. So I’m standing grateful and that’s a lot.
Collage gone amuck.
I’ve been wondering where my art has gone in that time. We never stop being artists. It’s a birthright in our genome, not a gift. But it is a practiced and oiled skill. I’ve worked on digital collage, bizarre crochet, tatting and book design. All things that don’t require walking. But would I go back to quilting? I wasn’t sure. I’ve moved a 2 car 2 level studio into 1 room and found I couldn’t find my own ass, never mind the thread and fabric I bought yesterday.
So I was blasted out of my chair when Don asked me if I would like a studio? Would I like a studio? Do I need to breathe? Still trying to figure out how to do that after he offered me his old house, a perfect small house, for studio space.
Now if God picks you up and puts you in a new work space, what do you say? What can you say other than to mutter “Thank you” over and over and over until you fall over. And then start to pack. God kicked my but. All of my buts are irrelevant.
The new studio is in Galesburg on Seminary Street. We’re shoveling it out as we speak.
Of course I’m going to need some help. Not just moving but sorting and organizing and packing and unpacking. So for anyone who lives near by, or who fancies a visit and would like to run their hands through a lot of fabric, I NEED SOME HELP! I can’t pay back in money, but I will offer studio privilege and private study for anyone willing to help me. I’ll match you time for time for your assistance. If you can offer a teenager who can lift and carry, I’ll feed them pizza till their eyes bug out and offer you studio privilege and private study, your choice. I’ll also offer some stash raiding (and I have a wild stash).
I don’t intend to teach in the studio in general. Or set up a store in any way. I will be dyeing fabric and I will sell it, but not in a venued way. What I hope for is a space for my work that I can share with people at will.
Current studio. One room is not enough.
I’m going back down the rabbit hole and stuff things in boxes. If you can come visit, or lend support call me at 219-617-2021. Or email me at ellenanneeddy@gmail.com. I’ll be somewhere under the table but I can still find the phone.
