I had to leave my sewing machine at the shop for repairs. The woman there couldn’t tell me how long it would take to fix, but she put an ASAP on the form when I told her I use it everyday for work. So Rita Howling will have to wait. I can get the batting and backing ready, but won’t be able to put it all together until I get my “Brother” back.

Between my machine breaking and meeting with my bookkeeper ( a lovely person, we often have tea together,but numbers are always a challenge for me,) and trying to get into my online banking (I don’t remember what my favorite activity is and no I didn’t write it down) and then realizing after trying to call the bank that it’s a holiday, I had to say to myself many times “Don’t Panic, don’t panic, don’t panic”.

And it worked, I didn’t panic, instead I remembered the mantra that came to me during Meditation Sunday morning. “You don’t have to do anything, let it go, let it come.”

So tomorrow morning I’ll take out my 25 year old Singer and make a quilt or some potholders the old fashion way.

I started out my day doing many quick chadarunga’s in my morning yoga sun salutations to try and warm me up from the inside out. Even after the usual hour and a half of letting the wood stove and electic heater warm up the studio this morning it was still cold. So, cold fingers and toes, I got to work putting the final touch on Rita Howling. I started to stitch the words “Rita and her Power Ani…. and the machine stopped. Automatic Shut Down showed up on the computer screen. I began to take the machine apart looking for the thread caught in the motor that the directions insisted was there. At least when I couldn’t find it I was able to put the machine back together. So now we’re off the Glens Falls, Sewing Machine seatbelted in the back seat, to Heirloom sewing center to see if they can find the problem…

I have 10 dog potholders for sale. They are $15 each including shipping. If you’re interested, you can email me at maria@fullmoonfiberart.com or go to Contact Me at the top of this page.

Jon and I will be leaving for the Rose In the Storm Library tour next Sunday. While walking through the woods this morning I got the idea to do a Potholder Library Series. I’ll be making the pencil sketches on the tour from Cobbleskill NY to Martha’s Vineyard and posting them on my blog. Once I’m back in the studio I’ll convert the pencil sketches into stitch sketches on potholders. I’ll stitch the place and date on the back of each one .

Last night I woke up at 3AM and realized I wanted to write the title of the quilt on it somewhere. Rita Howling or Rita and her power animal howl at the same moon or something like that. I like the idea of a whole sentence, not sure where it will go yet.

I had no idea how I would design the Rita Howling quilt.  So I started looking through my books, Gustave Klimt, a moon book, a werewolf book.  I started with some glitz, moons and gold fringe.   Too tacky for Rita, she’s more direct, so it was bold colors and no fuss.  I took out my quilting bible, the Gees Bend book and was inspired by the big bold colors Nell Hall Williams and Sue Willie Seltzer.

I got the basic design and left it for the night.

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This morning I messed with it some more, took a meditation break and came back to it knowing it needed some brown lines (perfect for ties, there are always more brown ties in my tie box.)  I added the brown, and it all made sense.  First version was a bit too soft, too calm, too pretty.    Now I think it’s a bit more edgy, like Rita.

Now to piecing…

The Sufi poet Rumi said that the body was a tool to help us get to our souls.   Sometimes I think of my art that way.  I’m just beginning to figure out the spiritual part of my work.

When I think of describing the feeling I get while working in the studio a picture comes to mind of the inner workings of an old clock. The gears turning on each other, slipping into place, the  constant and steady motion.  I feel as if I’m a part of something bigger than myself and I’m helping the mechanism run smoothly.

I’m not sure if the spirituality is  in the end product, but I know it’s in the process.   And I think it’s in the process of not only making the work, but sharing it on line and selling it too.  Maybe  it’s because in sharing my work, I’m saying “I exist and this is who I am”  and it makes me “one of you”.

It’s snowing and blowing outside and the studio barn is warm and and filled with an even white light and  Anthony Hamilton ( who I just discovered, thank you itunes!)

I redid Rita’s power animal and now it’s just right.  I think it’s all in the line, the stitching.  The looser I get the better it is.  I have to just remember that I’m drawing not tracing a line.  Makes all the difference.

The little computerized window on my sewing machine read “Safety On”  and the machine stopped working.  I could see the orange thread caught in the bobbin.  So I went in.  I unplugged the machine and took off the bobbin plate and  the inside was filled with globs of dust!  My old machine, which I cleaned once in 20 years, didn’t have that much dust.  I removed the pieces that came out and used the little white brush that came with the machine to clean it.

Of course when I put it all back together it didn’t work.  I messed around with it for a while, obviously did something right, and up and down the needle plunked.  I adjusted the tension, which for some reason was different now, and still the needle plunked.  I remember this from my old machine too,  it’s time for a new needle.  I had time to finish this Studio Scene potholder before going to Glens Falls for Yoga and sewing needles.    I wasn’t sure I was going to sew this one after making the sketch, but today I got the urge.   I think because it looked like fun, lots of new stuff to figure out.  And it was fun and I love the way it looks, even if some of the forms are a bit ambiguous.

While  I was struggling with my machine, Freida sat by the stove and  when Jon came into the studio, she struck a pose and flirted with him.

Rita’s power animal howling at the same moon.

Putting the pieces together.

The Full Moon…