Wordless Wednesday

Every Person is a Philosopher Blog and Sticks and Stones

Yesterday I was a guest blogger on Chicago's Neighborhood Writing Alliance's blog, Every Person is a Philosopher. I am deeply honored to have been asked and thrilled to be able to share my story. This was a great exercise for me and I am going to use it to begin writing a book.

Ira Lavinrenko with her quilt, The Woman

Feel the fear and do it anyway. That is exactly what I did when I accepted the invitation to present a paper and teach at the Third International Textile Symposium in Tbilisi, Georgia (Eurasia) in 2003. After all, my life’s mission is to change the world for the better with quilts. My quilt workshops were such a success, with nearly every student finishing at least one small quilt. I found out at the closing ceremonies that this was very rare. I also was able to form the Georgian Quilt Group. and I promised to support the group with supplies and return trips. I have made four additional trips so far, and I plan to return again next year.

When I asked the women why the making of quilts seemed to resonate with them, I got a variety of answers. For some, it was working with the colorful fabrics that I shared (colorful cotton fabrics just are not available in Georgia). For others, it was my enthusiasm that won them over. For others, it was the learning of a new skill. And for all, it was an opportunity to be together in the creation of art. Each time I have return to Georgia, in addition to teaching the quilt group and others, I work with locals to create programs that empower women and children to learn new skills and earn much needed income. (Two examples are a quilting project in an orphanage, and another with street children.) I do not teach “American” quilts, instead I teach techniques so that my students can share their own unique point of view/story. I love learning about cultures and want my students to embrace theirs...

To read more go to Every Person is a Philosopher. If you do, please leave a comment of support not for me, but for including quilts on their blog. Thanks!

As you can see, I have been working on my sticks and stones quilt which I am now titling Sticks and Stones and a Crow's Gift of a Bone. If you read my blog last summer, I had a great relationship with a female crow who gifted me a bone. It's always interesting to me how my work evolves. When I did the bent stick on top of another stick, as I had drawn it in my crude sketch, it just didn't work so I undid the applique and tried again. I also had the stick side five inches wider, but the scale felt off to me. I continue to love the process.

I plan to quilt the stone side like a Zen raked garden. While I like the bone, it seems too white to me so I might try to tone it down by tea dyeing it or I may redo it in another fabric. I have some other ideas so I see a series in my future. I am also happy to report that I no longer have the saying stuck in my head.

Blog Giveaway with a Twist Two

First, the winner of  Giveaway with a Twist One is Colleen Kelly. Thanks Sang Lee for selecting the winner! Congratulations Colleen! I hope you enjoy the book.

This week I am giving away my Day of the Dead mask that did not sell when it was in the National Museum of Mexican's gift shop a couple of years ago. The masks were on sale for $225. This mask is 9.5 by 14 inches. There is a plastic ring on the back for easy hanging.

I have always loved learning about other cultures and especially the Mexican and Georgian cultures. So the questions for this week are: Which culture has fascinated you? What is the most interesting thing have you learned?

To show my appreciation for my followers, you will get your name put into the hat three times to increase you chances of winning. The winner will be announced next Monday.  Good luck!

The Rainmaker

Have you ever come across something that was so perfect, just what you needed to hear? Well, I did. It came from my friend
Milliande and posted in her ning group. It's a story from Carl Jung's book Jung on Active Imagination (Zeller, 1982, 109-110).


The Rainmaker

There was a drought in a village in China. They sent for a Rainmaker who was known to live in the farthest corner of the country, far away.

Of course that would be so, because we never trust a prophet who lives in our region; he has to come from far away.

So he arrived, and he found the village in a miserable state. The cattle was dying, the vegetation was dying, the people were affected. The people crowded around him and were very curious what he would do.

He said, 'Well, just give me a little hut and leave me alone for a few days.'

So he went into his little hut and people were wondering and wondering, the first day came, the second day. On the third day it started pouring rain and he came out.

They asked him, 'What did you do?' 'Oh,' he said, 'that is very simple. I didn't do anything.' 'But look,' they said, 'Now it rains. What happened?'

And he explained, 'I come from an area that is in Tao, in balance. We have rain, we have sunshine. Nothing is out of order. I come into your area and find that it is chaotic. The rhythm of life is disturbed, so when I come into it, I too , am disturbed. The whole thing affects me and I am immediately out of order. So what can I do? I want a little hut to be by myself, to meditate, to set myself straight. And then, when I am able to get myself in order, everything around it is set right. We are now in Tao, and since the rain was missing, now it rains.'

It's definitely got me to thinking about balance. Should be fun to see what happens in my journal.

Why Quilts Matter

For nearly three years I worked on the documentary, Why Quilts Matter: History, Art and Politics. The Amercian Quilts Society Blog has a preview of Episode 3 available for online viewing (went up today and I had a tough time finding it so I thought I would make it easy for you). I'm actually in it. You can also learn and watch more previews about this nine part documentary by visiting the Why Quilts Matter site. The film was produced by the Kentucky Quilt Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, under the leadership of Shelly Zegart.


Also if you are headed to Pacific International Quilt Festival XX in Santa Clara, California, please make sure you check out the special exhibition, The Unspoken Truth About Racism: A Dialogue in Art Quilts About Racism, by the Fiber Artists for Hope. My quilt, Me, You and Everyone, is there. A friend shared that they used a huge pipe so my quilt does not hang particularly well even with its four inch sleeve. I am learning to let go of these kinds of things that are beyond my control.  I can only hope that people can understand and overlook that and understand the message I am trying to convey. If you happen to see it or have seen the exhibition in your travels, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Make it a great weekend! I am.

Sticks and Stones--Learning to Let Go

I constantly tell my students to not over think their work. Well I started a new quilt and I just could not figure out how to make my vision come together. I decided that I was simply thinking about it too much. I am taking my own advice. The quilt I am allowing to rest deals with how labeling/naming each other serves no one. I just could not get, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names really do hurt me," out of my head so last night I decided to do a quilt with sticks and stones. Anyone coming into my home knows how much I love rocks as there are bowls of them everywhere.

The photo shared here is just a small detail (upper left hand corner). I will share more as I work on it. Beginning this quilt instantly released so much tension that I was feeling and I am excited about the project. I have always found handwork to be relaxing and hand appliqueing this piece made me realize how much I have missed handwork. What do you find most relaxing? How easy is it for you to let go of something that isn't working for you?

Hearts for Christchurch Follow Up

I hate when something important to me gets lost in the craziness of life. This is what happened with Hearts for Christchurch project. The opening was September 2. I wish I could have been there so looking at photographs will have to do. Los puntadas del alma/Stitches of the Soul (my group at teh National Museum of Mexican Art) and I donated hearts to victims of the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. You can see their hearts in my April 2 post. Together we sent 49 hearts.

Hearts for Christchurch showcases an amazing array of more than 4,000 hearts from around the world. The project is the inspiration of my friend, Evie Harris, who started creating and gathering the hearts after the February earthquake. She grew up there. Word got out about the project and soon hearts started arriving from all over New Zealand and the world. The hearts are on display at Canterbury Museum until February 22, 2012 (the anniversary of the earthquake).  You can see the incredible display and find out more about the project on Evie’s blog. You won't be disappointed. Is it important to you to donate to causes?