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?

Wordless Wednesday

I guess today won't be wordless since I received two emails (thank you Carolyn and Sue) asking questions and encouraging me to share the story. This is Alicia and she was one of my students when I taught at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Whenever Alicia was stuck on what to do next, she would go to the fabric bins and "Listen to the fabric because I know some of the will speak to me and give me direction." She was always so engrossed in what she was doing and so full of joy when she had found the fabrics that spoke to her. For me, it was always a joy to watch her in this process. I'm not sure people who do not work with fabric would understand this. What fabrics have spoken to you?

Blog Giveaway With A Twist-One

You cannot hold on to anything good. You must be continually giving---and getting. You cannot hold on to your seed. You must sow it---and reap anew. You cannot hold on to riches. You must use them and get riches in return. ---Robert Collier

I'm cleaning out and sharing so for the next couple of months I will be giving away books and artwork. However, I'm not doing a stand leave your name and I'll have a drawing for the winner. Instead, I'm going to ask questions and you need to leave a reply. This will help me with different things that I am curious to know. I want to create a dialogue.

When I was a kid, I was extremely curious. I drove my mom crazy asking questions. I always knew when my questioning was over when she would say, "Curiosity killed the cat." You can image my delight when I discovered the saying had a second part, "And satisfaction brought her back." Didn't make my mom happy.

So here is the question for this round, "How is history, and specifically quilt history, important to you?" If it is not important to you, "Why not?"

The winner will receive a copy of Spike Gillespie's book Quilts Around the World: The Story of Quilting from Alabama to Zimbabwe with a forward by Karey Patterson Breshenham (see book description below). I contributed two essays to the book. It is because of those essays that I was given the opportunity to write Quilts in the Attic. Thank you Spike!

The winner will be announced next Monday. Can't wait!

Book Description:

This essential book for all quilters and quilt collectors tells the fascinating story of quilting around the world, illuminated by the international quilt community's top experts and more than 300 glorious color photographs. Covering Japan, China, Korea, and India; England, Ireland, France, and The Netherlands; Australia, Africa, Central America, North America, and beyond, Quilts Around the World explores both the diversity and common threads of quilting. Discover Aboriginal patchwork from Australia, intricate Rallis from the Middle East, Amish and Hawaiian quilts from the United States, Sashiko quilts from Japan, vivid Molas from Central America, and art quilts from every corner of the globe. Also included are twenty patchwork and applique patterns to use in your own quilt projects, inspired by designs from the world's most striking quilts.