Mo'a Romig-Boyles

Cloudy The Butterfly...and a Story for Julie

I want to thank all of you who come to visit my blog home and for the lovely comments that you leave here and on Facebook. 

 

Here is the story I wrote for Julie to go with the pillow that I sent her.

Dear Julie, Some of my stories are quiet true, however, this one was made up by me and my Muse just for you.

When Cloudy, was born she was ever so disappointed…you see the whole time she was a chrysalis, she fantasized about how beautiful she would be and how she would take everyone’s breath away when she fluttered past them.
In reality she came out of her chrysalis rather plain...by her estimation. She is small and her wings are pale...what Cloudy did not realize is that her wings are amazing... they reflect the clouds in the sky.
To top it all off she saw her cousins mucking about in mud puddles.

Cloudy looked towards the sky and said "Would it have hurt you to make me bright and beautiful?" As she was looking up she noticed beautiful clouds and thought to herself "I will make myself a hat that is as beautiful as the clouds in the sky".  One thing she resolved that she would never do, was to muck about in mud puddles...she would drink from streams and lakes.
When Cloudy donned her hat, she felt very much better and noticed that everyone looked at her with admiration.
She tried not to let it go to her head, she acquired a humble look by casting her eyes down when she noticed that someone was looking at her...the rest of the time she looked wide eyed with wonder at her beautiful world.
She came to admire her cousins..."They are not so plain" she thought "They are quite beautiful"......she was even seen joining them for a drink in a mud puddle.
However, in her humble opinion, she was the most beautiful of them all because of her "Cloud Hat"

I hope you will enjoy your little pillow and that when you rest your head on it you will have sweet dreams.  All my love, Amma

Here is a photo of Julie and Victor's pillows  just before they got packet up for their trip to Denmark.

Disclaimer: I made this butterfly piece in Jude Hill's workshop Patchwork Beasts.  The butterfly is  my interpretation of Jude's design, that we used in the workshop, with her blessing.

Just a friendly reminder: All the images and the story are created by me and are copyright 2013 Please do not use the images or the story without my permission.  Thank you :)

The Star's Mother...and a story for Victor

When I was in Denmark this summer, I did a little sewing now and then on my Star's Mother piece.  Actually what I mostly did was to sew thread beads...hundreds of them. 

One day Victor (my six year old grandson) saw me working on the piece.  I asked him if it looked like a planet...he loves everything outerspace and rockets.  He said "Yes" and asked "Is this for me?"

I told him that I would make a pillow for him from this piece.  He was over the moon :) at that suggestion.  After we returned to the states we were on Skype talking with the family and Victor asked "Where is my pillow"  This question spurred me on and I finished the pillow a week later and two weeks later he had it in his possession.  Reports are that he loves it and the story about The Star's Mother.

Would you like to hear the story?  I hope the answer is yes, because I am going to tell it to you.

Dear Victor, I cannot say whether the story I am about to tell you is absolutely true. It was told to me by my Muse. My muse tells me stories when I paint, sculpt, sew and do just about anything, or just sit quietly thinking of this and that. Some are true and others are the figment of my imagination…you see my Muse lives in my head.  It is said that every artist has their own Muse and some even give her names.

Here is the story:  At the edge of the Milky Way about 12,000,000 light years ago is where the Stars Mother lived. She is the mother of about 100billion stars and planets.

She was a good mother and took good care of her children and made sure that they were warm and cozy and that some of them would grow up to be planets…about 60 billion did.She would wrap the little ones in a red blanket of fire until they became bright enough to venture out on their own.

Some of her children did not want to leave and she would always tell them the same story. “Don’t be afraid you have a great adventure ahead and you will give great pleasure to the people on Earth” this is always how she started her story.  Then she would go on and say “There will be songs written about you. Artists will paint you. Astronomers will make big telescopes so that they can see you more clearly and the will take your picture”.  “There will be many people that will travel by your light they will name you the North Star and the Star of Bethlehem.  And yes, most of you will be given names, so many beautiful names in so many languages”  “You will also be given names, that describe your formations, such as Big Dipper and Orion’s belt and many, many, many more.”

“Some of you will put on a display in August called a Meteor Shower… people will look forward to that each year”.  “One of you will become the Sun…and you will brighten up the days so that the people of earth can see the bright blue heaven and the clouds whose shapes they will give names, and at night The Moon will reflect your light.”  Then to give a little sweet note to her story she would add “And Sirius they will name a chocolate after you in Iceland, it will be called "Nói Síríus”.

“Go my children and shine bright” was always the last thing they heard their mother say as they sailed into their position in the sky.

Victor, while I was sewing you pillow my Muse and I made up this little story to amuse you.  May you have lovely dreams when you rest your head on this little pillow, All my love, Amma

Next week I will tell you the story and show you the pillow that I made for Julie (my four year old granddaughter and Victor's sister)

Just a friendly reminder: All the images and the story are created by me and are copyright 2013 Please do not use the images or the story without my permission.  Thank you :)

White Cloth Continues

Having a goal in mind has spurred me on...thus my table runner is getting more stitches and design.

In the last few days I have added more white stitches, to compliment the light pinkish/peach beige.

I have taken advantage of the designs in the cloth.  For instance in the center of these flowers is a  woven design that is a part of the cloth.

In this photo you can see that I highlighted the woven design differently.

I have added what Jude of Spirit Cloth calls 'thread beads' for texture...I imagine this cloth not only being looked at, but also touched. 

Change

A year ago I started this white cloth in Magic Diaries.  I thought I was making a quilt for my bed, however, that thought has been changed. 

I was looking at the cloth spread on my dining room table and just then it's potential use was changed to a table runner...there will eventually be three of them...one going vertically and two horizontally.

I love the idea of my dinner guests looking at each element...some made by me and others being made by various women whose skills in embroidering were amazing. The stain in the photo below is an acid stain from having been stored in an acidic environment

My marks on the cloth are made in a soft pinkish beige...to set it apart.  I wonder as the years pass and after multiple washings in clorox, whether my marks will fade? 

My stitches are without tradition and free hand.  Their embroideries were time honored patterns, a sign of their times .  Will someone in the future say...in my mother's, grandmother's, great grandmother's time...they did stitches like this and loved ragged edges?

A Feather In His Cap

As you may have guessed, I have been on a vacation.  I went back home to Iceland and had two wonderful weeks there.  

When I came back I started another workshop with Jude of Spirit Cloth.  I love the community that has developed through these workshops.  I posted photos on the workshop forum of my latest piece that I call 'A Feather In His Cap'.

All the fabric in this piece was a gift.  I used the fabric to tell a story. The eyes and feather in the above piece were already  there...I just emphasised it with stitch.  The same thing with the animal below.  Many of my cloth mates called it a fox.

These feathers were also on the fabric, I added the stitches.

I got the idea to make this book by something Jude showed us in the workshop.

I asked my cloth mates, whether I should add words to this piece as I had a story in mind or whether I should let the viewer tell his or her own story.  Many replied with a story line, based on what they saw when they looked at the images inside the book.

One of the stories was written by Michelle.  It is an amazing story.  Michelle asked me if she could use some of my images on her blog, as she would like to share the story with her blog readers.

I agreed that the story should be shared and gave her permision to use my photos.

As you look at these photos, do you see a story?  If you do I would love to hear it. 

Here is the last photo.  Now go to Michelle's blog and read her story connected to this cloth. I know you will be as charmed as I was.

I have decided not to use words in this book. I love the stories that people have told themselves when they look at the images they see in this little cloth book.

Are you still here?  Go, go over to Michelle's and read her fabulous story.

Saturn's Moons

I named my little wall hanging Saturn's Moons.  If you look closely you can see seven moons, in this piece.

Some are mended and others are not. Two are half moons.  One has a heart...

...and one that is velvet that you saw here. Then there is an eye, that has nothing to do with moons...it just appeared, in a space that seemed to be made for it.

Here is the whole piece.  Can you see the seventh moon?  Hint: it is a half moon.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Remember to use Sun Block and...

...to smell the flowers.

Flowers in order of appearance:  Peony and Blue Flag Iris in my Mother's garden. Mountain Laurel appearing with hundreds of others in my garden.

A Work In Progress

How time flies. I cannot believe that it has almost three weeks since I posted here. I must mend my ways.

I am working on a piece that will be a wall hanging. This is the first part of it.  The fabric is indigo dyed flannel and a velvet moon dyed by Glennis of Shibori Girl. I meant for the lines to be straight on this piece however, as I was working on it the flannel stretched and distorted. I considered that an opportunity and worked with the lines. For my taste I think it worked out better this way, as there were already wavy lines in the design.

I free handed the design using a split stitch that I learned in one of Jude's classes.

See you soon...I promise.

For Jude and Was

For Jude in memory of her beloved Was.

Cloth...Front and Back

In one of the comment on my last post Ulrike asked to see the whole cloth.  This one is for you Ulrike.

As I was photographing this cloth, I thought about how much I like the back also. Here is a photo of the back. 

I am madly in love with indigo.  I need to find some more indigo fabric.

Musselmalet aka Blue Fluted

For forty years I have had the pleasure of using my favorite china, Musselmalet Royal Copenhagen known here in the States as Blue Fluted.  Many of the pieces of this china were wedding presents.
I love to set a beautiful table and to tell you the truth I have a passion for beautiful china and glasses. On Sundays we have an old fashioned Sunday dinner.

 

I have been taking classes from Jude Hill of Spirit Cloth since June of 2010...Oh, dear!!! does that make me a groupie?  I have enjoyed these classes and have learned much about how to go about making a quilt...large and small.  A year ago I showed the first glimpses of a Boro cloth that I was making in CWB class, whose design was inspired by my china.

I finally finished this piece.  It is a runner that now resides on my dining room table.

I worked on this cloth off and on for a year.  I have also made a few of these fellows and a few other pieces that I have told you about here and here. 

Have a wonderful weekend...see you soon.