breathing room for the soul

What art offers is space—a certain breathing room for the soul.
—John Updike (1932–2009)

A variation of kiku that wraps rows of kiku around the "petals" to grow the points.

Thread wrap in reddish-brown-orange (called cinnamon, but it looks more like paprika). "Invisible" S20 division in the same thread. Embroidery in sky blue and medium orange. The quote by John Updike is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 11.25 inches / 29 cm; diameter: 3.58 inches / 9.23 cm. Completed 6 September 2012 (no. 149).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

the music of what happens

And that moment when the bird sings very close
To the music of what happens.
— Seamus Heaney (1939– )

Continuing on with spindles, I thought I'd try 5 layered spindles on an S20 division. Not as tidy, and maybe the circumference is a bit on the small side for this cause it was a tight fit, but I like the geometry of it; and the design reminds me of the "god's eyes" (Ojos de Dios) I used to make as a child.

Thread wrap in powder blue, S20 division in metallic copper. Embroidery in a total of 7 shades of brown, rust orange, beige, light yellow. The quote by from a poem by Seamus Heaney is in the bell box, along with 29 brass rings. Circumference: 11inches / 28 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 8.9 cm. Completed 29 May 2012 (no. 129).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

a hunch is creativity

A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.
— Frank Capra (1897–1991)

Another asymmetrical kiku, this time with 20 points, and formed from four 5-point stars at each pole.

Thread wrap in medium silver gray; S20 division in #8 perle. Embroidery in black and three grays (dark, medium light), and butter yellow. The quote by Frank Capra is in the bell box along with 27 brass rings. Circumference: 11.5 inches / 29.5 cm; diameter: 3.66 inches / 9.39 cm. Completed 13 May 2012 (no. 125).

to see our priorities

We often need to lose sight of our priorities in order to see them.
— John Irving (1942– )

This is another asymmetrical design, with sage & butterscotch kiku / kiku-around-kiku at the top, and black asymmetrical kiku at the bottom. This is the first time I have stitched a temari in #8 perle cotton; the standard is #5, but #8 is thinner, just over half the width of #5. It's much more delicate, and was lovely to work with. When I made chain maille jewelry, I gradually gravitated toward smaller and smaller rings (thinner and smaller in diameter) because of how fine the work turned out. I now have all sorts of ideas of how to use #8, as well as ideas about black on gray designs, which looks practically like velvet, and a bit victorian.

Thread wrap in slate gray; S24 division in black perle #8. Embroidery in butterscotch, sage, and black #8 perle. The quote by John Irving is in the bell box along with 27 brass rings. Circumference: 10 inches / 25.5 cm; diameter: 3.18 inches / 8.11 cm. Completed 5 May 2012 (no. 118).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

at home in this universe

When I learn something new—and it happens every day—I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.
— Bill Moyers (1934– )

A symmetrical composition: an S20 division, each pole has four 5-point kiku herringbone stars in four colors. Browns for the nest, and midnight blue for the universe; the pattern & color placement create a kaleidoscopic effect.

Thread wrap in midnight blue; S20 division in metallic copper. Embroidery in four gradated shades from dark beige-brown to light-beige brown. The quote by Bill Moyers is in the bell box along with 17 brass rings. Circumference: 10.5 inches / 26.8 cm; diameter: 3.34 inches / 8.53 cm. Completed 21 April 2012 (no. 112).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

to be renewed

To be worn out is to be renewed.
— Lao Tzu (6th c. BCE)

This is another asymmetrical composition. An S20 division, the top half has four 5-point kiku herring bone stars in four colors, and the points end with several rounds of "kiku around kiku" (like nos. 94 and 101). The bottom half has four 5-point stars of layered reverse kiku herringbone in a slate gray that is identical to the thread wrap, which provides more of a textural than colorful effect. I chose the colors for the top half based on the quote: renewal > phoenix > peacock.

Thread wrap in very dark slate gray (almost black, but not); S20 division in #8 perle. Embroidery in dark teal blue, light blue green, silvery slate blue, purple, and dark slate gray. The quote by Lao Tzu is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference: 10.75 inches / 27.5 cm; diameter: 3.4 inches / 8.75 cm. Completed 6 April 2012 (no. 109).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

breathing room for the spirit

What art offers is space — a certain breathing room for the spirit.
— John Updike (1932–2009)

Another pattern like no. 94: a 20-point kiku herringbone design (uwagake chidori kagari) with a second round of kiku stitched in the opposite color under and around the points of the first.

Thread wrap in medium gray; S20 division in metallic silver; embroidery in dark pewter gray and light moss green (chartreuse). The quote above by John Updike is in the bell box along with 9 brass rings. Circumference: 11 inches / 27.7 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 8.81 cm. Completed 14 February 2012 (no. 101).


Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

happiness is like a butterfly

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond your grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.
— Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864)

Upon finishing no. 95, I immediately wanted to make another "individual" herringbone stitch design to change parts of the design that I thought could look better (number of petals, length of petals, treatment at the equator)—and this version is much improved. Three layers of kiku herringbone petals; the first round has four five-point stars (which have layered tips across the equator), each in a shade of orange; the second round has four stars in four shades of blue and purple; the third round has four stars in four shades of green. On each round the stars are offset by one guideline — a spirograph-like effect. I chose "butterfly colors."

Thread wrap in black; S20 division, guidelines removed after stitching; embroidery in 12 shades of oranges, blues, purples and greens. The quote above by Hawthorne is in the bell box along with 11 brass rings. Circumference:10.75 inches / 27.2 cm; diameter: 3.42 inches / 8.65 cm. Completed 1 February 2012 (no. 096).


Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

this very moment

This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, luckily for us, it's with us wherever we are.
— Pema Chödrön (1936– )

My second attempt at the "kiku around kiku" technique, like no. 91. That was done on an S12, and this on an S20, which is what the original pattern called for. This is finer and more delicate because of the narrower petals. It has a 20-point kiku herringbone design (uwagake chidori kagari) with a second round of kiku stitched in the opposite color under and around the points of the first.

Thread wrap in charcoal gray; S20 division in black #8 perle; embroidery in olive green and orchid purple. The quote above by Pema Chödrön is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 11.25 inches / 28.5 cm; diameter: 3.58 inches / 9.07 cm. Completed 29 January 2012 (no. 094).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

what lies within us

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

Another amime-giku — or net weave — like no. 55. This variation has a division of 20; I wanted the division lines to be "invisible," so I used a triple-strand of the same thread as the wrap so it will blend in. This time I added a wide traditional obi rather than a "net" obi.

Thread wrap in purple; S20 division with the same purple thread; amime-giku in a dusky silvery lavender and a wide obi in that same color plus violet. The quote above by Ralph Waldo Emerson is in the bell box along with 7 brass rings. Circumference: 10.125 inches / 25.7 cm; diameter: 3.22 inches / 8.2 cm. Completed 11 November 2011 (no. 058).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.