Wednesday, May 28, 2014

"Star Code"

11"x16", cotton rust resist, stencil cut out collage, gray quilted paper and gray flour resist cloth. Hand and machine stitching, copper glass beads and light topaz cube glass beads. The lavender embroidery thread was the last bit from my mothers sewing basket ... 30+ years old.

This is the gate that speaks of the ancient and modern take on the "stuff" of the Universe. What is foretold in our very bones and studied by both astrophysicist and the biochemist ... "the history of humanity the history of the Universe is the same and we are made of the same.. I embedded what seemed like to me, a genetic code as an ancient banner ... helping to lead to the solution to the  riddle of all riddles.

11 comments:

  1. that's lovely about your mother's thread. this piece is filled with so much significance and mystery. Love what you say about it.

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    1. Susan, Thank you. Its funny what one saves after a loss. I don't know why I saved her embroidery thread but I'm so glad I did.

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    1. Sue, Thank you and so glad you stopped by! Glad about the nice is all caps too!

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    1. Connie Rose, Thank you ... this one had a few lives before this one but I'm glad I kept trying!

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  4. I think you've just sewn up the meaning of life! Sweet that you were able to incorporate some of your mother's own personal star code in the form of the last scraps of her embroidery thread into this fascinating piece. The various forms of mark making on the fabrics add great interest as well.

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    1. Lynne, I'm lucky I didn't just sew up my fingers ... I haven't figured out how to sew without a presser foot ... My plan was to draw freely with machine stitching.
      My mother embroidered a tablecloth as a gift for me in Her favorite colors ... she was always such a mystery to me but I do think of her fondly.

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    2. A mother as a mystery...not such a bad thing...I wonder how many ever truly know their mother? That you think of her fondly is heritage enough, I would think.

      That is so funny about almost sewing up your fingers! I harboured a desire to be able to do free form machine embroidery but my sewing machine is too "simple" so it never really worked. I inadvertently got some great masses of threads all on top of each other that looked like nests or tree tops, though. I love it that you're constantly teaching yourself new techniques and trying new mediums of expression.

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  5. I love this piece, as well as the title and the meaning you have incorporated, Mary Ann. It does make me think of stars, and also of some kind of ancient code. As Carl Sagan (and Neil DeGrasse Tyson) pointed out, "We are starstuff"; echoed by Joni Mitchell, "...We are stardust, billion year-old carbon." I think about that often. Beautiful!

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    1. Sharmon, Thank you, we are on the same page with ancient material and Neil DeGrasse Tyson quote. Yes, we are starstuff!

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