"Ritual Cloth X"

6"x61/2",  tea bags, hand carved stamp, machine and hand stitching and small black beads. First time to use tea bags as cloth and I do like the beautiful stains. I'm trying to change things up a little...using new materials to me and keeping small. Cloth doesn't hold up well in antiquity so the museum sites I have visited have few textiles from ancient middle east...mostly burial cloths.
Out of my six suggestions, I will probably complete three more before I decide on a new series. I'm already enamored with 'amulets' but I might change my mind before I finish the next three.

Sample Amulet 2

Sample amulet, small 5"x51/2", painted cloth, painted paper, assorted beads, stamped, stenciled, machine and hand stitched.
Exploring new directions following my list of six suggestions (Facebook June 4th) and along the way I believe I have found a creative expression in making amulets. In the ancient world there was a thin line between magic and medicine and calling on a "scorpion charmer" was common. This charmer would among other duties, create amulets for a patient for protection?! Ideas are developing but my best way is to plunge in and try this or that...this piece went several directions and I stopped at this point. I had fun stitching beads 'using up' small amounts of leftover glass and plastic beads.

3 in 1 and 1 more

INDIGO is the color for Roy G Biv Day! Indigo is not an easy color for me...I don't use natural indigo dyes and this strong blue rarely shows up in my work. Here I have combined my jean jacket with dyed raffia and my gold and lapis lazuli ring. The flowers below are beautiful and bloom here from early Spring through Summer and Fall. For more examples of INDIGO stop by at Julie and Jennifer for more links!

Take me Home

New Muse: 121/2"x141/2", cotton fabric, painted fabric, hand and machine stitching, rusted fabric, beads.
I've been needing a new muse and I finally settled myself to creating one. My muses, as this one wear helmets (Norse warrior women) and usually have interesting hair styles. I keep a childlike approach as that appeals to me as inspirational. She stands before an open gate( A Dr. Seuss like gate) to guide me into new fabric work. This time she is outfitted with a candle for dark times. All this wrapped up in a heavy dose of courage, gratitude and probably hard work!