Time to start a new design -- one which I've been pondering for quite awhile (or so it seems). This picture, discovered in a very, very old book of wall hangings intrigues me. Unfortunately I do not know who created this weaving -- and I am hoping that they wouldn't mind if I try to incorporate some portions of this design using punchneedle.
My goal is to create a wall hanging that incorporates some new-to-me techniques. I've chosen Caron thread in different styles - Water Colours, Water Lilies and Wildflowers all in "Copper"! This is a color that I love -- I know many of you 'rusty' types will understand. There is something so rich and earthy and it speaks to me of time.
The working title for this piece will be "Canyon Wall" but we shall see how the interpretation goes -- perhaps another title will become evident as I punch my way through this abstract wall hanging. That's the adventure of the whole thing isn't it? The question "what will you be?" is with me throughout this and every other creation that comes from my hands.
"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them -- that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like." - Lao Tzu
A balancing act -- creating three different design patterns -- attaching them together using my own cording -- hanging bunches of thread from the bottom.
I had no preconceived notion as I began this project. I only thought of the design using the three (which were actually four when I first began) panels one beneath the other. My thoughts were more on process than anything else.
But as the days went by and I worked slowly (sometimes too slowly to suit myself) I found that this piece was becoming a reflection of this month in my life. I seemed to spend the whole month of January balancing my stitching with the rest of my life. Each day seemed to speed by and I would look back wondering what I had accomplished. Guilt would creep in, almost like the cold from outside the door -- why wasn't I working faster? Then I would give myself a stern talk - "why are you in such a hurry?"
And so I balanced, sometimes precariously, other times easily and I continued to work each piece. Pulling it all together at the end was the very most satisfying thing I've done in months. Perhaps giving more time to a piece lends it a weight that it might not otherwise have. These are things I'll ponder as I begin my next design.
Note: This is the largest punchneedle piece I have ever done. The three sections are 12" long -- add the loops and fringe the total is 24" long.
"Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony." - Thomas Merton
I have never made a three-part punchneedle piece. I have made multiples of the same design - but three different designs to be used on one wall hanging is new to me.
Each section must somehow blend with the other, while each having its own identity.
Exploration must be made of stitches, ways to combine, design and texture.
At this point it is two down, one to go.
"It's not just a question of conquering a summit previously unknown, but of tracing, step by step, a new pathway to it." - Gustav Mahler
