monkey hands

Flying Turtles, Rainbow Quilt, Leaving Soon

flying across the moon

Stitching continues on my Diary Cloth  (one of  Jude Hill's inspiring online course at Spirit Cloth). It's a relaxing way to begin to process change and transition. 

part of the diary cloth

I think flying turtle is leading the way home!

rainbow quilt for, and designed by, a very special niece

The top is finished, and just in time to pack and thento pass along to Phyllis Dewey, longarm quilter at Quilter's Pantry, when I get back.

stuff accumulated over the past two years

workers from Roundabout picking up donations for migrant workers and their families

Roundabout Organization is an NGO in Beijing. They run a store similar to Salvation Army or Goodwill in the U.S., and also donate goods to people in need, which includes the 14 million migrant workers living and working in Beijing.  

The so-called "migrant workers" are Chinese, but don't have a hukou (offical government papers allowing them to live in a city other than their rural hometown).

Migrant workers have few rights and often little access to public schools, healthcare, or other social services. These guys were great sports who pick up our air filters, my post-surgery-for-the-broken-foot gear, household goods, and so on. 

More and Less

 

Taking a break on a hot day in Beijing

I'm reading and traveling more just now, and writing and sewing less; such is the rhythm of (my) life. More of one means less of the other and vice versa.  Like a seesaw, up and then down. Sometimes balanced, oft times not. 

Now that I'm off the crutches and able-bodied once again, I'm working, teaching, seeing and doing more outward, physical activities these days and I'm sewing less, but just for now!  The two year China gig is finished at the end of this calendar year, so I'm trying to squeeze in all that I can. 

I'll post more pics from Bangkok (great beast statues!), my teaching in Kunming, and doll-making with the women's sewing collective in Mongolia (this week) in the near future.

I'm still reading your blogs as often as possible--I need a daily or at least several times weekly dose of your creativity, insights, musings, and inspirations.

 

Beijing Floods

 

It's still raining here in our usually arid area, and new flood warnings were once again issued this morning.  

Thank you to all who have emailed and/or called to check on things. 77 people died in the city last week after the worst flooding in 60 years. There have been landslides and more deaths outside the city area as well.  Here's a link to pictures posted by the BBC:  pictures 

I was marginally affected as it took me two days to get on a flight to Kunming in the south (about 3 and 1/2 hours flight from Beijing) where I was going to teach for a week. Once I boarded after multiple delays, it took another eight hours or so until landing around 5:30am Monday morning. Nothing, really, compared to the loss of lives, the millions of people who lost homes and everything in them (including their life savings), and the 80,000 people still stranded at Beijing International Airport, many for days, sleeping on the floor and making do with few resources (money, food, options).

Back in Beijing; Blogging Break

 

Mushrooms for a family dinner

I've been traveling and busy with family and friends, as well as New Hampshire pet and house chores, these past two and a half weeks.  Things are slowing down a bit now that I'm back in China, and I'm going to continue this blog-free time for a bit while I catch my breath and gather my jet-lagged wits. It's quite a transition. 

View from New Hampshire sewing table:

  View from Beijing sewing table: 

 

Moon Flight and Gratitude

Hospital stitching (under the influence...) on magic diary cloth. The eye became a fish and then turned into this rocket--whoa--how did that happen?

I stitched the moon (or chaotic brain) to a light weight unbleached muslin background--rows and rows of relaxing boro-style sashiko stitches.

I'm not sure about this direction, taken, as it was, in an altered state.  I may remove the rocket eye and use the moon brain in a different way--I have some ideas, but no plans just yet.

Foot update: Many, many thanks for all your kind comments, sweet emails, prayers, and healing thoughts. I deeply appreciate our supportive online community.                                          

Five days in hospital: bone graft, titamium plate/screws, strong meds and okay food. Pretty good food, actually.

No walking for three months; let the healing begin.

 

Meanwhile, in addition to some stitching, I'm finding other ways to amuse myself. Behold, Mango Pit Boat:              

Wool Faces Quilt

The seams in this medium-weight wool needed to be firmly pressed and also stitched to stay flat, so I've been hand-stitching away. It's rather mindless, meditative sewing--quite relaxing at the end of the day when I want to keep my hands busy, and when my brain wants to slow down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next step is to add a border or to start quilting without a border in order to make the size and weight more manageable. If I proceed with the second option, I will quilt the "body" and then add front and back borders. 

It's not quite this wonky--pinning it on the design wall has distorted and started to stretch the wool. I didn't leave it there long! The colors in the photos aren't true (they're richer, deeper), but I'm not sure how to remedy that problem. I seem to get either over or underexposed images no matter what I do.

Spring temperatures are here, with highs in the low forties now, but the air quality has been quite bad. Click on the U.S. Embassy's AQI image, below, to read the warning for this "Hazardous" level of pollutants. When it gets like this, as it often does, visability is so poor that flights are delayed or cancelled and highways closed. School children stay inside during recess and phys ed, as does everyone else who can possibly manage to avoid the air. Many people, millions here in Beijing alone, especially the so-called "migrant workers" -- Chinese citizens born in other areas of China who lack official relocation papers from the government--must work outside all day, six or seven days a week, in spite of poor air quality and serious health consequences.

 

Plenty

of time for stitching now.

Embroidered muslin, about 2.5" square 

Broke my foot--5th metatarsal ("Jones fracture")--or rather, broke it again. It happened at the Beijing airport upon return from X'ian Monday night (2/13). The previous fracture (August 2010) never healed properly, even after 16 weeks in various casts and another four weeks in a walking boot. I knew it was "at risk" of refracturing. Now I'm waiting for x-rays and records to arrive from the U.S. so a local orthopedic surgeon can recommend treatment.  

 

 

 

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One kilo of buckwheat hulls and 10 meters of single width (about 18") loose-spun muslin--my purchases at the block-long and wide fabric market in X'ian. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fabric Market in X'ian, China

Unearthed

I'm in X'ian, about 1,200 kilometers from Beijing, exploring this historical city--China's first capitol-- (with my husband and our friends visiting from the states).   

excavation in process

X'ian_Terracotta Warriors

So many interesting, inspiring faces for future work.

Seeing Eyes

Eyes seem to be the theme for me these days--I'm drawn to noticing and stitching them. This is the begining of a hamsa-styled eye in a hand. It is worn to protect the wearer and bring good luck.

Maybe stitching one is helping--the AQI today is "good" for a welcome change! 

Eye and AQI

Making eyes--sometimes my needle seems to stitch on its own. Standard sewing thread on a scrap of pale peach linen.  

The air quality (AQI = air quality index, as posted hourly by the U.S. Embassy here in Beijing) is not good today.