Tying up loose ends and soon on to other things...

I got the fiddlehead tapestry completed and in the mail yesterday, along with the black walnut tapestry. I titled it "Spring Profusion" --quickly giving it a title as I filled in the entry form in August. When I went back to the several blog posts I found that phrase was one I'd written in the sketchbook as I sat near the fiddleheads at the creek property on the first day I drew and photographed them. That thought jotted down early in the designing process was in my subconscious, I guess, as I gave the piece a title.

About titles for works...those are most often are hard for me to determine but sometimes they begin to occur when I'm working on a piece. The black walnut tapestry was named "...to the essence of every nature...." after it was completed, with the title coming from another line in the Gospel according to Mary Magdalene where I'd discovered a quote that seemed appropriate for yet another tapestry completed last year, the one of the roots that I named "...and they will be resolved again into their own roots."

Sometimes the titles are pretty self-explanatory, like "Vandiver Sleeping" or "Vandiver Walking" -- two small tapestries of my now departed cat friend who lived with Noel and Patrick. Another tapestry of him I did a few years back, though, was called "Magic Carpet Ride" since in it he was lying on an antique tribal kilim bag, as he loved to do.




I used Kathy Spoering' blocking suggestions that she noted in her blog awhile back. This was my first time to block a tapestry and I was quite nervous as I did the dampening and pressing. But the result was just what I needed. I won't describe what the process entailed since I've pretty much followed Kathy's instructions so carefully noted here at her blog...just a few shots of some of the steps along the way to the final stitching on of twill tape over the side hems. I am hanging the tapestry with a velcro covered wood bar, attaching the soft side of the velcro to twill tape and stitching that by hand to the top edge of the tapestry. The hook side of the velcro is attached to the bar.



NOW, the next two days will be filled with my final preparations for the Arrowmont class next week. I have my handouts revised and printed, and I'll be pulling together my supplies and small frame looms, loading up the car---AND trying to find a gas station around town that has gas available so I can top off my tank. I can get to Gatlinburg, where Arrowmont is located, from here and then back again (maybe) on one tank of gas in my car. With the shortage situation this week, I'm a bit nervous about the road trip. And speaking of nervous...soon will I be able to afford to fill my car even if gas is available?!