It’s happening! Slow but sure. A new coat pieced from gold and sand colored kimono silks.

The piecing on the front and sides is complete. I’ll add a little appliqué, but before that, I want to finish piecing the rest.

Which includes the back, here laying on the floor. It’s almost done, not quite.

And the sleeves. Their blocks laying in wait, still a just suggestion.

The rest of the sleeves, not quite jelled….

And the collar….

And one more thing. Did you catch the New York Times article, The Radical Quilting of Rosie Lee Tompkins? A reminder that as many of us there are, there are that many ways to express our creativity. SO good.

The world may be in chaos, but through it all, I can find peace in my studio, sewing and loosing myself in my projects.

This jacket, you may remember from a few weeks back, had only its front laid out. Now the back, sleeves and collar have their bias tubes basted in place and are ready for hand stitching.

The collar in process. I took this picture just before the strips were basted in place. I love how this looks, all the pins lined up in a row.

Unless I’m in a hurry, hand appliqué is a slow process, I’ll wait until night, the TV on, watching movies or series or documentaries. No news! I read the news in the morning to wake up and get moving. At night, I need to calm down and relax.

Meanwhile, I’m starting a new project. A long coat pieced in warm sand and gold colors.

The first couple of steps are completed, squares and rectangles cut out, first seam sewn, then cut again, sewn again, repeat. Finally, it’s at the magic place, where instead of a pile of fabric scraps, I can see the eventual design.

Stay tuned!

This has been a tough couple of weeks. Covid 19 has pushed us into a corner. We’ve been doing our best to hold on, then along comes this horrifying and senseless murder. The image of George Floyd lying on the ground, dying, with a knee on his neck, I can’t get it out of my mind.

But there is hope out there. Protests from Minneapolis to Paris, from Atlanta to Australia and from right here in my home town, Portland, to far away Berlin and London.

Don’t take my word for it. Check out Ezra Klein’s interview, ‘Why Ta-Nehisi Coates is Hopeful.’ It’s a tough listen, but helpful to understand what is going on. Ta-Nehisi Coates is a brilliant and insightful man who has the ability to articulate complicated issues in clear and understandable language.

For many years now, I’ve walked through my neighborhood and seen the signs that people have had in their yards.

I’d think, well of course. Who wouldn’t agree with that? Why would you even need to say that?

But now I am beginning to understand why these things need to be said.

And said again and again.

And why we should remember how we came to here.

And never forget.

A while ago, outside of the Grace Covenant Fellowship Church not too far from my house and from what I’ve observed a mostly African American congregation, they had placed a sign.

A reminder of the work we all still need to do.

And finally, on a nearby wall painted so local kids could draw on it,

a reminder of how to get there.