Since I expect to stitch my monthly rows of patches together, I’ve decided to end the odd numbered months (January, March, May, etc.) with a named calendar patch as I did yesterday.
Even months (February, April, etc.) will begin with a named patch, as I did today …
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| Patch #32 Rose pink linen from a thrifted blouse fussy stitched with one strand of DMC |
I confess that I’ve been planning this patch for a while as a way to begin celebrating Melissa’s 30th birthday on the 14th. Please note: in our family we do not use the V-word when talking about a certain mid-February holiday … at least not in front of Melissa.
As I stitched, I thought …
Thought that the color of the linen looked just like the foam my mom used to skim off the top of her strawberry jam … spread on the heel of a freshly baked loaf of bread it was ambrosia.
Thought how it’s a leap year, so there are 29 days in February … that Melissa will not be 29 years old much longer … and how I was 29 myself when she was born in 1986.
Thought how the red thread just didn’t look right on the numbers and letters, so I tore it out. And in the gray light of a foggy morning, what I thought was variegated gray thread turned out to be variegated teal … which was perfect, since teal is currently a favorite color of Melissa’s.
Thought how Melissa returned with a zebra print cowboy hat on her 16th birthday trip to Ft. Worth with Don (who was consulting with the Fort Worth schools at the time) … how much has changed since then …
And then I was done.
The sun broke through and I decided it was high time to photograph Don’s assemblage of assemblages …
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aka the Front Porch Series. One piece has yet to be shown here …
Another was only shown in process …
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And because they’re hard to photograph, even in panorama …
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here they are in three takes from left to right …
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I'm Going to Texas (version 2.0) 
When I first saw this display of Don's wonderful assemblages, I thought what a fine tribute to By the Bridges but then I don't know if Don got most of his materials from them…still, something about this marvelous collection, seemed to echo them…humble materials, rich assemblages of metal and wood yet soothing with sky and sunrise colors. A home filled with creativity both inside and outside; stories unfolding by the Ackerts and that is very special.
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Thank you! I'd say the materials in these assemblages came from By the Bridge, Junkology, and a couple of stores at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Don has a pretty good \”pantry\” of stuff to work with, but this series put a significant dent his stash. Sadly, in addition to the demise of By the Bridge, Junkology has also faded away. Time to find a new supplier!
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Your February patch looks like a delicious bit of candy. I hope it will be a sweet month for all of us. Don's assemblages are so cohesive as a group. Lucky you!
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I love the calendar stitching project! and seeing Don's work. My favorite is the moon phases. Both of you marking the passage of time…
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Ooooo … cotton candy!And Don's grouping. I'm really bad. When he made the first assemblage I said it looked lonely on our expansive porch and needed some companionship. Seven pieces later, lucky me!
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Thank you … the daily patch has become something I look forward to each day, sometimes to the exclusion of other needed activities (getting dressed, doing housework, fixing meals … )And the moon phases assemblage came about when I was mulling the idea of doing a cloth-full of moons over time … assembling it in metal was much more efficient. I sometimes envy how Don can put together a full assemblage in a day or a week.
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P.S. I'm not sure whether to consider myself a muse or a gadfly
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Don's moon make me swoon
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SO this porch gallery, or veranda gallery, is setting a scene to me….ofthe time in the not so distant future when you both will be offering workshopsthere……..(eyebrows raised?) (maybe?) (have you thought of it?)
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Thanks Mo … that was where it all started
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Huh … no, it never occurred to me/us. Wow. Well hmmm. So, writing workshops … I've done that. I like that it's a shared activity rather than an instructional thing. Where everyone listens and comments and suggests. Ha! Sorta like this.So I guess, in a way, this blog is my front porch. And the comments section is like a writing workshop feedback session. But as I think about it, if someone said, \”Hey I'm going to be in SMTX … can I come by?\” Well that would be beyond cool.
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