“Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog,” is one of this family’s oft-repeated phrases when we pull into the driveway. I know, it’s a misquote from the nursery rhyme, but we like it. It has history in our household.
But today, my version might be, “home again, home again, figgity-fog.” Today was our first full day at home in several weeks without another trip on the horizon. And, even when we were home between trips, there were meetings, and deadlines, and classes, and you get the idea.
So on this day without pending preparation for another trip, I’m unraveling the impressions of the past few weeks. Impressions which have become almost a blur.
I have been inspired by images from all our travels. The scenery on backroads, quilts from contestants and vendors in Paducah, art in galleries, techniques from fabulous textile teachers, and Nature herself are all jostling for position in my brain.
Those forms are mingling with fabrics, threads, buttons, and beads found on these travels, too. Now I am processing all those tidbits as I stow the treasures and sketches and thoughts, anxious to begin combining some of them in new work.
In my resting phase, I turned to Jude Hill’s Spirit Cloth blog. Her textile work is amazing, her words poetic. I have read her blog for years. Since she opened all her former online classes to all of us through her Feel Free site, I’ve browsed many old posts, too. Her words soothe, much like handling cloth does.
On all our travels, I carried my sewing basket. I accomplished some soothing stitching on an ongoing project, and even worked on a new one on the road.
But being at home with all my implements is a different kind of creating. So now I’m ready to combine thoughts and materials anew.
The photo is Headed Home, a small piece I made for our local guild’s “two-color” quilt challenge in 2014. The house is hand appliqued, the background machine quilted with vaguely parallel lines stitched closely together. The twigs are from our yard, whitewashed and couched down by hand. The quilt finished at 8” x 20”.
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