Agape with love for Roz Hawker’s pennant!

Roz Hawker‘s magically stitched pennant ‘Agape’ meeting Fiona Dempster‘s ‘Imagine Peace’ weathergram
wrapped in a brown paper bag with a note from Roz explaining Agape Love
I love how the word agape is also defined by being “in a state of wonder or amazement, as with the mouth wide open.”
such beautiful stitching
and from the other side!
the shimmer in the silken rows
‘Agape’ meeting The Gathering!
Roz makes such good magic you can see more of her stunning work over on instagram
my hair is standing on end tingling with the magic in the air
deep bow this is truly Braille for the Soul
the circle is strong, magic is afoot
namaste

gratitude for this magic circle of dreamers

it’s a year since the old wedding dress first arrived in our house
seeding the dream
gathering through this web of light are a community of stitchers, deep listening women from around the earth making strong threads singing
 ‘I dream of a world where love is the answer’
a choir of dreamers, mending our ways stitch by stitch, learning to touch again, the world and each other, connecting our hearts with each pennant and talisman the magic is growing with love for our beautiful broken world. We are creating agency for change with tenderness, by treading lightly & dreaming beauty into the world
as Marti says “Si se puede” (Yes we can)!
with deep gratitude to this circle of dreamers
Liz Ackert
Fiona Dempster
Barry Smith
Dee Mallon
Jude Hill
Judy Martin
Hazel Monte
Els Sneider
Dana Webb
Susi Bancroft
Wendy Watson
Bronwyn Berman
Martine Bos
Beth Brennan
Nancy Erisman
Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord
Grace Forrest-Maestas
Louise Watson
Michelle Slater
Margarita Sampson
Jane Bodnaruk
Susan Hemann
Roz Hawker
India Flint
Yvette Dopheide
Patricia Spangler
Kathy Dorfer
Glenda Jones
Arlee Barr
Ulrike Bogdan
Olga Cironis
Doris Perlhuhn
Saskia van Herwaarden
Carol Cantrell
Jana Cironis
Christina Haggart
Marti Weisbrich
Tina Zaffiro
Kristin McNamara Freeman
René Walkin
Margaret Johnson
Donna Hinchcliff
Eliene St. Romain
Cathy & Sarah Wright
Glenda Chamberlain
Jane Stapleford
Judy Lemezis
Jane Milliken
Linda Summers
Penny Vickery
Dotti Dauter
Maggie Brown
Nanette Gilbert
Aileen Jordan
Lizette Campbell
Gabrielle Bates
Shona Wilson
Joy Banks
Cathy Jack Coupland
Sharon Peoples
SharmonDavidson
Elizabeth Bunsen
Diana Angus
Deb Gorr
you can follow the progress of this collaborative project widdershins
Gathering the Dreams

namaste

PS if you want to make a talisman of love for our beautiful broken world
e-mail : mocrow@iinet.net.au

lace moon in process

the beaded neckline from the wedding dress fits perfectly on the moon shaped trunk clasp of the palm inflorescence which was painted with white chalk paint during a break in the rain last week
stitched with the rotted tulle from the veil, antique lace and silk thread
taking shape needle lace to hold the moon
a moment of indecision when I realized the beaded edge will face the base of the dress forma quick test to see if it will work, the fork in the electric blue branch needs to be be tied in higher and the palm inflorescence a little lower but it’s getting there, now back to the needle lace!

celebrating another spin around the sun

celebrating another spin around the sun with Old Man Crow, he’s 71 today!
who would have thought we would still be here?
the mandala is tied to the dress form with waxed linen thread
Diane Patmore took these photos of my Book of Honesty at the Libris Awards in Mackay
good to see it displayed so that people can turn the pages and enjoy the details
you can see the whole book here
the catalogue is online here

the branch for the talismans is all bound up in electric blue!

finished binding the crepe myrtle branch round and round in the electric blue leather on the weekend, it took nearly 3 months to stitch & my fingertips are thanking me this week for giving them a break!
sketch for the dreaming roughly to scale
this morning the weather was warm enough to open the window for ventilation so I made a mixture of Dorland’s Wax Medium and Schminke Ultramarine pigment and rubbed it into the mandala & the rusted dress form, this is the third coat of wax
will bind the mandala to the dress form with blue leather
the blue does improve the look of the old mandala, this photo was taken yesterday before I removed the palm inflorescence which will be painted with popcorn white chalk paint once the sun comes up and then bind the moon shape at the top of the inflorescence with tulle and wedding dress satin
when that is all ready I look forward to binding the branch to the iron dress form centred to the palm inflorescensce and then start weaving a bowl shape to hold the branch firmly in the centre of the upper iron ring
the tulle wedding dress train will need to be slipped over the form so I will have to slice the skirt and restitch it in place
working out how to manage all this without painting myself into a corner should keep me amused for the rest of winter, fortunately Old Man Crow has an engineering background and has helped work out many wild balancing acts over the years, like this Ariel walkway that he magically cantilevered with knotted joints 4 houses ago
The mighty Ariel P. Cat protecting the house from the evil birthday balloons tied to his walkway!

Ulrike Bogdan’s pennant and a talisman by Bronwyn Berman just joined The Gathering!

Ulrike Bogdan’s pennant & Bronwyn Berman’s talisman arrived yesterday to join The Gathering
Ulrike has written about her deeply philosophical response to the dream of a world where love is the answer over on her blog  Nemo-Ignorat
I love the way she has combined all her skills as an artist, scientist and linguist
to quote from over on her blog
“…’Selbstlosigkeit’ (selflessness), ‘Mitgefühl’ (compassion) und ‘Geborgenheit’ (care and comfort, safety and protection). When you love someone or something, you feel compassion, act selfless and this love may give you comfort and protection.
I added some onion dyed cotton, used different silk thread dyed in indigo, madder and logwood. There is a lot of madder, because madder is of the Earth. And I just love the earthy part of its colour.
Let’s all protect this broken world. Feel compassionate for her well-being and for the beings living on her and be selfless about it. Step outside of the Dream and just Love.”
Bronwyn Berman’s talisman of love for our beautiful broken world vibrates with a delightful sense of humour and whimsy
echidna quills, Silver Sebright chook feathers, copper wire, glass beads
the patinated pod with echidna quills is by Bronwyn from back in 2015,  here’s a link to a better photograph
they are enjoying getting to know The Gathering
the beautiful indigo dyed silk scarf on the right hand side of the book case is a gift from Ulrike, perfect for this chilly day!
The Gathering is singing such deep love into our beautiful broken world
it’s like conducting a choir with each voice bringing in a new harmony
namaste

a bushwalk in the Blue Mountains

we took the train up to the Blue Mountains for a bushwalk
such a magic day
Cathy and Old Man Crow investigating a mysterious pool
old sandstone stairs to Dante’s Glen

a reconnoiter for the dream
a fabulous Angophora costata
this magic rainbow arched right over the train on the way home
blessing the dream of moving up to the mountains in the not too faraway
the Full Moon in Sagittarus the Wayfinder
Sagittarius from the Zodiac Series Mo 1999
Magic Days!