Once in a Blue Moon Mo 17
27cm D moon stitched with vintage Cintax mercerized sewing cotton on vintage blue suede from the 80’s
stitching detail
today I will have a go at making a papier mache mold in my iron wok to dome the leather & Old Man Crow (who is much better at mathematics than I am) worked out I will need 38 metres of 1.5 mm of round black leather cord or 57metres of 1mm round black leather cord to stitch a spiral basket form for the dark side of the moon
enjoy the Solstice wherever you are
Magic Days!
finished stitching for the Winter Solstice
Posted: June 21, 2017 by Mo Crow in Braille for the Soul, It's Crow TimeTags: magic, moon ladder, Once in a Blue Moon, thread
Comments
It's Crow Time 
it’s Incredible, Mo. Just stunning.
(((Grace))) just finished having a go at a papier maché mold to stretch the leather over, haven’t made any thing with this technique since I made a Siamese cat brooch in second grade at a primary school so am not sure if it will work. I oiled the wok in the hope that the mold will release when dry, tore up lots of paper offcuts, brushed on plenty of starch paste & have my fingers x-ed!
This is absolutely stunning.
🌞
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(((Linda))) it’s been some journey so far!
That is so beautiful, Mo what a fantastic job you’ve done!
thanks Rene, looking forward to the papier maché dome drying so I can stretch the leather over it, it will take a few days
Someday a huge blue moon (photograph of yours) will be the image on the front page of the New York Times and the headline will read (What?)
(((Michelle))) Once in a Blue Moon (with retractable ladder) !
maybe this is a second comment but to be sure…..love, wisdom, beauty, techniques, etcetc
thank you Mo!
(((Yvette))) this one is coming out of the dreaming so clearly
Such a GREAT job, Mo !!!
Happy Solstice !
(((Els))) I held my breath yesterday trying to keep those radiating stab stitches straight!
stunning!
(((Sue))) it’s getting there!
Oh Mo!! I’m speechless.
(((Nancy))) me too!
I’ve lined bowls with saran wrap for ease of release with paper machier — but you have to be happy with wrinkles (which I was). This is a stand out piece, Mo — and perfectly timed to the season. Happy Winter Solstice!~!
(((Dee))) I had a go with the cling wrap but couldn’t handle the wrinkles as I need as smooth a surface as possible to stretch the leather over, am hoping the oil will allow it to release but if it doesn’t will try again with a layer of kiln wash on the wok, am reluctant to use vaseline as I do cook in it occassionally!
I don’t think of Vaseline as noxious but maybe it is. Mineral oil might be another possibility.
Dee, the olive oil worked fine as a release, just carefully lifted the mold out of the inside of the wok and have laid it over the back to dry, it’s looking good, will need a few more layers of paper & a layer of non woven interface for strengthening before stretching the leather, this weekend there will be time to get started making the retractable ladder!
oh, my!
(((Velma))) this one is a beauty!
O Mo, this is so incredible beautiful. Your feeling for details is stunning. Doris
(((Doris))) the trick was to stop stitching before it started turning into a map of my brain!
Oh my goodness! If the night is cloudy you will have the best view.
((((Wendy))) as Old Man Crow sings in “Wild Things” “Newtown moonlight’s a streetlight no chance here of starlight”
I count my blessings living on a beach on the outskirts of a small town. I’ve gone from Bangkok to Tokyo to this . . . the ridiculous to the sublime.
we get many lives in this one lifetime as my friend & mentor in glass engraving Anne Dybka RIP said so wisely half a lifetime ago, I dream of the day when we can become grey nomads & see some stars again, hopefully in 4 years when I’m 66 and eligible for the pension
Absolutely gorgeous, Mo! xxx
(((Julie))) for the love of the moon
Hey Mo – this is stunningly beautiful and so creative … Solstice Blessings!
(((Susi))) this one is really working!
glorious!
(((Jude))) thank you, watching you stitch all these years has really helped hone my stitching skills, I could never do an even stab stitch until you sent your magic burned cloth spiral heart with the incredibly tiny and even black and white stitches, you are such a great teacher!
WOW!
(((V))) it blows me away as it’s coming together like a dream
Awe & Amazement, especially at the close-up details. You did that so fast! Can you still see?
(((Hazel))) I started working on it on May 20th at least 6 hours a day and it’s about halfway, it will take another month or two to the stitch the basket for the dark side of the moon and make the retractable ladder, am a bit worried about pasting up the back of the leather to stretch it over the paier maché mold with all the tiny stitching holes, the paste could harm the suede if it oozes through so am thinking of lining it first with a non woven interface…
my breath stopped
(((Judy))) I felt like that seeing your “moon cloth – female figurine”!, you are such an inspiration!
Absolutely brilliant!
thanks for visiting Karen, do I know you?
Wonderful Mo! And thanks for the wishes…
(((Glennis))) the queen of blue moons, I’m honoured!
What an amazing journey you have undertaken. And so far the results are “out of this world”!
And no. You don’t know me. Jude Hill posted this on her site today and aside from the sheer beauty of it, being a moonchild I was drawn in and wanted to see more.
Can’t wait to see the next steps.
thanks for visiting Jane, am stitching a mini blue moon as a test piece to see how the electric blue suede stretches when it pastes up, in a couple of hours will go to the Quilt & Craft show on here in Sydney today in the hope of finding the perfect non woven interface to line the leather before pasting it to the papier maché mold…
This is so beautiful!!! How incredible this is!!
(((Tammy)))
Hope this doesn’t offend anyone but Holy Guacamole! Happy Solstice Mo.
(((Deb))) I love guacamole!
GLORIOUS Mo, your work is sooo special…..ox
(((Margaret))) this one has everything I know about the Moon in it and it’s teaching me more!
It’s astonishing! And delightful. Stitches like stardust. xo
(((Morna))) working towards the Braille for the Soul exhibition in March 2019 when I’m 64! just read on your blog that you are scheduled for cataract surgery soon, I am on the wait list here in Sydney and my name should come up within a year, looking forward to more clarity!
…so you’ve done this while waiting for eye surgery, which will improve your clarity?!!! I am flabbergasted!!
(((Nancy))) I have a very good jeweller’s lamp with a magnifying lens that I am relying on this year as my eyes dim & always seem to manifest my metaphors physically as well as in the making… Braille for the Soul indeed!
Mo – I’ve had both eyes done now – it is a wonderful improvement – clarity! xo
that’s great news Morna!
Mo I am a student of Jude’s also. This is AMAZING. I had to say it loudly. Even if this is as far as you go with it, it is stupendous!
thanks for these good vibes Vicky, it really needs the retractable ladder and trying to stretch the leather into a dome shape adds that frisson of risk that sometimes makes art!
Wowww
(((Tilly))) it’s plurking!
oh my, so breathtakingly beautiful, beyond words actually
thanks for these good words Saskia, still working on Moon Test 1 to work out how to stretch it over the papier maché dome