cliodhna’s wave

The Dragonfly is the gatekeeper to the land of illusion. He holds truth and reality and illusion and if you want to break through an illusion and find the truth behind it then dragonfly knows the path.

I could do with some of that! it is hard finding the truth sometimes, or more exactly, it is hard to find the real truth hidden under layers of illusion. Sometimes illusion disguises itself as the truth. I am angry at someone cause they won’t help me, I think the truth is that I am feeling disrespected and ignored but really the issue is that I am feeling judgemental and guilty because my business/art/money isn’t going as planned and because I invest my self esteem into these things I berate myself when they don’t work. This means that I can’t deal in a calm manner with the original problem because really my mind is a war zone and I am a war with myself.

I hate being inside my head sometimes, I want an off switch, and toggle that goes to ‘happy’ and I don’t have to do any work to get there… and even using the word ‘work’ in this context. I am obviously equating being happy with work, its not easy, its work… you are not working, better get busy!

So, finding my way to the other side of illusion is a slow process for me, gently picking away at the things in me that hide the truth of me from myself. Finding my way to just being happy and then everything else gains perspective and falls into beautifully balanced place.

I remember working in a store on Georges st and standing at the doorway on a slow afternoon when it was sunny and bright and fresh outside, and two dragonflies came circling and dancing through the air down the street. Iridescent blue and green they sparkled in the air as they flew and I watched them until they danced onwards and dissapeared.

x clio

A girl stretches upwards to reach for the moon; through the red earth and the stones and the hardness of pushing through she stretches and feels for the silver coolness of the moons light pulling her into the night.

The night is cool and dark and welcoming. It is not scary in this night, it is full of life, full of the life that comes out in the darkness and out of the heat of the daytime sun. Animals watch her coming forth, they are witnessing and waiting and encouraging with their breath and giving her energy to complete the journey.

I was reading the other day about a dog who was helping a war veteran with his panic attacks and I have always thought that dogs were such unconditional love beings. We are lucky to have them in our lives. This is Pala who is a sweet loving snuggle monster. Her fur is soft (and sheds everywhere!) and she likes most of all to be curled up in a lap or an the bed beside me. I spoil her.

We are surrounded by animals giving us love and encouragement, even the small creepy ones or the ones that bite.. they are just trying to tell us something, its not our fault if we don’t understand them.

ok, for starters this is the first tutorial I have posted on this wee blog of mine so any suggestions as to improve the following are welcomed with open arms

I make greeting cards and I decided for my first tutorial to post about them. They are simple and easy to make and the finished product is wonderful. I have received warm reports from these. I think its the hearts that do it but i do fishes also and angels for christmas and trees.. your imagination is the limit!

You will need

a sewing machine that has a drop feed dog function, sometimes its called the darning function, you have to drop the teeth under the needle so they are no longer pushing the fabric forward. Go check, see if your machine can do this, you will be surprised at how many of even the cheaper machines can do it. I worked on a 100 dollar brother for two years before it died, now I have a super cadillac smooth pfaff and I love it. You might also need a darning foot or a free motion machine embroidery foot, each machine is different.

Scissors, fabric for the hearts, fabric for under the hearts on the paper, threads, beads (optional), hand sewing needle and card paper. The card paper I order online with the crease down the middle already from Joes Supplies but if you live beside a paper shop like Daintree in Dublin see what they have. Deckled edges make for an extra nice card. Embroidery Hoop.

The fabric for the hearts (I am using orange felt here in the photo) you stretch on the hoop and make sure its taught. The trick with machine embroidery free style is practise. Move the needle fast and the fabric slowly and draw with the thread. Practise circles and spirals and writing your name and you will soon see how simple it is. I draw hearts on the fabric following a cardboard template I drew and cut out before, this just makes sure all the hearts are the same size, draw them freehand if you wish. I use fabric chalk to draw the outline and then I sew round the outline twice and then fill with spirals and patterns. I usually go over the lines I make twice, it gives a stronger line. The patterns are up to you, invent, be free and your patterns that you do naturally will emerge. Also I do six hearts at a time so as not to waste the fabric.

Cut the hearts out when you are finished. Cut a square of your other fabric just a little bigger than the heart. Place the heart on top of this fabric on the left side of the card (so its in the right place when you fold the card, make sure its upright!)

and then with more spiral patterns sew the heart directly onto the card through the underneath bit of fabric. You can make it as simple as you like, just make sure you sew the edges of the heart down. If its a fraying fabric I use lots of long stitches back and forth to catch the edge.

The heart finished sewing. I still have to tie off the threads at the back, pulling the front one through and tying it with the back one. Prevents it unraveling.

The inside of the card so far.

Now for the beads, these are optional but they add a sparkle that I love. Pick a colour that stands out a little from the backround colour, silver or gold beads are always beautiful. I have used a pinkish bead here that sets off the green gauze I have used and still looks good on the red heart. Sew these on by hand where ever you like, i generally put one over a spiral end and then tie off at the back.

The inside of the card at the end

The finished card, ready for its envelobe and, if I am selling it, its sticker saying my name and plastic protective sleeve.

I have these and other embroideries for sale at my etsy store ‘GreenBirdDreaming’ if you would like to visit!

my work room is on the second floor of the house and directly outside a huge green tree grows. It provides shade from the sun and gives a wonderful green light into the room. The birds love it also, the tiny sparrows and the large black magpie type birds that shriek and squak and make liquid notes when they are courting.

I looked up from my machine and say these two sitting about three feet away. They stayed for a few hours, courting each other, staying close, grooming each others necks, fluffing up wings and feathers and then smoothing them down again. I got a few pictures of them. I hope they build their nest there, that would be too awesome!

The quilt provided me with a reality check the other night. I sat in front of some tv show drawing and cutting out the paper patterns that I would sew the fabric onto and at the end I figured ’sure, I’ve loads done’ but when I put them together to see my heart quailed at the very (very) small section of bed that they covered. If it takes that long to cut out the paper patterns how long is it to get the whole thing done!!!!

It is at this point the artist must toss all fears and considerations of time out the window and just do it. I mean, I once spent three months doing nothing put cut up paper stars for christmas decorations… (I was broke, out of work, bored and had a pair of scissors and a huge mound of paper that was already in squares.. what else is a girl to do?) The kitchen looked incredible after I was finished

and to the two dogs in the title? they are getting restless and need a walk.. better go.. x clio

Congrats to Rachel!

and thank you so much to all who took part! and for your wonderful comments! Very encouraging and inspiring. I will take into mind the suggestions about presentation also, it is hard to sell things with just pictures I think, especially a textured art like embroidery. People want to touch and feel and see things up close and art is such a personal emotional response.

I put the names of all who had entered from here and from my facebook into a basket woven by the Tarahumara. They weave the most beautiful baskets, and they smell like the grass and pine needles they wove them from. I have loads of them in the house now!

I closed my eyes and fished around, looking for paper and picked out Rachels name! so congratulations and which one do you want?

Cats don’t know how to fly but then birds don’t have two wide eyes and four feet of claws.

Bird says ‘I can can fly and I have feathers that are as light as the wind and that carry me where ever I want to go. I see the tops of trees and the caterpillars seeking the heat from above the leaves, I see the snow on top ofmountains and the start of streams that gush freezing water down the rocky slopes. The wind is friend and the rain is worm bringer. My eyes are black beads that shine and flit constantly, my body is small and my heart beats fast, when you hold me (if I let you) you can barely feel me except for a vibration and heat in the cup of your palms.

Cat says ‘I bask in the heat of the sun and my fur is warm and soft to the touch. Bury your fingers in my stomach and rest your ear on my chest to hear the thunder that is my voice. The wind shakes the branches and distracts the birds so I can change in an instant from sleepy warmth to huntress and mistress of all I see. Sudden death in a flurry of feathers and I jump and trap. I dream of grassy oceans and dark forests and stalking, ever stalking the light that shines from the sky, the quick rustle in the undergrowth and the presence of another heart that beats.’

While in a sushi restaurant recently I was staring (as I usually do) at the fish in the big fish tank near the entrance. It contained four large goldfish and I thought for possibly the umpteenth time of how pretty and amazingly and satisfyingly balanced the pattern of their scales were. How gold and shiny and marvelously put together they were as they glided back and forth.

‘A quilt’ thought I, ‘a quilt of goldfish scales that shimmers and shines’ and I set out on the long journey towards quiltdom today. I have made a quilt before, it was complicated and took way longer than I thought it would so I am marignally more prepared now than I was the first time of the nature of my commitment to this quilt.

I made the pattern and sewed the patches and i am doing it the old fashioned way of sewing the patches onto a paper backing and I will stitch them together by hand. It holds their shape better and makes curves easier to sew than on a machine.

Onwards onto the path of quilt!

Ok, to officially open my new store at Etsy I am having a promotion and having a draw for an embroidery. I am giving away one of these three items you see here (the winner chooses). PLease visit the store at GreenBirdDreaming or click on any of the pictures. The pictures will bring you to the product page of that item and to get to the main store there is a little word ’shop’  beside the avatar under the words ‘GreenBirdDreaming’

so back to the promotion, please visit my store and have a noodle and then in your comment please tell me one thing you like about it and one thing you think could be improved. Maybe the pictures don’t strike you, maybe the product descriptions need outlining. Whatever!

For those unfamiliar with Etsy it is a worldwide online store for handmade crafts, supplies for handmade crafts and vintage items. there is everything here, from soaps to jewellery, from strange pictures of cats to king size beds. Its the best online shopping anywhere!

I put a treasury together on etsy.. called ‘Queens’ its a collection of queen related items from cool shops.. check it out and let me know what you think!

Queens on Etsy

Does anyone else have this problem?

I want to do big stuff, then I want to do small pieces,

I want to do huge quilts that cover a wall and then I want to do tiny stuffed birds with beads hanging off them.

I want to make skirts, underwear, felted hats,

I want to dye my own fabrics with the plants in my surroundings and I want to save time by buying the already wonderful luscious fabrics that exist out there

I want to do commercial pieces that will sell and make me money and i want to do one off exclusive squares of beauty that take days and days and you can’t possibly sell them for enough to recoup time, materials and emotional input

I wish there were four of me….

Balance Clio, balance, and of course the word I am still improving on…. patience