Jacob's field

History. Herstory. Ourstory.

Driving out to our friend's cabin a few weeks ago, we are awestruck by the farmer's fields on our right. Waves and rows of glorious colour and texture. Flax and other offerings spill against deep chocolate brown prairie soil. Summer greens, earth tones, wild flowers, flowering weeds. I don't have my camera with me and yet I want to find a way to preserve this moment, this magnificent vision, this gift of nature, my love's labour found. 

 Row by row, garter stitch upon stitch. Colour and texture blend together and it is exciting  to see things take shape so quickly.  Expressions. Feelings. Emotions. Memory. Love. The smell of sweet grass. And straw. 

Different weights of yarn, sewing thread, embroidery thread, cotton thread from Ireland. If you look closely, you'll see a bit of green and brown plaid fabric, an oblong  piece of worn leather. As well as dried flowers / weeds / plants sewn right in there and there.  All carefully and sometimes painstakingly placed to give a three dimensional effect. 

How to finish it off ....  a frame made out of  barn board? What about that old wooden window frame...rusted metal hooks, worm holes and all? 

I pull some sticks out from my collection. Lay them out on the table.  Aim for that rickety old-school rustic wood bleached from the sun effect. Careful not to let them fall apart, I bind them together with bits of yarn and thread. 

At the top of the piece, slightly larger sticks are used to balance things. Wrapping threads around and around tight helps to keep the sticks in place. Finally the upper fence begins to take shape. I close the gap, a balancing act. I must pull while holding it together with my other hand, field and sticks pull together tighter still. I add more sticks, and sew and pull the strands of yarn and threads. Despite the raging cramps in my hands, it works !

Hanging on our living room wall. A work of art made in honour of our first wedding anniversary a few short weeks away.  A reminder of the growth and boundless love in our relationship, the strength of character we treasure in each other. All the colours and textures that we are right where we live and love together, in Jacob's field. 

up and down

i  enjoy yarn play. i tend to follow instinct not patterns. when  i am asked how this works the simple explanation is that i feel as i go.

something mysterious  takes place.  i hold my breath, just a little and begin.

i sew and sew  into spaces and with a wee bit of faith in the process as well as my own self, i step inside that zone.

 you know the one, an empty place where no one is looking over your shoulder telling you that you should be doing it another way. this way, that way, their way.

to me, all that matters is that the needle pushes through the yarn. sometimes a bright red blossom of blood from an inadvertent stab in the finger. perpetual motion. up and down. needle and thread and yarn and fingers move. up and down.

Barcelona weaving peace

basking in the sweet light of the garden out front 

close up of intricate stitching using yarns from all over the world as well as threads 

hopeful colours 

birch tree inspiration 

finished 

side by side