slow cloth
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I want to go on the record here – just because I use a sewing machine doesn’t mean it isn’t slow cloth…

There’s been a lot of discussion around the idea of Slow Cloth in the fiber art/ quilt community. The idea is derived from the slow food movement which was itself conceived as the antithesis to fast food. The idea with slow food is to enjoy the preparation of real food, and the the time it takes to eat it with enjoyment. I think the idea behind slow cloth is to take the time to do what it needs to finish it, not necessarily by hand, although handwork is certainly one way to take your time over a piece.

When I think of slow cloth I think instantly of spirit cloth and the astonishing work that jude accomplishes on the train to and from work every day. When I think of not-slow cloth, I think of any of the fast&easy kits that have a low threshold of competence and produce uninspiring results. Everyone’s work falls somewhere on that continuum.

There I was today working on a postcard and this lovely piece (it is scales, can you see it now?) and it occurred to me that it was slow. Peaceable, engaging even, but slooow.

I’m having my usual spring fidgets. I am bored with the transfer paints and I wish I didn’t still have half of them still to use up. I am sick of leaves, and discreet colors. I am waking up earlier and earlier, probably part of the whole spring-is-here and the-sap-is-running thing going on (even though it is still dark when I wake up, and the ground is still frozen and really? the sap hasn’t started yet).

I find myself obsessed with pink and orange, and rhinoceroseses (rhinocerii?) to the extent that I have ordered this jacket from Landsend, in brilliant pink with orange trim. And then I was trolling through wallymart trying to find pink and orange shirts for exercising. I found some pink, and some orange, but nothing with both. So I bought some tank tops to layer over short sleeved shirts. The orange isn’t orange enough, but they’ll do for now. Until I can overdye  them. I think the colors are making people’s eyes hurt.

Did I mention the Rhinos? I’ve been working on transfer pen versions of Mr Durer’s rhino, and some others, so I can transfer them to the new shirts. Possibly to the new jacket as well. And rhinestones.  They have to sparkle. Leading me to contemplate new terms for them…. rhinstonoceros? rhinocerostone?

I can’t begin to tell you how amused I am with myself for thinking of sparkly pink and orange rhinos.