The Thrill Is Gone: Observations on Experiencing Freedom

Indigo Blues Fibershed

I was blessed to witness B.B. King perform “The Thrill Is Gone” on more than one occasion.  I never knew his Blues lyrics would one day be an anthem of freedom in the circumstances of my life.  But here we are as I walk out the last summer of life with my momma.  Her broken heart combined with my own is a heavy burden but for the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ.  Once upon a time I had the love of a family, now in the second quarter of my life it has come down to a few precious moments shared with my momma.  To love and be loved in return is the greatest blessing we can experience on this Earth Walk.  Cherish it!  Guard it as your most precious possession because life is short and fragile, what’s here today can be gone tomorrow and redo isn’t an option.  Some circumstances only happen once in life, choose well!.....

I See It! I See My Visualization Of An Algonquin Blanket Shawl!

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The idea of reconnecting with the indigo blanket shawls of my childhood has been rolling around inside of me since the Woman Scared River Drum Society workshop 15 months ago.  At Last!  It’s no longer a vision!  My first blanket shawl is under construction enough for me to view it as a created object.  Whew!!!  I’m excited to be working on this project and thankful for Creator’s blessing of creative hands.  I’ve got the peace and contentment that comes from contemplative exploration in art making.  So once again, I have an indigo dyed blanket.  Thank you Hattie Woodard Harris and Mattie Burnette Randolph for sharing indigo as a medicine with me while I was a child.

I’ve incorporated a 4 corners square shield representing Creations 4 Daughters, Ahskareen, Maraskarin, Sepoy and Posh.  This teaching was given to me by Lawarence Dunmoore at the Machapunga Tuscarora Pow Wow at sweet, scared Moratoc Park beside the Roanoke River in Williamston.  The food vendor backed out at the last minute, so I had to step to the occasion to cook and feed the People.  I got many blessings being in the kitchen that day and the teaching of The 4 Daughters was one of them.  It was a good day!

Walking On Sunshine Dyeing Cloth

2 Gallons of Stock Solution

Today is exciting!  Two gallons of stock solution makes enough dye for this much.  I needed an extra 2 cups, so to make it work I consolidated containers and put dye samples into large ziplock bags.  Neat tip but place plastic bag in another container after it's filled.  I also put a rubber band around the top of the bag.   The fabric kept bobbing up in one container, so I use empty mason jars to keep the fabric submerged in the dye bath.  Now comes a demonstration of patience because I need to wait 24 hours to see my results.