Mary Martin

Many people have heard of Mary Martin, but few know that she was an avid embroiderer behind set. I was sent a book of her work by Jeremiah Goodman last year and was amazed by her needlepoint portraits. The first is a depiction of Joshua Logan, director of South Pacific , and his wife, Nancy, on the telephone. The second is Oscar Hammerstein writing the lyrics for the song "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy," and the third is Richard Rodgers writing "Bali Ha'i." In the book she states:

"The first three South Pacific pillows are my own way of doing portraits. I never have been able to do faces well in needlepoint, nor even when I paint, but I can do hands, which are especially meaningful to me. And so, the beige and white, brown and black portrait of Dick Rodgers is really his hands as he wrote down the notes of "Bali Ha'i"

This is Mary on a freighter trip to Brazil. The caption reads, "Sun, sea, air, and needlepoint - I can't imagine a better way to travel."

Dragon Balls 1 & 2

I'm stitching a set of Dragon Balls right now. So far I've finished two of them. According to the show Dragon Ball, if I gather all seven, the dragon Shenron will be summoned and will grant me one wish. Luckily I have a lot of time to mull over what I want.

Patricia Waller

Thanks to Pia for sending me the strange and amazing work of Chilean artist Patricia Waller. "Accident 2 : Tiger" is pictured above, and "Salomé" is below. She lives and works in Berlin, Germany.

"Accidents occur suddenly and unexpectedly. But we are caught off guard just as much by their crocheted depiction. The diligence and slow care apparent in the production of such crocheted objects renders the depicted bloody scenes of violence strangely absurd. Man-eating stuffed animals? Crocheted puddles of blood?

Of course these objects play to our craving for sensation. Human being are very rarely devoured by tigers, sharks, or crocodiles. Even more rarely will we be witness to such accidents. The fact that they loom disproportionally large in our imagination suggests that they point to something deeper within us, an irrational identification that profoundly perturbs and fascinates us."

- "Patricia Waller – Accidents" by Martin Oskar Kramer, Gallery Deschler, Berlin.

Flying Triangles

"I was sitting in my garden enjoying the cool of late evening," he wrote, "when I noticed three satellites apparently moving in a triangular 'formation'" - What are the Flying Triangles?

For Johnny Drago.

Allison Manch

I thought the wonderful handkerchiefs of Allison Manch were appropriate for Valentine's Day. This one is titled "John Hughes."

Ruby-Crowned Finch

Striped Warbler

I went to this amazing Estate Sale in Decatur, GA this past Sunday and bought a giant bag of amazing vintage fabric from the South African woman who held it. My favorite find was a printed fabric of different species of birds.

Diana - '58

Jeanie - '67

This is the second lady that I've worked into from this amazing fabric that I found. I chose to do the 1967 dress next partially because I love how mod it is, but primarily because my mother wore a similar outfit for many years.

Neon Thread

Photo Credits: "Bobbin & Thread Neon" by ~db~, "Alterations" by Cedric_MountainDwellerViews

Victoria - '89

I found this amazing black and white fabric depicting women's fashion through the ages. This apparently was what the ladies were wearing two decades ago.