My words pile grows.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRMgfv33XU6Oo0fUZ_u-hyYulQo-tsOS5l2gFgkuJsb5pvKmXK4-_2ga7SyMx9AqPP4iKrY2i0hs5uOSzENbTSJZk4y5DTnHGg1y0K3lXyJPkZd1z4umteHdjdOLp7QZ81_JFadHO1SU/s320/IMG_1603.jpg) |
Words and writing by Andy and me. |
And this makes me silly happy, even in my affliction.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRSmAcDQedKVMYhsuDI6hOMXIfcxPE_sqi5yF_NGohJmrgsP4uM0ku8HLvoS6X8lTRe01gC6H7Hkkw1YiAZFVcLq5x2lvJhVR8-16N8PVay2jebHc2efpDip7HUs21VqsvJdIFXFmmO0/s320/IMG_1596.jpg) |
My mami's beautiful handwriting. |
Still collecting and still stitching. I feel like a bird gathering twigs and fiber for a nest. I feel like a mad, giddily nerdy archivist digging through a vat of letters.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34oyylQntzcibxhVFlKHzbN-TdK_CM8pkvaOhpKH4VB21z_IvIwh6ckC2COxKusLmWPJYpkuNAi-ZByogLPPRLyBd96nIpUShiTQROnLtw8zEWUztD84yWdxgs6dwkZEPy3PmKSWd3t4/s320/IMG_1598.jpg) |
Word and writing by me. |
I feel like an Absinthe-drinking, word-obessesed character from a Borges story... a passionate, intense, woman dressed in black, with bright red lips, glasses and a mad look in her dark eyes who whispers, "give me more words," in a breathy voice into the ears of the fellow word-afflicted.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4DnWBNFmbfvx6Pjans2Mlt_EbVE7yk1qUBfhraTphsCZz3nemOg5JUUfA6M4R7qu5HWBky641-dnAmqxXRdnyXfx5cAF5IHtHxjhtH2_jGjJDvlKpZwhnDauolgR0gCMgqN9pvEXBkUA/s320/slattern.jpg) |
Word by Lisa RK, writing by mami. |
The more clear-headed of you ask, what are you making? A perfectly rational question. And if you know me, you know that I am a perfectly rational person about many things.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8KsPpNF2AWXbBUVQvbu_-UcEFXkxOD5iplw73Jyi96tOyTshbnL0L9sPTNbgYbxPJ-CaahYtaiMxwTMd_QP-qEVXihf9Ckq2_QyMUhJtgI-4-co7X-Sa_MTO1bGANto2e5kOZe9CfKA/s320/IMG_1594.jpg) |
Saudade, word and writing by Ron. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbF7vZKnZYaRuTsc4nBhpxWoKbUoy1xkO9sk4j8skVU1ztwBg_DbhT57sBNN08jf6tY36O_3x7d0zuJhq8XEt_hdUpOkknT_kVzYOXbU-rQ1ok66JrCPU9vUSjRduI7jpn9SWh4eI3ZJA/s320/IMG_1595.jpg) |
Kumquat by Chris, writing by mami. |
But about these stitched words... I am not. And I don't know yet what I'm making. Right now I'm just doing. Collecting and stitching words and asking you, in my most beseeching voice, "tell me a word."
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWR1K8FahhZGwIvJfag9hfsgtmwU_YO4hF-gIWUtKVzNL0osmhE2AQIgEWyeDAuBNxqonrwQuMD_0vuNhztGPvHAFkkagPGairJiZOAXz99sPq3tbAW66wl0CyC84HmQXO-1T0q6cScGo/s320/IMG_1600.jpg) |
Words and writing by Marcus and Juline. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNkbW-cqtNCFqkydZJTus_YR9YtoxiGznEy7hUoof7_dzUGGK9kgeYqSeWEdDJdbIwOaOCXHxsW6jN65CgcPP-AWT2ekLVyOAwpZgVG67ejsHSx0zGHDSxxHlMYuKRrQPV8G70OwtOEs/s320/IMG_1601.jpg) |
Word and writing by Bryony |
(I adore the words you've given to me, in your comments, in person, in email. I'm grateful for your grace.)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iY0HXkdAZbzhyphenhyphenRMiEx7p7d79Jt9y0eqL80ywUMKtWjM24_g-lkKMW3ijPr5GkzjmFX-8ZbTqAjPrXVAUni1N8jDbDCI48NcKdIg0Oz56jdiMyCS5LNOzfpmx9p3wlTddr4is9Qcvg4A/s320/bar+stitching.jpg) |
Bar stitching. Grace by Jamie MrXStitch Chalmers,
writing by mami. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGlZqynbvy5sqfdD4cdbNve-pXE2d3a9SjxjCM6pO6swohhUo5DfiWERk2gQybyKFE0DHIXTCKcBoft9WIkct7h9iYJ4hOW_EMrEYYcSoJNxGl-PivpxpwmzaBL88uK9jYQAJenslrpk/s320/bellybutton.jpg) |
Word and writing by Susan. |
What else am I making? Well, I have ideas racing around. An idea for a tiny, naughty-fun Valentine for my squeeze. And idea for a tiny portrait in red floss. And I'd like to stitch up a handkerchief for this
Danish war project.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE9ks7JdbsiGb39cjxWF_sRsqnI3eQ3i2jm06IagdT5k3qoN1y3LHJn5udjN86YYpf3HS8Wq39w3dpW69kf1xL5mfZurAOFwwwasGE5F4UMW0sM5AE6hkx7ZWaM15am4N4v12I-E1zqwE/s320/IMG_1597.jpg) |
Wanton by Ellen Schinderman, writing by mami. |
But what am I making with all of these words? I don't know. I know that I see a massive collection of fabric, stitch, paint and words. In the writing of all of these different hands.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdZN46qo2D2zdJ2LcTYPt0jQiLoqEIS4x59WKtfupy7avS4iEfrLi6eY6gYdDWWxTFwwIdUDZXlfD1DAjQzOSBkaa5ck0irsm79mk9sn3qgi5pjKTQbMa-VYHntOxTG6do9KCKmggSs8/s320/IMG_1599.jpg) |
Word and writing by Monique. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgwJJNFPArC0m8chIdNoRxpRnG_mqgR9A6svD55izjg6QIV-jSqPTLTkSx5RNEtCKGOBntzT9SMR1zPS5jHXezjwL8kfMxCPgYdevx4WFlz3teLKm9HEOwPZ-Lt89Ei-cuioEQxLNHPE/s320/IMG_4256.jpg) |
People on Fire, by Guillermo Kuitca, 1993. |
Perhaps the stitch-speration for this giant, crazy project was this painting from the NC Museum of Art that I saw
last summer called,
"People on Fire" by Argentine artist Guillermo Kuitca.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6GmuoYnUM6EmbOOLalPrU9jLVyM1XC53beqLxw4ooSDS4k3tQXq-jfFIHEQqFdM1y3LLwLdT9bPGI18WhCzjLn8LWiiVCi_jsBdR7zRM23ZOZhuyxuObPt0AeRdcVx1ITSxqoN2Qkrw/s320/temptress.jpg) |
Word and writing by me, the afflicted. |
For now I can only smile and reach out to you and ask again, will you spare me a word? Ask your friends. For me.
My Great Granny Byrd, for whom I am named Rebecca, had a great word for persons of ill-repute. She'd say they are "sloomicky."
ReplyDeleteNo clue where it came for but it's good isn't it?
i can't wait to see where this goes!
ReplyDeleteambitious
ReplyDeleteSlugabed.
ReplyDeleteanemone
ReplyDeleteperspicacious
antidisestablishmentarianism
ReplyDeleteagglutinative
coral
bereaved