V's Version

Drop dead fun in Felton.
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I'm on a forced break in the quilt. I ran out of thread and can't match the same color until the fabric store opens. Ooooooo - I am love love loving this quilt! I set out to do something I had never seen done and I managed to do it!! It is so beautiful - so raw and with lots of texture and meaning and herstory. Seeing all of these wonderful feminist t shirts in this configuration is magical!

The picture above is only the very very beginning - before I put her hair on - before the sea weed started crawling up from the bottom - before the bubbles. This picture was taken in the very beginning.

I am finished designing her and have the quilt basted and pinned and about one third quilted. The quilting is rough because of all the raw edges and multiple layers - to say nothing of trying to quilt jersey T shirt fabrics! Very tough. But I am loving the challenge. Wait unitl you see the finished product, backed in hand dyed batiks of blues and greens and purples.

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On a different note -

I wanted to give a glimpse of White Raven Coffeehouse life. Here in this little locally owned coffee shop, there is an agreement of no cell phones. It's a pet peeve of mine to hear the loud one sided calls that are more intimate than most coffee shop tete-a-tete conversations. Anyway - I was sitting here the other day in the small back room that has two cushy chairs for internet lounging, etc. and a woman's cell phone rang. I expected her to ignore it or silence it but when she answered, I guessed that it must be an emergency or that she would walk outside since we were just steps away from the back patio.

Instead, I heard the entire drawn out drama of her life unfold in harsh, annoyed tones. She stood about two feet behind me and had the courtesy to shout into the colorful greeting card selection instead of directly into my ear - but still. Geeze, Louise. I closed my eyes and took a breath, imagining how I might convey to her the clearly stated "Cell Free Zone" sign on the front door. But I could not match her rudeness with my own by interrupting her conversation. That would not be fair, I lamented.

Just when I was ready to get up and escape the discomfort of knowing about her in-laws, the connection dropped. (Thank you O Mighty Satellite.)

"Can you hear me now? CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? Hello? HELLO?!"

I seized the opportunity to quietly turn my head in her direction.

"Maybe you could take your call outside?" I tried in my most hushed voice.

She shot me a glare that could freeze a double latte.

"Drop dead!" was her emphatic reply.

I was stunned immediately into laughter. What else could I do but laugh? After all the times that I lay in hospital and death beds - surrounded by family friends who gathered to say goodbye... After all the prayers and vigils of people from around the world for my health... After four years of chemo and the weary pleas in the darkest nights for remission or release.. After all that, it had come to this: a woman with a poorly done bleach job and a streaked tan demanding me to spontaneously expire.

I laughed so hard that I was moved to stand from my cushy chair in order to feel the full energy of my belly. And when she added rolling eyes to her her icy glare, I really let go and headed toward her. I stood right next to her as she fumbled with the buttons on the phone. I laughed so hard that she moved to the front of the store, crouching near the tea section. I followed her, hiccuping hysterically at the ironic humor of it all.

I slapped my knee, trying to catch my breath.

"You're killin' me!" I gasped between guffaws as I cornered her between the magnet collection and Larry's Famous Chai, laughing directly into her comfort zone.

After a full minute of continuous mirth, her disdain took on the slight edge of fear. Her frosted lips pulled back into a smirk that silently denounced me as a freak. She edged her way toward the baked goods, toward the front door, until, finally, inexplicably, she left me to my chuckles and mocha.

Ah, life. That one little scene will keep me smiling for months!

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OK - the fabric store will open soon so I will leave now. I hope to visit with an old friend from college who is visiting SF this weekend and then it'll be time to pack for the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival (hit the link to see a new slide show from Velvet Park.)

Labels: humor art quilt process fabric lesbian family life art mermaid t shirt feminist