The Sum Of All Parts

This is a portion of a blouse I purchased at Goodwill.  I had intended to cut it up and use it in my work. But it is so lovely that I have left it in it's original condition.  I can't wear it as I have increased in size due to a lack of active exercise.

 My daily 2 mile walk is no longer possible due to the reactive asthma.  I need to discuss this with my Pulmonary Specialist on the next visit.  Perhaps a higher dosage of my inhaler prior to walking? I like walking and I have always been a good, strong walker.

As it is now, any walking, even from the grocery parking lot to the library strains the veins in my neck--alerting me to "danger" and I must stop and use my rescue inhaler and then wait before continuing to walk in cold weather, hot weather, humidity, wood smoke etc.  I have never before, in my life, had to deal with the fragility of my own health.

In happier news, I have a new project to work on in the late afternoon and evenings instead of always reading.  The selection of books at the library has diminished and I often leave empty handed.  And reading on the computer is hard on my eyes still.  I haven't worked out the best way to go forward on screen reading.

I went up in the attic (!!!) and searched in Gregor's box of hand dyed fabrics (inherited after her death years ago) and found a few that looked "joyful" together and then cut them into 1.5 inch squares and have them ready to be sewn together into "pages" for a Calendar Book. Shades of yellow (Gregor's favorite color), three shades of pink and one of green for the Spring chapters.   Using the printed months from the calendar towel I found at Goodwill as Chapter Index. I'll also be using the antique white that I dye with plant based materials and tea.

I'll include other work in the same finished size so there will be more than 12 pages in the book.  I will try and experiment as I go with a limited color and fabric vocabulary.  Using some of the workshop prompts from SpiritCloth.  I have a notebook next to the keyboard and draw different ideas and suggested assignments from Jude's blog and the free lessons.  To remind me of things I might want to try and include in my "book pages".

This project holds great "promise" as a learning experience for me.  The notebook with paper pages will hold idea prompts and the cloth book with sewn pages will hold experiments.  I think there are enough blank pages in the paper journal to get me thru the next months.  It will be fun to jot down ideas from internet sources and then try and put my own "spin" on them.  Interesting to then have a book of cloth samples to go thru when "stuck" for ideas of "what to do now?"