2/12/2013

Texture Tuesday ... mending heart

25



An overly frayed and broken heart was being stitched
around love
and loss.
  
It's been set aside for a long time ... things changed ... 
the original intent vanished.

My friend had lost her heart's desire (or so she thought) and I wanted
to give her something to mark the moments, the importance of what she felt,
so I used remnants of an old, torn work shirt she'd given me
and I wove them under & through the soft velvet and the transparent lace 
in an effort to symbolize in some small way, what was happening.

textured with framed

I wanted to say to her ~ she, who has one of the most open hearts I know ~
that the only way to have a broken heart is to have offered an open heart in the first place ...
and that is a most beautiful thing.  Her special treasure.

I pinned a quote to the edge of the backing, to ride along as I worked:


Life will break you.  Nobody can protect you from that,
and living alone won't either, for solitude will also 
break you with its yearning.  You have to love.
You have to feel.  It is the reason you are here on earth.
You are here to risk your heart.  You are here to be
swallowed up.  And when it happens that you are broken,
or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near,
let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the
apples falling all around you in heaps,
wasting their sweetness.  Tell yourself
you tasted as many as you could.

~ Louise Erdrich, from The Painted Drum ~


Now this piece will change direction a bit, as my friend did not lose her dear one after all
and both their hearts are stronger for the separation.
Since that more difficult time, some wooden beads have come into my possession
laying like a sketch at the moment,
but waiting to be sewn onto this story.

And so it goes,
with love.



: : :



It's all about love this week over at Kim Klassen's place ...




25 comments:

  1. A beautiful piece of work and a lovely quote from Louise Erdrich. Something we should all try to remember

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  2. And so it goes with love, alright. Perhaps your loving stitch art helped in the wings. Sweet story.

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  3. Beautiful work lovely and quote, Christi..It will be nice to see how the beads work into it with the new turn of events that first inspired this.

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  4. Oh my.... this is so, so pretty.

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  5. So very creative and artistic! Beautiful!
    (visiting from Texture Tuesday)

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  6. un petit clin d'oeil sur mon blog... ;-)

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  7. What a beautiful posting Christi!

    ...love the words and the image...

    x C

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  8. Your piece stilled my beating heart...for a moment...stopped me in my tracks...it's absolutely lovely...so old, worn and perfect. Your friend will treasure it, I've no doubt.

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  9. This beautiful piece and your words stirred my heart this morning. I'm not even sure I can express how grateful it made me for my own blessings. Thank you.

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  10. Soft, tactile, beautiful and wise. :o)

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  11. How poignant and wonderful. Love your choice of quotes - very thought provoking. And you are an awesome artist! Visiting from TT! Happy Valentine's!

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  12. What a thoughtful post. Your friend has a treasure in having you as a friend. The poem is full of wisdom and very touching. Thank you Susan for sending me this way.
    Deb

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  13. To everyone who has placed such lovely comments here: I thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart.
    I wish each of you a very special Valentine's Day,
    filled with sweetness and all the objects
    of your own heart's desires,
    be they mortal or temporal.

    Christi

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  14. What a beautiful piece and I'm glad that hearts were made stronger and that love grows on.

    FlowerLady

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  15. I am visiting from Susan's link at Plays With Needles. Your stitched heart is beautiful. Happy Valentine Hearts...

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  16. What a great friend you are.....such a lovely gift and given with hope

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  17. Thank you soooo much to all the visitors who have come by from 'Plays with Needles' and the Texture Tuesday crowd....I am extremely appreciative & grateful for your company and comments.

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  18. what a beautiful story, in cloth and words.

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  19. What a beautiful post. Your fibre art heart is stunning! You are very talented!

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  20. Such beautiful colours and textures ~ your work is lovely!

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  21. A gorgeous piece and such a lovely sentiment!Glad things turned out ok!

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  22. Sounds like a happy ending.. must be a beautiful friendship for you to create such a beautiful heart with a lovely sentiment.

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  23. The quote and artwork are beautiful. I would have been reduced to tears to receive such a touching heartfelt gift. So glad you shared the story.

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