East Barnard Linen Fair 2025

This summer a call to artists was put out for participants in a workshop called Indigo and Linen Workshop with Pamela Wilson. Sponsored by Green Mountain Linen, I couldn’t resist. I was accepted, but alas, I was offered a spot on a day I could not attend. How I wish things could have been different!

It’s interesting to note that the work done in this workshop used indigo pigment, not fresh leaves. (I’ll be harvesting my own home grown indigo in the next few weeks…)

This afternoon I went down to East Barnard to see the work submitted by participants. The beautiful birds (above) were made by my friend Sue Schlabach. The mobile is called “Moonrise and Bluebirds”, the embroidered wall hanging is called, “To Begin Flight”.

The beautiful quote was woven by Lausanne Allen, and is titled “Elephant in the Room”.

Pamela Wilson painted “Indigo Bloom Sampler #2” with indigo, pitblack and black walnut watercolors.

“Skies” was created by Rebecca Wiggins, using linen, indigo, cornstarch, cotton thread and wood. It was exquisitely diaphanous…floating in the air as people passed by.

Eliza Meeker hand sewed “Pinafore” with linen cloth dyed with indigo, cotton thread.

“The Indigo Orbweaver” was created with flax, hand spun and hand dyed by the artist, then knitted into this table topper. In her artist statement Sarah Barton likened the process to a spider spinning her web.

I am sorry I could not avoid glare on this framed piece. It was gorgeous. Titled “Origin”, Poppy Gall used dried stems from flax grown in East Barnard, VT woven together with indigo dyed linen thread, stitched to indigo dyed linen fabric.

To read all about Green Mountain Linen click here. To read about the East Barnard Linen Fair, click here.

To read about my experience at the fair last year, and other weaving adventures, click here.

I’ve got lots of other things to catch you up on, it’s that time of year…when my energy wakes up and I do a little autumn happy dance!

In the meantime, I hope this beautiful work brings you some peace and quiet. The blues and muted natural linen colors seem so reassuring to me. Like breathing slowly in and out.

I am reading My Friends, by Fredrick Bachman and it’s full of wonderful thoughts on how art can save us. I am absolutely loving this book. It may be one of my top ten favorite reads of all time. I have turned down the corners on so many pages! I really must go back and write them into my newish commonplace book. Can’t wait for book group this Friday!

Take good care dearest ones…

A Vermont Quilt Sampler

On Monday, I used a pass I got from the Kimball Public Library’s Library of Things and took myself down to Billings Farm and Museum in Woodstock, VT. One of my favorite public spaces in Vermont, I went especially to see their annual quilt exhibit. There was a full range of styles, and skill levels which I deeply appreciated. It’s fun to see where beginners start out and where years of experience can take a quilter. Here are a few of my faves. I’ll let the quilts and the maker comments speak for themselves.

I hope this collection of photos and maker’s words has brought you a bit of gathered light. Beauty, crafted by hand, is a refreshing form of resistance to all things depressing.

I finished up my quick coasters. I sent two capes off to Detroit yesterday. One made with fabric we tie dyed out the yard with Tilly and Flora, one made with fabric pulled from my stash. I hope to get some photos of the capes in action. I’ll share them when I do.

September is just around the corner and she’ll bring my favorite season with her. This will be a quiet weekend for me and I plan to make space for recalibrating my days to match some changes I’ve been wanting to make. I love a sheet of craft paper and a sharpie for brain dumping, brain mapping and brainstorming!

Dearest readers, may you find a bit of peace in your corner of the world. May you find rest and beauty and calm. And may you shine your own light in the world.

xoxoxoxo

Still gathering light in august

After many weeks of hosting kids and grandkids, the house is very, very quiet. I’ve been doing my usual tidying up meditations as I put toys and games and stuffed animals into bins that are stored in the basement. The kid sized plates and flatware have gone out of daily rotation. The sheets are out to the clothesline in shifts, folding them reminds me of snuggles we shared as we read books in bed before lights out. Museum passes have been tucked away, either in my wallet or returned back to our “library of things” at Kimball Public Library.

The dreadful news keeps rolling out, but distracted by grandchild shenanigans, I gave it little notice.

But gosh, I took a peek this morning and am sobered.

All the more reason to look for light and gather it up into our spirits.

My dear friend Liz gifted me this tea towel. She found it in the online shop at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. If that circle of needles doesn’t remind me of the radiance of the sun, I don’t know what does! And what fun to explore their website and dream of visiting someday. Have any of you been there?

I find a bit of light anytime I sit down to sew. I’ve been working on these super quick coasters in little snippets of time here and there. You can find a YouTube video with instructions, here. I was telling someone about my favorite Uncle David the other day. I miss him. He ran a Sunoco service station for years and years and created a community of customers and staff who relied on his smile and good nature to get them through the day. The next day I started pulling fabric for the coasters and stopped… stunned when I realized that I was pulling the colors of the Sunoco logo. Honestly. Life is full of connections. It’s pretty amazing when you keep your eye out for them and notice.

A very different kind of light shines from the Netflix documentary, The Quilters. From the website, “In this award-winning short documentary, men in a Missouri maximum-security prison design and sew beautiful, personalized quilts for foster children.” Worth a watch if you need to be reminded that there is still much good in the world.

Our morning glories were slow to bloom this summer, it’s been dry (after a very rainy spring). But whenever I walk by them, I think, “Yup, that’s glory, right there!” Hello magic.

There is much more to tell about light and hope and persistence. Drop a note in the comments if you have spotted some recently. Shine, friends. It really makes a difference.

With gratitude for your presence here.

HUGS, me

Gathering light in august, a triptych

Clear, blue skies.

A patch of sunshine for Corazón.

Cascading blooms.

(Theo and his mama and papa are here for a bit…back with more, and a slew of links, near the end of the week)

Equilibrium

ANOTHER SNAFU!!!

BECAUSE I SOMETIMES HAVE TROUBLE WITH TECHNOLOGY, MY NEWEST POST IS ACTUALLY after THIS ONE.

I’M NOT A TECHY PERSON NOR DO I ASPIRE TO BE ONE.

TAKE ME AS I AM…SCOLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST TO FIND MY NEW ONE. thanks

Foggy mornings and stunning sunsets. Hot humid days, broken by thunderstorms that remind us of why sweatshirts still hang on the Shaker pegs by the front door.

Birdsong, insect thrums, hay wagons rumbling along the road.

Baskets of veggies and fresh bread (see below) and samosas for lunch…gathered while chatting with the farmers and vendors about the weather, garden pests, and local news. The Montpelier’s Farmers Market is full of fun. Leashed dogs are welcome and on Saturday I met a very sweet bulldog named “Potato”. :-)

We recently re-opened the kitchen in the playhouse and it’s ready for a string of visitors to our “bit of earth” . Built with recycled wood and stocked with treasures from the thrift store, this kitchen specializes in local “potions” made from whatever can be foraged from the meadow and woods. There was some concern from a recent visitor that there was no oven, so we’ll have to get to work on that…

Little Freya (above) has upended our routine in a most delightful way. She and her mama and papa were with us for nearly a week. That wee rocking chair in the background? It was mine when I was a kid, and then my two brothers rocked in it too. Then each of our four kids took their turn. The puzzles? Our kids did them over and over again when they were little. Ah, generations…

One of my favorite poems (by about just that, here.

I’ve been waking up, making a cup of tea and tuning into the Tour De France for a bit. Each morning I watch the gorgeous landscapes and Medieval villages and the terribly fit men create a blur of beauty. When the coverage switches to the view from the helicopters overhead I cannot help but think that the peloton looks like a murmuration along the roads, weaving and swooping as the race goes on.

Other times I take my tea out to the yard and deadhead the daylillies as they droop, thanking them for their short dash of brilliance.

There has been berry picking. Blueberries at a local pick-your-own and raspberries at our friends down the road, with the added bonus of visiting the goats. Batman made galettes two nights in a row.

As we watch our own gardens grow, I said goodbye to the very last onion from our 2024 garden. It had weathered our root cellar, but did not make it into the chili. I thanked it for its tenacity and then added it to the compost to bring it full circle to next summer’s garden.

I have paused work on Flora’s quilt, but I did take an adventure to find fabric for the border, binding and backing. I will fold that into another blog post. To get your sewing/knitting fix, I recommend a visit to Tiny Happy, Melissa’s blog from New Zealand. I’ve followed her for years and find her spot to be an oasis on the internet. Do you know Not a Primary Color? Sienna is an amazing creator, and she “documents her makes and her process” on the blog. Such an inspiration!

Our book group just wrapped up Vermont writer Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel Spent. I enjoyed the antics of the cats and goats more than those of the characters. She included many clever Vermont inside jokes that made me chuckle. Enough said.

Our book for August has been on my “want to read list” since it was published. Raising Hare, by Chloe Dalton is a beauty of a book.

And I share a sadness here today, too. I will miss a shining light has left this world in the essence of poet Andrea Gibson. Two of my favorite pieces of her work are here and here. A lovely NYT piece can be found here.

And a wee bit of happiness…our sweet and wacky Corazón celebrated her “Gotcha Day” yesterday, marking seven years since we found her at the Central Vermont Humane Society. Ever the sweetheart, she is a beloved part of our family. Mouser, snuggler, inCORAgible…we cannot imagine life without her.

Much like the rest of us, she is working on maintaining equilibrium. Finding an even keel in choppy waters is our task at hand, friends. I love knowing that you are out there, all across the internet, holding hands, taking deep breaths, and not backing down! Wherever you find your strength, fuel it! You are not alone! There is still light in this world! Reflect it, be it!

Much love, K

Refueling

Along the ridge and then by the wooded side of the road…Queen Anne’s Lace rules the byways of Vermont this time of year. She’s joined by Black Eyed Susans, echinacea, bee balm, clover (Vermont’s state flower), “ditch lilies” and chicory. Bees buzz amidst their color and birds sing out “it’s summertime, it’s summertime!”

Stopping along the road, pausing to notice…it’s such an easy reset. (Did you notice the cool shadows of the Queen Anne’s stems on the road?)

This past Sunday was Beatrix Potter’s birthday. A fave of mine since childhood, I was delighted when Batman and our four young kids sent me off to the Lake District with my BFF Franny for my 40th birthday. We went in the spring of 1996 and stayed at Highfield House Country Hotel and Restaurant in Hawkshead Hill, Ambleside, Cumbria. The hills were carpeted with daffodils and the bleating lambs woke us in the morning. We visited the Beatrix Potter Gallery and saw some of her gorgeous watercolors, on display under special lighting. We took a 6.5 mile hike accompanied by National Park guide Beverly Maggs.

We wandered many of the paths that Beatrix did, and ended up at her home Hill Top Farm.

This is a goofy picture of me, but I did feel like a delighted pilgrim, standing on the doorstep of Beatrix’s home.

Do you recognize the doorway of the stone house? Take a peek at Beatrix’s book, The Pie and the Pattypan. :-) It was such fun to stop along the tour as our guide pulled out tiny book after tiny book, opening it and showing us Beatrix’s illustration from our exact spot.

There are now so many books about Beatrix Potter, check your library, Goodreads or Better World Books for ideas. Beatrix is a fascinating woman, especially for her time in history. Her artwork as a naturalist goes well beyond her beloved children’s books. And her work with animal husbandry and land preservation are why parts of England are as beautiful as they are today.

If you are a fan of Beatrix too and have not yet watched Miss Potter, starring Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor and Lloyd Owen, do it ASAP. :-)

I returned from our trip restored and ready to step back into my busy life.

Anyhow…as the days of summer roll along, I hope you are able to make time to wander a bit…be it in the country or the city or somewhere in between. Walking, rolling in a wheelchair, riding a bike, driving in a car, riding the subway…when you have a chance to stop…just do it! Breathe, soak in whatever beauty you can find.

Restoration friends. It’s hard to stay afloat without it.

xo

All I’ve got are distractions, friends.

Well hello friends.

Jeepers. What a mess. I’ve postponed showing up here because I don’t really know what to say.

Again I’m comforted by words from Virginia at Gather Here. “…I have learned that despair is not an option. And hope is a discipline. Being in community is building resilience and experiencing interdependence.”

That’s it, friends. In a nutshell.

I’m guessing that many of you who come here are looking for a break from the heaviness of life these days. So let’s push aside the grim darkness for a bit (we know it’s there) and simply move on to catching our breath. Pausing. Finding spaciousness. Refueling.

Tidying up…our house, our yard, our gardens…sometimes it helps me feel more centered and grounded. It helps me feel like I’m in control of something. So, Batman and I spent the 4th up here on the hill, weeding, mulching and mowing. Laundry floated on the clothesline. It was very satisfying. Friends came over to sit around our fire pit and we toasted democracy. Under duress, but still an inspiration. We watched the sunset, we listened to the birds say goodnight, we laughed, we sighed. We appreciated being in this place, with peace all around us and the comfort of community.

Yesterday we weeded some more (because there are weeds 24/7) and Batman cut the garlic scapes. I cut some lavender and marveled at the way the stems sang so beautifully with the California poppies. That color combo knocks my socks off.

Here’s a sneak peek at squares I’ve been working on for Freya’s birthday quilt. It’s been SO MUCH FUN to work from my stash. Stitched with instructions from Sara’s sew along, I’m taking time to trim seams as I go and I am loving the results. Excellent matching of seams and consistent sizing of squares. Slowing down and doing things with care has been a pleasure. Really focusing can move me into flow.

Our little library is working on gaining certification from the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, and last weekend we hosted a “sustainability celebration” highlighting what we’ve accomplished so far. A few of us set up a mending and patchwork station to demo those skills. I brought a few items I made with repurposed stuff for “show and tell”.

(You may have seen some of these items in older blog posts.) A drawstring rice bag (using KZSteven’s pattern) made with an actual fabric rice bag. A rope bowl, dyed with marigolds and tabbed with a bit of leather from the factory floor at the Vermont Glove Company. A canvas tote, made with repurposed handles from a bird seed bag. A potholder, made with bits of ticking, worn tea towels and napkins. Have you repurposed stuff? Drop a comment below and tell us about it. Little, intentional actions add up, friends.

Wilma cannot seem to get close enough to my sewing machine and I sew on despite her pushiness. Corazón likes to curl up in any container, anywhere. Their company is such a balm for my soul. Cora hops up in my arms several times a day and nudges my face with a huge purr. Then she settles down, tucked under my chin and forces me to stop what I’m doing, relax and just breathe. It’s the best kind of CAT scan.

We had another overnight trip to Portland, ME to meet up with Doug and Ra and we took the mail boat out onto Casco Bay on a gorgeous, sunny day. Wind, sea air, sunshine, a nifty picnic and birdwatching…another refill of the spiritual tank! We enjoyed a great dinner at Ocotillo and breakfast at Becky’s Diner (a local favorite). We don’t eat out much in Vermont, so these meals cooked and served and cleaned up by others is a treat. On our morning walk to Becky’s, we saw lots of sidewalk poetry and I’ve shared one here. Such a delight to find these little truths along the way.

And will you look at this! I’ve been keeping up a practice of writing to politicians…to thank them or encourage them to change their ways. Our junior senator, Peter Welch, wrote me this note. I’ve done some research, and I believe it was written in the Senator’s own hand, not an aide’s. I gotta tell you, being a Vermonter is really special.

Where am I finding joy? In snail mail. Watching the swallows flit around the birdhouse, feeding their babies. Sitting on a friend’s deck in the evening with a bunch of fun people, watching the river meander its course and munching on a potluck spread of amazing hors d’oeuvres. Seeing pictures of the grandkids, playing in water to keep their cool on a hot summer day in Detroit. Eating salad from the hoop house. Playing Mahjong with pals on the screened porch, where nothing else matters but friendship. Discussing Miss Benson’s Beetle with our book group and eating a tropical pot luck supper together. Working on tough things with others who give a damn. Watching the Tigers on TV with Batman, even though I can barely follow the game. *yawn*. The things we do for love. :-)

How about you, dearest ones? Are you able to find joy? Are you able to refill your tank? Drop a note below, and let us know how you are doing.

Love, light and hope to each of you, beloveds.

Time out

Hello friends! I had some trouble getting this posted. Maybe this will work?

Just popping in to remind us that celebration does not require a party store or an invitation. Catching my breath after a challenging week, I dipped into ancient traditions and took a time out to wander the meadow with my gathering basket. Happy Midsommar to those of you north of the equator! Enjoy the light!