Birthday...

 A huge sound in the neighbourhood- imagine very cheerful fun fair music, so loud it sets your teeth on edge and slightly distorted...that type of sound accompanying a rather proper gentleman ensconced in a jeep with men walking in front throwing roses petals on the road, young men dancing along in front as well....a new one on me- obviously not a bride groom. Apparently he has retired from a government job and this is organized through his neighbourhood on a Sunday so everyone knows....
now it is all quiet a mere lingering scent of rose petals- what a way to go.

 Trying to get my groove back on track....been a bit of a slump since I got back from Oz...the knife boy incident and then no visa made it all seem a bit too much....
but being realistic there is a lot to appreciate so might as well look at that.
Here is my morning Baba face----he thinks the phone might be chapatis, I have been working at turning him into a sook and am getting there...still won't edge up for a cuddle without food attached but his is getting closer everyday. What a difference to 2 years ago when he arrived.

 Visiting the sari seller yesterday [ not satifying- no stock to wallow through] but the courtyard of where he lurks was delightful all painted up for Divali.

 New sample idea....little slippers....I have been a bit tender and so needing lots of cuddles...starting to overflow perhaps putting love hearts on things but then again I would be quite happy to have this type of toes in the morning...
If we can iron out a few kinks we might be able to offer customers a slipper making service- you do the creative bit for the top- we turn it into nice slippers for you, Papu our workshop manager has got caught up in the idea so is out there at the moment gluing soles onto them...see how we go. His grandfather was a shoe maker, something he was happy enough to mention- it is what was a lower caste job so some people would not be comfortable...I was not sure if he would like making them...luckily he seems quite absorbed.
Got to be careful here, some days I step into an mine field of political corectness and I am not sure the parameters ...

 Praveen saw our mate Sanju when in Delhi and came home with treasures [More pictures on FB] I have been dreaming of in corporating her co-op's work into something we made for ages....don't have enough yet but 12 of these as feature panels in a big cotton wadded bed quilt would be heavenly...can pretty much see where to go, just got to get more off Sanju. She is happy for us to buy and use their pieces, we will add their name to the story of the quilt's heritage.

 Another idea we have been working on....this is heavy handloom on the botton and the light handloom patched onto the top layer- held together with stitch. I am really pleased with the weight of this quilt- so snuggly.

 Other side gives me as much pleasure as the top. I realise I have a bit of an obsession with reversable....light sort of came on this week for me...I was looking back through some of my work from exhibition days and remembering some of the things that interested me, and some of the things I wanted to try out...often I liked the reverse of my work as much as the front but very difficult to show in a gallery situation. Hand stitch was also something I was often frustrated about as that is what I wanted to use but the presure of having enough work done for my programme meant I used a lot of machine work instead.
I think I can harken to some of those old interests and explore them in the context of quilts we are making for The Stitching Project....slowly at first perhaps but it will come.
I was gifted a beautiful David Hockney book a while ago....and pieces of his like the Grand Canyon have always fascinated me being a collection of small squares put togther....exciting to be able to mull over these things again.
I love what we do here but did miss some of my wider dreamings of a few years ago....

Lovely brithday morning tea with the gang, Praveen is photographer