I Lost the Thread

Dear readers,

I know I've been gone too long. I find it's much easier to write a blog post when I'm posting every day or every few days. When I've been absent for a while, there's a mental bottleneck. I've lost the thread.

I lost the thread, I lost the map
It's not a feeling, it's a fact
I had it once, I was on track
Why won't it stay? I want it back.
                    - shawn colvin, I Want It Back

It's partly that I keep waiting for my cup to fill up a little. Autumn got off to a gray, wet, cold start here that doesn't really bode well for the winter. As I look back over the summer,  I'm discouraged and disappointed in how things have gone. I had many possibilities and seeds in the spring, and somehow the decisions I made haven't yielded a fruitful harvest. I look down this path I somehow ended up on, and I'm not seeing a lot of potential for joy or creativity.

Yeah, I know that's abstract. I really can't say any more.

So. It is what it is, all of it. Where is the love? Here are a few textile-related things that have made me smile with interest, inspiration and delight:

• If you haven't seen the fabulous NY Times story about the fabric made from spider silk, and the amazing efforts of the two textile experts who have spent years searching for the rare golden orb spiders in Madagascar, it's a must-read.
• The Colour Lovers blog has a gorgeous post on The Colorful Art of Batik.
• The Victoria & Albert Museum has a stunning selection of prints for sale, many of them textile designs ancient or modern, wallpaper, fashion photography, costumes, quilts . . . you can order them small or large, as art prints or on less expensive paper. Below, I've posted a few of the many hundreds available.
• More V&A: Over at StyleCourt, a lovely post about uses for a small book of Indian floral designs from the V&A pattern book library with CD of images for noncommercial use. The book is available in the U.S. here.

From the V&A print shop -- cintamani! More of their lovely prints:

This last print is so gorgeous, with the loose, bright watercolor spots, that it does lift my spirits. I hope it lifts yours too! Back soon, I hope, with a more optimistic heart.

xo Lainie

Comments

[bobbi]

I don't mind waiting...;)

your posts are worth the wait...

[glennis]

fall is just getting started here-finally the first hints of cooler weather. i've just spent the better part of this past weekend redoing all my workspaces which generally prefaces a creative spurt- however i am in the throws of getting ready for Houston and all that entails so some of it will just have to wait. (my day job!)

not to worry lainie, it all awaits you whenever you are ready for it- new season, new days, new choices. looking forward to our get together!

[jude]

the thread is there. waiting.

[Heather]

Hang in there. Work (a day job) can be so draining. Your blog is inspirational for me, even if you only post now and then. I'm sending some love to you.

[Fulvia]

Lainie,
I have no clue where the love is but ... here's my thanks for your posts and links!