3/30/12

Scale

No, not the bathroom kind (blankety-blank blank blank). No, not the plant disease. But, scale for contrast. Scale to make things stand out. And, I found the perfect illustration yesterday morning in my garden. This is a bit of green bed. Later, there will be flowers (lots and lots and lots of pink florets, making huge heads of flowers). But, for now, the bed relies on scale and value for interest. We all know that color gets all the credit, but it's value that does all the work and scale the bears the burden of beauty.


Here, I've used small leaves in different shapes to create interest. There's points and curves; wide and narrow, large and small, tall and short. While everything is green, that variety of scale is the only reason to look over here.

That's what I ran into on the silk quilt yesterday. A deficit of scale.





You may have to click on this to see it good. Look at the clamshells in the lower left and compare them to the echo work in the upper right. They're too close in scale. Sydney asked if I was stressed out when I quilted them. The clamshells are going to disappear into the echo quilting when they come together.



As I kept making the clamshells, I got more relaxed and the clamshells got larger. One got way large, but for the most part, I found a size I liked that I could make at a speed that was comfortable and I went to town on them. See how the clamshells on the right are larger than the echo quilting and are markedly different? When those come together, you'll be able to see where one ends and the other begins.




And, here's the first place the two shapes come together. It's the only part of the quilt center that is completely filled in. Three little inches of accomplishment.



This picture I tossed in to show how much I relaxed. The upper left is where I started and then I moved into the lower right. I missed family time again last night. I know it's just while I"m in this manically creative stage. It will end and I'll get back to TV in the living room and everything will get back to normal. Dogs pawing at me and people talking and TV up loud and...the relaxed routine of family time.



The quilt center is almost done. I just have that moat around the central urn of flowers to fill in with echo work. I just finished my first spool of silk thread. $6 for 225 yards. See why I don't want to waste an inch? For $2 I can get 2200 yards of coats and clark 50 weight, with a JoAnn's coupon.


But, OH MY, the feel of the silk is wonderful. As wonderful as the shimmer. And, pulling stitches did not damage the silk or hurt the shine.


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Today, the movit Bully is being released. It's only in a handful of theaters. We'll have to wait until it goes to DVD. I know that some parents are objecting to the language. I would caution them to remember that unless their kids are living in an Amish community somewhere, they've heard it. And, mine heard it at home. On TV. And, from me. So, that doesn't bother me at all.


I've seen footage and interviews from those involved in the movie and I choked up during an article on NPR this morning. You guys have heard me blog about being bullied before. I'm not really feeling like going into it today, but I remember. Eighth grade, ninth grade and then we moved and I got a reprieve in tenth grade, but by eleventh grade, it was there again, even though I worked so very hard to rise above it and by twelfth grade, I just wanted out, so I gave up band and only went to school half day and worked the other half.


College had some of the folks from high school, but on so much larger a campus that I got to meet new people and start over again. But, I found most relationships to be closed and distant because I couldn't completely join in without revealing more about me than I wanted anyone to know.


And, the more the world closed in around me, the more I withdrew.


And, then I found other gay people and it got better. And, for every time I wished I'd died in high school, I made a happy memory to stand between me and that pain. I only remember all that when I see something about another child that's been bullied.


Some guy this morning said "it's getting to the point where one kid can't pick on another without making a big deal about it". That is not what bullying is. That is not what we are talking about when people talk about bullies. Bullying is harassment. Bullying is long term hurt. Bullying is not one kid saying another has cooties and the next day they're playing tag. Bullying crushes.


Bystanders help the bully. It's only people with the courage and character to take action, even if that action is just walking away, that hurt bullies.


Hurt bullies by not being their friend.


Jeez. That got heavier than I intended. I guess I'm having more feelings about it than I'd like to admit.


Have a great Friday. Lane

6 comments:

Becky said...

I watched a Promo for the movie...my heart just broke. Chris was bullied in elementary school. His bullies included his teacher! It took years to get over it (with counseling). I don't know if I can watch the movie. I really don't know which reaction would prevail if I did. Would I cry because of the pain of the child having to endure it? OR would I get so fired up I want to kill someone? I await your review.

That quilt is spectacular!

Nancy said...

I wonder why some children feel the need to bully others? Are they so inferior themselves that they feel good only when putting someone else down? It is a hateful thing. My sons were always quiet and respectful in school and the oldest one had a nun pick on him horribly. Well, don't pick on MY kid. I went to the school and threatened to sue and it stopped immediately. Months later she was hospitalized with a nervous breakdown - sad, but don't hurt my child! I had to remember that despite the habit she wore, she was only human and subject to the same vices as everyone else. If only we could wrap up our children and protect them from them world but then they would be very poorly equipped to face the world without us. The quilt is gorgeous. I so love silk!

qltmom9 said...

I doubt I could watch the movie. It'd tear me up. I was always getting in trouble for whomping on the bullies.
Your quilting is quite amazing.

A beloved relative of mine was bullied TERRIBLY for appearing gay back in the early 80s. He wasn't gay, but he was thin and frail. It was VERY heart breaking and painful. I'm sorry you knew any of that.

Lucy~

andsewon said...

That you can produce this loveliness with your home sewing machine and not a long arm quilting machine is amazing! Beautiful! You are an artist! At least in my book! This will be a true heirloom when finished!
I was bullied, played tricks on and made fun of big time in school for choices of my parents, their religion. A large part of my sad past is just that past and I leave it there now. Was hard to work to that point as we are very much created by what happens to us as children and affects the choices we make as adults. New happy memories did replace the horrid ones. When folks talk about the 'good old days' and how better things were then, well I just say these are my good old days!
Lola

Anonymous said...

I know bullying was a painful part of your past...some of us have had that too, for me, it was a short period. My nephew experienced it as well and left school early because of it. I think the best thing about this movie is the opportunity to talk about this and how wrong it is.I thinking talking is the first step to dialogue and movies, tv and action all help change the world. Isn't it amazing how far the world has come?! I'm at bit older than you, 5 years, but in my lifetime a lot has changed. My mother worked in a time it wasn't acceptable to, although she was widowed very early and needed to earn income! she didnt feel she could go to some social functions as a widowed woman!! I'm Canadian and we have removed so many barriers and lifted veils on so many issues...sexual assault for instance...I remember saying to a policeman...I don't even know if this is against the law but!! I also had an employer ask me if I was sure "X " happened!! We have gay marriage, sexual harassment after Anita Hill was taken serious in the work place!that was dramatic for me as I didn't realize how oppressive and harassed I was until after that...the company showed a film that identified what it was...and I sat there, looked at all the _----blank blank blank men I worked for and could finally identify why I never wanted to go to the company meetings!! that's what they were about...it really made a difference to me and I think helped give me a name to what I experienced and after awhile I left that company. We have a lot of issues that were hidden under the rug in my childhood that just were not talked about and the child was considered or felt to blame for what's happened. Children need to know it is safe to say what's wrong...or for parents to accept their child "doesn't want to go to that house anymore" etc...sorry now I'm getting heavy...As they say getting old is not for sissies but life isn't. We need to do all can to help keep people/children safe and not allow discrimination, bullying, abuse etc. from happening.Thanks for your post Lane...love the quilting...I find that too when I quilt...it changes as my experience/time on the piece grows and my quilting can change...I try not t be to much of a perfectionist, and at least up until now I haven't felt the need to un-stitch a piece...no patience!I love hearing about you and yours...isn't it lovely that we can talk about differences and it's okay? as a child I would not have known about a family such as yours...and now we can have those different families and lives. Life isn't perfect but it's sure better.
Elaine in the Texas of Canada...Alberta! :0)
stenbraatenathotmaildotcom

Vesuviusmama said...

I heard the NPR story on the movie, and I plan on watching it with my kids when it becomes available.