Earlier this summer, I finished the last Wisdom Cloak. I usually don’t work with wool in the summer, but I wanted to have all the pieces and photos ready for my scheduled exhibit, Cloaked in Wisdom, at the Visions Museum of Textile Art in San Diego, CA. That exhibit will be from November 12- December 31, 2022.
Wisdom Cloak: Above Rubies, 60 x 60”, Wool with small objects and cotton gauze backing
Above Rubies is the last Wisdom Cloak that I made. The title refers to a Bible passage from the book of Proverbs, telling us that the worth of a good woman is far above rubies. “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the teaching of kindness.” This last cloak is in loving memory of my mother, a woman who was wise and good throughout her days.
The red ground is a Northwest Orient all-wool blanket from way back that I got on ebay for a reasonable price. I did not know that the airline name was stamped on the back, but no problem—I used the other side. I felted it down in hot water in my home washer and pieced it into a triangular shape. Red is so hard to photograph well, but I took this out into daylight on an overcast day. Using my I-Phone, I think I got an almost perfect color match. The red just glows. The gold and teal blue are needle felted onto the surface, and the entire body of the cloak is covered in dense hand stitching. It was a labor of love.
Here is a bit of what I have been reading:
Remarkable Creatures, by Tracy Chevalier; The Catch, by Alison Fairbrother; The Girl with the Louding Voice, by Abi Dare; French Braid, by Anne Tyler and The Mutual Friend, by Carter Bays.
We are enjoying the pleasures of fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden as well as Italian pole beans, zucchini and loads of flowers for spirit lifting.