nichobella

life under the surface

During my two month blog break I did not do much stitching.  Sometimes it wasn't neurologically feasible but most of the time I simply didn't have enough energy or incentive to push through the fog.  Beyond that I wasn't much in the mood for dependable routes to self-soothing.  My blogland time-out centered itself around embracing some radical internal changes; some of which felt thrust upon me but most of the shifts reflected action or introspection that I was compelled to make.  The process was frequently disorienting as I felt myself reconfiguring a lot of my previous beliefs, habits and cultivated choice-making process. 

At times my established daily journal writing routine got deep in ways that only accentuated the overwhelm.  So I found it very helpful to balance my determined attachment to an established form of personal record-keeping with an ongoing exploration of what a visual journal could be.  And, more importantly, where that be-ing was capable of taking me during this time of learning to know a "self" that wasn't necessarily recognizable until I worked the point of seeing what remained UNchanged.

Did you know that some of the original tribes perceived Blue Jay as a reminder to use personal power very wisely?  In this particular part of the country Blue Jay is also a primary trickster archetype.  Our property has a very strong Blue Jay population and over time I have come to love them.  This love has replaced a lingering fear that stemmed from the fact that a Blue Jay once attacked me when I was quite young.  I've told the story so many times that, right now, I just want to stress the core fact that Blue Jays are quite meaningful to me on many levels and in a number of different experiential directions.

This particular bird image came from a 40 pound sack of bird food.  I kept thinking about cutting it free from the bag; this was during a period of time when I was so debilitated from vitamin D deficiency that I did not have much energy or "disposable" mobility for creative venturing.  As that fact shifted I thought of my ultra-slow recuperative abilities as Energy Flares.   Cutting out the bird images was one of the first things I did during such a flare.  It took me a while longer to find the cut-out's home.

First I caught up on some reading stacked by the side of my worktable.  After I'd absorbed an interview with James Hillman from the Rowe Center newspaper I collaged random portions of the text to a gesso'd spread in the journal. The next day I spent my energy flare working in my leaf print journal.  This process always yields extra ink on the leaf that in turn yields quite evocative partial prints.  I've found them to be a wonderful way to add some visual texture and layering to a visual journal spread.

I then [finally! home at last!] added the Jay image even though it was too big to paste flat.  On the back of the tail (see first image) I wrote a reminder to myself about tails in general:  they provide balance that allows for the greatest possible speed (watch what a cheetah's tail does as the cat runs ...) and accuracy. 

I had used up a pack of round skull stickers on other pages and decided to paint the remaining sticky material for inclusion on this particular spread.  I placed the two pieces randomly and then noticed how they formed little windows to the text beneath them.  I went back to those words with a highlighter pen.  This treasure hunt yielded a keyword in each circle which I highlighted.  The impulsively chosen words created a spontaneous mind map: similar, seeking, eventually, spirituality (with a question mark after it), granddaughter, cohesion, and the phrases TV jungle, you long for, and extravagant imagination.

 

At that point I stepped back to assess what the page looked like as well as how it felt. I wanted something to counter-balance the omnipresence of the bird.  While spending a somewhat longer energy flare on clearing up a few layers of detritus surrounding my writing desk I came across a photocopied acupuncture information sheet from one of my clients.  Evidentally I'd spilled water on it and the resulting blotch of indigo looked like it would be a good foil for the bird.  Only then did I notice the caption of the image - notating mimulus flower essence employed with acupunture points related to the kidneys. Those points in turn relate to a person's Spirit Burial Ground and Spirit Storehouse - and its applicability to the emergent theme of the journal spread.  Also the water-logged blotch threatening to obscure the image of a well-toned torso quite accurately expresses some of my current feelings of dream-like regret and frustration over my extended and extensive healing needs.

Once this piece was pasted in place, and the glue dried, I doodled some emphasis with a correction fluid pen.  Quite obviously this is still a page in progress.  Throughout the fall season I have become increasingly aware that my relationship with the overall journal emphasizes one of the greatest life lessons I am learning at the moment - deep personal refinement of the virtue patience.  This happens to be a quality that I don't embody nearly as fluidly as I might.  Knowing as much about myself and actively shifting what it means about how I behave are two very different quadrants of awareness.  Currently I have put aside knowing in favor of doing.

The point of sharing that in relationship to visual journaling is very simple but immeasurably useful in its various applications.  I am NOT going about the overall creation process with any kind of time limit in mind or an active focus placed on intended outcome.  This is a lot easier for me than "patience" per se because I am extremely process oriented and have indulged myself in that affinity for most of my adult life.  I think the main boon of working very quickly (other than feeding the increasingly short attention span we as a species seem to define as "normal" ...) relates to the fact that it takes the brakes off our inner censoring process and active attachment to perfectionism. 

I do believe this is a very valuable goal from a personal awareness standpoint but I also feel that I get a lot of those benefits in my writing journal where I do express myself VERY quickly and with as much unflinching honesty as I can muster at any given point in time.  Which is usually quite a lot.  In the visual journal I am not taking my time with any ambition of making things perfect or particularly pretty.  I am simply learning how to GO to a deep place and then stay there long enough to gather useful information and awareness.

 

There has been no shortage of a depth charge in my recent life experiences.  One thing I am coming to terms with is a series of profound shifts in my spiritual underpinning.  I have also been examining parts of my spiritual nature that I'd deliberately set to one side or rather summarily lumped into a No Longer Applicable pile.  Maybe a lot of what I've previously felt attachment for is, indeed, NLA but those attachments aren't necessarily reflected in the issues and experience I consciously placed in that pile.

I have had a cut-out image from a magazine sitting on my work table for a couple of months; back in the summer I happened to turn it over to study the reverse side.  That's when I realized that I hadn't originally collected the image of petroglyphs which had since become quite meaningful to me.  I'd gravitated instead to the Qechua shaman pictured above.  I made a photocopy of the shaman, pasted him into place, and then emphasized the flying streamers of his regalia with torn strips of colored tissue paper. 

This particular spread has since become an examination of extremes I experienced during the late summer and early fall.  Parts of me felt very attuned to cosmological happenstances whereas other parts revealed themselves to be extremely burnt-out and cynical.  All of this, I believe, has been relevant and useful if tricky to navigate.  In addition to very self-absorbed forms of awareness I have grasped some clarifying glimpses of cycles-within-cycles that are playing themselves out at a collective and trans-personal level.

Sometimes it becomes very obvious to me what sort of details a background wishes to express.  Other times, like above, I ease into the process with something essentially playful.  I freely associated with the word paper to conjure a variety of contexts. It took a few more weeks to go back to the spread with a sense of the doorway(s) this conjuring had begun to articulate.  

The thought & feeling process that goes with visual journaling continues to expand - beyond words although words are definitely part of the larger mix.  In most previous visual-building experiences I've attempted to banish words altogether but that isn't working anymore; not in terms of leaving me with a sense of logical conclusion.  This is a big step.  For most of my life I've worked with either images OR words and it was quite a struggle to bridge the gap between one and the other.  I didn't know how to go about it but now somewhere along the line it's just happened through organic flow I didn't consciously steer.

As the pages slowly fill themselves I realize that I'm happy to work concurrently on a series of personally relevant themes.  Most days find me adding bits and pieces to a couple of different theme-spreads.  I have not known how to post about this process because it's SO slow yet this is a very vital part of my current creative routine.  It's something I can manage even on days when my neurology isn't with-it enough to have confidence working with sharp objects like needles and sewing shears.

The slowly-built visual journal spreads are helping me to perceive an actual plot line within my daily life and its world.  Although it's true that I love to lose myself in process it's also true that I have not necessarily trusted that process to yield anything beyond natural affinity points and generalized creative enjoyment.  During a period of time that has been quite challenging mentally and physically I have found great emotional nourishment in recognizing that trust for what it is:  no small miracle.  Likewise it's been extremely fulfilling to give myself creative opportunities to offer the burgeoning trust some consistent shelter as it grows into itself.  

plunging forward

Creative endeavors have moved slowly this week due to another viral infection.  The good news is that my recuperation time is getting shorter.  I'm also getting better at choosing how and when to test my limits.  Yesterday I sat in the sunny alcove and began couching an outline of rayon wrapped cord around the central image panel.

I am very fond of this cord.  The sales blurb over at Joggles describes it as rattail with a classy makeover but it has a lot more structured support than rattail.  It's more like somewhat slinky gimpe.  Perhaps a fine point of difference in the larger scheme of things but a significant note in terms of how thread behaves in hand.  I'm sure you can do what-all with it at the machine but that doesn't interest me enough to test the theory.

When I finished outlining the inner rectangle I decided to make a second line of couching that was punctuated at random intervals with some intertwined cord.  This is the first experiment with the idea.  I am hoping to finish the second outline and get the cloth attached to batting by the end of the weekend.  If I can move farther into my emerging plan that will be great but I need most of my returning energy for business stuff and a couple of important family activities ...

revisting

It's been quite a while since I stitched this pointillism sample for an embroidery class with Sharon b.  Over time I have considered a few different finishing treatments.  Each time I thought I was definitely sure what I wanted to do I'd change my mind before I got started.  A few weeks back I changed my mind again and this time I got some basic stitching done to incorporate layers of paint-dyed vintage silk and gorgeous aqua-gold shot dupioni.

The paint dyed silk will be altered with embroidery stitches and threads that mirror the central image.  The final dupioni edge will be quite thin.  I'm keeping the piece larger as I work for two reasons.  It will prevent losing the final measurements I intend due to inevitable shredding.  It will also allow me soften the hand of the leftover dupioni so it's easier to stitch and fold for the project I have in mind for those scraps and a few others.

I know from experience that I'm not likely to use all the gathered threads but they look very pretty in my smallest gathering basket.  I keep a small notepad in the basket so I can quickly jot down ideas for other stitching and embellishment possibilities that occur to me as I'm working.  Progress is slow but highly enjoyable.  This is an excellent time for me to revisit the original healing/meditation intentions I stitched into the centerpiece ...

around the edges

note:  earlier today I broke my two month silence over on my main blog.  If you've missed my postings there, be sure to check it out for a hint of where I've been and where I'm going ...

Back in December of 1985 I inherited a floor-length cotton gauze nightgown that my mother had made herself the summer before she died.  She was several inches taller than me and I don't really like full length sleepwear.  So I cut it off to mid-thigh level.  Over the years it has grown so soft and worn that it's been the perfect thing for hot summer nights. 

 
This summer I reluctantly admitted to myself that it was becoming too tattered and threadbare to be useful.  It was time to make myself a new one from the same gauze that I've been hoarding all these years; waiting for the moment when a replacement nightgown was necessary.  A few weeks back I cut the old nightgown apart with plans to dye it for use in some stitching experiments.

To that end I used colorwash spray dyes in Eggplant and Wild Plum to color one section of the worn gauze.  Above you can see it before the final wash.  Below is the softer appearance once the excess color had been rinsed clear.

 

This seemed ripe for some additions to my Purple Exploration journal.  I cut a piece to size so I'd have a record of the unadorned/non-manipulated cloth. 

I cut another piece to size so I could make a collage of some favorite purple materials I've enjoyed collecting and using over the months since I first began this particular journal.  Hard to believe it's been almost a year!

 

My favorite section of the collage incorporated pieces of cotton pads that I'd used to rub dye ink into paper based projects.  I needle felted the pieces into a single unit before stitching the results into place at the bottom of the collage:

The finished sample is quite texture oriented.  The process taught me that using very worn gauze as a substrate yields stretching issues that change the initial dimensions.

I initially cut a piece of gauze that was exactly 5 x 8 inches.  Prior experiences with collaging on a ground cloth suggested the fabric would shrink rather than expand.  Next I plan to layer some of the remaining gauze with embroidery stitches and dyed cheesecloth.

 

Last night I also completed an experiment in stitching (running, back stitch and french knots) on a piece of bubble wrap that I'd been using to print backgrounds in my visual arts journal.  I've often seen this medium once it's distorted by a heat gun but was curious to see how it would look undistressed with fully visible stitching.

The bubblewrap is held in place with some washi paper masking tape.  Do you know about this stuff?  It can be written on and removed/repositioned with ease.  Stay tuned for a closer look at some of the decorative tapes I've been collecting.  It's nice to be back in blogland!

an enjoyable weekend

During last week's difficult patch a good friend and gifted healer coaxed me along with the observation that I was working hard and diligently enough - in my own true best interests - to reap a few rewards sooner than later.  Am delighted to report that I definitely felt a few of those rewards this weekend.  I love to spend the last few days of summer immersed in the natural world.  My energy levels allowed me to follow through and, as always, time with trees and wilder landscapes had a very curative effect.

On Saturday afternoon I spent some time recording my impressions, intuitions and inclinations for the new lunar cycle.  It was great fun getting this stuff on paper as I sat in a camp chair on the banks of the Charles River.  The sun was warm, the sky was blue and there were dozens of monarch butterflies fluttering around me as I wrote.

Later in the afternoon I stopped into the Wellesley branch of Paper Source so I could stock up on a few Signo Uniball white pens.  Picked up a few other little treats as well.  Am not sure what I'm going to do with the hemp cord.  It's rather stiff but I'm sure it can be couched or knotted into something or other that emerges during the fall season.

Snake medicine has played a big part in my visual explorations.  I saw this card (which doesn't reference an artist or image source) and thought it spoke too many volumes to leave behind.  Since then I've been using the bulk of my energy to wander in the woods with my husband, weed and harvest in my garden, and tend to an assortment of household chores.  It's amazing what a treat the latter becomes when I haven't been well enough to accomplish much in that respect.  All in all I'm in a much better mood with a lot more balanced emotional and mental perspective.

I've also been working on my treasure map.  Most of the additions are simple quilting in the ditch to get the piecework evenly attached to the flannel.  But I did make time for some "fun" markings; the silver and purple thread is couched in a giant herringbone pattern.   Viewers can see whatever they like in it but for me it represents the wisdom and strength to safeguard emotional vulnerability especially when it relates to unprocessed healing needs. 

Anybody who takes time to think about it logically and/or reflect upon their own experiences knows there is a world of difference between keeping secrets and keeping one's own counsel.  In the former there's the telltale spider webs of dysfunction and ingrained silence borne of fear.  In the latter instance there's accrued experiential wisdom that allows us to chose discretion over disclosure whenever we know that's what best serves of strongest needs and the highest overall Good For All.  This treasure map is currently giving me a chance to articulate some thoughts on the significant difference between one extreme and the other as well as what that particular dichotomy has come to mean to me as both a healer and a person in ongoing need of healing.  Above, I have outlined the starburst stamp and will soon be stowing some glittering bead seeds so they can remain safely kept in the coming seasons...

a little bandaid

This is the first sampler I made, a few years back, for Sharon b's Personal Library of Stitches class.  It has been hanging around ever since - literally - on my design wall or inspiration board, waiting for me to figure out what I wanted to do with it.  Since it's the first step on what's become a very satisfying exploration of embroidery as a creative language, I thought it deserved something special.

It should be noted that while I enjoyed creating a sampler that followed my preferred rules of chaos rather than the usual format(s), I did NOT enjoy working on bright white linen.  When I was finished I colored the ground behind the stitches with a yellow neocolor crayon.  Did not use water to blend the color because I didn't know what kind of impact that would have on the various threads - especially a precious fragment of gorgeous silk yarn that was a gift from a special knitting friend.  After I added crayon to the linen I decided the bright blue perle cotton I'd used was too stark and dominating.  So I added little dribs and drabs of gold lumiere paint.

A few nights back when I was hunkered down on the couch watching the Red Sox play really lousy baseball and otherwise feeling lost in a rather dark and broody sort of mood I suddenly hijacked my own thought process with a brainstorm.  I really like the effect of having used a pigment ink pad to color some off-white linen behind a leaf print in my treasure map in progress.  So why not use the same technique for the linen of the little sampler?  

The causes and triggers of that dark mood have consumed most of my waking hours since and it was not until this morning that I had an opportunity to put my tiny yet hopeful idea into practice.  Once the linen wasn't so stark any more I felt comforted but visually unsatisfied with the result.  The swatch of Sunshine Yellow was too overpowering for my eye; much like the unaltered bright blue perle cotton had been.

I promptly selected two other ink colors for over-printing.  Since I was impatient to see a final result I didn't rub the ink pads directly on the linen as that would have mucked up the individual colors on the pads.  I used a little cosmetic sponge to transfer the colors and blend them.  Note:  I wouldn't try this approach without gloves if you're working with anything but non-toxic pigment ink.  My hands were a colorful disaster by the time I was through with this endeavor.

Since two o'clock this morning I have been walking the razor's edge of an impending migraine.  So it's an extra good time to have a partial distraction however momentary that may be.  I needed something really simple but I also craved the sense of gratification that comes from tying up a loose end of long-standing.  Mission accomplished as they say. The colors are calming down as the ink dries without losing their verve.  Once the linen's been cured and heat set I plan to add a second border of velvet.  I really love linen and velvet together and the addition will provide the 'special' treatment I thought this piece deserved.

I will square-up the linen and even out its dimensions before I add the velvet border.  The result will probably go back to my design wall as an ongoing reminder of the many things I've been able to learn about myself and some previously unexplored abilities.  There's no way this effort is going to 'fix' everything that's been problematic and super challenging about life in general but it will keep me aware that we make our own reality at the microcosmic level just as surely as we are made by all that which is beyond our direct control.  Which is, during weeks like this one, worth its weight in ... pigment.

in other news

For the past few weeks I've been spending time absorbing the contents of Sandra Meech's new book pictured above.  My sense is that it's every bit as vital and instructive as the two which preceed it.  Meech's work, and the focus and style of her writing, has quite a lot to offer those who take their fiber work seriously.  It's especially valuable for those who want to learn more about working methodology and creative approach options from a fine arts point of view.

Since I spent the same general time frame browsing a handful of other books and !Hot! !!Fresh!! publications I must say one of the most fundamental things I appreciate about Meech's writing is that she doesn't muddy the waters with Dumb-Down Syndrome.   She writes concisely and well; trusting her readers to take her advice into their own hands and shape it in a uniquely meaningful way.

At the same time there is no dearth of visual cues.    This is another one of those books where the phrase eye candy does the included photographs and drawings a grave disservice.   Connecting Art to Stitch holds the premise that our fiber art is part of an organic creative landscape.  Whatever we express with thread and fabric can become more meaningful and visually satisfying if we learn some corollary methods of visual articulation.

While I am a strong believer in the fact that "art" relies more on soul and its initiative than any specific group of materials, I also appreciate the fact that tools do, to some degree, make the work much as clothes allegedly make the individual.  There's a lot of room for growth and truly fresh personalized discovery waiting to be extrapolated from this book.  It's every bit as wonderful and inciting as her first two.  The pages are positively drenched with color and a variety of different fiber artists are featured.  As always, I find myself especially fascinated with Meech's ongoing interest in the Inuit culture and its geographical landscape.

 

The book's arrival in my life coincided with the process of beginning a new visual sourcebook.  Volume one was started last summer in an online workshop with Sharon B.  As the year moved on, and the class was completed, I evaluated the exercises and design/work methodology processes that fostered a greatest sense of organic flow and creative confidence.  I also analyzed what other record-keeping techniques enhanced a sense of enjoyment and ongoing commitment to maintaining this sort of journal under my own steam.

Insight gained from my analysis:  working in a three ring binder (which was very much NOT recommended during the course of the class...) is absolutely key to an ongoing sense of success.  I like treating each page as an individual worksheet.  I also like being able to remove and group various pages as they relate to a specific idea I want to develop more fully or a particular design issue I want to explore or resolve.  I do make a point of returning the pages to their original order in the sourcebook so I really don't believe I'm diluting the impact of a time-line record of my interests and development.  I'm just expanding the ways it may be used to suit a variety of needs and circumstance.

I also learned that I do not always do my most meaningful work when I'm preoccupied by the fact that this kind of sourcebook is inherently visual in nature.  Sometimes, in order to move forward into a state of creative immersion, I need to construct and preserve very plain & simple written lists.   Thus Volume Two of my workroom sourcebook begins with a list of common symbols that hold strong personal meaning.  There are all sorts of developmental ways to go with this list: I can cull existing images from my boxes and files.  I can stamp some stripped down versions of symbols.  I can draw to the best of my ability - a weak skill of mine that I nonetheless notice getting better all the time provide I actually do it and don't spend too much effort/energy insisting it's something I can't manage well.   So I'll never be a world class illustrator.  Big whup.   That's a long way from can't and I remind myself of that a few times each week.

 

Near the beginning of Sandra Meech's book she advises drawing up a personal inventory of skills that already exist.   She further advises an addendum list of skills to be developed.  I'm still working my way through the suggested categories of my skills "on hand".  I assumed this would take me roughly half an hour but then, after an hour and a half, I had to put the unfinished list aside and shift gears.

I am currently on page four of this list.  I had once again put it aside for a few days when life interrupted but now I'm ready to get back to finishing the index of what I can do.  As Meech suggests, it's very instructive to see how much one does know and writing it down has a much different impact on the rational brain and creative psyche than simply naming them silently in your head.  I would endorse such a list for anyone reading along irrespective of how "obvious" you think your skill set is in your mind and whether or not you maintain some kind of ongoing creative record-keeping.  Think of it as a Can-Do list...

details along the way

I have backed my treasure map with a piece of flannel that has sentimental associations.  Once I have most of the cloth stitched to the flannel I'll need to decide if I want to add a layer of quilt batting to stabilize the glaze of beading.  For now the flannel gives my guidance hand - beneath the fabric - a much appreciated sense of uniformity.  I really like to have that when a pieced surface contains several weights and textures of fabric.

So far I have been quilting with a variety of embroidery threads and double strands of floss.  Stitching helps to actualize a sense of continuity within the collaged elements.  I love the alchemy of moving from construction to articulation.  For me this is a process of getting a bit lost in backstory and discovering filaments of meaning that are purely personal.  I don't believe sharing the specifics is nearly as important or meaningful as shaping something from the creative unfolding; something that's less individualized and more universal.

one stitch at a time

 
Something (no doubt retro merc induced...) is wrong with my keyboard.  I will never make it all the through the post I had planned without losing my cool a few times.  So.  Here's a picture of some beads I'm auditioning for my Treasure Map in progress.  Below is a look at some of the threads I'm using to quilt the top to a stabilizing layer of flannel.

And here are two glimpses of how the stitching is turning out so far:

The rest of what I'd planned to say about these images is just going to have to wait for another day...

enjoying my weekend

It's been a stitch-centric weekend or me; having completed Jim's birthday gift I have turned my attention to this piece.  Have been dreaming about it and from those night-time messages to myself I have understood I wanted to do a bit of surface altering before I started adding layers to the groundcloth.   What did that mean specifically?  Last night, and early this morning, I started to find out...

I got out some small alphabet stamps plus a few Staz-on ink pads so I could add a message to the hand-eye patch in progress: Treasure the Mysterious Gifts.  The little alphabet set I used includes four simple shape stamps:  a circle, a square, a heart and a star.  I added a few to the top and bottom of the patch.  Then I thought why stop there?

 

The size of the stamps made them a perfect fit for embellishing the linen flower fabric.   As I looked at the altered panel I realized I had sent myself another message:  the piece now feels as if some kind of cosmic disembodied pocket door has been pulled back to reveal an extra dimension of activity.  A map within a map, if you will ...

I thought of the little circles as seeds and the squares as a shorthand rune for stability and protection.  Seems the hearts and stars speak for themselves especially with the codified messages being carried on the capable wings of a luna moth. The vivid green sun feels rather like a doorknob or psychic bell pull that grants access to this level of Beyond.  And the green bubble-filled star at the base of the panel puts me in mind of a mariner's compass.

To the eye-hand patch in progress I added three chunky wooden beads carved with a simple flower pattern.  The patch floats along a "river' made from some of Glennis' amazing pleated charmeuse ribbon.  I wanted to get a lot of shimmering texture from this inclusion.   Simple stab or running stitches produce a modified ruching effect that's a lot like sculpting.  Didn't want to waste a single bit of the gorgeous stuff so I applied it in two sections with a gap that the attached patch will conceal.

It's been SO MUCH FUN to delve into some of the best and brightest aspects of my stash.  It's also a great luxury to take plenty of time admiring the feel of each separate element - all the while engaged in learning more about the overt and subtle properties of the individual components.   The slim dyed silk ribbon above was so delicate that I didn't want to stress it too much via elaborate attaching techniques.  Originally I'd planned to stack some embroidery stitches over the ribbon but then I settled for couching some Oliver Twist (Lilac) threads*

This one is in the roughest stage of achieving a cohesive surface and very much In Progress.  But there's been some exciting articulation of my inner idea(s) since I last shared anything about it.  In the interim I have come to realize that I'm building myself a treasure map.  This visual theme is of strong interest to me; it's also connected to my heARTful integration endeavors for the lunar year in progress since my 52nd solar return at the end of June.  What better way to close than with another glimpse of Celeste doing what she does best ...

*  I supplied a link to my favorite source of the Oliver Twist bundles; I like this vendor because she sells the bundles by themselves.  Other online sorces, like Joggles, offer the bundled threads in tandem with a spool of coordinated machine/hand sewing thread.  That jacks up the cost and I don't feel I do anywhere enough arty stuff with that weight of thread to justify the larger price tag.  Having mentioned Joggles, I should note that this is another source for purchasing some of Glennis' most popular shibori ribbons.  And maybe you'd like to treat yourself to her online class on making a wired silk necklace for yourself or somebody special on you holiday gift list...