Women In-Spirit

1920's embroidery runner. Before the death of my godmother Masha Arms in 2005 I was able to fly to Massachusetts and spend a couple of days with her. Those days were precious to us both. Days spent talking until the early morning light, reminiscing, looking at art, sharing favorite books, and going through trunks. How we ever started opening the trunks I don't remember but so many treasures came tumbling out; her Mothers beautiful wood carvings including a lovely little paring knife that I swear I could still feel her energy coursing through, a hand woven rug by her Great Aunt-in-law Nellie Arms, Scandinavian linens and cut work, generation after generation of memories. Then she pulled out this linen runner that her mother Clara Maria (From) Eriksen had started way back in the 1920's.  runner with circles of flowers. What struck me at first was that the colors were still so bright, the blues so vibrant, and that the pattern was so obviously Art Deco with its

  An Emerging Face Spirit Doll. In early January I was invited to attend a creative meditation class and the medium was to be felted wool spirit dolls, I was intrigued. Never having worked with fibers, let alone doll making I was very excited to see what would unfold. It has been quite a journey; working with the materials, learning the techniques, and the creative process itself. Who knew using a barbed needle to stab wool repeatedly into a form would be so freeing? Little did I realize the spiritual conversation that would take place as faces began to emerge from the wool...   Spirit doll congregation after first class. Mine is the oddly shaped 2 headed one on the far right.   The wonderfully talented instructor and artist, Andi Fasimpaur, took us first through the early stages of the doll making; binding thick batting into the basic shape with thread, carding different colors of wool together and then, using the long, barbed needle stabbing the wool int