The orange bird of prosperity

Dupa ce am terminat fetele de perna Cucuteni, am ramas cu o buna bucata de in si n-aveam nici cea mai vaga idee ce sa fac cu el. Mi-au trecut prin minte mici proiecte, dar nici unul n-a zabovit prea mult. Asa ca am lasat-o deoparte, sa dospeasca precum aluatul, asteptand nasterea dulcei paini.

Si lunea trecuta, fiind in trecere prin magazinul meu preferat de tesaturi, am vazut o bucata de poplin portocaliu (am o apetenta pentru portocaliu, galben si roz deschis in ultima vreme... cred ca mi-a lipsit prea tare primavara!) ce mi s-a parut potrivit pentru inul ramas. Tare bine ar fi mers ca margini de prosop!

Hmm... dar asta ar fi fost primea mea incercare de acest fel, asa ca mi-era cam teama si-am stat ceva in cumpana daca sa-l cumpar sau nu. Intr-un final, mi-am luat inima in dinti si l-am luat: doar n-o fi chiar atat de complicat??!! Ei bine, colturile mi-au dat mare bataie de cap - s-au incapatanat sa nu iasa tocmai in unghi drept frumos (ceea ce se poate vedea cu usurinta...) - asa ca mai am mult de exersat la capitolul asta. Dar per ansamblu, sunt bucuroasa de ceea ce mi-a iesit.
In final, am obtinut trei prosoape si o fata de masa luuuunga. Ma rog, au fost patru prosoape, dar v-am spus povestea cu colturile...

Faine-faine, totusi ceva lipsea: erau prea simple, aveau nevoie de o broderie. Asa ca m-am gandit  "pasari", dar modelul ce-l aveam era mult prea complicat si cumva nepotrivit cu cele doua tipuri de panza.
Si cum se spune ca noaptea e un sfetnic bun, dimineata m-am trezit cu pasarea in gand! Am desenat-o rapid si pentru ca mi-a placut la nebunie, am numit-o pasarea postocalie a prosperitatii. 

 pasrea portocalie a prosperitatiii / the orange bird of prosperity

After finishing my Cucuteni pillow cases, I had some linen left and I did't know what to do with it. Some ideas came into my mind, but none stayed for long. So I left it there, to raise like a dough, waiting for the good bread to come out.
And last Monday, visiting my favorite local fabrics shop, I saw a piece of orange poplin (I kind of like orange, and yellow, and pink lately... I suppose I miss spring a lot!) which I thought would match my linen and make a beautiful edge for a napkin, as a bound seam.

This would have been my first project of this kind, hence I was nervous about the results.... Nevertheless, I took my courage and decided to buy it, see how I can manage with such a difficult task. The corners gave me a lot of trouble - it didn't come out exactly right-angled (which you can easily see...) - so I have to practice a lot, but all in all I'm happy with the results.
In the end, I had three napkins and a looong table runner. Well, there were four napkins in the beginning, but I told you about the corner thing...

I liked them, still something was missing: they needed an embroidery of some kind. I thought of birds, but the pattern I had in my mind was pretty complicated and didn't go along with my fabrics. So, now what?...

They say night is the mother of counsel, and they're right! The next morning, my bird beautifully came out of the tip of my pen. And since I love it so much, I called it the orange bird of prosperity. 

si colturile buclucase / and the troubling corners....

 Detalii:
- prosoape de in cu margini aplicate din poplin
- dimensiuni: 39 x 39 cm
- fata de masa de in cu margini aplicate din poplin
- dimensiuni: 30 x 200 cm
- broderie manuala in alb si portocaliu cu fir de bumbac Perle Cotton no 5
- puncte folosite: stem stitch si French knot

Details:
- linen napkins with poplin bound seam edges
- measures: 39 x 39 cm
- linen table runner with poplin bound edges
- measures: 30 x 200 cm
- hand embroidered with white and orange pattern using cotton thread Perle Cotton no 5
- used stitches: stem stitch and French knot

somewhere, over the rainbow...

uneori, in cele mai intunecate momente ale vietii noastre, frumosul se incapataneaza sa iasa la suprafata. cand totul pare pierdut si fara iesire, iar lucrurile isi pierd rostul,  ceva din noi reuseste sa-si strecoare spre inafara lumina.

sa fie doar o compensatie?.. sa fie, poate, expresia efortului de-a ne pastra luciditatea, un mod de a ne “arde” si depasi  nevroza?... 

ori mai degraba oglinda pe care Sinele ne-o aseaza in fata, pentru a vedea ca suntem mai mult decat pierderea, durerea si intunericul? ca suntem, nu o temnita, ci campul verde ce transforma suferinta-n flori si lacrimile-n curcubeu…

sometimes, in our darkest times, beauty grimly fights to come to grass. when all seems lost and helpless and things become meaningless, there’s always something inside of us sliding out its light.  

is it just a compensation?... is it, maybe, an expression of the effort to keep our mind in one place, a way to “burn” and overcome our neurosis?...

or rather a mirror, laid in front of our eyes by the Self, for us to see that we are more than loss, pain and darkness put together? that we are not a prison, but the green field who turns suffering into flowers and tears into rainbow…

Detalii: 

• prosop alb de bumbac 100%
• margini crosetate cu fir de bumbac Perle Cotton no 5
• broderie manuala cu model floral si curcubeu
• puncte folosite: french knot (curcubeu si flori roz), bullion stitch (trandafiri), running stitch, stem stitch, tête-de-beuf (iarba), rosette chain stitch (florile galben cuoranj), feather stitch (tulpini trandafiri), fishbone stitch (frunze pline), detached chain stitch (florile mici fuchsia)
• pret: 62 lei

Details: 

• 100% white cotton napkin
• picots crocheted edges using cotton thread Perle Cotton no 5
• hand embroidered with rainbow & flowers pattern
• used stitches:  french knot (rainbow and pink flowers), bullion stitch (roses), running stitch, stem stitch, tête-de-beuf (grass), rosette chain stitch (orange-yellow flowers), feather stitch (rose stalk), fishbone stitch (leaves), detached chain stitch (small fuchsia flowers)
• price: 14.5 Euro

dimineti de iarna / winter mornings

prosopul de mai jos este unul dintre primele brodate si, totodata, unul dintre cele mai dragi.
delicatetea combinatiei bleu-maro deschis imi aduce mereu in minte blandetea diminetilor de iarna, devreme, cand pe ici pe colo, mici ramuri isi itesc varfurile somnoroase de sub gulerul protector al zapezii.  

this napkin above is one my first embroideries and, at the same time, one of my dearest.
the delicacy of this combination of colours - light blue-light brown - always brings back the gentleness of early winter mornings, when here and there, small branches peep their sleepy heads out of snow's protective collar.

Detalii:

• prosop alb de bumbac 100%
• broderie manuala cu fir de bumbac Perle Cotton no 5
• puncte folosite: chain stitch, french knot si scroll stitch
• pret: 54.5 lei

Details:

• 100% white cotton napkin
• hand embroidered using cotton thread Perle Cotton no 5
• 2 sides hemstitched
• used stitches: chain stitch, French knot and scroll stitch
• price: 13 Euro

Metamorphoses

Trecand prin timp, il insemnam sub pas -

Asa il reprimeste universul.

Dar insusi timpul, cand prin el pasim,

Ne schimba tainic inima si mersul.

Nu batranetea,-n urma alergand,

Spre moarte pasul cearca sa ni-l poarte,

Ci doar maturitatea creste-n noi

Si ne maturizam pana la moarte.

Geografia timpului - Nicolae Labis

Passing through time, we mark it underneath our steps

This is the way the Universe accepts it back.

But Time itself, when stepping through it,

Misteriously changes our heart and pace.

Not old age, chasing from behind,

Our steps to death is struggling to carry,

But only ripeness grows within ourselves

And we keep ripening until our death.

The Geography of Time - Nicolae Labis

simboluri ale cercului vietii / circle of life symbols...

pasarea-suflet

the soul-bird

pomul vietii

the tree of life

Prosopul de mai sus reprezinta viziunea mea personala asupra arborelui vietii, simbol al evolutiei cosmice - moarte si regenerare - si, in acelasi timp, al propriei noastre evolutii spirituale.

Precum un arbore, si noi germinam dintr-o mica samanta - reprezentata aici de ghinda - ce poarta inlauntrul sau esenta noastra, totalitatea. Apoi, de-a lungul anilor, ne continuam cresterea hraniti si incalziti de lumina soarelui, iar cand soseste clipa, luna rasare si noi trebuie sa parasim aceasta lume.

Stramosii nostri daci aveau credinta ca dupa moarte, sufletul raposatului se ridica la ceruri sub forma unei pasari. Marturie in acest sens stau extraordinarii stalpi funerari din lemn sculptat (simbol al existentei noastre pamantene), in varful carora este asezata o mica pasare albastra: sufletul celui plecat.

***
The napkin above depicts my vision of the tree of life, which represents the circle of cosmic evolution - death and regeneration - and, at the same time, a symbol of our spiritual becoming.
Just like a tree, we germinate from a small seed - the acorn - that carries within the essence of our trueself, of our wholeness. Along the years we continuously grow, nurtured and warmed up by the sun, and when the time comes, the moon rises and we have to leave this life.
Our ancestors, the Dacians, believed that when we die, our soul rises to the skys as a bird. In some rural parts of Romania, in isolated villages, we can still find in graveyards, not crosses but beautifully carved wooden pillars (symbol of our earthly existence) and on top of them a small, blue bird: the dead man's soul.

Detalii:

• prosop alb din bumbac 100%
• margini crosetate in scoica, cu fir de bumbac Perle Cotton no 5
• broderie manuala "arborele vietii"
• puncte folosite: stem stitch si detached chain stitch
• pret: 44 lei  

Details:

• 100% white cotton napkin
• shell crocheted edges using cotton thread Perle Cotton no 5
• hand embroidered with "tree of life" pattern
• used stitches: stem stitch and detached chain stitch
• price: 10 Euro

"Gutuile au ramas tot de aur.../ "Quinces are still golden...

Arama frunzelor s-a risipit,

Gutuile au ramas tot de aur.

Norii s-au destramat ca un plaur

Pe cerul alburiu, obosit.

Nu mai iei gaste salbatice

In catarea armei, nici cocori.

La noapte au sa rasara flori,

Luceferi zanateci, stele lunatice.

Cornul suna, rasuna-n padure,

Cerbii sunt departe pe stanci.

Fantanile negre, adanci,

Chipul vor sa ni-l fure.

Cat umbra pasii grei mi-i urmeaza.

Am sa colind intregul pamant.

Cu crengile frematand in vant

Vanjosul pom al vietii vegheaza.

Zaharia Stancu - Arama frunzelor

Detalii:

- prosop alb de bumbac 100%

- margini crosetate cu fir de bumbac Perle Cotton no 5

- broderie manuala cu gutuie si felii de gutuie in coltul opus

- puncte folosite: stem stitch

- pret: 43.5 lei

Details: 

- 100% white cotton napkin

- crocheted edges using cotton thread Perle Cotton no 5

- hand embroidered with quince and quince slices in opposite corner

- used stitches: stem stitch

- price: 9.5 Euro

Circles

spice galbene

cantandu-si cresterea in cercuri

vara, la sfarsit.

golden grains

singing their growth in circles

summer, at the end.

Detalii:

- prosop alb de bumbac 100%

- margini crosetate cu fir de bumbac Perle Cotton no 5

- broderie manuala mandala si spice de grau, in coltul opus

- puncte folosite: stem stitch si detached chain stitch

- pret: 56 lei - oferit cadou.

Details:

- 100% white cotton napkin
- picots crocheted edges using cotton thread Perle Cotton no 5
- hand embroidered with mandala and golden grains in opposite corner
- used stitches: stem stitch and detached chain stitch
- price: 13.5 Euro - offered as present.

Yellow

... un rest de panglica, intre multe altele, pe-o taraba in piata.

o zi calda si insorita si...

asta e ceea ce-a iesit!

... a ribbon end, among many others, sold at the market.

a warm, sunny day and...

this is what it came out!

Cesaria Evora - Jardim Prometido

Detalii: 

• prosop alb de bumbac 100%
• panglica aplicata pe margini
• broderie manuala, cu flori crosetate aplicate din bumbac Perle Cotton no 5
• puncte folosite: french knot si chain stitch
• pret: 46.5 lei

Details:

• 100% white cotton napkin
• applique ribbon on the edges
• hand embroidered with crocheted flowers applique using Perle Cotton no 5
• used stitches: French knot and shain stitch
• price: 11 Euro

Cheia Sol / G clef

Nu toti avem darul de a crea muzica.

Dar cei care il au, ne ofera prin creatiile lor bucurie, liniste, zbucium… adica tot ceea ce reprezinta premisele unui dar pe care il avem cu totii. Darul de a ne descoperi ritmul propriu, muzica interioara care ne da echilibru si ne acordeaza la armonia Universala. Pe scurt, darul creatiei de sine.

Pe hartie, orice creatie muzicala incepe cu un semn: cheia sol.

In viata, orice creatie de sine incepe cu un semn: decizia cautarii…

Not all of us have the gift of creating music.

But those who have, through their creations, offer us all happiness, peace, turmoil… all the premises of a gift that we all possess. That of discovering our inner rhythm, our inner music that gives us balance and puts us in tune with the Universal harmony. In short the gift of self-creation.

On paper, any musical creation begins with a sign: G clef.

In life, any self-creation begins with a sign: the decision of searching…

Detalii:

• prosop maro de bumbac 100%
• chenar pe margini "hemstitch" si colturi in ochi de porumbel (Dove's eye corner)
• broderie manuala cu fir de bumbac Perle Cotton no 5
• puncte folosite: running stitch
• pret: 54.5 lei

Details:

• 100% brown cotton napkin
• hemstitched edges with Dove's eye corners
• hand embroidered using cotton thread, Perle Cotton no 5
• stitches used: running stitch variation
• price: 13 Euro

Invocatie / Invocation

azi am rugat iarna sa plece. pe culorile pamantului, i-am asezat la picioare trifoi.

today, I begged winter to move on. on the colors of the earth, I laid to her feet, cloverleaves.

mai stii tu, iarna, cerul albastru?...

do you still remember, winter, the blue sky?...

ingan incet, a rugaciune, un cantec mut.

si-astept ca snurul rosu, ce se odihneste intre palme, in parul blond al primaverii sa il leg.

quietly, as a prayer, I sing an unheard song.
and wait to tie the red braid that's sleeping in my hands, in springtime's beautiful blond hair.

Detalii:

• prosop  maro de bumbac 100%
• broderie manuala cu fir de bumbac, Perle Cotton no 5
• puncte folosite: chain stitch , back stitch
• pret: 37.5 lei

• prosop alb de bumbac 100%
• margine crosetata din bumbac rosu, Perle Cotton no 5
• broderie manuala cu fir de bumbac si snur rasucit aplicat
• puncte folosite: chain stitch, satin stitch, running stitch
• pret: 35 lei

Details:

• 100% brown cotton napkin
• hand embroidered using cotton thread, Perle Cotton no 5
• stitches used: chain stitch, back stitch
• price: 9 Euro

• 100% white cotton napkin
• simple lace crocheted edges using Perle Cotton no 5
• hand embroidered with cotton thread
• red twisted cord applique
• stitches used: chain stitch, running stitch and satin stitch
• price: 8 Euro