Living Earth, Still Breathing
Stitching is its own kind of refuge for me. The rhythm of needle and thread slow me down and get me into a sense of place. The sensory texture of fabric, soothing repetition, and the quiet concentration is what I crave. A reminder that making something with my hands is
5-5 Celebration
April is a special month in our family. Birthdays for a son, a grand-daughter, me, a father, a boyfriend (not mine), two wedding anniversaries, numerous friends birthdays. This year, it is my 69th birthday and my 50th wedding anniversary, nearly as special as it can get. We don’t make a
Dual Celebration
250 Winters and 250 Springs. 5-5 Martha Ressler A long hard winter like the one we’ve been through in my part of the world always brings to mind George Washington and his soldiers suffering through cold and privation at Valley Forge, PA in 1777-1778. The soldiers were inadequately provisioned and
The Life of the Party?
I had to think long and hard about this prompt! I wasn’t sure if there was anything to celebrate. The last two years have been filled with sadness, anger, uncertainty and fear due to the world in turmoil! Even though my life is in the best place it has ever
Spring fever
Spring is my favorite time of year. Every time I am amazed at how beautifully nature presents itself. Within a few days, after rain and sunshine, you can see the landscape change. The yellow-green of the young leaves appears. The first spring flowers are suddenly blooming again. The little lambs
The Hudhud
While I may not celebrate the typical things most people do, I do anticipate and exalt the coming of winter. The highest recorded summer temperature on the Arabian Peninsula reached 53.9°C (129°F) in 2016. The highest “feels like” temperature hit 178°F (81.1°C). Seriously. One August day, I was in Dubai
Celebratory Red
The color red has a mysterious power. It captivates the viewer’s heart and gives them the courage to move forward. Red is also the color of beginnings, and in Japan it has long been an essential color for celebratory wedding attire, where couples start a new life with passion and
Celebrating New Life
In a recent blog post, I reflected on the Korean tradition of wearing Saekdong Hanbok. This piece was created using traditional Korean Saekdong fabric (composed of colorful striped bands) to celebrate the birth of my grandson. In Korea, a child’s first birthday is celebrated with a special ceremony where they
Employ and Extol
I have a special drawer of wonderful fabrics that are much too nice to cut into. Fabrics from various countries, silks, velvets, fabric gifts, expensive laces, etc. When we were given the theme of Celebration, I chose to celebrate some of these fiber pieces by using them finally! ! I
Artist’s Defeat
Coming to the last page of the calendar of 2025 meant for me, traveling to our family in Australia. At the same time I knew, this will keep me away from the sewing machine. Still, my plan was that I’ll use my precious fabrics from a screen-printing workshop for this
A Dream in Blue
One of my long-held dreams was to travel with my husband to see my work exhibited in an overseas quilt exhibition – to experience the exhibition together and turn it into a journey. That dream came true last year, and this piece was created to commemorate that joyful experience. The