#60. 'Waltzing With Bears / Uncle Walter' 2021.12 66.5 x 60 Very lumpy and bumpy. American fabrics. Bears gifted from Missouri. SOLD 11/2023

I was contrasting these dark bears to light flowers and kittens; when I stumbled upon a song. 

My ukulele group sang 'Waltzing With Bears', written by Dr. Seuss and later interpreted by other musicians. I was inspired to learn that this song is an anthem for some gays and lesbians. 

Our Uncle Walter's not right in the head 

He's been that way all his life, my mother said

 Its not that he's violent or falls down the stairs 

Its just he goes waltzing, waltzing with bears 

 He goes wa wa wa waltzing, waltzing with bears 

Raggy bears, shaggy bears, baggy bears too 

There's nothing on earth Uncle Walter won't do 

So he can go waltzing, wa wa wa waltzing 

He can go waltzing, waltzing with bears  

Repeat #58. Appalachian Moose / Hawaiian Plastic Lei. Finally finished binding in December. 51" x 41". Tennessee thrift store and "silk" scarf from Economy Shop. Has been accepted in the 'Excellence In Quilts' by artist Sue Benner. It will be in the Fall 2023 issue of Fiber Art Now and will be eligible for exhibit at the Texas Quilt Museum May-August, 2024.

Exploring artifice.

A painted portrait of a moose in his natural habitat is printed on a piece of fabric. Why? He is hiding between candy cane stripes. Some areas are purposely exposed and not hidden under a weave so that viewers have enough visual input to actually see the moose.

A scarf was printed with a photograph of real flowers laid in a mandala circle. I wove it with a Hawaiian fabric of stiff plastic print of plumerias.  Surrounded and woven with a summery madras. 

A Beach Boy's vibe.