Category: Code

A Gnawing Ache

I am in the process of completing all of the pieces that are in progress. A Gnawing Ache is a piece that I started in 2018 when I was dealing with grief.
Gnawing Ache Sketch

I aged the razor blades, hardware cloth, and pins with a patina.

Gnawing Ache

Gnawing Ache

Gnawing Ache

Gnawing Ache

It occurred to be after I used patina on the pins that they would be stronger if I hadn’t covered the entire pin. The patina made the metal a bit fragile.

Code Used
Gnawing Ache Code
One horizontal square for dots; two vertical squares for a dash.

Materials
Cotton, Hardware Cloth, Razor Blades, Pins, Patina, Wood (from an old swing), Cork, Stain, PVA, Sealant

Fixed Up Box

Been thinking about making a piece with the quote–“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you; I could walk through my garden forever.”

When I ran across this box in my stash, thought it might be fun to combine it with the quote.

Postcard Box

The exterior bottom of the box had a hand written price of 79¢. Made me smile. The notion of how objects are valued is a curious thing. Some would say the value is whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

Box Lid Exterior
The lid of the box has a slot for a postcard or photo that is 3.5″ x 5.5″.

Box Lid Slot

I used a piece of parchment paper and bamboo fiber for the code. I applied PVA to the front and back of the code piece for easier insertion into the box slot.

Code Exterior

To prevent the code piece from moving about, I applied some PVA to the right side back of the parchment before inserting it into the slot. Why?

I noticed the postcard was a bit mangled. I thought it was wear from being carried around.

Postcard

But there are thin wood strips on the top and bottom inside of the slot reducing the space. When I trimmed the code piece, it moved about a tad in the slot. Apparently the wood strips aren’t exactly square. The PVA should prevent the parchment code from shifting.

Code Used
The code is based on an altered Masonic cipher, also know as Pigpen.

Code

Code

Box Interior
Postcard Box Interior

I fixed up the interior of the box with a bamboo I-cord, a piece of linen, and some trim that I purchased years ago.

Fixed up Interior

I make a practice of gathering and drying plants to use in pieces. The interior lid has two dried Datura flowers. Why two? For the same reason I have two stacks of bound pennies inside the box.

Interior Lid with Datura Flowers

Code Interior

The second part of the code was stitched onto a piece of tree wrap with bamboo fiber.

Code Interior

I stitched a few flowers onto the flipside of the linen with code.

Interior of Box with Flowers

I placed a beautiful malformed Brugmansia flower on top of the dried flowers to protect them. The Brug flower should prevent the dried flowers from shifting when the box is handled. It should also prevent the dried flowers from flitting away when the box is opened.

Flowers with Brugmansia

Unusual for me, but I did not count the number of flowers in the box. Even typing that makes me anxious. Should have counted them. Maybe I will.

Dried Flowers

Dried Flowers without the Protection of the Brugmansia Flower.

The bound pennies are located in the front left corner of the box. The binding is a dried Brugmansia flower tied with a bit of cotton cord. There are two stacks of two pennies–the first stack is 1963 and 2018, the second is 1973 and 1990.

Bound Pennies

Materials
Wood box, parchment paper, tree wrap, bamboo fiber, cotton fiber, linen fabric, cotton trim, dried flowers, stain, PVA

Masonic/Pigpen Cipher

Memorial Bowl

Every year on April 11th, I do something to acknowledge my nephew’s date of birth. When my nephew was 17 he had a major surgery. He survived the surgery, but died later that day.

This year feeling a bit done in, perhaps it is partially to do with the past year and the daily COVID news. I recently was fortunate to receive my first Pfizer jab. It is a bit of a relief that I am in the system.

The piece evolved from a celebration to a memorial piece for the loss of nephew, dad, sister, and mother.

Memorial Bowl Photo–Mom, Dad, Kathy

Memorial Bowl Photo–Kathy

Memorial Bowl Photo–Rick

Code
The code on the bowl has my nephew’s, dad’s, sister’s, and mom’s DOB and DOD.

Memorial Bowl Detail Code

Memorial Bowl Placed on Box Filled With Family Keepsakes
Memorial Bowl New Home

Materials List
Wool, Safety Pins, Roofing Felt, Photos Printed on Paper, Fabric Stiffener (Corn Starch and Water)

Completed–Be Yourself

Quote Used–Be Yourself; everyone else is already taken.
On a bazillion sites the quote is attributed to Oscar Wilde. According to Wilde folks, he did not write it or say it.

Code

Top Portion–Be Yourself;>
I layout out the code multiple ways to make sure that I really want to use it. I often use an old version of Flash to layout my projects. I like Flash because I make symbols and it is easy peasy to replace them.

The code is based on Morse Code.
Morse Code

Morse Code

Left to Right–Dot, Spacer, Dash

Wikipedia–MorseCode

Top

Center Section is Bargello Embroidery
Center

Bottom Portion–Everyone else is already taken.
Bottom

Completed Piece
Be Yourself

Border in rust yarn is based on tap code. The code is–Not an Oscar Wilde Quote

Tap code is a 5 x 5 code with k and c the same code.

Tap Code

Be Yourself Border and Hanger

The hanger is not a rod it is a piece of tubing that showed up after my husband did an annual on his Cessna. I believe is used for the brake lines.

Be Yourself Border and Hanger
I stitched on a layer of grey felt to the back of the piece to prevent seeing the wall through, but also to add a sleeve for the hanger (based on quilt hangers), and to add a pocket. The pocket is for notes on the piece. It is common for me to forget the quote used in a piece. Find myself needing to read the code to figure out the quote. The plan is to pop the information on the code and decisions made into the pocket.

Work in Progress–False Memory

False Memory

Used three colors of wool to embroider 1 square by 6 square pieces of 1/4″ hardware cloth. Dark brown for dots, tan for dashes, and cream for spacers.

I used oil sticks fix up the 5″ x 7″ panel.

Morse Code Chart

Morse Code Chart

Each letter has four rectangular blocks. To make the rows tidy, I added spacers if a letter had fewer than four dots, dashes, or combinations.

False Memory

Each letter is a group of four rectangular blocks that are fastened at top and bottom with a safety pin. There are fourteen blocks–thirteen letters and one spacer.

Used thin dark grey sock fiber to bind through the head and loop of the safety pins.

False Memory

The silver dots are the edges of the hardware cloth.

My hope is to oxidized the safety pins to add the feel of age.

Pause to Let Your Eyes Adjust

Every time I walked by this piece, I couldn’t remember the name and code used.

Pause Piece

I looked through my files and found the piece support materials. The title and code is Pause to Let Your Eyes Adjust.

The Code
Pause Piece Code

The Code in Color (tan yarn is used in place of cream)
Pause Piece Color Code

Upper Layout
Pause Piece Upper

Pause Piece Upper

Detail of Broken Triangle Bits of Mirror
Pause Piece Mirror

Middle Section
Pause Piece Middle

Lower Layout
Pause Piece Bottom

Pause Piece Lower

Signature–Perforated Disk

Pause Signature Disk

Materials List
Birch branches and twigs–symbol of health, wisdom, safety, public office.
Other materials–1/4″ hardware cloth (45×99 squares), wool yarn, mirror, cotton duck for back. Bargello embroidery patterns.

Truth Piece in Progress

The Truth piece consists of two pieces that will be mounted on a wood panel and framed.

Truth

After looking at the image of the larger piece, I think wrapping all of the exposed hardware cloth with cream yarn is needed. Bumped up the contrast to see the wire more clearly.

Truth Wire Exposed

Wrapped Hardware Cloth Wire

Truth Wire Wrapped

Center Shapes are Code for the Word Truth

Truth Layout

Brown shapes are Dots, Tan shapes are Dashes, Cream shapes are Spacers.

Truth Blocks
The same colors are used for code throughout the pieces.

The right border of the larger piece has the code–Be Told. It begins with the top right square of the hardware cloth.

Truth Be Told

The left border of the larger piece has the code–Will Out. It begins with the bottom left square of the hardware cloth.

Truth Will Out

The center portion of the smaller piece has the code–Half the truth is, with the right border continuing the text–a great lie.

Half Truth Great Lie

I thought about adding an application of wax, but it changes the fiber a bit too much. Will either add an application of starch or a solution of salt.

Truth

The pieces will be attached to a 5″ x 7″ wood panel with tacks. If the tacks don’t work I may use velcro. Then a frame will be added.

Work in Progress–Thoughts

Thoughts Blocks

Thoughts Blocks with Verticals Completed

After the vertical jute was added, the cream wool on the roofing felt blocks seems a tad too flat. Thickening the pattern on the blocks may be necessary.

Thoughts Blocks Cream Wool

Thoughts Block with Cream Wool

Thoughts Blocks Jute

Thoughts Block with Jute

Thoughts Blocks Tan Wool

Thoughts Block with Tan Wool

Thoughts Blocks Hemp

Thoughts Block with Hemp

If I decide to add additional fiber to the 330 blocks, it will extend the working time at least an additional week. Pretty sure it will be worth the time.