The world did a complete 180 and the “new norm” is not better than the “old norm”. Like everyone else I’ve been trying to navigate all of this, cope, and find new outlets or diversions. March seems like a lifetime ago, 15 weeks can have profound effect on a persons life. Hear I am ready to launch my latest obsession. #makemaskfashionable
what sewing videos may come...
Back in April I was tagged in a post by Kate Van Steenhuyse. Little did I know that that post would land me where I am today:
Do you have a friend or neighbor who has been quietly working away on a creative pursuit for years but not had the chance, resources, or opportunity to really shine? Harvester Arts and Fisch Haus are teaming up once again for the Neighborhood Superstar Award. Our two organizations can provide exhibition and work space, promotional and marketing platforms, assistance and support, and a $1000 equipment purchase award. In addition, the recipient will receive a scholarship to participate in Harvester Art’s professional development program Artist INC launching this summer.
The Neighborhood Superstar program is specifically intended to benefit an individual who may not have had access or pursued these sorts of resources in the past. The award is meant to assist with realizing the creative project (of any discipline) of someone working in our local Wichita community.
You can see the full article here.
I received my fabrics today.
What a truly amazing event by Exploration Place and MakeICT. I ran a booth called Bags We All Make (BWAM) instead of SWAG bags. The Bags are zero waste and promote the event , the 2 great partners of the event and this year the message of Boomerang Bags-Wichita Chapter. We stayed incredibly busy, sewing and distributing 87 bags on day one, as a bag left the room on average every 5 minutes. We hope to continue to grow and share this event. Photo courtesy the events Facebook page.
Letizia Fuhr was an Italian fashion designer who led the accredited college Art of Dress Design in Wichita, KS. She was a bride of World War II and wrote a book about pattern making. I purchased what looks to be 2 copies of the book. While not much info is to be found online, several of her students spoke highly of her on Facebook and I've heard a few tales that paint her as an interesting woman. I will continue to pursue details of her life and her fashion school.
Estate Sale of Letizia Fuhr
Playing with panoramic, on a train, in the sky, how will it influence my art.
or the randomness of lead shot
there's an art to everything
Life is a balancing act. We have what we want to do and what we have to do. We have things that are fun to do and things that pay the bills. Why can't those things that are fun to do pay the bills, and how do we get to that? Tough questions indeed. The only solace I have is that I'm not alone in this conundrum. Good luck to us all.
Try to find the Serenity
Among all the chaos
Upcycled Cloth Collective is a Facebook group started by Melaine Brummer . Last November she asked us to put to words to what upcycling meant to us and The Words Project was born. The project intrigued me but the words I would put to my work alluded me.
In February, I recived notice from GoDaddy that one of my websites needed to be renewed. Remnants of Therapy is the name my husband and I came up with for a fabric/craft store, also know as creative reuse, that would keep those items out of landfills. At that point I knew those would be my words, but I not entirely sure how I was going to incorporate them in a piece no bigger than 30cm x30cm.
I'm fascinated with denim right now and it's many uses and my recent discovery that leather is not that hard to sew. So I knew those 2 elements would have to be worked into my piece. I also love hexagons and have drawers and drawers of small pieces of scrap fabric, so a hex quilt was another definite I wanted to include. I find many, many pieces of lace and trim in thrift and that was the last part that came into play to finish out my 4 corners. On top if that, my brain insisted that much of that had to be hand stitched.
With the May 1st deadline looming and the constant buz that my life is, I set out to get this done over the final weekend. At last, with 3 hours to go I set about hand stitching all the elements that had not been previously machine stitched on the denim. In all I have 8-9 hours of physical work in this piece and countless mental hours.
I taught a class this week about Making Pillows. Below are pillows I've made over the years.
