Countdown to the Art For Fashion Show

The Art For Fashion Show is this Sunday at the Seymour Art Gallery from noon til 4......Come and see all the great stuff! And on that note I am tagging inventory like a loon but also because time marches on, I am also dyeing fibre for my Jerusalem The City Of Peace And Gold entry......practicing good time management (actually its more like over whelming ADHD but we wont mention that).

oh and a sneak peak at another top in the making......dont forget.....Sunday at noon, Seymour Art Gallery in Deep Cove, be there or be square.

Cogitating on the next Call for Entry

The next call I am considering is Jerusalem The City of Peace and Gold so with that in mind here are my inspiration photos....I am hoping I can get something done and photographed in time.

Having never been to the Holy Land this should be a bit of a challenge but I think I am formulating an idea....

Charred Blossoms

Today is a day for tying up loose ends....literally. I am trimming, tagging and doing inventory sheets as well as affixing labels and packing for the upcoming show Art in Fashion. There is something peaceful about the finishing touches.....the tagging and the placing in bins.....order out of chaos.

ADHD and fibre arts...lol

Im fairly certain I am attention deficit.....Im like a little butterfly....oh lets do this....no this......and this......I can hear Mary Lou's voice somewhere in the distance telling me to focus.....lol. So, it started with picking up a copy of The Alabama Stitch book in Value Village a while back which inspired me to rework some of the tie dye I have left over from 2 years of flogging at at the Whistler Farmers Market.....I made some shirts....and I was hooked.....how that idea is morphing into something else....this is the first free form T shirt I have made.....has a slightly steampunky feel to it (maybe its just the stripes) and 2 flowers at the shoulder.....I have to name this flower technique....workin on it.

Anyway I am slowly pulling together a line of products in my head.....the Art in Fashion Show is coming quickly and of course I wont have as much done as I would like but Im feeling the direction which is a good thing.....tell me what you think of the Ts......its all a process......

Will I still know how to crochet when I don't know who I am?

Left the house in disaster mode after discovering I love these remade t's and and now working it into something else....(why didnt I buy all that jersey at the sale....why do I never know ahead of time what I will need....no wonder I am a packrat!)and started a new job this morning working with an elderly client with dementia. I wonder if dementia is a chance to put a life time of crap to bed and just live again, childlike and innocent.....it gives one pause for thought as well all have these stress levels of incredible volumes....why? when life is so precious do we judge and limit and control.....I dunno, sometimes turning it off doesn't seem so awful. The interesting thing though is when handed wool and a crochet hook her hands fall deftly into rhythm and she asks simply "what do you want" then puts it down examining the large hook I had given her incredulously..'too big' she says and I laugh at my arrogance thinking that she would find it easier and I make a mental note to bring a laceweight hook next time. When I am 90 and can't find the toilet and peer at the same faded picture endlessly I wonder if I will still remember how to crochet? And on the getting ready for the show agenda I have made some bags to pack purchases in for clients. I picked up volumes of window sheer at the social fabric sale and have disperse dyed them with 'Diva's Niche and a bird....the bird is just because I had them done and they look cool....anyway quite pleased with the results as I think it is nice to wrap the purchases artistically....and on that note Im going to make tea and plan another project....

reworking the tie dye

I have a hefty amount of tie dye left from the last few years of dyeing.....all mens shirts....all....just tie dye. So to take a break from felting I am starting to rework some of them Chanin style. It didnt take long to rethread the industrial serger, a task I have been putting off for a while. So here is the first one....I am quite please with the results and excited because I can see this developing into a new thing with a twist.....gonna work it for a while and see what comes.

and the long awaited artist's statement......

The moment the scales tip from winter to spring she twirls barefoot through the scattered blossoms. Blissful in the Pink Ephemeral Moment. Using Textural Collage Felting combining a plethora of textile ingredients and techniques I have created a wrap to infuse you with the feeling of the first moments of spring. A garment like no other, lighthearted and playful, face to the sun, sure to chase away any gray cloud.

finished Cherry Blossom Purse

"Blissful In The Pink Ephemeral Moment" I am reminded today that writing comes to me sporadically.....sometimes I can channel my dead mother and write something amazing.....today is not that day....lol. That and writing artist statements always hurt my brain.....something about scattered blossoms.....ephemeral moments......something playful.....ack, we will see what comes after another cup of coffee...... Today I am planning to print some labels, finish some pieces, drag Dorothy the manniquin out of the attic and do some housework....oh and try to move the car tent which in the windstorm has relocated askew across the drive......pitter patter lets get atter......

more armwarmers...

These are yesterday's pieces....I'm loving the lime and purple ones.....a bit garish but sooooo much fun! Today I am working on some garments...what started as a vest is going to be something small that will fit Shannon my model for the show. I had forgotten why I had hung on to this soft brown fleece....its because it doesn't want to felt...lol. So I am forcing it but the rest of the fleece will be spun.....so stay tuned to see what the large brown collage vest morphs into.

BENIGN

What a lovely peaceful word.....the annihilator of stress and agnst and facing ones mortality.......what an arduous week this has been and a damn good reminder to focus on what is important......all of a sudden I have all this energy. Now.....i need to find a part time job until they place another kid and felt like there is no tomorrow....oh wait a minute thats what I was doing.....I need to felt like there is a million tomorrows. ..........lalalalala

Working with resists today.....

I am in the need of a little 'change em up' so.....for the next little bit I am working with resists and coming up with some new ideas.....I have done 2 purses, one a cherry blossom entry and one a fish, I will show both when they are completed....in the meantime 2 pairs of armwarmers to share.....

cherry blossom purse

This is my second Cherry Blossom entry.....started when I was deconstructing a beautiful pink punjabi suit. The lining for the bag is the sleeve lining pieces from the suit....a lovely deep pink turban cloth. The wool is mostly white wendsleydale fleece with one layer of pink merino.....and of course the textural poly embellishments....I am quite happy with the results now I just have to figure out the strap and closure....leather maybe....I will work that through when its dry. I have also made 2 pairs of arm warmers that I am also thrilled with.....but I need someone to model them for pics.....in the meantime here is the partially made purse...

Why am I always buying bananas?

Its one of those life mysteries or a sign that I am losing my mind......where do all the bananas go? Im sure I bought tons but then I get confused about whether that was when I took the client shopping or whether that was when I did my grocery shopping.....or maybe Dylan ate them.....8 bananas......who eats 8 bananas.....ack, Im crazy. Anyway the last 2 days have been hell on my weight watchers plan so I am henceforth back on track even if I can't find the bananas. And so....in the vein of being on track.....here are some more pics taken by Kats and the AV department of my recent work....today I am working on armwarmers and maybe some hats or bags we will see.....some good news though, the car tent is now empty and I can use that as an outside studio so I will set up the giant layout table over the next few days and hopefully the weather will warm up and I can work outside.