Two More Art-to-Wear Jackets to Share

It has happened again...it's been a full month since I posted last.  It seems I just can't keep up with everything I need to do.  In my last post I mentioned that I needed to work hard to complete my last review for the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen before November 1.  Today I am pleased to report I found out Friday that I am considered a fully qualified member based on the work I submitted for the Craftwear exhibition in August.  I was so pleased and excited that I had to run right down the hall to tell my friend Betsy - another League member.  She's been my coach and mentor in the whole process, encouraging me to keep going when I got down about things.  Then that night I went out for dinner to celebrate with my husband and daughter.  (We had a great dinner at Fuse Bistro a couple of blocks from our condo.)

Now the next big thing on my agenda is to submit my application for a booth at the League's Annual Fair in 2013.  As a newbie I have lowest priority for getting a booth, so I need to make sure my application goes in on time.  I hope to do that tomorrow.

Of course having my own booth also means that I need to keep creating work.  I have finished two jackets since my last post.

Here is the one I call Honoring Friends.

The name comes from the fact that I used hand-dyed fabrics from two of my art quilt friends.  The rust-colored fabrics that form the body of the jacket were created by local artist Mary Walter .  The upper fabric was discharged and has shiny dots painted on.  The lower fabric was printed with bamboo sticks.  I echoed her designs with couched threads.  The cuffs and collar are hand-dyed cotton sateen from Washington artist Judy Robertson.  
(Judy and I used to vend together at the Quilt/Surface Design Symposium in Columbus each summer.  I built up my stash of her fabrics by trading for my art supplies.  Next summer I hope to visit her home studio.)

Here's the back of the jacket - same fabrics, but different proportions.

This next jacket is one I plan to include in the exhibit that Sonja and I are doing at the Topsfield Library (MA) in February.  I call it Wabi Sabi in my Soul.

For this one I used an African Damask that I also bought at Q/SDS in Columbus, from another friend, Becky Hancock.  This fabric seemed to me a perfect example of beauty in imperfection.  I loved the process of deciding just how to place the patterns of the fabric on the jacket to best show them off.  Then I spent many a relaxing night doing hand embroidery on many sections to add color and texture.
Here's a detail shot that better shows what I've done with the embroidery.

And finally here's the back.

I love to incorporate diagonal lines in my jackets whenever I can.