A Satisfying Week of Art

This is a rather unusual occurrence for me.  I have another jacket to share just a week after the last one.  For the first time in a long while, I've been able to spend almost all my studio time on sewing.  I've gotten relatively caught up on my administrative duties and I think our web site is finally fixed and working as it should.  It has felt so good to be able to just concentrate on art for a change.

I've gone for simple and understated in this one--a raw silk blend with couched perle cotton (Stef Francis, of course) and embroidered leaves salvaged from a fabric sample destined for the trash bin.  I call it Leaf Line.

 The details are subtle, but even the inside has not been ignored.

As I finish each jacket, I have started to create a scarf that picks up some element of the jacket.  That's what I'm starting today - a scarf to use all the leftover embroidered leaves that I so painstakingly cut from those fabric samples.

The Art of Fashion

When it rains it pours - but I'm not complaining...it seems to be raining opportunities for me lately.  So many things are happening, I'll have no chance for mischief for the foreseeable future.

Here's the scoop:

Friday I drop off 2 jackets for the next League of New Hampshire Craftsmen show--Continuing the TRADITION--at the Gallery at The Craft Center & Headquarters in Concord, NH.  This show is billed as "A multi-media exhibition featuring the work of newly juried craftsmen."  It runs from April 19 through June 19, 2013.

Also on Friday, I'll be submitting 6-7 free lace scarves to the League for jurying.  I hope to be able to sell them in my booth at the League's craft fair in Sunapee, NH this August.

May 29 my joint show with Elaine Perra Reneault--Rhythm & Rhyme, Pattern & Texture--opens in the Loading Dock Gallery here at Western Avenue Studios.  Mark your calendars.  Our opening reception will be on June 1, 2013 5:00-7:00 pm.  Elaine does gorgeous paintings on quilted fabric that grab you from a distance and draw you right in for her intricate detailing.  I will be showing my newest jackets and free lace scarves.

Here's a preview of the jacket I finished most recently:

Just Fiddling Around

This one was created with another of Judy Robertson's hand-dyed fabrics, complemented by commercial batiks purchased at Portsmouth Fabric Company with my prize money from my 2012 Best in Fine Sewing Award at Craftwear last summer.

These were the opportunities that I knew of as of Saturday morning.  Then, Saturday afternoon during our monthly open studios, two more came up.  First I was approached by Elaine Wood who is starting a small artisan-made gift store in the Zeitgeist Gallery here in Lowell.  She asked if I would be interested in selling my art cards there - starting in 4-6 weeks.  That was an ego boost and a good reason to make more of those.

As if that were not enough, later in the afternoon the event planner for the Whistler House Museum of Art came in to our studio and asked if I would be willing to display several of my jackets during their June gala--The Art of Fashion.  Needless to say I was flattered and did not hesitate to agree.  

Luckily jacket ideas are backing up in my head, so I guess I'd better get back to the sewing machine...