Kimono to Participate in the Kerouac Festival

You may know that Lowell is the hometown of Beat poet and author Jack Kerouac.  Every year at this time Lowell celebrates his work in festival of poetry readings, films, pub crawls and more.  This year's festival has been expanded to four days starting tomorrow  and continuing through Sunday, October 3.  We are excited that Sonja and I are going to bring a visual arts element to one of the events.  The kimono that we made for the Brush Arts exhibit earlier this year is going to be used for the backdrop at a concert and poetry reading on Friday night.

What's the connection between Jack Kerouac and our kimono you might ask?  Believe me there is a connection.  The link is the song 'Long Way' by one of Friday night's performers, Antje Duvekot which talks about a road trip a la Jack Kerouac.

When we began to plan our kimono we read about and studied pictures of kimonos from different eras.  We were especially drawn to kimonos that were inspired by poetry and/or nature.  That gave Sonja the idea to use Antje's song as the basis for ours.  We contacted her and she gave us permission to use it.  We've incorporated the full lyrics and images from our own cross country travels and reflects the excitement of travel and the wonder of nature.  We call it 'Wandering.'

When we learned that Antje was participating in the Kerouac Festival this year we contacted her and the festival organizers and offered our kimono as a backdrop.  Yesterday we got confirmation that they want it.  We are totally thrilled.  So if you are in town on Friday night, the concert is at 8:00 p.m. at the Old Court restaurant at the corner of Central and Middle streets in downtown Lowell.  We'll be there.

An Unexpected Boost

I have a great story to share with those of you who sometimes get down thinking no one is noticing what you do.

I came in to the studio late today due to a dental appointment and several errands.  It meant that I walked in with one of the other artists on my floor that I don't know particularly well.  She congratulated me on having my work in the Globe this past Sunday.  Of course I responded that I was thrilled about it and commented that it was quite a fluke that I'd even seen it since I don't get the Globe.  At that she said "oh no - I'd have brought it to you.  I recognized your jackets."  The emphasis is mine.  Her comment made my day.

Now if you read my last post about the article, you might remember that none of the items shown were attributed to the creator.  I never expected that anyone would know that those were my jackets without my name there.  I often worry that my work is all over the place and that I do not have a recognizable style.  I've often felt that in order to have a style, you have to decide to do that and work toward it.  Now I realize I can relax, do what I like, and my style will just come through.  That is so freeing.

It was also quite a boost because I never really expected that this person paid much attention to my work.  Most of the time she doesn't remember my name.  It just goes to show that you don't always know who is paying attention.  At the time, I didn't expect much from the Bead + Fiber fashion show. There was no commentary during the show and the only attribution for the artists was a listing on the side of the building.  But, obviously Tina Sutton, who put together the Style Watch page for the Globe was there  and the page will help me even if my name isn't right there.  So I guess I'll just put my head down and keep working.  

That said, here's the jacket I just completed.  

Softly Intertwining

This is one that I just wasn't too sure about until I got well into the project.  It's made from an embroidered cotton that I've had for some time now--one of those that I had just large swatches of.  I had a hard time to decide what to do with that fabric because I thought it was a problem that I didn't have many complete flower motifs or many samples of the same colorway.  I finally realized that was inside the box thinking.  Once I could see the motifs more as color and texture, I could expand my possibilities of how to put it together and what other fabrics I could use with it.  I was pleased with the results.

Made the Boston Globe Twice Within a Month!!

I've been telling myself for at least two weeks that I need to get back to blogging, but I just haven't managed to tear myself away from other things.  Last night, though, something happened that I just have to share.

My husband was teaching and I was home leisurely perusing the Sunday Globe.  I turned the page in the magazine section to a spread of fashion photos and immediately recognized one of the dresses as one I'd seen in the Bead + Fiber show this past May.  My eyes drifted to the top of the page and I realized I was looking at one of my jackets that had been in that show!  As I recuperated from my shock, I realized that the layout included not one, but two of my jackets.  There was no attribution for the creators of any of the clothing pictured, but as you can see, I've fixed that in my version - well at least for my work.  The jackets in the top row, center and far right are mine.

This was especially exciting for two reasons.  First, I had no idea that this was going to happen.  But more than that, it could have so easily gone right past me without my ever knowing.  We don't get the Globe ourselves, our neighbors pass theirs along to us when they are finished with it.  Often we get several days of papers at once, so if I'm busy I just glance at a few sections or sometimes just put it right into the recycling bin.  I guess I'd better start paying attention, especially since this is the second time within a month that my (our) work has been featured in the Globe.  

On Sunday August 29, the kimono that Sonja and I made was pictured in the Globe North section.   The title of the article had nothing to do with our kimono and you had to read carefully through the article to find the short bit about the show here at The Loading Dock Gallery that it's in.  Still the kimono was clearly attributed to us and it looked great even in black and white in the printed papers.

With all this, I'm working on Cloud 9 somewhere...

Trying to get back to the sewing machine

I have been away from this for so long and so much has happened since my last post, I hardly know where to begin.  I guess I should just start where I am right now and I'll fill in backwards over the next few posts.


I am working at home this morning--waiting for a repairman to fix our ice-maker.  No ice in the hot weather we've been having is difficult to say the least.  Even the dog misses the ice.  He has such a sad look when I go to the freezer without tossing him a cube.  He says the lukewarm water from the tap is a poor substitute.


Since I knew I'd be home this morning, I went through my fabric stash yesterday to select fabrics for my next jackets.  I filled a bag with selections to bring home to wash and iron.  That way I can feel that I'm on my way back to my machine and my art.  Tomorrow I'll add some pictures so you can see what I'll be working on next.


For the last month and a half I've been concentrating on our fiber art supplies business--getting ready for and then vending at the Quilt/Surface Design Symposium, and then dealing with all the aftermath.  I'm finally nearly finished with the bookwork and inventory restocking and am ready to work on jackets again.  


Up until now I've been creating my jackets one at a time, start to finish.  I'm beginning to wonder if I need to change my style, to have more than one underway.  I have at least three different ideas pent up in my head and anxious to burst out.  Perhaps I need to let them all flower at once and see how that process works.  Perhaps that will help when I run into a problem on one--I can give it a breather while I go on to another.  Right now I try to force myself to fix problems immediately because I have to finish that one before starting a new one.  Just thinking aloud here...but sometimes you need to shake up the way you work to keep moving ahead.  Right now I'd better just get at it.

Getting Ready for Q/SDS

I am in the middle of packing up books and fiber/mixed media art supplies to take out to Columbus, Ohio for the Quilt/Surface Design Symposium.  This will be the 5th year that I've been a vendor at that conference.  I decided it was time to take a break from the chaos and post an update.  It's such a lot of work to get ready.  You can see the mess I'm dealing with...

...boxes everywhere.  I shipped a couple of boxes of light things, but everything else has to fit into my car.  (It's amazing what you can get into a small, hatchback.)  Today is my day to make all the final decisions about what to take and get the boxes packed.  Tomorrow it all goes into my car.  I head out first thing Sunday morning and will drive all day to get to Columbus.  Monday is rest and set up and Tuesday the conference begins.  If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by.  

The conference is in a new location this year--at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on Sinclair Road.  I'll have to learn a new area of Columbus this year.

I've been very busy since my last post, not just getting ready for Q/SDS.  One of the most exciting things that happened was The Practical, The Impractical, and The Artrageous Fashion Show during the SOWA Art Walk weekend in Boston.  Sonja and I took a bunch of pictures and hope to add a slide show to our web site one day soon.  In the meanwhile, here's just one picture to give you a sample.  You might recognize the jacket from a previous post.

It was SO exciting to see my jackets in such a professional show.

Well I just looked at the clock and realized I'd better get back to packing.

Labor of Love

Here's my most recently completed jacket - a combination of Judy Robertson's hand-dyed cotton sateen, a pale green remnant with corded and textured stripes, and couched threads--rayon and cotton gimp and a sparkly metallic.  It's a size small because I didn't have enough of the corded stripe to make anything bigger and I just loved the combination of these two fabrics.

I called this one Tranquility because of the soft colors.  As I was sitting here the other day hand stitching the binding and listening to some of my favorite music on my i-pod, I realized that the name was  apropos for other reasons than the colors.  It was such a lovely, relaxing way to spend an afternoon that working on it certainly enhanced my tranquil feelings. 

Oh I know that many people recoil in horror at the thought of hand stitching, but it's one of my favorite activities.  Unless I run into an unruly thread or other problems I find stitching quite soothing.  I almost always have a stitching project ongoing and I almost never watch television empty handed.  As I get ready to go to QSDS, one of the things I have been thinking about is what stitching project I will bring along to fill the quiet times.

I am on a roll with couching lately.  My daughter, Sonja, definitely has my number on this one.  For Mother's Day she bought me two skeins of gorgeous Italian "yarns" in my favorite cool colors.  They have a wonderful sheen and great texture.  I've been looking at them now for a week and mulling over what fabric to put them with and what styling would best show them off.  One idea is putting it with a soft raw silk/linen fabric that has a subtle woven stripe and the other idea is using it with a shiny pale green silk.  In the first combination the yarn would primarily add textural depth, while in the second it would add both line and texture.  The first would have a softer more casual look, while the second would be more dressy.

I'm leaning toward starting with the second combination, but the silk hasn't been prewashed yet.  I'll either have to wait until tomorrow to get started or begin with the raw silk/linen.  I always prewash my fabrics in the washing machine in cool water and a delicate cycle.  Then I dry them in the dryer, again on a delicate cycle.  Since most of my fabrics are remnants, I often don't know for sure what the fiber content is and I never have care instructions for them.  By prewashing them I can make sure that my jackets will stand up to a careful wash when they go home with someone.  Legally I have to provide care instructions for my jackets, so I need to figure out what I can recommend.  If I can't wash the fabric, I don't want to use it.

With some of the fabrics, that first wash is a bit nerve-wracking, but so far I haven't had any disasters.  Overall, I have been quite surprised  at what I can wash without problems and often I am happier with the hand of the fabric after washing than before.  I'll be anxious to see how this silk washes.  It has been laminated to a lightweight knit to give it body, so I'm curious whether it will stand up to a wash.  Better to find out now if it won't.  I'll let you know my results.

Catching Up, Getting Ready

I realized today that I haven't posted since I returned from my trip to Wisconsin.  Last week was a transition week - catching up on a variety of things after the weekend away, and starting to get ready for my trip to the Quilt/Surface Design Symposium.  It's hard to imagine that in three weeks I'll be in Columbus again.  There are so many things to do to get ready.

Last time that I posted, I had just finished a wall quilt that I was going to give my mother-in-law for her birthday.  Well here she is, just after she opened it.  I am happy to report that she was very pleased with it and has picked out a nice spot for it in her living room.  

I was pretty sure that she'd be happy with it because it includes lots of phrases from an e-mail that she'd sent me about her mother.  Still I was a bit nervous because I'd cut up the quilt I'd made from a top that her mother had made.  I know that many people would consider that sacrilegious, but she found it as meaningful as I did.  Phew!!!!

I thought I should share this picture of the birthday girl.  Don't you hope you look that great when you get to be 90.  I think that's something we all wish for.  We all enjoyed the party.  It was very nice to connect with so many people that  you haven't seen in many years - and at a happy occasion.

So as I mentioned, my next big trip is to Columbus, Ohio for Q/SDS, where I will be vending.  I just realized that this will be the fifth year that I've done this.  Oh my.  I hope that if you're in the area, you'll come by and say hi.

Since returning from Wisconsin, I've been reviewing my inventory stocks and deciding what I should bring, ordering things to fill in, making lists of things I must do before going (like remembering to pay last month's sales tax), and working on a jacket.  I have another one almost finished.  I decided that I should make at least one more featuring Judy Robertson's beautiful fabric since she will have so many fans there.  And of course, I also hope that it will help her business too.  I'll show you that one in my next post.