January 1, 2014

hundred

100 After stopping and re-starting, the second year of 100 Acts of Sewing is complete.

December 24, 2013

bright

IMG_9170 Happy Holidays

December 2, 2013

reclaim

Taproot issue 8 - Reclaim I am very proud to have an article about 100 Acts of Sewing in Taproot Magazine. The theme of the issue is reclaim. Find out where you can pick up a copy here.

November 25, 2013

again

begin again I can't seem to leave well enough alone - 100 Acts of Sewing, year two - resurrected in a mad dash effort to finish the remaining garments. Yes, that's right, not just dresses, a slight change from the original.

November 12, 2013

install

install I'm helping Lisa Solomon install her show, Sen, at Fouladi Projects. It is beautiful. Opening this Friday and on display through December 21st.

October 30, 2013

exhibit

exhibit A trio of bicycle lace pieces are off to New York. They will be on display at Lion Brand Yarn Studio, from November 1st through January 31st.

October 22, 2013

fall

Merlin Back from a weekend in the glorious Hudson Valley for the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. Friends, fiber, handmade fashion on display, and of course sheep.

October 7, 2013

legacy

Brave New Quilts

I type these words and somewhere, they will resonate for another person. Through posts and comments and emails we form connections. How is it you can know a person simply through photos and words on a screen? The same year I shyly started sharing my work online, halfway around the world in Australia, Kathreen Ricketson launched the website, Whip Up. I can't remember exactly when I found it, but when I did, it was clearly something special.

Along with many others, I was shocked and deeply saddened when I learned about the death of Kathreen and her husband Rob. She was someone I knew through the pages of Whip Up. Someone I recognized. She was a mother and maker, juggling the roles, while copping to a sometimes messy house. She was someone I admired. Her generosity and humor. Her staunch belief in making things by hand, moreover sharing skills and fostering community.

Brave New Quilts

When I was asked to join the legacy tour of Brave New Quilts, I stayed up way too late scrolling through the early years of Whip Up. It was nostalgic, in the same way you go through a school yearbook, with projects and blog names that were like old friends. Whip Up was and still is, a compendium. Woven through tutorials and reviews are announcements for openings and posts introducing readers to the work of Lisa Solomon, Abigail Doan, Kate Just, Alison Willoughby and more.

Brave New Quilts

There was no dividing line between craft and art. One can inform and influence the other. In a memorable post, Kathreen wrote, "women throughout history have used craft as a way to have a voice in a male dominated world and I am sure that women will continue to claim their craft to voice their opinion or protest or to just speak their creativity". This carries on through the pages of Brave New Quilts, pairing quilts with important movements in 20th Century art. Some projects are brash, while others are nuanced and beautiful, just the sort of combination you expect.

Brave New Quilts

To follow the legacy tour:

Tuesday, Oct 1 Heather Jones               Tuesday, Oct 8 Ellen Luckett Baker

Wednesday, Oct 2 Kristin Link               Wednesday, Oct 9 Andrea Jenkins

Thursday, Oct 3 Maya Donenfeld           Thursday, Oct 10 Shannon Cook

Friday, Oct 4 Alexandra Smith                Friday, Oct 11 Mimi Kirchner

Monday, Oct 7 Sonya Philip                   Monday, Oct 14 Cheryl Arkison

We are left with traces in paper and online. The world is richer for having Kathreen in it. She spoke her creativity. We were lucky to listen.

September 30, 2013

pause

pause

I can always tell something is a big change if I drag my feet when it comes to writing. Back in August, I decided to not continue the hectic pace involved with making one hundred more dresses. They are piling up. My efforts need to shift. To selling. To developing new patterns. To garments other than dresses. To making art.

September 26, 2013

press

dress class at Fancy Tiger

I love this photo from my class at Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver.