Big Sister Revisited

What an odd day.  I had some very sad news this morning, after my celebration yesterday of my 7th anniversary of my cancer diagnosis, one of my very best friend’s was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I’m so sad for her, this is such an epidemic, that I almost feel like it isn’t a matter of if, but when…  The good news is that it is in a pretty early stage and with careful treatment it should all be fine.  But that doesn’t help right now, you still have to go through the misery and fear of a diagnosis, not everyone responds to your news in the best most supportive way, and the road will be a thorny and uncomfortable one.  But like I told her this morning, what ever side of the spiritual fence you sit on, I firmly believe that the universe sends angels, lots of them, to guide you through this maze, and they are always there in disguise, you just have to know they are there and look for them.  The fiber community really rallied around me when I was diagnosed, I got some lovely cards, handwoven scarves, cookies in the mail from Connecticut, love and support through phone calls and emails.  Oddly enough my favorite emails came from Duchess, a lovely black Labrador who had also just had a mastectomy and we corresponded through her owner for a couple of years.  Oh, and I loved the email from some wonderful angel who said to me, “You can’t die, because I haven’t taken a workshop with you yet.”  That might sound like an odd thing to say, but it gave me a good laugh and kept me going through another couple of chemo treatments, it lifted my spirits in a way that said, I was so much more than this disease and I wasn’t done here yet.

I also had a phone call which thrilled me, the rumor from a very reliable source, is that Pellon will eventually be printing the red dot plates onto a pattern medium they already had in the archives with seems to be identical to the base fabric of the original red dot tracer from HTCW, which has sadly been discontinued.  If you haven’t followed this thread of the blog, I’ve been in hot pursuit of a suitable pattern tracing medium to replace the discontinued Red Dot Tracer, and it seems I only have to wait a bit longer.  🙂

I had to switch gears today, I wanted to send a piece to the members exhibit at the Surface Design Conference in Kansas City.  The deadline is March 1st.  I was under the assumption that they wanted an image by March 1st, but when I reread the prospectus, it calls for the actual piece, 18″ square to be sent to them by that date.  I had been planning to use the photo of the 16″ version, and if accepted would weave the 18″ version.  But alas, they need an actual piece.

release_backingSo I brought my table loom over to the cutting table , which is really convenient because I can stand and cut the strips as I weave them in.  The second or third blog I wrote back in December described the process and gave the draft, using a Theo Moorman threading. I weave about a quarter inch of ground fabric, then lay in on top a thin strip of silk, and hold it down with poly sewing thread which is warped in with the cotton ground. The strip is part of a childhood photograph I printed on 10mm silk Habotai, which comes on an 8.5″ x 10′ roll, pretreated for ink jet ink, and mounted on paper for easy transport through the printer. I got this from Dharma Trading. By running two  lengths of this silk, 8.5″ x 16″ long, I could print a much larger image, since I’m stripping it anyway, it doesn’t matter if it is in two  pieces.

table_loomIn the first photo, I found if I score the paper backing with a sharp ruler edge, I can get it started easier than fumbling with the corner.  In the second photo, I am peeling the paper backing off the silk.  In the third photo, I am remove_backingcutting the strips of silk, I cut them about 3/16″.  You can see there are two big sections that make up the image.  The last photo is of the table loom, you can see I have two strips woven in already.  I’ll describe more about the weaving process later.  I figured out a way to do a pick up of the tie down threads so only the ones I need are actually held out, the rest on the side get woven into the ground.

This will be a slightly larger version of one I sold, called Big Sister. The photo is from around 1957, of my younger sister and me, caught in an intimate moment. The photo  is the smaller version.  In the December blog, I was weaving the same piece, but 24″ wide.  My sister saw it on my blog and tearfully requested one for her, she even offered to pay me, but since she is the other child in the slice_photophotograph, it is only fair she gets this one once I have exhibited it.

Anniversary

I had to write a second entry for today, because this is a really important day for me, it was right about now, seven years ago, 2/22/2002, that I woke from anesthesia and my surgeon told me the news, that I had breast cancer.  There is no way to predict or describe how one feels or reacts to that kind of news, numb, stoic, shock, indifference because you are groggy and not processing anything being told to you, denial, this of course can’t possibly happen to me.  No fear, not yet, that comes later.

Seven years later, though the experience is still fresh, it has clouded over by time, and it has been, properly in my opinion, reduced to just one chapter of an interesting and creative life.  To say that this experience changed the way I view life would be an understatement.  Ask anyone who has tasted mortality, and they will tell you that each day becomes precious, and that fear dissipates, what’s the worse that can happen, I might die?  Well I’ve been there.  I remember being on a tiny plane, tossing about in the sky, on my way to the Pendleton ANWG conference not long after I finished my treatment.  I was coincidently sitting next to someone who was attending the conference as well.  As we were tossed about, there was an odd calm between us, she had also been through a medical issue that allowed her to see her mortality, and we both knew there was nothing to do but ride out the storm.  And if it wasn’t in our deck of cards to survive, well then there was the trust that the universe had a plan, and we were a part of it.  I know that all sounds like a bit of pontification, but survivors know, it isn’t about what happens in your life, it is what you ultimately do with it.

I did survive, seven more years, and I’d like to think I’ll be around for another 7, or 14, or 28 or more.  And I’d like to think that in that time there will be many more pieces to create, and grand adventures to experience.  I created a piece of artwork, that made the memory of my experience very visible, yet celebratory, titled Survivor, which I won’t post here because it is a graphic piece, but just click on  the title and you can view it.  I rewove the piece in miniature for the Small Expressions show and for the Economies of Scale show, both talked about in earlier blogs.

Life isn’t about how many body parts you have or don’t have, it isn’t about the body at all.  It is just a vehicle to get us through the life we have at the moment, and making the body we have do what we need it to do to celebrate each day.  So every 2/22, I celebrate my own personal anniversary of survival, and remember to seize each day, and make the most of it.

Party

It is a rare day I’m not in the studio.  This weekend had some chances for socializing and being with family, on Saturday, my step niece turned 18, and my step sister threw her a lovely party in a facility in western NJ.  The drive out west was beautiful, and the party was, well, very 18!  Next to my mom, I was the oldest female there.  🙂

partyAt one point the room full of 18 year olds, emptied as they all went out side on the terrace, and the couple of us there over the age of 40 (over 50 for me) took full advantage of the DJ, dancing like we were 18 again, to things like ABBA’s Dancing Queen.  Even my mom at 78 got in there, saying, “If Meryl Streep can do it, so can I!”

This is a photo from the party of my mom, my daughter and me.

I’ll see my mom again today (twice in a weekend is really unusual since she lives in Maryland) when we head down to Philadelphia in a couple hours to see a theatrical production.

Later yesterday evening, we had a visit from the accountant, yes, mine still does housecalls.  We have used him since I first started my business in 1980, and he knows how to make sense of my paperwork and bookkeeping.  So the taxes for last year are done, all that’s left is for him to produce the final document, sign off, and send off to the IRS.

Arctic Sky Jacket Cont…

The house was quiet while I sat having my morning tea, and I leafed through the latest issue of Vogue magazine, that came in the mail yesterday.  If you have an extra $4.99 hanging around, run to the nearest supermarket that carries magazines at the checkout, and grab the March issue.  It is more than an inch thick.  It is the spring Power issue I think.  I’m not talking Vogue patterns magazine (though I think that one came in as well), I’m talking the big Vogue fashion magazine, with Michelle Obama on the front cover.  The spring fashions are gorgeous, and there is no better fashion photography anywhere.  Pay special attention to the Neiman Marcus, Saks. and Nordstroms spreads.  They have some incredible cuts, and lines, and the fabrics look as if a group from the Surface Design Association came in and ran amok.  The surfaces, the textures, the fabrics, the clothing, I’m not usually a fan of spring/summer clothing, much prefer the tweeds and cuts for the fall, but these are simply beautiful.  And you will really get a chuckle of the shoes, they are like architectural works of art, that one supposedly puts on their feet, no one I know or hang with would dare, we’d all end up in the emergency room with a broken ankle, but they are amazing to look at, and refreshing for the eye.  I’m going to keep this issue around awhile.

enlargeLots of email today, lots to answer, spent awhile at the shipper getting everything in order to head to California ahead of me.  Once I finally plowed through all that stuff, I got to do what I really wanted to do, which was make progress on the jacket.  First I had to alter all the pieces to lengthen the waist, so I spliced in some additional pattern paper, and because my original pencil lines were fading, I traced everything again with a black sharpie.  I used a hunk of cardboard underneath because the pattern medium is so porous that the ink bleeds right through all over my rotary cutting board.  I had to respace the buttons as well.

layoutThe next step was to layout the pieces to make sure I would have enough fabric.  I ALWAYS cut handwoven fabric singly, you only have to try it once doubled to know that no matter how accurate you are, the underneath layer will be a couple grainlines off and then the whole left or right side of the garment will be off as well.  So I carefully layout everything, remembering to flip when I cut the opposite piece.  It was pretty clear I would have plenty of fabric, and then some (maybe enough to squeak out a little pencil skirt?)

tailors_tacksThere are a lot of pieces in this jacket.  Before I removed each pattern piece to flip for the other half, I transferred the marks with tailors tacks, which need only be one pass through since the fabric is single.  I learned a trick when I was teaching in Colorado, to use a single strand of six strand embroidery floss as the tailor tack thread instead of sewing thread which is really smooth and falls out easily.  The floss is spun in a way that it stays put much better.

spliceIn one area, the collar/front piece, which is a cut four, because the whole thing acts as a facing as well, was a fraction too wide for the fabric.  So I did my quick trick of taking a hunk of selvedge from another area, and whipping it together with the other selvedge, and violá, instant wider fabric!  Handwoven selvedges are really easy to butt, and they are really invisible unless you have messy selvedges.

cutI still have to cut the lining and the interfacing, I’ll interface the entire garment with a fusible, which one I’m not sure since I still have to test on some scraps, but I assembled all the elements I have so far for the jacket.  I found a half yard of navy blue Ultrasuede that I’ll use for the lips of the bound buttonholes, and the welt pockets, and I have tons of floss in the same color as the felt belt I want to cut up for piping, in case I decide to couch some details.

pipingThanks for all your great comments about the lines of the felt/piping, I should say that I am rather embarassed, I got so carried away in Photoshop I failed to notice that the princess lines come from the shoulder, not the middle of the sleeve, so in fact the piping line comes straight over the shoulder and I think will give a great line to the jacket.  It is one of those things that I won’t know until I actually sew the thing, worst case is I hate it and take it apart.  You can do that with sewing.  I do it a lot…

NEWS New England Weavers Seminar

NEWS NEW ENGLAND WEAVERS SEMINAR Smith College, Northhampton, MA

INKLE LOOM WEAVING (1 Day)

No weaving experience necessary!  The inkle loom is portable, easy to warp, easy to weave off, and makes beautiful belts and bands.  Daryl uses it to trim her garments.  Every weaver should own one.  They are inexpensive and children as young as third grade can learn to use them.  Schacht type Inkle Looms or Ashford Inklette Inkle Looms and yarn will be provided.

Starting with a PowerPoint presentation, participants will learn to make heddles for the loom, follow a draft and warp the inkle loom.  Proper techniques for weaving a tight even band with good selvedges will be explained.  A more intermediate technique of Inkle Loom Pick-up for interesting design options will also be demonstrated.  Participants will be able to finish a small project by the end of the day.  Materials Fee


PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR WORK: A CRITIQUE OF PARTICIPANT’S IMAGES

Often handweavers are rejected from exhibits because of the poor quality of their images.  Find out what works and what doesn’t.  Even if you use a professional photographer, knowing what jurors are looking for will help improve the quality of your final presentation.  Using Power Point, the basics of photography, both film and digital will be discussed, as well as composition and lighting, and basic digital image manipulation using Photoshop Elements 4.0®.  Lots of images illustrating what NOT to do!  In addition, participants will be asked to send examples of their images in film or digital format ahead of the workshop, for critique.


COLOR PLAY AND WARP DESIGN

Through a series of creative exercises, participants will learn to confidently place yarns of different colors and textures together to make beautiful warp combination’s. This is a fun, hands-on class, and participants will be asked to bring a bag of assorted odds and ends of yarns to work with and to share with others. In addition, participants will learn to create palettes using Color-aid blocks and photographs.  Based on the Color/Fabric Forecast Column from Handwoven Magazine, participants will experiment with palettes based on mood using photos for inspiration and see illustrations of how to translate them into handwoven fabrics and ultimately a garment.


A SEWER’S PERSPECTIVE: INSTRUCTIONAL TOUR OF THE JURIED FASHION SHOW

An interactive exploration behind the “seams” of the garments from the Fashion Show.  You saw them on the runway, now see them up close and inside.  Participants will experience a technical critique of garments on display, seeing the inside finishing techniques as well as the outside appearance, and fit.  This kind of experience provides the participants with many ideas for finishing, what works and what doesn’t.  A terrific “behind the seams” look allowing participants to view first hand, some of the choices used by experienced fiber artists.


WARP FAST: LEARN TO WARP MORE THAN ONE THREAD AT A TIME

Through a series of slides, students will learn about the fast method of sectional warping.  Explore the advantages and disadvantages of this production technique.  The AVL warping wheel will also be discussed.  In addition, use of the inexpensive rigid heddle warping paddle will be demonstrated. This device allows the weaver to chain warp up to 24 ends at a time.  Calculating warps for repeats will also be covered if time permits.

Contact: www.newenglandweaversseminar.com