slow cloth

Images above courtesy of Glennis Dolce. All rights reserved.

Slow cloth is the fiber worlds equivalent of the slow food movement. Slow cloth was branded and initiated by Elaine Lipson, artist, writer, editor, and one of the supporters of the slow food idea here in the US. Slow cloth is not a project, technique, or some kind of exclusive club, but rather a philosophy and an attitude, characterized by joy, skill, contemplation, beauty, and expression. The Slow Cloth philosophy embraces teaching, community (global and local), diversity, and responsible sourcing and use of materials. You can find a more detailed outline of the slow cloth initiative here.

For me slow cloth emphasizes the fact that making things from fiber is a blissful experience, and that is is ok for things to take time, as long as we cherish the process. On a larger scale slow cloth takes on issues such as sustainable, and fair manufacturing of fashion and home goods, respect for the environment, the importance of making things that last and doing more with less.

The slow cloth group on facebook, spearheaded by Elaine, with the help of Jude Hill, and Glennis Dolce, now has close to 600 members from all over the world, all sharing a love for fabric, fibers, stitching, and handcraft. The slow cloth group has ongoing discussions about varied topics such as artistic process, books for fiber makers, favorite needels, and "ugly" work. There is an adjacent flicker group where members can post photos of their work, and all members are encouraged to post links and comments on topics related to the slow cloth philosophy. I find this to be an increadible inspiring place and I encourage everybody who work with textiles, and who embraces the slow cloth ideas to join the group. Thank you Kit for helping me find the way, and thank you Elaine, Jude, and Glennis for setting things in motion!

Images above courtesy of Jude Hill. All rights reserved.

studio life

My studio is located in the most beautiful room of our house. It has a 10 foot ceiling, and three enormous windows. Late last week, after a series of deadlines had left this magical space in an undignified disarray, I embarked on operation clean-up. The photos above shows the progress... It is almost done. Most of my beautiful fabrics have been pulled out of the closet, and placed on open shelves and display racks. I love having it all right there for reference and inspiration. I also have cleared out two work stations - one for cutting and assembly and another one for sewing. Right now, when everything still is in place, it feels luxurious. I am wondering how long the order will last. The voting is in full swing over at poppytalk, and I would love to receive yours for favorite handmade housewares, if you are inclined...

the sewing corner, with lots of room for big projects

my favorite (for the moment) fabrics on display.

where the cutting, assembly, labeling, and packaging happens

could not resist this crate from three potato four

more textiles; vintage, new, dyed, delicate, heavy...

pin board with sketches, inspirations, and various treasures from friends and family

the computer corner...

starting point

I have two show openings this week with my art quilt group Fiber Transformed. We do themed collaborative shows whenever possible. The most recent one is called starting point, celebrating the fact that all artistic endeavors start with a small seed of inspiration, a black dot of sorts. The pieces shown at Art Works in Richmond, Virginia, all incorporates spots; tiny, simple, big, plentiful, or provocative. The second show is called wish you where here, and is on display at Radford University, Radford, Virginia. It is a collection of artworks created in response to vacation photos taken by group members during their travels. I am honored and delighted to be part of this fun and talented group of women!

rumination and dreams, part 2

This morning I sent out a short email to the storeowners I have worked with over the past years, telling them that I will no longer do wholesale. It was a rational decision, made after much consideration, and I know it is the best choice for me personally. But it was a hard thing to do. Many of them have become friends, some are disappointed, and I feel like I am letting them down...

Giving up the wholesale accounts is just one of several small changes I am making this year. From now on I will sell my work almost exclusively in the etsy shop. Etsy has been a wonderful experience for me and the artists and customers I have met there have enriched my life. I will be able to concentrate all my production and marketing in one place, instead of stocking and promoting several sites. The etsy shop also allows me to offer one-of-a-kind objects, like the big heart pillow above, while maintaining my original line.

Which leads me to the main reason for all this reshuffling and reorganizing. What I really want to focus on are my larger art pieces, quilts, and textile collages. I love using fabric as my canvas, incorporating printing, dyeing, stitching, and vintage into the mix. I am still learning, and I am not sure if my work is that good yet. But it is evolving and it makes my heart sing... My main web site is now devoted to the art quilts, and I hope that will help attract interest from gallery owners, buyers and collectors.

Only time will tell if my strategy will work. If not there is always room for more change, and new dreams and aspirations...

special gift – special request

My friend Mia gave me this delightful bracelet the other day, as a belated holiday gift and thank you token. I am especially enthralled with the fig leaf charm, which is a silver replica of my leaf print. Mia is a talented goldsmith and jewelry designer, specializing in beautiful wedding and engagement rings and elegant pendants. Last year she also introduced an adorable line of jewelry that can be customized from your child's drawings. Thank you for my treasure Mia!

Have you heard about the poppies, a fun and lighthearted series of awards initiated by poppytalk? The awards are not meant to be a true competition, but rather a way to highlight and celebrate talented crafters, designers, and artists. I usually don't fish for compliments, but if you feel inclined, I would love your nomination in the homemade housewares category. While there check out the other award categories. The nomination process ends on January 12, so hurry over and let the world know who your favorite creative people are!

trees

Today I have grown taller from walking with the trees.

Karle Wilson Baker

I am definitely a tree hugger at heart. We have a few majestic ones in our garden, and during stormy night I lay awake worrying that they may get hurt or felled. I can't imagine our life without them. They are especially impressive in wintertide, without their lush summer clothing. Tall and ever reaching as they grace the sky.

I am working on an art quilt that incorporates a grove of trees. The imagery started out as a photo from a fall walk, which was transformed into a screen, which then was used for printing. I love the effect and the fact that this tiny reflection of nature now is part of my art.

The photo, burnt onto a screen, printed on linen...

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comments to my last post! Your friendship and willingness to join me on my bumpy journey warms my heart.

rumination and dreams, part 1

I am surely not alone spending these quiet days after the holidays thinking about life, aspirations, and dreams. I still have lots of immediate work to do - preparing for two upcoming group shows with Fiber Transformed, finishing up the end-of-year book keeping, and readying the online shop for a hopefully busy spring. Yet there is a subtle restlessness setting in, with an urge to clarify an spell out what I want to achieve this upcoming year.

I am 48 years old, with one son ready to leave the nest and the other one well on his way on the slippery road of teenagehood. For the last couple of years I am pursuing my art full time, which makes me feel privileged and lucky. But the truth is that I still work way to much, often on things that I don't feel that passionate about, and that my house, garden, pets, and sometimes my family suffer because of it. Also, despite the long hours, I am nowhere near making a substantial contribution to our family finances. My business is self sustained, but there is not much else to spread around.

In an ideal world I would be in my studio from 9 - 3 every day, delving into one creative project after another. Buyers would be ready to snatch up my work as soon as it was finished, and pay me handsomely for it... The rest of my days would be spent with my boys, cooking scrumptious meals, cleaning, weeding, and organizing my linen closet... My weekends would be devoted to family time, long walks, and dinner with friends.

To off-set this unrealistic vision, I am working on some baby steps that hopefully will bring me a bit closer to a meaningful, productive and more prosperous existence, such as less wholesale orders, gallery representation for my art, more and better marketing, and hired help. Details to come...

The images are from my studio – where happiness continue to happen. Best wishes for the new year. Happy new decade!

winter wonder

Things are crazily busy over here with holiday orders to complete, my son's college applications to finish up, gift gathering, wrapping, tree decorating, cookie making, and so on... I will take a hiatus until after Christmas. I leave you with these wonderful images by UK based photographer Ania Wawrzkowicz. She captured the frozen beauty of her homeland Poland while visiting there last winter. Thank you Ania, for letting me share them. Happy holidays and warm winter wishes to all of you!

© copyright Ania Wawrzkowicz

first snow

The first snow of the season arrived this weekend, coating everything in fluff and ice. It will not stay for long as temperatures are rising, but it left this Sunday morning feeling especially serene. I want to send big thanks to Jan over at poppytalk, who wrote so nicely about my work this week, and a belated greeting of gratitude goes to Rachel of elephantine who also featured my work recently. Tack!

craft talent

Meeting other artists and discussing their work was one of the highlights for me at the Craft + Design show in Richmond. I was impressed with the high quality of craftsmanship represented overall, but a few of the makers truly stood out in the crowd, starting with Dan Mirer, a young glass artist living and working in Corning, New York. I love the simplicity of his designs and the subtle but still radiant colors he use.

Eric Burris, is a metalsmith who's jewelry is created with an old Japanese technique called Mokume Gane. He often incorporates pieces of wood into his sparse but elegant pieces. I am enthralled with his work, admiring the intricate details and clean lines.

Korean born fiber artist Jeung-Hwa Park creates incredible soft and alluring knitted and felted shawls. Each piece is complex in detail and color, yet simple and utilitarian. This is wearable art at its finest.