100 acts of sewing

Dress no. 4, 2013 and no. 75, 2012 by Sonya Philip ©Sonya Philip. 

All rights reserved.

Sonya Philip and her project "100 Acts of Sewing" is one of the main inspirations behind my recent decision to question my own clothes consumption and start making clothes again.

Dress no. 97, 2012 and no. 58, 2012 by Sonya Philip ©Sonya Philip. All rights reserved.

What began as a personal challenge for Sonya to make 100 dresses in a year, soon developed into a deeper exploration comparing making versus manufacturing. The purpose became not only to present the product of a year's labor, but to also expose the process, and in turn educate the audience. 

Dress no. 14, 2012 and no. 98, 2012 by Sonya Philip ©Sonya Philip. All rights reserved.

The project is now in its second year and while the dress making is continuing, Sonya is also exploring different sources of materials, from reused sweaters to reclaimed fabrics otherwise destined for the landfill. In addition she is teaching hands-on affordable workshops in the San Francisco area, hoping to instill a love and awareness for home made and altered clothing to more people, who in turn can engage others and share their knowledge. A true movement in the making!

Dress no. 8, 2013 and no. 5, 2013 by Sonya Philip ©Sonya Philip. All rights reserved.

One of the most important things about this project is how it demonstrates that sewing and making clothes does't need to be complicated or time consuming. Although Sonya works with several dress patterns, most of them are really simple and manageable. Many of the dresses consist of just a few seams and a hem.

Work by Sonya Philip ©Sonya Philip. All rights reserved.

"100 acts of sewing" is only one of several creative projects Sonya Philip has launched in recent years. She is a self-taught artist who practices what she calls "conceptual craft." One of my favorites is the series called "ordinary objects" where she by applying knitting to the surfaces, brings the most mundane of mass-produced objects to life. More examples of her beautiful art can be found at www.sonyaphilip.com.

Work by Sonya Philip ©Sonya Philip. All rights reserved.

untidy work habits

Most people would probably guess that my work space and my studio is a wonder of order, calm, organization, and cleanliness. And although that is how I would prefer my surroundings, it is far from the reality. The truth is that I am a pretty messy person.

Part of the problem is that I rarely work on just one project at the time. More often than not I will get inspired to try something new, even if I already have two or three things in the works. And when I try something new, piles of fabrics are brought out, and then threads to match, and some plants, and a reference book or two... In addition to the creative process there are deadlines and other things that need to be accomplished, like mailing orders, finishing commissions, and book keeping. It is difficult to keep ones work environment tidy in these circumstances. So things stack up.

Despite all this, I love my studio. It is relatively small, and crowded. It is flooded with light from three large windows. It has some of my favorite pieces on display along with artwork by my boys, and mementos from friends. When I do keep things in check there is plenty of room to spread out and frequently my canine studio assistants will sprawl out on the floor. And then there is the lingering scent of eco dyed cloth and lavender that in my mind is irresistible.

Not neat nor orderly, not always clean, but still close to perfect.

winter blues

The sky is the bluest of blue this time of year. No haze or humidity, just limitless blue. I have been working with remnants from last years indigo experiments. The small shibori pieces will be part of a group show at Chroma Projects opening next week. 25 Chroma affiliated artists will display affordable, lovable, and mailable art during the month of February. I hope you can come by if you are in the neighborhood.

A small throw quilt is also in the works. The layering and quilting is still left and I am imagining a soft backing and lots of hand stitching to finish it off. I love how the shades from the various indigo dips set each other off.

Then there are the blue sachets, all indigo dyed, lovingly stitched, and sweet smelling. They are available in the store ready to ship...

Blue is the color of choice this time around.

what to wear

I consider myself to be environmentally aware. We grow our own vegetables, I ride my bike or walk whenever possible, I turn off the tap while brushing my teeth and we keep the temperature low in the house. We recycle, nourish a thriving compost heap, and use eco friendly soaps and detergents...

Still, when it comes to my own wardrobe a majority of it originated in a foreign country, produced under circumstances that I am sure were less than ideal for our environment or for the people working in the production facility. Todays fashion industry and clothing manufacturing is responsible for almost 20% of all industrial water pollution, just from commercial textile dyeing and treatment, according to the World Bank. Add to that number all the waste (leftover remnants, discarded mass produced garments, and so on) that ends up in our landfills.

A discussions on the topic is starting to gain momentum. A recent post by Take Part highlights the problem as well as the growing number of organizations, corporations, and individuals working on a solution. At the same time there is an increased interest in the domestically made products, as people realize that promoting and buying things made in our own country, or even better in our own region, will further our own economy while creating jobs and opportunities in our back yard. Made is one organization devoted to promoting American made goods and work. 

Another solution is to return to the tradition of making our own clothes. What we wear does not have to be highly tailored or complicated to be beautiful and functional. A simple skirt or a tunic is well within the ability for most people, and imagine the satisfaction of wearing something truly unique.

Alapaca scarf by State. ©State, all rights reserved.

Noting the benefits of choosing hand crafted, domestic, or home made, I am also acutely aware that this is not a viable financial option for many of us. These products are expensive and I can understand that someone working two jobs and caring for a family may not find it realistic to invest in a sewing machine or spending time making clothes. It is difficult to bring up the distain for cheap mass-produced garments without seeming elitist, much like the organic food movement mostly has become a reality for the privileged.

Colorful frocks, by India Flint, ©India Flint, all rights reserved.

So what can we do on an affordable scale to make a difference? Personally I am starting by following my friend India Flint's advice from her wonderful book Second skin: "recycle, reuse, rethink, repurpose, and repair."

Long grey wool tweed jacket, by 13 threads, ©13 threads, all rights reserved.

I have sorted my closet - things I don't wear or don't like have been given away for better use by someone else, a few items are awaiting minor adjustments or repairs, some things will gain a totally new life after a short hiatus in the scrap fabric pile. I vow to take care of the things I already own, by not washing them too often, air dry them once they are clean, and to mend them if needed. As for new acquisitions, I will try to only buy pieces that are US made or hand crafted by someone I know this upcoming year. Truthfully, I can probably live quite happily for a long time without buying any new clothes. Like most people in our culture I already own more garments than I can manage, even after the sort-through.

Dress 98, by Sonya Philip, cotton print and African wax print, ©Sonya Philip, all rights reserved.

I will start to make clothes. When I was in my early 20's I wore nothing but hand made or vintage clothing. Back then it was more out of rebellion agains the mainstream, a protest against mass-production for other reasons than conscious regards for environment and community. Once life caught up with me, introducing kids, career, and responsibilities, my clothes sewing projects became few and far in between. After recently learning about artist Sonya Philip's project 100 acts of sewing, I am inspired to pick up the thread again - literally.

DIY Anna's garden swing skirt, by Alabama Chanin, ©Alabama Chanin, all rights reserved.

Naturally, sewing clothes and knitting, will become an artistic challenge for me as well. I am already imagining eco printed appliqués along a skirt hem, and eco dyeing my own yarn for a new sweater. I will not make predictions about my production, but I plan to document my efforts here. I have also started a pinterest board featuring sustainable clothing, my own and others'. I would love your input, ideas, and suggestions as well.

Jacobs wool sweater, by Fibershed, ©Fibershed, all rights reserved.

This post is illustrated with photos of some of my own clothes, but mostly I have borrowed images from makers from all over the country (and the world). All of them share a love for sustainable, sensible, and beautiful living. They are credited with links to their web sites if you want to take a peak. I will also feature them and their work here on this blog in the near future. Thanks for sticking with me to the end of an unusually long post! Happy making!

winter whites

Powdery blue, silver, rosy taupe, celadon, winter white, blush, misty gray. The faintest of colors seem to dominate my surroundings this time of year. It happens to be my favorite palette no matter what season, but I love how the winter time somehow makes even the whitest shades of pale more vivid.

The color scheme in the landscape is influencing my work. There has been plenty of white on white stitching done (some may be altered in the dye pot at a later date) and a few older unfinished pieces has gained new life, despite being tucked away because of perceived lack of color interest.

Right after the holidays I made time for a dye pot, experimenting with only using plant materials gathered from the back yard despite the wintery weather. A combination of nandina, oak, magnolia and leatherleaf viburnum were layered between silk, cotton, and linen fabric, with a few pieces of paper thrown in for added interest.

The clamped bundle simmered with a handful of fustic wood shavings, for a couple of hours and were left to rest for another few days. The unveiling was far more thrilling than I expected. Somehow the wonderful imprints left behind mirrored the shades of the wintery cold landscape outside. In layers, and gradations, even the palest of impressions managed to stand out. Such joy...

promises

This is the season when freshness and hope inspire us. The promise of a new year lies ahead and it is easy to imagine all the wondrous things we can achieve if only there is will. I always get wrapped up in this sense of starting something anew, although I know that before soon more mundane and less glamorous tasks will take over. There is still much worth in dreaming, planning, and scheming.

I have spent much of my holiday break working on creative things not directly related to my work. I have been knitting (three different projects are underway...) and stitching clothing by hand (lucky to have received a Alabama Chanin DIY kit). I have also cooked, decorated the house, planned the spring garden, gone on numerous dog walks and spent time with my family. By now I feel relaxed and ready to go.

I mentioned before that I would like to keep the blog active and engaging. I will try to be here more often and with more direction. I am planning to show more of my work, both in progress and in finished form. I will definitely feature more book arts, both my own and others, and I will start a series of posts about clothing, how to make what we wear sustainable as well as stylish. For more frequent updates I still encourage you to visit my Facebook page, but I want the blog to continue to be a place for more in-depth reflections about my work, inspirations and things I care about.

I wish you the best for the upcoming year. May 2013 bring you happiness, peace, and plenty of creativity!