You leave something so long, the undone becomes the undoing.]]>
You leave something so long, the undone becomes the undoing.]]>
I'm super excited for my upcoming show in Chicago. It's an exhibit of 100 Acts of Sewing at the Lillstreet Art Center. I am flying out tomorrow with my family and we will take in the sights and sounds (and cold weather) during the kid's spring break. The opening is next Friday, March 29th and I'm teaching a workshop that weekend, details here.
Dress Workshop Kala Art Institute, 2990 San Pablo Ave. Berkeley
Pop-Up Britex Makeshift Society, 235 Gough St. San Francisco
Visiting Artist Workshop Lillstreet Art Center, 4401 N. Ravenswood Chicago
Dress illustrations from a book on Marimekko that Lisa Congdon brought back from her trip to Scandinavia last year. My mother cultivated my love for these bold, graphic designs. I have some of her vintage prints from the 70s. ]]>
Sew Your Own Dress Workshop 1890 Bryant Street, San Francisco
Needle Felting Class Kala Art Institute, 2990 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley
Make Your Own Dress Workshop SCRAP, 801 Toland Street, San Francisco
The idea of embracing imperfection is something that I've had on my mind recently. It is seems to run counter to sewing and really what makes up most of our lives - we are conditioned to appreciate balance and symmetry.
When I teach knitting, I find myself warning students off of the desire to go home and start again because the beginning looks ugly. Through the repetition of each motion, muscle memory kicks in and the formation of the stitches becomes easier and more even. Of course I undo and redo things, but there is a point where I let go of an ideal. As the saying goes, "Perfect is the enemy of the good." By doing, we improve.
This is not intended as a rallying cry for mediocrity, there is always a place for doing something well. But everyone is a beginner at some point. While there are those that have a knack, for many of us, the start can prove wobbly at best. By making something and using it, we honor the effort. It might not be blue-ribbon worthy, but does it need to be?
Getting back into the studio after a longer break than I expected. Lots of cleaning and sorting through things.
sew one hundred more dresses
create a series of simple dress patterns
write a book
take more pattern making classes
walk or swim one day a week
spend less, save more
travel more
sew more wardrobe basics
knit more sweaters and socks
teach and encourage more people to sew
Dresses hung for exhibit at the Artist Project Space at the Kala Art Institute. I am so pleased with how they look.
I was interviewed about 100 Acts of Sewing by the Chronicle, you can read it here.
100 dresses = done
I was interviewed about my project 100 Acts of Sewing in December/January issue of American Craft. I just got the advanced copy in the mail today - so excited!
Open Studios was this past weekend and I am always grateful to see friends and meet new folks.
Back as in backlog, back as in returning, back as in fall back. I was experiencing actual autumn in New York. Open Studios is coming up and that makes for cleaning and sorting after many days away.