In process, a vest pieced from the prettiest colors of kimono silk.
I didn’t count, but I think it totaled about a bazillion little squares and rectangles, at least it seemed to be that many. It took many hours of podcasts, news stories and audio books to sew them all together.
So close! Soon, for my next show, a brand new vest.
And by the way, that will be in February for ACC’s Baltimore show. Until then, I’ll be focusing on my favorite thing, making and sewing new work.
Big Collar
A very big, snuggly collar to wrap around your shoulders,
it’s destined for a mid-length, loose and comfortable coat.
The picture below shows squares of silk pinned in place, ready to be basted and then appliquéd.
The silks I used for the squares are leftovers from this pieced jacket sewn from an old kimono with traditional images of cranes, pine trees, cherry blossoms and persimmons.
I saved every little scrap of this gorgeous fabric, just enough for appliqués for the coat collar.
I love how the images become abstracted after they’re cut into little pieces. They are no longer a crane or a pine tree, but have been deconstructed into unrecognizable shapes and patterns.
Sitting inside hand stitching on a cold and blustery day, the radio on, a cup tea by my side, not a bad way to spend my time. Not bad at all.
Next!
A few weeks ago, I finished my very last order from the San Francisco show, a smaller sized pieced jacket like the one I had made earlier.
The original,
Then, with all my work finished, I flew to NYC to see the Heavenly Bodies show.
Now, my favorite time of all, thinking about, designing and making new work.
Laying out beautiful fabrics, seeing how colors interact, planning how best to highlight each set, designing new coats and jackets, tops and bottoms, making sure they’ll work together.
It’s a blissful place, I follow the winding path, not at all sure where I’ll end up.
The scissors are out, the machine is humming, the iron is hot and the radio is on.