News and Resources

First the News:

*Sad to say, Lois Ericson has decided to retire. She sent out a note that included the following:
"We are currently offering a close-out special for all our subscribers and friends for the next two weeks. All patterns and books will be $3.00 each, plus postage on all sales. E-mail Kris at (kris_piano@yahoo.com) for any questions. For direct orders use our website as well as to see available products. The sale starts Feb.16th, the final date will be March 6th. Don't miss out on this great sale."

Go to: www.designandsew.com where you can also view the gallery to see how the patterns look made up and on a real body. I've put in my order, wanted to fill in the gaps in my collection of Lois' patterns. My favorite part is the creative hints on the instruction sheets.

*Fashion designer, professor of haute couture at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and author, Kenneth D. King, will demonstrate and teach his couture techniques from his book, Cool Couture.
Kenneth D. King presents "Cool Tricks" at Bates Technical College,
1101 South Yakima Ave. Tacoma, WA 98405 on Saturday, April 25, 2009,
9 am—4 pm, $85.
Register by April 1, 2009 -call 253-680-7500 or www.bates.ctc.edu

Now to the Resources:

Teena Hughes, in Australia, has compiled a resource list for surface design, fiber arts, wearable art--you name it. I still haven't been through all of it. The very helpful list (of links) is in the first url. The second two show her painted silks and wearable art which both inspire and cheer me up with their bright colors.
http://australiansilkworm.com/artlinks.html
http://AbfabDesigns.com
http://Abfab-Australia.com


Lu Peters has also spent major time compiling a list of resources for fiberart, quilting, and wearable art. You'll find booklists and events. Look too for photos of Lu's wearable art. I keep them around as inspiration. Even though some events are old, I find it useful to have names and links so you can search on Google and see what's happening now. Go to: www.lupeters.com

Joy-Lily taught me how to do Arashi shibori. That was a memorable class and one that has served me well. Joy-Lily also keeps up a resource list called the FMC fiber art news. She has put up a website but every couple of months she also sends out an email reminding us of upcoming events. I list her here because even though she's focused on the San Francisco area, she does list "requests for entries" and shows around the country. Contact her and get on the list to hear about some of what's happening. http://www.joy-lily.com/FMC.htm

Bras as wearable art in South Carolina

Cheryl Trostrud-White forwarded the following to me:
Members of Quilters of South Carolina have created one-of-a-kind bras for Breast Cancer Awareness. The exhibit consists of 49 original works of art which are unique, entertaining, humorous, and beautiful--to make the public aware of breast cancer, to memorialize those lost to the disease, and to honor survivors. Go to:
http://www.quiltersofsc.org/artfullbras/artfullbras.htm

I'm under the weather, hope it's a 24 hour virus or some such and then will be back with more news.

"90-Minute Quilts" and more

Meryl Ann Butler was one of five Fairfield/Bernina show designers who co-wrote a book on wearable art. I was asked to edit the book and thus became very familiar with their design styles, their thought processes in working out garment design, and of course with their talents. The book still hasn't been published for reasons beyond our control, but I have the greatest admiration for these women. So I know about Meryl Ann's capabilities, her sense of whimsy, and her efforts to meet the standards of good art. I have also seen the original and interesting ensembles she's made since then--can't recall exact details at the moment but one was of something like an Egyptian princess--stunning and exquisite. Using these same talents, Meryl Ann has now published 90-Minute Quilts, a book of over 15 projects, most of them quilts but also bags and pillows etc., using the 9-patch. It's available in bookstores everywhere I've looked. What I like about the book are the clear instructions, clean layouts, and many diagrams, and of course the bright colors. Plus it's spiral-bound so you can keep it open by the machine as you sew.

Yes, it's a book for beginners who need some easy, fast ideas to get them started. However, I found that even a practiced quilt book editor needs a refresher course at times, and Mery Ann's book helped me get my new baby quilt made. The surprise is that Meryl Ann has included a little bit of wearable art--a luscious silk shawl made just as simply as the quilts.

She preceeds it with a velvet quilt that to me would also make a fantastic shawl. And before that we get a quilt project from Susan Deal, another Fairfield/Bernina designer, who has embroidered blocks. Now wait a minute, wouldn't that also make a great shawl--or even a jacket? This book shows you the basics. It's up to you to take what you learn and use it to make something that can end up on your back!

I'm still working on my jacket that has to be finished by Wednesday, so I will leave you with a peek at the "unpressed" baby quilt I made last summer and finished under Meryl Ann's tutelage. I didn't use the nine-patch, I was just trying to piece together images that would excite a baby. However, I most enjoyed the freemotion quilting I did at the end, making up a different design for every block. It's a bit loud for me and full of "baby" images, but now that I look at it from a distance, sure, I could have cut this up into a vest! I hope I'm giving you ideas.

Kanji book, wearable art, and p. 56 game

The Page 56 Game.
I found this on another blog and immediately forgot the blog's name--I'll list it next time I visit.

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your wall (huh? I don't know what she means.)
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Well heck, I'm at the computer and on the floor is A Graceful Farewell, Putting Your Affairs in Order by Maggie Watson. I've been meaning to get to it ever since I talked my folks into doing just that. Thank goodness I pressured them, obviously my intuition was right. Anyhow my sentence isn't too scintillating: Who manages the rental?

So how about the second-closest book? I've had this one sitting here waiting for me to review it for quite some time. I was so excited when I found it: Designing with Kanji, Japanese Character Motifs for Surface, Skin, and Spirit by Shugo Oketani & Leza Lowitz. The fifth sentence comes from their Kanji facts on that page: Women spent their time perfecting their skills in their native language and as a result produced great works of literature like The Tale of Genji. This sentence appears on a page that shows the ideogram for "self." (Apparently the men of the period were busy learning a new language written in kanji so they didn't get around to great lit.)

I bought this book thinking it would help me translate the text we find on so many fabrics. I haven't had any luck understanding what's there, but so far the best use of this book is in making your own stamps or silk screens depicting what you want to say in kanji. And that is no small value--imagine it on your next piece of wearable art--down the front band, on the upper back, covering the yoke in overlapping designs/different sizes, etc. etc. I'm delighted to have found this book! The publisher, located in Berkeley, has a website: www.stonebridge.com. I've scanned in the cover of this book for you. I'm still chicken to play with the html and move the photo but will experiment soon. Cheers!