Re:mix Re:cap

I must've been flying high after the Stitch & Bitch because I totally forgot to come back here and blog about how it went.

In a word: great! We had about a dozen S&B'ers out for the afternoon and fun was had by all. It was a really mixed group and I think everyone really got into it. They all left with a completed project*, so that's something! In a fabulous show of support, my good friend Ruth and her daughter came out and cranked out 3 or 4 projects between them. Had they been the only ones there, it would have been a good time, but they turned out to be the proverbial cherries-on-top of a an awesome afternoon.

The event was over at 4, but I ended up staying a little longer to chat with Tracy while she finished off her dress project. While we were talking, I think we may have come up with a plan to have another altered-clothing day in the fall. Fingers crossed!

* I made 2 halters, an empire-waist t, a skirt, a couple necklaces, and a rockin' altered Rolling Stones shirt (which turned out so good that I am going to whip up a few more just like it to sell). All in the interest of demonstrating, of course. ;-)

Remix - tomorrow!

Let's see...
T-shirts - check
Scissors - check
Sewing machine - check
Illustrated instruction sheets - check
Anticipation - check
Excitement - check
Nerves - check

Well, I think I'm all ready for tomorrow's Stitch 'n' Bitch at MAWA. I have more than a half-dozen projects for people to choose from. Ironically, only two require actual stitching. I'll just have to make up for that with a little extra bitching. I kid.

But, seriously, I have some really cool, fun ideas for restyling plain ol' shirts. Now I just have to worry about whether or not people actually show up...

Stitch 'n Bitch with Rebecca Hadfield: T-shirt Restyling
Date: Saturday, June 5, 2010
Time: 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Location: Mentoring Artists for Women's Art (MAWA)
Street: 611 Main Street

Countdown to Remix!

Today's horoscope: You could temporarily turn into a nerd as you get so excited about an idea that you lose track of your emotions today.

Temporarily? What?


...did I mention how excited I am about leading Stitch 'n' Bitch at MAWA this Saturday?!?! The mascot and I made a Value Village run tonight. I bought 5 t-shirts for "Remixing", including a Bengals shirt that I will wear with a healthy dose of irony.

T-shirt Remix!

Look what's happening at MAWA in June!

Free! Stitch ’n Bitch
T-shirt Remix
Saturday June 5, 2010, noon-4 pm at MAWA
Facilitator: Rebecca Hadfield

Rebecca combines found objects with decorative papers, ephemera, vintage images and text to form the basis for her collage pieces, magnets and pins, which she sells online and at local craft shows. In this workshop, she will be showing us how to restyle t-shirts into tank tops, purses, belts or bags. Perfect for summer! Please bring a pre-washed t-shirt (or two) and some sharp scissors. T-shirts without side seams work best.

I am SO excited!!

XXX stitch

Things that you wouldn't know by looking at me:
#875 - I heart cross-stitching.

Don't laugh. I really do. There's something so zen about making all those neat little stitches and filling in the background with pixelated goodness. Plus, it's a fabulous way to kill time and keep the hands out of the ol' cookie jar. Or, in my case, popcorn bowl.

As much as I enjoy it, though, I haven't done it in ages. I think a renaissance is in order! It's time to bring back the aida cloth and get hooped.

One of my fave sayings is "Ha! Stitch that on a pillow!", so it seems pretty obvious that my first project should be a little pillow for the living room. I have the perfect saying in mind, too, but I'm not sharing it 'til its done!

In the meantime, have fun playing with this Alphabet Generator.
I know I did!

Have art, need walls.

If I could have just one wish, it would be for the children of the world to come together...no, wait. That's not my wish.

My one wish (ok, my one wish of many), would be to have more walls so that I could display more art and objets trouvés. Right now, there are no fewer than 6 framed pictures (photography, collage, watercolour, pen & ink) leaning up against a cabinet in my living room, waiting to be hung. Somewhere.

I have a big picture over the couch that I am definitely not married to, so that could go...I'm just not sure that the motley little group of treasures I have gathered is the right thing to take its place. What to do? What to do? It almost seems like it would be easier to move...

Tuesday, Bluesday

It's funny, after spending almost a decade on the wet coast, you would think that a little rain couldn't get me down. You would think. It's raining AGAIN and I can't seem to shake the Tuesday Blues.

So, in the interest of cheering myself up, I give you three things* that made me happy today:

- this Etsy shop: Vantiani So awesome.
- this song: Delphic - "Halcyon" So, so 80s.
- this blog post: Congrats, Brandy! Sew cool!

* besides the funny text-message exchange with my fella, which I am not posting here. Deal with it.

Sharing Craft

I am getting very excited about this upcoming event, which is being presented by The Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library.

The drop-in session will be a an opportunity to meet and discover the work of four local crafty jewelry makers (including myself, although I didn't notice until now that what I make is actually "jewelry") and to share the "joys and challenges of craft"...or something along those lines.

Not only am I looking forward to getting together with my friends Ruth and Melanie, I think it'll be a fun way to show off my "blingy" side. Of course, by "bling" I mean old game pieces and t-shirt scraps. To each his own, right?

Come out and see us on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm in the Travel Alcove at the Grant Park McNally Robinson store.

Garbage of NYC

Oh, we've all heard the saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure". This project by NYC artist Justin Gignac is making me ask, "Can one man's treasure be another man's art?"

"What is art?" Ask 100 people and you will get 100 answers. Some people have their mind's made up on the topic and are unwavering in their opinions; others, like me, have yet to figure it out yet, or are unwilling to commit to an answer. As I write this, I am leaning towards the notion of "art is in the eye of the beholder". How's that for vague? My one caveat, though, is that in order for it to be art it has to evoke a reaction in the viewer. And something more than "oh, that's a pencil".

That's why the "Garbage of New York City" project had me scratching my head; is it art or is it just, well...garbage? On one hand, you could say "oh, that's a beer can". On the other hand, however, you start to see the beauty in the presentation. Removed from it's environment and placed in a protective casing, it becomes a charming little tableau; intreguing in its simplicity, really.

Or, maybe I'm overthinking it. Either way, if you can get people to pay $50 for a beer can and a plastic spoon, you are an artist. Con or otherwise. ;-)

x-posted to Natch!

Like Love Itself

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.

~John Gregory Brown