it's hot, but I like it

Queen City Craft, phoenix-like reincarnation of the Burlington Craft Mafia, started a blog last month and I'm in their Crafter Spotlight this week. Kacey of subsixstudios and Erinn of urban-farmgirl are keeping the community together with frequent postings of news, "drops of inspiration," and updates on opportunities for Vermont (I always want to call us) third wave crafters (though I know there have been many more waves before us than two).

"Waves?" you ask yourself. "What is she talking about??" Read my interview * and find out!

*disclaimer: at the end of the interview I talk about my new key fobs and I want to say now do not, I repeat do not, walk your dog with them...unless you have a particularly weak teacup model. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that.

Here's a picture of my super messy workroom the week before Halloween as I was answering the interview questions. I mention all the many and varied projects going on at once. It was a very productive week and fun to have it chronicled on another blog.

evolution + Holday Fair Schedule

The key fobs are evolving. I rummaged up these little lengths of trim I've had stashed away for years and sewed them onto the leather key fobs. I am really, really pleased with them. I've been carrying my keys around on that that black one on the left with the red hearts and white flowers (I'll bet it's edelweiss) and it has changed my life. Every mom should have one. Maybe guys, too. It's like I suddenly have a free hand. I especially love not having to dig around in my pocket for my keys when I'm at school picking up the kids and inevitably getting out of the car to visit with the other parents or do some school-related errand. I ordered a bunch of different jacquard trims and recently scored some nice red leather. Can't wait to sew them up!

Also, the belts are evolving. For months now I've been trying to figure out ways of improving my closed-edge belt design. Quarter inch bias tape is the answer. See previous Breakthrough post for more on this. I spent the weekend going beyond beltlettes to making up full length belts. The first few Farmers Market ones turned out rather wobbly at the edges, but still nice looking. By midnight last night I had made 12 black Loteria ones in a row that were all firsts. Yay! I'm now looking forward to adding some really pretty fabric on the back. Some of these in the picture are going to Studio Place Arts in Barre for Celebrate, the annual holiday season member show. I'll be making that delivery tomorrow.

While I'm at it I suppose I should let you know where else to find the belts, key fobs, billfolds, HotHolders and other MAD goodies for gifting and self-treating:

Frog Hollow Galleries in Burlington and Middlebury

Art On Main in Bristol

SPA in Barre

Northeast Kingdom Artisan's Guild in St. Johnsbury

AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH

For stores not so close to VT click here

I'll also be vending soon at the following holiday fairs in Vermont, where you can get all of the above plus your aprons, clothespin bags, big smiles and super friendly service (though I'm quite sure smiles and excellent service are also always on hand at the above mentioned establishments):

Nov 14 - 15 Orchard Valley Waldorf School, East Montpelier

Nov 22 Wellspring Waldorf School, Town Hall, Chelsea

Nov 29 - 30 Women's Festival of Craft, City Hall, Burlington

Dec 6-7 Burklyn Arts Council, Lyndon Town School, Lyndonville

Dec 19-20 Burlington City Arts, City Hall, Burlington

Hope to see you there!

Breakthrough

Sometimes I am intimidated by my own projects.



I have a few ideas I've been wanting to develop into products. Not having it all figured out yet, and using materials and techniques I'm not very familiar with have kept these projects on the shelf and tumbling around in my head. But I recently got them out on the table and they are coming more into focus and progressing nicely. Yay!




One project I've been working on is a new belt style and a new way of constructing the belts. The little purple-edged beltlettes pictured here are the result of me finally practising edging them in seam binding. Sewing around the pointy tip is rather tricky. I made pairs of beltlettes in different widths so I can see how they fit with different buckle styles. The next step is to try a spray adhesive for keeping all four layers (front fabric, heavy canvas, stiff interfacing, back fabric) together while I'm sewing.




I've also been thinking about making things from repurposed leather. I plan to pick up dreadfully out of style jackets, skirts, etc. at the usual places I procure recycled materials. I've been studying some simple wallet styles and have decided to start with something even more basic, because I was kinda scared.

I've dabbled in leather before, but it was a couple of years ago. I made Kitt and Richard leather helmets to wear at the Open Fields Medieval Festival and I've made leather pouches for my trick-or-treating kids to collect candy into (we only take them around the small village of East Corinth so they aren't collecting a lot - not like the pillow cases we used to haul around when I was a kid).

But even with this bit of experience I was still nervous. It had been a while and I wasn't going to be just banging out something for my kids to wear in the dark. I'm aiming to make something nice that an adult will be willing pay money for in a well lit vending setting.

So I recently built my courage up by using a lot of leather and suede scraps on Kitt's Halloween costume. I paid special attention to how my tools are working with the leather I'm I'm very encouraged. I love my Bernina 1031. It is always so up for the challenge. It seems to like the tougher work that I give it, like quilting the five-layered HotHolders.

Now here is the result: my first wrist band key fob/key chains (but what am I going to call them?!). Ultimately I plan to sew a length of decorative trim down the middle where you see the stitching now. Not a boring one like my first mock-up shown here. The handle loop went on a bit crooked with that one too so I'm learning about gluing first. I've also tricked out a pair of pliers with soft fabric scraps and duct tape so the metal doesn't get scratched. The leather feels really nice on the wrist. I think I'll be able to pull this off.

terra firma

I've been imagining an Etsy treasury with this theme for a while, and somebody made one. Spot my belt!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=14947

Weekend Update

Here's a quick update. I'm feeling very inspired today and am eager to get back to the studio. I have some recycled leather stashed away that I am going to pull out. I've incorporated bits of it into my kids' Halloween costumes over the years - mostly creating Medieval style belt pouches for holding candy. I'm seriously considering making wallets now, and other larger bags, combining the leather from out-of-style jackets and such with vintage trim and bits of interesting calico.

Since bringing my goods to market I have struggled with the low percieved value that homey textiles have in our culture. One of the reasons I am attracted to things like aprons and potholders and quilts and want to make them for others is because they are such a part of our everyday lives. But I think that may be why folks have a hard time thinking they can be special. Also, we've been able to buy everyday clothing and linens made in Asia for ridiculously low prices for so long now that folks have no concept of the actual effort and skill that goes into making something from cloth.

I love woven cotton & vintage textiles, but since I am in this not just as a needed creative outlet but also to make a (albeit modest) living, I need to consider the practical side, too. I am so in love with the soft handmade silkscreened leather wallet I got from Bonspiel Creations. It inspires me very much. I've enjoyed my little leather projects. The thought of combining leather with bits of cloth as accents, and making objects with a higher perceived value, is appealing to me.

So...I've been having a wonderful domestic day at home and outside with my kids, who I missed while working away from home all weekend. On Saturday I staffed the Blinking Light Gallery all day including during the reception for my show. Here are some pictures of my most devoted friends and others who were in attendance. The show will be up until November 2nd. It looks very wonderful in the space if I do say so myself. So please stop by when you're in central VT, have a look, and leave me a comment in the adorable "found" fabric covered book there made by Montpelier's own May Day Studio.

Sunday I was at the last Norwich Craft Sunday of the season. I had the pleasure of being neighbors with Aaron Stein, who makes seriously cool art and wrist cuffs out of license plates, and happens to be a very nice person also. Aaron, if you are reading this, be appreciative of the fact that you are not a potter or a jewler ; >

Disclaimer of the day: I am very good at sewing. I am not so good at spelling. For some reason the eblogger spellcheck does not seem to be working today. If there are mistakes that I missed, please excuse me. Even better - post a comment about them!

Under the Influence

I've been wanting to put up some photos here of Grandma's work. This flower pot quilt is in the show. It was the second of three quilts she made for me, the youngest of 10 grandchildren. I had it on my bed as a teenager.

I'm also including the statement that is accompanying my current show at the Blinking Light Gallery, which is dedicated to her. Don't miss the artist reception this Saturday from 3-5. I'll be wearing a special apron and serving Red Rose tea and Grandma's most requested sweeties.

And this is a slippery-lined wool project bag she made and gave to me as a teen. I didn't appreciate it until I was in my 30s and I still use it to carry my knitting projects around with me.

It Skips a Generation

I am inspired by quilters from the 19th and early 20th centuries who produced beautiful and dynamic work from the limited fabric choices they had. Like quilters of my grandmother’s generation who recycled materials that were readily available to them, it is important to me to find and use beautiful quality materials that might otherwise be wasted. While I do use some new designer fabrics that I find particularly appealing, I try to use recycled materials as much as possible.

I especially like to use woven cotton button-down shirts and older fabrics resurrected from the cast off fabric collections of others. I strive for simplicity in composition; to marry fabrics in unexpected, humorous and beautifully harmonious ways, with attention to colors and associations evoked by prints. The fabrics I use sometimes depict scenes or characters that take the viewer to another time and place. I enjoy including an obviously recycled decorative element in my work when I can. I want people to experience the realization, “Hey, this used to be a shirt!”

As my work has evolved it has become apparent to me how much I’ve been influenced by the work of my grandmother, the late Marion B. Curtis. She worked with clothing scraps and other fabric remnants and had a unique way of combining prints and colors. Marion was born in 1898. She and my grandfather moved back and forth between Pawtucket, Rhode Island and Penobscot Bay, Maine, where they ran a summer guest house for their friends from Southern New England.

Grandma ran the kitchen and strictly oversaw a small staff of housework helpers. When she allowed herself a break she would sit in her special chair with a clear view of the road for easy tracking of local comings and goings. She never sat down without picking up a handwork project. A true Victorian, she held the philosophy “Idle hands make the devil’s work.” All 10 grandchildren received full sized quilts entirely hand pieced, tied and bound. These often included lovely embroidery work of which she was a master.

Grandma was very prolific and produced countless works in needlepoint, embroidery, felt collage and quilting. She died at age 92 in 1990. At the time I was an art student, struggling to impress upon my professors that my increasing desire to “paint” in fabric was something they should take seriously. I’m grateful for her example and continuing influence. I continue to discover her work with fresh appreciation.

Sarah O. Green October 1 2008

I apologize for this sideways picture. Not sure why blogger turned it...and I tried to provide a sideways pic that they could then straighten but...
I had to include it anyway because look at those individual stitches that make up the little dogs shaggy fur - wonderful.
This Mother Goose quilt was the first quilt Grandma made for me as a very wee one. So wee that my mother packed it away when I was three so I never had a clear memory of it. Mom presented it to me again last January on my 40th birthday. I imagine the embroidery patterns were bought as a whole set. Check out the wonderful 1930s storybook font.

The Entire Wall

Here's a sneak peek at my one person show, "Under the Influence...of My Grandmother," at the Blinking Light Gallery in Plainfield Vermont. The show opens today and runs through November 2nd.

Please join me at an artist reception on Saturday, October 11th from 3 -5 pm. In keeping with honoring my grandmother in this show I'll be serving Red Rose tea and her most requested sweeties: Snicker Doodles, Chess Tarts and Sea Foam Chews.
Call the gallery for directions: 802-454-0141.

Pictured here with me is my lovely assistant, Betsy Maddox, grower of scrumptious organic veggies at Spring Chicken Farm (call her now to reserve a 2009 CSA share 439-6921) and a sailor of a knot-tier. I knew I was coming to the right person to help me hang this show! I brought a lot of work and it's a rather small wall so it's all up there in the style that the paintings are hung at the Louvre in Paris. Actually, I have plenty that still didn't fit. You can see them here.

We spent the morning yesterday hanging the show with clotheslines suggested by the gallery display wizard, Joyce Cusimano (brilliant call - she get's me), and premium hardwood clothespins.

The clothespins I'm using are nothing less than Klos-Klips, "the kind that holds tight," made by the National Clothes Pin Company in Montpelier, Vermont. I mean they are Made in Vermont. It's not just some "VT Company" with goods made outside VT or the USA even.

Up a ladder and against a wall - the perfect place to demonstrate the usefulness of my kangaroo pocket Laundry Day Apron - currently in the R&D department at Mountain Ash Design. Slated to hit the market Spring 2009.
Included in the show is a quilt by my grandmother, Marion B. Curtis, and a wonderful studio portrait of she and my grandfather, Philip. I have a dream of someday curating a show entirely of her work. She was incredibly prolific and worked in almost every textile medium. In addition to hand piecing quilts, making many treasured felt Christmas ornaments, and becoming a master of embroidery, she hooked huge rugs and wove wool into cloth on a large loom. She then sewed the cloth into smart suits she wore to town and church. When I think of all she accomplished...

Autumn Treasury

We are having one of the best foliage seasons in years here in Central Vermont. I don't work much with maple tree reds, but Ereda Jewelry managed to find a Virtuous Baby Quilt of mine to include in her Etsy treasury of Vermont artists. Check out some the wonderful talent here in the Green Mountain State.

New Stores and Boutiques

HotHolders have been going out into the wider world as of late. If you are up and down the Eastern US stop by the following shops and boutiques to see their selection of sustainably handmade and mostly pin-up potholders and other fine wares. Visit them on the web, too.

The Portsmouth Fabric Company at 112 Penhallow St, in Portsmouth. NH. Get your Swiss Bernina sewing machines here and they do servicing, too. (I love my 1031. I've had it since 1992 and it just gets better every year. Is that possible?) They also have a wide selection of designer quilting fabrics. If you are at a quilt festival look for the upcycled clementine box of HotHolders at their booth.

Opening soon: The Revue Boutique and Gallery at 138 E. Gay St in downtown West Chester, PA carrying an array of "edgy, eclectic and eco-friendly products" with customer service to match. That's my record of their order pictured above. They especially love that my products are made from mostly recycled materials. Me too!

Buffalo Gal Vintage in St. Petersburg, FL. They buy, sell and trade in elegant, mint condition vintage clothing. After you select your gorgeous outfit, you can take advantage of their in house pin-up photography service. Pretty cool, huh? Their new shop just opened earlier this month at 1219 Dr. MLK Jr. St. North so go check out their classy offerings of vintage clothing, home decor, gifts and accessories. Visit their original location at 1246 Central Avenue, too.

Detail Gallery at 54 Baltimore Ave. in Rehoboth Beach, DE. "A gallery for the home." They have what want for every room in your house, plus a great pet section. Stop by and meet Mirabell, the "crazy Boston terrier," who is the shop mascot and graces cards and artwork by resident collage artist Michael Muller and also their recycled, reusable shopping bags.

Apron Power!

From Vermont's own Bread and Puppet theater in Glover. Sent in by Chris Esten of the Green Reaper, who is an amazing grower and maker of beautiful botanical art.

These women - their aprons are part of what makes you take them so seriously. The power of the maternal arch type. The apron is such a strong symbol of the domestic sphere, in all it's idyllic calm and nurturing. Worth fighting and protesting for. Don't spoil it!

What Women Want

Based on my sales at the Mad River Valley Craft Fair on Labor Day weekend, women want Full Aprons. And I mean full, with bibs to protect your clothes up top. Half aprons, which I love designing and making - so cute - are considered more of an accessory and are not nearly as practical. That is fine, for it is no hardship for me to design and make the full model, and I'm sure glad I made a lot for this fair because by the end of Saturday the rack was looking pretty thin and I took a bunch of the half models home and sewed bibs on them Saturday night. Sunday sales were great, too.

As I'm just starting year 3 in this craft business endeavor I feel as if I've finally been given a strong signal from the market about what product I should focus on. Yay! It's quite a relief, really. Also, it hit me over the head that I make a lot more money putting the effort in to going to a craft fair than I do staying home, even with my etsy shop (at this stage - ain't gonna give up on that just yet).

So the etsy shop is pretty low on aprons at the moment, but look for an adorable retro-inspired selection at the Norwich Farmers Market on these Saturdays in September: the 6th (coming right up), the 20 and the 27th.