soft air 09/26/22: bringing it all back home
09/26/22 :: bringing it all back home
welcome to soft air: a newsletter about making and paying attention
a new bi-weekly newsletter for connection and sharing my practice. shop updates, new patterns, class announcements and general studio news will continue to be shared here. issues will be archived on my site, in the journal.
in the studio
these past few weeks have been a whirlwind. i moved back to the berkshires, quickly picked up a few new (and old ;) ) jobs all the while attempting to gain back some creative momentum after spending the past three months living in other people's spaces. i still don't have as much space to myself as i would like but i've been touching my toes to a few projects as the time allows.
blue knits: in my ongoing "clothes off my back" quilt series, i paired some blue knits together: a tshirt, some sweatpants turned cut-offs, and an indigo dyed thermal. i like the combination of the blues together, thinking about the sea, and waves, and sky, and bodies moving.
shiny star: i am continuing to work on a banner (i guess that's what i've been calling them) i started over the summer as part of my "just for teens" series (still not sold on the title, it's a nod to a teen magazine i used to read as an eleven year old). i'm adding some teal velour letters, sewing up a dozen or so shiny stars and thinking about fringe and sequins (of course). one of my aims for this series is to fill each piece with tenderness, hope, and playfulness.
shoulder pad sun: i took the shoulder pads out of a yellow silk shirt i got from the goodwill bins. their brightness, roundness, and softness spoke to me and i have been saving them for something fun. i decided to sew them into a little round sun; i embroidered a small face, sewed the two pads together around the edge and stuffed with a bit of extra quilt batting. now i have the sweetest little sun friend.
pink stars: this is one of those ideas that i liked in my head but really love now that i'm seeing it come to life. all of the pink knits came from my same unwanted clothes pile, the light pink a shirt from goodwill that was a bit too snug, and the dark pink a shirt i've been holding onto (and not wearing) for years and years. it was a plain hanes vneck i tie dyed probably around ten years ago while in south dakota. i rinsed the shirt right after dyeing it, causing all dye to run together. initially i was upset but it has since become one of my favorite things i've ever made. i've held onto it all this time, not able to let it go and unsure of what to do with it. seeing this special shirt made into these stars lights me up, like a sunset or sunrise dancing with the horizon.
in the last minute costume dept
the night before i was supposed to go into the city to see harry styles i really wanted to make a fun outfit but was low on time and supplies. I found this blue dress at goodwill and had visions of transforming it into a jacket. i then raided the aisles of michaels, taking home anything i thought i might use (and then returned most of it the next morning). what i did end up using were: some ribbon as a front facing that i quickly hand stitched, a roll of wide plastic sequin ribbon (?) which i then cut into thin strips and hot glued along the neckline, and some paper daisies (also hot glued). This was such a fun and joyous piece to make in preparation for such a fun event. it was also an opportunity to enjoy working very quickly. a glue gun is not something i use in my practice, but it serves a purpose and was fun to see what i could dream up in a few hours.
in the media
LOOKING: anthony akinbola at sean kelly
READING: grand union, the lonely stories
WATCHING: memoria with boondocks film society
LISTENING: mostly harry styles after seeing him at msg with my friend G (check out her sweet shop)
image (from top left): tilda swinton in memoria, harry styles, anthony akinbola, the lonely stories. britney meme by @notthirsttraps
in the soft air
solo date with my best U and her saying "wow thats a great person", sunrise commutes (a dread and a true joy to witness the land at that hour), a soft bed, soft rug, and a room filled with so many colors and fabric, my body carrying itself up a steep hike, reminding me of my strength and the truth of small steps carrying you forward, revisiting old places, contemplating time passed, still time, and the overlap of everything happening all at once, cozy couch coffee and lots of reading, the last of summer sun, falling into old relationships like three years haven't passed by, the warmth of so many familiar faces, of knowing people and being known.
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