Zero Waste Daniel

This is the kind of thing I think about all the time. All those scraps from making clothing. I hate to throw anything away. I finally, after reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, started to throw the fabric scraps away, but this is a much better solution.

I saw the original video on Facebook. Now, I'm not saying I love all his stuff, but I think I would love what I create, because it would be from scraps of fabric I liked enough to buy. I always imagined skirts, because they are easier to make, but shirts are pretty cool. I also tend to use cottons rather than knits.

Check out the entire website here.

Commonwealth Fabrics in Nassau, Bahamas

Photo taken from the Androsia Hand Batik website

Went searching for fabric while in Nassau... I know of two places, very near one another, in the Palmdale neighborhood of Nassau. They are about a 30 minute walk from the Paradise Island side of the Sidney Poitiers bridge. Many roads don't have sidewalks, so you must screw up your courage and walk the narrow streets with the speeding cars. I figure if Bahamians do it, I can do it. Drivers are used to pedestrians. On this walk you need to walk up and over the bridge and a hill in the center of the island. My Fitbit registered multiple flights of stairs.

Home Goods is one store and it is like a very small Michael's Craft store. It has flowers and paints and baskets and yarn and all those things. Most fabrics are imported fabrics, which we Americans can get at home. What I like to see are the tropical themed patterns. They have more of that type than I can find in the northeastern part of the States. They also have many bolts of a Bahamian batik. You have to want the word 'Bahamas' on your fabric, though. But they are nice - bright colors with sand dollars, turtles or starfish decorations. 

Commonwealth Fabrics was something else altogether. It was jammed with fabric, ribbons, buttons, thread and all types of embellishments. The store made me think of a combination of Mood Fabrics in New York and Jefferson Variety in New Orleans. It was very easy to get overwhelmed. I spent a good 20 minutes admiring the emerald green sequined lace and embellishments. I couldn't think how I'd incorporate them into my Mardi Gras costume, though I wanted something to bring home with me!

I don't know if Commonwealth Fabrics got hit by the hurricane, but holy cow, they were doing a huge amount of work on the roof. It was a disaster. I can't imagine what the store owner was thinking with all that inventory at risk. Much of the second floor was covered in plastic and open to the sky - with fabric below the plastic. And no signs telling customers to stay out. Such a different world than in the States. 

Any bare space on the walls (or columns, really) had photos of Michelle Obama sporting beautiful examples of the fabrics in her gowns. Great advertising. 

The staff were kind, and pretty much let me wander through and admire. I had no plan, so wasn't looking for anything that they could direct me to. There was a cabinet filled with Butterick patterns, but other than that one cabinet I was not aware of any patterns. There was at least one poster advertising a local dressmaker. 

The only locally made fabric at Commonwealth is another batik, called Androsia. I should have bought some, but I still had fabric from a previous trip which I still haven't used.  Instead I bought a stretchy knit which I will use to make another pair of palazzo pants. 

The only other place I know to buy local, Bahamian fabric is at Bahama Handprint, which I blogged about here. 

Mes Amis Quilt Shop

I spent a wonderful afternoon with Cathy and Melissa at Mes Amis Quilt Shop in New Orleans. We talked quilts, genealogy, restaurants, history, fashion and a variety of other subjects. I went with the intention of finding Mardi Gras fabric which the web site indicates they carry all year so that I might make myself a skirt for 2017 Mardi Gras.

Here are the fabrics I bought today:









I started with all Mardi Gras themed fabrics and branched out when I didn't like the combinations. Of course after I had picked out my fabrics I turned around and there was a quilt with many of the Mardi Gras fabrics coordinated very nicely.

I ended up buying three yards of the bird fabric... it is a glorious fabric and I thought I might make another skirt or dress.

Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival

This will happen on September 26th and 27th this year. (The card below is old! I had picked it up in 2014, but was unable to attend.)
I went in 2013, but not since. It is a small festival, but growing, I am sure.
Check out their web site to get more information.



The Washington County Fairgrounds are only 30 miles from Troy, NY - where Herb grew up.

Bahama Hand print

I have been incredibly remiss. I visited the workshop of Bahama Hand print back in January. I met the nicest people there and they gave me a full tour, let me ask all sorts of obvious questions and let me take all sorts of photographs - and even my first movie for the blog (which, of course is not the first I posted, because I have been remiss in writing this entry!)

Everything is designed and made in the Bahamas. The workshop is owned by two women. And you can always order custom creations, as indicated below:

At Bahama Hand Prints we offer a variety of ground fabrics that can be custom printed to your requirements. We carry fabrics appropriate for a multitude of applications including upholstery, drapery, bedding, indoor/outdoor furnishings, clothing and more… Choose from our repertoire and we can print any colour you desire!

Here you can see Rico creating the fabric:



The motivation for writing today is that I have finally started a project with the fabric I bought that day in January. I intend to post photos of the sewing project later...

In the meantime, I have many more photographs of my day in Nassau visiting Bahama Hand Print.

The frame and the screen before the paint is applied

Rico adding more paint - so as not to smear, he alternates panels

The trough with all the paint

moving the frame so Rico can fill in the pattern

Washing up

Removing the unused paint

Cleaning the screen

Clothing templates

You can barely see a seamstress on the right making a garment
Lots of pieces already made hanging

Industrial sewing machines

Removing the newly printed fabric for drying

Drying the fabric

Coming out the back end

the full length of the workshop

Adorable tunic top

Wondrous Creatures - Sandra Klink

The poor artist, Sandra Klink, was frying on the tarmac in State College in July. Once upon a time the street had been lined with tall elm trees, but they are gone; killed by the Dutch Elm disease or some such. Some of the other artists featured at the festival claimed to have made pieces from those very trees...

BUT, that didn't stop her creativity and the beauty of her work. She indicated to me that she uses silk scarves which she tears into strips and wraps around metal frames. It seems that Ms. Klink no longer has a web site, but the Central Pennsylvania Arts Festival had a few examples of her work. She had a lot of colorful insects and a few other creatures, as seen below.

The two above examples of Ms. Klink's work are unusual in relation to the rest of her inventory at the show, but they are incredibly playful.

Recycled T-shirts, turned into skirts - Loveworn

I met BJ McHugh of Loveworn at the Central Pennsylvania Arts Festival over the July 10th weekend in State College, Pa. BJ hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, where she makes new pieces of clothing out of recycled t-shirts. She will even make you a custom piece out of your saved t-shirts - you know those t-shirts you never wear but don't want to toss because they meant something to you once upon a time. (A skirt or hoodie seems more practical to me than a quilt, which is another idea for old t-shirts; or a rag rug, but you would never see the t-shirts anymore in the rug... Just thinking out loud)

Looking at her web site it seems that she has many more styles than she brought to the Central Pennsylvania Arts Festival. Here are a few images I took from her web site:

Little Girl's skirt - had to be fun piecing this together

Woman's jacket - wouldn't this be great made from your old t-shirts?

Women's skirt with a cute pocket

I was disappointed that she only had a few in my size - maybe that says more about me than her inventory - but I bought a lovely black and grey short skirt with a draw-string waist.

I am disappointed that I didn't find a post on another woman I stumbled upon in New Orleans who makes wrap skirts from neckties. I bought one of her fun skirts, too. I will have to see what  have in my files and introduce you to her.

Searching the term recycle, though, I found another of my fiber artists - MsCrochetJig - who uses soda top tabs in her purses.

Rondell Fiber Art at Jazz Fest 2015

I'm afraid I was on a tear and did not have the opportunity to talk with Mr. Witherspoon. I absolutely loved his art, though. Wonderful images of joyful people.

I was unable to find a web site for him, but I found this and yet under the category of art by clients, I saw some of the same types of work as seen at Jazz Fest. He clearly is a very talented photographer, too.

Man, how do these artists find the time? I can't get everything I want to do done... But then I guess it's true what has been observed in the past, the task takes the time allotted to it.

But I digress.

I scanned his business card which shows some of his art:





I found this piece, entitled Diva, from a pinterest site.



How can you not love it?

What Katrina Couldn't Take Away

This was a powerful quilt hung at the rest stop just inside Mississippi. We think of New Orleans when we think of Katrina, but of course all around was pretty well devastated.

I wish the photograph were better so we could see more clearly what the kids indicated. This quilt makes me think of the quilt I saw at the NY State Military Museum.

Cely's Quilts - in New Orleans

While cruising the Rhythms Festival I admired Miss Cecelia's quilts. She had only a few on display. I wish I had spoken with her longer, but I had to run off for some previously scheduled errands. Reading her web page, I see that she is quite prolific and talented. I noticed while standing up close to her work that she uses a combination of hand quilting and machine quilting.

Miss Cecelia has traditional quilts and some like paintings; I copied these two examples from her web site to illustrate:





Taken from her web site, she provides this information about herself and her work:

Cecelia "Cely" Tapplette-Pedescleaux, a self-taught quilter, grew up surrounded with women that were seamstresses that did all sorts of handwork lace, crocheting, beading, tatting and much more. Her passion for quilting bloomed when she purchased a quilted apron/dish-cloth kit she bought to make Christmas presents in the late 1960's. From there she was hooked on quilting.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana in downtown 7th Ward New Orleans, to Jean Phillips and Albert Tapplette, Cely attended public schools in New Orleans, Louisiana State University in New Orleans (now University Of New Orleans) and Southern University in New Orleans. Cely has three children; Louis Keith, Lance Kyle, and Cheka Bahiya.

As a youth director for her church, Beecher Memorial United Church of Christ (Congregational), Cely made quilts for the youth graduating from high school, college, or getting married. As the years progressed, she began combining her quilting with African design and history. She

started quilting researching in old cookbooks, winemaking, agricultural, and architectural books that had comments on enslaved people's handiwork. Cely's love of New Orleans; which she considers a melting pot of nationalities, flamboyant colors, fragrances, and sounds serve as a catalyst for her creations. She uses brilliant colors, beadwork, and embroidery on her quilts.
Cely teaches quilting and the history of African American quilting to the public through the Beecher Memorial United Church of Christ Quilt Guild, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, The New Orleans, Jefferson and surrounding school systems as well as through speaking engagements local and abroad. Her quilts have been on exhibit in many galleries, colleges and universities, festivals and quilts shows.

Cely expanded her love for quilting in fashion when she created tor outfits for Worn Again (2009, 2010), a fashion show that show artist creativity by giving them old clothing to recycle into new garments.

Articles about her works have appeared in numerous publications. Quilter's Newsletter Magazine printed 'Missing New Orleans" in the July/August 2006 issue. Les Nouvelle- Patchwork et Creation Textiles de 1'Association France, Patchwork Magazine December 2008.

Cely has been the recipient of several awards since she begin quilting and speaking about quilts. In 2001, Cely received the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's Artie Award for Visual Arts, an honorable merit award in the Satchmo Art Show, and the National Conference of Artist Outstanding Artist Award in 2003.

Nine of her quilts were in a French exhibit, "A Patchwork of Cultures: Traveling Exhibit from Louisiana to France," sponsored by the U.S. Ambassador to France (Paris) and the French Patchwork Association in 2008-2009. The quilts made were also in an exhibit at the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum (DAR), in Washington D.C. entitled "Honoring Lafayette Contemporary Quilts from France and America in August 2010.

OMG, I started cruising the Facebook page for the Beecher Memorial United Church of Christ Quilt Guild that she mentioned on her web page. I want to get involved, but jiminey Christmas, I can't add another project to my list of things to do. I can't get done what I already have on my plate. So frustrating!

Local Quilting Artist

Ms. Cindy Grisdela is a fabulous artist - making incredible quilts that have nothing to do with what your grandmother made. She has all hand dyed vibrant fabrics and she free forms the stitching. Mostly it is geometric, but she did have a few which represented flowers. I thought her geometric and swirled pieces were the best, but art is an evolution, isn't it?

Ms. Grisdela works in Reston, VA. She makes me think of another artist I featured Ms. Judith Trager, though the colors are different and Ms. Trager's are not confined to the rectangular shape. Ok, ok, maybe the only similarity is that they are quilters....!

I saw this piece at the Washington Craft Show over the Halloween weekend this year. The colors are incredibly vibrant and the amount of stitching is impressive.

Here is what she says for herself on her own web site:

I’m intrigued by color and the way colors interact with one another. Color is such an exciting part of life--the red of a perfectly ripe strawberry, the deep blue of a summer sky, the russets and golds of fall leaves--all enhance our experience of the world. I like to use fabric the way a painter might use paint to create a mood, develop a contrast, or explore an idea.

Much of my recent work employs improvisational cutting and piecing techniques where the design evolves organically as the process unfolds. Because there's no pattern to follow, seeing the interplay of color and design is integral to my creative process. Fiber art is exciting to me because it offers a tactile quality beyond the color and line of a design. Once I’ve played with the colors and the fabric in the pieced top, I have another opportunity to add dimension to my work by quilting the layers together with whimsical free motion quilting—a process I like to think of as drawing with a needle and thread.

I use vibrant color and bold graphic design to create contemporary art quilts that have a strong visual impact as art for the wall.

I hope you enjoy your visit and come back often. I update my blog regularly with news and new work in process.

My work is represented by Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ and Chasen Galleries in Richmond, VA, and I have studio space at the Artists' Atelier at 1144 Walker Road, Suite G, Great Falls, VA. Open hours are 12-4 PM Wednesday and Saturday, or by appointment.

Home decor and gift items, like pillows, journals, and eyeglass cases, are available through my shop on Etsy.com.

Contact me if you are interested in commissioning a unique wall piece for a special place in your home or office, or if you're interested in having me talk about my work to your group.

New Orleans, Genealogy & Fiber Art

I was walking down Magazine Street in New Orleans when I saw a couple dresses in the window of an Optometrist. And they were spectacular dresses - silver silk painted with images of Paris, if I remember correctly. Drew me right in. A very nattily dressed man with fabulous frames and maybe even white buckskin shoes was standing outside. He and I started chatting and he was incredibly friendly. I mentioned this stroll down Magazine earlier in my post here as I discussed Theordore B. Starr silver.

I'm afraid this happened in March of this year, so I don't remember all the details, but it made an impression on me. That is when I learned that New Orleans has a burgeoning fashion week - which in 2014 was in March. But I digress.

I was charmed by the fashion and I was charmed by the artist's name - Starr Hagenbring. Starr claims that she is not aware of having Starr as a family name in her family; in fact, it was a family friend from Philadelphia, if I recall. So, drawn in by that too....


One can see the art in Ms. Hagenbring's creations - they are magnificent pieces.


Ms. Hagenbring loves silk organza - a fabric I have not yet screwed up the courage to use.


Here one can see some of the painting she does on the fabric.

She is a spectacular artist with studios in both New Orleans and New York City.

Washington Craft Show held 10/31 - 11/2/2014

I attended the craft show on Saturday at the absolutely enormous Washington Convention Center. What a fun day.

This area of town has changed significantly since the new convention center was built. New restaurants have opened and much more residential exists. Developers have torn down some of the old brick and brownstone urban fabric, which is a shame, but to see the renewed hustle and bustle is nice.

The Craft Show is organized by Crafts America, LLC out of Greens Farms, CT. This is a juried show, so the crafts are top quality, not kitchy. I have seen some artists from the Cherry Creek show in Denver, the Bethesda Arts Festival in Bethesda, Maryland and the Bayou City Arts Festival in Houston. Fun to see where the artists show and how they get around.



I confess, as I wondered around I had my eye on the fiber artists - and most were clothing - but there were some other interesting crafts which caught my eye; for example a guy out of Michigan who weaves glass and a woman who makes pins and other statement jewelry out of heirloom or estate pieces. I will share their cards and maybe a little of their stories later.

My local NPR station - WAMU - was a sponsor of the show.

Judith Trager and Red Rock Amphitheater

I saw a spectacular piece of art at the gift shop at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. Not for sale, but a part of the Visitor's Center.

Judith Trager is the artist. A video of Judith speaking about her creative process can be found here.

I'm afraid my photographs do not do the piece justice.

Called - "Walk the Rocks"

Ms. Trager has stenciled images of fossils and leaves and pictographs on the fabric, as well as ornamental stitching.

The piece is very impressive.

Fort Ticonderoga Realism

As I mentioned in a previous post, the folks at Fort Ticonderoga are doing a fabulous job bringing history alive.

Gordy here, our guide though history, is wearing a uniform custom made for him right at the fort. He is dressed as a soldier from Pennsylvania. Though the fabric itself is not made at the fort, all the cutting, sewing, fitting etc. is done right here on Lake Champlain.



I am learning to sew, myself, and button holes still scare me - on a machine! The tailor here at the fort uses a chisel and some twisted thread and hand makes the button holes.


The piece of wood on the table is what he uses to hit the chisel to make the button hole. Here he is sewing the edge of the button hole with a whip stitch of some nature.

The tailor is wearing the Colonialist 'uniform' of the time - a linen shirt worn over his own clothing, thereby making everyone appear much the same.



In this photograph one can see the chisel, the hammer, the leather, the thread and the young man who has worked at the fort for four years sewing and repairing during the tourist season and researching during the winter months. He researched and created all the French uniforms last year and the Pennsylvania Militia for 2014.

There is an 8 minute video showing this young man making a coat for a colleague - most of the entire process sped up considerably. It is fun to watch. No paper pattern for thee guys....

Quilt at the NYS Military Museum

I didn't expect to see any fiber art while I was at the New York State Military Museum, but hanging in the book shop was this very large memorial quilt. I am sorry the photograph is of such bad quality - I only had my archaic phone along.

It seems to be mostly for World War II, but I can't be sure.

I thought it was an interesting combination of hobbies - genealogy, history and fiber art.

Shibumi Silks - a Silk Art Experience

I did not catch the artists' names and I only arrived at the end of a two day art show in Saratoga Springs, NY, but this was great fun to see.

This is one of the artists leading the process - here he is conferring with someone making herself a scarf.

These folks are out of Wallingford, CT and it seems they go to a lot of art shows in the New England area. The owners are brilliant to let people make their own pieces. Luckily they guide people through so that everything they make comes out really well. I was watching one woman's creation in progress and I had very low expectations, but it came out gorgeous.

The trays are filled with water and the inks float on top. One of the artists did guide her as to how much ink to use and essentially where to make the drops of ink/paint on the water. Then a comb is used to draw the colors through one another and finally a stylus to make swirls.

Once the paint is swirled together, a piece of silk is laid on top and it takes only a moment for the fabric to absorb almost all the ink. The silk is then dragged over an edge - not doing anything bad to the design - and rinsed in blue, inky water, in no means negatively impacting the new scarf. It was amazing to see.

I wish I had gotten a photograph of the final result - as it was really splendid - I just couldn't get the right angle without being too rude to the other people around me.

If you see these artists at an art show, step up and try your hand at it. It was impressive. (And, of course, they sell scarves that they themselves have made.)