surfacing

I am finally surfacing from what has been an exceptionally long, exciting, wonder-filled, eventful and exhausting 2 months.

The last time I managed to write something on here was in december - freezing cold, making things in Massachusetts. Since then, I have been back in Savannah, mostly working at the YMCA and on my NEW BOOK - The Loop It Up Savannah Project: Making a Fiber Art After School Program in Your Town!

it's finally done!
this has been an exceptionally challenging project for me. I had long planned to make this book, but because of a priceless oppurtunity to go to the American Craft Council Show with the book, the writig and making had to SPPPEEED up, more than I can even believe actually happened!

The past few months have been nearly entirely devoted to this project. I finished the first edition last thursday. We have printed two copies which I made into hand bound books with incredible covers by the kids! These books will travle with me to Baltimore this week. We will soon be printing a larger edition, which will be available for $25 a copy!

oh my the world wizzes past, doesn't it? for more specific info on LOOP IT UP, you can visit the blog : www.loopitupsavannah.blogspot.com

OTHERWISE, I have been here in SAV. We recently had our very first Fibers Open Studio in the NEW BUILDING. Very lovely and HUGE event!

This is a sweet little felted pony that one of the girls made in INTRO



Lexa and Lynzo with the color wall - what a dream!



JJ petting one of my quilts.... this was for Pamela!



As we were leaving the building at the end of the night, it actually started SNOWING! here in SAVANNAH GA. Cayewah got this great shot of Lyla.
Her first snow!



The very next day, we had the First Annual LOVE DAY trunkshow at Fabrika!
Cutest day ever.... FREEZING, but adorable!




Now I'm laying in my bed with RIVA, trying to recover from a nasty cold (which very politely waited until AFTER the book was done!) we, well not riva but me! leave for Baltimore and ACC on tuesday! more frequent updates to follow! I can promise you that! xo

one long continuous thread

(this is for Eden)

Quite a long time ago, Cayewah brought up the idea of a continuous thread. A thread that is so central to our thoughts and works and wonderings that it appears in everything that we ever make or do or say.

There is this (perhaps idealistic) idea that if we all were absolutely true to our selves and did exactly what we felt we really should, we would create a place that was harmonious.

I like to think about everyone having a long red continuous thread that they hold onto, and follow thru the maze of it all.

1-2-3 Vacation's OVER!!!!

Today was the first day of school, here in Savannah GA. Lynsey and I successfully made it to our 8am History Of Fabric Class. I'm pretty excited about it, Pam once said to me that History of Fabric is just a collection of stories about people and their fabrics.

I spent this afternoon at the YMCA, starting to get things organized. I'm trying to get all the 2009-10 Loop It Up promo stuff done THIS WEEK! we just got our very own email address: looplinktangle@gmail.com - this will also be the address for the materials center.

The Y is doing this really great thing. It's called KaBOOM! Design a PLAYGROUND. It's a program thru Home Depot, the kids get to draw and design their own playground and the materials are donated by Home Depot. AND then in one day a volunteer crew comes to build it!

Look at this AWESOME picture of Kendra!


And cute little Vandell in the background!

When I got back here a few weeks ago, Peter at the Y said to me, "welcome home."
My heart will never be homeless. that is for gosh dang golly golly sure.

ready. set . go

well, back to school tomorrow.

since I've been down here, I have taken something much closer to a vacation that I thought possible. splendidly relaxed. (for once!)

We're all here, lynz-o, jilly + me and the Dogs. Jill's sweet boyfriend Dom -- "helpful Dom", has been visiting for a week. We've been having a blast, setting the place up, making big dinners, watching silly movies like ENCINO MAN -- check it out if you're in the mood to see something which was CLEARLY made between 1987 and 1994! making some stuff, working a little at the store... ya know, mellowly being here.

tomorrow = ready set go. school, making, writing, organizing the Savannah Materials Collection!

Fiest sings about making a home from a rented house and that is how our lives go right now.

you'll have to come by and be in it!

****here is how to live without moping

Just got cued into the beautiful photography of Alicia Bock. My friend Emma found her on etsy. All the work is beautiful, but these few seemed worthy of a quilt!






I've been making a quilt for every week that I am here. This too is a good recipe for a mope-free existance!

freezing cold breeze blowing in my window, rain rain & more rain... good sleeping weather. (even if it does mean that I have to quilt my buns off to keep up momentum during the day!)

july, JULY, JU-LIE-I-I-I

Well, we've been up here for almost two weeks now!
I've been nanny-ing for some very sweet girls, Talia and Charlotte. They are seven and four and perfect. Right now we're making a quilt out of some of those STUNNING imitation Chinese silks that they sell at Joann's... you know the ones!

I've also been working a lot on my beautiful new sewing machine, which was a gift from Pamy Wiley. Every time I sew on it, my heart hums a little. And that is a good kind of heart humming. Making lots of quilts and experimenting with the million stitches that are on the machine... what a treat! up there is a little tiny thingy-ding that I made yesterday for our friend Elisabeth, her birthday is soon.

*** We're planning a winter trunkshow! stay tuned about that one. hand made for lovely you + your lovely home.

We have applied for a big grant for LOOP IT UP! I'm waiting to hear news about that. If we do get the grant, I might get to do this -- teach + coordinate the program/materials center for my JOB! which would be SPECTACULAR! fingers crossed for that one. Next week (Vacations OVER!!!) I'm going to start writing a little curriculum, mission statement/philosophy ... good stuff that will make Loop It Up more accessible and easier to pass along to other people in other parts of the community.

Very happy to be here, with my family and good friends. very excited to get back to SAV. not much is better than having good work to do, many things to make, a fabulous apartment with LYNZ + JILLY + BUB + THE WILEYS and the sun shining almost every single day when we wake up.


Ingrid Michaelson says, "I'll sew on patches to everything you tear. Cause I, love, you more that I could ever promise..."

tuesday

****here is one of Flannery's twin nephews, snoozing with a little bird.

teaching as usual, getting ( a little) ready to leave Savannah in a few days, trying not to feel panicked.

Senior show, moving....UPdates!

These are the postcards from the fibers senior show which was BEAUTIFUL + last week!


We're all moved in!!! Lynsey, Jill, Dom, Derrick, TJ, Inu and + spent a very HOT muggy sunday moving into our new place! I have a few things over at the old house still, but for the most part we're all done! Perhaps the very best part of the house-- aside from that it is OURS!! is that we have a studio! in which I plan to get to work, at long last!

My good friend Flannery has moved in for a few weeks while she works on a special project! GET THIS: Andre Leon Tally-- editor in chief of VOGUE came thru durring the fibers senior show and loved all the work. As it all pans out, he is taking Flannery, Lizzie, Iona and Cherise along with Cayewah to NY to meet Vera Wang, Ruben and Isabel Toledo and other fashion people..... OH MY!
I guess you really never know what is going to happen next!!

Cay's bell tower

***this is what I made for Cayewah to celebrate the beautiful NEW fibers building!
front and back.

**** um, could we possibly be ANY cuter??

a picture that my friend Andrea took on the recent FIBERS trip to CAMBODIA!

New Year, new air, images, places

My dad just sent me the most awesome collection of images, these by Edel Rodriguez, a Cuban illustrator were among them. How totally sweet!

savannah ga continues to be the most beautiful place i have ever been.

fiber is fabulous.

SHOW!!! TOMORROW!!!

hey gang---

all is well in trunkshow land....

the show is tomorrow!!

11am- 4pm 59 massasoit street northampton--- the WICK's house!!

MAP!!
***there will be a neighboring show at Lynn Madison's big orange house.... right across the street! 12-5pm
more local art! more good friends!

good news:

1. rachel wick just got into SMITH!!!

2. jenny scheerer is soon to have baby # 2!!

3. the nields + the black rebels are playing at the IRON HORSE tomorrow night.... NOT together, but at 7 + 10 pm respectivly. I hope to go to both. I hope you come too! [ "we're gonna laugh and we're gonna dance. I'm gonna hold you like my only chance..."]

4. it's december, we're getting a new deal for christmas and everything is going to be just fine!!

5. BARACK OBAMA!!! I'm still not over it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. the show! tomorrow! see you then!!!

F is for FIBER ( and February, too!)

Greetings All---
today is one of those exceptionally beautiful southern days, I've been out in a tank top, which even after all this tine, feel remarkable! IT'S FEBRUARY THIRD!!!!!!!!! February is a really exciting month for all of us here, the Fibers department is featured in ShopSCAD, a chic boutique of student, faculty and alumni work. ASLO: we have out open studio coming up in a few weeks... lot's of excitement surrounding that. I;m working on developing a good fundraiser for the fibers club, something easy and fun that could be made in mass quantities in just a few weeks. I was thinking that little pins with "Fiber is Good" or "I think I love fibers" or "F is for Fiber" might be a good idea. Cayewah suggested making a set of note cards with images from people's sketch and process books on the front. I think this is a marvelous idea as well, we would call them process cards. so, the next few weeks are going to be full of fabu studio production.

FIRST, however I'm doing a trunk show. It's next Saturday in my house on east 35th street. it will feature some really awesome work, including VALENTINES by Brooke Allen, Janelle Proulx, Jessica Rogers, Lexi Paladino, Mim Shafer, Marsha Lieberman ans Me. Books, earrings, cards, dog leashes, hats. ipod cases, magnets, flags and more. If you are in town, stop by. it should be a really good day.
I was going to post my 2008 Valentines on the etsy site, but have decided not to because I have a limited number of sets and I want to be sure that there is enough for the show. BUT, if you-- mostly Northampton Folks--- would like to buy a set, let me know and I can send them. The picture above is of the two types that I've made-- they each are made from beautiful canson paper and have decorative paper hearts stitched on and one of two simple messages. I wrote "Soul Journey" on the red ones because those colors reminded me of luminous old maps. "Milagro," the message on the yellow cards, means miracle in spanish. Each set has 4 cards and envelopes, you may choose a combo set, a soul journey set or a milagro set.

Alright, I have to go do a little image research. Happy super-bowl sunday.... Brooke and Chris and I are making spinich pie and Baklava and then going over to my friend Jessica's house for a potluck dinner, during which the game will most likely, not be watched...... enjoy your day, football or not, I hope it's glorious.