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

oh yeah, the rest of our lives!

So, despite the blizzard yesterday we had our second trunkshow. It was lovely. Katherine First came and played her fiddle. It was a wonder.

Today we have been layin low, cleaning the house, walking the dogs, trying to get everthing ELSE in our lives back together!

Most importantly for me, it's time to work on the LOOP IT UP SAV book!
I've been doing some research and thinking about it, and I think that we will make a small edition of hand made books (me and the kiddos) and then print an edition of oh, say 100 which can also come with us to ACC Baltimore.

Here are a few wonderful things and then I'm going to have to sign off for the day:

1. Brandi Carlisle who we LOVE in 526 sings, "just when you think you've had enough, your dreams come true."

2. James!



3. Peter Doliber, director of my YMCA and dear dear friend/ visionary just wrote to me, "both respect and esteem are built. But I am way more concerned with respect."

4. Isolina says, "we may not be able to love you enough to fill the void... but shit, we'll try."

5. Bub and Lu sleep on. soon i will to.

another day

Pam and I have this on going discussion about how when your dog wakes up in the morning their mind is filled with nothing except, "oh my... another day...." -- none of the worries or other complicated thoughts that creep into our heads shockingly soon after awakening. Somehow, in these days off, I am trying to be like that too.

so here is what happened in this day (with out any particular effort, plan)











and tomorrow will be another one.

don't want to think about what i don't have. just wanna worry bout what i got...

look at this cute thing that Jill found on swiss-miss.com!

I'm listening to the nields, slowly resurfacing from finals week + the compiled madness of it all.

Today is to be the beginning of a (hopefully productive) pretty exciting work week, before Riva and I head to MA. Pamy is flying back to the USA from France right now, so little Wiley will be heading back to the isalnd soon. I will be missing him! But it is going to be incredibly good to see Pamela! Lexi got back yesterday too!


Today, after we go out for a nice long walk will be a YMCA work day. We are planning to bring LOOP to two more locations in January... I need to start that process. Today, I'm planning to swing by the Gadsen Elementary School and the Hodge Memorial Daycare center. Both are near the YMCA and would be great places to build a materials center and give classes! (fingers crossed, about all that...)

Also, these next few days are for the making of as much as possible. We are having TWO holiday shows.

The first is DECEMBER 5 at Sarah and Hosie's
The second is DECEMBER 13 at the WICKS!

Every day is for the making of as much as possible, but especially the next 5.

one of the beautiful Gee's Bend Quilters said, "take what you have and make what you want."

Good Things: Right Now!

I feel like I have long talked and thought about the concept of "good things ahead". It is a reassuring way to get ourselves to carry on, and feel okay about it.
This past week has been a pile of those good things coming to actually pass.

Maybe I already told you, but Loop It Up Savannah got its grant! This makes it possible to go on and grow and do good work in more parts of Savannah, as well as continue what is already happening!

In the light of suddenly being funded, I decided to apply to the American Craft Council School to Market Program to do an artist book about LOOP, and everything that has happened to us in the last year. It will be a coloboration with all of the kids and families and community members.... should be very wonderful. It will include curriculum and all that good stuff.

I am overwhelmed and happy because I feel like this projet is the key, and I'm about to embark on something that I have always wanted to do!

ALSO: of import my friend Audrey just (today!) opened a beautiful little store called "The French Knot" - it is a "stitch boutique!" how completely wonderful. everything is set up by COLOR. I am in LOVE and I know that Pamela and Lexi will be too when they get back here and see it!

well, off to write some -- ooh la la-- financial and expansion plans.....

Halloween, and 87 degrees!

We found ourselves at Lynsey's horseshow today. Halloween, 87 degrees at least.
this little piggy (Brummel Dominic Zoltner) was so good the whole time!





"I love you so much I could eat you mumma"

we've decided to try to do a book about LOOP IT UP, and bring it to the American Craft Council Show this year! 1-2-3 GO!

I've, yet again, avoided the halloween shenanigans...... it is a little insane around here. Everyone is running around half naked. I sometimes block out what halloween feel like now because it was so much better as a kid and that is what I choose to remember.

Tomorrow is homework, making, CLEANING OUR HOUSE!

saturday can be a good good day.

Today has been lovely.

I work up to Jilly cleaning the house. De-dogging is a very important piece of the week for us--- we're again up to three.
And to a chilly, surprisingly autumnal morning! Riva and Topo and I took a nice long walky-walk in which we did not break into a sweat! probably the las time THAT happened was last winter in Massachusetts!

We went to the farmers market, the bean, brighter day....... all the best places for a saturday morning.

In cool weather, there is nothing better than cooking and making.... here are some pieces of dinner:



now; off to sew a little.
LOOP IT UP on Monday!! LET THE WILD RUMPUS BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(we saw where the wild things are last night... it would appear...)

hmmm.

I feel perfectly calm until I think of the dozen or so people who I have neglected to call back in the past week. I love you. it has been a little bit of a constant week here in savannah GA.
School started, History of Fabric is good and more reading than I think I have managed to do in the past 3 years!
La La LOOP is marching right along! Jill and Lynz came over to the Y on tuesday and the kids all said " how come you all got that thing in your nose....???" -- referring to all three of our noses being pierced and indeed, having something in them! Cayewah refers to our house as the "pierced nose palace"

I've started up working at the store again too... it has been real fun to reconnect with everyone there. Especially my buddy Jerry who is now the assistant store manager. I am of course always going on + on about Loop It Up and I learned the other day that Jerry started a whole LIBRARY in Tennessee with simmilar intentions as LOOP! He used to manage a Barnes and Noble store. At may book stores, when a book or magazine "expires" they tear off the cover and throw out the body of the book. YIPES! sounds terrible, but it is routine policy in the US of A. Jerry got permission from BN and began saving the coverless books. He began sending them to kids who read the books, and then drew covers of their own! Eventually, they built an entire library which is housed in a prison some where in rural Tennessee.
I am reminded again of this movie which I still haven't seen that Marie Frank told me about --- The Gleaners and Me -- about those of us who live or work off of the things that other people leave behind.

So, we'll be easy from now on.

I am hoping that the coming week is made of well spent days. I am pretty certain that it will be.

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.

One day in savannah ga

Things are falling into place. I wrote an outline, Cayewah wrote a really good letter applying for some funding from the Hodge Foundation of Savannah GA for LOOP IT UP. Peter and Howard have been helping to edit it. All that is left to do now is SOMEHOW get all the essential signatures on it and then send it on in. done done done. This however, is a little trickier than you might think. I am here in Florence Massachusetts. Cayewah is in California. Howard in in Savannah. somehow, between scanners, fax machines and good will, it should all be together in the next few days.

I've been saying for some time now that I will begin the process of writing a philosophy and curriculum for loop it up. lastnight I finally got the idea to do it like an artist book. and then, began writing today:

Loop It Up Savannah. One Day In Savannah GA.
The Savannah Community Materials Collection.
This is my true life’s work.
Molly Green Lieberman, written as tina said, with every fiber of my being

1.
My good friend Kait, an artist, a preschool art teacher, said to me earlier tonight, “I believe that anyone who sees hears feels or knows something and then makes in response to it and then they feel fulfilled and happy, even if it is just for a second, is an artist.”
I have long puzzled over what makes an artist. Or perhaps, more relevantly, what causes someone to believe that they are not an artist?
Most likely, there are many explanations about this, and my purpose is not to analyze or even to discover and address them. However, I can tell you what I have learned from working with the children of Savannah GA. When given the opportunity to become fluent with materials-- to explore, play, look and really see, wonder and eventually make, even the most down- trodden and exhausted child begins to see themselves as an artist.


so thats a start. jenny lewis says: as for those days that act as markers in your life, but inbetween, you can't remember....

and so, pressing on. pressing right on.

surprise!

*** Not really sure how I came across this, but apparently there is a bakery/ children's charity in Illinois called MOLLY'S CUPCAKES. How fitting, right mom?

feeling thankful for :

- a sunny day today

- the friendly people at the Vet... even though we spent $150, it was a nice experience

- little drop in visits from Elena, Cheyanne + Rita

- Mary Calucci offering to help Cayewah and I with the Loop It Up grant proposal

- Cayewah taking my scribbling and ideas and writing a beautiful concise something or another (she always does this! I have a pile of them in my bottom desk drawer)

- A lovely burrito night with Kait

- Pamy Wiley giving me a sturdy leg to stand on when ever I lose both of my own

- my sister is coming home this weekend

- My mom and dad

- another shot,again and again every blinking blooming day

this really broke my heart a little bit

just had a good long talk with Pamy. learned many things including one sad thing which is that some guys broke into the Y last week and when they couldn't find any money, they just trashed the place. I have never been sure if I believe in god or not, but anytime that I do it is because of my friends at the Y and how truly good they are and how much they work on doing the right thing.

I think that the next work will be about devotion. There is true love and devotion in a lot of places that we don't always realize. I hope that we can teach eachother and ourselves to have better eyes so that we may one day see it.

do yourself a favor and listen to "The Way I am" by ingrid michaelson. it's a sweet sweet song and it will make you fall in love all over again.

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..."

Loop It UP!!! WHAT WHAT???

so we had our little art show last week!

LOOP IT UP ART SHOW!!

well, my life is flying by a little quicker every day! Much much going on, mostly making quilts and teaching art to some really awesome kids.
I have become "the art teacher"...

just look at them!

Antonio, sewing a little rhino

Michael + Alana, being a little silly

This will make your heart smile!

here is a cute little video of two of my students at the YMCA. Tajee and Vandell came to the studio early last week to help me get the materials ready for the Boys and Girls Club students...
check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh4kna9oSTs

This has been one of the most busy times yet! things seem to get a little faster every day, but I love and miss you all.

An Incredible Project

*** My good friend Cayewah just sent me a link for a very cool project. The Holocaust Museum of Huston Texas is doing an exhibit to remember the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust. The I Never saw Another Butterfly project invites artists of all ages to create a hand made butterfly in any medium and send it in to the museum by June 30th.

Way more info at this site:
http://fiberartcalls.blogspot.com/2009/02/butterfly-project.html

We're planning to do this project with the LOOP IT UP kids.

today is a sunny sunny day in Savannah GA.

"there's 15 miles til the promised land, and I promise you I'm doing the best I can..."

LOOP IT UP news....

****** Ali + Tajae



HEY GANG--

I just wanted to post the email that I sent around to the fibers dept concerning loop it up

if you would like to get involved or need more info contact me or check out the blog-- http://www.loopitupsavannah.blogspot.com/



here is the letter:

I'm trying to get a sense of how many people are interested in helping with the Loop It Up Savannah program which we started last quarter. There are several parts of this project with which we could really use your help.

The first is of course, teaching knitting and/or crocheting classes to local kids at the YMCA. I'm still working out logistics, but we will probably structure the class schedule much as we did this past fall. there would be a group which meets mon/wed 4:30-5:45 and another group which meets tues/thurs 4:30-5:45. ideally, teachers would be available on both days in the set... but we can work things out to fit your schedule. Classes are off to a great start and the kids are really really great! we mostly just need more teachers!

If you are unable to help with teaching, but would still like to be part of this project let me know!! We could use help with a handful of things, some even as easy as roling yarn balls! I'm hoping to make some loop it up bags for the kids to store their knitting stuff in-- early on in the quarter, before classes start and also, I would like the incorperate a "stitch diary" componant into the class--- sort of a process book, sketchbook, work book thing for them to get involved in and be proud of................ I'd LOVE some help with ideas for this and with actually putting the books together.

thank you thank you! official sign up sheets will be available when we get back to school, but I'm trying to get the word out nice + early, so that we can really get going with this ASAP. please pass this along to anyone that you think might be interested!