Got back from the CNCH Fashion Show last night, with Autumn Splendor’s first ribbon in tow: “Most Original”! I like that a lot, as that’s exactly how I want to live my life. Not necessarily different for different’s sake (I think that’s kind of silly), but having lots of adventures, trying new things, and regularly stepping out of the rut of everyday life. There is such a thing as magical, and touching that magic, especially in original work, is what I strive for.
At any rate, here is a photo of Autumn Splendor with its spanking-new ribbon:
(And yes, that’s Kodachrome in the background.)
I’m pleased to say that The Fuzz is eating well and appears to be in great spirits. He’s still a bit more wobbly on his feet, but it doesn’t seem to be slowing him down much, at least compared to previously. (He is a twenty-year-old cat, after all, and spends most of his time sleeping.) He has discovered the heating pad we set out for him (under Mike’s desk, his favorite hiding spot) and is spending much of his time there in comfy bliss. So I think he’s going to be fine. How wonderful!!
I spent some time volunteering, some time wandering through the vendor halls, and quite a bit of time backstage prepping for the Fashion Show. In the vendor hall, they had set Giovanna Imperia, John Marshall, and Habu Textiles together in a clump – the “Bermuda Triangle” for my wallet! However, I managed to restrain myself, and only bought some skeins of superfine silk tram to use as weft for Phoenix Rising. It will be a pain in the butt to wind from skeins onto bobbins, but I’d have to do that anyway since I have to dye the yarn. At least I can spare myself the skeinwinding!
John Marshall was also kind enough to give me a cone of monofilament silk to play with. This is an incredibly fine silk – even finer than the organzine I was looking at earlier – meant as a sacrificial weft for screen printing warps. You weave the fabric very loosely (one pick every inch or so) and then print on the resulting “fabric” without removing the warp from the loom. Bonnie Inouye also recommended this method to me, and I think I will try it. The monofilament is very fine and breaks easily when you want it to, but is strong enough to hold the “fabric” together for printing. I’m looking forward to playing with it.
In house-land, I’ve sprayed down the weeds in the front yard, and (if they are sufficiently dead) will spread compost on the yard today. I still haven’t decided whether to spade in the compost – I’ll probably go over, try it to see just how difficult it is, and decide from there. If I don’t spade it in, I’ll plant the grass and clover seed directly in the compost, which should be fairly quick. And after that – who knows?
Have you ever thought of offering some designs for a wedding dress or perhaps approach South Asians communities in North American who may be open to contemporary fusion style saris in terms of design? I can also see for the Muslim community (in Saudi Arabia), where a contemporary woman who still wants to be modest to cover her head, but has some money to pay for fabric women in such wonderfully arresting colours! Think about it…the women tend to have dark hair, dark eyes,…..just perfect to off-set jewel tones of your fabric.
congratulations on your “most original” award–it’s well-deserved!