The light-colored patches on the shoulders, and the dark red and blue fabric on the fronts were woven by our grandmother. Lots of mojo in this one.
Shield, completed July 2012.
Repurposed family and commercial fabrics. Private collection. I'm really pleased with this jacket for my sister. It includes fabrics symbolic of many family members, and on the back is a photransfer of a watercolor by our mother. Most of my jackets get names; this one is Shield. Shield, back view.
Copyright Bobbe Shapiro Nolan
2012 Here's the back view. The taupe colored fabric surrounding the watercolor is hand dyed with indigo and I don't remember what else. (I think it was our drop cloth on the table at Folk Festival; at closing we just poured any leftover dyes onto the cloth and waited to see what we'd get.) It complments the quiet colors of the waterscape very nicely.
The light-colored patches on the shoulders, and the dark red and blue fabric on the fronts were woven by our grandmother. Lots of mojo in this one.
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Years ago my mother took a watercolor class, and painted this land/waterscape. It might have been nostalgia for her native Minnesota, or a memory of something more recent (since she lived on Puget Sound). In any case, the little fisherperson in the rowboat has been sitting in my closet for a very long time. Now I'm beginning work on a jacket for my sister in Florida, and I've printed this onto cloth to be part of the garment. It will be accompanied by embroidery done by my grandmother and dyed with indigo, and surrounded by all shades of reds and a few blues. I had the wonderful opportunity yesterday to donate stash fabrics to a group going to a Native American reservation to teach arts and crafts. I filled five liquor boxes with pieces I'll never use, diminishing my stash by almost half. In the process, I rediscovered all these great red/purple/orange fabrics that will be perfect for the jacket. So now I have to go get the perfect lining fabric and get started. I love diving into a new project. Plus, now there's room in my stash closet to fold everything neatly and fit it all in. I may yet achieve some kind of order, even though I recognize it will be transient.
Oh, happy day! The granddaughter and her family came up on Monday and took possession of my silver PT Cruiser. So now, half the garage is empty, and I have plans. The laundry machines are already in place; there's a small hand sink and some cabinets, and a powder room. I intend to clean it up, have a bigger, double sink put in, do some weather-stripping and install a window air conditioner and decent lighting. With some help from son Philip, I can transform the area into a functional wet studio. Of course, the detritus of the past 18 years sits all over the garage. Cleaning up will be a big challenge; I may wait till the weather is cooler. Or, I could do some work early in the morning, before the temp reaches 90, and get a start on the project. The garage has an attic also. I don't even want to think about what we put up there when we moved in (and haven't visited since). I do remember that the movers, upon noting the cross-country skis and snowshoes, asked, "You planning to get a lot of use out of these?" This is what happens when a couple of Minnesotans move to east Texas. Here's a view of the wall with the sink. I think this has a lot of promise. Phil has offered to build me a rolling island with storage bins and a big, clear countertop for a main work area. We will make this higher than a normal counter (I'm tall and tired of bending over). I will have to take pledge that it cannot become a deposit area for junk. Neatness and order, yes. My basic instinct recognizes that I never met a flat surface I couldn't fill up, as you can readily see from the photos. Feeling resolute and virtuous, I will begin the cleanup tomorrow morning. I think. |
AuthorBobbe Shapiro Nolan, Fiber Artist in Eagle Lake, TX. Trying to learn to call the sewing room my studio, and myself an artist. I retired after 15 years in hospice nursing--so now I have the time!. Archives
July 2021
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