Costume capers

Costume capers, originally uploaded by jckirner.

I"m dancing a delicate line here.

My 11 year old, desperate for a costume to mimic her favorite manga character, has taken matters into her own hands. (the $100 commercial versions being a touch too pricey!)


I am blocked by my internal schooling into what's "the right way to do things" no doubt tattooed to my being from years raised with the professional seamstress mom. (love ya' mom, and I always hear your voice in the corners of my brain with pointers on how 'we would do it')

I revel in the freeform way my daughter attacks the fabric, breaking down problems step by step. Straight lines - who cares! match the thread - who cares. Doesn't fit - who cares - I have a seam ripper and I can add more fabric if I need to. Proportions off - who cares - it has the details important to her.

She's delighting in her comfort with the sewing machine - jumping on it with every whim of creation. Learning by doing. Sharing with her friends, creating for them. Adding details in big chunky hand stitching. Working with what she has.

I learn constantly with the kids around daily. Their infectious approach to doing - their resistance to imposed perfection - joy in creating.

So I dance a delicate line - trying to keep out of their process and just step in with a bit of guidance but not the rigid answer of 'how to do things'.

Journal zentangle

Journal zentangle, originally uploaded by jckirner.

After the tapering down of the Girl Scout cookie sales we enjoyed houseguests for several days.

My creative productivity curtailed with that, yet there was time to doodle a bit. Black & white play this time.

Zentangle

zentangle, originally uploaded by jckirner.

Jumping on the bandwagon - as seen on numerous blogs, and even featured in a recent Cloth Paper Scissors magazine (or perhaps it was Quilting Arts).

My quasi-daily journal pages have been taken over with little doodle drawings.

delicate softness

delicate softness, originally uploaded by jckirner.

The aging indigo vat is yielding softer blues. So very beautiful and subtle. Here overdyed silk.

On the side I'm devouring my reference books, learning more about the indigo and other dyeing processes. The quick indigo kit (Indigo Dye Kit- Natural Indigo Clothing Dye Method), in its shorthand instructions, leaves me curious to know the 'don'ts' that lead to disappointing results. Ah! Chemistry! The bain of my college experience.

Blue cotton

Blue cotton, originally uploaded by jckirner.

A few more bits in the dye pot today.

And some casually pieced flag shapes. (not quite Union Jacks, but inspired by...)

Velvet indigo'd

Velvet indigo'd, originally uploaded by jckirner.

Velvet's dry!! Very subtle result - lovely color.

Will be working on the photos to capture the details.

Indigo results

Indigo results, originally uploaded by jckirner.

Softer blue than I expected. Worth doing again with more dunkings to see how dark the blue can become.

Simple tied resist and clamped resist on cotton muslin.

Waiting for results

Velvet stitched and gathered, originally uploaded by jckirner.

Indigo vat 2 - first session today.

Things are drying - impatiently waiting the results!!

Quiet Sunday piecing

Quiet Sunday piecing, originally uploaded by jckirner.

Not that the title should lead you astray - Sunday was quite chaotic.

Early though, there was the quiet morning, before the rest of the household woke, where I took time to piece strips of worn clothes.

I like the shadows and stitch marks where pockets were removed, the rippled distortion where flat fabric molded around bodies as they moved.