Yesterday my Man and I started the day early by walking up to Cafe Pedlar. I have been collecting images of coffee from them and really like this one.

Then we walked down through Red Hook to go food shopping at Fairway. On our return trip I snapped this photo. I love hearing birds pass by overhead.

It seems Hankies will be a continued affection for me (I would also say obsession). And because I wanted to see how the stencil I cut this weekend would look, I printed this hankie blank. Generally, I like it. I think the roses appear a bit too fragmented because I was hesitant to cut the 'bridges' that are necessary to maintain in the integrity of a good stencil. I am wanting to create a multicolored stencil, so I am going to cut another set and this time I will work harder to 'get' the roses right.

I have begun to start painting again. I don't know about you but when I engage in an idea, I love to research it. So I began thinking about calico, tiny florals and tone on tone fabrics. Little did I know that the term calico refers to plain woven cloth and not small floral prints, as I had thought. hmmm.

It dawned on me that I am trained in Textile/Surface Design and that I love decorative art. So that makes me think it would be great to embrace the decorative elements of textile design in my art. Why didn't this occur to me before?

So yesterday I sat and cut a small floral stencil. Now I can use this ditty again and again and in so many ways. Yippee.

When I first graduated from The Fashion Institute, I got a job working with fine artists. We started talking about decorative art and I got the impression that decorative art is frowned upon, self indulgent and has no real place in the world of art. Fooey. I love cloth, I am trained in the creation of it, I have been learning to draw and paint in light of my training at F.I.T and I love to sew. I no longer need that old, judgmental and confining idea in my mental toolbox. I dedicate these next few months to exploring decorative elements in my painting, sewing and art. I can't fight it and why should I?

Make no mistake about it, this is the year of the PJ's. I pronounce myself, Queen of Comfort.

Last week, Arrow was under the weather, a few people have asked about him and as he is so important to me, I figured I would give an update. Arrow got through whatever was bothering him and is his lovey-dove self again. They sure do know how to pull our heartstrings. I like the above photo because I see quiet in Arrow's eye. I have always wished we both spoke the same language and I could hear what he was saying. At the same time it is fabulous that we don't.

Someone asked for unadorned photos without any artistic perspectives. Someone just wants to see what I am working on. So here you go.

But really, I wanted to point out what folks have been doing with this idea over at the Rockstar Boro pool on Flickr. Like Lyric, Ilene has been reconstructing old clothing and reinvigorating it. I am impressed with her serged seams and love what she is doing. She says she has been wearing it a bunch and is eyeing other clothing in her closets!

You may also want to check out this, this and this. I can't link up to every photo but it is impressive to see what folks are doing with the idea. Head over there, check all of them out.

This is my first 'working day' of the new year. My Man was home for the week between Christmas and New Years, including yesterday. I love being able to spend extended periods of time with my guy.

I had wanted to do a post about the change of the year and all that entails but I can't. Last year is a blur. I feel as though I didn't have much of a year and I feel like I had a very full year where I learned a lot and did as much. What I can say is that last year taught me that I have more friends and acquaintances than I could have known. I am grateful and happy to know this and to have you in my life. So many people followed me through my journey with cancer, commented, followed me through facebook and commented, sent me cards, gifts, hats, good vibes and thoughts. I made it through with panache and incredible support. All I can really say is, 'Thank You'. And here is to a happier, easier and less doctor-centric New Year!

I started painting again today. I am going to put the wrap down for a few days and allow myself some creative breathing room.

I am really enjoying working on this wrap and blogging each day this month. My sense of time and my ability to apply myself to a task has changed, I love the internet, love reading blogs and checking in on facebook, but I need time to sew, to paint, to engage with myself. I need time for walks.

I have been partaking in all of these things in the last couple of days but I have also been sewing. It feels good.

I bought some new needles this weekend. I asked friends on facebook what their favorite needles are, and Deborah said, Jeana Kimbal. I am putting together an order. I have a weakness for buying hand sewing needles. I like new brands, type and uses. I bought some Clover Gold Eye Milliners, No. 3-9, and I like them. They are sturdy, long (they are milliners needles) and the eye is big enough for most of the flosses I am using right now. They are not a subtle needle. Good needles are truly good needles, these are worker bee needles.

I like how the stitches are piling up.

Think a few good thoughts for Arrow. He is a bit under the weather.

Alright, I started embroidering the lace and I like what is happening. I especially like the red on the 'tape' in the upper left. I think I will continue doing that for sure. I am not so sure about the dark green on the vines, but I am not ripping it, the velvet would not like being ripped and is too fragile.

Now, I like the rose but feel its leaves need some oomph. And perhaps the rose needs a definite stem, which it doesn't have.

Cheryl, I will sew the snaps on soon, but I do think the lace will look lovely tucked behind the ties, or straps, I don't really know what to call them.

And here is a message from the World of the City.

I have moved forward on the lace. I have begun to embroider it on using the Valdini threads (which are scrumptious). My mom commented yesterday that perhaps this addition will be too heavy or might compete with the rose embroidery. I heard you Mom! I am going to work this and make sure it looks integrated.

Speaking of my Mom (and Dad), I was given some Punjammies (I love saying this word). I mention this because of the blue cloth seen in the photo above. That cloth is a bag, made to contain the PJ bottoms and will become a much loved addition to my travel as I sew kit.

I love the PJs that go with the bag. I found them through Pinterest. These PJ's help fund a program to help women acquire skills after living a life in forced prostitution. I have made a personal vow to wear patterns (I do call myself a textile/surface designer, right?). So while wearing these PJs, I am also helping women on the other side of our planet.

When I picked this grey hankie out of the pile, I fell in love. Look at how well loved this piece of cloth is and it has survived and found its way to me.

Should I so this down or not? It is too white? Too dominant? What would happen if I embroidered it on using red floss?

After receiving the linens from Ricë, I have been sorting, shuffling and reorganizing. This means I have been coming across stuff. It also means I have been handling the 'stuff of women'. I imagine what Ricë bought was her friends' hope chest items. Some of which I plan to use. The pillowcases are fabulous and won't wear thin for years to come and are just too pretty or too much time was put into them not to use them.

These seem to be kitchen towels, which will be used as cloth, perhaps even shirting material. I love the embroidered work on them.

Most of what I was sent are hankies, which I will use as hankies, in my artwork, and to dye. Many of the hankies are really pocket squares (of the womanly sort). But from what I can tell pocket squares and hankies are an interchangeable idea-the same name for a hemmed square. This needs to be looked into. Some of the squares have fancy lace edging, which makes me think they are pocket squares, while others have usable cloth right up to the hemmed edge. Did you know there were so many ways to fold a pocket square?

Today is an Arrow day. I celebrate this little cat, who has been my best friend for a very long time. We got him some Greenies for Christmas. He loves these things like no other, I have never seen him love a treat as much. He is my eighteen year old cat friend and I would like him to be very happy.

I was given this collar in the stack of linens and hankies. I think I will be working with clothing a lot this year. I don't know what this collar is saying to me right now but I hear it mumbling.

This tracing hid on me last week, I lost it completely one night. There is a side effect of the cancer treatments called chemo brain, which I have I have been struggling with. A mental fog challenges me, I make do and compensate, writing notes so that I can hook back into a job or idea. My hope is that I will work my brain so hard that new alleys will open up to me and I will regain functions I have come to rely upon. It is not easy to face changes in mental function, sometimes (like when I loose things I need and cannot find them again) or when I am sitting in front of the computer and I completely loose a train of thought and cannot remember what or why I am sitting there, I feel a sense of panic.

Loosing this piece of paper was quite a struggle for me. So when it resurfaced, in my color pencil box, I was happy and relieved.

They say this will pass and I am glad for that too. I rely on them and what they say!

Another box made it to Casa Melly. I am feeling a sense of Largess Beyond Measure.

And I mean, just look at that picture up there. What humble hankie could stand up to the shiny hussie from France. I mean. There are flowers, ribbons and charmeuse all in one darned hankie. Pretty good if you ask me. But there are hundreds of Hankies in this gift. Hundreds.

Life is changing. The tools, my thoughts. It is time for me to start sharing! In the new year I will open up about my plans.

Look at the color here. I have been giving much thought to textures here in New York City. I am taking photographs and cataloging my experience. It is fun. I am happy to be alive. I am happy to be able.

We have been meandering again. I love meandering the city. When was the last time you saw this font?

I feel blessed, like roses in December. Thank you.

I couldn't blog yesterday. I got tired and went with it.

I have been having fun. Behind the scenes fun. I feel like I am re-entering life. Time has changed this year. Or the way I have experienced time has changed. It feels good to walk among the bustle, be a little cold, wear a hat.

I love the theme of Rockstar. I keep asking myself, "What would Janis do?" And what I mean when I ask that is, what other way is there to do this? I am in essence asking myself to sew, paint, draw differently. It has been a fun adventure. I look forward to seeing where it goes.

Am I crazy for liking the lighting in this photo? I am calling it, moody.

Ricë sent me a bird hanky. It is a very delicate screen print on silk. I love the feel of it. It will be a fiddle with, not use, sort of Hankie. I love hankies, don't you? I tuck them into all of my coat pockets. I love tootin my snozzle in linen! You should experience this too.

Hop on the hankie bandwagon, will you?

Ok wait. This week I was given two hot tools, tools that work with heat, that is. A L'orna Decorative Touch Wand Hot-fix Embellisher. (Is the name of this tool suggestive or is it just me? I mean it is confusing, to say the least). And a more aptly named, Creative Versa-Tool and you know, creative goes without saying, it shouldn't be a selling point.

Parts and pieces of cigar boxes....

So there is a convergence of new tools and media happening over here. Change is happening. I can't wait to show you.

And ya know what? I bet if Janis were asked if she would rather sew rhinestones by hand or use a L'orna Decorative Touch Wand Hot-fix Embellisher, I think I know what her response would be. What do you think she would say?

And also, check this out.

I may well be dotty this week. I will be visiting family and don't I don't want to carry my computer or have a responsibility. I like blogging more often and will be taking up the habit again. It feels good to be able!

So, lets see what I come up with for the two hot tools.

I fell in love with two local stores this year, Mongo Mongo, whose website does not do it justice. And Swallow. That was fun.

The internet is a huge, extended family. We each live closer to our fellows because of it. Jude Hill puts it all out there, opening up her thoughts on sewing, cloth, creation and making. I love her blog, I love her work, her freedom and spontaneity. In fact I am taking her Beasts class right now (though I will do a real write up about it in another post). Go take that class, it is on Sale Right NOW!

But the long and short of it is that Jude turned me on to Glennis Dolce, an exquisite shibori and indigo dyer.

There are some of Glennis's Shibori Ribbons in the loot from yesterday. Although it feels almost sacrilegious to use the ribbon, and by that I mean ironing it flat and cutting it to fit an area of my Rockstar Wrap, it also feels sacrilegious not to use such a beautiful piece of cloth. So this fabric now lives in the sleeve of my wrap.

Pretty stitching. Pretty cloth. Shiny. Pretty. Maybe some of Jude and Glennis's offerings will end up in a shopping cart with your name on it.

I received a package in the mail today. I haven't gotten permission to state her name, so I won't. But when I went down to greet the mailman and take this box up to the apartment, I sort of thought. This is bloggable. And I know that I am supposed to be talking about my Rockstar Boro project, but it is my blog and I create the rules here, right? I mean, I am committed to blogging every-single-day during the month of December and well, this gift sorta knocked me off game, in a very special way.

Each of the boxes were wrapped in cloth. Scrumptious cloth.

And when I opened the boxes up, it was as if I had gone shopping and had had some fun. Every item is something I would have gotten for myself.

And I must say. I have been struggling as a textile artist since my diagnosis. I don't think I want to use dye anymore. And that leaves me in a state of panic, in a way. What else can I do? My friend was inspired to send me these things because of my Rockstar project. And the project is working. It is making me open up to ideas that up until I started stitching, hadn't been able to come to the surface. I have been excited, and this is good, because I want to feel excited about cloth again.

And healing tears of joy washed down my face, because. Well. There are some gorgeous supplies in this pile of stuff. So now that I have shared my greatest fear as an artist and have felt a torrent of love from a friend, I think it is time to see if any of this swag will be the next great piece of cloth added to the beautiful, magical, rockstar jacket.

So yesterday I asked about transferring a drawing to the velvet in order to embroider a design. You guys came up with some really good links! Thank you. Deanna offered these two (link one, link two), both of which have been bookmarked-great resources.

But you know, part of this project is about pushing past my own expectations. In a Rockstar like way. I mean, What Would Janis do? I started thinking this through in light of thinking about using a tear away stabilizer. But then I thought, It almost feels like the velvet gives no relief. Then I remembered the links Ricé had on her blog a few weeks back. And I cooked up a half baked idea. I hope it works.

And Lyric is doing something that Really Works. Check it out.

Everything above this is eye candy. What I really want to talk about it technique.

How do you transfer an embroidery design to velvet? I want to hand embroider this design. What you are looking at is a Duralar stencil and a trace paper drawing of a rose. I have a chalk marker thingie but it is made to be used on straight or slightly sloped lines. Pairing that chalk tool with this stencil is apples to oranges. Suggestions? Links to videos? how-to's?

I have to interrupt the Rockstar Boro program, for this dalliance of an acrylic nature. I found this small piece of wood on the beach a few weeks back. It is a portion of a cigar box, that came home and was immediately gessoed and put aside. Last night I started working it and today, after sending my FINAL Book Edits to my publisher, I had to reward myself with painting. So, no sewing got done today. And I won't be sewing tonight either because we are going to visit friends.

Haha!

This is a Mockingbird. There is newspaper, joss paper, a hankie, and a whole lot of paint on his piece. It isn't finished just yet, it needs a small bit of something...

Last night I watched this, and you should too! Rent it, buy it, watch it again and again. Thanks for the TV suggestions, I have made a list for myself.

I am getting those snaps back on there!

Progress has been slow this week. I am in the process of editing and I am supposed to be writing a magazine article and today I got tired! But I made a commitment to self to blog everyday, so although short and succinct, here I am.

We don't have cable television but we do like to rent serial tv shows, anyone have a favorite that I might try out? Time to couch potato.

I finished sewing the foxy fabric to the waist line! That took a while. So today is a day of gathering. It will be another day to jog the garment out of its current state.

So I woke this morning and started digging through my goods. I need to decide if I want to make a move away from the color red. Or perhaps stick with it but add small bits of other colors.

I am not sure how I will proceed. But having piles of cloth near my project sure does help me imagine possible outcomes.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

I have been good friends with Deborah Boschert for a very long time. I love her work and she is a wonderful person too. She is working to get the word out on a great project she has collaborated on and I am helping out by talking about it here:

STITCHED is a collection of 20 online video workshops by 20 talentend fabric artists. Students have access to all 20 workshops and can choose to view and work on the projects any time of the day, any day of the week. Registration opens on Dec 1 and the workshops kick off on Jan 1 and run through June 1. Registration is only $89.

Deborah is teaching a workshop titled, "Branches, Buds and Blossoms: A Botanical Fabric Collage." She includes videos on selecting fabrics, adding surface design, composing and improvisational hand embroidery. Click the above link to get more info and to register.

And she is doing a giveaway too, so go.

I am almost at the halfway point of the month and although I really like the progress I have made so far, it is a slow project, just by the nature of hand sewing. The border I am sewing to the waist takes a fair amount of time and I don't want to bore you with the same photograph each day!

When I tire of an area, I go and sew up another area, so I am working the garment all around. I like this approach, it feeds my need to see progress and it brings the entire project up to speed at the same time.

The label from yesterdays post made it onto the end of the tie. This will serve to strengthen the area under the snap, I still really like the idea of using snaps. Each area that will hold a snap needs to be strengthened. Previously when I unsnapped a snap I could hear a small ripping noise. Stitching the layers together really does seem to strengthen the cloth as a whole. It is an interesting approach.

And do you remember this? I received this label through Leslie who met Lea of Leaf Cutter Designs in San Francisco last year. I sewed the label into a reconstructed peasant blouse. I have contacted Lea to see if she has more labels to share because I would like to place one on the Rockstar Wrap.

Yesterday a package came in the mail from a special corespondent. It has everything we like in it. A bit of somthin-somthin to excite Arrow. I was so immersed in the gifts and gewgaws that I forgot the package came with a bunch of Cat Nip. I started ripping a label off a salvaged piece of silk, sent as wrapping, and Arrow kept jumping up on the table and hunting for his gift. It took three times of my picking him up and placing him on the floor for me to realize what Arrow wanted! Thankfully Arrow is tenacious and focused and knows how to make me listen.

A copy of this catalog is the focal point of this gift. Mottainai: The Fabric of Life published by Gallery Kei and Sri is a gorgeous, photographic story of Japanese textiles. The subtitle says it all, Lessons in Frugality from Traditional Japan. I am so happy to have a copy of this book, so glad that it was published, I think you should order a copy too! Let's buy them out and suggest they make more!! This title seems like the first in a series, (if you ask me).

Jeannie (my special correspondent) included a few shisha mirrors, buttons, silk wrapping, a sari ribbon. A special gift, indeed.

I began removing the label straight away. Somehow labels have become important in the Rockstar project. But I fell in love with the 'wrong' side of this one. I think it is because my eyes have been dazzled by the color pink and this label uses shiny pink thread. On the reverse side of the label the words look abstracted and the color becomes its own design.

The Chicken Footed Fairie has been hanging out with me in studio. A month or so back we changed the apartment around. The Nest became David's studio and much of the art was taken off the walls. I made this doll 7 or 8 years ago. Last night I started to imagine how I might create a new set of wings for her.