New day, new idea, and Textiles and Tea

Yesterday I was thinking about what sewing to get involved in next, also if I could Freecycle more clothes. One idea blended with the other and I found old thriftie jeans, always too big despite the number on the label, and realized I might as well make them into something or other. 

Old, faded nicely, three great pockets with sparkly stuff, so I set to work.

Decided on a vest, and for a pattern used the jacket I made without a pattern (!)  using a lovely piece of fabric woven by Joanne, thank you, J.

I know it works because I've worn the jacket a lot, just needed to adjust the sleeve bit.

And in forty five minutes I had my next bit of sewing set up ready to thread a needle.

I think this will be good.  I need to seam the shoulders and sides then finish the edges with bias tape. Attach the pockets, insert keys, ready to go. New life for old pants.

Yesterday's Textiles and Tea featured Heather Allen Hietala, who paints on her weaving. 

She wrote a book about rag weaving under the name of Heather Allen, which is why I inserted the middle name, in case you go in search of it.

She spent the first couple of  minutes talking about alopecia, total hair loss, which she has had for years, how traumatic it is, how loss of eyelashes is particularly difficult, no protection from grit and dust. She gave info on the alopecia organization, too. Very good public service there. 

Then she showed us some painterly weavings and discussed modern rag weaving, which is a lot more sophisticated than you might think.

She's done all kinds of dyeing, among other textile adventures, which continue.  Behind her on the studio wall, lined with Homasote, which you can pin things to, are  items, passing ideas and reminders in tactile form, plans for future work. 

She's done textile restoration and copying, some of her work in the Biltmore home of the Vanderbilt family, now open as a museum.

She has a great feel for receding planes, which you see in her designs, ambiguity, the hallmarks of the twentieth century European painter. Her name is Finnish and she's spent time in Scandinavia, which you can see influences her design.

Bear with me,  I forgot to crop, but I don't claim photography credits. I think the gist is there. Certainly she's worth even my humble efforts. 

I'd like to see her book, but my library system doesn't show it. It's far from new, maybe a second-hand pursuit will be called for.

Another time I'll tell you about my own hand dyed and worked rag rug on burlap, depicting an Aztec war god,  and its reception by Handsome Son, then Handsome Toddler.  Yes, it's funny.

From over fifty years ago, been dyeing and designing and just trying stuff for a loooong time.

The putrid man has decided that if he can't get all of Ukraine, then he'll have  Donbas, so there. Meanwhile we've got a lot more aircraft on the way for the Ukrainian air force. Maybe P will not have such an easy time after all.