nightmares with teeth

this is what happens when you watch the first 15 minutes of JAWS at age 5.

here's the piece of i've submitted to Joetta Maue's Down To Sleep show opening soon in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  check link for details.

TITLE:    nightshift gallery – Act I

DATE:    2012

MEDIUM:   applique, embroidery, garment construction

SIZE:      24” x 30”  [girl’s size 7]

Artist Statement:

Two constants throughout my life have been sewing machines + monsters.

Sewing, is a magical process that allows me to make flat materials 3-dimentional or stitch together any combination of elements.  As a medium, it possesses limitless possibility regarding form, method and application.  Either by hand or machine, I choose sewing because it is my inheritance.

The combination of girlie and non-girlie elements is a particular favorite.   Nightmares, a preoccupation with fear, and an ongoing obsession with horror films and fairy tales are forever present.   I love monsters because they are never what they seem.

the HIVE

several new projects in mind for the new year, all involving stitching.

new, new, new

the Curio Coinpurse, a handbag with a tiny window… displaying a tiny keepsake trapped inside.  this particular clutch i made for myself, but i've got lots more tiny toys + vintage fabrics to work with here in the Medusa factory.

mercerized

halloween printing + stitching

busy-busy trying to finish up halloween projects for my etsy shop. i finally finished these halloween capes. this has been a long term project, but i am most pleased with the end result. the capes are 100% handmade from print to stitch. images original to baking with medusa and screen-printed by hand. wish i had documented the printing process. printing prior to garment construction has it's challenges. perhaps next time.

this is a project idea i've had for quite sometime now. I truly love vintage manufactured halloween costumes and the use of print. in these items the garment contruction is simple, but the costume is made by the printed elements. i definitely hope to do more of such projects in the future.

there are three separate styles in both child and adult sizes. more images may be found here on flickr. capes available for purchase in my etsy shop.

something new

there's nothing quite like making something custom made for yourself or celebrating the completion of a new project. it's been far too long since i made myself a new purse. this one was a year in the making, or at least in the contemplating. that bright red corduroy is from an upcycled shirt i got at the abita springs garage sale last year. i knew what it was destined, it just took a while to become a physical reality. actual sewing time was about a days work though. more pics of this purse + others, can be found here.

always rememeber

today marks the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in New York City. 

on that tragic day, March 25, 1911, a scrap bin on the eighth floor of the Asch Building caught fire. the Triangle Shirtwaist Co., an industrial age garment factory, occupied the top three floors [8-10]. the fire spread quickly. eighth floor workers were aware of the situation and most were evacuated. the switchboard to the offices on the tenth floor helped notify and evacuate practically all tenth floor employees... but ninth floor workers were unaware until the fire was on them and it was too late for escape. 

the dangers were compounded by a list of inadequacies in a time predating fire safety or effective labor codes: the doors opened inwards, not out - only one inept fire escape which collapsed under the weight of so many - the elevators were inoperable after only three trips – and most heart breaking of all, it was common practice to lock the exits to prevent workers form leaving their machines.

many of the remaining workers, mostly poor, first generation, immigrant women, chose to jump from the ninth floor windows than be burned alive. when the firemen arrived they provided little help. both ladders and water hoses failed to reach past the sixth floor, and their nets all ruptured from the force of such heights. hundreds amassed below in terror, all incapable of stopping or even helping.

18 minutes - 146 lives- 133 women- lost - to fire, fall and greed.

I wish I had more time to write about this, but there are so many who already have:

Cornell University has a tremendous site dedicated to the fire with time-lines, firsthand accounts, photos and more.

PBS has an episode of the American Experience: Triangle Fire that you can watch online.

the International Labor Rights Forum has a great article entitled the Legacy of the Triangle Factory Fire by Kristi Ellis + Arthur Friedman originally published in Women's Wear Daily.

visit Clean Clothes Campaign to learn more about working conditions in the global garment industry today.

all boldface type will lead to links.

i've been making needlebooks about the Triangle Fire and passing them around today in remembrance of all the women and seamstresses who died that day. i plan to send them out with future etsy orders too. i guess that means i need to get busy and make new items since my etsy cupboard has been bare for fare to long now. today is as good a day to crank up nadine as any.

forgotten mesurements*

here are the kid vs. robot measurements i forgot to include in the previous post.

R2 costume construction*

i am attempting something new this year. to actually make costumes ahead of schedule for this halloween. i vow not to wait till 5am [like last year], halloween morning, to start sewing the first stitch. in preparation, i decided to review last year's robot [R2D2] in lew of this year's [wall-e].

i also had a few inquires about how i made R2, so i hope this post can be of some use.

here are a few sketches + schematics form last year's R2D2 costume. i decided on a soft construction early on. i wanted my nephew to be comfortable + have ample mobility. i also decided to forget about R2's arms + just concentrate on his iconic garbage can physique.

from that point on, i worked primarily from a couple R2 toys on loan for reference. the entire costume is made from only a few simple sewing materials: fabric [white corduroy, silver lame, blue felt + blue satin], thread, batting, boning + velcro.

click on photos for larger view.

early studies

headpiece pattern pieces

the headpiece has three strips of boning inside criss-crossing each other for structure [like drawn above]. there is a third strip of boning along the botton edge, as well as velcro pieces [to attach it to the body]. i used a beach ball to help draft the pattern + provide proper curvature. after he wore it once, a soft pillow was attached inside on top for extra comfort. the bones inside the top became uncomfortable after too much dancing.

all the detailing in the body is either quilting or applique.
the two ends velcro together + the head velcros to the body.
the two slits are little boy arm-holes for ample candy grabbing.

more costume pics may be found here.

first publication*

i have a sewing project in one of the new how-to-sew books, from lark books. my submission gives detailed instructions on how to make a double-snap pouch of your very own. below area few photos from the actual book. i suppose this could be considered my first publication. it is now available on amazon.

i made two double-snaps while working on this project.
they are both currently available for sale in my etsy shop.

late halloween post*

it was a R2D2 halloween for my nephew this year. it's so fun to rediscover star wars through both my nephews. it was such a big part of me, my sister + brother's childhood. so i'm glad it's been passed along to the next generation. besides, what's cooler than wanting to be a robot? i had the best time trying to make a comfortable, kid friendly R2 costume. you just can't get any better than white corduroy + silver lame.

more costume pics + R2D2 dance moves can be found here.

Nadine*

*nadine*

some of nadine's handy work.

so i just splurged and bought myself a new sewing machine for my birthday. loretta, my always dependable kenmore 30 stitch, is going on ten years now. she's been put through more than most domestic machines, and has always done good work, but even the best of us deserve a break. i've been wanting an industrial machine for a while now. i need a machine that can keep up with me and all my projects.

introducing nadine. nadine is a two-tone pink kenmore industrial made entirely of metal, a serious heavy weight. beauty and brawn, now that's what i'm talking about! the test stitches above are all i've had the chance to do, but new projects powered by nadine are on the way.