Red Thread Studio: Slow Cloth, New Cloth, Art Cloth

Slow Design in the New York Times

Journalist Penelope Green has written a terrific article on Slow Design -- most definitely embracing the concept of Slow Cloth -- in today's New York Times, titled "The Slow Life Picks Up Speed.". As Green writes the story, this is an artisanal, sustainable, creative, beautiful and thoughtful -- maybe even ponderous -- way of living. Take a look! I'll be back later today with more Slow Cloth inspiration; I've been doing my traveling  on the  World Wide Web once again, and have some beautiful textile sites to share. 

Periodical Adoration

The article I mentioned in the previous post is in the new issue of Selvedge:


In "Myth and methodology: Shelly Zegart unpicks African American quilt scholarship," the author references, analyzes and critiques books and exhibition catalogues from 1978 to the present.

For those who haven't yet discovered Selvedge, I've seen it at some Border's Bookstores and Barnes & Nobles, but not all; check your local independent bookstore and fiber arts suppliers first, and your library. I think I paid US$20 per issue when I bought it on the newsstand. You can also order back issues from their Web site.

The issue's cover image is from an arresting pictorial of the work of Chinese designer Ma Ke. "Ma Ke believes we are in danger of losing something vital in the race to make all things practical, fast and competitive. Perhaps her greatest fear is that we will lose the ability to appreciate the unusual, the rare, the beautiful."


 

Betsy Ross Would Be Proud

I've been supporting John Edwards in the primaries, but that doesn't keep me from feeling the thrill of possibility with Barack Obama, or the immense satisfaction of seeing a strong, smart woman as a serious presidential candidate. I'm a fan of Bill Richardson too -- I hope he ends up with a meaningful position in a Democratic administration next year.

I'd been wondering if any of the candidates had a connection to textiles or craft when I visited Kyra's Black Threads blog -- she has a link to Fiber Artists for Obama. And we know that John Edwards's father worked in a textile mill, and he talks eloquently about the demise of domestic textile production. Any other connections to textile art or garments? I don't think we'll see Hillary admitting to any needle arts -- too loaded for her -- but maybe if they win, Bill as First Mate  will continue to expand the White House collection of American crafts that Hillary began in 1993.

Or maybe he'll pick up the knitting or quilting needle himself -- it'd be good for his heart and keep him out of trouble, right? How about it, Bill? Take up the Slow Cloth cause and promote and protect the work of fiber artists around the globe and sustainability in textiles. Call me if you need some help.

Or maybe Obama will win and really bring attention to the contribution of African-American artists to our culture. In textiles, there's the Gee's Bend quilters, and much more. Faith Ringgold is one of our elder godmothers of contemporary quilting, and her work is spectactular, political and inspiring. I am also a huge fan of multimedia artist Betye Saar.

I had the pleasure of meeting Betye Saar once, when I worked at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and she and her daughter Alison Saar had a joint exhibition. In the main gallery Julian Schnabel had an exhibition that was suffocating in its own art-world egotism and posturing. The Saars had a much smaller gallery and an absolute jewel of a show that quietly played second fiddle to Mr. Schnabel. But their authenticity, integrity and spirit was so immense that for me it far overshadowed the big whoop in the main gallery. The Saars gave me an unforgettable lesson about the meaning of making art versus "success" in the art world, and also about using culture and gender references in art in an effective and unapologetic way.

I thought one of my recent magazines also had reviews of African-American textile arts books, but my highly refined controlled-chaos organizational system is failing me. I'll find it. Meanwhile, the magazine stack is getting bigger. My new issues of Selvedge (No. 21, The Responsibility Issue) and Surface Design (Winter 2008, Structured Surfaces) came yesterday -- both breathtaking. I think Selvedge integrates its graphic design and its content better than anybody to produce a truly extraordinary, appetizing, collectable journal. And it totally, totally makes me want to move to England for a year or two to immerse myself in the textile world there.  

Surface Design editor Patricia Malarcher has tremendous authority and impeccable, sophisticated taste and intelligence, as well as being an artist herself, and her voice and sensibilities make this magazine extremely valuable too. In this new issue, my first stop will be the article on artist Yvonne Morton, who is inspired by textile arts of the Congo -- this is truly a Slow Cloth artist all the way.

Over on Beading at the Beach, BeadBabe49 questions meditation and stitching, and whether other artists talk about it and recognize it. I thought of her when I read Patricia Malarcher's editorial in Surface Design. She quotes Lenore Tawney: "I'm not just patiently doing it. It's done with devotion." Patricia goes on to say:

The sense of devotion embedded in structure is a subliminal text that is frequently visible in artworks of fibrous materials. The incremental repetitive gestures that accumulate into woven, knotted, looped, wrapped, or pieced-together surfaces leave evidence of quiet, and quieting, time dedicated to making.

Through that sense of quiet and meditative process, we can emerge and give our work a strong and passionate voice.

Slow Cloth, Fashion Design, and Garment Sewing

Can fashion fit into the Slow Cloth concept? How about home garment sewing? I say -- absolutely yes to both. While most of the people who have visited and commented and linked to this blog (thank you all so much) are textile artists, there are related and overlapping communities -- people in the fashion and home textiles industries,  and people who just love to sew garments and approach sewing from a perspective of craftsmanship, quality, and creativity.

There is art in every craft and craft in every art. As someone who loves garment sewing as well as other textile arts, the only conflict I see is how to best use limited time and resources and not get lost in dilettante-ishness.

On the commercial fashion side, I've been reading up on the Slow Fashion movement as part of my research on the sustainable apparel market. In addition to using environmentally appropriate materials and eliminating abusive labor practices, Slow Fashion also rejects the trend-focused planned obsolescence that has driven the fashion industry for decades. Slow Fashion emphasizes lasting design and craftsmanship, so you can buy fewer clothes with a longer life. Design and color palettes are compatible from season to season, so you can build a wardrobe instead of replacing everything in an increasingly rapid and wasteful cycle. Brand loyalty and quality replace quantity.

Last week, this review of  several men's fashion shows appeared in the New York Times. As always, fashion writer Cathy Horyn's analysis is perceptive and intellectually challenging. In "It Never Hurts to Quote the Classics," she talks about designers referencing  handcrafts and focusing on craftsmanship while also creating entirely modern garments.

There are no specific shout-outs here to Slow Fashion or sustainable apparel, but throughout the fashion design and garment industry this shift seems to be taking place. Admittedly, it's much less of a stretch to talk about classic design and craft in men's clothing, which has always been less exploitative than women's fashion. But still, it seemed noteworthy.

A little closer to a textile artist's heart is Alabama Chanin, a true Slow Cloth company. From their site:

Here, in Florence, Alabama, quilting and textiles have long been part of our history. So instead of sourcing our manufacturing far away, we have chosen to utilize the skills and knowledge of local artisans, who hand sew every garment. We sew by hand not because we don’t like technology, but because we choose to preserve these living arts. Modern concepts, coupled with old-time stitching techniques, not only strengthen the bond between our past and present; they also have the unique power to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind garments that are infused with care. Despite this nod to the past, our designs are modern; some are sexy, others are modest, all are comfortable and made for living. We use new and recycled materials in a way that showcase quality of cut, attention to detail and the artistry of the hands that created them.

Founder Natalie Chanin previously founded Project Alabama, a company with a similar mission. She sold the company and now Project Alabama products are made in India. But it looks like things turned out all right for Chanin, and her new company looks inspiring.

So whether you're a fashion designer, a dedicated follower of fashion or a home garment sewer, or both, there is plenty of room to incorporate textile traditions and skills, be innovative and forward-thinking, and conscious in approach. There's a lot of inspiration out there. Let me know your thoughts and ideas about this, and have a lovely, creative weekend. I'll be working on my sustainable apparel research and my blogroll . . .

Intermission: Unarmed and Unconditional

It's the official holiday of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, a day for visionaries and idealists everywhere,  though I'm not sure that he would have characterized himself that way. He was said to be politic and pragmatic -- in the service of his beautiful, radical, revolutionary dream of equality and nonviolence. For every artist, agent of social change, and dreamer, here is my favorite MLK quote:

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. 

Unarmed truth. Unconditional love. May you have it, find it, share it, make it.

What Is Novel Is What We Have Not Seen And Heard Before

There is a wonderful tutorial on sashiko at the Purl Bee blog. This Japanese craft has elements of quilting and of a very ordered embroidery; the thread is heavier than Western quilting thread, no frame or hoop is used, and traditional stitching patterns are geometric and symmetrical. Mari explains the process in detail with wonderful and very helpful photographs.

According to Nancy Shriber in her lovely Sashiko Handbags 14 On 14 book,

Sashiko was originally designed as a mending technique to quilt together several layers of fabric for warmth and durability or for strengthening a single layer of fabric. Like quilting in America, sashiko had humble beginnings. The Japanese have been doing sashiko for practical sewing purposes since the early 18th century. It was developed as a way to recycle fabric and to extend the life of the garment. Sashiko is a running stitch sewn in repeating or interlocking patterns through one or more layers of fabric. As with many art forms, most of the stitch designs are simplified representations of things found in nature such as plants, birds, and clouds.

Visit Nancy's Contemporary Sashiko Web site gallery -- she has instructions there for this beautiful, simple wallet/checkbook cover as an introduction to contemporary sashiko:

Despite its humble beginnings, as with other Japanese crafts, sashiko is a beautiful form with infinite levels of skill and subtlety. In the United States we tend to want to make everything quick and easy and oversimplified -- and at the same time, create products to sell  that may not be necessary or even desirable to the heart of the practice.

As a result, sometimes the beauty and nuance of textile traditions are really lost on us. For instance: As I was searching around for information on sashiko, I came across this site on the Akan Cultural Symbols Project via Quilt Ethnic. In the Akan culture in Ghana, traditional cloth is woven to communicate with a rich and specific language -- here's one pattern from the site:

EMAA DA - NOVELTY

               

Symbol of     EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, CREATIVITY, NOVELTY, and INNOVATION
From the proverb:  Dea emmaa da eno ne dea yennhunu na yennte bi da. 
Literal translation:  What  is novel is what we have not seen and heard before

Now, I know I've seen similar African fabrics and have only seen color and pattern, with no idea about the rich conveyance of concepts, messages, language and communication woven into the cloth by master artisans. This richness and meaning exists in textiles from so many cultures. This is part of the Slow Cloth approach: respecting the significance -- as well as enjoying the beauty -- of world textiles.

Your Perfect Offering

The birds they sang
At break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in

You can add up the parts
But you won't have the sum
Strike up the march
There is no drum
Every heart
To love will come
But like a refugee

(leonard cohen, Anthem)

Today my dear sister-in-law Tracy, who died of breast cancer in 2006, would have been 45. She was, and surely still is, a beautiful and radiant soul, and a teacher. I have been searching, on the back burner, for a beginning point for the Take It Further challenge for January (Sharon B's monthly exercise for  textile artists) and I think Tracy's it, as a person I admire. In art and craft, I'm not a fan of overly literal interpretations of personal experience -- they can too easily become banal; but I like the idea of letting my experiences inform my work, and that is the challenge, after all.  I'm a little late getting started but glad to have a point of departure.

Coming very soon: I have a whole slew of new magazines and books to review. The current harvest of fiber arts magazines seems to have finally emerged from complete surrender to super-fast-and-easy concepts geared to beginners. There is a place for those, and the more the merrier, but I'm mighty relieved to see more complex and challenging ideas and projects that celebrate craft, skill, and creativity.

The stack includes current issues of Fiberarts, Threads, Vogue Knitting, and Selvedge, and the books The Painted Quilt, Simple Sewing with a French Twist (from the inimitable Laura, thank you),  Print Pattern & Colour, and Last-Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts, and I may also post a review or two from my library of older books. I'm working on getting my bibliography page started and posted.

I'm really a total book and magazine slut; I have few boundaries when it comes to these things, and I am in fact resisting going to the bookstore at this very moment. I like to think that every book and magazine helps me to be a good writer and editor as well as a good artist and crafter, and all the better if I can share information on this site. The challenge is always to stop reading and start making.

All for now, readers. Back soon.

10 Qualities of Slow Cloth

This must be the day that all of my dreams come true
So happy just to be alive
Underneath that sky of blue
On this new morning
New morning
On this new morning with you

(bob dylan)

It is that morning, the one that comes in the middle of winter but has the first tiny promise of spring in it. The quality of the light is different, the angle of the sun has changed, and though it's cold and the snowiest months are still ahead, spring will come.

In celebration of that, I thought I'd say more about my idea of Slow Cloth as an approach to working with and relating to fiber and textiles. When I began this blog, Sharon B asked me if I had a manifesto or something like that for Slow Cloth. I didn't have anything that formal, but here are more of my thoughts. These are not meant to be rules or impose anything on anyone -- just a way of thinking about working with fiber.

You can have a Slow Cloth sensibility as an individual artist or artisan, and it bears repeating that slow is not meant to be literal -- it's not about how long it takes to finish or whether you're stitching by hand or machine. There are also companies that I think have a Slow Cloth approach even if they are manufacturing clothing or textiles in commercial quantity.

With those caveats, Slow Cloth:

• Has the possibility of joy in the process. I often hear people say that they think they "should" learn to knit or sew, because they think they will save money (right) or that it's somehow virtuous. That's nonsense. Everybody should know how to sew on a button or mend a seam, but when it comes to doing more, if you don't love the process, there isn't much point. In other words, it's the journey, not the destination. If efficiency and sameness are the primary goals, it's not Slow Cloth.
• Offers the possibility of contemplation in the process. Not every moment of making is a serene mystical precious experience. But the totality of your work opens space for you. Like the old saw, you may not be able to define it but you know it when you see it or feel it.
• Involves skill and has the possibility of mastery. Rather than choosing easy or instant-gratification methods, you're aiming for an ever-expanding level of fluency and grace in the techniques you work with.
• Acknowledges the rich diversity and multicultural history of textile art. Textiles are an expression of culture and we live in a fantastically big and small world. Slow Cloth celebrates that diversity rather than eliminating it.
  
• Honors its teachers and lineage. Most of us began to learn our skills with cloth from an ancestor or friend, and there are many generations before us who used their inventiveness and creativity to expand possibilities in the world of cloth. Thank them, and pay it forward.
• Is thoughtful in its use of materials and respects their source. Ever been to one of those wholesome organic dinners where the host went through every dish and named the farmers? You don't have to do that with your textile ingredients. But take a moment to remember that it takes a lot of people to make your fabric or yarn or dye. In a similar vein, I don't think Slow Cloth has to be only natural materials -- some of my favorite artists, like Mary Ruth Smith, work with some synthetics -- but be mindful of your footprint and choose well and appropriately.
• Honors quality. We want to make things that last and are well-made.
  
• Honors beauty. Beauty is a whole complicated subject all its own. I think that we all have a need for beauty, and that's driven the urge to make and decorate textiles for tens of thousands of years.
• Supports community. A Slow Cloth company respects all of its labor force; individual art and artists  acknowledge their relationship to other textile artists. I think part of this is being willing to share knowledge, preserve knowledge about traditional techniques, and teach others.
• Is expressive of individuals or cultures. Remember the old saying in art circles, "Anonymous was a woman"? Well, you could also say anonymous was a quilter or a batik artist in Indonesia. Throughout history, textiles and crafts have been mostly unsigned. Today we can do it differently if we want to; but either way, the human creative force is reflected and evident in the work.

Again, these are my thoughts and ideas; subject to change and conversation. Comments and thoughts are welcome. Have a very creative day.

As the Silkworm Turns

Back in the last century, I met a very bright woman in Santa Cruz who was a study in contrasts -- Goth on the outside, crunchy on the inside. She wore black from head to toe every day and worked for an organic farming organization. But the thing I remember most about her was that she wouldn't wear silk because the process hurt the silkworms.

This was before inexpensive silk began to be so readily available here. Silk was still a luxury, and it was the first time I had heard anybody reject silk. Now, my friend's attitude seems less fringe and more aware. We tend to think of all natural fibers as environmentally friendly, but as with most things, there are layers upon layers of complexity. With virtually every natural fiber, there are social and environmental concerns that demand change. Likewise, some synthetic fibers can be designed in ways that do not pollute and make the best use of our resources and technologies. In between there's a lot of gray area.

I'm planning some silk bed throws that sent me on long visits to Aurora Silk, natural dye expert/artist  Cheryl Kolander's site for her fabrics, yarns and threads (and check out these amazing print blocks -- Cheryl designs these -- they are beautiful and loaded with spiritual significance). Aurora Silk is a source for Ahimsa and Peace silks, made without harm to the silkworms. You can read more about them on the site. On Cheryl's advice, for my project, I ordered the 3-ply reeled silk cord:

"This cord is incredibly strong and durable. The sheen of the reeled thread is fractured by the tight twist of the ply, resulting in a light play of sparkles."

Shibori artist and natural dyer Karren K. Brito has written "Is Silk Green?" in the newest Surface Design Association Newsletter. Her greater concern (and I agree) is the use of child labor and inhumane conditions in the silk industry.

I am still buying silk, but learning more every day about the greater costs to much of the fabric we buy. Yet I do believe that every person who engages in the creative act of making things with fiber or fabric in a conscious way is contributing to a better world. Changing the structure and dynamics of our resource base is a process that will take time, but knowledge is always the seed.

So. On to my project. I am still in gift-making mode, frog caddies and cosmetic bags, and haven't yet begun any art or the Take It Further challenge project for the month. But these silk throws are quite special and I've been wanting to try one for a long time; now I'm making one for Angela's wedding gift and one for my dear friend and karmic sister Lisa. I was inspired by the gorgeous throws at Hyena Productions that sell for many hundreds of dollars. They are silk velvet on one side, silk dupioni or taffeta on the other, lined with flannel (not batting, so I don't think quilting is necessary) and have a beaded fringe or other exotic trim on the borders. I was further inspired by the vintage Moroccan wedding quilts on MyMarrakesh, with their flat silver sequins, and Yoshiko Jinzenji's pillows fringed with silk cord and pearls in her Quilt Artistry book.  So I'm combining all these influences into what I hope will be something both modern and luxurious, with a sense of enchantment. As soon as my orders all arrive I'll post a photo of the fabrics.

Eye of the Needle

I could very well have titled this post "Bottleneck," since that's how my brain has felt this week -- astonishingly full of amusing thoughts and dazzling big ideas and responsibilities and projects and mental lists and plans, and yet so exceptionally attention-deficient that I can't seem to get any of it out and into form. It feels like I'm surrounded in soap bubbles. I'm going to set it all aside for yoga practice. And then I'll be back to start again to twist some of these thoughts together and through the needle.

This is the essence of meditation -- to observe the feral, chaotic mind, distracted and bedazzled by every shiny, sparkling thing, and gently return it again and again to a point of focus and clarity. You can do it with your mantra, your movement, your breath, or your stitch.

Eventually everything in life becomes a meditation and an opportunity to be mindful, including writing a blog. At its best, it's a daily practice that allows many ideas to be explored and observed, with a focus that acts as a point of beginning and return. Meditation, disguised as blogging or knitting or beading or walking, is not sleepiness or passivity -- it's an active, fiery, energetic process that opens the doors of the universe and is also just what you do every day. Chop wood, carry water, stitch, blog, work, with full engagement and even abandon. Note that this is more challenging than it sounds.

The blog-as-meditation tangent came up because Paula of The Beauty of Life gave me a Make My Day acknowledgment. Since this blog is so new, I got a big kick out of that -- thank you, Paula. It made me think about what makes a good blog and keeps me coming back; in broad strokes, it takes a strong central focus, frequent postings, good writing, an authentic voice, and the right balance of personal information. As a humble honoree, I'm charged to name other blogs that make my day, and post a comment on those sites.

I've already named quite a few blogs that I really love on this site that fit into my evolving framework of Slow Cloth, New Cloth (sustainable/organic/innovative textiles and apparel), and Art Cloth, so a quick run through the archives of the past month will yield many wonderful sites. I know, I need a blogroll and I links roll - and a bibliography -  I will add those to the shiny-object list. Here are a few more blogs I love. This is an eclectic mix, not so much specific to Slow Cloth or textile art, but part of the larger universe.

• Cynthia Morris is an art and creativity coach with a wonderful blog. I ordered Creative Toolkit for the Traveler, Cynthia's e-book, and it's resulted in an e-mail conversation. She lives in Boulder, so I hope to meet her soon. Sometimes typical coaching language with its unrelenting perkiness grates on me, but not so with Cynthia; she has a gracious, sophisticated approach on her site that is very appealing.
• The folks at Lotus Organics write Organic Clothing, on sustainable apparel and textiles. The environmental concerns of the apparel and textile industry are not unrelated to the work we all do as textile artists, seamstresses, designers, or collectors. As I've mentioned, my current paid writing work is a big market research report on this emerging segment of the garment industry, and this blog is a fantastic resource. I hope to interview the authors.
• Understanding and accepting who we are as artists, humans and spirits in the material world can be a lifelong task. I like Gretchen's popular The Happiness Project for her candor and willingness to explore an introvert's way of being happy.
• Paper crafters and designers will love Parsiri. I found her blog through Colour Lovers, where I was enchanted by the color palettes of her photographs of Thai food.
• Finally, if you love Venn diagrams or odd charts or just need some wit in your life, visit Jessica Hagy's famous Indexed blog.

I know this post was all over the map, but you were warned, sort of. I hope it reads as if there is some gossamer (red) thread connecting it all. Tomorrow I'll be back with an update on the silk throws I'm making and my resources for fabric, beads and cord, including the fabulous Aurora Silks.

Oh! And by the way, it's Elvis's birthday.

Just ask the boy from Tupelo
He's the King and he oughta know.

                    (Emmylou Harris, The Boy From Tupelo)