State of the Garment Industry

I watched a really good documentary today on HBO about the state of the garment industry in the United States. It was called "Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags". I certainly learned a lot from it and it gave me pause when thinking of my own shopping habits. Let's face it, we all like a good deal. Just look at the popularity of stores like Walmart, as well as the many dollar stores. But how often do we think of exactly why these items are so cheap? In most cases, it's because products are now manufactured overseas where people are paid dirt wages in sweat shops. Canadian and American companies cannot begin to compete with these wages, and if you want your company to survive, then you will no doubt outsource your labour there as well. The problem with this model is of course that it eliminates good paying jobs  at home. Skilled workers can't find work in their trades, and we see what's happening to our economy. I was first alerted to this issue when I read the beginning of one of my favourite books, "Alabama Stitch Book". The beginning of this design book educates the reader as to how the cotton t-shirt industry in the south of the USA has been virtually eliminated by the outsourcing of labour to other countries. The author of the book, a designer, has taken a different approach and specializes in hand made clothing, hand sewn in fact, by skilled women who used to work in the t-shirt factories. I admire her greatly for this approach. You won't find an $8 t-shirt at Alabama Chanin, but you will find quality hand made garments that are supporting local workers who are paid a fair wage. Something to think about. By purchasing discount items made in another country you are literally biting the hand that feeds you. By this I mean that as we eliminate work in our own countries, we eliminate taxpayers, people to buy the goods in our stores, people to buy the house you built, etc..... You get the picture. Just my opinion, but again, something to think about. If you want to support the art industry close to home in many of it's forms, check out etsy.com. Go to your farmers markets. Check out the little design shops. Support fair trade whenever possible. Remember that buying goods made elsewhere could mean that it's made by children, and it could also mean that the workers are treated unfairly, paid next to nothing, and have unsafe working conditions. So the next time you see an item of clothing that is an awesome deal, consider how it came to be that price.

First Time for Everything

The last few months have seen me focusing largely on fibre with painting coming in a close second. Over the last two days however I have pulled out my porcelain clay and made a sculpture of an angel. I am not a sculptor and don't claim to be, although I do have a lot of experience with clay. Mostly I stuck to the pottery wheel. I only meant to make myself a little sculpture for fun, but along the way it evolved into something else. It has fallen apart several times already, which makes me more than a little nervous about what could happen to it when it is in the kiln. Clay is always somewhat of a crap shoot, because at any stage your work can be ruined. Maybe it breaks up in the kiln, maybe something goes wrong with the glaze. It isn't over until it's over. I have taken a few pictures of the angel at the leather hard stage which I will post hear. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I did a pretty good job. My final plan for the angel is to cover it either in a clear glaze or perhaps in a lavender crystalline glaze that I have. If it makes it to the end I may also make a latex mold of it and cast a few for around my gardens. I know angels are overdone, but I just couldn't resist.

Embellishments

Lately I have been noticing that everything seems to be embellished. The last two t-s I bought have various forms of embellishment. Naturally a lot of these things cost a pretty penny, so what's a girl to do? Well, do it yourself of course! I have been blog surfing today and found some neat sites that can help even the most challenged embellish their own clothes on the cheap. To see some nice embellished clothes, check out Anthropologie.com. The Burda sewing website is also a daily favourite of mine, and the blog today just happened to focus an article on embellishing. Check out the blog adventuresindressmaking.blogspot.com or another good one is a site called Primrose Corner which shows you how to make a sweet flower brooch.

What I have been discovering is that there are simply not enough hours in the day. Dare I admit that while I am teaching art in high school every day I may be carrying a knitting project in my pocket, or cutting up t-shirts on an empty school desk? I can usually justify this by saying it is important for the students to see that I am interested in being creative or that by watching what I am doing student's interest in piqued. They actually get very interested in what I am doing, even if I have an alterior motive that I simply can't help but be doing something with my hands all day.

As I make another extra panel for my Alabama Stitch Swing Skirt I have also started knitting a little halter top for summer. I just couldn't help myself. I don't believe in having one project done before starting another. I usually have several on the go at once.

Happy sewing and knitting.

Silkscreen for son

When my six year old son saw my own silkscreened shirt the other night he wanted one. I went back to the drawing board and created an image based on the ghost rider cartoon with my son as the ghostrider sitting on the bike, complete with flames and the text "Jeremiah is born to ride". He loved it. I had a couple of issues with this one as I decided not to have a helper. This meant that I had to try to both manage the ink and hold the screen down flat, with mixed results. The next time I will definately use a helper. I don't see myself becomming any kind of a silkscreen artist, but it is sure fun to do for something unique and distinctly yours. Enjoy!

Crayons, not just for kindergarten anymore

Well, I have a new best friend in the textile world, and their name is Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watersoluable wax pastels, i.e. crayons. They even look like crayons. My biggest compaint was that they arrived from the states with 5 broken tips, and a $40 shipping fee!! So not cool. Naturally I have now found a canadian supplier, the same place where I order materials for my art class at school. A pack of 30 crayons was $45. A friend expressed real horror at the cost of these crayons, asking if there wasn't something a lot cheaper. For those of us into creating, we know that we get what we pay for. These crayons are truly amazing and perfect for the art quilter or textile artist. You basically color your image onto pre-washed fabric (cotton or muslin), then take a wet watercolor brush and brush water over your image. The next thing you know, you are looking at a fabulously blended watercolor painting! After it dries you can quilt and stitch paint to your hearts content. Just remember however that because it is water soluable you can't wash it afterwards, so it's not suitable for a bed quilt or a wearable item. I can't wait to give it a try, and I think today is the day. I'll post an image when the work is completed and stitched. I know I need to be cleaning my house, and I've started back to work, but a girl has to have her art time.
p.s. the cotton sweater I knit looks awful on me. I hate it when that happens!

My first day blogging

This is my first day blogging, so please bear with me. I'm going to talk about my art, the art I see of others, my job teaching art, and of course my life as I try to live as an artist.

Let me start by saying that everyone is creative in their own way, and just because you think you can't draw or paint does not mean you aren't creative. Maybe you're an awesome cook, perhaps you come up with great ideas to keep your kids occupied during the summer months, maybe you are passionate about the environment (I'm with you on this one).

I also want to start out by saying that making a living as an artist is not romantic. I do not live the bohemian lifestyle (much as I might want to), I do not eat granola (too fattening), I do not dress weird (well, at least I don't think I do), and I do not think I am eccentric ( even if my students say I am). I am not rich, nor do I ever think I will get rich as an artist. It's a lot of hard work, a lot of low pay, and I have to teach to make ends meet. I like to make things that I like, not what I think people want to buy (Perhaps this is part of my problem?). Still, being an artist is who I am, I would be lost without it, and I struggle every day with it.

Ok, enough of that. I want to talk about the direction I've been going in lately, and that's fibre. I LOVE fibre and all things fibre. With this medium I can do anything, and it provides a great way to combine painting, sculpting, design and textiles. In particular, I am "painting" with felt, thread, wool, yarn and oil paints. Instead of just felting images I have been going over them with thread, quilting, yarn, and whatever else I can find. I'll post a couple of pictures to let you know what I mean. I have a solo exhibit I'm getting ready for in the fall as part of the Nova Scotia Fibre Arts festival. Check out the website at fibreartsfestival.com. I also have one of my pieces in the festive issue coming up this fall in the Canadian Publication of "A Needle Pulling Thread".

My job today (besides cleaning the house and doing laundry, VERY romantic) is to pull out the thread and start working on thread painting an oil on cotton work. I think I am keeping the thread companies in business lately.