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March 13, 2007
thinking about projects
I haven't forgotten about Project Spectrum, I just haven't had a lot of time for projects that aren't part of my studio work, and my studio work hasn't really contained much gray and blue of late. But last week I spun up some pale gray singles for one of my fellow grads:
It's about the weight of a sock yarn, at least in the parts I was able to keep consistent.
I'm also knitting something blue, but it's a secret right now so we're not going to discuss it. I know some of you will recognize this yarn but just keep hush, okay?
Yesterday I mixed up a fiercely intense blue and added a blue layer to enough prints to fill a drying rack:
Today I'm going to be printing on some of this:
This is the fabric I dyed on Sunday; the plain ones are cotton and the florals are poly/cotton bedsheets that I overdyed. Yesterday I bought some fabric paints and I'm going to see if I can block print with them. Most of this will become clothes, and any that get too stiff with the printing will be pillows.
While shopping for fabric paint I came across something I didn't even know existed: fabric markers. Y'all, I was SO EXCITED, grabbing handfuls of them and shrieking, I can draw on my clothes just like in my books! Jessica said, you have to draw on your clothes every day. Heh. Not bloody likely, you all saw just how long printing an edition a week lasted (I'm still hoping to get back on track with that but I think Jessica has given up; it turns out that an edition of prints a week really cuts into our time for other work too much). Anyway. I'm excited about being able to just pull out a marker at any given time and draw on my clothes while I'm wearing them, and it'll be interesting to see the patterns of where the drawing pools in the areas I can easily reach (left sleeve, shirt hem, fronts of skirts). The whole purpose of dying and printing these fabrics and making these clothes is to use wardrobe as another way to make my art and my everyday life a seamless whole, so drawing on my clothes makes perfect sense, and also means that I can make some of my existing clothes be a part of my project, rather than just setting myself up for more sewing than I really have time for right now.
So, I'm thinking about this: I am going to a printmaking conference next week and it is four days long. Would it be offensive to take one nice white, 3/4 sleeve, button down shirt and wear it every day so that I can draw on it during the conference and have the drawings grow as the week goes on? My skin is on the dry side and I don't really sweat all that much, and I wear undershirts (really, I don't get stinky, and I usually wear an undershirt two days in a row without problem, which some might find gross but I challenge those people to carry all of their laundry to the laundromat in a backpack on their bicycle for a few months and then tell me what's too gross to wear again). I could probably find time on Tuesday to crank out four a-line skirts out of the new fabrics I just dyed and have a uniform of sorts to wear, and then people would start to recognize me (hey there's the girl who keeps drawing on her clothes). I think that would be a lot of fun, but do you think people would find the shirt thing offensive? (and, should I care? because I kind of don't).
Posted by jodi at March 13, 2007 09:00 AM | categories: project spectrum : projects
Comments
Damn, you're busy busy busy. I think the shirt thing is an awesome idea! Go for it. I can't wait to see the next step in the fabric. You're inspiring me to pick up the ole sewing machine again.
Posted by: Sandy at March 13, 2007 09:34 AM
I can't believe my Jodi is asking that question. You shouldn't care. And other people shouldn't (and probably wouldn't) care, unless it does get stinky. I just wonder about the stinkiness of the markers themselves. Stop inhaling that shit! :D
Posted by: Norma at March 13, 2007 09:36 AM
I think the white shirt idea rocks. If you can't draw on your clothes at a printmaking/artists' conference, the when the heck can you? I surprised that a) you'd never seen fabric markers before (I think they have fabric-ready pastels/crayons etc, too, so keep a look-out!) and b) that you'd even have to ask about the appropriateness of drawing on your clothes.
I'm also loving the fabic dying and spinning you're doing. Tell me, is spinning on a wheel like a million times better than a drop-spindle, or do I just suck at spinning right now?
Posted by: Em at March 13, 2007 09:45 AM
Go for it!!
Posted by: fraudeutz at March 13, 2007 11:20 AM
I think you should go for it as well. I've avoided fabric markers like the plague though because I WOULD draw all over my clothing.
Posted by: mouse at March 13, 2007 11:57 AM
You must be jonesing on some serious caffeine down there in Jaw-juh. I can't believe how much you're getting done.
Posted by: NWJR at March 13, 2007 02:16 PM
The only ones who will mind (at a printmakers conference!) will be the ones furious because they didn't think of it.
My best print piece ever is probably still the apron that I wore during printmaking and painting and used to test colors, clean my tools, and wipe down various things.
Posted by: mk at March 14, 2007 02:26 AM
Hey-- as someone who has to manually hang out every item of clothing washed on a cold veranda, I feel you! Re-wearing stuff is not only good for you (less stuff to carry, etc), it's better for the environment. In the summer, I don't mind doing a bit more laundry, but in the winter, 80% of the laundry I do is the boy's (because he doesn't rewear anything but jeans, ever.)
Posted by: meranie at March 14, 2007 05:11 AM
Hi! I'm knitting your Reynolds Whiskey sweater right now and love it. I just wanted to thank you for writing such a great pattern. Your blog is really inspiring.
And you definitely shouldn't care what people think at the conference -- it's such a kick-ass idea!
Posted by: jen at March 14, 2007 09:40 AM
Do it! Do it!
Posted by: bonnie at March 14, 2007 11:27 AM
I think having a "Uniform" at a conference is a great idea...I always do that to make myself more memorable. Whether it's a noticable hat, or a vest or variations on the same outfit...piece of jewellery?
I can't wait to see what develops with that idea.
...and I knew about fabric markers and pastels (you have to heat set them with an iron and pref. some newsprint) for a while now, so nanner-nanner-poo-poo.
(Chances are you'll do stuff that's more interesting than what I ever did with them.)
And don't forget the joy of dimensional fabric paints by tulip!
Posted by: Mary at March 21, 2007 07:01 PM