today in the studio
February 16, 2012
A friend of mine needed a white, fancy summer dress for a tropical beach wedding, but try and find such a dress in Canada in the middle of February (even if you are that person who easily fits into anything off the rack, which my friend, like almost every person in the whole world, is not). She found an almost suitable dress that we made some minor changes to in order to make it perfect. It’s a bridal dress (the idea of wearing a bridal dress as part of someone else’s wedding party thrills me, as I’m not really all that big a fan of marriage in general). I forgot to get real “before” shots, but here it is with the hem and the two long back ties shortened from floor-length to knee-length:
Then I added a layer of organza fabric, pleated on underneath the bodice band and finished off at the bottom edge with a narrow serged hem. So pretty!
Posted by jodi on February 16, 2012 at 8.55pm
more sewing for the broken city lab commission
February 15, 2012
Giant letters that will make up a sign that fills the side of a building; they’ll be changing the text periodically so we’re doing a set of letters similar to the letter distribution in a Scrabble set. Plus accents, as the text will be both English and French.
I already made a large black fabric backdrop, fabric squares that the letters will be pinned to, plus the bunting flags. Only the letters are left; this is where it gets tedious!
The letters are black fabric backed with various scrap decorating sateen fabrics with a layer of double sided iron-on adhesive in the middle. It’s more work than it looks, as I first have to break the letters into pieces, cut them from the adhesive, iron them onto the black, cut them out, iron them onto the backing fabrics, cut them out again, then sew around the edges with the serger (knife disengaged!).
That’s a whole lot of cutting with both rotary cutter and scissors, so I’ve been taping up various parts of my fingers to try and prevent blisters. With only moderate success.
Posted by jodi on February 15, 2012 at 1.59pm
in the studio
February 8, 2012
A 135-foot bunting, part of a large sewing commission for Broken City Lab.
Posted by jodi on February 8, 2012 at 1.37pm
today in the studio
January 19, 2012
Progress on the bird drawing:
Start of a new drawing:
The second drawing is inspired in part by this one, from Aldrovandi; I was originally going to put a headdress on the deer (I was thinking of an octopus for a headdress, actually), but once the antler was in there it felt like too much. Somebody in one of these drawings is definitely going to be wearing an octopus on their head, though.
Posted by jodi on January 19, 2012 at 6.21pm
progress in the studio
January 16, 2012
This bird’s head is way too big, but whatever. Also hand-bird is bothering me, it’s too much knobbly neck. Perhaps it needs to be wearing a nice frilly ruff.
Posted by jodi on January 16, 2012 at 10.34pm
new drawing in progress
January 14, 2012
For an upcoming (date TBA) solo show of tattoo flash drawings at rEvolution gallery & studio in Kingsville.
For inspiration I am looking at: early printed books about animals and mythological creatures, in particular my old favourites, Edward Topsell*’s The Historie of The Foure-Footed Beastes (1607) and The Historie of Serpents (1608), and Ulisse Aldrovandi**’s Monstrorum historia cum Paralipomenis historiae omnium animalium (1642); old botanical engravings of weeds and mushrooms; various danse macabres of different eras; renaissance manuscript illuminations of fantastic animals, demons, hellmouths and the like; early 20th century ex libris plates***; old lace pattern books; typeface catalogues; old engravings of insects and cephalopods and who knows what else.
*I’ve been scanning images from facsimile editions of the Topsell, but you can find images of the plates at this link.
**Aldrovandi’s History of Monsters can be seen in full at this link (a warning: while this book is full of strange and funny imaginary creatures it also presents a variety of birth defects and disabilities as equally “monstrous”, so, that’s disturbing).
***Pratt Libraries has a wonderful collection of over a thousand ex libris plates in this flickr set.
Posted by jodi on January 14, 2012 at 8.24am
some things i’m working on
January 11, 2012
Carving a new woodblock so that I can print some stripes on fabric.
And doing some production sewing for an upcoming installation by Broken City Lab.
Posted by jodi on January 11, 2012 at 6.13pm
new printing
December 14, 2011
This new batch of bandannas in progress has printing from some familiar old woodblocks and a fun letterpress block, recently acquired, that says BINGO on it. Everybody loves to shout BINGO!, right?
They’re now all edged and washed and only need to be ironed and photographed before they make their way into the shop. If this grey rainy weather can offer up enough light to get some pictures. . .
Posted by jodi on December 14, 2011 at 9.40am
five colours of the same fabric
November 21, 2011
Because I love it so much. I want to have this fabric in all the colours. You can’t see it here, but the pinstripes in the metallic gold version are white. Love! Lots of amazing new bandannas coming soon soon soon, y’all.
Posted by jodi on November 21, 2011 at 11.40pm
future heirloom
November 16, 2011
This ugly old wedding dress is the raw material for a new project prototype: creating new and useful items out of what would otherwise sit folded in tissue forever, slowly fading, creases setting in permanently. You spent thousands on this dress, and possibly even dreamed of wearing it your whole entire life. Don’t store it under the bed where it’ll get knocked around every time you sweep the floor. Don’t store it in the basement where it’ll get ruined the first time you have a sewage flood! Instead carry the memory of your special day with you always, in the form of such practical items as: grocery totes. Placemats. A laptop case. Diaper soakers! (because after marriage comes the baby carriage, amirite?).
Any suggestions for practical and irreverent items (that people ACTUALLY USE) to add to the list will be welcomed and considered. I am especially excited about the grocery totes, but there must be something that can be done with all that lace. Kitchen curtains? Car rags? Ooh, car seat covers. Do people still use those?
Posted by jodi on November 16, 2011 at 1.56pm
