Collaborative Earring Project with Industrial Grace Restoration

My friend Becky of Industrial Grace Restoration & I are collaborating on an earring project inspired by my Twins! Collection. Perfectly mismatched. We both like to work with found, salvaged, rescued and restored materials and both enjoy each other's work. Be sure to check out her blog and her facebook.

This was Becky's brilliant idea, she asked me if I'd be interested in a collaborative project like this and a few months later, I opened the mailbox to the tiniest, hand crafted box (from recycled materials of course! She had packed into it 12 single earrings, each very different from the other. Included was a sweet note with the instructions: to make a pair for each earring, keep 6 pairs for myself, send the other pairs back and send some new single earrings for her to make pairs.

How fun! It has taken me several more months to get back to my studio and supplies. I finally have the studio dug out and this is the first project I am working on.

Sweet note, tiny box and Becky's earring contributions

Becky's creative earring contributions, repurposed and salvaged materials galore (love it!) 

Round 1 of pulling beads and playing around with pairings. I love this part of the design process. 

After a couple of days of work here is my first batch of finished earring pairs.

  

   Some of the finished pairs, Becky's earrings are on the left and mine on the right of each pair. 

All 12 pairs finished! What a colorful collection full of interesting textures and spatial plays. Lots of rescued, repurposed, salvaged and some new materials too! Becky's creations are at the left of each pair and mine are to the right. 

Liberate Your Art Postcard Exchange Project

I've signed up for this cool art exchange project. It's free, your only expense is materials to make your postcards and postage. There is both a facebook event page and info on the organizer's website

Join us!

I plan to explore this ink and water color technique I used for my friend's self-portrait postcard project last year.

Liberate your art image copyright Kat Eye Studio 2015 and available at the above facebook link 1.29.15 

Self Portrait watercolor my original art work. Copyright Virginia E. Berry 2015

First Baby Quilt Finished

I say first as a second surprise quilt is in the works. Pretty much 1/2 of my friends are pregnant this year. Amazing. Here is my finished quilt. Yay.

For before pictures check out my blog entry on this project and the 8 point star motif symbolism and appearance in my work.

Geometry in Fabric, 8 Point Star Motif

I always enjoyed geometry class; one of my favorite subjects in math. I suspect it is a result of growing up around quilts. Grandma was nearly always quilting when we were at her house and her walk in closet filled with fabric was a source of intrigue and also a somewhat forbidden zone - it was color coded, sorted, folded: organized.

She did however let us watch her work. It's amazing what you learn without realizing you are being taught or learning at all! I have surprised myself a few times the last couple of years when commissioned to make custom quilts, with my general knowledge and quilting skills. Osmosis ;)

I saw a cute quilt design in a book at JoAnn Fabrics, but didn't want the whole book so I put the theme and variation on a 9-patch to memory, bought some fabric I liked, went home and got to work. I'm currently working on a baby crib quilt.

The 9-patch design I am working on creates an 8 point star; a motif I fell in love with in Spain, when I observed it woven into architectural details throughout the Andalusia region. I asked a friendly merchant about the symbol as I had seen it so many times I began to suspect it had some significance. He told me it was a Moroccan star and a symbol found in Islam. According to Wikipedia:

"The Rub el Hizb (Arabic: ربع الحزب‎) is a symbol, represented as two overlapping squares, which is found on a number of emblems and flags. In Arabic, Rubʻ means "one fourth, quarter", while Hizb means a group or party. Initially, it was used in the Quran, which is divided into 60 Hizb (60 groups of roughly equal length); the symbol determines every quarter of Hizb, while the Hizb is one half of a juz'. The main purpose of this dividing system is to facilitate recitation of the Qur'an. It is also used as a marker for the end of a chapter in Arabic calligraphy.

The Star of Lakshmi is an identical star figure which figures in Hinduism, where it represents Ashtalakshmi, the eight forms, or "kinds of wealth", of the goddess Lakshmi.

An eight-pointed star was used as a symbol of Tartessos, an ancient civilization based in Andalusia. As the region was ruled by Islamic dynasties for eight centuries, this may suggest a possible origin of the Rub el Hizb."

On a tour of some ancient ruins in Andalusia, I asked the guide about the symbol when I saw it framing an open window facing the sky at the top of a dome. He said it was a sort of God's eye symbol. I enjoy learning about symbols and what they represent in different cultures. The star made of two squares has fascinated me since I traveled to Spain all those years ago. I was delighted to see it represented in a 9-patch quilt square and am busy working on a quilt using this block.

Here are some progress pics:
All of the 300 or so squares cut and laid out. The design is a play on light versus dark squares. I used a mix of bought fabric, most of the darks, and fabric from my Grandma's legacy collection, all of the lights.
My progress as of writing this blog is that the top is a little over half way done.

Here is a little snap shot into my artistic obsession with this symbol over the years: A Mandala design I painted on the floor in my store on Artists' Row. With the help of fellow artist and friend, Sara Maurno! It is based on the 8 point star in the center.
Tile work outside of a mosque in Casablanca, Morocco featuring a rounded version of the 8 point star motif. I took this while traveling there during college.
A double play of the 8 point star motif: it is found in the tile work and also in the wooden window grates that are casting a shadow on the floor. Taken in Andalusia, Spain.
A quilt my Grandma helped me design and make based on a photo of an inlaid wood floor in Spain.

This is what Insomnia Does.

(If you want to read the commentary, click on the picture to view a full size version).

Is it a Tunic or a Dress?

TBD. Sometimes a design requires the hunt for the perfect fabric, other times the fabric inspires the design. That is the case this time. I had a piece of leather I had cut one of my leather corset leaf bodices out of that wants to be turned into either a tunic or a dress. My initial thoughts were tunic...but upon playing with some fabric around the house last night and today I am wondering if it might be a dress.

Here are the first peeks of an idea:




The lovely mauve and off white fabric you see is an antique kimono obi. The delicious giant buttons are vintage! I love recycling and repurposing fabric and buttons. To use the kimono obi fabric, I need to take it apart.


When I exposed part of the liner I discovered the makers mark (no not the whiskey), does anyone read Japanese characters? I'd love to know who made this as all kimonos and obis are meticulously and precisely hand sewn and this is the first stamp or label I have come across! This one, like a couple others I've worked with, had a lovely hidden silk lined pocket as well. I love the discovering little treasures like these. As the silk is in pristine condition I think it will find it's home in a purse in the near future.


Here is what it looks like day two. Part of the process is taking apart the first draft, which is simply pinned fabric and actually starting to tailor and assemble the item. Right now I am working on some organic, raised darts along the front waist. The idea is to cinch in the waist a bit, so it looks less sack like when the obi belt is tied around it. More later as the design progresses.