Category: Not so ordinaries

Posted in a collusion of ideas, Collision: the work begins, Crafting Art, journal: lessons to learn, Not so ordinaries, UnknOwn Sister

Bear with me please

Posted on by arlee

Still been a hell of a year and 8 months, but i promise i am getting my ass in gear finally. After this amount of time and all the sadness and anger, i “caved” finally signed myself up for counselling, not talking to a friend counselling but the real deal with a therapist. Probably should have done 40 or more years ago. Whatever. I’m in.  Part of this is a combination of fear, anger and grief and part a dread of dementia. (Which i DO NOT have, but worry about anyways. I have made it clear to those who care that if that happens, i will not stick around to live through it. My decision.)

Anyways, i promised back in July to give teasers of fabrics for what i’m doing. It begins:

Above, from top: all cottons, Vermeer print layer 1, Gold striped pale coral underlayer, terra cotta jacquard pants.

Below: raspberry linen and Boho style gridded rayon–one top combined, one pants or skirt combined.

 

Below, Crushed grapes print Ankhara cotton with loud striped Ankhara cotton, pinny and pants!

Below, Glacier themed 20s flapper frock with ramie, stencilling and cracked ice lace.

Below, floofy top of some sort, full and fluffy, cottons, lime green linen (which will be coupled with apple green waffle cotton) for pants.

Below, combining plaids in colour, scale and feel for fun and funky tops, cottons.

A small collection below of cotton co-ordinates that can be mixed and mixed (HA, thought i was going to say mixed and matched, didncha?)

And there will be a line/collection/series of more feminine patterned items as well: lilies of the valley, roses, tulips, irises, wild flowers in cottons, rayon, cotton rayon blends and silk.

And laces and embroidered tulles and eyelet synthetics, rayons and cottons, because of all the fabrics i bought, my inner FouFou self took over and indulged herself in all the fripperies she could get her greedy little hoofies on!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I actually did one of my first social media “stories” for FB and IG but alas, the visual part got pretty much covered with the “caption” and even i wasn’t impressed with myself. Have to try that again, and may post it here as well  if i can remember how.

And a retirement of sorts after 15 years: i sold all of my natural dyes and assorted accoutrements that went with (pots, tools, gloves, etc etc etc) because i decided that if it had been sitting for almost 3 years in my studio and not being used, it would be better to get to someone who would love it. I have plans still to sell my dye books and HALF of my white dyeables. I’ve kept my Procion as i have plans for it. I will also at some point have the remainders of my naturally dyed fabrics for sale, economical small packs to tempt and tease. I originally had planned to do all this art wear WITH naturals but soon realized care of them and the bitching that would ensue (because no one listens to/reads the instructions) made it a foolish proposition. I’m not in this to fight anybody or try to solve problems caused by casual ignorance.

Part of posting all this is that i agreed to the therapist suggestion of setting achievable goals for myself. The above planned garments won’t all happen with a week or even a month, mostly because i have 11tybajillion other ideas as well. If i set myself on the track though, that’s my first step, and yeah Me. My BIG goal is to make enough coin to go to Europe next year, or maybe South America with my son. It’s also time to travel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Onward and upward. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Posted in a collusion of ideas, Days of Honey, UnknOwn Sister

more teasers

Posted on by arlee

I am having so much fun putting prints together! It was never something i thought of before, or even figured i could do. Trust your gut though: i’m loving these.

I’m waiting for selfie stick (Did i EVER EVER EVER think *I* would say that? NOPE.) A. My hands are too shakey for my camera, always have been. and B. *MAYBE* i would like to pose myself in some of the stuff i’m doing. Well, at the very least a Swathing or Three might happen. And C. Greyman was the one who took photos for me, of me, and he’s busy now with all the the babies Upstairs.

 

Posted in a collusion of ideas, Not so ordinaries

inkling #3

Posted on by arlee

I wish it were still summer, though winter is a good time to really buckle down and get some work done. I’m feeling that heavily this year: age, health and emotionally charged issues will do that to a person.

If they are lucky.

Did i tell you too that 2 days before his birthday on Sept 8, my darling son “divorced” himself from me?  This year has had enough of its way with me. Except for 3 lines from him then, i haven’t seen or spoken to him since June end. I miss him, i love him. The door is ALWAYS open, Honey, no matter what.

I say to this year “Your balls? My boots.” (To paraphrase the best response to a certain American asshole’s comment about women’s bodily autonomy. Who’s scared now, Asshole?)

Never mind that though and what’s South of the Canadian border (except for a few friends). I am sad for that, but very very happy in my happy lonely place.

Posted in Not so ordinaries, Probably talking to just myself

Tired of chasing my tail, ha, caught it!!!

Posted on by arlee

Dear Followers and Friends:

This has been a tough year for me, not only what i’ve shared publicly, but also behind the scenes. I’ve never figured myself for a delicate little flower type, but apparently i am. We all have different levels of bravery and ego and drive, and mine have been battered enough this year that i am changing my focus, or rather, dividing it into 3 parts.

In the autumn and winter i have decided i will concentrate on my wearable art interests with interesting commercial fabrics, simple shapes with unique treatments, sizing for “larger” women (and this is not a dig or body shaming because *I* am a “larger” woman, especially after this GD year) and bold colours. I’ve never done “winter colours” for any reason and see no need to go the dark, minimalist, almost dreary route–we need colour in the winter, perhaps more so if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, suffer from SAD or just love brilliant and saturated luminosity!

In late spring and summer, i will return to my love of natural dyes, providing you with Mother Earth’s palette in the usual mixed packs and perhaps next year, some yardages.

Thirdly,  many many years ago, 45 to 50 of them actually (!), i painted. Though i enjoyed it a lot, I wasn’t very good, but it’s appealing to me again and i’d really like to if not be “serious”, at least be more diligent in learning and to have fun too.

Incidentally, my late Beloved NEVER EVER EVER stopped me from doing any of these things. He was *very* supportive, but as with any life there were too many times when you don’t get to do what you want to, because necessity and time demand other directions. These are decisions made now for a different lifestyle, one of being alone i’ve never experienced before. It’s up to me to be me, for me, about me. Not selfishly but self aware.

So, i haven’t abandoned the biz, or you, so please don’t abandon me. I’m in the process of washing fabrics, designing patterns, figuring out colour combinations and choosing styles and hope to start showing them next month. You may be tired of hearing “soon, next week, perhaps, maybe, hopefully, etc, but i WILL get there. I simply NEED as any of us do, *something* in my life that keeps me going, and i plan on going at least another 20 years!

Thank you those who have followed and those who have supported me on so many levels, whether with a purchase, or a kind word, or just the click of a “like” button. You’re all Peaches, Blossoms and the Bestests of people.

Posted in Not so ordinaries

Good night, my Darling

Posted on by arlee

I love you so much. I’ll miss you for a long time, but i will join you someday. My love, my rock, my hero, the “wind beneath my wings” as we joked, my husband for 20 years which has not been long enough, Vic passed away in the early hours of Feb 25, 2024.

Thank you to the nurses at South Health Campus in Calgary, the Palliative Care Team, Vic’s co-workers, my neighbours, Constable M Guenter, Vic’s cousin’s wife Rhonda (my “sister in law” though that’s not quite correct ❤ ), the cabbies of Uber and Amber at the funeral home.

Vic will be cremated, with no service and in the Spring, my son and i  will take him to near Elbow Falls to be with the furbabies and the mountains, and some of him to Vancouver Island to be with the ocean he loved too.

Last night i dreamed he was sleeping with me, a vivid warm feeling. I could sense his body, his weight in the bed and this morning i woke a bit more at peace.

 

Posted in Days of Honey, FybreSpace the shop, Natural Dyes, Probably talking to just myself

YUMSHUSNESS piles

Posted on by arlee

I’ve been dyeing all week:

Swanky Panky: Packs of teasing texture in pearlescent cotton damask, mellow cotton velveteen, sultry silk habotai, crisp cotton and slinky silk/rayon velvet, naturally dyed in madder, quebracho rojo, lac, marigold and eucalyptus with historically accurate processes.

AND
Earthing: A more rustic version of the Swanky Panky mix, each pack with a different fibre mix. Naturally dyed in madder, quebracho rojo, lac, marigold and cutch with historically accurate processes.

 

 

 

Making piles. Sorting bits. Prepping projects. Skeining threads.

And then it’s time to play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Posted in Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, Natural Dyes, Not so ordinaries, Probably talking to just myself

(drum roll, please) Unknown Sister is back

Posted on by arlee

I love what i do,  but it’s time to add a new approach. I had a reasonably successful run as a wearable art designer (Albedo Artclothing) from ’93 to about 2001, and my big big studio was always humming with work. Over the last couple of months, ideas have been popping into my head as to how to translate what i do into something one would wear, fun, bright, unique but comfortable, un-contrived and mixable with a person’s favourite skirt, top or pants, not so over-the-top as to be laughable or “inappropriate” for an occasion, but still completely different from what every one else has.

I have NO idea how long each piece will take at this point of planning. Making art by hand is not the same as whipping up something on the sewing machine or serger, slapping on a few applique and some exotic buttons—not that at that time there was anything wrong with that–it was “of the times” after all, and there were not a lot of truly hand crafted pieces, unless you were one of the 11tybajillion dollar rich persons who shopped bespoke couture somewhere in Milan or Paris or some exclusive by appointment only atelier on a hidden street in Lower wherever……

Yes, there will be machine work to assemble, because the “hand crafted” aspect i’m talking about is the design, the fabrics and embellishments, and the embellishing itself.

AND it’s still going to be with natural fibres and natural dyes, because that truly is my passion in all of this. I’m rarely attracted now to commercial fabrics, and i never wear synthetics as they make me feel strangled, hot and stinky, as they just don’t breathe.

This piece is what started me thinking about wearables again:

Tower to the Moon, 8″ SOLD

I’ve culled other ideas from previous work too, most done in the last 2 or 3 years. I’m also going through photographs of the previous work i did as Albedo Artclothing, because i know there’s stuff there that can be distilled as well, without being re-hashes or cop-outs. I believe it’s just ambitious enough to accomplish but not so much that i get bogged down or lose interest. Waking up excited this morning tells me i could be right about this, as i haven’t felt this way for a lonnnnnnng time!

“Unknown Sister” was a separate online shop and blog for awhile, for wearable accessories, and i decided to resurrect the idea specifically for this again.

Since i have no idea how long it will take to finish something like this as a wearable, i am projecting the first project won’t be done until the end of March. I’ll be keeping a log of sorts about time spent on it, so i can pre-plan future pieces, and re-learn time management (not a strong suit anymore!). Maybe it will be done before that deadline, but that IS the deadline, so we’ll see!

Let’s have some fun!

Posted in FybreSpace the shop, Not so ordinaries

Return of the DogFaced Girl!

Posted on by arlee
Nessie, the DogFaced Girl is home! She faces doggie physio, lots of meds, massages and short short walks in the next few weeks, and REALLY wants to go shopping today to buy an inflatable post surgery collar–we *all* hate this one!!!!!!
She says a big thank you to all those who “chipped in” by buying Mom’s beautiful fabrics and art, and sends lots of Doggie Kisses to you Blossoms.
Posted in Not so ordinaries

Update on my DogFaced Girl’s diagnosis

Posted on by arlee
I just wanna cry. Nessie has a ripped off the bone ligament, and a broken knee which means all the bones below her knee are shifting around and moving freely every time she takes a step or puts weight on it. She’s scheduled for surgery on the 17th (ouch the bill) and in the meantime gets to laze around and have her back end supported by a sling we must use when she needs to go out for business or into the car. She will also have a thyroid test to perhaps explain the big weight gain she’s had, particularly since she’s never been a big eater, often skipping a day between meals. We are lucky to have had her booked as early as this with a surgeon who does this 4 times a day sometimes (never mind hip dysplasia in mid to big dogs–ask your vet about meniscus and ligament damage if your dog is having problems!). Throughout all of this, our beautiful useless good for nothing flop eared mutt has maintained her loving, patient, sweet disposition.She picked the right people to adopt when they visited the Calgary Animal Services, because we love her SO much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To help partially with the bill, i will be listing fabric packs this week (just give me a day or two to pull them together and list), as usual priced in Canadian dollars for decently sized packs (no scrappy bits) and as always too, will refund any extra shipping/postage paid.
Thank you all for your patience with the “irregular” posts here, for your support, your kind words and your faith in me.
Posted in Not so ordinaries

Sort of a Sale: for the DogFaced Girl!

Posted on by arlee

As is our usual practice to decompress, we went to the mountains for some much needed peace and quiet, some fresh air and exercise and to appreciate the natural beauty of where we live. DogFaced Girl *always* comes with us!

Unfortunately, DFG had some sort of accident! We had turned our backs to give her some privacy while peeing and were shocked by the biggest yelp of pain we’ve ever heard from her. She IS a wimp, partially due to her nature and partially to her bad hip, but this time was different. Because we didn’t actually see what happened, we surmised that she had either stepped in a hole, or slipped, and then wrenched her knee and hip, the end result being a torn knee ligament and further hip damage, as we found when we took her to the vet.

The only good part of this was that we had not ventured too far into the woods, because making her walk as far as she did to get back to the car was painful enough to watch and to participate in, for about 30 metres, the longest 30 metres of helplessness from both of us. We couldn’t carry her because the leg would drag and pull on her hip, she couldn’t walk for more than 3 steps without lying down and crying. Greyman moved the car so she could get in easier, but he still had to lift her back end in, not an easy feat with a crying 75 pound muttski!

Her hip is also much worse than we thought. We’ve known since we got her (a rescue dog) at 6 months that she has a bad right hip, but until we saw the xrays had no idea HOW bad. It was always slightly “off set” due to some fucking asshole picking her up by the back leg sometime in the first 6 months of her life, but the accident pulled her hip out of the socket even further.

We are waiting for referrals to either one or two surgeons who have to operate, once on her right knee and once on her right hip. The poor girl is so sweet tempered that all she does is whine, limp and flop down right now. She’s on a anti inflammatory, which should help with swelling and pain BUT she needs those 2 operations. And of course, they are quite expensive!

There is NOTHING we wouldn’t do for our furry babies, so to that end to partially finance some of the costs, i have decided that from Dec 1st to Dec 5th INCLUSIVE, all my shop ART will include the shipping/postage to anywhere in Canada or the Continental US. It may not seem a big deal to save that, but with postage costs on the increase, you will save a fair bit, especially since my prices are and always have been in Canadian dollars.

I thank you in advance for your support, whether it’s a purchase, a share of the information or a good healing wish, all is appreciated! The shop can be found at FybreSpace.

I need my Best Shop Assistant to be with me for a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time!