Category: UnknOwn Sister

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 FybreSpace the shop, Studio Realities, UnknOwn Sister

I’m late, i’m late, for a very important date!

Posted on by arlee

Please forgive me, Blossoms! I need five more days to get my act together due to some lingering Things and Things 🙂 I had planned on re-opening tomorrow, but it will be midnight of the 15th in reality. The Things and Things should have settled down by then!

And it’s kind of funny, i’ve seen this movie many times over the years (it’s my all time favourite of any movie 🙂 ) but didn’t realize there was more to the song. So, while i’m off to shave my fuzzy ears and whiskers, and finish getting ready, enjoy this!

 

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 Probably talking to just myself, UnknOwn Sister

presumption averted? subverted/reverted/inverted/diverted

Posted on by arlee
 Sigh. Due to the postal strike in Canada, i have decided to put off the re-opening and rebranding of my small business until January 10, 2025. I can neither in good conscience charge my customers more for shipping by using more costly courier services, though i am not the one who benefits from this, nor can i absorb the costs myself. And quite honestly, the logistics involved is ridiculous. I support worker’s rights to strike and for a fair wage, but i am unwilling to trot my old body all over town laden with parcels, getting stuff to a drop off point/courier who then has to pass it off onto another courier  in my now common method of travel, an Uber! Those drivers are great but can easily become confused i find when you have multiple destinations, some of which seem to be nowhere in sight from the road you travelled in on…..
I will be uploading listings as i can before Jan 10th, but any order you make, should you do do in good faith, will be held until Canada Post is back on track and fulfilling their duties.

I’ve decided to use this 🍋 as a time to make more lemonade 😉

 Part of that reality is the fact that i kind of went bonkers buying fabric. (You have NO idea what i’ve spent, washed and folded and bundled into neat baskets on sturdy shelves.) I’ve bought only white for so many years now (for the natural dyeing), that i had no idea about the sheer scale of colour, motif, style, mood, even ethnicity of what is available now. I HAVE to use it up, or my end disposal will be a huge chrysalis of fabric bundled around a grey shriveled up old me hanging off the tallest tree in Kananaskis Country or plopped into a hole that could be misconstrued as the foundation space for a very very tall building, way in the middle of gawdz unknown for privacy, as you know that type of mysterious hidden structure is. OH MY GAWDZ, this is going to be fun!
By the way, while the URL (online address) will remain the same, that is FybreSpace at https://fibrespace.bigcartel.com/ but the header/banner will show ON the site as UnknOwn Sister. (That should be around Dec 1st as originally planned, and yes “o” is actually a zero “0”), just to confuse things. Never mind that unless you need to write the Brand  😂
Posted in Probably talking to just myself, UnknOwn Sister

presumption

Posted on by arlee

I have so many beautiful fabrics now in my “library”. I still haven’t found *exactly* what i was/am looking for. I could keep on buying and buying and while i love what i’ve amassed so far for Unknown Sister, it’s not going to be complete until i can do /find/make/buy what i precisely want.

But i did figure it out. And that’s what i’m doing, hoping it’s not going to slow me down too much for a Dec 1 “opening”. Some will be used as i bought them, perfect storm combinations. Others will be what i “see”.

HA.

WHY was i so dumb as to not think about the Annual Canada Post strike at Christmas season, which started today? I had planned a grand “Re-opening” of my shop, but with a new old slant (Used to do wearable art 20+ years ago) and of course, now, do i not only have to have enough to make it worth loading the shop, but not enough that it gets stuck in the mail. Trying to find alternate carriers is exhausting. Ah, the Joys of Small Craft/Art Business…….

Going to keep on, but not holding  my breath. I shot myself in the foot to begin with by waiting until too close to Christmas, but this kind of puts the gangrene in the first aid box, doesn’t it?

 

Posted in Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, Probably talking to just myself, UnknOwn Sister

no purpose from fear

Posted on by arlee

Stepping into/back into something you’ve done before can still be frightening.

It’s nothing earth shattering. It’s not dangerous, or WooWoo. It’s not something that is going to take tough lessons to develop. It’s not something that someone else is going to feel is wrong, or that could damage things in intent and function.

Such drama! It’s not that dramatic but it is scary for me personally.

Since Vic died, i have kind of drifted from day to day. He truly was my anchor. One of my first Things i wanted to do was redecorate. I have gallons of paint, all the tools, wallpaper and i bought a new couch (an AWFUL one, more on that later), a dining set (bistro size ’cause there’s really only me and Last Cat won’t sit still at the table…), rugs and curtains and sheets. Hell, i even have Decor for the Loo, and who does that? I have also of course copious notes and sketches and colour samples   —–   and nothing has been done, except in my  head. Oh, in my head it is

GLORIOUS.

(By the way, and this is the last time i will say this because some say i sound defensive, as if i’m trying to “excuse” any unseen (to the world) behaviour and him not “allowing” these things. He would, he did but i never got to them because you know, Life. So fuck you if you thought i had a controlling husband while i played “good little wifey”. Construe what you like.)

AHEM.

I will get to the House Thing when i have got the Other Thing going, And this is the part that “afears” me.

Twenty plus years ago, i had a wearable art business. I’ve mentioned it a number of times, usually vaguely. Actually i had it in my mind at least 2 years ago to go back to it. At the time, it supported myself and my son, not richly, but comfortably enough. I had a base of customers on first a small island, and then later on a not so crowded coastal area. People knew me, in person. There was no web yet, that came at the end of my business.I specialized in what i would now call evening outer wear, though i did garments for day as well, and hats and bags and Christmas shelfshit too. Most of it was somewhat glitzy–i had a passion for the metallics and velvets and lame etc from Little India in particular at the time. My specialty was the smoothest machine applique in everything from florals and geometric to celtic and abstracts. And things had POCKETS.

First i thought of doing wearable art with the natural dyes and fibres. Still do-able, some will surface i am sure, but the way people care for things makes their care of natural dubious at best. I’m not going to fight somebody about returning cash for the pit Ph stains, the guacamole lemon rings on the lap, the faded folds from leaving something over the back of a chair. And yes, Maiwa does it beautifully. I can’t compete and don’t want to with that. Kudos to them for the quality, and their long enduringbusiness  model and ethics. I will as i said in a previous post, still dye cloth and threads for the artists out there, the ones who supported my little online biz for 15 years. THANK YOU, BLOSSOMS.

What i have designed and will make then is Fun Stuff. I HOPE you think it’s Fun Stuff. My fear is no one will like it. I’ve made it a stand too that most of my “line” will fit bodies that are curvier, rounder, luscious and sick to death of polyknits with kitties, sequins and dumb slogans printed on them. There will be elastic, ties and looseness. If you want something fitted, sorry, these are going to be comfy loose go to town, go to read or stitch on the couch, go to hell with what you “should” wear after 185 lbs/50+ years, but not sloppy tents. Some will fit “off the rack” sizes.

I like quirky details and bold colours and prints. I like mixing them, manipulating the fabrics, adding offbeat, vintage, unconventional, ethnic details. Honestly i went a bit wild buying fabrics, but i just couldn’t resist certain prints and patterns and colourways. I have a plenitude of goods to work with. And i NEED to be DOING again, something i enjoy, something others may will like and that is bright and happy.

I even refitted the big bedroom upstairs to be my main studio now. It’s bright, it’s “connected” and it’s ORGANIZED. The basement will be the secondary area, storage, a huge table for large pieces to be embellished and bookcases with books, beads, trims, notes, etc etc etc. I always felt cut off down there because of course there are no windows. I don’t care about the drywall or the concrete floor: WINDOWS WITH NATURAL LIGHT ARE CRUCIAL for creativity.

I’m planning on “opening” Unkn0wn Sister the end of November. Unfortunately it WILL be late for a lot of Christmas spending, but i can’t wait longer than that to get back into the pond. I’ll be giving some little visual hints until then to entice and lure (i hope 🙂 )

 

PS This post is an affirmation. By writing it all down, i HAVE to do it, or lose credibility/face/respect. Maybe i should get out the lipstick and write it on the bathroom mirror.

Well, SOME of it, the mirror ain’t that big.