Friday, November 30th, 2007
winter pendant, UNIFORM Studio, winter, 2007
Winter is definitely on it’s way to Minneapolis. 6 inches of snow and lots of ice predicted for tomorrow. I’m excited about it -I really love winter. I don’t love the cold but there is something about it that makes my mind sharper and more focused. And I love the icy, washed out colors. Ice is really beautiful. I like how blurry things look when coated in ice.
Unfortunately the storm won’t be good for the No Coast Craft-o-Rama which started this afternoon and runs through tomorrow. I didn’t apply this year (too many other things going on) but if you’re in town you should stop by. Over 100 artists, live music and lots of good food. A great place to buy handmade for the holidays.
I’m also super excited about the Nervous System shop opening. Nervous System is a collaboration between Jessica Eve Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg who come from a background in Architecture and Mathematics (two things close to my heart). Together they create amazingly beautiful jewelry, like you’ve never seen before.
Another great place to do some holiday shopping is a new shop called Yorktown Road. Very classic, simple bags and home accessories, handmade out of beautiful materials with outstanding craftsmanship.
I will be restocking the UNIFORM Studio Holiday Shop on Tuesday, December 4th, at 2pm central time. I will have more scarves, gloves and wraps as well as a few of the new winter pendants (shown above) and possibly a wool version of the random fold dress.
Have a great weekend.
Monday, November 19th, 2007
Green is my favorite color. There isn’t an explanation, other than it just is. I like nature, and trees, but I’m not a nature girl, so that’s not it. I don’t wear a lot of green -I don’t think many people do, unless it’s muted and dark, or sage-y and light. These aren’t the greens I’m talking about. I like bright 60’s greens, and mossy greens with a lot of yellow (like these). I guess it’s more of an emotional thing.
For awhile now I’ve been working on a collection for a big show I’m doing in February. (I’ll post about that another time) The theme really developed around this photo from Iceland (ok -I know you’re sick of it, I’ll try not to mention it too many times again…) and the colors I see in it: a light icy grey, a darker grey and a mossy green. As I started thinking about a collection of small gift items for my Holiday Shop, the green seemed the perfect way to introduce a bit of color pop that would go with a lot of neutrals.
As I began dying, there was a lot of trial and error -the first batch was way too dark, and the second was almost florescent. I think I finally got the right amount of brightness and yellow into the green. But then when I went to photograph it, the images of the green items came out looking gold. It was late in the day, and I had to use some artificial lighting and I couldn’t get it to come out even in photoshop. So I had to reshoot all of the green things at the last minute before the shop update. Talk about nerve wracking. But the second time around they came out fine. I especially like the green against the white background.
Friday, November 16th, 2007
thank. you. all. so much.
I am so deeply moved by your generosity, support and kind words. I can’t begin to tell you.
Thank you also to Katrina (Jennifer’s daughter), who so graciously agreed to model the holiday dress for me, and so well, I might add.
Now I need to get to work:) I will restock gloves and wraps soon -promise.
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
fold wrap, UNIFORM Studio, Holiday 2007
The Holiday Shop is open. I’ve had so much fun designing and making these accessories, specifically with gifts in mind. Thank you for taking a look at the Holiday gift collection and thank you all so much for your support this past year!
fold fingerless gloves, UNIFORM Studio, Holiday, 2007
volumetric scarf, UNIFORM Studio, Holiday, 2007
panel hat, UNIFORM Studio, Holiday, 2007
holiday dress, UNIFORM Studio, Holiday, 2007
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007
Shari over at the Glass Doorknob is posting a Holiday Gift Guide this week showcasing small independent artists. I’m honored to be one of the artists featured today along with the talented photographer Meg Werner. Check in all week as there will be a few artists posted each day.
You can see some images of items I’ll have in my Holiday Shop and read the interview with me here.
Sunday, November 11th, 2007
Some little things making me happy:
A successful (and fun!) photoshoot
Close friends just had their first baby (and another virtual friend will soon have a new baby as well)
An interesting lecture at the Walker Art Center
This textile artist (via elegant musings)
This amazing and inspiring photo which I keep visiting again and again
Raking leaves (and more leaves)
Preparing for the opening of the UNIFORM Studio Holiday Shop
Looking forward to the port2port press Holiday Shop opening
Deciding to use wool for the panel hats (although I think they will still be lined with fleece)
I’ll be back in the next few days with some images of things that will be stocked in the Holiday Shop, which will open on Thursday, November 15th. I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend.
Thursday, November 8th, 2007
panel hat, fleece and wool, UNIFORM Studio, Fall 2007
What are your opinions about fleece? Can you get over the fact of it being polyester?
Recently I’ve been working on some wool doubleknit hats, and they need a lining. Fleece is really the perfect choice give its warmth (even when wet), softness and ability to dry quickly. I would love to use wool fleece but I’ve had a hard time finding it. I found some last winter at a local store, and bought it all. Since then I’ve been combing the internet and other local stores, without much luck. It’s also much more expensive than the polyester.
There is some fleece made out of recycled soda bottles, which I think is a fantastic idea, but this is also hard to get in small quantities (like if you’re not the North Face). Doing more research I decided to take a look at Makie, who makes the most amazing children’s clothing, and uses quite a bit of fleece. I always thought she used wool fleece, but some of the garments are made of 100% polyester fleece. And they’re gorgeous. This convinced me to at least try out this fabric.
The panel design came out of my continued explorations with combining knitting and sewing. I like the color and texture of the fleece combined with the wool yarn. It’s also thicker and warmer than the wool doubleknit one. I still like the simplicity of the thin wool, but I think this could be a possibility for a thicker version.
panel hat, fleece and wool detail
panel hats in progress, wool doubleknit w/ cotton (stripe) and hand knit wool inserts.