Tag Archives: materials for the arts

I miss “Joy”

16 Jan


Well, it’s January, it’s a few weeks since my last MFTA class and boy to I miss it. Not for the reasons you might imagine. By the end of the class I was so exhausted and stressed out from work that I really did not put my best foot, or shall I say, effort forward. And now I am too tired and too lazy to get anything done. Lets face it, it’s laziness!

To anyone who is looking for a class to take for credit or for fun, go to Material for the Arts. Joy knows her craft and many others but it’s not for the instruction (which is fantastic) but for the energy, the motivation, the inspiration… It’s kind of like yoga, Joy brings meditation and cleansing to art, craft and teaching.

I really don’t have much else to say. This morning I woke up and looked for throw pillows online. (I just bought my first real piece of furniture, a couch that is as comfortable as a bed) I wasn’t happy with anything I found and horrified by the prices. Realistically, I should not buy anything for many months (couches are expensive!) I remembered all the wonderful fabrics I bought with nothing in mind. I got out of bed and just made 3 pillow shams for my new couch. It felt like a minor project when I was doing it, but now, as I look at how great they are, I am really happy. Even though it isn’t a complex, fabulous, artistic project, I made 3 pillow shams today!

Anyhow, it reminded me of my MFTA class because I stumbled across something I made there and it made me smile. I cannot wait til the summer, until my next class. Until then, there are pillow shams apparently…

Back in the saddle after way too long!

21 Nov

This is a sample for my embroidery students… They are working on their individual pouches where they learn the basic running stitch, the blanket stitch and how to blend color with needle and thread. Each personality is represented by the items they choose to embroider.

Obviously this is not a visited blog but I shall continue just for me!

I’ve been gone for so very long. My initial goal was to write about my challenges at Rikers as well as my challenges with embroidery. That did not work out so well. The emotional drainage that was working in a prison kept me from creating any works of art for about a year.

This year, I am teaching in a wonderful middle school in Brooklyn and since then, everything has changed. Thanks to DonorsChoose.org and my friends, I was able to acquire embroidery materials for my students. As I am focusing on fine arts in class and embroidery is time-consuming, I only teach it during tutorial and lunches. The club is a huge hit! I constantly have kids in my beautiful classroom (beats ants, mice, bars on the windows…). They are slowly learning different techniques and I am so proud of them. I not only teach art but also Social Studies. I have a lot of kids that barely speak english. Embroidery is our link. It feels so great to have found something we can all be passionate about.

Obviously, the kids need a lot of help so I do not embroider with them. However, my fabulous 3 hour commute daily permits me to embroider a lot on the subway, and at home.

I am back to being obsessed and sacrificing sleep for a needle and thread. I think the major motivation was to make samples for my students.

Another very important factor is this incredible class I am taking at Materials of the Arts. It is about the history and the art of fibers. We study fabric from the thread to the print… We’ve learned how to spin and dye our own thread (I’m one step closer to being a spinster, haha) to making various looms… It is heavenly to be a student again. To study the history and skills of art. The most wonderful aspect of it is, even with our studio time, everything we learn can be applied in the classroom. It is so inspiring to be in a room full of educators who want to play with threads, yarn and fabric!

Here is my current work in progress: a tiger from a swatch I found at Materials for the Arts. I finished a shirt today as well, images to come…

So this is a post on how wonderful it feels to get a second wind, to get motivated and inspired again. Hooray for my students, colleagues and thread!

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