Saturday 28 April 2012

Philosophy Friday - The Child Within




" Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."
                                                                                          - Pablo Picasso



Yes indeed Mr. Picasso, it can be a problem.  As children, we had an innate sense of curiosity.  We questioned everything.  We experimented with things and we never had that sense of failure or dread that seems to come with adulthood. If we drew a picture and it did not really turn out as we had envisioned - did we agonize over it ?  NO - we usually tossed it aside, took up another piece of paper and started anew. We had a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around us. We had an eagerness to know about things and to learn.  Our minds were open, free flowing and uncluttered.

As adults, our world is more complicated -  filled with responsibilites, work commitments, obligations,  and social expectations.  Our minds are constantly littered with the debris of day to day activities and bound by the chains of routine.   We are all too aware of being judged and we too easily bow to the opinions of others. We care too much what others think of us, instead of being comfortable in our own skin and marching to our own drummer.

Maybe it's time to start looking through a child's eyes once again.  To experience the wonder of the world, to seek and question, to see new and extraordinary things. Ignite that creative spark and embrace the joy of looking with eyes wide open, feeling the bliss and the sense of freedom and innocence we enjoyed as a child.  Put fears of failure aside and enjoy learning to play again.  Look, see, do ......

                                      

" All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten.  Remember the Dick and Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all --- LOOK. "
                                                   - Robert Fulgham ( in"Importance of Kingergarten")


Sunday 22 April 2012

Earth Day - Textile Repurposing and Recycling



Earth Day 2012 and have there been any positive changes or improvements in the last year?  I think more people are becoming aware of environmental concerns and taking positive action.   And yes, in my field of textiles and fibres I have seen more textile recycling taking place and more companies established to handle these procedures.  A couple of years ago, a Google search produced only a handful of North American companies involved in textile recycling but today if you run that same search there are a myriad of companies listed and I am happy to say, many are Canadian. 
As a woman who creates with textiles on a daily basis and keeps an eye on the industry, I have a keen appreciation for the medium but I am also very aware that the processes and manufacture of these very fabrics I love is having a major negative impact on our world environment and is contributing to global warming and causing serious detriment to our climate.

Governments, manufacturers and environmental lobbyists are slowly creating changes to processes and years of neglect and mismanagement of the industry which has caused pollution, energy and water waste in astronomical and devastating quantities. It is a slow process and many of these decisions are out of our hands, so how do we as individuals bring positive changes within our local communities?

I was shocked to discover that in Canada alone, there is an average of 7 kilograms of textile waste per person in our landfills and that accounts for 4% of all materials in Canadian landfills while an American individual throws away about 68 pounds of clothing and textiles in their garbage and dumps per year.  Most of these articles are tossed because they are considered damaged, worn out, outgrown or out of fashion.  We are indeed a throw away society.  People no longer bother to sew on a button or replace a zipper or alter clothing when it is easier to buy new.

 We can definitely take better care of our garments and household textiles by repairing or altering these items instead of disposing of them.  We can be more aware and educate ourselves about the types of fabrics we are purchasing and attempt to buy more natural and organic materials and clothing.

Give your used and unwanted textiles to charities and thrift shops. Clothes can be re-sold in their shops and many charities ship worldwide to other countries where second hand clothes are welcomed.  Items in poor shape can be recycled into rags for industry or can be shredded to make cushion fillings, carpet underlay, insulation, roofing felt, speaker cones, and compost.   Some municipalities and communities now have textile recycling programs in operation. Check in your specific area.
Textile recycling service companies are more prevalent now and they are committed to providing sustainable solutions for corporate, city governments, school districts and various other agencies, including charities.

Retro is very "in" these days and perusing the aisles of your local thrift shops can unearth unknown treasures and camp clothing styles. The remaking or refashioning of clothing can be rewarding and fun.  You can create accesories and clothing from older style acquisitions which can result in a unique and distinctive wardrobe.  Be a trendsetter!   Repurpose second hand clothing and household linens to make purses, bags for shopping, table runners, toss cushions, quilt backs,  curtain tiebacks and table coverings. 

Consider donating used household textiles to a local animal shelter, where they are usually welcomed. Most shelters will accept old blankets, bath and hand towels, sheets, pillows, bathroom rugs and t-shirts. They are used for lining pet cages, cleaning up messes, drying of wet animals, providing warm bedding and comfort etc.

Please give some serious thought as to how you can improve your textile habits and help Mother Earth clean up her act.

PS:
I love what this organization is doing in Vancouver BC - would love to have them around the corner from me!

http://www.oursocialfabric.org/

Saturday 21 April 2012

Philosophy Friday - Further thoughts on Creativity

"The creative is the place where no one else has ever been.  You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition."  - Alan Alda






I've been contemplating further the subject of creativity. In reading various people's opinions and thoughts on the subject, I came across a lecture given by the British actor and comedian, John Cleese of Monty Phython fame, who one could absolutely define as a " creative".  Mr. Cleese offered up " Five factors that you can arrange to make your lives more creative" and his thoughts definitely resonated with me.








1.  SPACE - "You can't become playful and therefore creative, if you are under your      usual pressures."
2.  TIME - " It's not enough to create space; you have to create your space for a     
     specific period of time."
3.  TIME - " Giving your mind as long as possible to come up with something
     original, and learning to tolerate the discomfort of pondering time and indecision."
4.  CONFIDENCE - " Nothing will stop you being creative so effectively as the fear
     of making a mistake."
5.  HUMOUR - " The main evolutionary significance of humour is that it gets us from
     the closed mode to the open mode quicker than anything else."

I wonder as to how often we look at a day when we play and dream as a day to be considered as " unproductive". Is it societal pressures and expectations, family commitments or self flagellation that gives us these " guilty" feelings, even though we know this time for us personally brings a sense of well being and produces many thoughts and ideas for our work?  How do we reconcile our feelings on this?  I do believe that personal meditation and more play time is required to come to terms with
that one !!  (-:

Friday 20 April 2012

Be on your guard when purchasing your beading needles!

                                                  



I know that many of us are creatures of habit, especially in the studio.  For years, I have purchased only John James beading needles made in England due to their superior quality workmanship.  I usually purchase the " longs" and for bead embroidery I prefer the # 10's.  I always buy several packages at a time and take them out of their wrappers and put them into a special little case I have for them.  In working, when I bend a needle totally out of shape , break one on occasion or just simply wear one out, I  deposit it in a little box for rejects and open up my nifty case and pop out a new one.  It's an easy routine that I am comfortable with and I never keep the wrappers the needles originally came in.

When I was working on "Love You to the Moon and Back", I was frustrated due to constant needle breakage and the difficulty I had threading them too.  For a brief moment, I began to question at my vintage, if my eyes and hands had started to play tricks on me but I can usually slip a piece of silamide through the small eye of a beadng needle in a jiffy - it's second nature -  so sanity prevailed and I rather felt that something else was the culprit!  Upon close examination holding a needle up to a light source, I could see the eyes were not punched out properly and some eyes were extremely distorted. Several eyes snapped right off once they did get threaded and/or in the attempt to do so.  When stitching, the slightest bend would result in a quickly snapped needle and I am used to bending the heck out of a needle for some time before it cries for mercy.  I always use a light fusible on the back of my bead stitching and have used the John James through those layers for a considerable number of years without any problem so the fusible was ruled out.

 It seems I was not alone in my dilemma and several other beaders have been experiencing similar frustrations.  Hence, a discussion ensued via the good old internet grapevine. I discovered the answer to my problem and want to share it with you so you can be on your guard when purchasing John James beading needles.   I did find one older packet of needles to show you.  This packet is clearly marked " Made in England".

               BUT

some of the packages are marked as follows:



You will note the packaging looks the same as is the price but the needles are not produced in England and in fact, have been outsourced to China.  Of course, everything looks the same and we do not read the fine print on a product we know and rely on, so we pick them up thinking we are buying the same good old reliable English product. On closer examination, the paper package for the Chinese needles is thinner and cheaper looking than the English packaging. These needles bend and break like never before and are quite inferior. The second package shown above was purchased just a month ago from one of my reliable American suppliers.

 Entaco, who is the manufacturer of John James needles say they were losing their craftsmen to aging and retirement and younger people were not entering their workforce etc., etc.  They said they thought they could have the needles manufactured in China to their specs but now they are saying they have changed their minds and manufacturing has returned to England.  Whether or not this is fact or not remains to be seen and a delegate from the beading community is currently approaching Entaco on that very subject.  We are now awaiting their reply.  I am sure too, it is not just their beading needles that have been affected, so I would advise that any range of their needle products you consider buying be closely examined before purchase.

On a brighter note, I have just purchased some new Japanese beading needles that have come highly recommended and are now available in North American markets.  I will be giving them a good workout in the near future and will give you a review on them once I give them a fair run.  I will also keep you posted on any further info I receive re the manufacture of the John James line.  In the meantime, be vigilant.

Friday 13 April 2012

Philosophy Friday - Take that chance!


" Leap and the net will appear "   - proverb


Never put off or give up on a goal that’s important to you.  Not because you still have tomorrow to start or try again, but because you may not have tomorrow at all.  Life is shorter than it sometimes seems.  Follow your heart today.
                               - anon

Saturday 7 April 2012

PHILOSOPHY FRIDAY - New Beginnings

"The sincerity of the art worker must permeate the song as naturally as the green leaves break through the dead branches in springtime " .....Alma Gluck

                                                                              Iris Bog photo credit - LHH
                                                         
    Here it is Easter weekend and once again spring has arrived and new beginnings are everywhere.  I marvel every year after our bleak, frigid Canadian winters that the earth warmed by the sun, begins to nurture tiny green buds and life begins anew once again. Such is the wonder and beauty of nature!
April for me is my personal happy new year - my birth month and a time to reflect, take stock and move forward.

                                                               " March on. Do not tarry. To go forward
                                                                is to move toward perfection.
                                                                March on, and fear not the thorns,
                                                                or the sharp stones on life's path."
                                                                                                           - Kahil Gibran

                                                        
                                                                              
                                                                                           Photo - LHH