Throwback Thursday: Family Fibers

 As a multimedia artist, a natural side quest of mine is, well, to do a little, well, collecting. 

Okay, fine, I hoard a bit. Yes, like a magpie, I collect and compile objects and ideas that catch my eye and my imagination. Hear me out, because this is not a trait exclusive to me, but is common to many artists, makers, and creators, as the friends and loved ones of our ilk will testify. Many a spouse, child, or pet has had to navigate around (or been buried under) a messy dining room table or whole room of "supplies I need". Both my grandmothers, who were also creative, artistic, resourceful women bought, saved, or salvaged things that were meant to go into creating something. 

As a grownup, I'm happy to say that I manage my assortment of things for projects fairly well. For the most part, I've mastered confining my, uh, stash to my studio, where it's meant to be used. Ironically, I make a concerted effort to keep my personal living space super organized, clutter-free, and tidy. In that realm of my life, neatness = comfort. 

But back to the stash. It includes elements for every aspect of every type of creative work I do. From scraps of wood, to all types of paint, from foam shapes, to scraps of fabric. And though I regularly reorganize the different stations in my multidisciplinary space, I sometimes have to go on a scavenger hunt to find that specific thing I was gifted years ago that I now know how I'll use. I don't currently catalog things, but I probably will implement that for the new year to make finding objects easier. 

the nondescript inside...

Recently, I went on one of my fun lil' hunts for felt I needed for a piece I was making. In the process, I ran across a large piece of fabric that I had inherited from my late paternal grandmother. She had a stash of her own. While I had no room for most of her things, in the process of clearing out her home, my parents chose a few select items they thought I could use. That was many years ago, and since then, the fabric remained folded inside out, mixed in with the rest of my fabric stock. Until that recent scavenger hunt. 

I spotted the fabric and suddenly realized I had never actually looked at that fabric. It hadn't been the only one that came from my grandmother, but for some reason, though I had used her other remnants, this one remained. So I pulled it out. It was heavy, and I could tell from the inside that it had some sort of pattern. 

what I had been seeing for years

But I was not prepared for what I found. When I unfolded the generous piece of material, I gasped. "OH MY GOSH! WOW." My eyes scanned as a brilliant swath of gleaming fuchsia satin brocade tumbled open, and multicolored butterflies emerged everywhere. 

For a moment I was speechless. And I was alone, but a beat later I was yelling my grandmother's full name. "GIRL, what did you plan to make with this???". Then, "okay so what are WE gonna make with this???" The first things that popped into my mind were a robe or decorative pillows, which could be fairly simple to construct. But the fabric is on the heavier side. More the weight used for throw pillows. But a pillow doesn't feel like it would do this justice.

To be fair, I'm only an amateur sewer. My (like new) Singer has been outta service since it mysteriously stopped working after my last move. Possibly kicked or dropped by a mover? Having it fixed has been on my list for a very long time. 

the picture can't capture her gleam!

My grandmother, on the other hand, had several machines. And she made clothes and toys and housewares. Even had a shop where she sold them. Her fabric and notion collection was epic. So, now I'll be mulling over what kind of project would do this gorgeous remnant (and my grandmother's memory) justice, while I begin the hunt for a repair shop that won't demand more than the original price of the machine to find/fix the problem. 

It probably sounds funny, but I kinda feel like I wasn't meant to discover this until now. And that whatever I end up making, she'll be looking over my shoulder helping me do it.♡