INSPIRED BY LIFE

Life is good! I recently returned from a short visit to Mexico where I experienced, once again, another amazing trip with my traveling group "Sisters of the Castor Beans". This year our group of eight went on a journey through the little advertised Mexican state of San Luis Potosi, located in the north central area of the country. We visited the capital city of the same name, two amazing "magic towns" (a tourism designation...Real de Catorce and Xilitla), beautiful rivers and waterfalls, all happy being together with good food and good laughter at our sides. The serotonin was flowing!

 Here we are getting ready for our canoe trip on Rio Tampaon.

And the Edward James gardens were amazing! This is worthy of a GOOGLE!

Beyond all of this adventure and fun, I was able to visit with my Mazatlan friends and of course my sewing ladies.

It was the first time I had seen them since our San Francisco trip, and of course they had brought lots of good food to share with us. We recounted our memories and had lots of laughs together.

I was so happy to see Paty again. She is the only one of the group who was denied a visa for the SF trip. She is the youngest and most educated of the group and the rejection by the officials at immigration was crushing to her. Happily she also received a box with a new machine and lots of fabric. Here she is holding Frances' beautiful new granddaughter, Helen.

I was able to finally divvy out the Day of the Dead fabric I acquired in San Francisco. I know they will come up with some great creations!

 Vilma and the ladies made some beautiful tops for Bev!

Once again, I said "adios" to my Mazatlan... Until next year!

ADIOS AMIGAS, PART 1

It's adios time for me here in Mazatlan...bittersweet moments of goodbyes and farewells to new and old friends alike. My original post was going to be about dye studio friends, but I found my final visit to the sewing ladies this past Monday to certainly be worthy of writing about. Bev, Toy and I met with them for the first time since the "Carnaval" break, and they "wow-ed" us (double wow!!!!) with the items they have been creating. I have been so warmed and rewarded to see them take off on raw-edge applique (birds, cats, butterflies) AND making amazing creations with the fabric they created in my studio.

Yes, I gave them a lesson on birds, but Paty has been exploring cats. We encouraged them to try more new patterns by looking in children's coloring books for simple designs, and also the obvious of using Pinterest and other programs on the internet, but only 3 of the 10 have a computer. Maybe those that do can share ideas with those that don't. Paty then suggested we have a Facebook page and we all were excited about that idea AND her initiative. She is our recent college graduate in the area of social work. How hard she works! (And notice her OWL tote at the top of the page!)

Dora is my tie dye queen. She has an amazing knack for getting the folds and swirls just right, and also for choosing the perfect sections to use in her creations. The purse above is an example of her amazing work.

Magui too brought in some lovely bags. Denim was a great choice for this one with the sweet bird on the pocket. If you look closely, you'll see a seam down the middle...she sewed two pant legs together for each side of the bag. Our ladies are always thinking! 

Grimy (greemy), our faithful Pro-Mexico volunteer, is modeling this apron made by Cecy, who dyed the pink and white striped fabric at my house. It must be some sort of cotton/poly blend as those stripes took the color just as you see it. Isn't it sweet with her little bird pocket?

And then Cecy blew us away with her seven little bird swatches that she has put together in the last two weeks. Aren't they precious? It was a morning of oohs and ahs and seeing the ladies feel so proud of themselves.

Bev brought us good news. Last week Linda from QUILTWORKS COLLABORATIVE quiltworks.org in the Bay Area discovered our little shop and now wants to be involved. She is offering supplies and the possibility of using their online boutique for sales. The only hurdle we have, and its a big one, is to figure out the shipping and customs issues. We'll see where this all goes. For now, it's exciting for us to think about.

As we were chatting away, an enthusiastic woman approached and offered her volunteer services for next year. She loves to sew and is not a beach person (like me!). We love our volunteers, and we will follow up with her.

And then the sad part came...the goodbyes. How I hate that part! But I told them to work hard, think of new patterns and keep up with their quality creations. Until next November...

 

FIRST FRIDAY ARTWALK...JANUARY 2014

     The streets of downtown Mazatlan will be bustling this Friday evening. My studio will be one of many with doors open to the public, and inside will be the first exhibition of my Signs of Life Project, a collection of 62 journal quilts documenting my life in 2013. These small, hand-dyed collage creations feature my signature signage, birds, and unique style, all accompanied by stories that tell of special events, people, travels and experiences from the past year.
     The photo above is of the self-published book from this project that I recently produced through Blurb.com. It was the perfect activity for my stifled energy when I broke my foot in November. I love thumbing through the hardcopy of this personal journal. I recently lent it to a friend and this is what she said:
     "We were both blown away by your book. What a treasure! We feel privileged to have been allowed a glimpse through this window into one year of your life, as well as to have been given some background and history about you and your family. You have a remarkable way with words that makes some scenes come alive. Thank you for sharing with us. Having read Signs of Life has given us even greater admiration and respect for you as a gifted artist, and as a giving, caring, and loving individual."
     I am humbled and honored by her words. This little note is going in my 2014 "grateful jar" where I'll be documenting small wondrous moments of this upcoming year.
     See you at the Artwalk!

I'M BACK....

It's so great to be back in Mazatlan. We are busy with getting our house clean and in order after our eight months of being away. I am getting reaquainted with some of my old pieces  that mean so much to me.

 I am setting up my sewing station and dreaming of creating again. Of course!!!

And best of all, I am seeing old friends, both gringos/expats and locals alike and feeling such warmth of spirit. It's like I never left. This morning was my first visit with the sewing ladies and they are still going strong. The cruise ships are returnung to Mazatlan, just a few for now, but their return is HUGE! Hopefully sales will be up.

Another winter lies ahead...I wonder what will be in store for me??

MEXICAN ICE DYES

We tried our hand at ice dyes last week. Rosemary and Donna were over for a dye day and I just had to show them how its done. I made a quick trip to the local farmacia for a bag of ice and we each set up our tubs with soda ashed fabric, ice and powdered dye. The results are always so fun to see!

 

Here's a close-up of one of our pieces:

 

P.S. There's nothing special about Mexican ice dyes. It was done here in Mazatlan on one of our typical warm days. I kept the tubs in the shade so they wouldn't melt too fast.

SOUTHERN SOUJOURN - BACK IN MAZATLAN

Ahhh, to be back home again, in my “hood”, mi barrio. Every Mexican city has a Centro Historico, an old town, and ours is most special. It’s a place I’m proud to call home.

Our Centro, like others across Mexico, boasts a beautiful cathedral, a lively open air market, a bustling commercial district, government offices, a lovely plaza (in our case, a few lovely plazas), and many mobile carts for a wide variety of good eats from ice cream to tacos.

Mazatlan’s Centro also has a picturesque waterfront area. Our local beach is called Olas Altas (high waves), but the coastline extends out and around from this little beach to spark one’s imagination for a lifetime. We have viewpoints that attract the local lovers on weekends, a lighthouse path that beckons exercise enthusiasts on a daily basis, and a wide malecon (waterfront sidewalk area) for walkers, bicyclists, skateboarders, roller bladers, dog walkers, and sunset watchers.

Plazuela Machado, two blocks from our home, boasts the Angela Peralta Theater which brings in world class entertainment on a regular basis. Next to the theater is the art school for music, dance, visual arts. Around the perimeter of the Machado are wonderful restaurants, and within this peaceful plaza are benches for resting, for chatting, for watching the world go by. It’s our nightly walk, evening entertainment, a place to greet and socialize with neighbors, or listen to some amazing music. Other local plazas within Centro have their own unique charm: Plaza Liones sits next to the local Mexican library, Plaza Republica is adjacent to the cathedral, and Plaza Zaragosa is home to the Thursday night dance invitational and Saturday’s organic market.

The streets of our Centro Historico boast some magnificent old buildings, many restored as comfortable homes, bed and breakfasts, inviting restaurants, or interesting shops. It’s a walking town, a picturesque town, a friendly town, and again, a place I’m proud to call home.

SOUTHERN SOJOURN (PART 3)

After our final night in the United States, we awakened early for our morning border crossing in Nogales, Arizona. The previous night found us enjoying a recommended Mexican meal in this small border town, and doing last minute shopping for groceries that are hard to find in Mazatlan. The motel manager suggested we use the truck crossing which opened at 6am, so we followed his direction. We were first in line and waited in the early morning darkness as border guards, both U.S. and Mexican, arrived for their shift change. They waved us by at the first gate which put us on the road to the immigration office that all visitors must stop at in 21 kilometers.  Still dark upon arrival at this checkpoint, we were happy to be the only ones there. It was as if the officials were more than helpful to us, just to stave off their boredom. We presented our passports, filled out papers, registered our car, and paid the necessary money for all of the above. Oh, and don’t forget the copies. I had to wake the man in the copy booth to make duplicates of all of our documents. I thought the tiny room was empty until I saw the glow of the electric heater; with a little tap on the window he got up off of his mat on the floor and graciously attended to me.

By this time the sun was up and we were able to take in the surroundings. There is nothing particularly visually outstanding about this northern part of the state of Sonora, but this bright blue welcoming sign was enough to make us feel right at home.

Feliz viaje! Happy travels!

 

We were so happy to be in Mexico, heading towards our destination of Mazatlan.  As with anything, it’s only natural to focus on the positives of something, someone, or someplace you haven’t seen for a while…and then reality hits. In this case, it was the huge amounts of trash along the side of highway 15. It’s such a distinct difference from the roadsides which for the most part are quite clean in the U.S. Our years of litter consciousness has instilled in all Americans (and Canadians) to take care of their garbage. And don’t forget the hefty fines for offenders. We have been well trained. But to me it seems that this concept is still in progress in Mexico. Not only are there copious amounts of trash on the roadsides, but it’s dirty and dusty trash! There are signs like this to encourage travelers, but sadly I think much of the problem is due not just from the vehicles, but from the local residents. And let’s not forget that the presence or absence of garbage cans does a lot to change this issue.  As with anything, education makes a big difference, and we see many young Mexicans who are keenly aware of environmental issues, but some of the older generation still fall into their default mode of throwing their trash on the street.

In Mazatlan we have street sweepers, which are both a help and a hindrance. These low paid workers make their daily rounds keeping our streets clean, but sometimes I wonder if the locals feel they can toss their candy wrappers, etc. because someone will be by to sweep it up.

As they say here in Mexico “poco a poco” – little by little. That’s how change happens… at least that’s how it seems in the case of garbage awareness.

 

We pass through two Mexican states on our drive down Highway 15: Sonora and Sinaloa. This highway passes through some large towns (Hermosillo, Los Mochis, Culiacan, and others) and the link between these towns is either via a free road (libre) or the toll road (cuota). The cuotas are clean, fast, and relatively free of distractions like speed bumps, civilization, etc. (except for gas stations), and fast. The prices range from 30 to 100 pesos for each section ($2-$8 US) and collectively we pay somewhere around $80 US for the entire trip to Mazatlan. When you pay at the toll booth, you receive a little receipt that reportedly insures you for any damage you may encounter on that stretch of the road. Needless to say, we always use the cuotas.

All the along the cuotas, there are telephone booths for emergency calls. I didn’t really pay much attention to these until we were about two hours north of Mazatlan, in the state of Sinaloa. Every kilometer there not only was a telephone station but also this trio of cans, which was such a pleasant surprise after the reality of Mexico’s garbage issue confronted me yesterday. In my view, this is fantastic progress.

You also occasionally see the green government trucks that travel along the route to help stranded vehicles (known as "green angels”). We used them once about five years ago. We were driving north on a hot April day and got a flat tire. We changed it, continued driving another 30 minutes when another went flat. It wasn’t long before the green angel came to our rescue, drove me to the closest town where I bought two new tires (at an inflated price, of course) and returned me to Tom and our vehicle. Soon we were on the road again.

 

TYING UP LOOSE ENDS

The loose threads in my life get tangled this time of the year, and the older I get, it seems the more snarly they are. The last six weeks were spent leaving Mexico, resting (not for long) in Oregon, and immersing ourselves in preparations and shopping for our summer in Refuge Cove. We make our lists and check them twice (my list includes food, fabric and fishing gear!), and try to rein in all those loose ends so we appear together and organized for the next stage of our life.

So what’s been happening in my gypsy quilter life? A highlight in our last few weeks in Mazatlan came at a spontaneous moment with our “sewing ladies”. As a season good-by, my good friend Bev and I decided to take the ladies out for a “shop” tour and luncheon. The focus was to check out a local gift shop (Casa Etnika) that features wonderful and unique items, many handmade or hand-sewn throughout various parts of Mexico. We would check out the hand-sewn products that might give them creative ideas of their own.

But prior to our touring of Casa Etnika, we took an impromptu tour of the Angela Peralta Theater, Mazatlan’s premier performing arts center that frequently features opera, tango, orchestra, modern dance, etc. We walked into the empty theater (except for a few members of the local modern dance company up near the stage), and wondrously wandered toward the front. Suddenly someone had the brilliant idea of sending our two illustrious sewers AND singers up on the empty stage where they could sing to us. And so they did. It was a breathtaking event – seeing and hearing Ceci and Lola send their voices through the magnificent concert hall. Timid at first, they soon filled with confidence and power. They were on cloud 9 and so were we. I’ll never forget the experience of witnessing these simple women performing in the spotlight.

I continued with my twice a week dyeing groups right up to the end of my Mazatlan season. What a great group of dyers joined me this year!

My friend Linda is writing a book about a young woman who is "the queen of the elephant riders". She faithfully came to my studio every week to produce fabric for her cover piece. This is just in the rough stages, and I can't wait to see the finished product...and read her book!

Who should knock on my door one evening but a face out of the past...Shannon came to work in my studio about three years ago and wanted to show me what she'd been doing. She and her husband live on their sailboat and travel the waters between here and there, and now she is an amazing, free-spirited quilter. She had four art quilts, carefully rolled and carried in her backback, to show me. I was thrilled to see her and her work!

Just last night I received an email from my friend Rosemary who frequents my dye sessions in Mazatlan. She wanted to show me the quilts she made from her dyed creations. Aren’t these colors fantastic?!

Midst our full and busy five weeks in Jacksonville, Oregon, I taught three classes within the local ASG (American Sewing Guild) membership: two in dyeing and one in discharging. These came as a natural continuation of my weekly groups in Mazatlan, and all I had to do was borrow a tubful of dyeing paraphernalia from Christine (gracias, amiga!). In preparation for my BC summer, I finished two quilts to be displayed at Quadra Island’s Quilt and Garden Tour (June 23-24) which will also include a site that will host my quilt journal group (Cyber Fibres). I have 13 little quilts to add to this collaborative display.  

Our last week in Oregon was spent in driving to Redding, California for a family birthday party for Tom, and a rescue-mission to put a decrepit 13’ 1962 Mobile Scout travel trailer back on the road and in our possession. It now lives in the “back 40” of our mobile home park and awaits renovation. I can’t wait to dye up a few curtains and cushions for this “tin can” wonder.

It was a lovely ferry ride back to BC for our summer at Refuge Cove. Along the way we were able to spend some time with friends in Anacortes, Now back in our half-time Canadian home, I instantly feel my loose ends dissolving.

MOSAIC WORKSHOP

Last week I went on the most wonderful retreat with a group of girlfriends. We loaded in one van (6+driver) and drove north one hour from Mazatlan, turned off at the “59” marker, then wound around on dirt roads for another twenty minutes until we landed at Barras de Piaxtla, the site of our three day mosaic workshop. Gail Blackburn, owner and creator of her resort, La Rosa de las Barras www.larosadelasbarras.com, was not only inviting us all to stay at her wonderful ocean side retreat, but also to learn about making mosaics. For inspiration and ideas, we didn’t have to look far - they were everywhere: showers, tabletops, doorsteps, sink tops, etc., all produced by multi-talented Gail. We shuttled up the hill to her home and studio which she shared for our workshop, and after a brief intro to the craft we were off and running to producing our own creations. With the sweeping view of the Pacific in front of us, along with her hillside organic garden below us, we happily worked (and played) for 3 days on our individual mosaics.

For sustenance we were treated to amazing meals of her local cook extraordinaire, Judith (pronounced Yoo-deet) and cared for at the resort by another local, Carmen. (I really wanted to take these women home with me.)

 Each evening we gathered at the shore for a beautiful sunset, and gathered again in the hot tub just before retiring.

On day 2, Gail took orders for manicures/pedicures/massages by Benita (at nominal prices), and many of us took advantage. This was a fantastic (5 star!) vacation full of creativity, relaxation, great food, pampering and best of all, friendship. Thank you Gail for providing this time for us!

Construction of my journal quilt: This little quilt fits under the theme of “just stitching”. I knew I wanted to use a solid color but didn’t have any idea of the content until I was looking at Gail’s brochure the other day. On the front is the prominent lighthouse that graces the point and defines this beachfront community. It was the perfect icon to remember my Barras de Piaxtla experience.  I chose a navy blue, solid hand-dye and marked where I wanted to stitch with chalk. To keep with the nautical feel, I trimmed it in red. Sweet and simple!

"SEWING LADIES" REPORT 2012

You might have been asking, “What’s been going on with those Mazatlan sewing ladies that Mary and Bev work with?” I haven’t been avoiding this topic, but rather waiting to get a complete look at what’s been done this season. I feel my first response should be something like “eating lots of tamales” or “having weekly parties” and there’s lots of truth here. But also we’ve been sitting on the sidelines, watching and waiting to see what happens with their new endeavor of their storefront in the Golden Zone (tourist district). My early December 2011 post tells of the inauguration of this shop, and they have faithfully been there each day to try to sell their wares to the small numbers of tourists that are coming to Mazatlan this year. They also have venues at “ex-pat” meetings where they are well known and well supported. I think they have survived, but the real truth will be told next fall, after the SLOW summer, when they will need to decide if they want to commit to another winter season in the shop. Maybe the cruise ships will return...hope, hope hope! For now, it’s too early to tell.

As far as my input, I invited them to my studio back in December (a horrible month for an invitation in the midst of the Christmas season) to print up a whack of local manta (muslin). I made up a schedule for 3 women per day to come over and spend 3-4 hours stamping, dyeing, bleaching etc. the fabric with the plan of later making their signature mariposa (butterfly) bags. Being the holidays, only 6 out of 12 were able to participate.

After the fabric-making was done, I created “kits” for them to make the bags. If I didn’t do this, the process would have been incredibly labor intensive, and probably would have driven me crazy with their primitive scissor method. Rotary cutters, mats and rulers make this process SO EASY for me and my modern northern friends, so I just took it over and zip, zip, zip…put together 18 kits. (IF it hadn’t been Christmas, I would have had them use the rotary cutter, to experience another way.) When I returned to our group after the holidays, I passed out 3 kits per participant with the other women looking on with envy. They ALL want to join in next year, and yes, I’ll do it in December. It’s a good month for me, before my own classes begin.

They made the bags and now have sold them. They are increasingly adding applique butterflies (and other objects) to their creations and their customers are snapping them up. Here in Mexico, the motto is “poco a poco” (little by little)…so true with these women.

In another two weeks, we’ll have another party as my good-bye. Everything is a celebration, with a little sewing in between. How fortunate I am to have these women as my friends!

KITTY CAT PARADE

Here come the cats! Once again, Mazatlan's "Bow-Wow Meow" fundraiser is happening and I'm a loyal fan who loves to create something in the dog or cat line for their silent auction. This year, my husband was very sick with a bad case of the flu and I had a week of free nights to sew and create to my heart's content.

On my recent trip to San Cristobal de las Casas, I discovered an artist who is a new inspiration for my fabric work. Kiki Suarez is German born, now living in Mexico, and produces lively, colorful, whimsical art that sings of life. Her figures are simple and primitive and perfect for rough-cutting fabrics and creating collages from my hand-dyes.

Our local animal group, Projecto de Animales de la Calle (PAC), are a devoted group of individuals who work to care for our local street animals and to control their populations. Often times they post photos on facebook looking for someone to adopt these special cratures. Recently two of them went to a weeklong spay and neutering clinic in La Manzanilla, and hope to have a similar clinic here in Maz in the future.

These four pillows will soon belong to folks who support PAC!