LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER??????

Who ever coined that phrase, "the lazy days of summer"? In my world, there are no lazy days (except maybe that super rainy day we had last Sunday!), particularly this summer. It looks as though our home is POTENTIALLY sold, so my days have random moments of cleaning out closets, organizing boxes to save or toss, and the like. And then there's all the normal daily activities and routines I try to squeeze in.

Today I woke to find a new and exciting addition to my Kindle...the new issue of Quilting Arts magazine with MY article "Custom Lettering on Cloth". I'm so excited and hope I have lots of interest in the world of discharging so I can write more articles...I have many in mind. I spent my first hour this morning relishing in the delight of this new issue with all sorts of wonderful inspiration...not to mention my own. Be sure to check it out:

http://www.quiltingdaily.com/blogs/quiltingarts/archive/2014/07/07/quilting-arts-magazine-august-sept-2014.aspx 

An incredible, SUPER INCREDIBLE opportunity has surfaced for our wonderful "sewing ladies" in Mazatlan. Last spring Linda Hannawalt from Quiltworks in San Francisco wandered into their out of the way shop and became our angel. She took an instant interest and began shipping supplies to them and working with our leader, Toy, in finding other ways she and her organization could help them. Her group has the tradition of annually choosing an international group to work with and this year they have chosen our women.

Linda's group will be flying 11 of the women, along with Toy and my good buddy Bev to SF for 12 days (Oct. 26-Nov. 5) of learning and inspiration. She has sleeping accommodations above the shop, and a 15 passenger van to haul us around for field trips. Did I say US? Yes, I'll be in southern Oregon at that time so will travel on my own to join the group. I will be teaching a class or two to help raise funds for our ladies and may even have a trunk show of my "Signs of Life" project. So many days I am dreaming or planning or communicating about this amazing opportunity in our horizon. Let me pinch myself again to make sure this is really true!!!

Two weekends ago, I escaped my island and traveled over to Quadra to help with our guild's big fundraiser, the Quilt and Garden Tour. It was a glorious weekend and the gardens, not to mention the quilts, were spectacular. I was hosted by my friends and fellow Cyber Fibre member, Barb, in her lovely home in Campbell River, so we were able to share in all things "quilting" and "creative" when not helping at the tour. The quilt above, by Ellen Russell, is one of my favorites, beautifully pieced and appliqued, so mandala-like.

These, made by Sonya Craddick, burst of life hanging from the deck of this oceanfront home. Behind them are plastic sheets of plastic, just in case it rained. Thankfully they didn't need to be used.

Plus, there was so much inspiration wherever one looked. I particularly liked this shot of this greenhouse. Hmmm...

Back home, I was swept back into my routines...the garden, cooking, thinking about our move, AND the SALMON. Tom has been busily catching LOTS of fish in this unbelievably prolific salmon season. My current mode of preserving is pickling, under the guidance of our resident fish authority (and all things GOOGLE!).

And of course, let's not forget the creating. I'm loving the exploration of more discharging, in this case of my placemat using a thickened bleach product (soft scrub with bleach). I also I am working lots with decolorant and discharge paste to learn more about those products too. You can see I have fish on the brain too!

There are no lazy days here, just good ones, full of life and learning, friends and family, and a possible move in the future!

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...

 

LOTS GOING ON PART 1

Yes, life is busy these days. Between three days of dye groups, our Monday session with the Sewing Ladies, trying to get a few projects of my own done, and living life, I'm running at full speed these days. There's way too much to go into, so for now I'll just focus on the Sewing Ladies. This year they've been spending a few hours every Wednesday dyeing fabric with me in my studio. I've been showing them miscellaneous simple yet effective techniques for dyeing local manta. Later they use this cloth to make beautiful bags, aprons and similar objects to sell.

They love these spiral tie-dyes!

One of their favorites is a tie-dye spiral, and they have created some amazing items with these dramatic pieces of fabric.  They have been able to charge almost twice the price of products using standard local cloth, and they have been SELLING these items.

Dora (center) is a fantastic sewer. She created all of these beautiful items and sold them the very first day they were displayed for twice the price of other products.

A couple years ago, I showed them how to do raw edge appliqué,  focusing on the form of a butterfly as a starter. They produced beautiful little pieces that they later embellished their products with. Now the butterfly motif is still lovely but a bit overused and their clients have been looking for new items to purchase. Last week I brought in small packages of hand-dyed scraps and we all sat around working on freeform birds. We only had time for cutting them out but many of the women went home and directly began sewing. I was SO VERY HAPPY to see a flock of fabric birds this morning.

We had such fun making our little birds.

Look what they brought to show me this morning.

Close-up of one of their sweet little birds.

DIVINE DYE DAYS

Costa Rica came and went (wonderful trip!) and I returned to a full schedule of divine dye days. My winter open studio time has begun and so far I've encountered only eager dyers. Faithful Rosemary from Toronto is back and she brought her friend Sharon with her who HAPPENS TO BE  FROM KLAMATH FALLS,  OR...which is close to our home there. AND we have a mutual friend. Such a small, small world!

Two Mexican neighbors showed up at my doorstep last weekend, wanting to make customized tee shirts for Sunday's cancer run, to honor their survivor friend, Gaby.

                                     

                                     

Yesterday some local friends arrived to build up their stash for more collage work. AND a great local painter added some lovely flowers to a tunic she wanted to spruce up.

                                       

Today my "sewing ladies" joined me for a fast and furious dye session. They were so eager to try new things and they have been to my place enough that they seem quite comfortable. My Spanish suffers greatly, but I stumbled through the day, practicing over and over the verbs for pour, rinse, mix, squeeze. We had a great time and they are so appreciative.

 I love the group dynamics of trying new things and watching what everyone produces, seeing a small thread of a technique morph into the day's favorite method. I am so grateful for my wonderful studio that draws all these wonderful dyers to my doorstep and my sink!

"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!

AN INAUGURATION

The economic rug has been pulled out from under the lives of many Mexican people. The drug war and reports of violence have warded off many potential tourists, and in our town, Mazatlan, it has even brought a stop to the cruise ship industry…hopefully only temporarily. The effects of all of this can be seen everywhere, and our group of snowbirds scratch our heads in wonder as to how many locals can survive in this horrible economy.

Sometimes hard times bring unexpected situations. This is certainly true in the case of Mazatlan’s “sewing ladies”, a group of 12 local women who have been organized through an umbrella group, Pro-Mexico, for over a decade. They create an array of items: placemats, tote bags, table runners, aprons, dolls, wall hangings, napkins, etc., and sell them at venues such as rv parks, the cruise ship terminals, and local hotels. As you can imagine, these selling spots have diminished with the lack of tourists.

Today their new storefront in the Golden Zone (hotel zone) was inaugurated with a ribbon cutting and lovely reception. One of Pro-Mexico’s founding members generously has given this shop to the women rent-free, allowing them to set up their wares in one spot where the tourists that ARE here can buy their products and support them. It’s a great opportunity for them, jumping them up to another level of merchandising, and giving them the experience of running their own store and problem solving , with the help of Pro-Mexico members and some gringo volunteers, to make the most of their new shop.

These women are skilled, honest and hard-working. The community of Mazatlan wishes their group much success. And we all hope that Americans and Canadians AND the cruise ship industry will realize that life is good here in Mazatlan, and will take advantage of an amazingly beautiful and welcoming Mexican destination to spend their vacations.

A SUMPTUOUS CELEBRATION

My Mondays in Mazatlan are set aside for working with the local sewing ladies. Typically Toy (our fearless leader, in the foreground above) picks us up (Bev and I) and takes us to the community center in one of the outer colonias. Bev starts with her English lesson, while Toy follows with a meeting to organize selling, discuss marketing ideas, or lead a reflection pertaining to self-development. I add to the mix with some sort of sewing idea or ways to add personal, artistic touches to their wares. These 12 women make my Mazatlan experience very special.

There are others that are connected with the group. Art and Jackie Plunz (pictured above, Art is the tall guy in the back and Jackie wears the pink scarf in the front) have endeared themselves to this group in many ways. They aren’t regulars with us on Mondays, but certainly are there for special events. Last year they brought down a dozen sewing machines to Mazatlan, and distributed one to each woman. Through their church, they have collected donations to help us with special projects. Art, a retired dentist, has helped one family whose daughter has some serious dental issues. They are incredibly kind and generous and lots of fun too. Jackie loves to sing and joins in with the few Mexican women who entertain us with their talents at our parties.
Art and Jackie invited all of us to their oceanside apartment today for a lovely catered luncheon.  Judith and Gustavo created an amazing feast for us on the grill while we had an hour of our regular meeting time. Patty (our one women now working on her degree in social work) led us in an activity.

After lunch, Art brought out maps of Alberta and showed the women where he and Jackie lived, and showed photos of their northern life. Images of snow, dogsleds, snowmachines, ice roads, mining operations, small planes and decorated parkas were source of stories and questions (happily translated by Toy).

With dessert we were treated to our delightful singers, Ceci, Lola and Jackie. Their voices and creative talents penetrate my soul!Thank you Art and Jackie!