Greenfest Surprise

These Earth Day events are getting crowded, frequent and all over the place. April 13 & 14 was the Seattle Greenfest and it filled the Convention Center that Sunday. I had volunteered for Swap-A-Rama-Rama which is a recycle and sewing gig and then went to explore the business side. It is astounding what a year can do when a good thing is growing; good design, innovation, variety and choices are now the trademarks of sustainable entrepreneurs.

The heart warmiest surprise for me was all the young sewers that participated at the Swap. My first student was around 6 years old and we pulled a princess dress from a cocktail cast off. She was in charge of the foot pedal and did an amazing job. My camera died so I don't have a picture of her delighted swirl at the end but tis in me heart.

The 11-15 year old crowd was amazing. In fact they were the sewing majority and as a promoter of the tactile creative experience...well "the kids are all right."

We Need Fashion

We need to know what is in style so we know when we are not.

djb 2008

Thanks Mr Photoman

Lest it all look so tragic...the outcome is uplifting...Trust me!

Where have all the..........

....gone? Every day we add more flora and fauna to the list. We seem extremely capable of destroying life and when I ask why, I hear people say that it is in our natures. They point to history for proof and if you buy the past performance argument, you will be disheartened.

Don't buy it!

Never before have we had the technology, the diversity in education, the global connectivity, the capacity to understand and the willingness to change. We have the means for transformation!

We can forgive past ignorance but we cannot tolerate the way of life it generated. We have the heart, the courage and the intellect to create the world we believe possible. Pick your passion and recreate it, re-fashion it, re-purpose it or invent with sustainability in mind. Wow, we may really like ourselves after all!

Mourning garb1 dress started from a thrift store satin 1970s jumpsuit. The leaves are re-puposed from old "silk" flowers. Tulle is new but trims are sewing leftovers.

De-Tails

Funereal

Mourning garb2, dress from thrift store shirt, recycled trim and taffeta from the local Jo-Ann Fabrics. The rustle of taffeta makes a woman feel elegant even when sinking into rain saturated grass.

Show must Go On

Well, I haven't heard from Bumbershoot so I am guessing this year is out; however new support opportunities for this collaborative installation are peeking over the horizon and I am courting them because this isn't a mere flirtation. nope this is the real thing.

How can a fashion, video, photo, music, painting interconnect /mash up with an activist backbone and a sustainable heart, how can that not be exciting, interesting, fun, informative.....As an installation it will be more than entertainment. it will be a catalyst that grows possibilities; for once a person sees through an idea or theory or they challenge a construct of culture, they change their perceptions of the world and their place in it.

We humans thrive on change and challenge (see Brain Fitness on PBS anyone?) so beyond the eco, enviro, socio and politico issues it's also good for our health.....kind of proves the shake it up instinct!

art is Everywhere

I came across this work by the most Fabulous Anon near NSCC and went back to snap it yesterday. This morning I realized the synchronistic beauty of it and had to share. With a little Photoshop embellishment ...here's to Spring and new beginnings etc we've all had enough of the sentimental schlock to write our own and yet sometimes trite still works for me!

Human Agenda

I am not happy with your pretty packages anymore. I want something bigger and the market can't deliver! Instead the promises are hollow, the game was short sighted and now we know it; don't we?

It used to look good because we were taught that it was the best. As long as we played along, it continued and grew and then we too could be rewarded and have more stuff. However all wasn't ever very pretty inside the big package.

So ultimately the Wall of Denial is crumbling despite the seductive propaganda and if we don't change the course, "we will all have to learn the hard way" like my mom used to say and that way always sucked.

The Old Economic Myth
more babies = more consumers
more consumers = market growth
market growth = economic gains
economic gains = we all win
EXCEPT
the big winners are few
resources are limited
we are all part of the food/energy chain
species (humans too) will be controlled by outside forces if not from within
and
we aren't that happy over populating and drowning in stuff anyway!

As in Desiderata...you have a right to be here...now figure out why. Look to your own truth and knowing and seek the path that faith in life will show you....have fun!

Victorian Mourning Works in Progress

Progress can look like chaos. A thrift store evolution starts with an idea that is best left open. Have a plan but don't become so attached to it that you can't see other, perhaps better, possibilities; unless of course you prefer to be limited and narrow.

A good way to start getting past traditional (safe, worn out, limited) ideas and images can start with giving yourself permission to err, explore, challenge, adapt and experiment with a thrift store re-do. It's fun and perhaps closer to nature's intent. Children aren't born with standardized notions!

Sewing Classes Empower

These classes are forming in Seattle but they will probably start popping up all over the place. Please go to the Fashion Ethos site for more information

Details

This picture is a detail of a dress that started as a restyled 70s jumpsuit (adult onesie) made of black satin. The leaves were ripped from silk flower stems. The beads were once new but I have had them so long they count as ....well not new!