I look at this finished project sitting in our green chair and part of me can’t quite believe I am the one who made it. I finished stitching the sashiko design over the weekend and felt intimidated to tackle sewing it all together. I am much more comfortable with hand sewing over machine sewing, but I also needed to learn how to do an invisible seam. It’s something I had never done before but I found this helpful video to guide me.

Here’s the pillow after I sewed two of the sides on the sewing machine and was about the start using an invisible/ladder stitch to sew the whole thing closed over the pillow form.

When I was finished, I held the pillow over my head and did a victory lap around the apartment to celebrate. It felt like a HUGE accomplishment to make this simple object.

Now that this is done I am either going to tackle the embroidery kit I also bought in Toronto, or begin a new freeform stitching design on a piece of clothing.

One of the things I’d arranged in advance of my trip to Toronto was to do a studio visit with textile artist, Amanda McCavour. She was about to leave town to do an installation in Alberta, but we managed to fit it in. It was an absolute pleasure to finally meet in person, and I felt we had much in common. I took a few photos after we chatted for an hour and a half about our work, life in Toronto versus Vancouver, and so many other things.

Her studio is located above an art supply store in The Junction, and despite the rainy day the room was filled with beautiful light. She had pulled out a selection of her installations in their storage containers for me to see, and of course this reminded me of my own approach to modular work made from small pieces. The poppies below are from an installation that has not yet been shown. I was thrilled to get to take one of these home with me.

I loved her wall of sketches, as well as the glorious wall of colourful threads. It’s always a treat to visit another artist’s workspace.

Amanda McCavour will be showing in Vancouver as part of Means of Production, a group show of textile artists opening in June at Cityscape Gallery.

As most artists I know seem to do these days, I listen to podcasts when I’m working in the studio. I add new ones to the list all the time, and remove older ones I am no longer interested in. At a recent get together with artist friends we made a point of having each person recommend two podcasts to the group, and I thought I’d share this compiled list with the world at large.

I’ve divided the list into ones that are new to me (and have not yet given a try), and shows there were already on my list:

New to me:
Revisionist History – http://revisionisthistory.com/
On Being – https://onbeing.org/
Savvy Painter – https://savvypainter.com/podcast/
Good Life Project – http://www.goodlifeproject.com/radio/
Modern Love – http://www.npr.org/podcasts/469516571/modern-love
Here’s the Thing – http://www.wnyc.org/shows/heresthething
S-Town – https://stownpodcast.org/
Seamwork – https://www.seamwork.com/radio

Ones I listen to already:
Reply All – https://gimletmedia.com/reply-all/
Snap Judgement – http://snapjudgment.org/podcast
Death Sex and Money – http://www.wnyc.org/shows/deathsexmoney
Strangers – https://www.radiotopia.fm/podcasts/strangers
This American Life – https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast
The Moth – https://www.themoth.org/
Missing Richard Simmons – https://www.missingrichardsimmons.com/

Happy listening!

I put the finishing touches on the sashiko stitched denim skirt last week with the addition of a few more circles and half circles. I kept most of the design to the front of the skirt with a few small details on the back and sides.

I love all of those straight stitched lines against the dark denim. I have not yet worn this because it still feels too cold for a short skirt even with tights.

This is the fourth sashiko / embroidery project I’ve completed over the past year. I’m sure I’ll find something else in my wardrobe in need of embellishment. I love working on these textile-based side projects. It’s also a thrill to get to wear my own work.