Refashioning A One-Of-A-Kind Thrifted Find

I buy second-hand clothes as often as I can find what I need, but I also can’t resist when I find something unique at the thrift store. I picked up this dress from a consignment store on Salt Spring Island over the summer. It’s made from a silky smooth black nylon with a large piece of vintage kimono fabric sewn across the front. I tried it on despite the fact that the size was XL and not my size. I figured I could wear it as-is or figure out how to alter it. That vintage kimono fabric had to come home with me.

Flash forward six months and I’m in need of something to wear to my office Christmas party, and I decide now Is the time to alter that dress! I was fairly confident I could figure out how to do it, but not at all confident about my ability to sew it. Thank goodness my good friend Barb was up for the challenge, and is also a WAY better sewist than I am.

The alteration was pretty simple. First I unstitched the kimono fabric so that it wasn’t overlapping the seam on one side, and pinned it out of the way. Barb took the side seams in 1.25 inches on each side, trimmed the excess fabric after reinforcing the seams, and then I ironed them flat. The finishing touch was re-sewing the side of the kimono fabric back into place.

The dress fit so much better after the alteration, though the bodice is still a bit too large because it needs the darts adjusted. I may try that another time.

I wore the dress to my Christmas party and felt super awesome wearing it. Yay for thrifting and refashioning.

Paper-Cutting & Sculpting Workshops in Early 2020

Registration is now open for two paper cutting and sculpting workshops I’ll be teaching in 2020 at my studio.

No previous experience is necessary and all of the materials are included.

Creative Paper Cutting Techniques
Date: Saturday January 18th, 2020
Time: 11am to 3pm
Location: 1610 Clark Drive, Unit 201 (rear entrance)
Cost: $90 + eventbrite fee
Visit eventbrite for more details and to register »

Paper Play: Techniques for Sculpting Paper
Date: Saturday February 1st, 2020
Time: 10:30am to 3pm
Location: 1610 Clark Drive, Unit 201 (rear entrance)
Cost: $90 + eventbrite fee
Visit eventbrite for more details and to register »

I look forward to seeing you in class!

First Saturday Open Studios – Dec 7 2019

If you were unable to make it to my studio for the Eastside Culture Crawl last month, here’s another opportunity to come by. I’ll be participating in First Saturday Open Studios this Saturday December 7th, noon to 5pm. Visit me along with my talented studio mate, Michelle Sirois Silver, at 1610 Clark Drive, Unit 201. I have beautiful new large-scale laser cut pieces, alongside fresh new paper cut work.

Circle Triangles series, hand-cut paper, 12” x 12”

Cloud Swirl, laser-cut bamboo & white acrylic, 48″ x 36″

Visit FirstSaturday.ca for the full list of participating artists around Vancouver, North Vancouver, and New Westminster »

First Saturday Open Studios
Dates: Saturday December 7th, 2019
Time: noon to 5pm
Location: 1610 Clark Drive, Unit 201 (rear entrance)

Advent Calendar in Green

I have a thing for Advent Calendars apparently, as this is the third one I’ve made in the past four years. The first one is here (still in use), the second is here (now retired), and number three is looking gorgeous in green and white.

What’s with all the different Advent Calendars, you may be asking? Well the first one was supposed to be shared between Boris and I, but its drawers were too tiny to hold treats for two people. The second one was something I threw together quickly for Boris and never quite liked. The envelopes were also awkwardly tiny for holding certain treats. (What’s with all the large Christmas chocolates?!?!)

This gorgeous green number started out as an unadorned raw pine drawer unit purchased at Deserres. I lightly sanded it before Boris helped me paint it with Hooker Green. I used a Posca white acrylic pen with a fine nib to draw leafy vines on each drawer, which BTW, are more than large enough to accommodate all sorts of tasty Christmas treats.

I’m happy with how well this turned out. I can’t wait to count down to Christmas with our lovely homemade advent calendars.

23rd Annual Eastside Culture Crawl

After a two year hiatus I’ll once again be participating in the Eastside Culture Crawl. Visit me along with my lovely and talented studio mate, Michelle Sirois Silver, at 1610 Clark Drive, Unit 201. If you’re interested in textiles and paper art, our studio is the place to see!

Visit culturecrawl.ca for the full list of participating artists, or download the festival app »

23rd Annual Eastside Culture Crawl
Dates: November 14th to 17th, 2019
Time: Thurs & Fri 5pm – 10pm | Sat & Sun 11am – 6pm
Location: 1610 Clark Drive, Unit 201 (rear entrance)

Making a Wiksten Haori with Blackbird Fabrics

I attended my first all-day sewing class a few weekends ago at Blackbird Fabrics. I was there to construct the Wiksten Haori from scratch, start to finish in one day. This was a feat I’d never previously accomplished (and may never again). I’d bought fabric and the pattern to make the jacket for myself in the spring but had been too intimidated to try and do it on my own.

I was glad to find the class at Blackbird, but it included an unlined version of the pattern and I had to work with fabric chosen by them rather than my own. I was fine with that because I figured I could make another version on my own after the class.

The Haori has an oversized fit with options to make it in three different lengths. The fabric I worked with was a cotton/linen blend with a jacquard texture in black, and I made the small fit Haori in mid-length.

The full day of sewing was epic and exhausting but we were gently and enthusiastically guided step by step through the process by class teacher, Joy Nickerson, with support from Natasha, the workshop co-ordinator at Blackbird. I won’t describe the entire sewing process but we used the serger A LOT, which was my first time doing so, and the whole thing got progressively more challenging the closer we came to finishing. The jacket collar is a whole lot of work to put together and attach.

My version of the Haori has a whole lot of tiny flaws because I am not a great or careful sewer, but it’s all delightfully hidden thanks to the dark fabric. I wore it for five days straight after I made it because I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

Transforming a piece of cloth into a finished garment that you wear home at the end of class made me feel like I had magical powers.

Art & Craft Social – September 2019

Join us for an evening of Art & Craft Social on Wednesday September 25th, 5:30pm to 8pm. Bring a small creative project to work on in a social setting. The event is FREE but you must RSVP through eventbrite as space is limited.

Art & Craft Social is a FREE community event welcoming a diverse group of adult artists, makers, designers, and craftspeople of all levels of experience to share and create their work in a social setting. Each attendee should bring their own small creative project such as stitching, sketching, crocheting, collage, etc, to work on at Art & Craft Social. The event is inspired by crafternoons, stitching bees, and art jams people host as private get togethers in their homes with friends. We’re turning it into a publicly hosted meet up where all are welcome. The Social provides an opportunity to meet new people, get inspired, and learn something new through exposure to the creative work of each person’s project.

Visit eventbrite to RSVP.

Art & Craft Social
Date: Wednesday September 25th, 2019
Time: 5:30pm to 8pm
Cost: FREE
Location: VPL, nə́c̓aʔmat ct Strathcona Branch, 730 East Hastings Street

31 Days of Paper Play

In July I worked on a new daily project called, 31 Days of Paper Play. I felt I needed time to explore and experiment with new techniques, and this was my way to make it happen. I referenced multiple books on paper techniques from my personal library to generate ideas each day.

Daily projects work best when you can do them within half an hour to an hour each day, and set a size limit. I used sheets of 8.5” x 11” pieces of cardstock cut in half as the base material for every piece. I also played a lot with different colours and combinations of colours than I would normally use in my work.

All 31 pieces are hanging on my studio wall. They are so satisfying to look at as a collection of work. I’m glad I decided to do this little project because I needed to shake things up and get inspired.

You can see the entire series in a slideshow in Instagram.

September 7th Studio Sale!

I’m excited to announce I’ll be teaming up with fellow artists, Michelle Sirois Silver and Stephanie Symns, to host a collective sale of our work at their studio. Join us on Saturday September 7th, between 10am to 5:30pm, at 1610 Clark Drive in Unit 201.

Michelle and Stephanie are are both textile artists working in a range of mediums. Together we will have an interesting selection of work, including drawings, paper-cut pieces, hooked rugs, quilts, stitched work, and so much more. I hope you’ll join us!

Studio Sale!
Date: Saturday September 7th, 2019
Time: 10am to 5:30pm
Location: 1610 Clark Drive, Unit 201