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sneak peek

a gentle rat

 sebastian

Sebastian. He and a couple Fortuny friends departed for Venice last week.

fortuny_spider

fortuny_ernestoernesto

owls and toadstools

toadstools

looking for spring

owl and toadstool

matilde

A few new springish things I’ve finished lately.

bloomer, bloomer & bloomer

bloomer, bloomer and bloomer

Bloomer, Bloomer & Bloomer Attorneys at Law – specializing in forest disputes.
From left to right: Miles H. Bloomer, Cyrus P. Bloomer and Billings Bloomer Sr.
These gimlet eyed solicitors are made from a pair of antique swim bloomers.

Cyrus P. BloomerCyrus P. Bloomer

They’ll be in the shop next week and you can join my mailing list if you would like an email notification or check back here or on facebook for the exact time.

*Update – The Bloomers will be in the shop at 2 PM New York time on Wednesday 4/10.

owls on the work table

I’m working on 3 little  owls made from antique swim bloomers. The label from the Myer’s Manufacturing Company (Los Angeles)  is sewn into one owl’s posterior.

bloomer label

owls in progress
I  started this little group last September and then abandoned them  - I think they’ll finally be finished tomorrow.

fortuny window display

silver fortuny owl

This silver grey Fortuny owl and some other creatures  found their  way  into  the beautiful new window display outside the showroom  in the D and D  building here in New York.  There are some great photos of the window on the Fortuny blog.

silver fortuny owl

he storms off

the time keeper

Last fall  the Citizen Watch company commissioned a special piece. My assignment was to “re-imagine” one of their timepieces and  to make an object that fits my imagination and personal language.

The watch is called the eco drive- EYES.  I re-imagined the watch as an owl and I called my piece ” The Time Keeper”.

the time keeper

He  is an expression of the eco-drive watch and an expression of time itself. Focusing on visual and conceptual aspects of the watch, first and most significantly – his face- his eyes specifically, refer in a direct way to to the face of the watch.

ecodrive_eyes

Extensive mending was necessary to give the fragile garment structural integrity  and that  mending is apparent and celebrated, time marks, time transforms. The  stitches express the characters and marks of the watch face – stitches sometimes measured and precise ( marking seconds). Stitches and patches expressed as numbers and letters and circles or portions of circles sometimes shifting in scale.

timekeeper_bk

The marks refer to the design of the watch as well as illustrating a passage of time across the owls surface and acknowledging the history and life span of the ruined antique bodice he is made from.

mutton sleave bodice

He has gone off to live in the Citizen showroom in Tokyo.  Also he is featured  in  Real Scale Magazine ( a supplement of Ginza) in Japan. The article was written by David G. Imber and Yoshida Mika with photos by Jen Causey.

real scale magazine

I think the article will be available on line soon and I’ll post a link when it is.

shop update

I’m having a little shop update Monday (12/17 – 2pm ny time), you’ve already seen some of the new things- toadstools and little owls – and there are a couple new ships as well. One is paper mache:

paper mache ship

And the other is made from  an antique quilt fragment – pretty grays and lilac.

quilt ship

Both have little owl captains.

There is also a new dark toadstool with a little teal owl perched underneath- both made from turn of the century garments.

owl and toadstool

The new things will be available in the shop on Monday- 12/17  at 2 pm (new york time).

please meet these owls…..

two owls

owl perched on books

owl eye

green owl

owl boating

owl and oscar the cat

*****************************

please meet these owls that I made out of scraps

i have  stitched them  and stitched them, the fronts sides and backs

they fit in pockets  and populate nooks

they’re happy on tables or can perch on some  books

for hours and hours they stare and don’t blink

with just buttons for eyes they can not even wink

they keep quite still and  do not budge one inch

if you poke them or pinch them they won’t even flinch

they love to go boating,  that’s a surprise!

but they can’t swim at all – so  I’m not sure it’s wise

self reliant, they need no assistance

but cats and canines should be kept at some distance

***

(special thanks to oscar the cat – you really nailed it oscar )

please meet these owls that I made out of scraps
i have  stitched them  and stitched them, the fronts sides and backs
they fit in pockets  and populate nooks
they’re happy on tables or can perch on some  books
for hours and hours they stare and don’t blink
with just buttons for eyes they can not even wink
they keep quite still and  do not budge one inch
if you poke them or pinch them they won’t even flinch
they love to go boating,  that’s a surprise!
but they can’t swim at all – so  I’m not sure it’s wise
self reliant, they need no assistance
but cats and canines should be kept at some distance

These owls ( and others)  will be in the shop on Monday December 17th along with some boats and toadstools!

mr. knickers

mr. knickers

Mr. Knickers is made from this pair of wonderful dark  and  tweedy woolen knickers:

knickers

The wool has tiny flecks of purple and green and I used my antique swim bloomers as well as bits of lace and antique glass buttons for  eyes.  The  Mr. N  pictured above is the first of a very  small numbered  edition – 1 and 2  are available now and more soon – as many as the knickers allow – I’m hoping for at least  two more.

mr. knickers storms off
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collection : fortuny

fortuny owl

fortuny owl

A long time ago, way back in 2010 I visited the Fortuny showroom  here in NYC to talk about making some creatures with their exquisite fabrics. There have been fits and starts and interruptions in the process but lately solid progress has been made towards creating a full collection of creatures that will be available  beginning this fall.

fortuny spider

Working with patterns,  large scale patterns,  has challenged how I think about my owls in particular and some interesting things are happening.

fortuny owls in progress

fortuny owl

fortuny perching owl

More progress photos soon as well as information on where and when things will be available.