Be like a boomerang and make!

I know I've blogged about Jillian Tamaki's stitched covers for Penguin Threads before, and no doubt you've seen these amazing pieces on the interwebs, so fast forward to the launch party at Purl Soho....

It was packed! People were snatching up books and there was a line to see the original embroideries, which were INCREDIBLE to see in person. Damn me for forgetting my camera! The artist was in conversation with Elda Rotor, Associate Publisher and Editorial Director at Penguin. It was interesting to learn that the whole idea started when the Creative Director, Paul Buckley, saw this very embroidery piece by Erin Paisley on a little site called Etsy!

side note: this was Lost at Sea curated by Kristen Rask at Gallery Hanahou. I had a few pieces in this show too!

The most inspiring part of the talk was how Jillian, an illustrator, was found by Penguin - As a personal project she had made a quilt with stitched monsters that took forever. Just to share it she put it on her blog, and after seeing this amazing quilt Penguin's Creative Director sought her out. She said...

sometimes just putting something out in the world, you can have something come back to you

The take away for me was - Be weird. Be brave. Make something from you, of you, what ever it is that inspires you. Take risks and then share it! You never know what it may bring you....

via Jillian Tamaki

Check out this Penguin video for a very similar conversation to the one at Purl. 

Aren't those monsters rad?! 

lost at sea...

when i was asked to participate in the fiber arts show Lost At Sea (curated by kristen rask of schmancy)  i was so excited by the theme. lost at sea evokes images of treasure hunting, pirates and ships, sailors and their mythology and tattoos, and creatures from the deep. but i thought of the heavens, how stars were guides for navigating the seas and made two pieces....
due north (polaris)

polaris is a star in the little dipper or Ursa Minor. it's almost exactly at the north pole, so it was used for navigation- it's always due north....

how many nights?

an interactive embroidery piece.  the stars spin like the rotation of a real night sky.  you can find gemini, orion, draco, usra minor &  major, cancer, leo, and sirius. you can watch this video to see how it works.

Lost at Sea,
May 6 - June 11
Opening May 6th from 7-9.
Gallery Hanahou