Week #2 Oakland Artist Residency

This past week has been an exciting adventure of thirfting, dyeing, Solvy melting, sewing, embroidery and all sorts of textile related activities. On Labour Day, Susan, Maria and I went to Thrift Town's 50% off sale. Susan is collecting red dresses for an exhibition on Health.  The American Heart Association's symbol for heart health is the red dress. So a thrifting trip was in order.

 

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There was a pretty big rush into the store. Above, Maria has spotted something gliterry :)

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Susan buying up all of Thrift Town's red dresses.

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Back at the studio, Susan sorts through her purchases.

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There has been a lot of thread dyeing in the past few days. Factory thread leftovers are cut up and dyed. This will then be all sewn together with Solvy or other interfacing to create a new textile. Susan will be designing and creating a series of one-of-kind wearable art dresses for the exhibition.

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Yarn detail. So Yummy!

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Here is the exciting Solvy dissolving process: The squares and diagonals I was sewing  have been embroidered with health sayings and words. 

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The panel is placed in a bucket of water.

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After a lot of washing and rinsing, the Solvy has magically dissolved and all that is left is the crosshatched thread and the emboidered words.

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Here is Betty, one of Susan's student interns, hanging the up the panels for drying.

 

This week I learned how to operate the industrial emboirdery maching. It is very cool.  Below, a short video of the the industrial embroidery machine at work.  

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx-GZ_BOQmY?list=UUsJo6Qe5bWF8G6Z9dgNZJhQ]

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I really like the serendipity of of the word 'breathe' after recently making a set of inflatable Bronchi.

....Breathe....

 

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This week, there was also some sewing machine trouble shooting

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and a lovely meet and great with some artists at an Emeryville art event.

All in all, a great week in Oakland!