Pictured above are naturally dyed silks to be sewn into costumes for the upcoming short film, Future Cosmos Flow,
produced and directed by Fuchsia Lin. Image courtesy of Fuchsia Lin.
Last week we learned a bit about water usage in the making of a t-shirt,
how our thoughts and words can influence water molecules, and were introduced to the beautiful and compelling work of Fuchsia's Crystals of Transformation. Now let's go a little further. Hang on to your hats, for this 2 minute clip is quite sobering.
River Blue, a 2016 documentary. For more information click here.
Thank you to the creators of River Blue
for helping us learn and acknowledge the problems we face. Please condider these issues when purchasing new items. Is is really needed? Are there better options? There are indeed safer ways of creating beautiful fabrics and Fibershed is a great resource for learning more. Creating dye from flowers and plants is a time-honored tradition, as you will see in this next video. 
Not just for landscaping or bouquets!
Flowers are also fantastic dye. Pictured here is foxglove, among others, from the artist, Monica Paz Soldan of Tiny Textiles. Monica happens to be one of Fibershed's first official artisan producers and worked with Fuchsia to create custom hand-dyed organic silks for Crystals of Transformation. Read more about her work and connect here. Photo courtesy of Fuchsia Lin. As promised last week, more conversation with Fuchsia on her upcoming project: Future Cosmos Flow. This interview with the lovely and talented Susannah Mars for Artslandia will shed more light on this beautiful project which you can help be part of! Please enjoy these beautiful photos while you listen. 
Head piece for Future Cosmos Flow in process. Image courtesy of Fuchsia Lin as well as the following images.
Sleeves in process.
Costume fitting for Future Cosmos Flow. Andrea Parson, courtesy of NW Dance Project.
Andrea Parson and Viktor Usov, both Princess Grace Award winners practice their choreography for the film.
Want to be part of this?
Updates, exclusives, limited edition drawings, music, and more are available with tax-deductible donations. Learn more here & Thank You.
That's a wrap for this week.
See you soon with more news, stories, and resources on our beautiful, textile world. Until then, you know where to find Styleposium!
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Shimmering Water by AneiA11 on DeviantArt
Summertime!!!
Greetings maker and menders! Sure has been a while. Thank you for being here. I appreciate you! Today is a special story on water in 3 parts. Part 1 - It’s just a t-shirt -or- 2,720 liters of water. Part 2 - Truth Stranger Than Fiction: Under the Microscope with Dr. Emoto. Part 3 - Myth + Art + Conservation = Multidisciplinary Artist, Fuchsia Lin.
Part I
Please take this into consideration when getting rid of t-shirts and
when purchasing new ones. A little tricky, since we like to commemorate special events with t-shirts: concerts, marathons, conferences, vacation souvenirs, and for professing sports allegiances. Keep your t-shirts looking good longer by line-drying them. Mend tears and holes. Cannibalize old t-shirts creatively: t-shirt quilts, rags, accessories, More ideas and resources at the Styleposium Pinterest page. See boards "Garment Care & Maintenance" and "Embellish/Repair."
Images from Fashion Revolution.org
Part II
The above video is a good introduction to the work of
Dr. Masaru Emoto. Truly astounding and awesome. I think of it often. Thank you to my friend and colleague, Fuchsia Lin for introducing me to Emoto's work.
Part III
From left to right: Detail of dye garden. Dyed organic silk yardage. First fitting with Andrea.
The above images are copyright and courtesy of Fuchsia Lin. Speaking of my friend and fellow costume designer, I'd like to introduce you to Fuchsia Lin. Fuchsia has been a great inspiration to me on many levels and I'm pleased to share her work with you today. Below is a trailer for the first installation of her dance film trilogy, Crystals of Transformation. It screens at NW Film Center in Portland, OR on Wednesday, 26 July at 7;00pm Tickets and info click here.
Part 2 is in the works
with a great group of artist collaborators. Below, Fuchsia, in her own words.
Thank you for visiting The Maker and Mender's Styleposium.
Next week we will continue the water theme, including more photos and conversation with Fuchsia Lin! Until then, you know where to find us!  If you're like us, you've been trying to avoid the encroaching din of holiday this and that since Halloween. Now that Thanksgiving has been celebrated, it feels like an appropriate time to embrace the holidays. Assembled this week for you Makers, Menders, and Constituents of Style, the Styleposium Treasury of Gift Giving. 1. A Subscription to selvedge Magazine  Nothing but love for this beautiful, inspiring, educational periodical. Subscriptions come in a variety of options from 2 months to 3 years. 2. Merchant & Mills Tools and Supplies  15 pounds or $19.08 USD All the necessary bits beautifully and thoughtfully packaged within a tin reminiscent of an Altoids container. Useful and convenient. Just one of many such items at Merchant & Mills. 3. Colette Maker Book  $28 from the team at Colette Patterns. Details, details. It's all in the details with sewing. Igor Stravinsky once said, "Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration." The act of sewing can generate many ideas, and before you know it, you have at least 3 projects in the mix - and counting! Keep track of said details, refer to swatches, notate your brilliant ideas and maintain an efficient inventory of supplies with this 7"x9" planner in the bag. 4. Mood Guide to Fabrics
5. Organic Cotton Plus  Organic Cotton Throw Kit, $36.95 As a stitcher in the know, you may find shopping for affordable, quality home goods exasperating. Organic Cotton Plus is a wonderful resource for organic, colorgrown, made in the USA textiles and notions. This kit comes with thread, bias binding, and cozy blanket yardage to assemble yourself or give as a gift to the handy hands in your life. Gift certificates available too. Ready, set, go! Have a good week and see you next Monday. Until then, you know the drill.  Photo: Eric Mindling, from his newly released book, Oaxaca Stories in Cloth. Published by Thrumsbooks.com Greetings Makers, Menders, & Constituents of Style. Thank you for being here! Although Saturday was the official finale of Latin Heritage Month, there's plenty more to keep celebrating. Below some choice bits. #slowfashionoctober enthusiasts, I think you'll really enjoy what follows. Catchy tune + the most breathtaking kaleidoscope of huipils I've ever seen. Thank You, Dolores for the video! (Note: Remember this when you eat pineapple, as it is truly a remarkably delicious food.) You may recognize the iconic garment from Frida Kahlo's work, or perhaps you are unfamiliar with this traditional handwoven, naturally-dyed, boxy blouse or dress. Huipils come long or short and their weaving and embroidery signifies location, identity, personal history, and mythology. A little over a month ago, I had the awesome opportunity to see wonderful portraits of traditional Mexican dress and to hear Eric Mindling speak about his Living Threads project in Oaxaca.  His book, Oaxaca Stories in Cloth, just came out and it's highly recommended. Gorgeous portraits of beautiful people, mostly elder women who continue to dress in the old ways. Plus, he is an articulate and charismatic storyteller. Below, some links to read, view, hear more: Essay: "What Does Sagebrush Know That Tumbleweed Doesn't?" Video: A Conversation with Photographer Eric Mindling (The whole conversation is great, especially for photographers, would-be photographers, but if you want to get to the heart of the project, skip ahead to about 30 minutes in.) Support your favorite book store and/or request your library to add it to their collection. This concludes Styleposium's weekly post. Take it away, Mexican Institute of Sound! Until next time, you know where to find us!  Judy Jetson tries on new fashion with the "Dress Projector." Image: SmithsonianMag.com Many exciting developments have been a’brewing since Styleposium’s original ‘Future of Fashion’ post back in March of 2015.  Ecouterre has been posting these innovations on the regular, including materials made from algae, agave, plastic bottles, mushrooms, - even manure. Mind blown.  Image: Andrea Pasquali for BBC Magazine. Chiara Vigo holds a piece of sea silk, or byssus. Now, let's get historical - like Old Testament historical. Max Paradiso, of BBC Magazine, shares a fascinating story of Chiara Vigo + the ancient tradition of byssus. Byssus is basically clam saliva. Read here for a "truth stranger than fiction" kind of report. Speaking of clams, metaphorically, that is: if you have 115 extra, you can buy yourself some 24k golden thread from DMC. Happy 270th Birthday DMC!  Nah, I'm good. I'm saving up for some of this spidey thread. Read more about this phenomenal development in textile technology here.  No spiders are harmed in the making of synthetic spider silk. Image: Qz.com That's a wrap this week. See you next Monday with more inspiring clothing + textile stories!  Image: consequenceofsound.net |
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