Armstrong Industry Journal

Finding Focus

Finding focus has always been a problem for me-I want to do some many things and asking for help is no easy. Watching the new "Fashion Show" on Bravo, I am wondering what it would be like to work in that type of situation, you have a limited time, and a specific purpose, budget, and theme/concept to complete one garment.  I know it is TV and there is the conflict of the other people and all, but what would it be like to just have that to do.  Most of us work in a very different kind of situation, we have many tasks to come together while trying to design, and create a group of items to present to clients.  Plus the fact that our daily life activities are going on all around us all the time, may distractions.  It might be interesting to just work in a different way.

                                      

Hope

We designed a little something for the upcoming inauguration and it is in the shop.  It seems we all need a little hope for the future right now.  SA and the boys worked on this with me and I think they came out great. The pendant is printed and embossed wood and comes on a ribbon to wear or a small cord to hang. 

                                

Seasons and Change

It has been a challenging year here with the Red Thread shop as well as my studio work and even for the whole country I would say.  Always the optimist I am looking forward to the new year and new possibilities for creative work.  I feel I need to go in some new directions for the Shop as the economy causes everyone to rethink how we live our lives and how our choices make a difference.  The financial struggle has caused a lot of soul searching for me and my family as this "shopping season" comes to a close with less than positive results.

The main focus for the Studio will become more of a working, learning and resource center with less space devoted to retail only.  My production space will take more of a prominent role and the second floor studio is turning into a yoga, training space for more physical, nutritional  and spiritual classes and workshops.  I have some new people coming into the space and it is giving me a renewed sense of whyI started out in the creative business endeavor, and where I need the business to go.

My new collection will be "The Coastal Path."  I feel a need to go back to the basics in my design thought and inspirations. 

                               

Life Changes

It has been a crazy few weeks with travel and people moving in and then suddenly out of my life.  It has caused me to rethink how we hope things will be and how they turn out in the end.  Similar to creative work,  you have a picture in your head and it changes as the process starts and continues though the completed piece of art work.  I seem to have a problem with the finish details, I think it comes from a fear that it will never be good enough.  That "never good enough" image has really come to light, lately in dealing with my  personal life and traveling to my past.  I now know this less ordinary path I am on is the correct one and this direction is right for me and my family.  Now on to new and creative adventures.

                                 

Photo Credit: Glen Fa more here. 

Production

I have just finished a large project for a women's group. 30 silk scarves, dyed in a similar color way and printed with their logo.  I have not worked with large orders in a while.  It has helped me focus on my direction to go in working with wholesale accounts in the future.  I really like working on a wholesale line, the planning give you the direction and helps stay focused.  This is so important to me since I teach one day a week and run the gallery.  The studio is in the gallery but you are always interrupted with a variety of things throughout the day.

Collaborations

Since I have moved all my studio to the Red Thread it has brought a lot of new opportunities to expand my creative work.  I am an very independent and usually have trouble asking for help from or working with other people.  But I have decided it may be inspiring to collaborate with other artisans.  I am working on a new product line with a quilter friend.  The process has been interesting and productive.  We have different strengths and somewhat different styles, but have found a way to showcase our own creativity and still offer a cohesive set of products for next spring.  The financial aspect should be helpful, we can combine purchasing to save money in these tricky times. The marketing is the next part, I hope it will be a similar experience, and will write more as things develop.

Pottery

I am always on the look out for pottery to showcase at the Red Thread.  It is my weakness, the lovely shapes and colors are so inspiring.  I found this this artisan from Erin over at Design for Mankind.  The work is from Little Flower Designs and I just love the sweet blue bird peaking out of the bowl.  Great shapes of the vases as well.                                                                                                      

  Ceramic Designer, Linda Johnson

Cloth Texture Color

We are discussing different types of fabric in my design class.  It is difficult to find, in local fabric shop, a variety of natural fiber.  The independent quilt shops offer cotton, but silk and wool in a pure form (not blended with man-made fiber) is getting harder to find.  I order my fabric on line which is easier, but if I tell my students to look at the shops, it is the "faux" silks, linens, etc.

My work is in silk, linen, cotton and love all the texture that can come with just these fabrics.  The dying and printing is a little different for each but not a big change in process.  The silk does take the dye so well and presents a great color range.  I found this artisan Pamela Tang on line a while ago and have loved her designs, they have a feel of my own style and color favorites.  Her work and the photography is so lovely, more can be found here. 

Pamela Tang Quilt

Green and Grey

I teach a design class for fiber art students and we are working on color theory these next few weeks.  I love the research on Flickr and this is a lovely group with greena dn grey as the focus colors. Enjoy.

 

1. Spring, 2. Green and Gray, 3. Every night for a hundred years the angel of dreams came to the town & splashed the walls with bright colors that stayed until the first light of day., 4. Path, 5. Nantucket, 6. Lines and Circles, 7. Driftwood, 8. Global Warming and Climate Change, 9. JL_507ra, 10. Pigeon, 11. tree girl, 12. Pods

Design Studio

Still in the process of my new studio design, it is crazy trying to work with things packed away in two or three locations.  Now it is finally starting to take shape and I am unpacking and putting things away.  It is an interesting part for the future of the work spaces.  The trick is to make it functional, but I still need it to look and feel a certain way.  I have some new ideas on lighting, since my back area has no natural light, so important.  I do have a large work table area, now which is great, it is always a pain to have to put one thing away to make room for another.  I really like to pull out many different fabrics while I am working.  Last year I found these photos via Decor8 and they still offer an inspiration for my studio planning.  The old and new,  the color it all just works together. This is the Urban Outfitters Corporate Campus.  You can see more photo here.

Now I am off to unpacking and sorting.

Images copyright Lara Swimmer. Credits: MS&R for the architecture and interior design, and Lara Swimmer for the photography.