(detail of hem line)
(my signature on the back of the neck)
My head is bursting
with the joy of the unknown.
My heart is expanding a thousand fold.
Every cell,
taking wings,
flies about the world.
All seek separately
the many faces of my Beloved.
If I create from the heart, nearly everything works;
if from the head almost nothing.
-Marc Chagall
(The ring on the glove was my grandmother ring and is used to keep the book closed)
My premise for this book is to combine your personal or found photos along with small tokens, mementos and Paper Ephemera to create pages to tell a story (personal or fictional)
This is a interactive book as the mementos and hand written letters come out of the pockets.
A album much like this one will be in my book:
(thanks to Kristen Robinson who has made me
red velvet cup cakes along the way to keep
me motivated to write and has gifted me
with her keen wit and eyes as she
has been editing my words along the way!)I am now working on the intro to the book,
I have chosen to write a “walk down memory lane”
and share how it was that I found my way to fabric art.
It’s almost therapeutic in many ways to look back and reflect on why we make choices
that lead us to our passions.so why do I still struggle with calling my self a artist
and when I refer to my work space as a "studio" I almost laugh every time?
It makes me think about this quoit:
The reason angels can fly is that they take themselves so lightly. --G.K. Chesterton
The other day I was reading out loud an email some one had written
expressing how much my work touches them...
to my husband and kids.
Bronson my 15 year old nephew who has just recently moved in with us
declared to me after I read the note that he did not think it was good for me to read
all the nice things that people write about me because
then I will start to think that I am to good and not try as hard.
I laughed and told him:
“Oh no Bronson! It’s the opposite;
I worry that I may never come up with another good idea!
If anything it makes me try harder!”
I believe the only thing that must keep us creative types creating
has to be the love of the process combined with the delightful playfulness
that fills us as we create.(binding of book)
The hallmark of creative people is their mental
flexibility... Sometimes they are open and probing, at others they're playful
and off-the-wall. At still other times, they're critical and faultfinding.
And finally they're doggedly persistent in striving to reach their goals.
From this I've concluded that the creative process consists of our adopting
four main roles, each which embodies a different type of thinking... These
roles are: Explorer, Artist, Judge and Warrior.
~Roger von Oech
(this dress is for sale here)
I had a few ideas in my head as to what I would create but in the end these little angel dresses won out. I wanted the dress's to share words of encouragement as they made there way around the united states, so I chose to use the words "grace to grow" The words on the dress's have been stitched on with free motion sewing onto each of the 12 dress.
wings were constructed out of layers of organza, hymnal paper, muslin and lace, alongside machine stitching to emulate feathers, were created and carved out of the layers.
Tiny hangers were made out of steel wire.
Then each dress was hung and here you have eleven completed dress's all in a row!
I was quite please with my self when I came up with the garment bags that I made for them to travel in!
And on the back I wrote the words that are sewn on to the dress, along with my day to open gift: Day 10
"importance influences"
I think this is a really great premise to make affordable art, so I just posted these "art cards" for $20.00 at my etsy shop
(Brave heart for sale here)
(pined to the dress is a piece that I am working on)
I intentionally made rips in my fabric when I was making this dress then stitched them up to emulate the old dress that inspired this piece.
around the seams I stitched in a half hazard way around the seams to give the appearance of lace. my sewn signature is stitched in the bottom right hand corner.
the words "my heart strings" are on the back of the dress along side the neckline.
and here is brave heat all stitched and mended and ready to save the world of love.
I have been lost in a little creative cocoon lately...
and look at what I found on Jenny's desk!
(Sarah Rae AKA excited teenage daughter!)
please take note, its now official Ruth Rae is a "sheer genius"!
and here is the Prof
these are works in progress: this one is still in the design stage
and here are a few detail shots of more projects that I am working on. I have been pleating and free motion stitching on the fabric.
"Trust thy be"
Here it is in all its splendor its another new process that has been rambling in my head.
I just put "crossroads to the heart" for sale here so go on over and take a look!
(photo taken of me by: Sarah Rae. Hawaii, August 2008)
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