We are living in a time that feels both alien and familiar. It is a time where we have the opportunity to make change and reconsider the way we live with our planet and each other. We will have and have had much pain and loss, but we can grow and we can learn. Searching for beauty and working on problems is what keeps me going - I would love to share a bit of my process these past few months. . .
This is the way my studio looked in early March I took the black silk blouse home to work on as I felt I was becoming ill and may not be back in a while. . .
Luckily I had just ordered a new foot pedal for my only sewing machine at my home.
silk tulip scarf Hand-painted by Eve Vaterlaus, Red cotton gauze dress, black chiffon blouse, cotton quilted Kantha coat
1st dress I made at home with no dress form, no cutting table or pattern- I used 2 interlocking squares and added straps and a cross piece in the back
My old singer sewing machine- the first thing I ever bought with money I earned from babysitting..
Dress can be pulled up with 2 loops and buttons to make a shorter length
2nd Dress made from geometric shapes- 2 interlocking squares - it also buttons to shorter length and has generous pockets
I ordered some fabric from a business I found online- Elliebea - actually, they advertised to me on instagram, and I was very happy after an initial disappointing order from the wholesaler I usually use in New York , because new fabric shipments had stopped due to coronavirus and their selection was very limited.
Vlisco wax prints- the Twi Proverb says “Dua Kur gye enum a obu” “A tree alone cannot stand the wind” meaning there is strength in unity.
Meanwhile- a darling client gave me an order for 2 “house dresses” that she could wear and feel wonderful in - in confinement. . .
I was able to work with her long distance and some back and forth with drawing and swatching from wonderful BandJ fabrics.
Of course the whole time I have been making masks and filling orders. . . .
Next came bicycling down 60 blocks to my studio and carrying lots of supplies back and forth between home and studio. I quickly found that using our dining table for cutting fabric was causing great pain to my back. .
dress I made at home and later revised paired with coat from studio
I began a routine of bringing fabric downtown that I had washed at home and cutting the patterns at my studio and then sewing at home-
Here I am in my “Citibike” dress that I made for cycling ( minor bike scape on shin.) . .waiting for my blue Bell bike helmet
Print from Elliebea fabrics - this is my very popular Poppy dress named after Clare McCardell’s Popover dress, because it is so easy for many people to wear. . .
Client work has haltingly resumed- I am working on several new projects and looking ahead with intensified focus as we do not know what the future will bring.
This post is dedicated to my dear brother, John Thomas Cannon Jr. March 4, 1957 - April 10, 2020
