They Are Calling Me...

VINTAGE SILK KIMONO CIRCA 1950

The kimonos!... hanging there in all their timeless glory... holding the story of the life they once lived... some of them came to life before WWII... but most were constructed during and after the war... everyone meticulously hand sewn (yes! every last little stitch... by hand) for or by its' owner... I must admit feeling a bit of guilt when beginning to unravel those tiny, perfectly spaced stitches... maybe this wondrous piece of history should be left in tact?... but... and here's my thinking on this subject... the kimonos that I deconstruct and re-purpose are of the "everyday" type... they were worn by ordinary women and men (like you and me) in going about their day-in day-out lives... sort of like your mom's house-dress (if you are over 40) or your mom's jeans and t-shirt (if you are under 40)... of course each kimono has it's own story... the story of the life of its' owner... and for me that is an important part of the process... these beauties did not live lives of privilege... far from it... even in "post-war" Japan (US occupied from 1945 to 1952) life was very difficult for all but the most affluent citizen... if I can take this lovely silk fabric and bring it back to life as a "new" handbag, dress, skirt, headband or flower... and perhaps its' life story will be extended to include happier memories... it's the least I can do... please, if you are interested in the post-WWII US/Japan story (we are not necessarily the good-guys in this story though) you might start here: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080905f1.html... it's a jumping off place if you don't know much about this part of US history... this link to The Japan Times online is the story of found letters written by Elizabeth Ryan from Milwaukee. At age 31, she began working for the Inspector General of the Occupation in Kobe as a reporter for a provost court... she wrote many letters home about her life in contrast to the lives of the Japanese people during the occupation... now off my "soap-box" and back to work... the kimonos are calling...

Crocheting Pumpkins...

Master Pumpkiniere, Cousin Bryon and Moi, Offerle, Kansas

Etsy Create Crochet Team is an awesome bunch of "over-the-top" (no! not over-the-hill ;) crocheters... don't take my word for it... check them out yourself... The September "team challenge" is to crochet "something pumpkin"... so I'm thinking about "something pumpkin"... pie, Halloween, Smashing, Kansas, bread, patch... oh, the list goes on... You do need to know that I come from a long line of wheat, alfalfa, maize and pumpkin farmers. Cousin Doug has been "family farming" all his life as did his dad and his grandfathers and their grandfathers... he has not sold out to the "corporate farmers" (what do corporations know about farming anyhoo?)... Cousin Bryon may have broken the chain though (much to his mother's delight) and is busy studying at Fort Hays State University... something about the math/science part of farming rather than the skin blistering, knuckle bashing part... But I digress... The task at hand is to crochet "something pumpkin" and get it over to the Etsy Create Crochet Team before they boot me off... and before September is over (it is the September 2009 challenge!)... I'm a little nervous about this challenge because I've never really liked crocheting round things... always seem to loose where the circle began... I've heard that there are handy little thingies called "stitch markers"... (I don't need no stinkin' stitch marker)... oh, yes I do!... I'm off to the fabric/yarn shop to pick some up... and if I crochet something something worthy of a photo, I'll post it for you... If not, It's on to the next challenge!

The Wedding Gift...

This is my first one... my very first real-deal, authentic Japanese Kimono... ever. It was a wedding gift from a dear friend / "cousin" (by marriage) Peggy who lived in Japan for many years and became an avid flea market hound. During the years that she lived there 60's-80's (or so) flea markets had the most amazing stuff, and it was cheap! She was kind enough over the years to send us some totally amazing goodies. The family crest Haori (short thigh length Kimono) was one of the first to arrive. It is a black RO silk (a kind of silk gauze) unlined, for summer. Peggy is a seamstress/stylist extraordinaire (she has accomplished the most extraordinary transformations of vintage Japanese "everything") and suggested I sew in "shoulder-pads" (it was the 80's!) and wear it with jeans. So... I hung it on the wall!... where it remains today... oh, yea, I took it down a couple of times over the years and did wear it... never could bring myself to sew shoulder-pads in it though... by the time I got around to wearing it "Dallas" was so over (we knew who killed JR) and shoulder-pads went out to pasture with it... now don't be alarmed when I tell you this... but the likes of Givenchy and Louis Vuitton are putting them out there again... oh, my! Check out the latest from the "runway".

Slow Cooking...

OMG... Not the crock-pot again! I thought we left those back in the 70's 'cause we were sick to death of beef stew!... but, in my continuing effort to create tasty and healthy meals... and save a little $... I did pick one up at Target for $17 (on sale 'cause it is oval and red!)... my mother was a big fan of the pressure cooker, even after the neighbor lady "texturized" her ceilings and walls with potatoes one afternoon... those darned things scare the bee-geezers (whatever those are) out of me... but... the slow-cooker is experiencing a revival... this weekend I picked up Southwest Slow Cooking at the Phoenix airport... this gem is bubbling over with great ideas... yes! you can, thanks to Tammy Biber and Theresa Howell, cook a kick-butt Mexican meal while you're at work... her "Mexican Meatloaf" is home cooking itself as I type... then... Becky (she'll get her blog up and running soon so I can link to her) sends me a link to a Mary Engelbreit workshop announcement... and lo and behold, Mary E. is currently throwing a slow-cooker recipe contest... they are popping up everywhere!... so if you have a treasured family recipe for the slow-cooker send it off to her... traditionally the crock-pot was used to slowly cook a pot roast to death while you were at work... but we are not talking about your mother's crock-pot recipes now... my family and friends include vegetarians and vegans and they are not being left behind this time... as more and more folks are looking to healthy eating... the pot-roast is having a tough row to hoe these days... check out this marvy guide to going veggie with the slow-cooker... I'll get back to you on the Mexican Meatloaf... taking it to X-Files Night at Joye and Jamie's later... she is a chef extraordinaire so it will be a tough audience... guess I better stop by my boyfriend Trader Joe's place for a nice jar of Mango Salsa to top it all off...

Arrivederci Handbags...

I returned home last night after spending three days in Phoenix, AZ with my exxxxxtended family. Twenty some-odd (oh, yes! some of us are odd!) of us gathered at Al and Lyn's to welcome Sonja to the family. She brought along hubby Artie and son Carson who happens to be the most delightful 8 year-old (hope I got your age right Carson... you can give me a "noogie" next time if I am wrong) you could ever hope for. Sonja, Artie and Carson are super-awesome... what a grand addition to the family! I also met fifteen-year-old Great-Great (and she is indeed Great!) Niece Sarah for the first time. She headed (no pun intended) home to Colorado donning an Aunt Lyn hair-color-weavy thingy that only a pro can pull off... she looks beautiful!... Niece Lisa, beautiful mom to Carolina and Claudia, is taking two of my favorite vintage silk kimono handbags home with her to live happily ever after in Florence, Italy. I couldn't ask for a more stunning young woman to sashay up and down the streets of Florence with one of my beautiful (if I do say so myself) little pouches dangling from her wrist.
Ciao my lovelies! I'll come visit one day!

Yes I Can...

I CAN blog... Everyone is doing it. Even the birds and bees are doing it! I don't need to quit my day job just to blog. I don't have to say something cute, quippy, profound, politically correct or check the urban dictionary every five seconds for fear of confusing the under 40 (used to be 30) crowd (they confuse me all the time). I can just ramble on about the life of a 60-something who heads home with her poodle (sleeping at my feet all day!) after a hair-raising workday and deconstructs vintage kimonos with the vision of transforming this timeless, classic wonder into something that would amaze its' original constructor. That's what I do. When I get bored, I pick up a crochet hook and play with yarn for a while. See I CAN blog! Now… back to the day job.

Another stitch in time...

It was very clear even then that I was out of control... and needed to be taught how to use that big old Singer contraption before I really hurt myself... so we put a Band-Aid on my owie and I began sewing lessons.

Mother was a perfectionist... she had to be... there was no room for error when cutting into the expensive fabrics used in homes that could afford custom made furnishings.... remember we are talking the 1930's.... so she taught me to measure once, twice and then double-check again before cutting into any fabric... that is still how I do it...