My Full Heart on Blanahassett Island

This weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Marshall High Studios on Blanahassett Island in Downtown Marshall, for the Marshall Handmade Market. I met some lovely artists, saw some familiar faces, and truly enjoyed every moment spent inside that completely captivating building. I was lucky enough to catch up with Beth of Quill and Arrow Press (7 Ton co.) at her booth, and also to meet Amber of Sketchbook Crafts who has the most darling, ochre-saturated studio. It was so nice to meet such creative, dynamic business-lady-artists, and I left with a heart full of inspiration.

Here are a few shots of Beth's booth and Amber's studio, toward the end of the day as the light fell and became buttery.

Nonna Italiana

I met a woman on the bus from Rome to Martina Franca who couldn't have been less than 80 years old and was so enamored with my embroidery that it prompted her to chatter non-stop for hours in Italian to me knowing that I could only understand about a tenth of what she was saying. She told jokes which had punchlines I couldn't translate, held my hands emphatically, and grasped my face while saying "bella, bella" over and over. After losing two grandmother figures in the last month, this love found in the most unexpected place was nothing short of miraculous.

sneak-peek Ladycrush : Bessie Anderson of B.IMPRESSED

(Full Post on B. upcoming as soon as I get my film developed!)

Ladycrush: Emily Carroll & Vera Bee

Emily Carroll and Vera Brosgo interpret photos of outfits into drawings of outfits. They are lovely and amazing and I really enjoy this collaborative illustration blog of theirs. There's something truly magical about breathing new life into these forgotten or historic garments, and adding a little personality to the characters who may have worn them. This dress I saw last week at the MFA and it has stuck with me, which is why I was so excited when I saw it illustrated by Ms. Carroll. I love the mummy-lady, I love her super casual "who, me?" gesture and how the texture of the dress was rendered.

by emily carroll: http://emcarroll.com/

Beadnet dress, Egyptian Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, reign of Khufu —so neat! (via defunctfashion)

Beadnet dress | Egyptian Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, reign of Khufu |2551–2528 B.C.

Depictions of women in Egyptian art occasionally feature garments decorated with an overall lozenge pattern. This design is believed to represent beadwork, which was either sewn onto a linen dress or worked into a separate net worn over the linen. This beadnet dress is the earliest surviving example of such a garment. It has been painstakingly reassembled from approximately seven thousand beads found in an undisturbed burial of a female contemporary of King Khufu. Although their string had disintegrated, a few beads still lay in their original pattern on and around the mummy, permitting an accurate reconstruction. The color of the beads has faded, but the beadnet was originally blue and blue green in imitation of lapis lazuli and turquoise. (Boston MFA)