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Author Archives: jenbruce
Beautiful Aprons Promote Dancing and Elation!
…and not just in the kitchen! I presented ram-bunc-tious offerings in a gallery store during a recent exhibition opening at Grace Lane Gallery in Corona Del Mar, and visitors had fun trying on aprons while taking in the Installation of individual and collaborative works my yours truly and fellow artist, Bianca D’Amico.
The show included works made with recycled textiles and a collaborative performance/photography piece by Bianca and I.
ram-bunc-tious at Grace Lane Gallery
In conjunction with the show, Common Thread, I will be setting up a gallery store with fellow artist, Bianca D’Amico, at Grace Lane Gallery in Corona Del Mar, CA. The opening reception for the show is Sunday, December 5th from 11-5, and will run through January 30th, 2011. The gallery store will feature current and new ram-bunc-tious inventory as well as lovely terrariums from Bianca’s Terri Planty.
Please come celebrate the opening of our two-person show, featuring individual works as well as a collaborative project, presented in what we hope will be a thrilling installation!
Grace Lane Gallery
2865 East Coast Highway, Suite 300
Corona Del Mar, CA 92625
Hello Big Crafty
Come and visit ram-bunc-tious, along with Western North Carolina’s finest, at The Big Crafty on July 11. Indie crafters, music, food and drink in downtown Asheville. See you there!
New Yoga Mat Strap Designs
Check out these new yoga mat strap designs! All 100% unique. A cool way to keep your yoga or pilates mat in a tidy bundle! As always, custom orders are available, check out the shop and drop a line!
Army Surplus Quilt
Earth Day Event at YogaWorks in Valencia
Happy Earth Day Everyone!
Come and celebrate this Saturday, April 24, at Yogaworks in Valencia, CA. The day will be filled with fun activities for kids and adults. I will be participating in a trunk sale, offering hand-made mat straps and other selections from my Etsy store. I was even thinking about adding a few mat bags into the mix. We will see what time offers me in the next few days. I hope to see you there! In the meantime, feel free to take a peek at the cool mat straps featured in my shop. Namasté!
Sew on Rebels, Sew on!
There is a lovely movement of sewers aspiring to alter the landscape of mass production and consumption, one small project at a time. They are known as the Sewing Rebellion and they are lead by the devout and diligent Frau Fiber. An artist, activist and textile worker, she has helped organize Sewing Rebellion chapters in California, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Chapters meet once a month and work out a project designed by Frau Fiber in order to support more sustainable forms of consumption. Not only do participants gain technical skills in mending and construction, thus reducing the need for mass produced items; they create totally unique objects while flexing their creativity.
Sewing Rebels earn patches as they conquer a new project every month.
I learned about this group about a year ago and have unfortunately never been able to attend the LA chapter meetings. Good news for me and other over-extended folk, you can be a ‘chapter of one’ by checking out the website for instructions and guides to projects past and present.
As the current economy shrinks, it may be worth investing a little time honing our skills in order to support a smaller and more stable economy. Or, maybe just consider these activities as fun ways to get creative with neighbors and friends!
Preserving a Record of Human Dedication and Love.
For those of us who can be occasionally found scouring swap meets, vintage stores and estate sales for hidden treasures, we’ve all had that uncanny experience of finding that one piece that hurls our imagination into the life of the objects past owner. A wedding ring, a postcard, a signed book, they all evoke the ghosts of those whose lives were touched by these precious objects in a bygone era.
What to do with a 10-foot-long table linen?
I had that very experience a few weeks ago when I found a beautifully elaborate set of hand embroidered table linens at the local swap meet. The table cloth was more that 10 feet long and covered in a delicate gold cross-stitching. The set of 12 matching napkins was pristine. I couldn’t believe that such a precious object had escaped the dedicated possession of the maker’s family. I saw a woman quietly toiling away with her needlework in front of the evening news or on sunny Sundays to fill up the passing hours. I imagined some overwhelmed and oblivious grandson with no clue as to the years of skilled workmanship and dedication that went into making these heirloom table linens, simply casting them aside along with household trinkets and clothing in an estate sale.
There was some staining and damage on the tablecloth and it seemed the napkins were halfway through being revamped to hide a serged edge hem. I didn’t know what I was going to do with the set, but I knew it had to be saved from the ravages of the swap meet scene! I quickly picked out a few other linens in the vendor’s booth, stacked them up and offered a modest sum for the bundle (the more items, the better the bargain!) hoping the bearded and bespeckeld swapper didn’t think the pieces were as priceless as I did. He thumbed through the stack and accepted my offer.
I contemplated restoring the tablecloth and reselling it on ebay, in my Etsy shop or consignment store, but hesitated after asking myself, “Who uses 10-foot-long, formal dining room table linens anymore?” Eventually I decided that the most important task at hand was to preserve this exquisite handiwork in a way that made it desirable to those who would appreciate it. So, with a knot in my stomach and a grimace on my face, I began to cut into the giant tablecloth to make aprons, letting the embroidered patterns determine the design of each unique piece. Four aprons later, I still have half a table cloth left! I also added retro pattern bias tape edges to the napkins to reconcile the unfinished hemming.
Now, the story of one woman’s skill, diligence and love can be preserved in the hearts of many out there who appreciate history and superb craftsmanship. Never knowing anything specific about the person who poured so much time and love into such a large project, we can only choose to love and appreciate the human-ness that goes into such work and celebrate it’s very existence in the world.
Scrap Pile
Working as an artist in varied forms of production, from my studio to the entertainment industry, I have come to notice and appreciate the resulting scrap materials that are generated. Scraps have obvious utilitarian value in a production setting. In a wood shop, scraps are set aside diligently, to be used for various purposes in future projects. In a sewing practice, scraps that are left after the clothing is made, become the primary media in the construction of a quilt. The discarded item acquires a new role.
Aside from the utilitarian value, these leftover pieces possess uniquely formal traits. Their organic shapes take on anthropomorphic qualities like clouds in the sky. The negative spaces invite you to take an alternative look, acquire a skewed perspective. Without any intent, the forms materialize out of the scrap pile, born into the world by accident, a secondary gesture.
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