Welcome to issue number five of The Fold. Pull up a chair. Lemonade? There’s fresh mint, and a dish of sugar water for the bees.

In This Issue

• Omakase II: How quilting is like ordering sushi
• Blueprints for Estivation
• SYNESTHESIA
• Now Open: Commissions!

​

Trust: The Essence of Improvisation. And Sushi.

​

Omakase II: Out On The Town.
Deconstructed garments (new and vintage) and additional cotton fabrics, machine pieced and quilted.
42 x 63 inches. $1140 Click here to purchase Omakase II.​

Do you ever get decision fatigue? Are you ever faced with so many choices, either good or bad, that your brain just wants to crawl under the covers and weep? We've all been there. Don't ask me to order from a case of baked goods because I want one of everything. And two of those. Click here to continue reading the story behind Omakase II.​

​

Let’s Estivate. I Brought a Blueprint.

Y’all know how I love words. When I learn a new word, I want to tell all my friends about it. I’d like to introduce you to Estivation. Think of it as the opposite of hibernation. When it feels too hot to do anything, we can estivate. Restivate. Guesstimate. Recombobulate. Try it next time you feel summer torpor sliding in!

Have you ever made cyanotypes, aka sun prints? This is an excellent summer activity that folks of all ages and ability levels can enjoy. I made a presentation that’s specifically about creating cyanotypes on fabric, but most of the information applies to paper as well. You are welcome to download that here.

In the summer of 2019, some friends graciously invited me to a cyanotype session and I tried something for the first time. The night before, I took some sheets of the photosensitive paper and folded them into origami cranes, like this one:

I set the folded cranes in the sun for 15-20 minutes, then gently unfolded them before rinsing. This is how one of them looks unfolded:

The darker areas of the paper are the parts of the folded crane that got the most exposure to the sun.

And this is how four unfolded cranes look put together:

Quilters, start your engines.

You can buy a paper sun print kit here, and Dharma Trading has several fabric cyanotype kits.

Related: What's the maximum number of times you can fold a piece of paper?​

​

Factory Obscura: SYNESTHESIA

If you’re in the central Oklahoma area, or are passing through this summer, stop in at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, OK (on the OU campus). There’s a fabulous, multi-sensory, family-friendly installation there called SYNESTHESIA.

I was invited to make some unique items inspired by this new exhibit. You can find them in the gift shop!

Potholders, assorted. $60 per pair

Fuchsia table runner, 15x48 inches, $350

Lavender Fog table runner, 11x40 inches, $250

​Click here for more details about SYNESTHESIA and the handmade gifts I created for the occasion.

Commissions are now open!

You like what you like. You don’t let anyone dictate your sense of style. Your art collection matches the couch, or it doesn’t match the couch. You don’t care if anyone else likes your favorite earrings. When you see something that speaks to you, you trust that connective spark. That’s why I’d love to make a quilt for you. Click here to get started.

A GIF for those who made it to the end

We may be sweaty, but we can sweat in style. How to make your own (slightly) fancy paper fan.

snippet.the-socials