"Mommy" - Images from K's Closet Fabric To Be - Part 1 of 15
About two years ago, in early 2018, I met Sharyn Arai, a creative entrepreneur who had built a community around her small shop in our town. She was a master seamstress and clothing designer, making clothes that were comfortable and flattering for every figure, clever, thought provoking, and fun. She had a small army of other makers, clothing creators and sewing enthusiasts who used her custom fabrics, patterns, and riffed on them to make their own unique statements and beloved items. The shop, called K’s Closet, had evolved over time, selling the work of dozens of local artisans, artists, and crafts people, as well as doing events, classes, and inspiring the work of an increasing circle of people. I was immediately bowled over by her vision, her energy, her creativity, and her dedication. She offered me one of the monthly “pop-up” artist showcases, which I accepted. It’s one of the only times my work has been displayed for sale outside the Internet.
More importantly, we began a dialogue about fabric design and artists. She had created her own fabrics, which she had printed and available in the shop in the usual bolts (but there was nothing usual about the colors and patterns). One of those fabrics was based on words and phrases inspired by being a “Mommy.” We spoke about a companion fabric which would feature illustrations of those words, or images relating to those words, which makers could combine with the wordy fabric. I loved the idea, and was intrigued by the possibilities.
What I created over the next several months were 15 images. Whether even Sharyn’s design thinking could have turned these into a fabric pattern we may never know, but I was inspired by the words on that fabric, and by my own parenting and observations of thousands of beautiful public moments between mommies and children.
The image above is the first one I finished. I was thinking about how mothers get together to create play and larger family for their kids. I was thinking about mommies’ strength and creativity, their power and impact, especially together.
I think the word for this one may have been “Swings,” but I don’t have anything written down about the early ones…
