A more proper Redress recap!

Whew!  I have been catching up with semi-cleaning the house, running errands, and taking naps since the Redress Raleigh weekend…. After designing for the Eco-Fashion Show on Friday, May 30, and attending the wildly-interesting and fun Redress Eco Fashion & Textiles Conference (EFTC) the next day!!

Elizabeth Galecke of Elizabeth Galecke Photography took these amazing photos.  She’s not only an incredible photographer, she’s a dear friend.

Same goes for Kristen Randall of Mood Swing, who made the naturally beautiful jewelry for the show!

Emily Kirchem of Edie Kaye collaborated on the final coral-motif dress!!

Hair & Makeup by Gia PeeblesS Davis Makeup Artistry, & Emonie Peebles, Aura Salon & BoutiqueDSC_5514

My SPECTACULAR (and super sweet!) models are (left to right):
Mollyann Russell, Nancy Tom, Lizza Igoe, Sarah Tector, Laura Wyker, Charla Hodges, Borys K. is standing in front of me, Lindsay K. Saunders, Madeline T., Rae S., Caitlin Palmieri, Colleen Ann Guest, and Emmie BanksDSC_5653DSC_5654DSC_5656DSC_5659DSC_5663DSC_5667DSC_5670DSC_5674DSC_5676DSC_5680DSC_5684DSC_5685DSC_5690DSC_5691DSC_5695DSC_5705DSC_5706DSC_5710DSC_5711DSC_5713DSC_5715DSC_5727DSC_5730DSC_5736DSC_5738DSC_5743DSC_5745DSC_5746DSC_5749DSC_5751DSC_5752

I’m teaching an “Intro to Batik” class at Ornamentea in June!!

Yes!!! Finally, I got my act together, and I’m going to teach a little Intro to Batik class at Ornamentea in June!

The class dates are June 10 and June 28. The project(s) is to make 1 or 2 (*depending on each person’s personal pace*) 11-inch silk handkerchiefs.  They have a hand-rolled hem, so they can stand alone as a pocket square, or you could put it in a little frame.  You could also make a decorative pillow!!

It’s a good starting point to get everyone familiar with how Batik is made, and some of the tools you can use to create something unique and your own!! Materials are provided.

We’ll be using soy wax, fiber-reactive dye, tjanting tool, brushes, and some other do-dads I like to experiment with!

Space is limited, and you can sign up online.  Here are the links to the two class dates: June 10 class

June 28 class

This will be my first time teaching this… Questions during class are absolutely welcome!!!  I’ll also love some feedback after the class, for sure! Have a beautiful cool spring day!!!!! Image

 

Kim

Redress Raleigh Eco-Fashion Show 2014, here I come!!!!

I’m thrilled and honored to, again, be part of the Redress Raleigh Eco-Fashion Show!!!  It’s a fun show, organized by the wonderful ladies of Redress Raleigh, and has a great following!
It will be at Cobblestone Hall at City Market in downtown Raleigh, May 30.  There will also be a marketplace there.

To show you just a glimpse of what has inspired me for this upcoming collection…
My friend, Robin Thomas, recently took this gorgeous and inspiring photo of her view during a plane flight up north.
I’m always in awe of the color and pattern that presents itself in nature, whether it is a great big view such as this one, or the teeny-tiniest flower in among the moss.  This is what moves me.

Robin_lake photoNow, go get tickets for the Redress Raleigh fashion show!!!

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All within less than two weeks…

On December 1, I’m moving into a studio space in the VERY cool Carter Building on Glenwood South in Raleigh.  I will be sharing the space with a marvelous painter, Julie Cardillo.   The specific address is 22 Glenwood Avenue, Studio 11C.

We will even have our own door right off of Glenwood Avenue!!  So, you can’t get lost inside the building (which is super packed full of fantastic artists, including Zass Design, Lucky Accessories, and Metamorphosis Metals.

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So, the following weekend is a HUGE final push for me before the end of the year!!  I will be celebrating my first FIRST FRIDAY in our studio on December 6.  More details when we iron those out, asap…

Then on December 7, I will be at the wonderful Elf Fair at the Artscenter in Carrboro!!!  Last year was the first time I’ve participated in it, and I had a really awesome time!!  Carrboro is always a great and creative town to poke around in, anyway!!

OK… Then finally, on December 8, I will be in Raleigh for the 21st Annual Boylan Heights Artwalk!!  I will be on the porch at 410 S. Boylan Street!!  My porch-mate for the day will be Janet Harriman of Harriman Jewelry.  Her work looks wonderful.  I am looking forward to meeting her!

Yes.  That is going to be QUITE the weekend!!!  I’m looking forward to new project ideas and expanding to having my work in other cities.

2014 is going to be EVEN better than 2013 has been!!  That’s saying a lot!!


Kim

Why I’m doing a Hospice fundraiser this Sunday…

This Sunday is Pop Up Sunday in the parking lot of Ornamentea at 509 N. West Street, downtown Raleigh.

I’m doing an Indigo & Shibori/tie-dye demo that you can take home a piece of with you!!

Since I picked Hospice of Wake County for the charity to raise funds for… I thought I would share my reasons why.

Why I am raising money for Hospice of Wake County…

My brother and I grew up with both parents physically handicapped.  Mom contracted Polio from the vaccine I got as an infant… the doctor forgot to vaccinate her.  Dad developed Multiple Sclerosis a few years after that.

You might think this would be a depressing situation… after all, they’d met while skiing in Vermont. But they couldn’t have been a more cheery, optimistic couple!!   They were the best team, and never felt sorry for themselves.  They just showed non-stop love for each other and me and my brother.  I know this is how my Dad lived such a long time – a remarkable 30+ years – with MS.

In late 2005, after some health set-backs, Mom and Dad looked into Hospice of Wake County to help them out.  The Hospice nurses came to their house frequently for several months.  They were always a joy to see, and we all felt their love and sincerity.  At one point, their team had gotten a wound doctor to finally heal a bed sore Dad had suffered with for several years.  He felt so much better – seemed even to be bouncing back so much that he was afraid he was no longer eligible for Hospice’s services any more!

Well, they stuck with him, and eased the decade-long tremendous pain he’d had (but never admitted to us until then), and he eventually died peacefully in his sleep one night.

Having Dad at home was absolutely critical to my parents’ happiness.

Four years later, my Mom passed away.  The loss of both parents is unbelievably harder than the first.  I thought I was strong and rational enough to get through, but finally realized I needed help and gave the Hospice Grief Counselor a call.  He listened so patiently and to every single word I said.  This guy knew his “stuff”!! He was so professional and skilled; he was able to relate to me so effectively.  He helped me validate my feelings and manage them as a survivor of people I love and miss so much.

I am forever grateful to Hospice of Wake County for making the hardest times in my life survivable, and to feel more at peace.

Kim

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Next event… a benefit at a FUN market!

Pop Up Sunday is a fun monthly event that happens in the parking lot of Ornamentea in Raleigh, from 12-5 pm.
I will be there, raising funds for Hospice of Wake County, an organization I feel very strongly and personal about.  Bring a **cotton** t-shirt, handkerchief, dishtowel…. And I will help you do a little Shibori dying!!
I will also be raffling off a Leopold Designs hand-dyed silk scarf!!
Furthermore, there will be a beer vendor!!!
All beer donation proceeds, donations to the dye station, and raffle tickets will go to Hospice of Wake County, and someone from the organization will be there to inform or answer any questions.

More information will be available online in the next couple weeks at:
www.popupsunday.com
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TOMORROW!!!! Redress runway show!!!!!!

I’m SO excited!!  Oh…And still working my derriere off styling/how to dress my models in the sarongs (wrapping/tying), and also still making new pieces for the Marketplace that’s on Sunday! 
Tonight at midnight is the last time to buy your tickets for the Conference during the day Saturday and/or the Fashion Show Saturday night.
Buy them online:  http://redressraleigh.com/

(Just follow the links whether it’s the conference or fashion show you’re buying tickets for)

NOT TO MISS: 
HUGE thank you’s and kudos to the super cool chick that’s made the jewelry for the runway tomorrow!!!
Mood Swing is Kristen Randall. She’s a Raleigh artist that does the most amazing work. I’d call her style a bit bohemian, but with a vintage touch, using natural materials, crystals, and found objects such as vintage jewelry pieces & buttons, clock keys, & fabric trimmings.
Keep an eye out for these beauties on my models and on me & Kristen tomorrow night!!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/moodswingImage