Still recovering

Tragically, the parking lot looks like Wolf Myrow threw up. Figuratively speaking, it's still ill.

The tenants of the first floor are continuing to clean out, even though nearly a month has passed since the flooding happened. Power still hasn't been restored to some buildings in the complex.

Businesses have had to throw away millions of dollars worth of merchandise that was covered in chemical sludge- sewage- riverwater.

Moira and Gareth

Today Moira and Gareth had an intimate marriage ceremony at city hall!

It was beautiful and joyous. A lot of people showed up, considering the short notice. There was even rice (which I wanted to throw in the elevator, but I waited until we were outside.)

Congratulations!

Sewing with LEDs

LED stands for "light- emitting diode". I recently made some copper jump rings and soldered them to surface- mount LEDs to produce lights that can be sewn onto textiles, using conductive thread. I was inspired by Leah Buechley's article in the first issue of Craftzine.

I removed some insulation from a copper wire and coiled the metal into a spiral around the shaft of a tiny screwdriver.

I careully snipped through the wires of the coil to create individual jump rings.

I flattened the copper rings with pliers and soldered them to the sides of the LEDs.

More soon!

Servo

Last week I stuffed this bare bones Arduino board and programmed it to oscillate. I plan to use it to make a puppet dance (or mosh.)

Laptop case

I made a case for a little netbook from a thick, old winter kimono that I got in Japan.

Teaching in June

I'll be teaching this class at AS220's Fab Lab in Providence on Sunday, June 13th and Sunday, June 20th from 1-6 P.M. It's not yet in the class schedule online but it will be soon!

Lasercutting Textiles

Learn how to lasercut textiles! This machine enables entirely new possibilities from easily cutting pattern pieces (within 1' x 2' dimensions) to creating new textures, functional decorations, dimensional objects, and even etching images or text onto fabric! We can work with both synthetic and natural fibers (both plant fibers and animal fibers.) Some materials will be provided, and you can bring in your own fabrics. This class will also include sewing tutorials for lasercut textile applications. Different techniques will be demonstrated and experimenting will be encouraged!

Alixa and Naima

You should know about this powerhouse duo of inspiring and amazing brilliance.

Naima and Alixa perform as Climbing PoeTree.

Providence has been lucky to have them for three days, and I've been enjoying their company for sure!

Small piles of color

Gil surprised me by showing up in Rhode Island, a few minutes after convincing me that he was asleep in New York. I love surprises.

Above is a picture that Gil took today of the new "pothole" on the side of the building-- more damage from the flood. I am in the picture for scale.

While displaced I spent a lot of time in the lab, lasercutting fabrics.

This is what my studio desk looks like right now. I'm working on more form and material studies for a few projects: I just found out that I'll be having a solo show at the Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts (next January through March) and I'm working on a new puppet show that I'll perform in Providence on April 28th at Mars Gas with Los Caballos de Dusseldorf (they're actually from Barcelona) as well as a puppet show by Moira Brady!

A dress

As I was getting over illness while still displaced, I spent a lot of time in the lab. One night I made a dress, including the pattern!

I had this koi print fabric for a while, but I was waiting for a project that could really showcase the scale of the pattern. I began with an existing dress that fit me well, and I made a paper pattern by tracing the panels of the constructed dress onto paper. I cut out those paper pieces and pinned them to the fabric, taking into consideration the fabric's grain and print when deciding the orientation of pinned pieces.

Two important steps in sewing with woven fabrics: clip the seams about a quarter of an inch where they curve, and iron the seams open to see the true shape of the garment.

My maternal grandmother was a professional seamstress, and she taught me how to sew when i was five years old! Thanks, Lola!

Aftermath

The power was finally restored and we've been allowed back in the building!

The waterfall usually looks like the picture above. Notice how low the river is.

I took the photo above on April 31st after the water had gone down a lot. The day before the water covered the land on both sides of the river.

The river should not cover the electrical transformers.

Flooding in the basement. The two images above came from the Atlantic Mills facebook page.

A fleamarket will happen in the parking lot tomorrow with the few vendors who didn't lose everything. Here a family tries to clean and salvage some of their inventory.

It's a good thing I'm accustomed to being away for days at a time. I'm lucky that the Artist- in- Residence room at AS220 is currently vacant, so I can stay there for the few more days before I (supposedly) get to return to my building.

Not yet

Almost all of the large industrial buildings in my neighborhood housed jewelry companies within the past few decades. Many basements stil contain large vats of chemicals for plating and polishing metals. Cyanide was definitely a popular one. The neighborhood air now wafts caustic.

According to FEMA laws, if floodwaters contact any part of a building's electrical system those components must be replaced because chemicals in the water could cause an electrical fire.

Because the river flowed high into the entire basement all of the conduit, outlets, breaker boxes, transformers, et cetera need to be replaced.

We're still not allowed back in our studio. This is being typed from outside of the RISD Library as this building has been evacuated for a fire alarm and there are now four trucks outside. It's impressive how quickly all responders arrived, and hopefully this is just a false alarm. I love that I can borrow a laptop from the RISD Library.

Still out

I'm not back yet, but at least now I look more like a Thundercat.

Flooded out

We're still not allowed to return to our building, but at least I felt well enough to go into the lab today!

Who knew these definitions? flooded out

Evacuated!

I had gone to New York to spend holidays with my family. I got pretty sick and had a lot of trouble breathing (I have very sensitive asthma.) Through all the rain, my building in Rhode Island flooded and was evacuated. I'm feeling better now, but we still haven't been allowed back in yet.

It's Friday night, get off the computer! Go be with friends!

A new leafy bag

I've been mentoring 2 high school students for their senior projects. Emily has been focusing on lampwork and Christine has been focusing on fashion. Christine came over today so we could continue to make her prom dress. She's got a new sewing machine, and not a lot of experience with it yet. I sewed a simple bag to figure out how to use her sewing machine, while she pinned and cut pattern pieces.

I lasercut theses felt leaves a few weeks ago while monitoring the lab. Today I airbrushed them and sewed them to the bag in layers.

This is what the quilted strap looks like.

This is what the old bag looked like, pretty tattered. The new bag will get more colorful as I use it and see what it needs.

Mom, please show this to Dad. I know you'l both be happy to see this.

Dense Spaces

I grew up in a house that became crowded later in my childhood. Maybe because of that influence, I mostly like being surrounded by information and stimulation. I think this visual affinity is reflected in most of the things that I make. That busy aesthetic also reflects how I feel. A sentiment of this necklace is "feeling overwhelmed with joy or beauty."

Where I sleep, the walls are white and bare.

My desk

My glass desk

Some bookshelves (there are more now)

A wall of mirrors for dancing (all mirrors salvaged from when the college students leave)

This photo was taken by Nadav Benjamin in our old space, Valhalla.

I kept a guest bed in my room in the old space. Touring bands always stayed with us.

A soldering tutorial

I demonstrate soldering components onto a step response circuit board that was milled on a Modela CNC router. My technique is informed by my soldering experience in silversmithing.

Painting a little

I found a beautiful set of 60 poster paints in the trash at RISD. This is exactly the kind of thing that's too expensive for some people to ship home. That, or they don't really think about money at all.

I hadn't painted anything in a while. It wasn't my intention to paint a weirdo self- portrait, but it turned into that by the time I got to the nose. I can already see where changes will be made, but I have to do more observation. Those are my feet for scale.

I belong here.

Standing in front of a door in the Fab Lab

I recorded a video tutorial on my method of soldering components to circuit boards. My technique is informed by my experience with silversmithing and soldering jewelry with torches. The first camera wouldn't focus on close- up shots, as pictured above.

Brandon had the great idea of placing a magnifying lens in front of the camera. This setup worked wonderfully! I spent eight hours editing the video, and then I couldn't upload it from the offline computer. I hope to post it on Sunday, when I'll be back in the lab.

Future Archaeology

Me with a hydraulic dinosaur robot in Roger Williams Park

When archaeologists work their way down to excavate our layers (if museums are still in existence in that future) I don't envision that curators will choose to exhibit Hirst installations and Warhol posters. I can imagine glass bongs and handguns, maybe high- heeled shoes as the new coprolite. Perhaps mannequins will be the new mummies and car carcasses will be like dinosaur skeletons.

P.S. Hey Chris Rabbit, no offense intended about the bongs. I'm saying that they'll be in museums, not that they're as worthless as animal poop.

I'm teaching at Craftland tomorrow!

CLASS: Textile Techniques for Jewelry

Course fee: $45 | Materials fee: $15

• Discover how to create a variety of adornments using soft textiles. Forms like pom poms, ruffles and flowers can translate into fun jewelry. Leave with a several pieces and ideas for embellishing them with sewing and embroidery techniques.

Instructor: Jenine Bressner / Fireworks!
Wednesday, March 17, 6pm – 9pm

http://craftland.myshopify.com/products/class-textile-techniques-for-jewelry

Flickr

I've been too busy to get to a computer for the past few days, but I milled and stuffed an entire circuit board today in the lab, and I just added some photos to my flickr account.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40127619@N00/

Note Bene

I attempted to drill some holes in neodymium coin magnets. I taped four magnets to a small piece of wood to secure them for drilling. I knew I would need to work carefully because it's a brittle material, so I lowered the arm of the drill press EXTREMELY s l o w l y to bore through the 1/8" thick magnet. In my first attempt I drilled 2 holes (like a button) using a bit that was 1/64". This bit broke as I finished the second hole. My next try was to use a 1/8" bit to drill one hole through the center. Because the bit had so much surface area it created a lot of heat and friction on its way through-- enough heat to melt the tape that held the magnet in place. This is also how I learned that heat will undo the magnetization.

I began to feel unwell, and then my classmate found this online:

Neodymium compounds, like all rare earth metals, are of low to moderate toxicity; however its toxicity has not been thoroughly investigated. Neodymium dust and salts are very irritating to the eyes and mucous membranes, and moderately irritating to skin. Breathing the dust can cause lung embolisms, and accumulated exposure damages the liver. Neodymium also acts as an anticoagulant, especially when given intravenously.

The lesson is this: If you're going to create dust or fumes of any kind and you care about health (your own as well as the health of other people in the same building), just look it up before you begin. The internet can tell you an answer for most questions, it's usually quick, and mostly free. You may have to do more research to find satisfying answers, but the important part is to remember to try.

Lampwork Tutorial: Three Types of Simple Glass Eyes

A Possible Application of Lampworked Glass Eyes in Puppetry

This is pretty funny as it is, and there's plenty more potential here.

A Tour of Handmade Dolls and Puppets with Lampworked Glass Eyes

Before I demonstrate three ways to lampwork simple glass eyes, I'll show you some projects in which I've used them.

The Big Hoodie

To the many people I have met, of all the wearable things I have made, my "Huge Neck Party" glass necklace is the most memorable piece. Second place goes to the big hoodie. People may never remember my name or my face, but never forget the necklace or the hoodie. I started occasionally wearing this in 1998, and I began to decorate it in 2002.

This picture was taken in 2002 at Valhalla, our warehouse in Providence.

This picture was taken at the Maker Faire in Austin, Texas in October of 2008. I was photographed by Joaquin Trujillo and Brian Paumier for this article.

Laura Maguire photographed the piece on a mannequin. It evolved a lot over time, and is now more hole than shirt. I wear clothing hard. You may notice here that a sleeve and the zipper have been replaced. On the mannequin is a second generation rufflebeard that I made around 2004.

This is a detail of lampworked- glass form studies, worn as a brooch. To the left are glimpses of Japanese- inspired applique and embroidery. To the right is part of an embellished patch of leafcutter ants by the Beehive Collective. Above are transit tokens from San Francisco, New York City, and a Japanese 5- yen coin.

The back of the sleeve is covered in hand- cut felt leaves, and 2 densely embroidered patches are prominently displayed on the arm. The bird on the top patch was hand- embroidered by Liz Harris, and I embroidered over the Providence Critical Mass patch that was drawn and screenprinted by Jean Cozzens. This side of the hood is covered in individually placed heat- set studs and a few prong- set cone spikes.

This is a detail of bead and thread embroidery I did on the small of the back. The light blue text across the bottom reads, "CRAFTCORE". The larger pink beads are Japanese miracle beads. They're highly reflective and they make me more visible to drivers when I'm biking at night.

The patch inside the hood was drawn by Sunny from Chicago. I embroidered over his words. The back patch is a stencil made by Friedel from Gainesville.

Warm necks

"Warm Ndebele Winter Necklace" and "Ruffle Décolletage Top"- spandex, fleece, thread, metal hooks, all hand sewn

machine and hand knit "Scale Shift" scarf

Waiting to become words

Envelopes of lasercut letters!

Lampwork Tutorial: Striped Trails