recap, 2017

Posted on January 7, 2018 by mimik

I’ve been putting this off all week but I need to do it. It is really helpful for me to have my yearly reflections written down here so let’s look back.

Wow, I’m not going to lie, it has been a really tough year. Politics will be mentioned. The situation in our country and the world has been terrifying. I did some artwork in the first few months of the year to help me deal with my feelings of despair.

I posted about the above and below here.

Later, I spent a month working on this-

Posted here.

I had a very busy trip to LA in April which I posted about here and here. The trip was awesome and I love LA. It was hard to really relax though and I felt that many people I was around were also feeling the weight of the world’s troubles. And then my Mom died.

Unfortunately, as the year went on, I just found myself wanting to retreat more and more. Nothing seemed to help- social media has been/is overwhelming with the constant outrage, my energy and creativity felt sapped when I engaged. During the first 6 months of the year I felt like I couldn’t find the joy in my work or even get to that wonderful focus where the world recedes and I’m in the work zone. Having some shows and deadlines helped. Also, audio books and podcasts. I’ve been continuing to post photos and work pics but somehow the words are gone. I don’t feel chatty about my work on my blog or on any of the other sites where I hang out. I have retreated not only online but also in real life. I know it is not good for me so I guess that is what I have to work on this year.

There were good things too, thank goodness. My garden was amazing this year. If you follow me on Instagram, there were lots of flower pics. the daylilies and the dahlias!

In August I was feeling so uninspired that I knew I needed to mix things up a bit. I spent 2 weeks working on a quilt idea. I played with colors. shapes, designs. I didn’t finish anything but I’ll get back to it at some point. I felt totally recharged after that- It was like a brain vacation. Obviously, something I should do more often!

That got me back into work mode for the fall and right up to Christmas. I had a great show at CraftBoston 2017 and I plan on a post about my booth, hopefully tomorrow.

Lastly, I was part of this beautiful book, Beards Rock. A real honor.

And now, 2018. I hope with all my heart that this year will bring a more stable and peaceful world although this first week does not make that seem likely. On my personal horizon, I have lots to look forward to.

I will be going back to LA at the end of February to teach at French General again. This time we will be doing Swaddled Babies. There are still a few spaces available if you’d like to join in the fun. Check out all the info here. I am also planning to visit QuiltCon.

In April, I will be in Washington DC for the Smithsonian Craft Show at the National Building Museum.

Then, in August I will head west again, to San Francisco, for the ACC show at Fort Mason.

I think that having all these things to look forward to will keep my head in a good place. I’m already back in the studio getting a little work done, doing some cleaning and organizing, and thinking about all the projects ahead. Happy New Year everyone!

life news and tiny worlds

Posted on May 18, 2017 by mimik

My desk has been covered with Tiny World pincushion parts and materials for the last week or so. Unfortunately, I had to leave that all behind on Tuesday to go to Connecticut because my Mom died. When someone is 100 and has not recognized me for years, I guess dying can never be called unexpected, and yet, wow, all the feelings and processing. And getting out of my little nest/comfort zone/studio, into a whirlwind of family and decision making. Goodbye Mom ♥

I’ll be posting what I had finished and photographed right before I left on Tuesday.

trigger warning for politics 2

Posted on March 4, 2017 by mimik

If you will be offended by reading my liberal political views, you can skip this post.

The man with Mount Rushmore tattoos that I posted yesterday had a long wait to get finished. I sewed him up last summer but just couldn’t get excited enough to finish him because of what I viewed as his over-the-top patriotic tattoos. We were in the midst of the election season (which I’d been sick of for many months by that time) and once the election was over, I was feeling even worse about him. I’m glad I didn’t just heave him into the trash. My view of things started to change around the time of the Womens’ March in January.

I started thinking of the Pledge of Allegiance. As children, we recited it every school morning and I don’t think I have thought about it for years. But those words, Liberty and Justice for all– they kept buzzing around in my head. And then apparently, I’ve reevaluated my definition of patriotism. Oddly, I’ve never in my life felt so patriotic. When so many of the things that I believe represent the good of this country are under threat, everything looks different. And every day-

The level of crazy that is happening every day continues to be a creativity killer. I am still finding the crisis mode to be distracting and exhausting. But, I push on because those times when I succeed in getting lost in my work are like a brain refresh.

So many things- the tide of hate that this president unleashed starting so long ago during his campaign, the work to destroy protections for our environment, the abandoning of science-based policy decision making, turning public education into a profit center for a very few, (actually working to make just about every part of the government into a profit-maker for a few,) alienating so many of our allies, the whole Russia connection, and health care, and all the lies. And the tax returns. And Twitter. omg

My goal is to do a political post approximately once a month. It is my contribution to #resist and #persist.

checking in

Posted on January 26, 2017 by mimik

I have been working. I’m doing that part of the job where I am getting all the parts sorted out (matching dyed “tattooed” body piece to plain flesh color pieces and then cutting parts out), stuffing groups of already sewed animals (kitties and foxes) and giving them faces,

and moving forward with dressing some of the them. I had a fox girl that I had promised to make so those are moving forward first.

Soon I will have some finished pieces to show. But, the thing is, that really isn’t why I’ve been so quiet.

*** trigger warning for liberal politics- stop here if you can’t stand anymore***

I have just been so overwhelmed and distracted by what is happening here in the US. I have had a hard time focusing on my work. I get sucked into checking the news multiple times a day. My social media feeds (twitter, facebook) are filled with all the terrible news. I find myself thinking, I will just go peek and see what horrifying thing this new administration has done since the last time I looked. I know this is bad for me. I have to limit my exposure but I vacillate between feeling like I need to be informed and wanting to put my head under the covers and block everything out. I am a person who has struggled with depression my entire life but focusing on my work is what has kept me stable and functional for years now. I have to find my way back to my focus, and I know I will, but it is mental exercise and that is hard work.

This blog has never been a place for politics. Someone once told me that my blog was their little oasis from the real world. I am not planning on changing the focus of the blog. I will give a trigger warning if I feel like I need to vent again. But, I can’t remain completely silent. Someone in my life recently said to me, it doesn’t matter who won the election, they were both the same. Honestly, it ruined my day to think that anyone believes that and I consider it to be deliberate ignorance. We are at the beginning of a very scary time. I will be participating in some art projects as one of the ways I will express my resistance and that will be showing up here.

This is what I worked on all of Inauguration Day. It is for a community art project for the window at Gather Here.

And this is what I posted on Saturday in solidarity with all the Women marching.

Now that I’ve finally written this post, I am hoping I can get things back to normal around here, posting and all. I was feeling completely blocked so phew.

recap, 2016

Posted on January 2, 2017 by mimik

I posted all the dolls, and now the rest of the things that happened last year.

I started the year making foxes. They were for the window at Gather Here in Cambridge. And then I made more and more and more foxes until there were 18!

I also gave a talk about using social media at a local gallery in January. I did 2 talks this year because I also spoke about my work at a local church womens group in November. Getting in front of a group of people to talk is NOT my comfort zone but I do okay as long as I can show pictures and talk about the work.

In the Spring I went to Craftcation in Ventura, California and had an amazing time. So amazing that I am going back this year and also will be teaching! After the conference, Ben and I spent a week in the LA area having a most excellent vacation. So Many Tacos!

In May I found out that I had won an award from the Academy of Handmade for the Textiles:Woven division. I was so surprised and honored. I have my award hanging in my studio and it makes me happy whenever I look at it.

Also in May, we had a family gathering in Brooklyn for my son’s graduation and MFA celebration. I am always up for a trip to NY!

In September I went to Nashville which was honestly, pretty much a bust. But that happens sometimes.

In the fall, my 3rd line of ornaments came out at West Elm– an owl family. I was really pleased with how they turned out. Unfortunately, it looks like that is all for now- no new designs for 2017. Oh well, I was very happy to have the opportunity to work with them and was never expecting anything beyond the first year!

The last big thing was CraftBoston Holiday which was terrific. I was so happy with how that went. I was invited to participate and I am so glad I jumped at the chance. It had never really occurred to me to apply because I didn’t think it would be the right fit for my work. I was wrong! Now I am excited to start moving in a new direction- namely higher end, more fine craft shows. It will be interesting to see how that works out.

Because of the CraftBoston Holiday show, I ended up in 2 separate gift guides in the Boston Globe on the weekend after Thanksgiving- that was amazing!

So, it ended up being a pretty exciting year for me. Not everything was smooth or obvious or easy. I found the politics to be incredibly stressful but luckily for my artwork, the way I deal with stress is to go into my studio, shut the door, find an escapist audiobook, and get to work. I feel like I have a good idea of some new directions for me to pursue this year. I learned (reminded myself?) that I do better mentally, physically and creatively when I am busy and have deadlines. It is good for me to do shows and get out of the studio and be with people. I am hoping to do more teaching both locally and out in the bigger world. And, I want to get some more patterns made. I came to a crashing halt on more ornament patterns and I have to get back to them.

And the pattern for the dog. There, I said it so maybe that will make it happen! So, another year goes by and another year to look forward to. Happy New Year everybody and thanks so much for coming and visiting and being on this journey with me!

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Handmade Wardrobe weekend

Posted on July 26, 2016 by mimik

Have you heard about Sonya Philip‘s project, Summer Stitch Fest? It is all about making a handmade wardrobe. She is hoping to get people sewing, knitting, whatever, next weekend, July 29, 30, and 31, then posting online with the hashtag #summerstitchfest16. I am planning on participating and to warm up, I pulled out everything I’ve made so far this year and photographed it to show you. I tend to make a bunch of stuff when I am going to travel or have an event and then nothing for a long while. All the pics are things I made right before I went to LA in April.

The simplest first- a linen scarf. I actually made 2 but I couldn’t find the other one today! These are super easy to make. The one I couldn’t find is made of a drape-y shot cotton. I bought 2 yards, cut it down the middle the long way, zig-zagged the edge with a variegated thread and done! This one is seamed in the middle because I only had one yard but I wanted this color.

Next is my favorite skirt pattern, Oliver & S Everyday skirt. This is the 4th one I’ve made. Easy, comfortable, pockets. I love it.

Next, a linen shirt. I bought this linen at IKEA, a while back. I think it was meant for curtains but it makes an excellent shirt! This shirt has a pocket because I want pockets in everything. This is the second shirt I’ve made of this pattern. This and the next things are all made from patterns that I drafted from favorite clothing that wore out a long time ago.

And 2 smocks/dresses. I wear this style most of the time, with long and short sleeve shirts, over jeans or skirts. They both have 2 side in-seam pockets.

I think this one looks a little like a Brownie uniform!

I could only find one photo of me wearing any of these things. Here I am in LA last April.

Hope to see you posting your handmade wardrobe next weekend!

I’m a winner!

Posted on May 2, 2016 by mimik

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I feel my head swelling as I write this!

I am so honored to have been named a winner of the Academy of Handmade awards– category, Textiles: Wovens. When I received an email telling me that I had been nominated, I was completely surprised and I really didn’t know anything about the organization- Academy Of Handmade. (Here is a list of all the 2016 nominees.) Luckily, when I was out in LA at Craftcation, I met people who are involved with it and I think I have a better idea now.

It is an online and in-person support group for micro handmade businesses like mine. You have to apply to be a member, there is a membership fee, and it is mostly West Coast based at this point. It seems to be a formalized version of my Crafty Biz meet-up. (Their faq page.) I would guess that it is incredibly helpful to people who are near an in-person chapter. I get so much from my monthly meeting up with people who are doing a similar maker biz thing.

Speaking of which, Merriweather Council, my friend and former Crafty Biz meet-up fellow (we miss you since you moved Danielle!) was a winner too! She also won the award for Handmade Community Superstar which she totally deserves!

Puerto Rico 1

Posted on April 2, 2015 by mimik

We had a fantastic time in Puerto Rico! What a relief to get out of the dreary monochromatic winter-scape and see colors. All these photos are taken in old San Juan, a lovely place to spend a day or two at the end of March.

I have never been to PR before and really didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t do much pre-planning and let ourselves be open to enjoying the warm weather, beautiful colors, and tropical landscape. I will post more pics soon.

trip to Washington, DC

Posted on October 2, 2013 by mimik

It was great fun to get out of the studio and go down to Washington for a few days. Here we are, packing the last few things to go in the car, early Friday morning. Yes, I’ll be posting photos of all those dolls soon!

Our big excitement on the trip down-

We drive a 1997 Honda Civic so it’s about time! Here is my booth on Saturday morning-

And look who showed up on Sunday- Betz! We’ve been internet friends for years and finally met in real life!

I left my studio

Posted on May 2, 2013 by mimik

Yep! I went down to the beach in North Carolina for some brisk beach walks and salty air.

There is cactus there. And people zipping around the water using kites.

Lots of pretty beaches for walks.

And lighthouses.

Big dunes and bird watching.

Did I mention that my daughter was part of the group?

And then a very long drive in the pouring rain.

The last leg was a train trip from Connecticut back to Boston. One of the things I love about the train is all the views of the undersides of the world.

And I’m home! Hopefully I will be back to work soon and get some things finished up and posted. So much to do including the garden which came to life when I was gone. See you soon!

Doll

the art and craft of Mimi Kirchner

Category Archives: personal