jerseymurmurs

XENIA is the ancient Greek word for the concept of hospitality and generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home. My nephew’s girlfriend spent a year in Kazakhstan and they brought me back a pair of earrings that inspired my “Xenia” fabric design.

Here is the finished repeat design:

And the repeat at Spoonflower:

The CMYK gang is waiting for the CMYK issue of Uppercase Magazine that features my Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Human Rights scarf to arrive ...

I went to a Mick Moloney concert last year ... in between songs he talked about where the music lives ... in the space between the earth and sky ...

These two engravings by Jan Luyken from the Rijksmuseum's Rijksstudio have such lovely details. I call the man Sky Above and the woman Earth Below. His eyes are raised; his arms and hands as if blessing the sky. Her eyes are downcast; her arms and hands as if blessing the ground.

I added painted clouds from another Rijksstudio artist to make two panels that are each 27" wide and 36" tall. I printed them on Spoonflower Eco Canvas and turned the edges twice and sewed them with a zigzag stitch. A tension rod and cafe clips -- along with a sheer curtain behind -- make them the perfect thing to wake up to.

You can get your own panel here or visit the Jerseymurmurs Spoonflower shop.

Inspired by undergarments and artwork from the Rijksmuseum Rijksstudio, I designed two simple, modern slips that can be cut and sewn from a yard of fabric. They represent being at home (a wallpaper fragment and a still life) and adventure out in the world (maps and fabric samples that resemble flags).

Taking advantage of modern printing technologies and advances in textiles, the artwork is printed on a 100% polyester piqué knit fabric with a moisture-wicking, soil-release finish (56”/142 cm wide). The design is laid out with cutting lines to produce two slips from one yard of fabric — each with a pocket (to conceal money, important notes, secrets . . . ). To assemble the slips: cut the fabric on the pre-printed lines; sew the front & back sides together, sew the pocket on (side, front, back — you decide); measure your waist and cut a piece of waistband elastic slightly larger; pin the elastic to the top, stretching when needed; sew using a zigzag stitch. Fabulous enough to be worn as an outer-garment, too, if you have the desire to reveal.

Dashed into a building's arched entry-way (Jacob Reed's Sons Store, 1424-26 Chestnut St., Philadelphia) to get out of the rain; looked up and found a wonderful series of Mercer Tile mosaics including this one of women doing needlework (the Peaceful Arts). All the mosaics depict crafts related to the garment industry.

Two men and a woman (the personification of Geometry) measuring a large globe that shows the “New World” (Rijksmuseum Rijksstudio collection; based on a lost painting by Frans Floris and digitized from stained glass)

An interesting interview with Martijn Pronk, head of Publications at the Rijksmuseum by We Are Museums:

"When creating your own work using Rijksmuseum images you connect with the collection in your own personal way.  ... the internet has made it possible for everybody to enjoy the Rijksmuseum, even if they will never visit it in real life."

I used this image on one of my Artful Knapsacks: