At last it's fall, can empire fall too? [Newsletter]

Image: Light Work by Autumn Skye

I just got back from visiting friends in New York. Two days before the trip I urgently threw together the cutest, tiniest little pouch to hold my stitching supplies on the go. And I packed twice as many projects as I needed, which is no surprise at all. I saw a lot of art, and it was so nice to see my people in their new habitat! Got me thinking about all the ways we create our surroundings and how they in turn shape us.

Speaking of surroundings, my friend Besan in Gaza is surrounded by near constant bombardment. During the two years of genocide, Besan has lost so many family members and been forcibly displaced. Besan is just trying to survive with their remaining family, and they need our help to survive the high cost of living created by the fabricated starvation. I'm making a quilt to help fundraise: each $10 donation to Besan's fundraiser is one entry to win a 100% cotton Palestinian flag throw quilt. Just send me a screenshot of your confirmation to enter.

Image: Besan's surroundings: rubble and the sound of drones and bombs

Our trip east felt full of inputs: taking in the elaborately tailored garments at the Met's Superfine exhibit, the many polychromatic paintings at CoSM, the student's weaving design projects at FIT. My favorite pieces were probably the 200+ year old quilts at the Folk Art Museum and the 500+ year old tapestries at the Cloisters.

Now that I'm home, I'm ready for output, to focus on getting so many projects out into the world. I've been sick all week since getting home but I've been able to work on a few things. I'm working on a gift knit, the first time I've knit with my own handspun yarn!

I'm also working on a writing a knitting pattern, and I was able to work out some of the details in a dream while I slept. It doesn't happen often that dreams are so directly productive, but when it does, WOW!

And I've been working on some design and logistical problem solving for some of the projects coming soon: a new batch of bags due to the yarn shop, and a collection of hand-quilted tote bags that I hope to complete in the next month or two.

Image: sculpture by Kate Raudenbush

What I’m enjoying:

Noticing: The vast spectrum of "security" in art spaces. In one space I set off an alarm by leaning slightly closer to a piece to get a better look. Constricting me, the viewer, yes, but how does the art feel? Is it captive, longing for closeness? In another place, there were cameras only, the closest person to me was 2 floors below, and the frames didn't even have glass. The world might be different if there was less control and more trust this way. Let people be people and art be art.

Reading: This Dry Land Shaped by Water, a beautiful zine made by my sister! You can get one here, all funds split between her friends in Gaza and her Diné friends at Black Mesa.

Listening: Common Shapes podcast by Cody Cook-Parrott.

Tasting: One night when we finished dinner, G and E and I went on a hunt for an outstanding tiramisu. A large cocoa-dusted slice shared amongst 3 in a dimly lit corner booth did not disappoint!

Where to find me / how to support:

• Being a subscriber to this newsletter is enough! Feel free to forward it to a friend. You can also like and share my social media posts, although they are dwindling.
• Follow me on Substack.
• Reply to this email if you’re interested in commissioning something quilty.
• Buy art for yourself or someone you love!
• Shop my small collection of project bags at Fiber Rhythm shop in SE PDX (in store only).
• Buy me a cup of tea.