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Saturday, September 5, 2020

From Leslie to Janet





Front, back and insert from Leslie.

Leslie says:
 I call this Altered Mondrian, as it goes with the quote on the insert
 (Alter your life by Altering your attitude.) 

Jean says:
If you are not familiar with Mondrian's work, it is very linear and exacting. I recall seeing a book about his work and it was interesting to see his early work - some trees that looked like trees - and then gradually they became more and more geometric - and eventually, his work was very abstract. Leslie's work looks like she is *walking back* through the steps he took.
Very cool.

***
Here is an opportunity to go down a very deep habit hole. It has nothing to do with lettering or mail but I know quite a few readers are also into sewing and/or quilting and/or other fiber arts. My own journey started when I was 8 and my mom taught me how to sew. I loved sewing and over the years graduated from cotton to wool and then one day I discovered silk. My dad had brought some home after WWII for his mom (my grandmother) and she had never used it so she gave it to me. It was dreamy and once in a while I would splurge on some silk and make something. We've all heard that silk is made by worms - but, I really never bothered to learn anything about the whole process. The link is just his most current blog post. But, if you are interested, you can wander around and learn a lot about silk. I went back and read some posts from when he first started - and they were very interesting.

He teaches - and this excerpt really caught my attention:

I’ve been living and making my living in this 650 year old mountain hamlet and 150 year old silk farming house for over 25 years now. I didn’t think much about it and basically enjoyed the time and seasons go by. 
<snip>
Showing up in Japan on my 25th birthday with a backpack and a single five-word-sentence from a conversation with my bestie Ingrid Mclainewhen I told her I was going to try to set up a life in Japan. 


I also followed a link to this place and was lost for a while. It's only 10 am -- so I guess it wasn't all day.
These people choose to let the moths live. Others choose to boil the cocoons, kill the worm, and harvest the silk promptly. 


That original silk that my grandmother gave me might still in somebody's closet. I cut up the dress and made a shirt for my renaissance tribe costume. And then I gave the costume to a lady in Minnesota. Maybe she has tossed it. Or maybe she uses it... somewhere I might have a picture of me in the costume. I really liked it. But, after setting up a booth at the local renaissance faire (they invited me) I realized that I did not fit in. I'm not into cosplay. Plus, all *those people* were illiterate - so, we just weren't on the same page. 

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