California – Page 66 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Waiting

In California, we wait for the March axe to fall. Teachers and budgets are not always the best of friends. By law, all termination notices must be out by March 15th. RIFs.

I teach adults, and who knows if my program will continue into next year. Adult schools’ funding is at the mercy of the K-12 district administrators. Unfortunately. Community colleges, colleges and universities are somehow considered more important within the educational system than adult schools. Even the name “adult school” conjures up images of places for stupid people to go, people who have failed. In truth, this is very far from reality.

Programs at adult schools provide training at many levels. Not everyone wants to go to college and take general education courses while training for a career or trade. Not everyone wants the pleasure of learning about art history or botany, but would rather get down to business and do what they want to learn. Where I work, we offer medical programs, some which are connected with colleges as their accrediting agencies mandate an A.S. degree as requisite to the practice. We also have welding, machine shop, parent education, and on and on. And ESL, and GED. Many of our students use our programs to begin a career, to change self-perceptions of skills and ability to succeed in school. Adult schools are a vital part of the community they serve, but overlooked at local and state levels as far as importance. Why? Because we are not labeled “college”!

Colleges of all flavors are preferred over the adult school for funding, and adult schools are closing. We may too. Because the funding for adult schools has changed at the state level, money is very tight. Fees need to be raised to break even. Administrators of adult schools need to change their approaches to funding, and one way is to get federal financial aid as part of their program, whether in house, or through third-party administrators. Yes, it will cost money, but that needs to be explored. Long-term thinking, not short-term immediacy. Getting this is critical. Yet, the ostriches in administration keep their heads in the sand when it comes to the business of financing education.

The result will be that private schools, with fees triple or quadruple those of adult education, will get students because they know that without financial aid they cannot survive. And people desperate for training will take on debt disproportionate to the amount they will make when training is completed. Some private “career colleges” are not even recognized by licensing boards! But the fact is, these private schools have better business savvy than those who administer adult education.

John Marshall: Works in Fabric, ii

My first contact with John Marshall came about when I discovered his book Make Your Own Japanese Clothes.

For anyone interested in traditional Japanese fabrics and clothing, this book is an incredible resource of information. You learn how to construct Japanese clothing using traditional fabrics (which measure 13-14 inches wide), and how to sew them using traditional hand-sewing techniques. Of course, you can also sew them by machine, but that just isn’t the same!

Garment construction is given for kimono, haori, hanten, various tops, vests, pants, obi, and tabi. Not only do you learn how to make these, you also learn about the construction of sleeves, hems, collars, and the use of lining and padding. All of these, combined with illustrations and photographs, give window to both traditional clothing, and a window into creating your own clothing with a modern cast.

I made the hanten, hand-stitched using traditional kasuri, and totally enjoyed the process.

John Marshall: Works in Fabric, i

John Marshall, of Covelo, California, is an incredible fabric artist who designs clothing using the traditional Japanese katazome and tsutsugaki techniques to color the fabrics he uses in clothing he designs and sews himself.

A bit about John, from his website:

John Marshall is an internationally known textile artist working with techniques of paste resist dyeing. He produces a wide range of sophisticated and colorful designs, many of which show the influence of his years of study in the Orient.

John grew up in the small town of Florin, just outside of Sacramento, California. Before wartime evacuations, Florin had been one of the largest Japanese-American communities in the United States; after the war many returned to reclaim lost years and property. These are the friends and neighbors John and his five brothers and sisters grew up among.

John’s Godmother, the late Mary Tsukamoto, was a great influence in his life: teaching him to read and write the Japanese language and sharing with him her great love of her cultural heritage.

At the age of seventeen, having worked and saved toward his goal for many years, John was off on his own to discover Japan. His eagerness to learn secured him private instruction under a variety of specialists in doll making, centered around the Yamato style. John was intent on studying the many facets of these shell-faced dolls, such as carving, weaving, dyeing, and sewing, to name just a few. His knowledge of the Japanese language proved to be of great benefit in understanding the subtleties of the culture.

The internationally published paper artist, Kunio Ekiguchi, took John under his wing and saw to it that he received the proper introductions so necessary in Japan. Mr. Ekiguchi arranged an apprenticeship for John with the late Matsuyo Hayashi, a master dyer in the bingata style of paste resist. Through her insight and careful instruction, John became truly fascinated with this ancient art form. Mme. Hayashi had long dreamed of sowing the seeds of her art abroad. Upon her death, John discovered she had willed much of her lifetime collection of work, supplies and equipment to him. John was determined to fulfill her wishes by bringing her techniques to the West.

Continuing his research into ancient cultures and dye techniques, John aims to interpret the sensibilities and aesthetics of the ancient and ethnic world through the Japanese paste resist process, using the actual plants and insects employed in making the original dyes. John’s research so far has taken him to Japan, Thailand, Italy, Indonesia, and the Yucatan. Through the generosity of collectors, he has had the opportunity to view first hand a wide range of ancient and ethnic textiles and artifacts which have served to influence his fabric designs.

Today John is in the midst of renovating an old flour mill in the Old West town of Covelo, nestled in the remote mountains of Mendocino County of Northern California. A generous 12,000 square feet, the new studio is used to display the full range of his work intermixed with art pieces collected at home and abroad. Situated on an acre of land complimented with over 300 wisteria vines gracefully covering a redwood arbor, this sun-filled space is also used to host lectures and as a classroom for teaching a wide range of Japanese crafts: dyeing, bookbinding, doll making, paper crafts, sewing, color theory and production, and textile history.

John has also taught programs for the past twenty five years for a wide range of institutions including a number of years at the Pacific Basin School of Textile Arts in Berkeley, and through UC Berkeley Extension Services, as well as lecturing extensively to large groups through museums, guilds, embassies, and universities internationally. He is currently working on a project to teach his design concepts to Japanese students of kimono design in Tokyo.

Specializing in one-of-a-kind works of art, John takes on commissions and new challenges. He produces primarily large interior hangings and luxurious clothing. All of John’s work is designed, dyed, and constructed for actual use. All hues are colorfast to repeated washings and to light. Personally executing all stages going into the creation of each piece is one of his great joys.

John Marshall’s work is collected internationally. He has done commission work with traditional kimono in Japan and also produces pieces for stockbrokers, professors, art collectors, and many international figures including European royalty. He travels regularly, showing to his private clients throughout North America and Asia. His work was also carried by leading galleries throughout North America.

John is writing a series of instructional books. The first was published by Kodansha International, 1988, on the subject of Japanese sewing techniques and design concepts for use in the western world. The title is Make Your Own Japanese Clothes: Patterns and Ideas for Modern Wear. This will be followed by a number of other books, including one on his unique dye techniques. His video, Japanese Textile Dyeing: Introduction to Paste-Resist Techniques, released through A/zo Productions, covers the basics of using natural dyes with Japanese Paste resist methods.

John is eager to share information and ideas, with the hope of helping the seedlings of Japanese dyeing and crafts to grow and enrich all our lives.

I have had the privilege to take dyeing and katazome classes from John, and appreciate his warm, friendly personality and the structure and organization of his workshops and classes. I hope to continue learning from John in the future.

Summer’s End

Somewhere I remember reading about a “rosy dawn,” but today’s rosy dawn is because of the fires burning in the San Gabriel area in Southern California. Yesterday as I drove home from Ventura, the billows of smoke from more than 80 miles away could be seen piling up in the sky, much like a volcano’s ash and smoke as it travels upward. This morning, the air is thick, and ash is falling on the streets in very fine particles.

The entire state of California is very vulnerable to these fires, which are part of the eco-system, and the fact that we have had a drought for several years, makes massive fires a very likely probability.

Where we live, we are in a valley surrounded by mountains. So far, we have not had anything major since moving here nearly five years ago, but I wouldn’t be surprised if our time will be soon. So many things can cause a fire, from a spark from electrical equipment to a bird on fire after hitting a power line (yes, it has happened), that you just don’t know where it will occur. You just need to be ready. Fires and earthquakes – a fact of life in California.

This week, our very good friend, Jerry, and his wife, Raka, have been here from Japan. They were married a year ago, and only now is their wedding reception being celebrated by their friends and family in the U.S. And, their first child is on the way! It is so good to see them, and wonderful to have the time to visit. They return to Japan tomorrow.

For me, the end of my all-too-brief summer holiday is winding to a close. I’ve had a few weeks off from students and school, but I still have had to deal with them even though I have tried to keep it to a minimum. We all begin again on 1 September.

I am also becoming a student again. Now that I have finished my teaching credential, the brain finally has time to pick up Japanese once again. I’ve tried different routes, but nothing seems to have been successful. I tried a community college class two nights a week while working on my credential. Beret Patt - First Page Too much work on all levels. Another time I tried a language class offered through a local adult school, but did not learn anything. Now I am trying to do it once more, this time through the Oxnard Japanese Language School. As the course meets state high school language standards, I expect it will be much be more to my liking. My class is for beginning adults; there are five adults, and seven kids, the youngest of whom is thirteen. Once we all settle in, I think it is going to be a lot of fun.

Finally, I’ve written down a very windy “how to” for making your own beret. Take a look at it. The purpose of this “Basic Beret” pattern is to help out the beginning knitter trying to design a hat. You can find the file on Ravelry, or here on the Pattern page, or under the heading of “Matataki Designs” to the right.

Yarns of the City – 27 August 2009

Village Spinning & Weaving

For the fiberholic on a road trip through the central coast area of California – north of Santa Barbara – the Village Spinning and Weaving shop is a must-do. This summer, John and Marsha, the proprietors, celebrated their eighteenth anniversary in the same place by being able to more than double the size of their store by expanding into the retail area next door. When Josh and I visited them in June, they had just broken through the connecting wall.

Some of our closest friends, Stephanie and Jay, were living in Solvang at the time Village Spinning opened. Stephanie is a full-time weaver, and I primarily a spinner/knitter – of course this was heaven for us! And Solvang is always good for a lazy day or a short trip if you live nearby, or need cookies or chocolate or cutlery, or you are on your way to the wine country. (I recommend the large cookie boxes at Mortensen’s Bakery, Ingeborg’s Chocolate, and Nordic Knives, if you need to satisfy some other vices.)

Anyhow!

As you walk in the main door – which will probably still be the only entrance to this fiber wonderland – you enter the current store, filled with yarn, fiber, weaving supplies, looms, spinning wheels, roving, bats, books, dyeing supplies, knitting needles, and on and on. You want it, they probably have it. (Notice, I did not say “need“!)

Getting extra space at Village Spinning & Weaving will benefit everyone. The new space has a lot of lighting, both natural and installed. All this will allow better display of looms and spinning wheels, which is really important if you want to check out how an item looks, or feel how a wheel spins. There will be room for knitters. Some lucky group will get to sit around the fireplace, but the sunny windows are not a bad place to be either. As you can see below, there is a lot to look forward to – at least there was in June. I hope they are all moved in and ready to go!

The service you get at Village Spinning & Weaving is wonderful. And they have a lot of stuff – dangerous! This is what they say on their “About Us” page:

Solvang’s Village Spinning & Weaving Shop was started in 1992 by John Novak and Marsha Mullaney-Novak. This shop grew out of our desire to simplify our lives and provide the best possible service and products — something we find lacking in much of today’s world.

Whether you are looking for a new loom or some cochineal for dyeing or maybe a new tatting book, check here or give us a call.

We carry much more than we can possibly list here, so… we have several different print catalogs – you can download a pdf file from this website for many of them. As things change, sometimes too quickly, prices in our printed catalog may not always be completely up to date.

John and Marsha are very knowledgeable about the products they sell. Inventory includes so many books you think you have died and gone to heaven, wheels to test drive, looms both large and small. John takes a lot with him when he does shows such as the Black Sheep Festival, Stitches, or Convergence. Many of you may have met them at one of these events.

For those unfamiliar with Solvang, it is a small town off the 154 and 101, about 30 miles north of Santa Barbara. The Sant Ynez valley is a beautiful place, and as you come over San Marcos Pass into the valley on the 154, the view is breathtaking. This valley, toward Santa Ynez, is where the movie “Sideways” was filmed.

I’m looking forward to my next trip to Village Spinning & Weaving, to see how the expansion is going, to finger fibers, play with wheels, peruse books I have never seen. My pocketbook may suffer a bit, but it sure is worth it!

See you there, and tell ’em I sent ya!