Sandstorms in the Desert

Listening to The Emperor is Naked Today-O by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer from Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol 2". Just returned from Palm Desert, California where I was one of eight featured designers at Earth Spirits, a funky little boutique, at their fashion week in conjunction with El Paseo Fashion Week. This was my second year. Instead of flying, this year we made it a road trip. My husband, Carl, and I love to travel the back roads.

Sand Dunes on Southern California Desert

It was cooler than I'd expected. In the deserts of Southern California we experienced vicious dust storms. The spa in Desert Hot Springs where we stayed expecting a hot soak, turned out to be a "cold" soak instead with high winds bending the palm trees almost in half.

On our way home we stopped in Phoenix and met an old friend of my husband's who is into jewelry making. She inspired me to incorporate beads on my garments.

Since returning to my studio, I've finished a one-of-a-kind fabulously artsy jacket for an incredible woman from Philadelphia who has more knowledge of art and artists than anyone I know. She'll wear it well! This jacket was labor intensive but in my opinion, the end result is worth the time and effort. The fabric is rayon chenille which I wove on my floor loom. The designs were painted onto the finished fabric with fiber reactive dyes. After the jacket was sewn, I added the glass beads.