one of my fave things I've done this year... meet The Spirited Stitch Workshop Women

One of my very favorite things I have done this year is photograph the SPIRITED STITCH workshop of  Elizabeth Duke & Nicolisa West 
 
 
-- featured in the Where Women Create issue  
celebrating Mindful Studios -- a must read!

My work for Where Women Create varies... but the best part is being a storyteller...being able to step into something and see that what's going on needs to be celebrated widely for its beauty, its gifts to those that partake, and it's inspiration quotient!

These women are inspiring, creative and utterly genuine... I was so grateful to connect with them...

You can read more about them in the current issue...but here are some of my fave chunks of the article...and lots of the captures that did not make the pages

Elizabeth Duke and Nicolisa West of Fairfield, CT will tell you that it was destiny that brought them together when they connected years ago at Nicolisa’s mindfulness meditation session at “Terrain,” her then workplace. It was instant karma for these creative women! A blending of kindred spirits, weaving and connecting in a way that would allow them to form a friendship and then to work together through their Spirited Stitch workshop retreats.  

Nicolisa, a Registered Nurse, and Elizabeth, a long time sewing teacher, make a powerful team, sharing their uniquely matched creative talents to inspire other women to make art as part of their wellness journey. 

We both love how mindfulness, meditation and slow stitching are so portable: you can take them wherever you go!  We often tell our students about the book by Jon Kabat Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are, and how it supports this belief. 

It’s our hope that through the sharing of our talents and skills, we can create stillness and inspiration for other women. We want women to feel inspired and confident to continue their creative and wellness journeys on their own, wherever they are, stitch by stich, breath by breath.

Elizabeth:  While much of my work has been published in trade magazines and has placed in national competitions in garment making and wearable art, it’s the things I stitch for pleasure that hold the joy of all my years of teaching and reflection.

Nicolisa: I want women to Pause.  A Pause can help ease the mind, bring clarity and lead to inspiration for the creative in each of us.

To learn more about The Spirited Stitch …sewing workshop and wellness retreats

edukedesigns.wordpress.com

Facebook Elizabeth Duke

Instagram @sewist44

Facebook Nicolisa West

Instagram @nicolisawest

A huge thanks to Elizabeth and Nicolisa for the honor of being there to 
absorb and celebrate what they do...

xo Jen

CONGRATS TO VAL... I am thrilled

I am totally thrilled to see Val's creative space in print...and 10 pages!!  

A total WOW...

What a treat to see "The Crib" featured in the latest Where Women Create magazine... 

A huge thanks to Jo Packham for the opportunity to celebrate Val's style and share her business story in my column "The Business of the Studio"...

You can read more about the mag and take a bigger peek HERE on the 

Where Women Create site...

And you can see Val's uber cute and totally fab, re-purposed creations HERE....

CONGRATS VAL!  So happy to share this great news of your accomplishment and I am thrilled and honored to have worked on this with you!

xo Jen

 

Magnolia Pearl...a discovery

 

For so many years I'd seen and admired the textiles and hand of 

 Robin Brown's "Magnolia Pearl" clothing...

...the lush natural textiles, the small flourishes...

Then, at the breakfast table in Round Top at Spring Antiques Week, when Jo Packham and I were both guests of Holly Kuhn and her Old Glory Antiques grand opening, Jo suggested I try wearing the clothing to really discover the "Magnolia Pearl" experience...

It was so interesting to put on these soft and loose garments, 

it felt utterly feminine...

So, Jo arranged for us to host a Magnolia Pearl Showcase at The Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck...

If you were there, you might have attended some of our chats at 11am each day where we explored the garments and had 2-3 of the 

Earth Angels' Art Girls RoadShow members model the clothing.

Here are some pictures of the days, the outfits, the fun we had in them...

off to the Fair where I worked in them and loved them made this a very wonderful experience...

I was unprepared for how wonderful the garments felt on....

how I could move in them...

And then Allie took over the box and played dress up ...

 

 

We really had such fun trying them all on...love the one size fits all...

...the clothing is like nothing else I have worn, and I have a much deeper appreciation for Robin's style and artistry now that I have experienced wearing the textiles, working in them, layering them with love and a reverence for texture.... 

thanks to Jo for making this possible...and thanks to Stella Show Management an Hearst for allowing us to show case these glories at the Rhinebeck Fair...

 And if you are interested in learning more about Magnolia Pearl, 

please visit their site...

 xxoo Jen