Sneak Peek

With spring just around the corner, I've had a sudden burst of creative energy. I've dusted off my vintage 1951 Necchi sewing machine (the Italian version of Singer) and I am cooking up some new ideas.

I originally bought the Necchi second-hand from a sewing machine repair shop 30 years ago (yes, I was 7 at the time); the former owner was a Mrs. Buster of Sacramento, as her name is neatly penciled into the instruction manual. The machine is a workhorse--solidly built with METAL everything (not a plastic part to be found) and it weighs at least a ton.

Recently I've been experimenting with printing my designs onto fabric. Thirty years ago I had a line of soft sculpture cats that I HAND-silk-screened onto muslin--extremely labor intensive, but quite successful. They were sold in handcrafts shops across the country, and one item--a white cat soft sculpture refrigerator magnet--was included in a Tender Vittles giveaway promotion. I can't tell you how many times I visited the cat food aisle that year to pick up a box of Tender Vittles and gaze at my little creation looking back at me from the back of the box!

Now, instead of building separate screens for each color, using photo emulsion, getting each layer perfectly registered and hand-printing each of hundreds of panels, I can simply send the image to my inkjet printer or to an online print-on-demand fabric printer. Sheesh. How times have changed!

Here is a sneak peek at what I printed up yesterday. Any guesses as to what me and my old pal Necchi are going to make with these?