Feels like we should be here all the time. Very inspiring and also, one of our members works here now. Just a block from st. Patrick Station, right near Santosei if you like ramen... Two Galleries, Two shows on now,ᖃᓪᓗᓈᖅᑕᐃᑦ ᓯᑯᓯᓛᕐᒥᑦ Printed Textiles from Kinngait Studios
is on the third floor, mainly prints and fashion from the 50s-70s, and some animation and short films from the same time, as well as some contemporary designers and textile artist working in other medium, like the mixed media work of Janet Nungnik using felt, sewn like skins, as well as beading and embroidery, and a couple of contemporary fashion designers like the dress by the awesomely named InukChic   The mukluks are reversible.
Downstairs on the second floor there is an exhibit aptly called Wild. the first thing you see is a mind blowing display of flora/fauna animals by Emily Jan... she also made the collection of objects on the lower right image. there's also pictures here of art by Omar Badrin and Catherine Blackburn. Lots of inspiration from nature reinterpreted and played with, many different media, all textile art.

This is our instagram post from the last week of school... the Hodgson teachers and students who run the eco club will be starting an after school sewing club, inspired in part by the access to upcycling materials, the collaboration with us and a donation of sewing machines from arts junktion last year, Hodgson PS . We helped carry and test the sewing machines with high school volunteers, and the club will start right away in the new year.  We also have a good start on the textile drive, which continues in January.

THURSDAY: The Winter Clothing Drive with the Davisville PS community wraps up with a Clothing Swap for families before and after the Winter concert and open to the neighbourhood during the concert. Thanks to volunteers Anjali and Binita (not pictured) who joined in to help set up and tear down, to the shoppers and especially to Davisville staff, administration and Council who supported this winter drive and swap with us.

We packed up the best of the drive (a carload of clothes) and stored the remains (to be donated to our next textile drive, starting Dec 16th at Hodgson MS where we will partner with the Eco Club in hosting a Bag2School textile drive)

FRIDAY: Made a fresh bunting sign for the Moss Park Market Holiday Swap, and dropped off donations with market manager Tooba (formerly Appletree Davisville Farmer's Market manager!) There was already a good pile of donations from the past two weeks and we rough sorted all of them into corners. We were worried about how it would all fit but feeling better after this step.

SATURDAY: poured rain, sleet and hail all day long. We came at 1030 to erect racks and Tooba had cleared the room and set up tables with our piles, along with delicious farmer's market bags (we bought a couple bags before we left.) , Despite the truly awful weather some hardy swappers came out in our 12-3 time spot, some just walked in from the street, most were redirected from the Building Roots Holiday Lunch next door. Everyone found something, including the WIP volunteers, some gifts for others and ourselves.

We left a few things in the corner for the next day's workshop. No pictures but I came back to do a WIP pickup hands on beeswax making Demo as part of the Building Roots Plastics Out workshop and had a great time again. Lovely space, but pretty chilly... beeswax and an iron a definite improvement.
And now a carload moves on to the Bag2School Workshop starting tomorrow Dec 16
#Eternalclothingswap

Wednesday afternoon and evening workshop- we had to cancel the afternoon workshop based on low registration and schedule conflict, but the evening was spent sewing a very complex gift bag with a mother daughter team. Small group but definitely a spark started- and a lot of techniques learned! I think I showed her everything I know so someone else will have to host the next one.

You can see a photo of the happy maker at this link.

Here's some inspiration from Works-in-Progress collective member Marnie Saskin. She had a collection called Small Batch Goods, including upcycled quilts (hand lettered with poetry stanzas from her poems) and upcycled cozy things as well as some funky pods at her booth at the Handmade Hamilton show, a juried show with great creations from craftspeople and artisans. It's a two day show and since we arrived late we stayed overnight and Marnie and I did some pickup ad hoc making for fun (upcycled dollclothes) before she made a bunch more handwarmers. And then on Sunday afternoon WIP member Ursa and I made a trip to a Building Roots "Do it Together" workshop in the Moss Street MArket and got to know facilitator Kate and have offered to join her "Plastics Out" workshop next week with a simple hands on beeswax wraps demo, part of building connections with other eco/art groups in the art hive model.

Ok, so end of November into December maybe a little busy for the Works-in-Progress collective in a busy time of year, a little heavily booked maybe. But we did the rescheduled re-wrapping/ reusable gift wrap and bags workshop at Castle Makers on November 30, with only facilitators, no participants. BUT, some great ideas generated so we will want to do that again on purpose.  Also, turns out Gabrie (one of our younger members) loves to iron so we are now REALLY ready for the next workshop on the 11th.

We talked about creating and selling work under the works-in-progress umbrella, positive feedback. Many artists and creators in the group who do other things but all create some things from other things that would fit our brand.

We also work-shopped a new logo idea I was kicking around, with a transforming arrow-whoosh!- good for labels, as we can say what an item was and what it is now- whoosh!

Used the new logo on a swap poster, swapping as a verb. We got to see the swap in action as we are knee deep in swaps and clothing drives now... trying to keep all of these clothes out of our living room by keeping them moving. Winter drive continues with Davisville PS and a mini "sort and swap" event in Hodgson MS during a DPS school council meeting, where volunteers and neighbours were welcome to come and donate, sort and swap locally.

Drive continues until it wraps up with another swap event during a school concert on Dec 12 at the Davisville Vaughan Road location, open to neighbours during the concert, DPS families before and after. Then another swap in another neighbourhood on the 14th and (dates to be confirmed) culminating in a big Bag2SChool drive from the old year to the new.

#eternalclothingswap