Now and Then

I call my friend Jeff Serouya.
I ask him to look at my father's designs for the furniture I found at the patent office. He understands design and people. Should I make these pieces?

While preparing my flash drive to go to the "copy shop" (the one Jeff recommends)
I remember that my husband Khem has some of my father's architectural drawings in his office. I grab them and decided to make copies.

I unroll everything at the "copy shop" and my eyes well up.
In front of me I see drawings of the patented furniture.
They are hand drawn.
I have seen them before, but never knew what they were without a context.
I don't like to admit to prayer, but I thanked --- for that moment.

Pieces...

I am making sweaters for my twin daughters -
when I am not being mom or spending time with my husband/partner/loved one of the past 20 years, working, or with friends.

I don't knit.
I buy cashmere and wool sweaters from the Salvation Army and then wash them,
put them in the dryer and see what I have -after I have done what the label says not to do.

I turn the crew neck sweaters upside down
and the bottom waistband becomes a wide turtleneck.
I start cutting and stitching.
Arms of the sweater are opened to make dresses
or left closed and cut to fashion hats.
Ribbed turtlenecks cut from the original body
make wonderful skirts, hats or headbands.

It's the same process.
looking at the whole and wondering if the pieces could fit in another pattern.

It helps my mind work.

xoxo,
Bob's Daughter