How I was introduced to Katwise sweaters
Summer of 2012 was the first of my Wilcox side of the family cousins reunion. We have several generation of quite talented artists in our family. My Uncle Ralph has two Emmy awards for makeup for The Young and the Restless – CBS.
If you went to Disneyland sometime in the last 20+ years, you saw his artistry in the animated characters such as Lincoln and the
Electric Light Parade.
My Uncle Welba was the horse carver at Knott's Berry Farm and Dollywood.
My cousins are professional singers, carvers, artists...Get the idea?
I had a sewing business making table linens for 22 years. The economy tanked.
I closed my business.
I gave away my serger, traded another machine for a miniature
Willcox vintage sewing machine.
I donated fabric, thread, finished product. I was tired of sewing.
I was allergic to chemicals in the fabric.
I traded in a creative lifestyle of sewing and traveling for a stifling State job.
The cousins have been sending me the link to U-tube for
Katwise sweaters for a year. I didn't bite. Not ready.
2013 reunion
Almost immediately after the hugs and how ya doings,
out came the sweaters the cousins had made.
Out came the Ipad with the Katwise U-tube video.
Here was Kat, a dreadlocks hippie swimming in a sea of sweaters,
dancing in a garden of color swirling in a giant rainbow coat/sweater.
Holy Toledo I was hooked. I was hooked on the sweater the video,
the house, the buses, the flowers, the travels.
Kat's life is like a real life Rainbow Brite doll,
living in a Rainbow Bright world of colors and textures.
Katwise was my alter ego who I have not been able to access for a long time.
I want/need to make one of those rainbows.
The Katwise u-tube video brought back the spark.
I bought the guide for the sweater. It's a guide, not a pattern.
No rules. Pure inspiration.
Just a serger sewing machine, a measuring tape,
a cutting mat, a rolling cutter and thread.
And a pile of old wool sweaters.
I found a used Singer sewing machine at a local sew and vac.
The machine came with no owner's manual. The salesman who hadn't a clue on how to use the machine. The machine went forward, had a decent stitch and was a price I was willing to pay.
I went to Joanne's and bought a serger threader, extra needles.
Then Thriftshopping.
Goodwillx4, Deseret, local independent stores with
prices too high for the project,
a Salvation Army that really literally stinks, cancer society.
There are acrylic, orlon, rayon, nylon, silk, cotton and wool, woole, laine,
rabbit hair, alpaca sweaters.
First couple of trips, I bought almost every wool sweater I could find.
I came home and threw the sweaters in the washer and dryer to shrink them.
I threw them on the bed to stare at them.
To let them speak to me.
It's hard to visual the finished product.
They spoke.
Sweater number one is in process.
Instead of the solid burgundy sweater, I love love love the sweater on the right with the wonderful geometric pattern. And it fits.
Now not loving the bottom colors. There's some bright pink that has to go. The pink around the bottom is not working.
So, I will attack what I have made with a pair of scissors. The bottom will come off. I'll serge out a couple of the panels that are no longer working.
Don't worry, they will find a new home in sweater two.
To be continued...
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Electric Light Parade.
My Uncle Welba was the horse carver at Knott's Berry Farm and Dollywood.
My cousins are professional singers, carvers, artists...Get the idea?
I had a sewing business making table linens for 22 years. The economy tanked.
I closed my business.
I gave away my serger, traded another machine for a miniature
Willcox vintage sewing machine.
I donated fabric, thread, finished product. I was tired of sewing.
I was allergic to chemicals in the fabric.
I traded in a creative lifestyle of sewing and traveling for a stifling State job.
The cousins have been sending me the link to U-tube for
Katwise sweaters for a year. I didn't bite. Not ready.
2013 reunion
Almost immediately after the hugs and how ya doings,
out came the sweaters the cousins had made.
Out came the Ipad with the Katwise U-tube video.
Here was Kat, a dreadlocks hippie swimming in a sea of sweaters,
dancing in a garden of color swirling in a giant rainbow coat/sweater.
Holy Toledo I was hooked. I was hooked on the sweater the video,
the house, the buses, the flowers, the travels.
Kat's life is like a real life Rainbow Brite doll,
living in a Rainbow Bright world of colors and textures.
Katwise was my alter ego who I have not been able to access for a long time.
I want/need to make one of those rainbows.
The Katwise u-tube video brought back the spark.
I bought the guide for the sweater. It's a guide, not a pattern.
No rules. Pure inspiration.
Just a serger sewing machine, a measuring tape,
a cutting mat, a rolling cutter and thread.
And a pile of old wool sweaters.
I found a used Singer sewing machine at a local sew and vac.
The machine came with no owner's manual. The salesman who hadn't a clue on how to use the machine. The machine went forward, had a decent stitch and was a price I was willing to pay.
I went to Joanne's and bought a serger threader, extra needles.
Then Thriftshopping.
Goodwillx4, Deseret, local independent stores with
prices too high for the project,
a Salvation Army that really literally stinks, cancer society.
There are acrylic, orlon, rayon, nylon, silk, cotton and wool, woole, laine,
rabbit hair, alpaca sweaters.
First couple of trips, I bought almost every wool sweater I could find.
I came home and threw the sweaters in the washer and dryer to shrink them.
I threw them on the bed to stare at them.
 |
| Most of these will be in my rainbow sweater number 2 |
It's hard to visual the finished product.
They spoke.
Sweater number one is in process.
 |
| click to enlarge |
I
Love the textures and contrast of wool. Instead of the solid burgundy sweater, I love love love the sweater on the right with the wonderful geometric pattern. And it fits.
Now not loving the bottom colors. There's some bright pink that has to go. The pink around the bottom is not working.
So, I will attack what I have made with a pair of scissors. The bottom will come off. I'll serge out a couple of the panels that are no longer working.
Don't worry, they will find a new home in sweater two.
To be continued...
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