Project 5: Wearables: the Magic Hoodie

Here I wander into another project. It takes me back through years of imaginative work.

Who knows where I got this idea. But suddenly in early October I found myself cutting motifs out of yard goods and machine-appliqueing them to Jim's favorite hoodie.

The fabric takes me back to 2018, when, at age 70, I thought surface design might be a good use of my talents. I reopened my Spoonflower account and accepted all their designer challenges. The December challenge was "Scandinavian folk art." My research showed simple elements, densely packed, in primary colors. My theme was mythological: superheroes protecting against the chaos. The result was a fabric I called "Legend of the Secret Guardians."

And where did these elements come from?

The first one, on the upper left above, was simply from a doodle about creativity: head, heart, hands, guts.

The bird, protecting folks like eggs in her belly, was inspired, of course, by our fierce pet, the parrot Hermanita. I came up with the concept of Thunderparrot during our 2014 vacation in New Mexico, where my take-along stitching project was influenced by so many Native American thunderbirds who protected humans from evil spirits.

The third and fourth elements are the most sentimental. In 2008, for our first road trip out West, I brought my markers and invented alter egos: Zuzu and Zim. I kept them going for a while, struggling to find my voice as a cartoonist. Meanwhile, we were spending our winter evenings watching superhero movies.

What was my superpower? A protective force field, I decided. People under my influence flourished.

What about Jim's superpower? He was the magic hunter, finding and preserving beautiful creations and seeking out new territory.

I gave those attributes to Zuzu and Zim in a pair of marker drawings.

And so, Jim's old hoodie became a magic jacket for me. I wasn't completely satisfied with the beauty of the result. I got out my fabric paint and some stamps I carved at the end of 2018. A few more elements sprinkled here and there helped pull it all together.

I think I've always wanted a magic jacket.

But wait!

I actually started this project on an older, charcoal hoodie. Then, to my horror, I discovered it was cotton-poly. I dug out the greenish 100% cotton one to use instead. But the older hoodie came in handy to practice stamping with fabric paint. The cuffs were worn, so I cut off the sleeves. I liked how it turned out, so it's back in service!

Continued here>>>