Above: Textile Designs © Jennifer Parry Dodge 2011
Of course thinking of Japan today, and my friends there...all of them safe, thankfully.
My Aunt Ermie traveled to Japan, and became friends with a woman there. They sent each other Christmas cards every year. Ermie kept all of the cards she received from her penpal in a scrapbook. I loved looking through that scrapbook as a child- as you can imagine the cards were beautifully designed. They seemed so exotic at the time; I definitely think looking at those cards fueled my interest in Japanese art, crafts, and culture.
I actually developed a couple of prints for this spring using scraps of antique Japanese textiles.
One is an ikat design printed on silk, the other a shibori motif, printed on knit organic cotton.
With each collection I've done, I've donated some of the profits to charity (the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, the United Way Gulf Recovery Fund, and currently the American Cancer Society). It seems appropriate to donate some of the proceeds from the garments I'm going to make with these textiles to the earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan. The Red Cross is one option- if you have any suggestions for charities over the next few days, I'd love to hear them.
Beautiful fabrics as always, Jen. My heart is also breaking for those affected by the tragedies of the earthquake and tsunamis. Besides the Red Cross, I also know that MercyCorps is taking donations. Huffington Post had a pretty comprehensive list of organizations:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/11/how-to-help-japan-earthquake-relief_n_834484.html
Beautiful work. It was horrible to hear about the tragedy.
ReplyDeleteLove the story about your grandmother. You have such a big heart, and I love that you donate from your profits. I like Doctors Without Borders, and Joe hopes to work with them some day.
ReplyDeleteThe new textiles are some of my favorites! I loved hearing about them when you visited and now seeing photos is so cool. Better than I could have imagined.
Actually, you know what, I went to the Doctors Without Borders website, and it looks like Japan is doing pretty good on the medical front. Blankets and water are what's needed, so donating to the Salvation Army might be a good bet.
ReplyDeleteThe prints are beautiful, as is the story. I'm a fan of shelterbox, as they help provide immediate shelter for those without their homes. http://www.shelterboxusa.org/
ReplyDeleteGorgeous prints and love what you'll do with the proceeds. My heart is breaking for Japan.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, love these new prints!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. Very helpful- always great to get your feedback.
ReplyDeleteThese prints are different than what I've done before and I was wondering how people would react.
The garments featuring these prints won't be out until May,
and unfortunately, it looks like the devastation is so bad there (whole villages wiped out by the tsunami, and now the nuclear issues) Japan will continue to need funding far into this year to aid in recovery and reconstruction.
beautiful prints, jennifer!
ReplyDeleteThis is so touching and you are VERY thoughtful...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful prints, Jennifer. The blue one remainds me of water reflections... lovely design. I love the story about your aunt....
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment on my blog. Glad to hear that your friends in Japan are ok too.
I think the red cross is a good option which I also made a donation through this organization....
the blue one is going to make a beautiful fiji dress ..
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