Come for the weaving, stay for the hedgehog washing
May 29, 2017 10:54 PM Subscribe
Tien Chiu is a textile artist, a writer, a person of colour, someone with bipolar disorder, a semi-pro chocolatier, and the creator of her own museum-quality wedding dress.
The link above summarizes the wedding dress project, but if you want to see how it happened, including how the project started before she even had a wedding planned to wear it to, the dyeing, the sampling, the restarts, the hemming, and the drinking, her blog on the dress was extensive. Plus, she made the wedding favors out of the excess fabric, because why not?
Her dress project isn't recent so if you follow weaving, you might already have seen it, but I only recently discovered it, and it is just such an amazing project that I wanted to share.
Hedgehog washing, as promised by the post title.
The link above summarizes the wedding dress project, but if you want to see how it happened, including how the project started before she even had a wedding planned to wear it to, the dyeing, the sampling, the restarts, the hemming, and the drinking, her blog on the dress was extensive. Plus, she made the wedding favors out of the excess fabric, because why not?
Her dress project isn't recent so if you follow weaving, you might already have seen it, but I only recently discovered it, and it is just such an amazing project that I wanted to share.
Hedgehog washing, as promised by the post title.
That dress and coat! Absolutely amazing, and the hedgehog is so cute!
posted by ellieBOA at 4:31 AM on May 30, 2017
posted by ellieBOA at 4:31 AM on May 30, 2017
Came for the hedgehog bath, stayed for the amazing and beautiful dress.
posted by Fig at 6:46 AM on May 30, 2017
posted by Fig at 6:46 AM on May 30, 2017
OMG that dress
posted by quaking fajita at 7:16 AM on May 30, 2017
posted by quaking fajita at 7:16 AM on May 30, 2017
I sew some of my own clothing. I didn't make my wedding dress, but I did make the dress I wore to breakfast the day of the wedding. I'm starting to get comfortable with pattern alterations, but haven't done any drafting yet. I also took a few weaving classes a couple summers ago, and managed to turn out a scarf. At the time, I had vague ideas about trying to weave my own fabric for a garment, but that's on hold for the indefinite future, as I lost free access to looms when I moved.
All this is to say that I have a pretty good sense of the amount of time, effort, and swearing that goes into a project like this (a dress *and* an overcoat???), and can just say: holy hell, I am awed. That fabric and the gown look stunning, and I'm so happy I'm within driving distance of the museum. Going down to see it in person has been added to my summer plans.
posted by damayanti at 8:21 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
All this is to say that I have a pretty good sense of the amount of time, effort, and swearing that goes into a project like this (a dress *and* an overcoat???), and can just say: holy hell, I am awed. That fabric and the gown look stunning, and I'm so happy I'm within driving distance of the museum. Going down to see it in person has been added to my summer plans.
posted by damayanti at 8:21 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Wait, scratch that, the museum has been permanently closed.
::grumpy face::
posted by damayanti at 8:24 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
::grumpy face::
posted by damayanti at 8:24 AM on May 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh, that's a real bummer about the textile museum. Canada's textile museum is here in Toronto and it is one of those places I always mean to go but don't unless it is their annual yardage sale fundraiser.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:05 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by jacquilynne at 9:05 AM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Why do hedgehogs need so much washing? There are so many videos of it. Are they particularly stinky?
posted by Bee'sWing at 11:59 AM on May 30, 2017
posted by Bee'sWing at 11:59 AM on May 30, 2017
OK, so, in my (sadly brief) experience yes, hedgehogs need a lot of washing, because (gross stuff after here) they run all night and poo while they run. Which works great when you're outside and not so great when you're in a cage running on a wheel. So every day you have to take apart the cage and clean everything, and every few days you have to clean the hedgie. The poo is sticky and smells bad. And it is poo.
posted by PandaMomentum at 12:35 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by PandaMomentum at 12:35 PM on May 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Tien is a member of a Ravelry weaving group I belong to, and the wedding dress, while epic, is just one of the amazing things she's made. If you'd care to gawk: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/tienchiu
posted by corvikate at 1:37 PM on May 30, 2017
posted by corvikate at 1:37 PM on May 30, 2017
I love her Kodachrome Jacket. As she says, the colour stands out from a distance (on the catwalk), while the intricate woven pattern rewads a closer look.
posted by Azara at 3:00 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Azara at 3:00 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
It was in an LSG discussion about Melania's coat that the link to Tien Chiu's wedding dress came to my attention, and one of the people there noted that Kodachrome came right after the wedding dress and was at least partially her declaration that she was tired of weaving white!
posted by jacquilynne at 3:08 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 3:08 PM on May 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Having known Tien during the "putting a knife through a door 27 times" period,
and knowing very personally how great a toll bipolar disorder can exact, via the suicide
of more than one friend/ex, I am amazed and thrilled by her trajectory. Her page on bipolar is great, and it gives both hope and practical advice. And that kodachrome piece is spectacular!!!
posted by supercoiled at 6:07 PM on May 30, 2017
and knowing very personally how great a toll bipolar disorder can exact, via the suicide
of more than one friend/ex, I am amazed and thrilled by her trajectory. Her page on bipolar is great, and it gives both hope and practical advice. And that kodachrome piece is spectacular!!!
posted by supercoiled at 6:07 PM on May 30, 2017
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