Boy Gifts Again

Yesterday I had a major yikes moment when I remembered our godson's birthday is Friday. This was in the car on the drive home from delivering 17 pieces for a show that opens on Friday. You know how it is: Once one thing is done you start mentally checking the list of new priorities. As I said: Yikes!

So there were two priorities for today's trip to town: Haircut (desperately needed) and birthday gift (must be in the mail on Thursday) for a 12-year-old boy. No idea what that might be, and no time to poke around, mull, search for inspiration.

So I exercised my flexible values went to Fleet Farm instead of thrifting. There, I found a $5 blue T-shirt in a men's size small. I wasn't 100% sure how this color would discharge, but it was better than the alternatives -- bright orange and lilac.

When I got home, I put a pot of water on the hot plate in the studio. While it was heating, I made 12 quick lines of stitched resist, wet out the shirt, and threw it in a simmering Thiox discharge bath. After a rinse, a vinegar soak and a trip through the wash, it's ready to wrap.

The front had stitched resists going two directions.

The back had three lines of stitched resist going one direction.

With the dark thread, which I didn't expect to discharge, it looks just grungy-cool enough for a kid. I don't think he'll care that it didn't take me hours to do.

Now I have to come up with something for Father's Day and my dad's birthday. Yikes!

I'll get information about the show up tomorrow and start posting some of the backlog of photos I took while making pieces for it. In the meantime, gotta go wrap a gift.