July Studio Newsletter
apprenticing to place
Hello friends,
And welcome to July! In all her summery glory. This past month has found me floating along down rivers- both literal and metaphorical. I have indeed found some time to swim in my favorite river spots, and have also felt quite swept away with everything there is to do in my own life.
It hasn’t been a big month for making, as I fill my day with other necessities, but I have still been absorbing inspiration from place. That is why I decided to theme this newsletter to be all about local— local projects, local recommendations, and local thoughts.
I am still settling back in to life here in the States after being in Sweden for the past school year, and it continues to be a great relief to be home. I got to explore an area that was new to me, that being Minneapolis and the shores of Lake Superior a few weeks ago at North House folk school. Then I came home and have been immersing myself in place. In the rivers and brooks of western Massachusetts, in friendship and in ideas for projects. As happens on the opposite time of year, midwinter, I find myself drawn to details, to miniatures, to small vignettes and scenes that contain so much within them. Carp swimming in a lush, overgrown, sunken garden. Cool linen quilts on the bed. Black raspberries in abundance next to the Connecticut River.
This is my apprenticeship to place- edible, material, visceral. I am remembering the way of time here, experiencing objects from the past and learning what they can teach us.
In thinking about the past I think of my own ancestors, who have for a long time lived here on this land, but if you go back far enough came from the land we today call Europe. But those hundreds of years here on this land make a relationship to this place, and I am interested in exploring that, just as my times in Europe have been in contemplation of the more ancient connections to that place.
I am interested in the many, many people who came before me, branching out like tributaries of rivers and streams, coming up from unseen wells in the earth that have passed out of time and memory. So many of those branches are lost and I may only have a place, or a few names, to remember them, even a few generations back. Some of the knowledge stops even sooner than that. But I do know that one of the streams included people from the area in which I live now, and this provides even more meaning to my days here myself.
There is a project for me in all of this, I’m sure. I feel as though I am “quilting myself to the otherworld,” as mythologist Martin Shaw puts it. There is so much to be explored, and I hope to set aside time to really go deep on these projects. The air is thick with ghosts, and I must talk with them and listen to what they have to say. Whether I express myself through dressmaking, quilting, embroidery, or some other medium, I look forward to sharing with you in due time.
Just as I am aware of the peace and time for contemplation that surrounds my days I think of the suffering in the world. We must not look away; we must let ourselves be moved. Homelessness is being criminalized. Forced labor from people in prisons is continuing in scorching heat. Young people are being killed on the streets by police. There are multiple genocides happening in our world, today. As my country ramps up to an election season remember that the system is inherently flawed. That we are truly only as free or as safe as the least safe or free person. That if we feel fear about what is to come— realize it is already happening.
One of the most important pieces of my life has been to meet people from other places and learn how similar we all are. We all want food, shelter, cleanliness, space and community. We want to be able to express ourselves, be seen by others, and have safety for those we care about. Let’s extend that out, further and further. Let’s remember that we are just like the Other.
WHAT I HAVE BEEN UP TO:
Twined Knitting Class at North House Folk School with Malin Antonsson
The main event of the past month was traveling to Minnesota and teaching at North House Folk School during the week leading up to their Summer Solstice and Wooden Boat Festival. It was so special to visit the school and to experience that part of the world, and I will be writing a separate post all about our adventures!
Moving in to a Studio Space
I am happy to say that I have joined a collective where I can have my own studio space. I have been busy filling it with all of my supplies, as well as a barn frame loom with its origins in the late 1700s/early 1800s in Long Island, New York. I am looking forward to setting it up and getting my shuttle back to work.
Dressing Cool
The heatwaves we have been having in this area are no joke, especially when you spend much of your day outside, as I do as a camp counselor for the summer. Temperature highs are mostly between 80 - 90 fahrenheit (26 - 32 celsius).
After my long Swedish winter I love soaking up vitamin D as much as anyone. However, that powerful sun and the h u m i d i t y have been making me wish to cover up more than I expected. Thus, I’m looking to clothing from warm places places of the world to show me how to properly dress my body for this. I don’t have much experience with this topic, so I will be doing research and sharing what I learn, as always looking to history to learn about staying cool. For starters I hope to make some long sleeves tops and pants in lightweight fabrics.
Learning to crochet
I have taught myself how to crochet and am enjoying it very much!
shop is open!
My shop is open again, and there are lots of fun poms and keychains, earrings, and poms 4 palestine pieces still available. Thanks for all your support!
LOCAL RECS:
~ I am looking forward to visiting the exhibition at Historic Deerfield titled Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North. This exhibit has travelled from the American Folk Art Museum in NYC to Deerfield and will be on view until August 4th. Do not miss!
“Through 97 remarkable works including paintings, needlework, and photographs, this exhibition invites visitors to focus on figures who appear in—or are omitted from—early American images and will challenge conventional narratives that have minimized early Black histories in the North, revealing the complexities and contradictions of the region’s history between the late 1600s and early 1800s.”
~ Relatedly, a local historical house is having an event this Wednesday July 3rd at 6:30pm called Stories of Slavery and Independence, a remembrance of six enslaved African Americans: Zebulon Prutt, Caesar Phelps and Margaret (Peg) Bowen, and her daughters and granddaughters Roasanna, Phillis, and Phillis. The event features freedom songs with Jacqueline Wallace, director of the Amherst Area Gospel Choir, and a communal reading of Frederick Douglass’s influential address "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?". Here is more information. Hope to see you there!
~ As I’ve walked around town I’ve noticed placards and photographs commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Mill River Flood of 1874. If you are in Northampton I recommend keeping an eye out for them and learning about the history of this major event in our town.
~ You are invited to participate in a local historic singing tradition at the Pioneer Valley All-Day Sacred Harp Singing on July 6th in Sunderland. Here is a video about the style of singing if you would like to learn more about it!
~ I have to tell you about the new stamps out which feature Shaker crafts! These mark the 250th anniversary of Shaker arrival in the United States. You can learn more about the Shakers here.
~ and finally, I will end with an appreciation for the majestic glorious trees which grace this valley, including the beautiful Tulip Poplar above which can be found in Bridge Street Cemetery in Northampton.
UPCOMING CLASSES AND EVENTS:
summer sunday stitching continues!
I have had a lot of fun chatting with you on zoom for Summer Sunday Stitching, hour-long free co-crafting sessions I have been hosting on Zoom. It has been wonderful to meet / see some of you and see what projects you are working on.
The next meetings will be July 7th and 21st from 1-2pm eastern time. Sign up here!
The Hill Institute Sewing Classes, Florence MA - starting September 2024
I will be teaching in-person sewing classes at this local craft school starting in September. You can learn more about them here and registration is in-person on September 7th.
Sewing Classes in Northampton MA - starting September 2024
I will be teaching sewing classes and private sewing lessons in Northampton starting in early September. More information will be released next month!
you can also always find my current classes on my website lilybelldale.work/teaching.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoy my newsletter please support my work with a subscription or share it.
from the water,
xx Lily
Love your newsletters! I was interested to learn about sacred harp singing as I’ve never heard of that before 🧡
Thank you for your beautiful reflections and inspiration!