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Well Hello! Kari Senter here, NC State student, Fashion and Textile Design major, lover of chocolate and all things foreign. Why am I writing this blog post, you may ask? This summer I’ve had the chance to shadow Linda, owner of Pencil Me In, in her workspace and learn from her and her process. This post is about the office chair slipcover I made. Considering I had never made a slipcover before, I was expecting anything but a smooth ride, however; thanks to the instructions in “The Complete Photo Guide to Slipcovers, Pillows & Bedding” (by Karen Erickson) and a phone call to Teresa Bennett, owner of Cozy Cottage Slipcovers and the very person who wrote those handy instructions, I was able to pull it off better than even I expected. Aside from the fact that this was my first ever slipcover, the challenge was to create a piece that fit with ambiance of the workplace. After lots of sketching and prototyping, I was able to make a slipcover from different textures and weights of white fabric, accentuated with contrasting cording and a panel of colorful patterned fabric by Jackie Von Tobel in the back. Here are some pictures of my take on the office chair slipcover, which features a skirt with a flounce, my own label, and some cording resembling princess seams. My main goals were to make something that measures up to the high standards in craft and quality that Pencil Me In upholds, along with achieving the aesthetic so characteristic of Pencil Me In. I hope you like it! 
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Summer is a great time for field trips, and sometimes the best places to visit are right in your own town. I've been meaning to get to Raleigh Denim's Curatory for like forever. My daughter and I trekked to the flagship store on 319 West Martin downtown Raleigh in a quest to secure a pair of the best jeans in the country. The jeans we purchased were made by non-automated jeansmiths,
who craft denim the old school way. The jeansmiths work right around the corner from the retail shop and you can see and hear all the traditional stitching equipment making jeans of the very best denim from Cone Mills plant in White Oak, NC. The friendly store manager pinned my jeans to length and they were hemmed on the spot and I walked out brown bagging my jeans.  Recently it was my pleasure to host a North Carolina State University student on a job shadow assignment. And I learned so much from the questions that Kari asked. Never stop asking the questions.
 Modern times' quest for a paperless world gives me a new appreciation for the printed page. The faster paperless approaches, the more tightly I clench my fist to hold on to printed artifacts that may soon be unavailable. I am sure my love of the art and design of the printed page was ignited at my Dad's office (he was a county extension agent). There in "the office" I would pick over the racks of pamphlets (the 70's version of pinterest) where one could learn how to do just about anything from canning tomatoes to decorating the home to keeping bees. Spending time with my Mom digging through the attic recently unearthed this treasure: "Easier Steps to Slip Covering". Published in August of 1958 by the North Carolina Agricultural Extension Service, it was written by Catherine C. KIng, Specialist in House Furnishings. Really not too much has changed and the first sentence sums it up: "Slip covers which are smartly tailored and properly styled give a fresh and new appearance to your room." Finders Keepers.  Sometimes life has a way of resetting our priority buttons for us, and I did not make it to the Art to Wear Design Showcase after all. But I am proud to have been able to sponsor this collaboration between talented students of the College of Design and College of Textiles. Check out the talent at ART TO WEAR ROCKS REYNOLDS. More photos at News & Observer. But for some things there is a next time, and when the time comes, I will be ready.     These are my sweet new shoes. I was the highest bidder at a live auction to benefit NC UM Camp and Retreat Ministries. Chelsea Masters hand painted the shoes and created them especially for the Sweet Dreams auction. Chelsea is studying art & design at NC State University and has been custom designing shoes for several years.
 In celebration of Art to Wear’s 10th Anniversary, the first ever Design Showcase was added to make the event especially memorable. Art to Wear is a collaborative show between NC States’s College of Design and College of Textiles Students. The Design Showcase was an opportunity for students and alumni to showcase their products, services and causes. I thought it would be fun to “dress” a chair for this fashion event. Fabric for the slipcover is Kiwi Suzani from the Jackie Von Tobel Collection of print on demand fine cotton and linen fabrics. I shopped etsy and found a beautiful pair of Fownes gloves made in USA in the 1960’s from LenaLucia’s shop. Also from etsy I found a hat from the 1980’s from FruFru4YouYou’s shop. A portion of the sale of the hat goes to the Raymond Hudd Millinery Award for students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A pair of my favorite shoes finished off the look. For more info about Art To Wear, visit www.ncsuarttowear.com .
 What an awesome day of touring the NCSU College of Textiles with my longtime textile friend Debra McLendon. There we met up with my sister Marilyn and my nieces, Stacey and Kari, who live in Chile. My nieces were exploring college options while on summer break.  |
