Iryna Senyk Memorial - White Aster of Love

TORONTO - I had a chance to talk about the White Aster of Love project at the "Метелики спогадів" memorial tribute for Iryna Senyk on Dec 6, 2009. Pictured with me is UCWLC member Bozhena Iwanusiw who often visited Iryna in Ukraine and attended her funeral Oct 27, 2009 in Lviv. I'm holding my portfolio of embroidered garments created from Iryna's 50 fashion sketches smuggled out in 1989.

The publication of White Aster of Love and its gala multimedia book launch in 1992 was my most satisfying accomplishment to date. I was commissioned by UCWLC St. Demetrius branch in Toronto as the fashion designer to help interpret Iryna Senyk’s unique fashion sketches into wearable art. I consulted with 27 women and helped each one recreate a dress style based on the sketches, as well as embroidered samplers trying out their colour schemes. Then I designed and produced the bilingual deluxe book shown below. Iryna’s poetry was translated into English and each one was illustrated by her unique charted miniature embroideries. On Sep 27, 1992, each lady modeled her dress at the premiere fashion show which included a montage of Iryna's poems, transparencies of her fashion sketches and show of original embroidered creations at the Marriott Hotel Ballroom in Toronto. Iryna's presence at the Book Launch was our dream come true because after all, it was her poetry and fashion sketches. Afterwards, 1,000 books were shipped to Ukraine for distribution to schools and libraries. The Premiere show was repackaged into a traveling slide show which made its rounds around Ontario, Montreal and Detroit, USA.

Iryna Senyk, poet, former political prisoner who spent 34 years in Soviet hard-labor camps and exile, member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Helsinki Group (UHG), died on October 25, 2009 at the age of 83. Indescribable suffering, hunger, degradation, failed to crush her invincible spirit.

May Her Memory be Eternal!

"Вічна її пам'ять"

Fall Bead Fair season

Last week's Creativ Festival in Toronto kept me super busy with teaching and exhibiting. There were so many styles of beadwork kits and patterns, I displayed the easel overflow on the well-lit shelving unit in back of the booth. You can easily check out the styles one by one in my catalogue.

Here's the overall booth display with Jo-Ann, my #1 assistant, sample beader and blog guru, in the midst of it all on the morning of Day #1.

My next show will be on Halloween Weekend at the Toronto Bead Society Bead & Jewellery Fair. The show will be held at the CNIB, a new venue easily accessible by TTC. I look forward to exhibiting in one large room with fellow beaders, lampworkers, suppliers of beads and findings. There's classes too! Come, be inspired and stock up!

This will be followed Nov. 6 to 8th by a new venture, The Hobby Show, where I am going to bring beadwork to a whole new audience of hobby enthusiasts. Click and get a discount show coupon and see the variety of activities, seminars and races, in addition to our beadwork demos in Booth #115.

Fall Studio Tour

Another glorious day of exploring the back roads of Ontario....

On the way back from singing with my choir at a Barrie, ON church, we followed "Wallhangings" signs right through a series of winding roads up to a log home in a spectacular natural surrounding. Here we met Peachie Hill and her Dream Weavings hung outside on driftwood hangers all around the square log walls of her home. This was the most memorable visit! We also toured two studios on the Caledon Hills Studio Adventure route. Stone Ridge Studio was full of leather handcrafts. There were flora and fauna creations, as well as leather beads and disks strung into innovative neckpieces and accessories. The photo of the blazing tree against their home sums up the day. Randy McLeod's turned wood vessels were as much of a visual treat, as the locale. This was a great day was for the soul.

Detour yields unexpected treats

A simple ride with friends on the back roads of Ontario turned into a day full of surprises... On the drive up towards the Forks of the Credit, an antique sign beckoned. We turned left instead of going straight. The short ride revealed Beaumont Mill, a historic structure full of antiques and collectibles in Glen Williams. Inside it felt like a treasure hunt with loads of nooks and crannies upstairs, downstairs and in between. All the jewelry was in one room.

I found a pair of white seed bead earrings which I figured would go with an heirloom necklace passed down to me from a relative in Ukraine. From the bald spot near the clasp and few loose beads, the necklace appears to be series of white seed bead loops stitched through a thick cord. The earrings I bought at the Mill feature a seed bead knot with four twisted fringe loops of seed beads. Check out the similarity! Looks like both pieces were made from the same beads. Could they be Czech?

Meanwhile, outside the Mill there was a rally of antique automobiles from 1920-1930's. What a treat! Who would have expected such a welcome? Apparently they meet twice a year at designated spots and this was one! Our timing could not have been better! We followed the vehicles down the road into the village of Glen Williams where the local town folk were dressed in period costumes. They got to drive into the village. We in our modern vehicle had to park and walk across the bridge. Famished, we dropped into the Copper Kettle Pub for a bite. Who would have thought we'd be treated to live music? The musicians sang around a table in the center of the room. They were were great! The entire place was full of character(s). You'd never believe it was 2009!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You never know what you may be missing if you don't turn around the corner.