Contributed by Charice Chambers, Matsu Senior Services
For Carol Vance, it started with buttons. She needed small and unusual closures for the many doll clothes her grandchildren had come to expect. So, she became a collector of buttons, findings and fabric. For her, annual vacations became adventures in finding new fabric outlets ripe for uncovering exciting and unusual sewing treasures. Eventually, her lifetime collection outgrew her grandchildren’s desires. With multiple rooms of raw materials, she decided to go in new directions.
Vance is a seamstress who began her sewing career at age 10, using her mother’s old singer sewing machine. For many years, she crafted her own clothing. In 1996, she discovered quilting and she “went nuts”. Wall hangings and small lap quilts became her specialty. Each one was unique, as all were festooned with unusual buttons, trim and stitchery. Vance’s work exhibits both her love of whimsy and sense of humor.
For a time, she and a friend operated a small shop in Anchorage where they sold their wares. It was a life of sewing all evening and on weekends to meet the demand for their products. They even set up machines in the store, both to allow customers to see the process of creation, and give the time to keep the shop stocked. Eventually, it became too much. The ladies closed their doors and chose to sell by order only. Fortunately, Vance joined the collection of fine artists and crafters at Matsu Senior Center Gift Shop.
Though the shop is currently closed due to the pandemic, we hope to reopen soon in our current location within the Palmer Senior Center. Because the health and safety of both our volunteer staff and customers is of upmost concern to us, we may initially operate a bit differently than in the past. Be assured that our high quality unique goods with prices to please will remain the same as in the past. Check our website at matsuseniors.com and our Facebook page for updates on the status of the shop.
As the pandemic created havoc around us, fabric artist, Bobbi Lewis, prepared to hunker down by adding to her stock of notions. It was the perfect time to sew - uninterrupted! The moment was ripe for new ideas. Over time, Lewis had developed a variety of generic kuspuks: pull-over-the-head, lined, unlined, skirted and unskirted, in a wide variety of knockout color combinations. Well-known throughout Alaska for her designs, she has introduced both casual and sophisticated parkas for women. Two years ago, she premiered the front zip kuspuk vest at a local fashion show. It was an immediate sellout and has remained extremely popular since! Now it was time for something different, something that spoke to the new normal. With more time spent at home, a more casual design was required, and so Lewis’ kuspuk shirt was born. This creation features a hoodless, skirtless, pull-over-the-head kuspuk body. It makes a perfect relaxed at-home top with its shorter sleeves and body length. It, along with all of her other styles, will be available through the Matsu Senior Services Gift Shop when we reopen. Lewis also makes men’s, children’s, and doll kuspuks as well as producing made-to-order garments in all sizes including plus.
Moving to Alaska in 2014 profoundly affected John Gould’s photographic journey. From portraiture and wedding photography, the beauty for the state compelled him to focus on the breathtaking scenery around him. Great landscape photography requires patience, stamina and a willingness to stretch the imagination. From the very beginning, Gould could often be found in the middle of the night out in the wilderness getting the perfect moonlit shot. During the pandemic, he believes that he has been given a special opportunity to explore the state’s spectacular beauty and record it in those few moments when the perfect light reveals it’s splendor. He never knows exactly what he is going to do, but he does know that it is all in the timing. Weather aside, he knows that when the lighting is perfect, its time to shoot.
Photography by John Gould
In spite of providing him almost too much time, Gould believes that the pandemic has helped to sharpen his photographic skills. With limitless time, many people become bored and undisciplined. He remembers an old adage: only boring people get bored. It is his goal to be among those who do not get bored. Each day, he tries to be both active and creative, to take chances with new and different approaches to his art - and it shows. Gould’s work must be seen to be appreciated. Believing that spectacular scenery requires spectacular presentation, he uses aluminum sheeting rather than paper or canvas to display his work. The sheeting creates a visual with intense color saturation and great pop. Most of his images are large, and in this format require no framing. Rear-mounted hanging boxes help to maintain an even visual bordering that renders each print stunning. Fortunately many of his new creations will be on display at the Gift Shop when it reopens.
For nearly all, the pandemic has been difficult, but it is good to know that much artistry and creativity has come out of this difficult time as well.