The Mermaid and the Astrologer

"You have to be nice to people, you have to give the best of yourself every moment of your life, and you have to believe in yourself."

-Walter Mercado, Mucho, Mucho Amor

I miss whimsy. I mean, I miss a lot of things: seeing friends, buying paper towels without undergoing a massive search effort, going to concerts, thinking our president is just terrible and not a fascist who's going to get us all killed, getting coffee, reasonable people. But whimsy is pretty high on the list. It's hard to be whimsical right now. Whimsy seems like an extravagance, something that we need to put on hold. I've been buying into this idea since the end of May; scale back the whimsy. Rage bake. Rage blog. Donate. Advocate. Work at home and ignore the the obvious - that you could always do your job at home. Everything is wild. We're all in this perpetual state of something: anxiety, fear, anger, uncertainty, sleepiness, sleeplessness, rage, random joy. Emotions are on hyper drive and the mood swing set is out of control. Ignore whimsy. 

Well, ignoring whimsy has to give a little, even if temporarily. I decided to do myself a small favor and invest in some whimsy this past week. I was in a bit of a funk, which is probably the most obvious thing in the world, but also a complete understatement. I took some solace in the fact that people I follow on Twitter, who have very serious jobs, seemed to be embracing whimsy too. Maybe "return to whimsy" is a stage in a pandemic. It comes after hoarding toilet paper, cultivating your own yeast, and excessive online shopping (I've only done one of these, so I'm skipping ahead). Anyway, one of my favorite people on Twitter received a mermaid tail blanket for her birthday. An adult woman with a mermaid tail blanket! I was intrigued. Where did one get a mermaid tail blanket? 

Turns out the answer is pretty much wherever you can buy frivolous things - Amazon, Target, Etsy. I'm sure there are other places, but those came up first. I went the Etsy route and ordered a lovely mint green mermaid tail blanket. I haven't bought many frivolous things since March, so this feels particularly lovely. It's legitimately everything I hoped it would be. 

Unfortunately, my blanket didn't arrive in time for the truly exceptional moment of whimsy and joy I experienced last week. The blanket came the following day, but the association is enough. I watch a lot of documentaries. I tend to watch documentaries about cults (tiger-based or otherwise), serial criminals, cats, the mafia, random pop culture figures, and baking. I have a lot of interests. Anyway, I wasn't prepared for the utter delight I felt while watching Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado. I truly believe the only thing that could have made the experience better was having the mermaid tail blanket. Walter doesn't strike me as mermaid tail blanket kind of guy, but I bet he had a cape with a mermaid tail, so basically the same thing. 

I had no idea who Walter Mercado was before watching the documentary. I'd seen the preview for the film, but all I really took away from it was "this man has a lot of capes." And he does, he has a cape room (basically). It's possible I have a vague memory of him being on talk shows in the 1990s since he did appear on all of them, but I had no idea who he was or the impact he had on millions of people. If you haven't watched the documentary, I highly recommend doing so to get the full impact of Walter on your life. The film debuted on Netflix in early July. 

The quick, quick version: Walter was a famous astrologer and Spanish language television personality. He got his start as a dancer and actor on telenovelas in the 1960s in Puerto Rico. His life as a tv astrologer started by chance; he was on a talk show promoting a play in costume, and ended up talking astrology with the host. His "reading" was so popular that it became a fixture on Puerto Rican television for decades. Eventually, he would become famous across Latin America and then worldwide. His show was theatrical; high camp might be a good description. He wore extravagant jewelry and so many amazing capes. Walter did for capes what Elvis did for sequined jumpsuits. That's one of my main takeaways from the film. He was over the top and flamboyant. He wore beautifully applied makeup and had perfect hair. Just watching him for a few minutes, you can see his dance training in his gestures and his presence. He combined multiple religions into what he called "interfaith religion." He was an icon in Puerto Rico, which is traditionally both very Catholic and very macho. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. 

I won't spoil the story by telling you about the drama and revealing some of the more amusing parts of the film. Seriously, watch it. If you spent time watching Tiger King or watch any amount of the daily news, you deserve Mucho, Mucho Amor. It's delightful, a little bit whimsical, and so very affirming. 

And that's where I sat with the movie last weekend. I felt so good after watching it. I was upset for Walter at the appropriate times, but overall, the whole film was affirming. That's the word that keeps coming to mind when I think about Walter. He made a career out of reading daily horoscopes on television. In theory, anyone could do that job. But the way he did it was so positive and beautiful. Every clip of him doing one of his readings is so full of positivity; you can feel it through the television. Even clips from 50 years ago still feel so real. He was sending actual love and light through the television to people. His sign off was always "mucho, mucho amor" (lots and lots of love). Yes, he was theatrical, but that wasn't necessarily the point. Did that hook a person in? Yes, but that wasn't why they came back. People responded to him, and the way he made them feel. There's never an example of him telling someone about a terrible tragedy or telling them they're going to win a million dollars. He doesn't really predict anything. He simply gave people encouragement and inspiration without it sounding like watered down empowerment, or what I like to call "Girl, Wash Your Face empowerment." It's a simple message of being kind, caring about others, and doing your best. No wonder he was so popular. 

Walter died in 2019. The documentary was one of the last things he worked on before his death. He was a lot of things for people: a part of their culture and childhood, a non-binary pioneer, a positive influence in the universe. The filmmakers, all Latinx, grew up with Mercado in the background. They associate him with grandmothers and childhood memories. There's so much love and joy in this documentary. I have to believe the universe gave us this film right now for a reason. I'm not saying Walter knew I needed a little whimsy and extravagance in my life at this exact moment, but I'm not saying he didn't.

Stay safe. Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Be nice to one another. Vote. Black Lives Matter.

Walter Mercado meme

Erin has a vision

One of my favorite quotes from the incredibly quotable film Waiting for Guffman, is when Libby Mae (Parker Posey) explains what Dr. Pearl (Eugene Levy) will come to realize once he starts working with the Corky (Christopher Guest) on the Blaine musical:

"Corky has a vision."

Whenever I get random ideas or schemes, I can't help but think of myself as Corky St. Clair, visionary, creative, and a tad bit delusional. Isn't that the definition of genius or something? I've been doing a lot of creative projects this year, coming back to embroidery, painting, and crafting as a way to relax and try new things. I host a regular Wine & Crafts gathering with friends and I try to spend two nights a week doing something creative (one night on writing projects, one night on some other project). This is how one finds balance...or at least that's what I tell myself.

My friend Anita was cleaning out her basement last week and unearthed a box of cassette tapes from high school and college.

Many of these gems were created by me; remember that true music love never dies. I'd still include these songs today were I making someone a mix tape. Anita still has a tape deck, so she can listen to these tapes should she be so inclined. Some, however, aren't worth keeping. This lead to a text conversation between us later on in the week about how to recycle or reuse the unwanted tapes and some VHS tapes she wants to get rid of too. We came up with a bunch of ideas including cases, purses, business card holders, collage art using the liner notes, and weaving a purse out the tape ribbon. Then I made this statement:

"I wonder if one could embroider with the tape ribbon." 

Or in Waiting for Guffman speak, Erin has a vision. Yes, I can look up on the Google whether someone else has figured this out already, but where would the fun be in that? Like that time I made a purse out of Legos, the fun in this idea is not only in the final product, but in the process of figuring out whether or not it will work. (You can read about my Lego purse here, here, and here.) Throughout the week I came up with five possible options for using the tape ribbon as embroidery thread:

1. Stitch over the tape with regular embroidery thread, like you might do to add embellishment to regular ribbons.
2. Shred the tape (by half), use the thinner strips as thread. Stitch as normal.
3. Stitch with full tape.
4. Fold and stitch.
5. Twist and stitch. Basically, braid two full size pieces of the ribbon and use regular thread to connect it to fabric and to add additional detail.

Before I get into each technique, here are some other things I discovered:

• Shredding tape ribbon is a pain in the ass. I used an Exacto knife, a pair of embroidery scissors (similar in size to manicure scissors), and a quilting edge and none of them were great. The scissors worked best, which was surprising to me. This step would also prove to be completely unnecessary, but I didn't know that at the time.
• People are fascinated by this idea. Possible reasons for this: people want to be environmentally conscious, nostalgia, they think I'm super cool and creative. 
• Consensus amongst some of my crafty friends is that embroidery probably isn't going to work and I should pick up weaving as a new hobby. Sigh.
• I spent a lot of time thinking about this project during the week. I had sort of a weird week and having this to focus on was helpful.
• I may have figured out the theme of my Badass HERstory project. More on this in a future Island post.

Now to the important question: Did it actually work? YES! A resounding yes! Now, not every technique I thought of worked, but I have figured out how to use tape ribbon for both embroidery stitches and cross stitch.

The two best techniques were options one and three; stitching over the tape and using the full piece of tape as thread. The shredded option proved to be too thin; it easily snapped into smaller pieces when trying to bring the "thread" through the fabric. Option four was unnecessary after option three proved to work beautifully. Option five is fine, but I wouldn't call it my go-to way to accomplish what I want to accomplish.

I started with stitching over the full piece of ribbon with embroidery thread. I like the contrast this creates with the colored thread. Tape ribbon comes in black and brown, so using the thread helps add some pops of color. This technique would be best for creating an object to be displayed, maybe adding it as an edging to a larger piece or as the center piece for a project that will be under glass or not moved very often. The ribbon is delicate and tears easily. Stitches can't be too close to one another, as I experienced, since that shreds the ribbon and leads to tears.

I didn't mark the tape for this option. Were I to do this technique again, I would probably mark it lightly to make the stitches more even and consistent. A straight stitch or a chain stitch are probably the only two stitches I'd try since they don't rely on moving a needle through the same spot on the ribbon. I used tape to secure the edges; this helped a lot.

Using the full proved to be the most effective, and frankly, most satisfying option. I tried to use the shredded ribbon first, but it was too delicate and easily destroyed. I tried on both cross stitch fabric and plain cotton fabric and the result was the same. When I switched to a full piece of ribbon, it worked beautifully on both types of fabric. As you move the needle in and out for each stitch, the ribbon becomes more like thread, getting thinner with each pass. The brown tape, found in the Sony tape I was using, does this faster than the black tape from the Memorex tape Anita was using to braid the tape. She made some rosettes out of the braided tape.

For this technique, I tried a straight stitch and a cross stitch. Both work well with the ribbon. The texture is fun and the "thread" is glittery. This is one of my favorite things I've hand-stitched in forever:

I'm obsessed with this little practice piece. The photo doesn't really do it justice; there's something dreamy about the stitches. I want to make an entire piece in this way, rather than the planned nature of most of my embroidery projects. It's whimsical in all the best ways. I'm pretty sure a back stitch would work as well, but didn't try it yesterday. Next time...

The cross stitch was also a success. This technique creates a cool texture, whether it's one line or stacked lines of stitches. I'm pretty sure this would be a cool lettering technique too.

I could have cross stitched with tape ribbon all night, but I'm an old lady and eventually needed to go to sleep. I decided my collective stitches were like a modern day sampler; maybe one day some random person who inherits my possessions will find this and think to themselves, "So that's what you do with tape ribbon. This lady was a genius!"

Time to figure out what to do for my first full tape ribbon project. Maybe something fun to display in my cube at work. Just remember kids, Erin had a vision and it worked.


Image
Cassettes image by Anita
Other images by me

Hello Chanel, La Troisième Partie: My leading lady fashion moment

I have watched awards shows forever. The Tonys and Oscars are my favorite - I love the fashion and the drama of awards shows. There's always going to be that moment when someone thought they were going to win and they don't. Of course, the camera stays on the loser as they make a horrible face or something. And of course, the gowns. More than the show itself, I truly love the fashion recap shows and articles that run for weeks after. I also secretly hope someone will trip in their enormous gown (thank you Jennifer Lawrence). Makes the celebrity seem more human.

My company hosts an annual meeting and awards program every year. It's a way to come together to celebrate the accomplishments of the year and to celebrate those who made significant contributions to our success. We can it the H'Oscars (ha ha) and I am actually a two time H'Oscar winner. This year, the event planning team announced that the theme of the awards portion would be black and white. It would also be less formal (cocktail attire). I opted for a statement purse. 

About a month ago, I started chronicling my fashion moment, creating a purse made out of Legos (part two can be found here.) I found the idea through a Buzzfeed post and decided to attempt to make this for an upcoming work event. As I started working on the purse, I decided to drop the pencil box version (although I did complete it and am staring at it as I write this) and go for a purse made entirely out of legos. I mean, if you're going to make a statement you should make a statement. Right?

Last weekend I finally finished the purse. The last stages of construction included figuring out the hinge situation and making the interior pocket and cover so that my phone and lipstick wouldn't make noise or move around the night of the event. I had no idea how to make the hinging portion of the purse work. I had the two halves of the purse and there wasn't a ton of room to add a hinge. I didn't want to make it bigger; that would make it harder to carry. So I did what any girl would do when approached with a construction question: I asked my dad. My dad and I measured the space and he figured I could use a medium size hinge and glue it so that the purse would open and close with little to no gap. We also attempted a closure but it didn't work (and wasn't necessary).

Dads know everything! The glue worked perfectly for the hinges and the weight of the purse keeps it closed so there was no need to have a clasp. I'll figure out clasps on future versions of the purse (and there will be future versions).

The final stage in construction was lining. Legos are plastic and if you put anything in a plastic container and move it around there's going to be noise. Since I made both versions of the purse, I spent my last construction day lining them with plain black fabric. For the purse I would be using, I made one of the sides a pocket instead. I thought that it would be more usable if I could stash my ID and room key and lipstick in a pocket rather than letting them roll around. My cell phone got its own side. Pumpkin decided to help me measure and cut the fabric. You know how she likes to help.

Both versions turned out better than I expected. And this wasn't that difficult of a project to complete. It's time-consuming but not a hard craft project. The most challenging part was the design phase since I kept going back and creating different patterns before I finally settled on the design on the left (one of my friends described it as "way more Chanel than Chanel" - probably not true but a nice compliment.)

I packed the purse in a velvet jewelry bag and eagerly awaited its debut at the H'Oscars. At the airport on Wednesday, I showed it to some of my friends as we waited for our flight. Their reactions were fun; I don't think any of them really knew what to expect even though they had seen photos or read the previous posts. That's part of the fun of fashion right?

People love legos. And they love lego purses. I'm sure this isn't something that they thought they'd love but love they do. Everyone wanted to hold the purse and would ask if they could open it (since you should never open a lady's purse without her permission). Some of the greatest reactions came from the men - I don't think most of them realized that legos could do that. I also talked to 2 or 3 that wanted pictures to show their daughters. I thought that was exciting. I loved legos as a little girl and now I can make them into fashion. And they can too.

At least four people asked if I would make them one (the answer: probably). The lego purse was the exact fashion moment that I needed. My dress was a simple black cocktail dress. The purse elevated the look and was truly a statement piece. This, my friends, is what fashion is supposed to do. And it was fun and whimsical - you know I love whimsy.

While I didn't win a H'Oscar this year (although I was nominated), this was a particularly successful event for me both professionally and personally. I presented twice this year (as part of the general session in front of the whole company and at a breakout session later in the day). Both were extremely successful. The feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive. It's both gratifying and humbling to be considered an "expert" in anything and then to be told that you are by your peers and the senior leadership of your company is just, well, amazing. Work has been a challenge recently and an event like this helps to put that challenge into perspective. Does it fix the problems? No, but now I have some thoughts for how to better approach my job and to feel proud of what I accomplish.

And, of course, we had fun. I have never worked for a company that has an event quite like this. It's really meant to be experienced not explained. Now to catch up on sleep and word count for NaNoWriMo (I fell a little behind this week).

(I call this last photo "At the Club".)