Big Al’s Workshop

I am begging people not to look to the NYT for coverage of what's happening. The BBC, Le Monde, Ajazeera and others will have more truthful coverage.

Tear Gas Is Way More Dangerous Than Police Let On In the middle of a respiratory pandemic, law enforcement agencies have used tear gas in especially dangerous ways. The chemical agent also seeps into homes, contaminates food, furniture, skin and…

Tear gas can cause long-term health consequences by making people more susceptible to contracting respiratory illnesses, including COVID.

The chemical agent can also hurt people inside their homes if it seeps into residential neighborhoods. What you need to know (published 2020):

Video Alt Text (2/2): The words “Venice, Florida” are written in cursive at the bottom on the white border. The framed finished painting sitting against a stone wall. A zoomed in view of the painting filling the screen, showing the Sun and its reflection on the water.

Video Alt Text (1/2): A quick recap of the progression of a painting of a sunset from start to finish. Allison starts with a white piece of paper, then a light pencil drawing. Gouache paint is then added, starting with the sky, then the water.

A little commissioned painting for a customer, who gifted this to their sister for their 60th! It’s a joy and honor to create such special gifts. Don’t forget, commissions are always open! 🌞

BREAKING: Israeli Forces Board Gaza Aid Flotilla and Detain 12 Crew Members Zeteo contributor Greta Thunberg was on board the ship.

BREAKING: Israeli Forces Board Gaza Aid Flotilla and Detain 12 Crew Members

Zeteo contributor Greta Thunberg was on board the ship.

LAPD fired rubber bullets at Australian journalist @laurentomasi.bsky.social

Omg I can only imagine! haha. Thank you!!

Our Pride & Progress Cowl Yarn Sets have been restocked for this year. We even have a DK Mini Skein Set! The Pride & Progress Cowl was designed by the talented @carissabrowning for both a knit and crochet version. PLUS, 20% of the pattern sales will always be donated to the @trevorproject

The same pair of jeans after alterations have been complete. Everything has been reassembled and sewn back together, as if they were never taken apart.

And now they’re good as new! If you need any alterations AND you’re in the Dayton area, email or message me today! 🪡

The back of a pair of camel-color jeans lay flat, showing them mid-alterations. The waistband, belt loop, and two pockets have been partially removed. Two equally-spaced darts have been added to the back waistline. There are many sewing pins throughout keeping everything in place.

It’s time to tailor! your! pants! Here this customer needed these jeans taken in at the waist, so we:

✅ Added two darts
✅ Adjusted the waistband to match the new measurements
✅ Reworked the pocket placement to ensure they lay flat post-altering (no one wants gaping pockets!)

Authors are auctioning signed books to raise money for Crips for eSIMs for Gaza. Sheila Heti, Omar El Akkad, Madeleine Thien, and Sarah Bernstein are among the dozens of prominent authors who are auctioning off signed editions of their books to benefit Crips for eSims for Gaza,…

Please support!

Authors are auctioning signed books to raise money for Crips for eSIMs for Gaza

lithub.com/authors-are-...

Donate:

chuffed.org/project/crip...

Whitney Museum Cancels Performance About Palestinian Mourning Fellows in the prestigious Independent Study Program have denounced the move and withdrawn artworks in protest.

Two days before “No Aesthetic Outside My Freedom: Mourning, Militancy, and Performance,” a piece about Palestinian mourning, was scheduled to be performed at the Whitney ISP's curatorial exhibition, the institution canceled the performance.

The back corner of the quilt with the quilt label; part of the front of the quilt can be seen underneath. The back is a colorful, small floral print. The label is navy, with following inscription stitched in white: “Made for Tyler + Savannah with love from Allison + Mike 4.25.2025”

A close up of one corner of the front of the quilt. You can see one full “ring” of the quilt pattern, showing the quilting stitches throughout the quilt. The quilt is laying outside on concrete in the Sun.

I went for a traditional double wedding ring pattern, using white + their wedding colors for the top and the floral back. A mega congrats to the newly weds!

A throw-size quilt is held up from behind by Allison in her sunny backyard. It is double-wedding ring quilt, that is white with small navy and light peach accents.

Praise the sewing gods because I GOT THE WEDDING QUILT DONE ON TIME. It was a labor of love to make, and a joy to give to my brother & his lovely wife a few weeks ago.

'No cuts to Medicaid!' Disabled protesters shut down GOP House hearing Protesters opposing Republican cuts to Medicaid spending briefly shut down a House hearing on Tuesday.House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) kicked off the hearing by praising ...

And they're interrupting the hearing www.rawstory.com/medicaid-cut...

A horizontal view of a paint palette, with small dabs of paint at the top and all the different paint colors mixed in small patches throughout the rest of the palette. The dabs of paints are white, yellow, ochre, red, two shades of blue, and brown. The colors mixed are a variety of whites, blue, grays, greens, and brown. The background is white.

Palette from “From Grandma Jan’s (My First Mug)”.

I’m starting to get to know gouache & my initial reviews are.. I should have listened to everyone sooner! It’s made painting much more accessible & enjoyable, at least for this phase of my life. Here’s to many more forays with this lovely medium.

🪡🧵

Another view of the same piece, showing only the knit portion, no wooden frame in view.

…Exactly in the same soup and open to the exact same things.” Our connection is not merely biophysical but cultural: “This is about the invisible conditions that are swirling around us. In our air. In our atmosphere. Through our words.”

Detail of the same piece, showing a close up view of the stitches. You can see the small size of the stitches, the texture of the wool, and the contrast between the background burgundy fibers compared to the white wool used for the quote. Only the left portion of the quote can be seen.

“It’s not a bad thing to say we’re interdependent,” Alice continued, raising a concept foreign to many Americans. It requires courage and an acceptance of vulnerability to admit how SARS-CoV-2 has shown, as Alice put it, that “We’re in the same soup…

A piece of hand knit fabric in a wood frame. The piece is knit in a stockinette stitch, using a burgundy wool yarn for the background color. In the center, the following quote is hand stitched in white: “We’re In The Same Soup” – Alice Wong –

“It’s Not A Bad Thing To Say We’re Interdependent … We’re In The Same Soup”
Hand knit and stitched wool
8" x 10"
2025

Alice Wong, prominent and beloved disability justice activist, says in “The Viral Underclass” by Stephen Thrasher (pg. 262-263):

Another view of the same painting, showing only the mug, no wooden frame in view. The background of the painting is white, with the mug and inscription in the center.

Detail of the same painting, showing a much closer view of the center. The bottom half of the mug is shown, showing all the small brushstrokes, reflections, lines, etc. The nuances of the handwriting style of the inscription can be seen, along with the natural texture of the paper.

This sweet, whale-adorned vessel remains a relic of the good that came from a difficult time – something to call my own when I was missing so many of my things; the love, support, and generosity my Grandma Jan provided to all of us; and the start of my daily coffee consumption.

A small, color gouache painting of a mug in a wood frame. The mug has a painted whale on the side, with water below and small clouds surrounding it. The rest of the mug is a pale gray. Below the mug, the following inscription is handwritten in graphite in all capitals: “From Grandma Jan’s (My First Mug)”

“From Grandma Jan’s (My First Mug)”
Graphite and gouache on paper
10" x 8"
2025

An ode to one of my favorite heirlooms. This cup quickly became my designated mug during the short time my mom, siblings, and I lived with my grandmother.

A detail of one corner of the same quilt piece. The pale peach binding, pink flower embroidery, and quilting stitches can be seen more clearly. The thread used for the quilt stitches is a champagne color that glistens in the light.

A detail of the center of the same piece, showing one of the embroidered “J”s , the original edges of the napkins used, and more of the quilt stitches.

A fearless, fiercely independent woman who was infinitely generous, didn’t have a problem telling it like it is, and was always up for a new adventure, no matter how big or small. “Precious” captures the essence of our friendship together – a gift I will forever cherish.

A double wedding ring quilt square in shades of ivory and pale pink. The outside corners have small pink flowers with dainty green stems. The center has four “J”s embroidered in white. The quilted stitches are in the circular, floral design from the tablecloth used for the backing of the piece.

“Precious”
Quilted bridge linens and thread from Jane Bradshaw-Magee
16” x 16”
2025

Using her bridge linens, napkins, and thread, this is a small memorial to honor the life of my dear friend, Jane Bradshaw-Magee.

Multiple people standing in front of one of the gallery walls. Parts of four different pieces can be seen behind the group.

Allison standing in front of her square, quilted piece in the gallery. She is wearing the same outfit, but can be seen head to toe. The piece is pale pink and ivory, quilted in a single ring pattern.

I’ll be posting my pieces here over the next few days, but go see everyone’s incredible work before the show closes at the end of the month! Head to www.dutoitgallery.com to schedule a visit!

This show is a “group exhibition featuring the works of 18 Dayton area artists celebrating friendship, caring, and kindness received and/or given by female identifying friends during the good times, life’s challenges, as well as the everyday.”

Allison, a woman with curly brown hair, wearing a sparkly black dress, black KF94 mask with a mask chain, smiles while standing in front of her small painting of a mug.

Darden Bradshaw’s installation piece sits in front of Allison’s small, knit piece on the wall. Darden’s piece is comprised of two chairs, a small table, tea set, handmade rug, and small felted portrait sitting on one chair. Allison’s piece is burgundy with a quote stitched in white, hanging in a wooden frame.

A closer view of Darden’s felted portrait piece sitting on the chair. The portrait is of Jane Bradshaw-Magee, Darden’s late mother and my dear friend.

Friday night’s opening of “I Get By With A Little Help…” was beautiful! Uplifting! Wonderful! Thank you to Dutoit Gallery for hosting and to Darden Bradshaw for curating such a lovely show.

BYE BYE, BASTING THREADS. See this finished piece and more this Friday at “I Get By With A Little Help…” from 6-9pm at Dutoit Gallery!

www.dutoitgallery.com

Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who co-directed the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land (2024), was beaten by Israeli settlers and taken by soldiers who held him at a military base overnight, according to the film’s co-directors.

hyperallergic.com/998367/no-ot...