| |
|
Photo by Robb Long
Designer Laurie Jacobi (left) and her business partner Mary Jane Miller, who holds up measuring tape against a woman wearing a wool coat in their collection.
By Sarah McKenzie
Designer Laurie Jacobi doesn't get caught up in trends.
She's more of a storyteller than a fashionista.
Jacobi has developed an international following for her woolen designs inspired by nature.
Her collection at Nordic Homes Interior, 620 W. 58th St., includes coats featuring Odin's ravens. In Norse mythology, ravens delivered important information from around the world to Odin, making him omnipotent. A pine needle coat in the collection is inspired by the Sami people of northern Scandinavia.
Jacobi of Linden Hills will be on hand to talk about her work for a special Valentine's Day "Legends in Wool" Trunk Show on Feb. 14 at Nordic Homes. The store carries rugs featuring her designs and has given her extra space for her collection in a showroom next to the main store.
Jacobi's clothing line is a collaborative effort. She creates the designs out of her home near Lake Harriet. Then they are turned into wool blankets at the Pendleton Woolen Mills in Pendleton, Ore. Jacobi's business partner Mary Jane Miller, a seamstress, turns the blankets into clothing — coats and vests, primarily.
The special fabric, designed exclusively for the Jacobi line, is also used for accessories, including mittens and totes.
Vests and coats range in price from $225–$900, rugs cost around $800 and up. Accessories go for around $40.
"[Jacobi's] the brains and I'm the hands," said Miller.
The pair have been working together for two decades. They met working for a local graphic design firm. Jacobi moved to Northern Minnesota — near the Leech Lake reservation — in 1989 to recover from a stressful life, which she believes contributed to a diagnosis of cancer. She credits reconnecting with nature for helping her heal.
She started designing blankets for the Faribault Woolen Mills in 1992. Her work soon started to attract attention. Robert Redford bought some of her blankets for cast members of his film, "The Horse Whisperer." She also saw a woman dancing in one of her blankets in a Twin Cities Public Television documentary about George Morrison, the Ojibwe artist.
Her collection has been featured at the American Swedish Institute in South Minneapolis, Ingebretsen's on Lake Street, Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis and at festivals all over the region.
Miller said she's learned the "importance of simplicity in design" from Jacobi.
"There is an authenticity in her designs," she said.
Jacobi, meanwhile, said Miller help keeps her "grounded."
"She is deeply thoughtful and can articulate the things I cannot say," Jacobi said. "She always helps me by talking through an idea or problem so I can get to the other side of it."
Jacobi's new line features Ginkgo leaves on coats and blankets. She designed it for Japan House at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Whatever she designs, she's hoping to strike a chord with her customers.
"It's not about fashion. People are really touched by the stories," Jacobi said. "It's about connecting on a spiritual level."
Valentine's Day 'Legends in Wool' Trunk Show and Sale
What: A chance to meet designer Laurie Jacobi and see her newest line of clothing and textiles.
When: Feb. 14, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Where: Nordic Home Interiors, 620 W. 58th St.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Art beat // Closing and opening
By Dylan Thomas
Art of This leaving current space, but won’t cease to existLYNDALE — A few weeks before they planned to shutter their Nicollet Avenue art space for good, John Marks and David Petersen of Art of This Gallery reflected on “Open Summer,” their ongoing, open door, last blast summer project. A free-for-all residency program that eventually enrolled 80-some artists, the slowly percolating “Open Summer” was building steam as it headed into its, and the gallery’s, grand finale at the end of August. And for all the potential pitfalls in telling some seven dozen people where the gallery key is hidden, about the worst thing that happened all summer was when someone spilled salsa in the refrigerator and never cleaned it up.
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
On the mat // Green yogis in Linden Hills
By Sarah McKenzie
Devanadi Yoga, a new studio near Lake Harriet, is a trailblazer in the local yoga community. The small 525-square-foot studio, tucked behind the Bruley Center on West 43rd Street in Linden Hills, is the first yoga studio in the state to be certified by the Green Yoga Association for its environmentally friendly efforts. The studio’s green practices include using non-VOC paint, controlling the thermostat to keep the building energy efficient and encouraging students to walk, bus or bike to class. Tanya Boigenzahn Sowards, studio director/owner of Devanadi Yoga, said being green is “core value of the studio and it ties back to the yogic philosophy of doing no harm.” “Minneapolis frequently ranks as one of the top green
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Everyday gardener // Q&A
By Meleah Maynard
Struggling tomatoes, rain barrels and rootbound plantsEven though spring started in earnest in March this year, it still seems like summer is going by too fast. So, fast, in fact, my inbox has been a bit stuffed with questions. As always, I’ve replied directly to people who asked for help with various things. But here in the column I’m going to cover some of the questions that seem likely to be of interest to a lot of gardeners. By far, the questions I’m getting most are about tomatoes, so I’ll start there. Q: My tomato plants look good and have a lot of flowers, but I’m not getting a lot of fruit this year. What’s going on?A: It’s been too hot for tomatoes to set fruit
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Flavor // A smokin’ sensation on Nicollet
By Carla Waldemar
If you’re wondering what caused the traffic stand-still on South Nicollet the other evening, let’s just say I should have kept my window shut. When passing cars got a whiff of possibly the best aroma in the galaxy — I’m talking about barbecue, of course — they halted to demand, “Where’d you get that?” At C&G’s, of course. Greg Alford launched C&G’s Smoking Barbecue exactly a year ago; the anniversary balloons in the otherwise-Spartan, clean-as-a-whistle hole in the wall provided the only touch of whimsy in this serious business. Greg was born in Louisiana, which may explain his superior taste in food. He grew up in Detroit, one of 12 kids whose mamma set him to cooking when he was 5, he
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Wild city // Eating the yard
By Mary Jean Port
I love August. It is so lush. All summer, as I nurse the garden along, I anticipate these eating days. We now have too much of everything: tomatoes, green beans, heat, humidity, and also thunder, for those of us who have a dog frightened by it. I have been working our piece of ground for 14 years, and have good soil to show for it. Back when we first started, my husband was more of a lawn guy. He liked the idea of a garden, but drew a line in the grass with his toe. Don’t dig up anything beyond here, he said. So I dug my first of what are now 10 beds, and planted the pumpkin right on his line. The vines ran out of the garden and took over the whole backyard. My husband good-naturedly threw up his hands. We started with vegetables, and
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Kid rock
By Sam Lane
Twin Town Guitars hosts a camp that gives young musicians a chance to play and perform in a bandMore than 60 excited, camera-toting fans packed Cause Spirits and Soundbar on a warm August afternoon waiting for two headline bands to take the stage. The hotly anticipated musicians weren’t well known. They weren’t 20-somethings trying to strike a record deal. They weren’t middle-aged men trying to relive their youth. They were kids, ages 8–17, who spent prior weeks at Twin Town Guitars, 3400 Lyndale Ave. S., preparing for their first concert. In an economy where budget cuts deal constant blows to public school music programs, the owners of Twin Town have spent the last three summers providing a haven for aspiring
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
