A very epistolary & origami friendship

Dear Everyone ~

While I was in packing mode for my trip to San Diego, I received a large Tyvek envelope from Alyson Kuhn, a.k.a. my Postal Muse. Inside that envelope was a “glassine suitcase” enveloping…an origami wardrobe! I left the suitcase closed (it was latched with twin strips of washi), saving it to savor upon my return. I could see, as can you, Cambritches and shirts within, and I knew that Alyson had not folded them herself. I “suspected” her friend Eroca Brawne in Vancouver and promptly sent Alyson a handful of questions. I’ve never met Eroca but feel I know her, thanks to our papery kuhnnections.

Please divulge your inspiration for this Cambridge folding caper.

Well, I have a constellation of Cambridge stars and butterflies in my open-fronted china cabinet, all folded by Robb. I enjoy them every day, and it occurred to me that some of the patterns would make charming fabric. It was less than a leap to think of origami shirts, so I packed up some sheets and sent them off to Eroca with a buttery note.

Can you remind me how you know Eroca?

Our friendship started with an exchange of mail, back in 1993. I had seen Eroca’s self-promo piece in a paper company’s awards show. I typed her a fanletter, on the wonderful stationery of the printing company I worked for in Atlanta. I was rewarded not only with a piece of paper-engineering magnificence and a delightful handwritten letter…but also with the beginning of an extraordinary friendship.

Eroca is a designer, an artist, and a creative spirit. Recently, when she sent back the Cambridge suits, she included samples of several of her recent projects & passions, including the handsomely bordered sheet you see above. The marvelous menagerie is not Eroca’s handiwork, but her note (set in Aquiline Two, based on a Renaissance script) tells a captivating tale, which is well worth sharing:

“ This beautiful bit of artwork is from Philipp Hainhofer’s ‘Grosse Stammbuch,’ a friendship book signed by some of the most powerful figures of 17th century Europe. Hainhofer would ask dignitaries to paint in his friendship book, and each individual would commission an artist to create a painting accompanying their signatures. It took more than 50 years to compile the 100 drawings in the book. In our current times of instant gratification, it is quite an amazing accomplishment. (1578–1647) ”

I asked Eroca if she’d done anything else with that gorgeous border, and she e’d me back, ‘No, I thought a friendship book was appropriate for our 29 year love-of-paper correspondence—and it had a beaver in the margin, so Canadian!’

Have you ever had the pleasure of seeing Eroca hand fold her suits in person?

I have! When I worked for Crane & Co. in the late ’90s, Vancouver was part of my territory. Eroca invited me to her studio, and I arrived laden with Crane promotion materials. It was a momentous interlude. She gave me a little suit she’d folded out of Italian currency, and it looked like Gucci-Pucci lounging pyjamas. Eroca commented that U.S. currency was actually her favorite to fold, so I asked why, and she replied (unaware that I currently worked for the American manufacture of that paper) that the paper was quite crisp and folded beautifully and could be ironed with great results. I explained that Crane paper is 100% cotton, and that it behaves and feels like fabric, but with a superior memory. I happened to have some crisp $1 and $2 bills with me, for tips, and Eroca folded them into suits for me before I left Vancouver—including a pleated skirt!

So, have you ever had any creative pursuits featuring the suits?

Oh, of course! I’ve given many suits, always folded by Eroca, as gifts over the years. The little medallion with a letter inside refers to the Federal Reserve Bank for which the banknote was destined. There are twelve Banks, lettered A through L. One of my funnest capers, many years ago, was presenting my friend Jake with a set of four “monogrammed” suits, in a Sobrani suitcase. (Thank you, Jake, for these fresh photos!)

For a dinner party at Crane & Co., attended by engravers from across the U.S., we commissioned Eroca to fold 160 shirts from crisp $1 bills. The gentlemen received slacks she folded from Crane’s Old Money, which was itself made from a blend of recycled undeinked $1 bills and cotton linters, so it was pale green, and the ladies had skirts Eroca pleated from Crane’s Distaff Linen. “Distaff” is a tool used in spinning; it more broadly refers to “womanly work”—so, ahem, suitable for skirts!

Are you considering learning to fold yourself?

I am not. I will continue to impose on Eroca for shirts, though I do enjoy folding slacks. Recently, I tried pairing a Cambridge shirt with inside-tint capris, and I was quite pleased with the beachy-keen result. Wouldn’t we give the shirts off our backs for outfits like these?!

Speaking of outfits & suitcases, I am happy to report that my week of filming with The Crafter’s Box in San Diego was a dream, quite literally. And as soon as I had finished unpacking, I was Zooming Lesson #3 of Bookful of The Clothes We Wear! This past week Cat focused on entire outfits. Here is what Alison Zehr from Chicago shared along with one of her Bookful pages:

“ Bookfuls are always a two-for: you come away with a book and with some art work. Both of which continue to inspire. Cat really acts as a sort of coach, encouraging, reassuring, providing helpful hints. I’ve done several Bookfuls, starting as a complete neophyte. I think the image completed last Saturday, in the beautiful book Bari guided us through, is the best I’ve done. Thanks to Cat! ”