Starting to Sew

I am really not sure what I want to do here.  I am hoping to make a very expansive panel of jean parts and pieces.  I started out trying to just cut out squares - and decided on 13" squares so I could have a 1/2" seam allowance.  But then, I thought I should really try to incorporate the pockets.  So, I cut and sewed a bit and put these up on the design wall.  Looking at this - I am finding the pockets the most appealing part - so I need to sew all the pockets into the panels.  At least as much as possible.  
 

Something To Work With

I was able to get jeans on sale at Salvation Army for just $1.50 each.  That gives me something to experiment with.  These are now clean and ready for me to start messing with them to see if I can make this vision a reality.  

Sourcing Jeans

Jeans.

I will need a lot for my art installation idea.  I think probably I can beg people to give me their old jeans, but before I start asking - I do need to figure out if I can physically sew denim in bulk at this stage of my life.  My hands are weak and I have poor coordination of my fingers.  My vision is not what it once was.  My back and legs get tired and strained when overtaxed.  I gave up sewing nearly a decade ago.

But first - I figured I need a dozen or so pairs of jeans to get me started - something for trial and error.  Something that is free or cheap.  

I started checking with Yard Sales - people want a crazy amount of money for jeans.

I started checking Thrift Stores - Goodwill prices jeans at $11.99.  Not feasible.

Family Services and MRM are about half that - between $8 and 10.  Umm No

I stumbled into luck at the Salvation Army - which had items with certain tags on sale for 75% off.  That meant I could pick up some jeans for $1.50 each, since their price is $6

So, I brought home a dozen pairs of jeans from Salvation Army, washed and dried them.

Then, I needed to set up my studio for sewing.  It has been set up for mixed media work for the past decade.  I had quite a lot of work to do before I could even make a cut or take a stitch.  

 

A Textile Art Installation?

 There were over 300 art installations at Burning Man 2026.  I know I didn't see all of them, but I saw a lot of them.  They were nearly all made of metal.  A few made of wood.  Most were quite large - impressively so.  Some were quite smallish - maybe more human sized pieces.   But all I saw had hard surfaces.

Not one was made of fiber or fabric.  I understand this.  The wind and elements are very hard on fibers.  But there were lots and lots of tents, and canopies.  Not to mention all the cushions, rugs, and upholstered furniture in the camps.  (so many of these - I honestly don't know how they clean these afterwards)

Three weeks later, I am still cleaning up from Burning Man.

But I have to admit, I was intrigued and fascinated by the way the dust created a patina on fabric surfaces in a way that was transformative.  

I had taken a denim throw made of old jeans to use as a rug at the entrance to our RV.  It wasn't all that effective, because it was immediately caked with dust.  The wind blew it around and the water turned the dust to mud, and it became rather sculptural.  This was intriguing to me.  It interested me as much as it disgusted me.  

The idea I woke up with the day after leaving Black Rock City is to create something huge out of denim - of old jeans sewn together to make something large.  I envisioned a huge tunnel - tall - maybe 15 feet tall.  Panels of old jeans sewn together covering a large wooden frame made of posts.  It would be something that could be entered, walked or driven through.  From a distance it would just look like a big blue structure.  But as people got closer, it would begin to reveal it is made of fabric and the fabric is denim jeans.  100s of pairs of jeans!

This is my idea.  

Can I accomplish this?  Is it feasible?  Can I physically sit at my sewing machine? I have not really done so in nearly 10 years!  Will my arthritic hands still handle scissors and needles and thread?  Does my sewing machine still work and can it sew through denim?  Where will I get so many jeans?  I'll need hundreds of pairs.  Can I do it myself or do I need to recruit a team?

I don't know the answer to these questions, but the idea and the vision is staying with me, so I feel I must methodically start to evaluate this idea for feasibility.  

Porta Potties, Our Departure, and A BIG IDEA

 Huge banks of porta potties where set up all over the city.  This is what almost everyone used the entire week.  By week's end it was beyond disgusting.  They were supposed to be attended to, but somehow I feel that was not happening.

This was one of our last views as we departed Black Rock City on Sunday afternoon.  We had intended to stay that night for the burning of the Temple, but we were both ambiguous about it, by this point.  The playa was drying out and the dust was again starting to kick up quite a bit.  It was getting hot.  We decided to pack up and head out.  

As I left, I had the feeling that while it was a great experience - a thrilling adventure - I thought maybe at age 70, I had experienced plenty of Burning Man and I was thinking I would likely not return another year.

The line to get out to the highway - to the 2 lane road - was about 3 hours wait.  It was a hot dusty wait.  We drove to Rye Patch State Recreation area, where I had reserved a camping spot.  We got there about 9 PM.  We were able to shower for the first time in a week.  We disposed of our trash and dumped the black and gray tanks.  And slept.

The next morning, I woke up with a fully formed idea for a textile art installation that I could bring to the next Burning Man.  The complete vision came to me in a dream.  I told Elizabeth and talked about it all the way home.  1000 miles.

And we are home now.  I am still thinking about it and am trying to figure out if I really can do it.  

Stay tuned!

Playa Tour Photo

 Elizabeth and I were walking around on the Deep Playa (actually on our way to the ski slope you see behind us), when a man rode up to us on his bicycle and asked if he could take our picture.  This is one of the few photos we got of us together at Burning Man.

Structures at Black Rock City

Perhaps the most impressive and remarkable thing about Burning Man is that Black Rock City only exists for a week.  It goes up in a couple of days, and then everything is disassembled and it is gone.  It's a lot of effort and heart.  So much goes into it.  The execution is amazing.  Here are some of the structures I took note of as I was wandering around the city on my last day.  

This is the choir dome.  It was Sunday, so there was a service that consisted of just singing.

 This was a camp for couples dancing - traditional - They are starting to disassemble the dance floor and the structure around it.

Camp Setups

All of these photos were taken on Sunday, our last day.  People were disassembling their camps and that made it easier to focus on some of the structures they put in place, mostly for hosting the events and activities they  were sponsoring at their camps.  I was amazed at the variety and ingenuity of the structures - both aesthetically and structurally.  Everything withstood 40 mph winds and rain!

 

Burning Man Express

This photo was taken on Sunday, the last day of Burning Man.  Our camp was very near the "bus depot", so I was able to capture a photo of the buses lining up to take people away.

A good number of people fly into Reno and catch a Burner Express bus to the venue.  They must be able to carry all their belongings.  Sometimes, they are coming to a camp that is already set up.  I visited with a young woman who had flown in and rode the bus - arriving at a camp where she knew nobody and having to share an RV with 5 other women.  She was out on the playa because her roommates were all sleeping and she wasn't finding them compatible.  Even so, she was having the time of her life.  We met her when we hitched a ride on an art car.

I visited with a young man who had flown to Reno from Raleigh, had boarded the Burner Express and he was camping on his own in the Walk-In Camper area.  He said he was making friends with the other campers.  He said his tent and sleeping bag were a disaster after a couple of days of dust storms and a night of rain.  Ugh.  Nevertheless, he was enjoying himself.  He is originally from India and he said he did not tell his family where he was.  He was sure they would be worried.  
 

Where People Sleep At Black Rock City

By the end of the week, people were already starting to dismantle their camps.  This was kind of sad, but also very interesting.  Fascinating to see what was behind the scenes of the public camp spaces to the places where people are actually sleeping and keeping their personal belongings.  

People need protection from the elements - the heat, cold, dust, rain, pelting wind, etc.

I really don't understand how people get these shipping containers to Black Rock City or how they remove them.  I did not see any big trucks anywhere or a forklift big enough to lift this thing, but I saw a lot of these in camps.  People were hanging out inside them, on the roof, etc.  It seems sort of creepy to me to sleep inside something like this, but people were doing it.

Aft

After this camp removed the large public structures out on the street, it was fascinating to see these traditional canvas yurts set up for living spaces.

 These fold up yurts seemed to be pretty common and popular.  They are just put together of sheets of rigid foam insulation that is foil wrapped.  These seem to be especially good for reflecting heat.  Not sure how well they kept the dust out, but hey, my RV was full of dust despite our preparations.  

These are just a few of the lodgings I was able to snap a photo of.  I know a lot of the "walk in campers" had regular camping tents.

Camping at Black Rock City

 Black Rock City is laid out in a circular grid before anyone arrives.  There are street names (alphabetical from Center Camp) and the cross streets are set up with times like a clock.  Most people who plan ahead to come will register for placement assignments.  This way, they can make sure all the people in their camp will have a spot for their camping equipment.  Some camps have a community kitchen.  Some even have power available for RVs.  These camps charge for the campers to be a part of the camp.  They also have job assignments for the campers.

We got our tickets just weeks before Burning Man, so we opted to camp in what is called Open Camping.  After we arrived, we just wandered a bit until we found a location we liked.  All the Open Camping is out on the perimeter of Black Rock City - quite a ways from most of the activity.  

We got to see a lot of parts of Black Rock City when we were walking or biking back from our activities.  It is really interesting to see how people establish their camps.  

Here is a photo taken from the top level of an art car as we rode back to their camp one afternoon:

Tomorrow, I will share some of the other camp set ups.  

Black Rock City - What it is built on

 Black Rock City is built on a dried up lakebed from millenia.  The surface dust is composed of silicon dioxide, organic matter, and aluminum oxide.  It has a very high alkalinity and the particles are very fine.  It sticks to everything and coats all surfaces.  It is very hard to remove.  People use vinegar, citric acid, witch hazel and Calgon to help clean up after Burning Man.  Here are a few of my dirt photos: 

When it gets deep and rutty like this, it became very difficult for me to ride my bike around.  My thighs were covered with bruises from being knocked around on my ebike.  After a while, I just stopped riding it and walked.  Walking had the advantage that people would pick me up and give me a ride around.  

About Mud at Burning Man

 Yes, we were warned about the possibility of rain during Burning Man Week.  Yes, it rained one night.  I had to get to the porta potty in the morning - this is what my rainboots looked like afterwards.

Here is what the camp looked like outside our van.

This gumbo really mucks up bicycle tires, so after it dried up a bit, we ventured out in our rainboots.  

It did dry up pretty quickly after the sun came this day.  The great advantage of this rain is it settled the dust for a couple of days.  

About the Dust at Burning Man

This is me at the temple on our first full day, Tuesday.  Also known as Tutu Tuesday.

We knew there would be dust.  We came prepared with goggles and dust masks.

But really, you can't really quite know what it will be like to experience it.

Here I am in the dust.  We rode our bikes out to the Deep Playa the first day, determined to see as much of the art as we could possibly see during our week at Black Rock City.

This is me at one of the temple entrances.  It was super dusty when we arrived at the Temple.

This sculpture is one that was actually enhanced by the dust - so ethereal!

Elizabeth posing in front of an art car.

 Here we are - ready to venture out onto the Deep Playa our first full day.  It was Tutu Tuesday and I am wearing my turquoise tutu and we are both covered in our goggles and dust masks.  It got worse and then it sort of cleared up later in the day.  We did not allow the dust to stop us as long as we could still see something - at least a bit.  There were white outs, though - times that everyone just had to stop moving because nobody can see anything.  You just stay put someplace until it passes over.  

Playa Penguins

The flock of penguins was a popular installation, new for 2026.

We were fortunate to meet the artist, a woman from Whitefish, Montana and it was great fun talking to her about her art.  She said they brought all these penguins with them in their RV - apparently they were piled on every surface.  

After the event, some were going to nearby Fry Ranch (owned by Burningman Inc.) and I think the others were going to find a home, as well.  

 

Smaller Sized Art at Burning Man 2026

I was very lucky to meet this artist at his art installation on this particular day.  He was there doing maintenance, which involved picking up vodka bottles some visitor had left behind the previous night.  No doubt, he was also checking on the lighting system and the batteries.  He is from San Francisco, is an illustrator, and he told me this piece is going into a gallery, where he has a solo show coming up soon.

Not every piece of art at Black Rock City is huge, but they do encourage art that is interactive.  This piece has all kinds of drawers with things hidden inside.  There are keys to unlock the cabinet doors.  It was fascinating talking to him about how he poured the concrete pads in place, bringing prebuilt forms from home.  The construction comes apart easily so it is easy to transport. I'm not sure how they were going to be removing the concrete afterwards, though - because everything has to be removed in order to comply with the "leave no trace" policy.  I expect the paid Black Rock City Maintenance crew comes in with large equipment for some of that.....

Big Burning Man Art

 

There were over 300 art installations at Burning Man 2026.  They are spread out over 3935 square acres.  These are just a few of the larger ones.

Every piece of art must be lit up at night.  There are no street lights out on the playa, and people are riding around on their bicycles and in art cars - everything must be lit up.  So, every artist - or their crew, must build and maintain a system of lighting for their art.  Most of them are lit up using solar energy.  Wires and pipes can be buried underground, but everything has to be removed after the event.  This is a "leave no trace" event.

Back from Burning Man 2026!!

I have not written in this blog for 10 years, but I feel it is time to revive it!

I have been home from Burning Man less than 3 weeks.  It was beyond amazing to experience.  Both very challenging and very inspiring.  The art and creativity of the participants was overwhelming!  The execution of the construction of the camps and the art and the art cars - all for just a week spent in Black Rock City - this was mind blowing.  I know what we went through just to get ourselves there and back!

The weather was also overwhelming - dust storms three days - these days it was, at times a complete white out that could go on for hours.   The wind blew and blew.  Dust got into the van in spite of our efforts to seal off doors and windows.  It crept into every nook and cranny and the dust is nearly impossible to remove entirely.  It is all minerals and the ionic properties cause it to bond with every surface.   

This weather / dust made for ethereal viewing of the art installations.  It also made the calm days feel precious.

At the end of the week, there is a celebration involving the burning of the man - the wooden structure at the center of the Playa.  This is a party unlike any other.  The fire dancers, the fireworks display, the circle of over 200 art cars around the Man - all lit up and playing music as loud as possible.  People dancing everywhere.  

Garden Visitor

 I was thrilled to catch a shot of this hummer flitting through the garden.

Naturalizing with Iris

These two clumps are looking good along the driveway.  They are never watered other than what falls from the sky.  I did pull the weeds that were invading them, but other than that - no care.  Awesome!  My plan is that whenever I need to divide or move an iris clump, I will plug it in somewhere and let it fend for itself!  Tough little plants.  Gotta love them.