Presentation of Donation Checks

In Feb 2010 we presented The American Cancer Society and Encore Plus (Binghamton YWCA) each with a check for $2,900! Thank you to everyone who was involved with the project! Accepting the check in behalf of the American Cancer Society is Joan Ticknor. Crystal Lown, Encore Plus program coordinator and her issistant Kathleen Haggerty accepted for Encore Plus.

Picture with all four of us (left to right): Kathleen, Crystal, Louise and Joan.

#105 "The Flowers Left Behind"

#105 Venessa Budetti of Newburgh, NY

“The Flowers Left Behind”

Embellishments & Technique: Painted inside of bra and outside covered with fabric.

Artist’s Statement: This is created in memory of my cousin, Karen Mitchell. She was an avid gardener and quilter. She died at age 52 of breast cancer. I went through her fabric stash and found these little yo-yo’s that she had completed. There weren’t many, but I have saved them for several years. They remind me of the flowers she grew and loved. They are now the flowers Karen left behind.

#104 "Time for Reflection"

#104 Anne Ainslie of Ithaca, NY

“Time for Reflection”

WINNER – Judges Choice (Gina Chapman)

Embellishments & Technique: Ribbon, round mirrors, glass heart, and watch faces.

Artist’s Statement: The watch faces came from friends and family members that have had breast cancer. I can’t begin to understand how they must have felt when they learned they had breast cancer. My Braziere For a Cure is in honor of their courage, and for all those that came before them and for all that will come after.

#102 "Training Bra Making Tracks For A Cure"

#102 Cindy Dunlap of Endicott, NY

“Training Bra Making Tracks For A Cure”

Embellishments & Techniques: Hand sewing.

Artist’s Statement: All Aboard! Punch your ticket and ride the rails of life! When you encounter steep hills, dark tunnels and station delays, remember the lesson from “the Little Engine that could”, “I think I can, I think I can”. Life is about the journey, not just the destination.

#100 "Brick-a-Brack Bra"

#100 Louise A. Tiemann of Vestal, NY

“Brick-a-Brack Bra”

Embellishments & Techniques: Made in loving memory of “Etta” J. Kania (1934 – 2000) and Ann E. Dinoff (1932 – 2001). Hand sewn and beaded, made with scraps of fabric given to me by my friends Therese Cingranelli and Nancy Michael – and my stash. A batik fabric with star motifs was the inspiration for the center medallion. Much of the braided trim was given to me by my aunt Lydia Lynn. Other trims, beaded fringe, beads and butterflies were purchased from JoAnn Fabrics, where I work part-time.

Artist’s Statement: Thank you for supporting Brazieres For A Cure, A Breast Cancer Awareness Project. This project was done to honor two very special women, mothers of my dear friends Kathy Kania, Annette (Kania) Rotthoff and Adrianne (Dinoff) Storti: “Etta” J. Kania and Ann Dinoff.

Etta was a very vibrant woman who always had a smile. She was an avid skier and was well known for her cooking. One of my fondest memories is making gnocchi at her house with her daughters Kathy and Annette. After a courageous battle with cancer, she passed away at her home on October 1, 2000. She was only 66.

Ann was a special lady. She was the mother of co-worker, office mate and friend Adrianne. Ann worked at IBM for many years. She was the one I called when they found a lump in my left breast in 1996. She helped me through a very difficult waiting period. Luckily for me, it was not cancer. Ann loved to collect antiques and her house was filled to the brim with her finds – it was like stepping into a museum every time I went there. After a 10 year battle with cancer, Ann passed away in her home on June 10, 2001. She was only 69.

Both of these women were friends, wives, mothers, and sisters, and are greatly missed by those they left behind.

#99 "What's in a word?"

#99 Lori Mai Shapley of Lexington, KY

“What’s in a word?”

Embellishments & Techniques: Spectra Art bleeding tissue paper, silk flowers, embroidery thread & needles, Sharpie markers, oval and round wooden wafers, decoupage medium and brushes, dremel, colored computer paper and printer, gold jump rings and pliers, and breast cancer ribbon fabric.

I applied various pieces of the tissue paper to the bra, wet them, and waited. The process is amazing and fun to watch! As the colors mix, I reminisce about the many beautiful rainbows, sunrises and sunsets I have seen. I let it dry and worked on the words. I used wooden wafers to decoupage the words onto. First I printed out my personally chosen words (with the help of my “southern sister”) on the computer. I cut them out and burned the edges for an older, more distressed look. I glued the words on and decoupaged over them. After they dried, I drilled holes with a dremel and sewed the wafers on the bra. Next I colored silk flowers with a Sharpie marker. I sewed them on with embroidery thread and needle in an imperfect haphazard way. This was to represent how our lives are never perfect, but there is always strength and beauty around us if we take and make the time to look. The title of my project “What’s in a Word?”, I fastened across the top of the bra. At the bottom of it, I draped my favorite words of Mother Theresa. The gold jump rings linked together represent strength, the power and impact of words and what they can achieve. The large bra had no underwire to support, so I had to improvise accordingly on the inside to show off my embellishments. This project was a very fun, interesting and cathartic experience. I am thankful for the opportunity to express myself!

Artist’s Statement: This artistic endeavor was done in honor of my mother Nellie Shapley, who twice successfully fought breast cancer. Growing up in Binghamton, New York, I had a wonderful childhood with many opportunities for travel and learning. One of my favorite memories was family and friends sitting at the kitchen table playing games. We had hundreds to choose from but always seemed to play the same ones over and over. My mother really enjoyed Scrabble, Boggle, Scattegories and the daily paper Jumble. As a result of this I was proud to say my grammar and articulation benefited. I was able to learn so many different words and their various meanings. I feel the most important benefit was to realize the amazing effect words can have. With that I have attained the greatest empathy for all!

I cannot image being told that I have breast cancer ... my mother had those words spoken to her twice and my “southern sister” once. They both successfully fought the disease. My mother has since passed away, but was a healthy, happy survivor of breast cancer for many, many years. From talking to my sister about her experiences in survival, I came up with the idea for this project. She enlightened me about the effect of the words that were spoken to her through the process. She specifically remembered the words “positive”, “success”, “sharing” and “compassion”, as the ones that were the most meaningful to her. So I have done this project in honor of my mother, but I am dedicating it to my “southern sister”. Thanks SIS!

#98 "Eyes On You"

#98 Ruth Manzer of Owego, NY

“Eyes On You”

Embellishments & Techniques: Sewed on lace from wedding dresses I have made, bowls in cups as surgical specimen bowls, facial tissues to stuff, batting to make it look more natural, pin from a project I did to get people screened, stethoscopes from my last position, surgical scissors, and fake eyelashes.

Artist’s Statement: Eyes on You: I have said to my patients I am going to keep an eye on you, I have heard other medical professions say the same. People with cancer must follow up with care for life. They feel sometimes their bodies are not their own. The cup lining is to represent the comfort I want to bring them. The fake eyelashes represent the attempts to look and feel normal as chemo takes away the hair. The lace from the wedding gowns represents new beginnings – the new normal moving on with life. The pin is to remind people to get their screening done. The eyes are my medical eyes caring for you.