Ideally for me, it is about using what you have before moving on to expensive materials and costly techniques. Beauty can be found in the high and low;

Constantine1983Reconstructed. Irreplaceable.Local.

Ideally for me, it is about using what you have before moving on to expensive materials and costly techniques. Beauty can be found in the high and low; in the newly created and decayed detritus of an age. It is about teaching your eyes to see beyond old and immediate uses into reconstructing and repurposing. -N.A. Jones

Julia Helconian, 77 in. x 48in.Julia Helconian, finished in 2011, is a tapestry based on the Texas butterfly Iulia Helconian found in the Pecos area of the state. Like with most Constantine products, the main motif was created using a reverse machine applique technique. All products are made of 80% - 95% recycled materials. Because of this, stress, discoloration and wear are an integral part of the fabric accessory. In addition to this all surfaces on Constantine works are quilted with high loft batting to increase the sculptural qualities of the main design. Form and function are united around a central organic theme lending charm to each piece. POR.

The Motley Harlequin

The Motley Harlequin is the one bag you still have room for to bring back the goods from long stays and trips abroad. The insides are made with rain no stain lining recycled from curtain found at a local second hand shop. The outsides contain deep pockets willing to hold anything you find on the beach or that find from the little curio shop on the edge of the last town you graced for a few days on end. The zipper is heavy duty, normally used for outdoor wear. Here it is placed with great function, leaving ample room to detach for awkward items and reunited securing the shaft in place with a snug pull.

The two displayed are Joaquin and Nutchaser. Joaquin is in eggplant and cream with motley colored diamonds, while Nutchaser has mola letters and birds in rust and yarrow bordering on all sides.

Dimensions: 21in. x 19in. x 11in.

Only Nutchaser is available.

Table Runner

Quiver – The design is based off of a Native American arrow quiver from circa 17th century. It is hand quilted with white perle cotton in sunburst and spiral patterns.

Other styles of table runners are available from Christmas themed to other abstract Native American designs.

Dimensions vary.

Quiver is no longer for sale. However, commission in this design are available.

Spiral

Double strapped cinching backpack. The body is made from heavy upholstery , quilted and woven materials. The signature is formed by the drop leaf design located near the strap opening. The lining is secured at the sides and base. Spiral is wide enough to carry your supplies for and overnight stay or a day at the beach.

Dimensions: 40in. X 20in.

Ichthyos

The bag is named after the central design motif: a fabric pieced fish skeleton. Ichthyos is Greek for fish. Both bags have a paisley inner lining constructed into four to five pockets to hold your most unmentionables. Front and rear elongated pockets conceal the plush and deep curves of the quilting on high pile velour. Finished dimensions run 13 in. x 9 in. X 5 in. The strap is doubled for strength and decorated with a contrasting white stitch to the royal blue brocade.

Ichthyos has been sold. Commissions in this design are available.

Ichthyos Unveiled

Underside

Wicker

is constructed in pieces which begin on a quarter of a round with large sections of patterned fabric or machine pieced silk and cotton. The final construction attaches round and arc section leaves a sack that is simply double cinched with a long fabric cord. The feature of this item is the square braid made from eight different bound lengths of fabric which serves as the strap. The ends of the braided lengths are fixed with embossed leather medallions on either side.

Dimensions: 30in. Deep by 60in. Wide mouth uncinched.

Wicker

The inside is composed of two different fabrics to give contrast and accent in value to the shell. Hand stitching highlights the leather medallions holding the strap into place.

Leaf

Leaf 2010 is a messenger style satchel made of mixed fibers including cottons and polyesters. The decorative motif is a mola or reverse machine applique. It begins with creating the design from photographs of tree leaves local to the studio. The template is used then to create a specific design encased by a satin stitch sewn through several layers of fabric. After cutting through into different strata, the mola is further enhanced with decorative stitches and non-traditional quilting. The insides are lined with curtain lining fabric known as "Black Out" fabric. This not only blocks out the sun light but also has a rough quality of being water resistant, thus making it perfect for a diaper bag. The strap is double a decoratively stitched with a contrasting thread. All ties are companioned with recycled or handmade buttons. Rough dimensions of the finished product are 8.5 in. x 11 in. x 5 in. When ordering please contact the shop owner with which satchel you would like. Form left to right in the photo: Celadon on Ecru, Pumpkin on Emerald and Encased Gunmetal Frost.

Dimensions: 8.5in. X 11in. X 5in.

Leaf

Underside

Leaf

Verso

USPS Inspiration I

Please inquire as to your interest as some designs are no longer available.

USPS Inspiration II

Please inquire as to your interest as some designs are no longer available.

Carrier Pigeon

DG Barque shown.

The Carrier Pigeon "Mail" Bag is the most sturdy, most decorative and most functional of all three of the mail bag styles here at Constantine1983. CP dimensions, like the other two styles, are 18 in. deep and 41 in. in circumference. CP style is stretched on a long arm quilting machine and quilted with great attention to detail. The inside sateen lining contains four to six pockets. The bottom is reinforced with a hand stitch after the machine stitch secures the folds, pin tucks and gathers of the bulky quilted tapestry fabric.

Styles and fabrics vary. DG Barque has been sold. Other pieces are available for sale and commission.

Deep Green

DG Whitework and DG Ecru Lattice

The Deep Green Series is the result of planning environmentally wise and economically finding the color green in a pleasing print. The result was a blend of second hand finds and ransacking the shelves in the fabric district on Harry Hines in downtown Dallas. The result was two bags with ecru and jade print. The main difference is their lining and number of handmade button fixtures. The third birthed "Deep Green Whitework" which is a recycled white embossed curtain. All of the Carrier line have interior pockets, a light amount of quilting with lace ties and handmade buttons. The bottoms are 100% quilted made from tapestry fabric. This adds strength and durability for even the most delicate of carrying jobs. I carry this style with me constantly. It especially comes in handy when I go to the library or the grocery store. The bag supports about five to eight pounds of weight distributed well when carried cross body. Finished dimension of a carrier satchel are 18 in. deep and 41 in. in circumference.

Spotted Clover

Spotted Clover is named after the four square quilt piecing on the front of each bag. The bags are simple in design with contrasting pockets on the front and back. Dimensions run 9 in. x 9 in. x 3 in., which leaves room for the essentials and even a paperback book to slip in for the inevitable waiting during long days. And don't worry the top is snug secure with a loop and a handmade rough cut button at the bottom. Pleased specify which bag you would like to purchase: Incan Sunset, Military Black and Green, Royal Blue Brocade, Blue Spiral, Leaves and Clover.

Spotted Clover

Underside

Spotted Clover

Verso

Echo

Echo's simplicity allows the art to take shape as it cascades over the form. The design is eclectic in the choice of varied piecework with a design fixture constructed in a machine modified mola technique of applique. The over all shape is modeled after a brown paper lunch sack. Its unique bottleneck design not only is useful in deterring theft but also in keeping those few personal items secure inside. Dimensions roughly measure 8 in. x 16 in. x 5 in. for the finished product. Echo's detailing features a handmade button, quadruple reinforced spaghetti straps and blanket stitch embroidery to contain the deconstructed nature of the piece.

If you are interested in this style of bag as illustrated over the next three slides, please inquire as these are taken on a commission only basis.

Echo

Front

Echo

Verso

Tantine

Curiosity suggested I substitute panels of wild fabrics into staid, tried and true designs. I decided to push the envelope a tad bit and Tantine was born. Tantine measures 20 in. x 12 in. x 8 in. with an expandable front panel that cinches with a double tie. This solution solved my problem of trying to create a bag that could hold much, but not resort to the training gym nature of a duffel bag. This particular one has a yellow to rust color scheme with a simple black satin-like interior. Highlights in red feature panels of crazy quilting with vintage and toile fabrics. My favorite memory is choosing the cover fabric for the large monkey that sits in the top upper left of the panel.

Tantine

Yellow Interior

Tantine

Whimsical and edgy all in one, Tantine is not just an overnighter bag. Though many uses come to mind, the one I created as the model is used for holding all my pending quilting projects and an organizer for my fabric scraps. The Tantine design currently has no pockets, but can easily be paired with a smaller bag to carry your delicate and important pieces.

Dimensions: 20in. X 12in. X 8in.

Tantine

Black Interior

Price List

Motley Harlequin $175 Table Runners $25-$50 Spiral $25 Ichthyos $50 Wicker $75 Leaf $40 Carrier Pigeon $50 Deep Green $40 Spotted Clover $25 Echo $25 Tantine $100

N. A. Jones4541 Larner StreetThe Colony, Texas 75056C:214.250.4656E: [email protected]://www.najones.weebly.com

History

Back in the late winter of 2008, a month or so before Christmas, I was scraping to get by. I had lost my job about seven months before and my funds were literally down to nothing. Trolling for jobs on foot was not producing anything so I had to become inventive. To keep busy I started sewing. I began with my old standby hat pattern that I designed years ago. Needing a challenge, I then got inspired by a mail carrier's delivery bag. The significance is that I would walk ten miles round trip to the post office to split up the day between job hunting. I always noticed the mail bags being carried off the front service lines in the Post Office. The first mail bag I hand sewed completely out of green silk with a green fleece lining. While I was doing the hand work for the piece in the back of Half Price Books, it dawned on me to sell. And I did, the green silk bag went for forty dollars cash to one of the employees. I set up shop there for a few months and people where interested, but not enough. Four months later I moved to a new location. My mom, stunned at what I had brought with me, suggested I make the purses to sell. I took the hint. About six months later I had stock and began seeking boutiques to carry some of my line. It started with one and a year and a half later I had another store. Since then I have been looking for more opportunities.

The name stems from my fascination with and spiritual pursuits into Christianity. I spent some time considering Catholicism and it spilled over into my creative life. The name comes from a desire to be authoritative and distinctive. So much so, that my product will be easily recognized. 1983, commemorates my younger brother's birth year. Unfortunately I found out I was off by two years long after I had committed to the name. I choose not to change because the branding has begun and adjusting might cause problems.

Constantine is the sewing arm of my creative pursuits. Items are 100% handmade from 70% to 95% recycled materials. One source for fabrics is local second hand shops such as Christian Community Action, Good Will or Denton Thrift. They usually provide a fine selection of draperies, bedding and table cloths that have to be taken apart, washed and pressed before they are able to be used. Other notable accents come as donations from friends and colleagues: scraps and discards from upholstery jobs, garment construction, and quilt production. What fills in is yardage bought from the marked down shelves in the fabric district on Harry Hines. The 5% to 30% is made up by metal fixtures and cast clasps, batting, thread, vintage and handmade buttons. All patterns for each purse are original and sole property of N.A. Jones.

Because of the nature of using rare or limited finds, the purses, backpacks, tapestries or quilts are all one of a kind. Any discoloration or distress in the fabric becomes a part of the charm of the piece. Each piece is either stamped or signed and treated like a work of art.

Jones has permanently resided in Texas for 20 years. She lives with her mother in a lakeside community north of Dallas, Texas.

Jones was born in an urban borough of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Having moved to the suburbs during her formative years, Jones would grow up at a distance from Pittsburgh’s major cultural centers. Visits to the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History at age six planted a seed that would burrow deep and slowly grow over the next twenty years.

Taking art seriously did not begin till her undergraduate career began at Hiram College in Ohio. After spending lengthy nights working away in the art building, Jones found her niche in abstract expression. Through intaglio, woodblock printing, painting and ceramics she found a way to codify a process for creating work. The more she experimented, the more people began to notice the range in her development. Taking note of her direction and quiet fascination of his work, George Schroeder, the art department chair, introduced her to the techniques of collage.

Years later during graduate school at Texas Woman’s University, Jones would take that quiet introduction to collage and Schroeder’s techniques to heart. Collage, photomontage, assemblage and dumpster diving would become the bedrock upon which a staid technique and principle creative philosophy would be founded. The philosophy had become entrenched in reasoning the blending of disparate materials, media and techniques into one cohesive creation. The reasons behind the content in the constructs are taken from Jones’ personal journals.

After completing the Master of Fine Arts degree successfully, Jones would return to the discipline of her first Masters, Library Science. She served as a librarian in both academic and public fields for almost four years. Within the last year of librarianship she decided to turn her sights back to her first love, art. Life lent her encouragement and has been collecting materials and developing the direction of her new body of work since 2007.

Constantine began as a fledgling project during the Winter of 2008-2009. Beginning with a simple design based on a mail carrier’s delivery bag, Jones started the company with a few sales and enough public interest to pursue establishing a sewing studio and garnering clients. With more experience, honed technique and new designs, Constantine has developed into producing not only purses, but also tapestries, quilts and other soft decorative furnishings. In the past three years Constantine has been carried by two boutiques: 2nd Chance in Denton on the Square and Ten of Arts in Old Town Carrollton.

Biography

Curriculum Vitae Highlights 

Education2004 Master of Fine Arts Painting Texas Woman’s University

Denton, Texas2002 Master of Library Science Library Science Texas Woman’s University

Denton, Texas1994 Bachelor of Arts Painting Hiram College

Hiram, Ohio1997 Painting Richland College

Dallas, Texas1995-1996 Painting Texas Woman’s University

Denton, TexasAreas of SpecializationCollage, Assemblage, Chine Colle, Monoprinting, Linoleum Block Printing, Altered Books, Papier Mache, Grants Research, Dreamwork, Comparative Spirituality

New ProjectsHaltom City, Texas and The Colony , Texas Herbalism; Ethnobotany; “The Medicine Wars”- Creating a medicine trail maps and stories by gathering maps and

information on medicinal herbs and peoples who use them within the areas I live. The second part is to create a series of woodblock prints of the herbs I have come to learn in field work and practice. The third part of “The Medicine Wars” Project is to learn and create recipes for cooking and medicinal use as cross referenced with contemporary medical knowledge. The fourth part of this project is to learn older farming methods and create new and practical solutions for current problems. Orthinology and bird watching is an integrated endeavor into this project.

    CollectionsInternational Museum of Collage and Assemblage, Cuernavaca, MexicoHiram College, Hiram, OhioArt Landing Gallery, Dallas, TexasMr. J. Crump, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaMr. G. Hill, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaMs. B. Jones, The Colony, TexasMs. T. McKissack, Dallas, Texas