I adore the design of the 70s because I am a child of the 70s.
For most of that decade, I grew up in a fabulous house in southern California with shag carpet and an avocado-colored fridge. It had an intercom that you could press a button to talk to other rooms of the house. The 70s has a reputation for delighting in color. Inheriting the psychedelic palette of the 60s, it embraced a new sensibility of on how to work with brown, rust and mustard at the same time. In short: combine them excessively. In a poncho. With fringe. Wear that poncho proudly.
This is the 70s aesthetic…and I love it.
Relish the tasteless?
Design is continual. Everything that catches our eye today will soon enough look “of a certain time period”. Instead of resenting the old and calling it names like “dated” and “tasteless”, I relish it. I salute the colors that speak with the familiarity of childhood. Devote yourself to thinking back on the world as it was when you were young. By comparing and contrasting how things were with how things are, we can notice the passage of time. This act of noticing stops our lives from becoming a blur.
Finding the familiar is a gift you give yourself. Do you enjoy the hunt of a gas station sign, seeking out roadside antique shops for just the right one? Are you a collector of delicate porcelain figurines, as Laura Ingalls Wilder’s mother was? Our souls thrive on the occasional comfort of nostalgia.
For the MU Staff Arts and Crafts Show (flyer PDF), I’ll be displaying the 1970s retro crochet pieces I’ve worked on all year. I focused on the colors that come from my personal history: creative ways to say I celebrate the way the world was when I arrived.
I await the show eagerly. I look forward to having fun laughing with people about the outrageous hues and vibrant combinations. I will even be wearing a special outfit during the grand opening reception on May 20 at noon…hope to see you there!
Blessing
Lord, thank you for our life in full color!
We thrive in celebrating and expressing
ourselves in how we create our clothes
and decorate our homes.
Thank you for change.
Thank you for longing.
Thank you for remembering how it was so
we can even better appreciate
how it is now.
Tell me your thoughts!
What brings you happiness to think back on?
Light to grow in; reflections by Genevieve Howard 
I love this! We had crocheted vests & ponchos, and I remember the variegated yarn that went from cream through orange to brown. Same color scheme for my first dorm set of towels and bedspread, then I carried it on into the bold stripes I painted on our floor’s study lounge. I had been cringing at the memories, but your column made me smile! Hope to come see your opening and your work. I think I’ll wear the macrame necklace my aunt made. Remember the hanging plant holders with beads and anything else we could fashion out of macrame cord? And they still make Mod Podge. Peace out.
Yeah, macrame! With pots and pots of spider plants and Boston ferns everywhere. You will love seeing the craft book I will have on display. Thanks for your fun comment–looking forward to seeing you!
Sounds groovy! Wish I could be there! Have a boss time.
Thank you–I will get pics so you can enjoy the show from a distance. Polaroids of course.
I’m bummed I won’t be able to make it! Let your outrageous colors brighten your every day!
Loved your display and the wonderful colors and memories of the 70s!
Very vibrant post! I am going to share with the other Yarn People I know.