Rebecca Wittman

Clothing and home goods

7KT Line

My newest line is a collection of home goods, inspired by a salvaged speed limit sign that once stood at the north end of Seattle's Lake Union. 7kt is the universal speed limit for slowing down on waterways. I had long ago photographed that sign and begun making fabrics from the photo, from which I constructed pillows (a popular item with my friends in the boating community) and linen dishtowels. It was my way of thinking about slowing down after a lifetime of go-go-go. I made a line of greeting cards based on the sign, and have made cocktail party napkins, tote bags, and various other soft goods from the print.

The salvaged sign itself actually came into my possession when a friend, whose houseboat was moored on the dock that held the sign, told me it had been replaced and she had saved the sign for me! It now presides over my studio.

The salvaging of the sign inspired a new division of the 7kt line, "Salvage Couture." I've spent the last 8 years constructing two successive homes, and the vast collection of materials I've salvaged from those projects provides infinite inspiration for many art forms: pillows, papier mache, jewelry, home décor, lamps, etc. Those projects are the mainstay of my studio and shop work now, and when I'm not painting and trimming out the final parts of my house I'm in the shop and studio finding new ways to interpret old leftovers from my construction journeys.