tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90188825375340680742024-03-13T10:04:27.216-04:00Potomac Fiber Arts GalleryThe Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery is a cooperative gallery in the Torpedo Factory Art Center in historic Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
We have eleven juried shows each year that exhibit all forms of fiber work including weaving, knitting, crocheting, sewing, and surface design. Our textile artists use materials such as yarn, fabric, paper, thread, wire, metal, and glass to create unique and original jewelry, wall hangings, clothing, sculpture, accessories and many other inventive works of art.Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-4907215847268166902012-05-26T21:52:00.000-04:002012-05-26T21:52:40.378-04:00Thread Painting<br />
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One of the artworks honored by the jurors for the Techno Fiber show was <a href="http://www.jbast.com/">Joanne Strehle Bast's</a> thread painting, Marshall's Point Light. I asked Joanne to tell us about her process for creating these wonderful pictures.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--K-Th7hOfos/T8GGLG8BMrI/AAAAAAAABmA/keQop6Qwrsc/s1600/f047StreetScenePortugalDtl_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--K-Th7hOfos/T8GGLG8BMrI/AAAAAAAABmA/keQop6Qwrsc/s320/f047StreetScenePortugalDtl_web.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joanne Strehle Bass, Street Scene, Portugal (detail)</td></tr>
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Joanne begins with a photograph she has taken, usually while traveling. She crops the photo and adjusts it using Photoshop to enhance the desired details. She then uses her inkjet printer to print it on cotton fabric that has been treated so that the inks do not run when wet. She stiffens the printed cotton by backing it with canvas or duck cloth cut on the bias; the edges are turned back to finish the sides.</div>
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Joanne then stitches over the image on her sewing machine set to free motion. This means that the teeth that usually advance the fabric, the "feed dogs," are dropped and the usual presser foot is replaced with a darning foot. This setup means that the motion of the fabric is completely hand-controlled. The stiffening precludes the need for a hoop, which would be needed for free motion stitching on a single layer of fabric.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aEppCAso3b4/T8GD0FE_H8I/AAAAAAAABl4/5H-YxrARgZk/s1600/F044WindowBoxGeraniums_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aEppCAso3b4/T8GD0FE_H8I/AAAAAAAABl4/5H-YxrARgZk/s320/F044WindowBoxGeraniums_web.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joanne Strehle Bast, Window Box Geraniums</td></tr>
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Joanne changes thread colors hundreds of times in the course of making one of these stitched paintings in order to blend the colors, just like changing pigments in a traditional oil, acrylic or watercolor painting. She uses a thinner thread, either black or white, in the bobbin to help prevent the build up of thread on the back of her work. Texture can be produced by changing the thread tension, perhaps tightening the top tension to pull up thread loops on the front of the piece to suggest foliage. Changes in texture can also be achieved by changing the direction of stitching–back and forth, up and down, circular, or even zig zag. A certain amount of distortion to the size of the original picture is unavoidable due to these changes in the direction of the stitching. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D6Txms4OI3Y/T8GG54IsryI/AAAAAAAABmI/1Qu_tWiZrt8/s1600/f033LazySailboat_1100_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D6Txms4OI3Y/T8GG54IsryI/AAAAAAAABmI/1Qu_tWiZrt8/s320/f033LazySailboat_1100_web.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joanne Strehle Bast, Lazy Sailboat</td></tr>
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Joanne uses a copy of the photo on paper as reference, as the stitching soon obscures the original fabric photo. The photo is not an absolute, but may be altered as the stitching progresses. Changes are made to suit the overall effect desired. <br />
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When the stitching is done, the thread painting is steamed and ironed flat (unless flatness is not desired, as in the puppy dog's eyes) and stitched to a fabric-covered piece of heavy craft interfacing. The picture-interfacing ensemble is then stitched to a larger piece of fabric which is then laced around acid free foamcore and framed. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gnhYMoGwI8Y/T8GDylfcF0I/AAAAAAAABlw/0qbqfu_VMIY/s1600/F020PlayWithMe_Joanne+Bast_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gnhYMoGwI8Y/T8GDylfcF0I/AAAAAAAABlw/0qbqfu_VMIY/s320/F020PlayWithMe_Joanne+Bast_web.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joanne Strehle Bast, Play with Me</td></tr>
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I hope you've enjoyed this discussion of thread painting and can come to the Gallery to see examples of Joanne's work using this technique.</div>Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-76259532730136703302012-05-22T22:09:00.000-04:002012-05-22T22:09:10.170-04:00Techno FiberMonday was jury day at the Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery. The theme for the new show was Techno Fiber. This lent itself to a variety of interpretations, everything from weaving done on computer-controlled looms to a silk scarf with an image of a computer chip. I'm going to give an overview of the show today and will return later this week with a longer discussion of one of the techniques.<br />
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The jurors selected three pieces for honors. Masha Kosmos used an actual microchip as design inspiration for a soft silk scarf; hardware becomes soft wear!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4m9PPKpFWWU/T7w-6YgQCII/AAAAAAAABlY/AGfbSsdiItw/s1600/May2012Kosmos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4m9PPKpFWWU/T7w-6YgQCII/AAAAAAAABlY/AGfbSsdiItw/s1600/May2012Kosmos.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masha Kosmos, silk scarf</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.blueloomdesigns.com/">Ruth Blau</a> used graphics programs for her design. She imported it into weaving software and hand wove it on a computer-assisted loom. Her hand-dyed warp yarns contribute to the beauty of her scarf.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YrfXtK1fATc/T7w-5_k82pI/AAAAAAAABlQ/P2EZuPSIY9A/s1600/May2012Blau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YrfXtK1fATc/T7w-5_k82pI/AAAAAAAABlQ/P2EZuPSIY9A/s1600/May2012Blau.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruth Blau, woven scarf</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.jbast.com/">Joanne Bast</a> started with a photo, manipulated it several ways with PhotoShop and printed it onto fabric. She took the fabric to her sewing machine and hand guided the stitching with carefully chosen thread colors to create a fantastic wall piece.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NHaJHEbAGxk/T7w-5ST8B2I/AAAAAAAABlI/cXGnDWmvCgk/s1600/May2012Bast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NHaJHEbAGxk/T7w-5ST8B2I/AAAAAAAABlI/cXGnDWmvCgk/s1600/May2012Bast.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joanne Bast, Marshall's Point Light</td></tr>
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Several other Gallery members entered scarves woven on computer-assisted looms. Here is a display of several:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c3lh54ysYr4/T7xCIjTi7UI/AAAAAAAABlk/H7HM0LMvb2c/s1600/woven+scarves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c3lh54ysYr4/T7xCIjTi7UI/AAAAAAAABlk/H7HM0LMvb2c/s1600/woven+scarves.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Various artists, Techno scarves</td></tr>
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There's a wide range of patterning and complexity shown in these scarves. If you want to read more about computer-assisted weaving, Larry Novak wrote a series of posts on the subject last year. The first of these is available <a href="http://potomacfiberarts.blogspot.com/2011/03/computers-in-weaving.html">here</a> and links to the later posts.</div>Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-1319269006160980312012-05-15T13:25:00.000-04:002012-05-15T13:25:38.062-04:00More Color Choices<br />
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I asked several additional Gallery artists how they choose colors for their nonrepresentational work. Here's what I learned.</div>
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Silk painter <a href="http://www.claragraves.com/">Clara Graves</a> told me "When I create one of the woven pieces from my New Worlds series, I have no plan in mind at all. I simply go to my collection of painted silks and pull colors that appeal to me. This is usually quite a large and colorful pile of silk. As I go through them again and again, a particular color pattern within the fabrics attracts me and I begin working to find other pieces of silk that will work with that initial piece. Sometimes I want to subdue it a bit, as in the area of blue green blended with the violet in the piece below.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--INJBgz-Z_I/T7KLZkxjWZI/AAAAAAAABkc/OlRuruV27uU/s1600/Graves+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--INJBgz-Z_I/T7KLZkxjWZI/AAAAAAAABkc/OlRuruV27uU/s1600/Graves+image.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clara Graves, Toward the Sun</td></tr>
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"Not wanting the whole work to be too quiet, I then put together some more vibrant and complementary silks to play off against that original section of the piece."</div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.designerfabrications.com/">Anne Sanderoff-Walker</a>, a weaver and felter, says "</span>Weaving is all about color. I find inspiration everywhere. I remember when I was a kid, blue and green were never seen together, but looking at a bluebird sky and the trees in leaf, it seems so obvious that green and blue should be used together and I do. Recently I’ve been going outside my color comfort zone and using reds, oranges and pinks together. Now that I’m comfortable with the “hot” colors, I need to look beyond my newest comfort zone for something new."</div>
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Anne often decides the colors in her woven work by her selection of yarns. Sometimes she defers the decision on color by weaving a white garment, then dyeing it, as seen in the shawl below, which was dyed using a fold and clamp (shibori) technique. She says that "<span class="s2">This is my newest passion in use of color. Every time I dye I look forward to the surprise results."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cjvl4U17_JU/T7KNV77wahI/AAAAAAAABks/e6OCfch7xKA/s1600/Sanderoff-Walker+shawl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cjvl4U17_JU/T7KNV77wahI/AAAAAAAABks/e6OCfch7xKA/s320/Sanderoff-Walker+shawl.jpg" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne Sanderoff-Walker, shawl</td></tr>
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Janet Barnard is a weaver, silk dyer, garment maker, and silk paper sculptor. Her palette is distinctive. She says that her color choices change with the day and whether she is weaving or dyeing because the colors interact very differently in these techniques. She continues that "I prefer darker palettes as opposed to pastel, and muted colors as opposed to primary ones. Since I rarely use real images, I can play with color and be surprised with what I get."</div>
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Here are examples of two of Janet's recent dyed fabrics:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bC-BE53hJDc/T7KNzlu8SUI/AAAAAAAABk0/1fUtn3_7nIA/s1600/Barnard+photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bC-BE53hJDc/T7KNzlu8SUI/AAAAAAAABk0/1fUtn3_7nIA/s320/Barnard+photo+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janet Barnard, silkscreened cloth</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fd9xEcUR430/T7KN2c4Zj3I/AAAAAAAABk8/r_VYd5YtZ1s/s1600/Barnard+photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fd9xEcUR430/T7KN2c4Zj3I/AAAAAAAABk8/r_VYd5YtZ1s/s320/Barnard+photo+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janet Barnard, silkscreened cloth</td></tr>
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You can see examples of Janet's other work and other color choices in our January blog post on <a href="http://potomacfiberarts.blogspot.com/2012/01/wondrous-lustrous-silk.html">Wondrous, Lustrous Silk</a>. </div>Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-62700611925244410442012-05-11T22:26:00.000-04:002012-05-15T11:10:21.658-04:00Color Choices<br />
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One important aspect of any work of art is color. We respond to the hues selected (red, blue, etc.) and their values (pale, dark, or something between). Many books have been written on color choices in art and we all have preferred colors for our clothes and our homes. This month, our gallery theme was Van Gogh's painting of irises. Many of the members who responded to the theme did so by using the colors of the painting rather than the actual image of an iris.</div>
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Janet Stollnitz told me "I looked at Van Gogh’s painting, “Irises,” a number of times. I liked the colors, but was unsure of what I could weave that would relate to the painting. Since most loom-controlled weaving does not easily lend itself to pictorial images as the interlacement of the yarns is horizontal (the weft) and vertical (the warp), I thought in terms of color, texture, and structure of the cloth rather than representational images. In the midst preparing hand-dyed yarns for sale at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, I noticed a skein of hand-dyed Tencel that reminded me of the colors in the painting. The yarn had shades of purple, green, blue, and a little yellow–perfect! A woven scarf would require more yarn than I had in the single skein. Looking through my stash of commercially dyed yarns I spotted a cone of yarn that was a beautiful blue–sky. I also found some hand-dyed purple and green silk yarns–more irises. I decided to “feature” the variegated yarn by not only making it a wide stripe, but also using a textured weave structure. The additional silk yarns were narrower stripes woven as different twills. Wanting to emphasize the purple of the irises, I used a solid color purple silk for the weft. Although my scarf doesn’t say Van Gogh’s “Irises,” it definitely was influenced by the painting."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MD2JZZjVyoM/T63EONNadlI/AAAAAAAABjk/8fWCiZF0YDk/s1600/Irises+1+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MD2JZZjVyoM/T63EONNadlI/AAAAAAAABjk/8fWCiZF0YDk/s320/Irises+1+detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janet Stollnitz, scarf (detail)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PTcuLmVg434/T63ESrQ3xMI/AAAAAAAABjs/A2yo_TIxNVg/s1600/Irises+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PTcuLmVg434/T63ESrQ3xMI/AAAAAAAABjs/A2yo_TIxNVg/s320/Irises+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janet Stollnitz, scarf</td></tr>
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Another artist who worked from the colors of the painting was Masha Kosmos, who submitted a bolero. Though Masha often does pictorial work, in this case she used the colors of irises rather than their image.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lBKMF6U1Hm0/T7Jxtfzd9nI/AAAAAAAABkQ/TYsc3JDPZBY/s1600/Kosmos+Bolero(photo+by+Alexander+Fedin).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lBKMF6U1Hm0/T7Jxtfzd9nI/AAAAAAAABkQ/TYsc3JDPZBY/s320/Kosmos+Bolero(photo+by+Alexander+Fedin).jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masha Kosmos, bolero<br />Photograph by Alexander Fedin</td></tr>
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I also asked members of our gallery how they choose colors for their nonrepresentational work, which could be in any colors of the rainbow, when there isn't a theme that suggests particular colors. Here is Janet Stollnitz's response to that question:</div>
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"Floris asked how I usually decide on colors for my scarves, my procedure when there isn’t a theme. Do I go my yarn stash and pull some colors that I like together? Do I start with an inspiration such as a picture or a flower? Do I start with the color wheel? Working backwards, it is extremely rare that I look at the color wheel. Sometimes I am inspired by a picture or a flower. Sometimes I look at my yarn stash and put together a collection of yarns that I think would work together. More often my color selection is a combination of inspiration from an exhibit and what yarns are available in my stash. However, my stash is easily changed as I often dye my yarns."</div>
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In my own work, art quilts, I sometimes start with a fabric I love and pull other fabrics from my stash of hand-dyes to complement it. An example of this is "Spring View," which began with the mottled rosy fabric in the "windows."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Whlu4pFmA90/T63GHWRL-OI/AAAAAAAABj8/WSrGtjJHA3Y/s1600/Spring+View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Whlu4pFmA90/T63GHWRL-OI/AAAAAAAABj8/WSrGtjJHA3Y/s320/Spring+View.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floris Flam, Spring View</td></tr>
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In other cases, I begin with a painting I like and choose colors from my stash that echo those in the painting, though not necessarily in the same proportions. For my collage, "Wind Dance," I started with a Rothko painting (Untitled, 1949) and chose fabrics in many textures–hand-dyed cotton and silk organza, painted cheesecloth, Lutradur®, and Gossamer–in the colors of the painting. </div>
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Choosing in this way sometimes leads me to colors and combinations outside my usual palette.</div>
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<br /></div>Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-35059166397537326392012-05-02T21:51:00.001-04:002012-05-02T21:51:47.442-04:00Gretchen Klimoski's Iris-Inspired Jacket<br />
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<span class="s1">This is Floris Flam, your May blog editor. Today we are going to look at the work of Gretchen Klimoski, whose jacket, <i>Iris in a Clifton Garden</i>, won a jurors' recognition award in our show of work inspired by Van Gogh's painting of irises. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gretchen Klimoski. <i>Iris in a Clifton Garden</i></td></tr>
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I asked Gretchen to tell us about her work and her process for designing and making her wearable art.<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Gretchen told me "I created <i>Toad Hollow Designs</i> after moving to Virginia in 1965 after a long history in the field of historic preservation and serving as a consultant in nonprofit management. Realizing that this area didn’t need another consultant, I followed a friend to <i>Design With Heart</i>, a fiber arts conference in Santa Fe. Inspired by so many creative women, I returned home and began to experiment with designs and techniques. While I had sewn my own clothes for many years, my only try at original design was “designing” new clothing for my paper dolls by cutting up my older sister’s <i>Seventeen</i> magazines. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">"Since 1995 I have explored many surface design techniques but have become very fascinated with all things Japanese. It all began when I found a merchant on Cape Cod who imported bales of kimono, sold the “best of the best” and took the rest apart to sell as fabric. I was hooked!!! Soon I found that the stains and wear and tear of many of these salvaged fabrics limited their use and I now purchase unused kimono bolts from Japan. Staying in my “Japan” frame of mind I began to experiment with sashiko, the quilting technique of northern Japan. I now us this running stitch technique to re-create traditional – and not so traditional – patterns on many of my designs. I love the rhythmic flow of the needle through the fiber and can almost meditate while I sew.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YdCxN7qxERs/T6HirP0J2gI/AAAAAAAABjI/JyG37s1BBLY/s1600/Vest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YdCxN7qxERs/T6HirP0J2gI/AAAAAAAABjI/JyG37s1BBLY/s320/Vest.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gretchen Klimoski. Sashiko on raw silk vest</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">"Aside from the kimono fabric, I am an opportunity shopper. I love ethnic fabrics of all sorts, particularly the ikats of southeast Asia and the rough hewn weavings of parts of Africa. I sort fabrics into related piles by color and fiber and just sit back and let them speak to me. That is how <i>Iris in a Clifton Garden</i> came to be. With the theme of the show in my head my gaze settled on this lovely violet dupioni silk – what could better convey iris in a garden?"</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeWPgg6eyIE/T6HjOSKE5uI/AAAAAAAABjQ/lzn-40rNvMg/s1600/Detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeWPgg6eyIE/T6HjOSKE5uI/AAAAAAAABjQ/lzn-40rNvMg/s320/Detail.JPG" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gretchen Klimoski. Detail of <i>Iris in a Clifton Garden</i></td></tr>
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<span class="s1">Gretchen doesn't confine her work to ethnic fabrics and sashiko stitching. Here is a hand-painted raincoat she made:</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-znz_1pfv_wI/T6HjkTN1ffI/AAAAAAAABjY/jxG9nDwM4AA/s1600/Raincoat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-znz_1pfv_wI/T6HjkTN1ffI/AAAAAAAABjY/jxG9nDwM4AA/s320/Raincoat.JPG" width="232" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">I hope you can visit our gallery and see Gretchen's work. <i>Iris in a Clifton Garden</i> has already gone home with one of our customers, but you'll find Gretchen's other work and that of our other talented members when you come. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-37958330591088307382012-04-27T11:41:00.000-04:002012-04-27T11:41:05.575-04:00Shades of Van Gogh's Irises<a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img alt="AddThis Social Bookmark Button" border="0" height="16" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a>Monday was the Potomac Fiberarts Gallery near monthly jury day. SAll work leaves the gallery and an entirely new body of work enters. Each piece is individually juried for acceptance on the basis of artistic quality and technique. This month our theme is Van Gogh's Irises. While not all work needs to be theme related, it is encouraged. <script type="text/javascript">
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First,Van Gogh's iris painting:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8qMq3TAykQU/T5qzn8ZkcXI/AAAAAAAABg4/QpNHHIIewDg/s1600/IrisesPS-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8qMq3TAykQU/T5qzn8ZkcXI/AAAAAAAABg4/QpNHHIIewDg/s320/IrisesPS-web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Three works were singled out as especially outstanding.<br />
Gretchen Klimoski"s hand stitched and beaded silk jacket "Iris in a Clifton Garden":<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U3zvzSpUPiU/T5q1QRXoSNI/AAAAAAAABhA/Hq5yZHaXzNU/s1600/P1040384.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U3zvzSpUPiU/T5q1QRXoSNI/AAAAAAAABhA/Hq5yZHaXzNU/s320/P1040384.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
Joan Hutten's "Irises", hand dyed felted scarf.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-na2hBBIA3Rs/T5q1RSBddzI/AAAAAAAABhI/b9REooj-k5c/s1600/P1040386.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-na2hBBIA3Rs/T5q1RSBddzI/AAAAAAAABhI/b9REooj-k5c/s320/P1040386.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
And Roz Houseknecht's "Purple Iris", nuno felted wool and silk scarf.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Otj5gcj7nVA/T5q1SMrijyI/AAAAAAAABhQ/_PWAkok06pE/s1600/P1040388.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Otj5gcj7nVA/T5q1SMrijyI/AAAAAAAABhQ/_PWAkok06pE/s320/P1040388.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Many more iris theme items include: Silk scarves by Lubna Zahid (hand painted) and Joanne Bast (stitched)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mv5SEKmIZ3o/T5q2TdQQ6ZI/AAAAAAAABhY/qgPTErJEE3U/s1600/_DSC9716LubnaBastScarves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mv5SEKmIZ3o/T5q2TdQQ6ZI/AAAAAAAABhY/qgPTErJEE3U/s320/_DSC9716LubnaBastScarves.jpg" width="119" /></a></div>
Beaded Necklace by Zoya Gutina<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hkeqKK7jmm4/T5q2UOlt7II/AAAAAAAABhg/XK6GepQOVSQ/s1600/_DSC9720ZoyaNecklace_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hkeqKK7jmm4/T5q2UOlt7II/AAAAAAAABhg/XK6GepQOVSQ/s320/_DSC9720ZoyaNecklace_web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hand painted scarf by Anna Yakubovskaya</div>
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Pieced and stitched Tote bag by Beverly Baker</div>
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Nuno felted silk Bolero "Spring" by Masha Kosmos<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-804vzYCVSfs/T5q2WTnYF2I/AAAAAAAABh4/PUSBfwfNDQ8/s1600/_DSC9727Kosmos,Blau_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-804vzYCVSfs/T5q2WTnYF2I/AAAAAAAABh4/PUSBfwfNDQ8/s320/_DSC9727Kosmos,Blau_web.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
Wool Felted neckpiece by Masha Kosmos<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NUtuuIPHJM/T5q2XAqjYgI/AAAAAAAABiA/ZrOSJ1zONEY/s1600/_DSC9730alteredKosmosNeck_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NUtuuIPHJM/T5q2XAqjYgI/AAAAAAAABiA/ZrOSJ1zONEY/s320/_DSC9730alteredKosmosNeck_web.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
Cotton Necklace by Kathleen Thompson<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ImgLrAnQF9I/T5q6MxceZqI/AAAAAAAABic/BZOwenHEc50/s1600/_DSC9733KathleenThompsonNeck_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ImgLrAnQF9I/T5q6MxceZqI/AAAAAAAABic/BZOwenHEc50/s320/_DSC9733KathleenThompsonNeck_web.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="204" /></a> <br />
Iris colored Hand woven scarf by Janet Stollnitz<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wLfS7Py5C84/T5q6YdWvDlI/AAAAAAAABik/STgD25ByP4c/s1600/_DSC9741ScarfJStollnitz_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wLfS7Py5C84/T5q6YdWvDlI/AAAAAAAABik/STgD25ByP4c/s320/_DSC9741ScarfJStollnitz_web.jpg" width="114" /></a></div>
Hand painted silk adhered to the back of a glass platter by Lubna Zahid<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0YWTFtFPanM/T5q6kdTRsXI/AAAAAAAABis/9tapM_8mwtU/s1600/_DSC9745LubnaZahidPlate_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0YWTFtFPanM/T5q6kdTRsXI/AAAAAAAABis/9tapM_8mwtU/s320/_DSC9745LubnaZahidPlate_web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the past 4-5 years, a spring theme has been a classic painting and it always stimulates the creativity of out members. Joanne</div>
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<br />Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-92201724258156414862012-04-21T19:45:00.000-04:002012-04-21T19:47:41.416-04:00More Nuno felt and new Gallery Theme-Van Gogh's Irises<a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img alt="AddThis Social Bookmark Button" border="0" height="16" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a>I have a wonderful nuno felted neckpiece by Masha Kosmos to share. She states that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">The basis of this Necklace is 100% natural silk hand felted with very soft merino wool and silk fibers and Decorated with tears beads.</span><script type="text/javascript">
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The front of the Necklace, from the top to the bottom is 6 inches deep.</div>
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The Length of this Necklace is about 21 inches. </div>
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It is time for the Gallery to close the previous themed show and jury in another. The theme for the April-May show which will begin on Monday is Van Gogh's Irises. For the past few years, each spring we have selected a classic painting and encouraged members to interpret it in fiberart. I have some previews of works to be submitted to the next gallery show:</div>
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First, Masha has told me that she has made a nuno felt bolero for the Van Gogh exhibition but has not as yet photographed it.</div>
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Second, Joan Hutten has created a shawl based on iris colors. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> It is wet felted with hand dyed wool fleece and angelina fibers in turquoises and lavenders.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Kay Collins selection is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The silk painting is of a German bearded iris growing in her yard. She used silk dyes and painted on china silk with a "dry brush" technique that she has used when painting watercolors as opposed to the traditional silk painting technique of filling a loaded brush of silk dye between lines of gutta drawn on the fabric.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Roz Houseknecht's entry will be a nuno wool on silk scarf.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I (Joanne Bast) also have been working with the iris theme. A freeform machine stitched bowl of sewing threads, a silk scarf with stitched irises, and a felted wool and silk wall hanging.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Van Gogh Iris Exhibition show be an interesting one. Come in if you are local. Check the website is you are not. Joanne</span></div>Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-50627095421367510532012-04-16T15:05:00.000-04:002012-04-16T15:07:00.308-04:00More Nuno felt <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img alt="AddThis Social Bookmark Button" border="0" height="16" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a>I thought that I would follow up my nuno felting workshop with some photos of nuno felt work done by some of out gallery members.<script type="text/javascript">
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Paige Garber and Roz Houseknecht try on nuno felted "boas" made by felting ruffles of wool to a central strip of silk.<br />
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My wool boa (Joanne Strehle Bast) of white wool on white silk.<br />
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Kay Collins has<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> used china silk, silk ribbon and merino tops wool to make the peach-colored nuno-felted scarf. Nuno-felting is called laminated felting by many felt artists. The wool and ribbon are coaxed and imbedded through the woven silk fabric causing a ruching of materials. Hot water and olive oil soap were also used. Friction causes the fibers to migrate creating the felt cloth. The shrinking of the wool causes the ruffling of silk and ribbons which do not shrink.</span><br />
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She<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> used silk chiffon and white merino tops wool to make the peach-colored nuno-felted and hand-painted shawl.</span><br />
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Another of Roz's scarves felting wool flowers onto hand dyed silk.<br />
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Nuno, hybrid or laminated felt produces a lighter weight result than an all wool product, perfect for the upcoming spring weather. Joanne<br />
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<br />Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-71903637207378970442012-04-05T20:56:00.003-04:002012-04-05T20:56:35.269-04:00Hybrid Felt<a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank"><img alt="AddThis Social Bookmark Button" border="0" height="16" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a>Greetings, I am Joanne Bast back as your blogger for the month of April. I just returned from a wonderful workshop on Hybrid Felting given by Anne Vickery Evans as part of the SDA (surface Design Association)/SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) conference in Philadelphia, PA. Hybrid Felt also sometimes known as Nuno Felt is the bonding together of wool fibers with other fibers and/or fabrics. This is me using a thin layer of wool roving to attach small squares of colored silk charmeuse to a background fabric of hand dyed silk gauze.<script type="text/javascript">
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I can't wait to expand on this technique to create items for the Gallery.<br />
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<br />Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-36757259615033927832012-03-16T06:34:00.001-04:002012-03-16T06:34:02.495-04:005, 10, 15 Minutes…Do a Little with a Little<p>Life is so busy. There are meetings to attend, family events to coordinate, projects for work that eat up time and somewhere in there sleep is needed. With all that’s going on,  sometimes  those large chunks of creative time that we think mean so much (and they do) can be lost in the shuffle. </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Zbqd6lNt7Cg/T2MXFnmyRMI/AAAAAAAABcY/2OCbGchDT-0/s1600-h/IMG_1935%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_1935" border="0" alt="IMG_1935" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_WibRm36Xxs/T2MXGRicGPI/AAAAAAAABcg/D2nwQdPS6fU/IMG_1935_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>However, sewing and craft guru Nancy Zieman stresses the practicality of utilizing  smaller chunks of time to do the little things associated with creativity.   Use those precious few minutes to help prepare  for a big project,  organize your planning or  for the business side of your art. </p> <p>Try these examples when there are just a few minutes available:</p> <ul> <li>select  yarns or notions</li> <li>press a yard of fabric</li> <li>layout a pattern</li> <li>mix a small portion of dye</li> <li>wind some bobbins</li> <li>organize  receipts</li> <li>mail a few invoices</li> <li>order supplies</li> <li>read a short chapter in an art book or manual</li> <li>clip or bury a few threads</li> <li>change needles</li> <li>sew on a button or bead</li> <li>organize one small section of your studio</li> <li>clean out the dust/lint in your sewing machine</li> <li>tag some art for the next jury day</li> <li>dust your loom</li> </ul> <p>You get the idea. Don’t just sit there, do something!</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:75bd9a3f-db1e-4946-8b24-1a6908f66a82" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/organize" rel="tag">organize</a></div> Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-20543213852879071352012-03-09T18:09:00.001-05:002012-03-09T18:09:53.240-05:00Spring Color—The Pantone Picks<p>With an unusually mild winter almost a memory, designers and artists are thinking about spring. Spring is a time to refresh and renew and try new things. Exciting new color choices are always a great way to experiment and change direction from the somber shades of the colder months.  </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9-KvmcIffo4/T1qNv4IHutI/AAAAAAAABcI/sZZOmu8edvE/s1600-h/Color%252520Swatches%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Color Swatches" border="0" alt="Color Swatches" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EpgK1PXKrvQ/T1qNwHzBCxI/AAAAAAAABcQ/ipo6G3iVI1I/Color%252520Swatches_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="302" height="212" /></a></p> <p>Pantone, created in 1963, is the world-renowned authority on color and color systems.  They are known for the language for color communication for designers, manufacturers and retailers. Pantone specializes in textiles, plastics, architectural interiors and the ever popular paint chips found in hardware stores, designer studios and art stores. </p> <p>The 2012 selection is dazzling in variations of color and in color names.  Take a look at the names and descriptions they’ve come up with for spring:</p> <p>Tangerine Tango—described as a juicy orange</p> <p>Solar Power—an energetic, cheery, yet deep yellow</p> <p>Bellflower—an ornamental purple</p> <p>Cabaret—a sensual and intense rosy-red</p> <p>Sodalite Blue—a calming, classic maritime hue</p> <p>Cockatoo—a tactile blue green</p> <p>Margarita—a piquant yellow-green</p> <p>Driftwood—an adaptable blend of beige and gray</p> <p>Starfish—a perfect warm summer neutral</p> <p>For more details on the forecast and designer trends, go to <a href="http://www.pantone.com"><font color="#5588aa">http://www.pantone.com</font></a></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:49c5f5f7-1ca4-4f5e-9ae6-70c705958d2f" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/color" rel="tag">color</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Pantone" rel="tag">Pantone</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/spring" rel="tag">spring</a></div> Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-16107516247593246702012-02-29T07:00:00.001-05:002012-02-29T07:00:54.277-05:00Unlocking the Block—Part 3<p>Still struggling? Nothing coming to you? Can’t face your studio? Sometimes it helps to dive in, move some things around or root around in things that are familiar.</p> <p>Floris Flam shares this:</p> <p>I have two different strategies for dealing with creative blocks.</p> <p><em>Sometimes I don't have any idea what my next quilt might be. At those times, I may have been working on a series of quilts, but making another quilt in the series feels as if I'm treading on the same path with nothing new to say. I might focus for a while on other things I make, like card cases or collaged greeting cards. Spending time on these reduces the pressure to come up with a new idea for a major work and sometimes new ideas emerge when I'm not trying so hard.</em></p> <p><em>Another strategy I sometimes use to get back into the creative groove is to use a cut-and-repiece technique I learned several years ago from Cynthia Corbin. I find a fabric I like in my collection of hand-dyes, either one I dyed or one I purchased from another dyer. A half yard or even a fat quarter will work for this. I cut this piece up into pieces of various sizes, keeping the most visually interesting areas intact and slicing the rest into narrow strips or smaller rectangles. I then rearrange the pieces on my design wall to make an interesting composition, add more fabrics as needed, then stitch the pieces together and quilt them. I find that this process can create interesting work even if I don't have any plan when I start.  The two examples below of this technique use hand-dyed fabrics  by Heide Stoll-Weber. </em></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nbP5Gi870y0/T04TciJuYEI/AAAAAAAABbo/a6XkJN8Zy6o/s1600-h/BlueCity%252520%2525281%252529%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-f7PY6ZTNacg/T04Tc8lReYI/AAAAAAAABbw/l2jZ16vaZxY/BlueCity%252520%2525281%252529_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="203" height="244" /></a></p> <p align="center">“Blue City”</p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SkSZ7seYtYs/T04TdIrcKyI/AAAAAAAABb4/0tNprV2bcIQ/s1600-h/Pueblo%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6NTDdTzGceA/T04TdV5fErI/AAAAAAAABcA/dVJX2KqS30I/Pueblo_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="165" /></a></p> <p align="center">“Pueblo”</p> <p align="left">Both Cindy Grisdela and Merle Thompson share a few techniques that they rely upon.</p> <p align="left">Cindy writes:</p> <p align="left"><em>When I have a creative block, I look at old sketches, pull out my most cheerful fabrics and just start cutting and sewing. Sometimes it helps to set a timer for 20 minutes and just sew something. Often when the timer rings, an idea has emerged and I’m off again. I don’t try to make something that’s art, or that I think will sell, or anything else like that. I just go back to the joy of choosing colors and sewing fabrics together.</em></p> <p align="left">Merle shares:</p> <p align="left"><em>When I  hit a design block for my simple purses or jackets, I haul out my thick files of pictures that I’ve ripped out of magazines. I’ll pick out a color scheme here, or a pleat there, and outline here, an abstract sign there. And soon, I have a new idea. </em></p> <p align="left">Floris, Cindy and Merle  all relied on finding inspiration within their studios or home. Things that they already had near. You can never underestimate the power of what’s present and at your fingertips. It doesn’t cost anything extra and you don’t have to get in your car and go anywhere. Just look around.</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:1c0444be-2a18-4195-8d03-d19db153a1b8" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/creative+block" rel="tag">creative block</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Grisdela" rel="tag">Grisdela</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Flam" rel="tag">Flam</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Thompson" rel="tag">Thompson</a></div> Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-9840887933312811452012-02-27T06:29:00.001-05:002012-02-27T06:29:39.050-05:00February Gallery Show: Songs in One’s Head—part 3<p>The theme for the February 2012 show is “Songs in One’s Head. Artists were asked to create work based on the titles and phrases from songs that they love. </p> <p>Roz Houseknecht’s “Singing in the Rain”, a nuno felted shawl, was selected for recognition. The Jurors stated that the shawl danced with color. And what an appropriate description since the song was made famous by Gene Kelly’s famous dance with an umbrella on a rainy day. </p> <p>Roz’s chosen technique, nuno or laminated felt,  happens when wool fibers dive through the cloth which is then moistened with warm soapy water and gently rolled in bubble plastic. When the fibers begin to hold the patchwork pieces together, the puckering starts and the cloth and fibers felt together.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xsJEKJJ8ifo/T0to_FjpOeI/AAAAAAAABaI/nrVnG3ZrbNI/s1600-h/Houseknecht_-_Singing2.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto; padding-top: 0px" title="Houseknecht_-_Singing" border="0" alt="Houseknecht_-_Singing" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--y241x5UoaI/T0to_T5tgMI/AAAAAAAABaM/YJ3QB9YxhLc/Houseknecht_-_Singing_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="231" height="244" /></a></p> <p>Roz provided some insight about her techniques through a picture story board. She selects a fabric and lays many fibers over the fabric. This fabric had umbrellas in the pattern so, she replicated those shapes with the fibers.</p> <p> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-b5qKM0SnROk/T0to_iC7bCI/AAAAAAAABaY/2CVvcWoA7Ao/s1600-h/Fiber%252520Layers--1%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Fiber Layers--1" border="0" alt="Fiber Layers--1" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DhlPHXJ6kcE/T0to_yyvVhI/AAAAAAAABag/t6icDbz9jM8/Fiber%252520Layers--1_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="168" height="133" /></a></p> <p align="center">      <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-bdm9yDGPjUk/T0tpAIUUevI/AAAAAAAABao/1xOls4KjIys/s1600-h/Fiber%252520Layers--umbrellas-2%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Fiber Layers--umbrellas-2" border="0" alt="Fiber Layers--umbrellas-2" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2Ohoq5qhdt8/T0tpAWwPJeI/AAAAAAAABaw/zrezt5xMX60/Fiber%252520Layers--umbrellas-2_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="161" height="131" /></a></p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left">In the picture below, you can see the completed layout of side one of the shawl with a piece of plastic covering the wet fibers. The fibers are  agitated so that they bond and blend well. </p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-w7FBbIchRgM/T0tpAy3qkTI/AAAAAAAABa4/NqqbaLWoR2M/s1600-h/FIber%252520Layers--plastic%252520layers--3%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="FIber Layers--plastic layers--3" border="0" alt="FIber Layers--plastic layers--3" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ybht_5_MIOk/T0tpBKbUqgI/AAAAAAAABbA/TAJnD__e6Nk/FIber%252520Layers--plastic%252520layers--3_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244" /></a></p> <p align="left">Here is a close up of the fibers after felting and shrinking which causes the puckering texture. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5kS2hwpgW18/T0tpBcsP31I/AAAAAAAABbI/PIL3dIOcr08/s1600-h/Fiber%252520Layers--felting%252520and%252520shrinking--4%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Fiber Layers--felting and shrinking--4" border="0" alt="Fiber Layers--felting and shrinking--4" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DoJyyQPZTfM/T0tpBupcVLI/AAAAAAAABbQ/_XfM7pjXn18/Fiber%252520Layers--felting%252520and%252520shrinking--4_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="184" /></a></p> <p align="left">The completed shawl is reversible and the two sides are distinctly different. One side shows the umbrella pattern and the other shows a more abstract pattern. To truly appreciate the technique and finish of the shawl, go to the gallery and see it. </p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PtNzgYogjo8/T0tpB_eUVbI/AAAAAAAABbY/ZxYhQb1i8ds/s1600-h/Shawl-other%252520side%25255B2%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Shawl-other side" border="0" alt="Shawl-other side" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-w7jK02BO5PE/T0tpCUx-HRI/AAAAAAAABbg/IZJhn5S45GM/Shawl-other%252520side_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244" /></a></p> <p align="left"> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:d8542df1-4420-4422-a08e-ec298b928299" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Houseknecht" rel="tag">Houseknecht</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/nuno" rel="tag">nuno</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/felting" rel="tag">felting</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/songs" rel="tag">songs</a></div></p> Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-58257891163669337432012-02-25T11:29:00.001-05:002012-02-25T11:30:29.894-05:00Unlocking the Block–Part 2<p>When you just can’t get going and nothing new comes to mind  or when you hit a road block in a project, sometimes you just need to step back in order to step forward. Or like my mother used to say when I was little, “for heaven’s sake, keep still”. Now, my mother was usually telling me this while I was wiggling around in church but, this phrase is pretty powerful when considered during unproductive times. Stillness can lead to breakthroughs.</p> <p>Eileen Doughty shares the following:</p> <p><em>“When I have a block, I let it go for a few days to percolate somewhere deep in my head. Eventually, I reach a moment where I am in a quiet place and pose the problem as a question to myself. My mind is open enough to hear the answer at this point. It seems maturing as an artist is being able to hear the answer, whatever it may be. The quiet place can be while falling asleep, taking a walk, but most often seems  to be while taking a shower (Sort of a sensory deprivation chamber?) If it is a really big problem, it helps to go out to a museum or look at art books; it jars something loose and helps me get going again.”</em></p> <p><em></em></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZV6wHn5lR-w/T0kMdPIv_II/AAAAAAAABZ4/gfj9d_ikDOk/s1600-h/photo%252520%2525286%252529%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="photo (6)" border="0" alt="photo (6)" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-edMy0CbCTDI/T0kMdgH-oUI/AAAAAAAABaA/LGegk6y9aq0/photo%252520%2525286%252529_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="229" height="252" /></a></p> <p>A quiet place. Does the mind need a quiet place in order to help move past an issue? Perhaps so. With so much coming at you via the internet and social media, sometimes the mind needs a break from all of the overload.  How often have you  been sitting, just sitting there, not doing much and an idea has popped into your mind? Perhaps while stuck in traffic, you’ve been struck by a new color to try or motif that might work. </p> <p>Go to your favorite park and sit. Take yourself on a date and watch the boats sail along the river. Make a pot of tea, play some quiet music and stare out of a window. You don’t have to go very far to find a space to just be. And, keep a notepad and pen handy for those moments of quiet. An idea is certainly on its way. Just wait and listen.</p> Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-4011188563825449752012-02-22T06:22:00.001-05:002012-02-22T06:23:35.660-05:00Gallery Show: Songs in One’s Head—part 2<p>The theme for the February 2012 show is “Songs in One’s Head”. Artists were asked to create work based on the titles and phrases from songs that they love.</p> <p>Another artist that was selected to receive recognition for her work in this show was Lynn Hoffman.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FBIe1TGePDA/T0TP5z-fSVI/AAAAAAAABZI/E89ifkwqEHI/s1600-h/Hoffamn_-_On_the_Street%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Hoffamn_-_On_the_Street" border="0" alt="Hoffamn_-_On_the_Street" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FWy6v11Vp_8/T0TP6NLjULI/AAAAAAAABZQ/XYd1iKrE7Qg/Hoffamn_-_On_the_Street_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="244" height="187" /></a></p> <p>Lynn received recognition for a body of work that includes “On the Street Where You Live” (above), “Industrial District 2” and “Yellow Submarine”. Her fiber technique is fabric collage which involves </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-r7B-DUNT98Q/T0TP6ufltJI/AAAAAAAABZY/CIVQ8whTjY0/s1600-h/Hoffman_-_Indus_Dist_2%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Hoffman_-_Indus_Dist_2" border="0" alt="Hoffman_-_Indus_Dist_2" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nR2tni6eAO8/T0TP7EtbRsI/AAAAAAAABZg/r44azKwIXzI/Hoffman_-_Indus_Dist_2_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="208" height="160" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DTRL0TlA5jw/T0TP7YfVB8I/AAAAAAAABZo/GlM2UHozQqM/s1600-h/Hoffman_-_Yellow_Sub%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Hoffman_-_Yellow_Sub" border="0" alt="Hoffman_-_Yellow_Sub" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8OvL_HO8QOM/T0TP7ntnTHI/AAAAAAAABZw/v2PrrFn-BB4/Hoffman_-_Yellow_Sub_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="187" height="181" /></a></p> <p>the use of hundreds of small bits of fabric meticulously formed into images and then stitched. This creative style involves hours of carefully placing each piece in order to achieve the color balance, structure and hard edges that form the shapes of her work.</p> <p>In addition to fabric collage, Lynn also enjoys beadwork, crochet, dyeing, felting and quilting. </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:e96845ec-d6dc-49d0-a3c5-7c1e0d6c8509" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Lynn+Hoffman" rel="tag">Lynn Hoffman</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/fabric+collage" rel="tag">fabric collage</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/songs" rel="tag">songs</a></div> Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-14899520167622123032012-02-18T08:28:00.001-05:002012-02-19T09:09:15.591-05:00February Gallery Show: Songs in One’s Head<br />
The theme for the February 2012 show is, “Songs in One’s Head”. Artists were asked to create work based on the titles and phrases from songs that they love.<br />
One of the three artists who received recognition for her work in this show was Anna Yakubovskaya. <br />
Anna’s piece, “Firebird”, is a painted silk scarf of intricate detail. The jury team commented that this piece brought to mind the passion and reverie from Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite”. <br />
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-uYlGxDeMWBE/Tz-nfUSrjZI/AAAAAAAABY4/hqpajLkqct4/s1600-h/Anna_-_Firebird%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Anna_-_Firebird" border="0" height="244" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7nfi3SrR3b8/Tz-nflflEmI/AAAAAAAABZA/i7itAtgZiuI/Anna_-_Firebird_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Anna_-_Firebird" width="92" /></a></div>
When asked about her inspiration for the creation, Anna replied that the firebird is a common character in Russian fairy tales. In her silk painting, she often finds inspiration in Russian folk art. Its naïve simplicity and bright colors always bring pleasure to the eyes and joy to the heart.<br />
<div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:51eb86ad-7973-475c-8ba1-93adfe575f92" style="display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Yakubovskaya" rel="tag">Yakubovskaya</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/silk+painting" rel="tag">silk painting</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/songs" rel="tag">songs</a></div>Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-81831868995972281242012-02-16T21:14:00.001-05:002012-02-16T21:24:09.986-05:00Unlocking The Block- Part 1<p>The creativity is flowing. You’re cutting, you’re dyeing and embellishing. Photos have been transferred and yarn selected. The to-do list is long but, you’re scratching things off as you reach your goals. There aren’t enough hours in the day to finish all that you want to do. What a great feeling. </p> <p>But, what happens when nothing happens? You hit the wall and there are no ideas. Nothing seems to work. Your huge  pile of fabric has lost its inspiration. The new paints you just received seem dull.  No sketches hit your journal and your studio seems hollow. You’re blocked!!  It’s happened to many artists. For some, these spells last for a few hours but for others, weeks and weeks drag on and …still nothing. What do you do? How can you get past this? <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3ZrDOJjqkRQ/Tz24G2qtQxI/AAAAAAAABYY/0FQwaLyf_6w/s1600-h/fabric%252520stack--2%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="fabric stack--2" border="0" alt="fabric stack--2" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eWtjX3UK8GQ/Tz24IaYC9gI/AAAAAAAABYg/NNg4TLbL4FA/fabric%252520stack--2_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="184" height="244" /></a></p> <p>Sometimes the remedy is something that can be handled right away.</p> <p>Tired? Get more sleep. The quickest way to slow the flow of ideas is by trying to work while sleep deprived. </p> <p>Out of Shape? Move around more. Many artists find that time spent on a brisk walk in a nearby park or breathing through a yoga pose clears and unclutters the thought processes.</p> <p>Think you’re alone? You’re not. Call an artist friend and share your anguish. After all, misery loves company and a piece of chocolate.</p> <p>Try a few techniques that Joanne Bast has used when she needs to refresh the artist within: </p> <p>1. Take photos during your travels. Thinking of places you’ve been, especially if it’s another culture with different art emphasis, often sparks ideas. Joanne was actually sending her ideas from Ho Chi Minh City.</p> <p>2. Search out calls for exhibits. Sometimes the titles of the exhibits will give you an idea even if you’re too late to enter that show.</p> <p>3. Current events also yield ideas that can be expressed in art pieces.</p> <p>4. Think of old movies, particularly old musicals, and/or browse catalogues of clothing or dancewear for figure positions and color combinations.</p> <p>5. Root through your stash of materials, beads and yarns and group things that look good together. </p> <p>6. Collage papers, patterns, etc. until something catches your eye.</p> <p>Try one or all of these and see where they take you. There are more ideas coming from others. Stay tuned.</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:81a4c308-0ac1-4afe-8dcc-fc4b4b8e1dec" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/creative+block" rel="tag">creative block</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Joanne+Bast" rel="tag">Joanne Bast</a></div> Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-55339386907307880532012-01-26T22:19:00.000-05:002012-01-26T22:19:00.426-05:00Design decisions<br />
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The fiber art in our gallery is one-of-a-kind. Thought goes into creating each piece. <a href="http://www.doughtydesigns.com/">Eileen Doughty</a> shared the decision process that went into making the silk paper earrings that won a jurors' recognition in our show this month.</div>
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Eileen said, "I was very pleased to receive jurors' recognition for my silk paper earrings, along with Janet and Ann. Though my earrings are obviously smaller and less complex, the process still requires many steps and many artistic decisions. Like all of our gallery's fiber art, these are definitely not mass-produced.</div>
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"Like Janet, I learned to make silk paper from the master - Robin Russo. I buy her dyed tussah in a variety of hues. I choose which colors to combine into a paper, and add embellishments such as specialty threads or dried flower petals.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">silk paper</td></tr>
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"Deciding to make a set of earrings for our "Wondrous, Lustrous Silk" show, I chose a paper I'd made previously, in dark orange and blue (complementary colors), embellished with a shiny blue thread and copper gilding chips. Next I had to think about what the finished object would look like. I opted for a 3D shape: cones. And to make it twice as fun, two stacked cones. Cutting scrap typing paper into sample cones let me play a bit in order to decide how big to make them, and how much of a bell opening to have. When satisfied with my test, I used that paper as pattern for cutting into the silk paper. The next decision was where on the silk paper to cut, in order to make the most of the variations in its color and embellishment.</div>
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"Looking at the silk cut-outs, I thought it needed just a little more interest, and decided to free-motion machine stitch copper thread on the bottom edges. The cones were stitched closed by hand, and strung on a fine wire with some beads to space them and allow them some movement. One copper bead is added at the top. The ear wires are copper, to mesh with the color scheme."</div>
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Eileen uses silk paper for other jewelry, such as the necklaces shown below:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JXCfJyXnuiM/TyIUeV2scfI/AAAAAAAABX4/6pVC4fteLsM/s1600/SilkSquares-det.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JXCfJyXnuiM/TyIUeV2scfI/AAAAAAAABX4/6pVC4fteLsM/s320/SilkSquares-det.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silk Squares</td></tr>
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Eileen concludes, "Next time you see some hand-made fiber art, take a moment to think about all the steps and decisions that went into making it. We love what we make and we hope it shows!"</div>Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-56131241900601395102012-01-19T10:02:00.000-05:002012-01-19T10:02:07.310-05:00Ann Liddle's Silk Vest<br />
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Another piece the judges of Wondrous, Lustrous Silk chose to highlight was described as "Ann Liddle's subtly luscious hand-dyed silk vest." I asked Ann to tell us about her vest, her other work designing garments, and some of the other fiber media she uses.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-31LCQgeltsw/TxgqWTHpUYI/AAAAAAAABXI/JRlytD-0Kfo/s1600/Jan2012Liddle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-31LCQgeltsw/TxgqWTHpUYI/AAAAAAAABXI/JRlytD-0Kfo/s320/Jan2012Liddle.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
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Ann said "I was delighted to get a juror's choice award this show for my vest. It's hand-dyed silk dupioni with machine-stitched china silk. I added the machine stitching to the orange china silk to help it blend more with the reds in the hand-dyed silk. I also created the pattern by draping it on a dress form. I often make patterns but usually use the flat paper pattern method. This time I cut up a few pieces of cotton knit and worked it out on the dress form – then made a paper pattern. My next task will be to add sleeves – maybe I'll try draping that too.</div>
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"I've been sewing since I got out of college and bought my own machine. My mother had taught me some but I didn't take to is until I was on my own. Then I never stopped! I sewed many of my work and casual clothes – suits, pant suits (once they were allowed!!), dresses, jackets, evening dresses, even coats. About 15 years ago, I decided to stop using commercial patterns and make my own. I'm self-taught – thanks to books and Vogue patterns. But since I don't usually make fitted clothing, the pattern process is not too complicated. Using Vogue patterns for years gave me a very good grounding on how to put things together and how to make all those annoying parts you need to make a garment – facings, cuffs, plackets, collars, etc. Really, Vogue patterns were an excellent education.</div>
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"In addition to clothing, I also make sculptures and do other types of fiber art. I especially enjoy working in three dimensions. Maybe that comes from my interest in clothes. I use many different media and techniques for sculpture, including papier mache, crochet, and knitting. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DBylg0FocoQ/Txgr7UCcKbI/AAAAAAAABXQ/hCgGRUVNOH4/s1600/Shapes+and+Shadows+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DBylg0FocoQ/Txgr7UCcKbI/AAAAAAAABXQ/hCgGRUVNOH4/s320/Shapes+and+Shadows+I.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shapes and Shadows</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">hand stitched on painted canvas, wood, wire</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Vase with Red Stripe</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">papier mache, painted</span></div>
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"It is fun to take a technique, such as crochet, that is not usually used for sculpture and make it work. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UCMMBH5W_3c/Txgr860eRPI/AAAAAAAABXY/_q-zMwlCqRA/s1600/The+Conversation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UCMMBH5W_3c/Txgr860eRPI/AAAAAAAABXY/_q-zMwlCqRA/s320/The+Conversation.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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The Conversation</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">crocheted wool, stiffened, painted, wood base</span></div>
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"In fact, that is my main pleasure in all the clothing or other art that I do – getting an idea and making it work. I love to figure things out."</div>
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I hope you've enjoyed this brief tour of Ann Liddle's art. Next time, we'll discuss Eileen Doughty's design process for her jurors' recognition earrings.</div>
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<br /></div>Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-78205829977554313272012-01-12T18:25:00.001-05:002012-01-12T18:25:51.402-05:00Wondrous, Lustrous SilkA new show opened in our gallery on Monday. The theme is Wondrous, Lustrous Silk. The jurors always select three pieces to highlight. One of those chosen was Janet Barnard's silk paper clutch purse.<br />
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Janet says, "I became acquainted with silk paper making when, in 2003, I attended a silk paper workshop at Creative Strands, taught by Robin Russo. The process was simple and the resulting “paper” was more like heavy fabric, which I felt increased its uses over that of regular paper. </div>
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"The process begins with silk top of noil, bombyx, or tussah, either natural or dyed. I dye my own top using the same method as silk fabric, thereby having access to an infinite number of shades. The top is then pulled apart and layered on netting, first in one direction, then at a 90 degree angle. This gives the paper added strength and prevents sections from peeling away or splitting. At this point, embellishments of any type may be added to the surface – string, glitter, leaves etc. A top layer of netting is added to keep everything in place. </div>
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"I wet the top with a mixture of soapy water to break the surface tension, as the silk can be difficult to soak through. Using a paint brush, I saturate the silk with a mixture of Artist’s Medium and water, which binds the silk together. I hang it to dry, peel off the netting, and it’s ready to go. I’ve used my paper to cover hand-made boxes, for jewelry, cards, sculptures, and now purses."</div>
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Here's a sculpture that Janet made using silk paper:</div>
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It includes cocoons as an embellishment. These are not dyed; this is their natural color.</div>
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Janet has also used silk paper for collages. Here is an example, "Complete This Series."<br />
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Next week, we'll feature another artist who works in silk paper.Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-78762365079538189802012-01-09T16:01:00.000-05:002012-01-09T16:01:46.127-05:00Local Continuing Education OpportunitiesThis is Floris Flam, the gallery blog editor for January. The following material was written by Betty Ford, one of our gallery's art quilters, and discusses a workshop she took on fabric painting.<br />
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We've discussed how our gallery members travel to attend workshops to improve their technical and design skills and to master new techniques. Sometimes we have the opportunity to learn without leaving town. The Washington area is rich in learning opportunities for fiber artists such as the <a href="http://www.theartleague.org/school/">Art League School</a> in Alexandria, VA.<br />
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Recently, gallery member <a href="http://www.bettyfordquilts.com">Betty Ford</a> learned new fabric painting techniques from gallery member <a href="http://www.threadborn.com/">Julie Booth</a> at a series of classes sponsored by the Art League. It consisted of seven weekly classes at which Julie presented various techniques where the students had time to experiment and learn by doing and to produce a large number of exciting samples. Here is the report of a happy student.<br />
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"The class began with our creating painted background fabrics using Pebeo SetaColor — fabrics on which we could layer other surface design techniques. These backgrounds were created in a number of ways, some resulting in pieces that were quite plain: <br />
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while others were more complex:<br />
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On these and other backgrounds we stamped, using stamps we carved ourselves or made by other processes. Stamps also included natural materials such as leaves.<br />
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"Julie, recipient of the Potomac Fiber Arts Guild’s 2011 Margaret M. Conant grant, has spent the year studying and experimenting with “kitchen” resists. She shared a number of these techniques with us . Below is my fabric made using a flour paste resist on a pale blue background that I painted in the class. <br />
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"This fabric was made by using rubber bands as resists then adding paint to the bunched up fabric. To me this piece has a very gardenlike appearance so I will probably make it into a whole-cloth quilt. <br />
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"Our entire class agreed that making gelatin plate monoprints was exciting and produced some of the most useful pieces. This is a completed small quilt using one of these prints. <br />
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"Of course, for a quilter, seeing this work in a finished piece is the major satisfaction for all the fun of painting fabric. The little quilt below was made by the “wipe-up” technique — dribbling paint on mylar then doing as the name suggests.<br />
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Betty concludes, "Excellent class!" I think that, seeing Betty's photos of both her fabrics and her finished work, you'll agree.Potomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-21087780101698777102011-12-28T20:48:00.000-05:002011-12-28T20:48:33.923-05:00Happy Holidaysay, fiberart<!-- AddThis Bookmark Button BEGIN --> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);"><img border="0" width="125" alt="AddThis Social Bookmark Button" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" height="16"/></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'georgegutin';</script><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script> <!-- AddThis Bookmark Button END --><br />
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I hope everyone has had a happy holiday season and is preparing for a momentous new year. As artists, our work never ceases. Once one show is juried, the preparation for the next begins. Our next jury day at the <a href="http://www.potomacfiberartsgallery.com/">Potomac Fiberarts Gallery</a> is January 9 and will feature silk, lustrous silk. Have a great new year's celebration and think silk! JoannePotomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-7948476501703313762011-12-21T20:25:00.000-05:002011-12-21T20:25:21.400-05:00More on Artists Community Service<!-- AddThis Bookmark Button BEGIN --> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);"><img border="0" width="125" alt="AddThis Social Bookmark Button" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" height="16"/></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'georgegutin';</script><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script> <!-- AddThis Bookmark Button END --><br />
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Continuing on in the Saga os the Soles, members of the Potomac Fiberarts Guild Felting Study Group felted innersoles to warm the feet of the homeless and otherwise needy. <br />
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Hand felling new felt to be cut into inner soles for shoes:<br />
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More cutting:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ujo0gtJxyOo/TvKDRWIOkxI/AAAAAAAABT0/cFw9VqERfDI/s1600/_DSC9663_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="199" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ujo0gtJxyOo/TvKDRWIOkxI/AAAAAAAABT0/cFw9VqERfDI/s320/_DSC9663_4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Organizing the soles by size:<br />
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82 pairs of soles, ready to go:<br />
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The delivery was today to the Homeless Center in Rockville, MD. Happy Holidays to all. JoannePotomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-16229235045451122412011-12-20T01:25:00.001-05:002011-12-20T01:25:51.845-05:00Artists Community Service Continued<!-- AddThis Bookmark Button BEGIN --> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);"><img border="0" width="125" alt="AddThis Social Bookmark Button" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" height="16"/></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'georgegutin';</script><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script> <!-- AddThis Bookmark Button END --><br />
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My felting study group (a subgroup of the Potomac Fiberarts Guild) decided for our December meeting to apply ourselves to a community service project. We all decided that we had failed felted projects such as purses, wall hangings, etc that just didn't come out right but would be perfect for cutting up into innersoles that would provide warmth for the feet of the homeless or otherwise needy people. So we organized shoe patterns in various sizes and began by cutting up items that we had already felted. We continued by making more felt from odds and ends of wool to provide more felt for soles. We ended up with over 80 pairs of warm wool innersoles to be distributed by local charities.<br />
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Cutting soles out of previously felted failed projects:<br />
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Laying out wool for new felt:<br />
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A quick trip through the needlefelting machine:<br />
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Wetting down the wool:<br />
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Rolling for wet felting:<br />
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Wetting and rolling the needlefelted piece:<br />
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Unrolling and rolling in the opposite direction:<br />
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Some help from the rolling machine:<br />
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The Saga of the Soles will continue with the next post. So long for now, JoannePotomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018882537534068074.post-5950653736430038222011-12-19T11:42:00.000-05:002011-12-19T11:42:21.502-05:00Artists Community Service<!-- AddThis Bookmark Button BEGIN --> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" target="_blank" onclick="addthis_url = location.href; addthis_title = document.title; return addthis_click(this);"><img border="0" width="125" alt="AddThis Social Bookmark Button" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" height="16"/></a> <script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub = 'georgegutin';</script><script src="http://s9.addthis.com/js/widget.php?v=10" type="text/javascript"></script> <!-- AddThis Bookmark Button END --><br />
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On Dec 15, 2011 the Potomac Fiber Arts Guild Felting Study group gathered at a member's home to create felted soles for the homeless. Most of the members of the study group are also members of the Potomac FiberArt Gallery. Nine women worked for nine hours, using already felted fabrics (basically failed projects they donated to recycle into insoles) as well as creating new fabrics. We had a cutting table where three women cut patterns and soles; a layout table where fibers were added to wool batts; another station had two women creating needled fabric using the FeltLoom, which were then felted in the rolling machine, fulled by hand, dried, then ultimately cut into more insoles. By the end of the evening, 82 pairs of wool insoles were made. On Wednesday, Dec 21, 2011, these soles will be delivered for distribution to the homeless. The wonderful women of our felting study group who shared their talents to provide a bit of warmth to the souls of mankind left tired, but with happy hearts, knowing that we gave our time to provide a little bit of joy to the less fortunate in this season of giving. I will follow with photos. Happy Holidays to All!! JoannePotomac Fiber<br>Arts Galleryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14462183399784135496noreply@blogger.com0