Weaving with New Materials

In the midst of this crazy time of year for me with orders to fill and work to ship off to galleries and art centers, it's always good to stop and take a break and breathe!  Breathing can be a day off, a day away, a day to read, or a day to learn something new and challenging.  I did just that this past Saturday.  I had the chance to learn something new, to work with materials I've never work with before, and to become a student again.  It was great to feel that excitement as I created something totally different than what I normally do in the studio. And I have to say I was proud of what I had accomplished by the end of the class. So what was it that drew me away from thinking about the ton of work I had to do to get work off to places "hither and yon"! It was weaving jewelry with wire and metal!  The feel of the material was different than working with fiber but the techniques were familiar.  We were doing simple plain weave and plying of the wire to create a piece of woven jewelry.

The class was taught by a wonderful artist, Anastasia Azure, a weaver who works with unusual materials - fish line being one of them.  Her work is fabulous and blows me away. You have to check out her website at www.anastaciaazure.com.

The class was held at The Mad Dog Artists Studios in Pawtucket, RI.  How's that name to get you in the mood for a creative experience!  As you might guess it is an old factory building which has been renovated into studio space where many artists come together to work. As one who works alone in my studio I am always a little envious of the inspiration one gets when being in the company on a regular basis of other artists.  So I live vicariously through one time experiences such as I had on Saturday. And it was great.

Here are a few pictures of what I learned to do.............................

Beginnings

Beginning the weaving. Aluminum base with colored plied wire.

Framed and finished pendant 

Close up

Can't wait to wear my new necklace!

What new experiences, learnings, or challenges have you had lately to get the creative juices flowing?  I welcome sharing in the comment section.  I'd love to hear what you are up to!

Kumihimo Ribbon Scarf

While I was at Convergence I took a one day workshop taught by Makiko Tada. The technique was Kumihimo which means braiding in Japanese. I have taken Kumihimo classes before but they always used a Maru Dai which is a lovely piece of equipment that helps you produce many different kinds of braids.

The only equipment we needed to produce the scarf was a piece of cardboard and the ribbon material. This is actually an old technique. The Native Americans call it Finger Weaving and it is an oblique weave.

We used lovely Mokuba transparent ribbon. This is a very expensive and beautiful ribbon made in Japan. After choosing a color and measuring our scarf warps we swapped with others in the class to get an array of colors. I really think that because the ribbon is transparent and other colors are formed as it is braided, that you could combine just about any color and it would look gorgeous! Check out these pictures of the process.

Wonderful items can be made with this technique: scarves, shawls, belts. Makiko made a lovely coat using wider ribbons. Here is a picture of Makiko in her coat and me in her elegant black shawl which she insisted I wear for the picture!

It was a great class and I enjoyed learning the technique. I plan on adding beads to the scarf that I made in class. I can't wait to wear it!

NEWS

Well, I'm back from the NEWS conference and am mulling over all the wonderful things I saw that inspired me. So much to do, so little time! That definitely could be my mantra both at the conference and now after the conference. It was fast paced trying to see all the exhibits, going to class, eating, shopping in the vendor hall, chatting with other weavers, and attending the evening lectures and fun events. The treasure hunt at WEBS yarns was a blast! And the chocolate that was served was to die for!!!!!

I had a wonderful time meeting old friends, staying up till after midnight talking, and also getting to know some new friends. Mary Alice and I became fast friends at the salad bar when we couldn't reach across to the other side to get the item we wanted. The buddy system works great in these instances!

Do I look a little exhausted here? This was the last day of the conference and this is one of my dear friends who I haven't seen since we left NJ 2 years ago. We had a lot of catching up to do.

It's been a long time since I stayed in a dormitory room. Does it look a little monkish?


The room was not too bad but it was across the hall from the elevator and the bathroom. Convenient for me but why were those woman up at 5 am taking their showers for the day! It's not often that I see that time of morning. I have to wonder what kind of person is functioning and ready to go at 5am?!!!!!! I am definitely a later riser! To make it to class by 8:30 was a stretch! My brain doesn't wake up until 10am . And with out my cup of tea, it's all over!

On the more serious side, I took a 2 day class with Jackie Abrams who makes baskets out of paper. They are bias plaiting technique. I have admired her work for years and felt very lucky to take a class with her. Her work is exhibited in shows like the Philadelphia Museum Fine Craft Show.

That's Jackie with 2 of her baskets.
Here is my meager attempt at the technique.

This is a pillow basket.

Here are the beginnings of a cylinder basket.












My mind is spinning with new ideas. I bought some beautiful yarns from HABU yarns and I am anxious to use them. I also am designing in my mind new pieces of cloth and new garments. I only hope that I get to make them before the ideas dissipate.

Unpacking

I've been unpacking the yarn and putting my looms together. I've found some warps that were packed away ready to go on the looms. Yeah! I'm hoping that maybe next week I can get one of them on the loom and start weaving. Of course I still have loads of interior painting to do but since I am doing a show in Connecticut on May 19 and 20, I need to start weaving some inventory. It is a slow process getting everything organized and unpacked.

Last weekend I took a class with Carter Smith of Shibori (Tie Dye) textile fame. I came away with 3 beautiful silk samples of this dyeing process. It was an interesting day and left me inspired. Those of you in New England area check out Carter's exhibit at The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA. His fabrics are amazing!

Here are pictures of my samples from the workshop.