Thursday, January 31, 2013

Colours and activities to keep you warm these winter months

Carla Duncan painted warp scarf in a 3/1 twill. Dark one side (less warp visible) and brighter on the other where more of the painted warp is visible. Last spring Carla participated in our painted warp workshop and painted this warp with dyes and recently finished weaving it.

Flo Sherbanowski worked with me to design this doubleweave blanket (a total of 90" wide woven on a 45" loom) using MacAuslands 3 ply yarn. The design was modified from the original, so that the vertical (weft) stripes gradate from green to blue, across the field of earth tones.

Jane Richmond's first project: a scarf using a merino boucle yarn with a novelty yarn.

 Alex Avdichuk created this scarf by combining two different space dyed skeins of I think bamboo (perhaps silk). She was intrigued and surprised with the way the two interacted.
For her next project she is designing a tartan. She used a website called www.scotweb.co.uk to help her create the designs for her tartan projects. It's easy to use with a palette of colours and a number of tools to enable you to design a stunning array of plaids, checks and tartans. Alex is the Supervisor of the City of Toronto's Collections and Conservation department. She is a wealth of information on many topics and gladly for us, on fibres.
Part of a double weave sampler woven by Jane Tucker, here showing the Brooks Bouquet, and other leno and hand manipulated techniques. These designs could have application for baby blankets, place matts, and cushion covers.
 
Woven by Bonnie Thorne, this overshot runner in 2/8 cotton and wool in white on white. It's so subtle that it is hard to take a good picture of it.  Sorry it's not better.

This week, I invited Ixchel Suarez to give us a three hour workshop on textural tapestry techniques. We had a good showing with about 9 people participating. Ixchel is a passionate and enthusiastic  tapestry weaver and fibre artist.

Other resources, workshops and call for entry
Chair caning classes are available over the winter months. Click on the link below to view the schedule:
http://www.edgeofyourseat.ca/classes/

Laura de Vrij writes sends a link to a funny video about weaving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc0NxKgoUfU&feature=youtu.be

Call for entry for fibre artists and craftspeople:
The Dufferin<http://www.dufferinmuseum.com/> County Museum & Archives<http://www.dufferinmuseum.com/>, (DCMA) is pleased to once again be presenting the exhibition Stitches across Time, in 2014. Continuing the theme of the first Stitches across Time exhibit in 2011, the exhibition will celebrate the tradition and history of textile arts.

The DCMA invites submissions for a national juried exhibition of fibre art works inspired by a new selection of six historical pieces from the museum’s extensive collection of textile artifacts. The Call for Entry is attached and may also be found on the stitches website www.stitchesacrosstime.com<
http://www.stitchesacrosstime.com>  or by clinking this direct link Stitches Call for Entry<http://www.stitchesacrosstime.com/index_files/Page677.htm>. Works submitted can include any textile/fibre medium or technique. We welcome both two and three dimensional contemporary works from across Canada for this unique exhibition to be launched in the fall of 2014. Images of the six historical pieces may be found on the Stitches across Time website under Photos for inspiration<http://www.stitchesacrosstime.com/index_files/Page449.htm>.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could please forward this email onto other fibre/textile artists and encourage them to enter the 2014 Stitches across Time National Juried Textile Show.

For further details, be sure to visit our website www.stitchesacrosstime.com<
http://www.stitchesacrosstime.com>.  If you have any questions or require additional information, please feel free to contact me. My contact information is listed below.

Ruby

Ruby Qureshi
Events & Marketing Co-ordinator
Dufferin County Museum & Archives
P.O. Box 120, 936029 Airport Rd
Rosemont, ON  L0N 1R0
Tel: 705-435-1881 or Toll Free: 1-877-941-7787 ext. 22
Email: events@dufferinmuseum.com<mailto:events@dufferinmuseum.com>
Website: www.dufferinmuseum.com<
https://owa.dufferincounty.on.ca/owa/UrlBlockedError.aspx>

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Workshops, courses and tailor your weaving learning

Doubleweave sampler by Wendy Szpindel
 
Monday January 28 2013
10am-1pm
Come for a 3 hour intensive tapestry workshop given by Ixchel Suarez on weaving textures in tapestry. Free to registrants in the class. $20 for non registrants. Bring tapestry yarn and frame loom. If you don't have a frame loom, one may be available for use for the 3 hours.
 
Erin Lewis continues to take weaving classes at the Toronto Weaving School. She is is an emerging Canadian artist working in creative electronics, wearable technology, and sculpture/installation. She is a graduate of OCADU with a BFA in Integrated Media and Wearable Technology. Her work has been shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Ontario Science Centre, Discovery Channel Canada, Discovery.com, in the Toronto Star newspaper and various physical computing websites. She teaches Wearable Technology in the Department of Continuing Studies at OCADU and at Interaccess Media Arts Centre, and works as a researcher at OCADU's 'Social Body Lab'. She has a particular fondness for data feeds, vegetables, and kittens
Erin Lewis continues to offer her course at the Ontario College of Art and Design University
This studio course introduces students to the creative and artistic potential of soft circuits and wearable media. Using construction techniques such as weaving, knitting and sewing, and technologies such as switches, sensors and conductive materials, students will create interactive garments and accessories that may be used for performance, display or for everyday use. Students will be introduced to basic electronics and sewing techniques. Studio work will be supported by demonstrations, slide presentations, video screenings, and critique. This is a qualifying course towards both the Certificate in Digital Media Skills and the Certificate in Art and Design Studio Skills. Cost: $350 + $50 material fee + HST to register click on the link.
 
At the Toronto Weaving School, you can advance your  knowledge of weaving, weave structures and equipment. If you need some assistance in determining what you'd like to learn about, speak to the instructor, Line Dufour. Line can provide you with a menu of various approaches, structures and samplers that will further your knowledge and experience in weaving. The course is tailored to your needs and the direction you want to take.
 
The gobelin tapestry loom is almost ready for us to start weaving the tapestry for the international tapestry project entitled Fate, Destiny and Self-determination. So far, there are 70 people worldwide that are participating in creating shapes for the installation and 105 shapes have been sent out. To know more about the project and how you can participate contact Line at tapestryline@sympatico.ca. Countries participating thus far are Peru, Chile, Argentina, Great Britain, Wales, Scotland, France, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Mexico, USA, Canada, Australia. Here is a list of the participants to date:
Participants as of Jan 24/13
1.       Agota Dolinay, Ontario, Canada
2.       Ann Berman, Ontario, Canada
3.       Anne Vagi, Ontario, Canada
4.       Antje Goldflam, Connecticut, USA
5.       Anton Veenstra, Australia
6.       Barbara Heller, BC, Canada
7.       Christence Stubbe-Teglbjoerg, Denmark
8.       Christine Pradel-Yien, France
9.       Christopher Allworth, Nova Scotia, Canada
10.   Chung-Ja Jackson, Ontario, Canada
11.   Ciara Minden, Ontario, Canada
12.   Clare Coyle, Scotland
13.   Debbie Harris, Ontario, Canada
14.   Debbie Herd, Victoria, Australia
15.   Debra Dubois, Arkansas USA
16.   Debra Greer
17.   Donna Wills, Ontario Canada
18.   Dorothy Clews, Australia
19.   Elaine Duncan, BC,
20.   Emmanuelle Holmes, Queensland, USA
21.   Emoke tapisserie, Marseille, France
22.   Ewa Bartosz Mazus, Poland
23.   Fariba Mahmoodian, Ontario, Canada
24.   Francois Seguin, Ontario, Canada
25.   Hilary Slater, Ontario, Canada
26.   Ixchel Suarez, Ontario, Canada
27.   Janet Austin, Rhode Island, USA
28.   Jayne Gaskins,  Florida, USA
29.   Jennifer Stafford, Michigan USA
30.   Joan Griffin, Virginia, USA
31.   Joe Lewis, Ontario Canada
32.   Juana Sleizer, Ontario Canada
33.   Judite Vagners, Ontario, Canada
34.   Judy Dominic, Ohio, USA
35.   Judy Kogan, Chile
36.   Kate Kitchen, Ontario, Canada
37.   Kathe Todd Hooker, Oregon, USA
38.   Kathleen Morris , Ontario, Canada
39.   Katia Wittock, Antwerp, Belgium
40.   Katie Rusell, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
41.   Krystyna Sadej, Ontario, Canada
42.   Linda Cunningham, Alberta, Canada
43.   Liv Pedersen, Alberta, Canada
44.   Louise Martin, Great Britain
45.   Maite Tanguy, France
46.   Marie Drury, New Zealand
47.   Marie-Thumette Brichard, Belgium
48.   Maximo Laura, Peru
49.   Michael Rohde, USA
50.   Mimma Draga, Ontario, Canada
51.   Miriam Constantino, Argentina
52.   Noella Kyser, Ontario, Canada
53.   Nowak Bernadeta, Poland
54.   Pam Huntley, Australia
55.   Pam Lowe, USA
56.   Patti Harden, MD, USA
57.   Pedro de Jesus Ibarra, Mexico
58.   Pedro Ibarra Hernandes, Mexico
59.   Ria Hartig, Ontario, Canada
60.   Shanna Robinson, Michigan, USA
61.   Sharon Smith ?
62.   Stella Tang, Ontario, Canada
63.   Stephenie Collin, Auckland, New Zealand
64.   Stephnie Cantoni, Australia
65.   Susan Middleton, Ontario, Canada
66.   Susana Penaloza Donoso, Chile
67.   Tommye Scanlin, Georgia, USA
68.   Tricia Goldberg, California, USA
69.   Vera Hazelgrove, Australia
70.   Yamile Roa, Ontario Canada
 

 


 
 

Saturday, January 19, 2013

"There is a thread woven through all things"



Francois Seguin handspun this superwash merino and gave it to me. There is no greater gift than the gift of the time it took Francois to spin this yarn for me. Thank you.
Alex Avidichuk's first project after her sampler, a space dyed yarn (bamboo - not sure now) that she bought commercially prepared. For a first project, an accomplishment to be proud of.
 
Simona Comanescu wove this on her own at home without guidance or help from me, using Lopi yarn.  
Barbara Aikman did an excellent job of weaving this waffle weave, also known as honeycomb, in linen.
 
 Joe Lewis writes that he found this resource useful for researching weaving: http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/articles.html
 
 
Weaving by Kate Kitchen
 
I like Kate's creative approach to combining simple weaving with other materials. Kate wrote this up in regards to the piece:
Fossils
This work connects a number of my interests – passions might be a better description. The wood is the same pine that we used as the siding for our cottage, where my art studio is. It comes from the area and was cut nearby. You can see the marks from the planning. I chose the side that shows the marks from the planing and a knot in the wood.

The print of the fish is from a series of linoprints that were inspired by pictographs from the early artists, who were creating art before there was written language. Being reminded of the work of the first artists is very important to me and supports my work.

And, finally the weaving is inspired by photographs I have taken of fossils in rocks uncovered by glaciers, again near my cottage/studio.

 I used a small Harrisville loom that is more generally used for making potholders. Instead of loops I used linen yarn for the base weaving. I wanted to use yarn that was made from grasses, another reminder of the connection with natural and human history. The epi was 6 so there were large spaces for me to weave in other yarns, using needles, so that the linen yarn is completely covered, a quality that this weaving has in common with tapestries; covered except for the ends that I left exposed. I wanted this unfinished, rough look to be a reminder of the connection with history and with process. And finally, this is the poem I wrote that connects all the aspects of this piece.
 
There is a thread woven through all things
and all time.
Dreams of fish in deep caves.

 

 A blurry picture of new students in the class. Zoe McGrath, Evelyn Tchakarov, and Avril Loreti. Avril was in the booth across from me at the One of a Kind this past November. She is a graphic designer and creates digitally printed household items.

Indigo Dye Workshops 2013
From Vivien Prideaux in the U.K.
Dear Line

In the beautiful old town of Fowey (England) my garden studio, with views over the harbour is a riot of colourful, textured, hand dyed Japanese kimono silks, hand woven hemp, linens, velvets, cottons, rayon and the magical blues of indigo.
For 2013 I am offering four, two day, creative indigo workshops and have attached the details for you.
www.vivienprideaux.co.uk
priddypink@macace.co.uk
Looking for a good furniture maker? try this person......
 

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Be a part of an International Tapestry Initiative and update on Community Threads tapestries

Susan Middleton, tapestry weaver and natural dyer, helping with the International tapestry project, Fate, Destiny and Self Determination. Everyone is invited to participate. More details if you click on the link below.
 Please click on this link to find out what's been happening to discover what's been going on in tapestry weaving, locally and internationally.
 
Valerie Splaine, Jackie Tienussen, Ann Berman, Corrie Parsons at the Community Threads tapestries.