Fiber, flowers and art

Show Season draws to a close

2011-12-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

I will be showing with my fellow Susquehanna Valley Spinners and Weavers Guild members in the Gutelius House in Mifflinburg starting tomorrow. Since it is a Christkindle celebration the snow in the forecast is more apprpriate than the soaking rain we have been experiencing! The flood in September certainly interrupted my schedule for several weeks but it got back on track in October... only to get surprised by a snowstorm that temporarily closed the "Holiday" craft show in Kutztown. November was a good month and I enjoyed working with my fellow crafters, seeing many returning customers/friends and meeting new ones. I will still be working diligently over the next few weeks to get all orders shipped before Christmas.

I know , I know...I said no dogs...but a very persuasive customer talked me into giving it a try. These two beagles belong to her daughter.

Solar Dyeing Silk

2011-07-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

This incredible heat wave we are having is great for solar natural dyeing! The concept is much like making sun tea. Along with water and a piece of silk, the jar on the right contains black hollyhocks, the center is onion skins and the left is coreopsis flowers. The heat from the sun pulls the color from the plant material and deposits it on the silk. I pre-treated the silks with alum and rinsed them before adding to the jars. It is so hot that I think we will have results very quickly.

Ice Flower Dyed Scarf

2011-07-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

From a photo it is impossible to appreciate the gorgeous teal and aqua shading created by the ice flower dye on silk. The dark areas are prints from the iris touching the silk. I think the copper pipe may have contributed some of the greener tones in combination with heat from the July sun. To achieve blues through a natural dye other than indigo is pretty special. I am so happy with the outcome! An added bonus is the dye smells like iris, one of my favorite scents.

Vegetable Wool Tiles

2011-07-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

tomato tile, eggplant, pea, carrot, onion and radish Several visitors to Kutztown inquired about tiles other than the three I had with me. Here are several more. I will post additional veg, and fruit too, as I get them done.

For the uninitiated: These are approx 8" square, ready to hang, 100% hand felted wool for both the base tile and the image. They are $39 each.

Ice Flower Dyeing

2011-07-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

I am back from the nine day long Kutztown Folk Festival and getting ready for
my next big event, the PA Guild Fine Craft Fair at the Chase Center in Wilmington DE.

During our short spring I saved all of my dark blue and purple iris along with some blue pansies. As the flowers started to wilt I popped them in a Ziploc bag and tucked them in the freezer. I removed a couple handfuls of frozen iris and placed them in an old stocking. I plunged it into a gallon jar of warm water and squeezed to release the gorgeous blue dye. Then I added two silk scarves, one is loose and the other is wrapped around a section of copper heat pipe from my house that had frozen and split this winter.

This concotion has to sit still for a day or two. I will post pictures of the dyed silks when they are ready!

Show Season in full swing

2011-06-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

So far in June I've been out to Pittsburgh (for the first time) and to the pan handle of West Virginia. At Three Rivers I lucked out with no bad storms during the first weekend time slot. The volunteers at 3Rivers were the absolute best I've encountered anywhere, thank you! They made me look forward to doing the show again in spite of the distance and obstacles.
The weather for the Mountain Culture Fest in WV was really hot and then the inevitable T-storm. My show results were not too good.
Now the preparations for Kutztown's nine day folk festival are occupying my every waking hour.

...like a diamond in the rough

2011-04-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

This is my newest felted piece, Diamond in the Rough. I made it for the North Mountain Art League's exhibit that has just opened at the Northumberland County Cultural Center in Shamokin PA. The reception for the show is Friday eve April 8 2011.

My wall hanging is approx 18"x24" of wet felted wool. The beaded felt flower and leaves are 3D so they stand out from the background. I stitched the natural dyed jute rope in place and added texture by stitching with cotton and wool yarns in between the felt "rocks". It doesn't often happen, but the result was what I has hoping for!

Spring is here?

2011-03-24T09:40:00.001-07:00

I took these photos in the Shady Grove section of my yard early yesterday morning. It was around five inches of the wettest, heaviest snow that you can imagine.

I am so anxious to get started on the garden but no such luck yet. March snows don't usually last long but this morning it is still flurrying.

Yes, I have been gone for a very long time. I couldn't figure out how to deal with posting "bad" news. Things like losing two of my uncles, losing my mommy alpaca, the barn roof getting destroyed in a wind storm... Not every day on the farmette turns out the way I pictured it. So I decided to bite the bullet as they say and dump it all at once. Then on with the new season, new shows, new products and I am even sporting a new haircut!

Compost Dyed Quilt Fabrics

2010-09-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

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Here are some of the cloths on the line at dusk. I used alot of millet, dahlia and goldenrod in the compost dye mix and am really happy with how they turned out. For me the most dificult part is the PATIENCE it takes to wait for the magic to happen. Fortunately it has been so hot that the process is going as fast as it ever will.
The small pic to the right is a closeup of one of the cloths. It looks like marble. It is going to be difficult to part with some of these but that IS the idea afterall. This coming weekend is my first time ever vending at a quilt show. I hope the attendees enjoy these fabrics as much as I do! The show is the 37th annual Sully Quilt and Fiber Arts Show and Sale on Sunday Sept 12th at the Sully Historic Site in Chantilly VA. To make for an interesting weekend I'll be doing a craft show in East Berlin PA on Saturday. I managed to talk my friend Kipp into doing the same thing. After this schedule it may be 'former friend' Kipp!

First Felt Kitty

2010-04-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

I certainly have a house full of models to look at! I introduced a handful of felted wool cats at ArtSpace Gallery in Bloomsburg last week and they all found homes rather quickly. Yesterday was the Lewisburg Arts Festival and some more were adopted. It is a good feeling when a new product is readily accepted. As always, I wish I could work faster!

Felt Stargazer

2010-02-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

Finally got a chance to finish my felted flower. This is my largest wool felt creation to date. The main portion was done with wet felting and the finishing work was needle felted.This homage to a Stargazer lily is 24" across and the center is about 17" high. I have been sort of obsessed with lilies ever since I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show last year. There were some magnificent displays and I am looking forward to going there next week, after I get back from Boston. Yes, I am heading north to Bean Town in FEB for my first big craft show of the new year. I've never done shows in that area, know nothing about Boston, so it should be an adventure!
Gotta start packing now.

Small Felt Flowers

2010-02-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

These natural dyed felt flowers are about 5" high and 10" across. They are perfect for a votive candle or candies. I have been making them in the wool colours I just dyed, yellow, red, pink and I just made a blue one! I am planning to introduce them at the New England Home Show (booth # 364) in Boston this month. The show is held in the Seaport World Trade Center Feb 25th-28th.

Felt Flower Begins

2010-02-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

I weighed the fiber for each petal and cut a mat board stencil for the shape. I layered the wool inside the petal cutout and lightly tacked it with a felting needle to hold the shape. This large pile of wool was moved to bubble wrap, covered with a net curtain and wetted out with warm soapy water. I should have known better, well I DID know better but chose to be foolishly optomistic. The wool that I dyed lovely shades of pink and the natural white are two very diferent types of wool. I did manage to get them both to felt, however they really didn't felt to each other all that well. The colour migrated quite a bit...I have quite a bit of finishing work to do...my own fault. Will I learn????

Colourful Wool Batts

2010-02-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

In spite of the cooooold basement, I finally got to dye some more of the wool I'd cleaned . The yellow is a mix of dried marigolds and some goldenrod that I canned so it didn't smell bad this time. The indigo vat is acting funny, I think it is too cold. Today I chose to work up near the stove for a while. I started another large felt flower in pinks and white. Unfortunately the white fiber has an awful lot of hay and stuff in it even after washing. I hope I'm not making a mistake by using it.

Lakefront Property

2010-01-26T05:46:00.000-08:00

It rained on Sunday, at night even harder and then kept pouring Monday morning. By 10:00 am this is what my back "yard" looked like. The creek, that is not normally visible, could not handle the runoff from the hill in front of the house. Once again the driveway got washed out, water in the basement and septic system flooded (not funtioning still)... Today is sunny and beautiful and I have to find a septic repair dude. More $$ that I don't have out the window for shit, literally.

Felted Lily Runner

2010-01-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

This project used up the last of the wool felting fiber I had dyed. I washed and dried two fleeces during the past week. I carded the first one and cooked it in alum/tartar so I could start dyeing today. I used an old (fermented) jug of goldenrod dye and the funky smell stunk up the entire house even though I dye in the basement! bleh. I have some nice candles taking care of the problem now.

Water Lily Table Runner

2010-01-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

I just put the finishing touches on this hand made natural dyed wool felt table runner. The base is a combination of indigo, logwood and millet. The colours cried out for water lilies which I had never done before. I added a few beads to give a little sparkle in the center. I am happy with the way it turned out. In fact I am happy just to be working in the studio two days in a row! I have been working too many in the flower shop. The pay is low, but now... my shows don't start up until next month. I do need time to get inventory ready though.

Picasso

2009-10-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

I've decided to name the cria" Picasso". Still no birthing activity from Catawissa. Today is the set up for the craft show and it is pouring. It has been that way an awful lot this year, but now it is cold too! And my sister Juliet and I are camping. Back to packing.

New Cria!

2009-10-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

After acting odd for the previous week, Friday morning Oct 2nd Chickapee (black, sitting) gave birth to a beautiful little male! He is brown with black points, scampering around...adorable. Catawissa was also due on the fifth of Oct but so far nothing has happened. I have a show this weekend and wanted her little one born before I left. Still a little time. Any suggestions for names?

Alpaca Shearing Day

2009-05-14T05:37:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was the long awaited shearing day. Bud and Karen from Shores Fiber Farm brought their trailer down from Ulster to use as a shearing shed. My friend Denise stopped by and took this photo of me clipping burdocks out of Boo's topknot before he was sheared. Bud handled the actual shearing and shots while I collected fiber and attempted to keep them as calm as possible! The strange surroundings and buzzing of the electric clippers got them rather excited. They all look so different without the bushy fiber. The first thing they did back in the pasture was roll in the dirt, I guess it is itchy like a fresh haircut. It was a long but satisfying day.

We did it!

2009-04-01T05:48:00.000-07:00

I got up bright and early yesterday. All my jury items were packed and ready. I drove to Shamokin Dam to meet up with Dixie, a friend and fellow member of the Williamsport Chapter of the PA Guild of Craftsmen. She does awesome wheat weaving and was scheduled for the same jury session. Her husband Matt drove us the rest of the way to Lancaster. She seemed like a cool cucumber, until we got there, then she admitted that her nerves were frazzled too! We set up our displays and went for a walk. We stopped at a few galleries and then decided on a bite to eat. If we were going to get bad news we preferred not to hear it with empty stomachs! At the scheduled time we returned to the jury room... and both of us were greated with our seals! The feeling of relief is a wonderful thing. So happy!!!!

Art Tote

2009-03-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the many projects I've been working on. The picture is one of my paintings, Valley Sunset, reproduced on canvas. All of the fabric colours are natural dyes and the button is natural dyed felted wool. Inside are two pockets, one is zippered.
This month was filled with deadlines for show applications, and I am attempting to get juried at the state level. My jury session is scheduled for March 31st in Lancaster, wish me luck! I have fleeting moments of confidence interspersed with long stretches of trepidation.
I also moved some of my equipment over the last two weeks. The loom that was on the downstairs enclosed porch is now upstairs in the loom room. The sewing and yarn processing station had to move across the hall to make space for the loom. The downstairs porch is now available for seed starting. (I still need to place my seed order!) The trick now is to remember where everything is so I spend less time spinning in a circle.

Philadelphia Flower Show

2009-03-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I embarked on my annual sojourn to the 2009 Philadelphia Flower Show. Philly got nailed pretty hard with the snow storm on monday. The severe cold temperatures kept the March snow intact, but inside the convention center it is spring. The theme this year was Italy and some displays were better than others at evoking Italia. I am, however, never disappointed at the opportunity to experience flowers. Spring bulb flowers, incredible tiny iris, blooming cherry trees, wisteria, azalea, roses, delphinium and an incredibly fragrant blooming grapefruit are just a few of the flowers we saw. An exhibit that got raves from me featured a plethora of lilies and amaryllis in amazing colours. All the way home I was imagining how to recreate the beautiful shading with my natural dyed wool. So many ideas that my head is spinning! I must get to work...

Lily Vessel

2009-02-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

This project has kept me busy for a few days. The idea came to me one night and I had to make it. The wool for the inside of the flower was natural dyed with brazilwood, the outside with coreopsis. The petal portion was done with wet felting and the removable stamen and pistils were done with needle felting using alpaca fiber. The inside of the flower looks like a flame and it is 13" wide. The inspiration for this piece came from the luscious photography in the seed catalogs that I pour over this time of year. Come on spring!

Warm Wool

2009-02-20T05:31:00.000-08:00

This odd looking pile is natural dyed wool drying on the coal stove. It actually got too hot so I had to move it over to the edge. It is a coarser wool than the type usually used for felting, but it is what I have available. I scoured it, dried it, carded it, cooked it in a mordant bath and then finally dyed it. I also dyed some red from Brazil wood and orange from coreopsis, but I couldn't stack any higher!

Last evening was 'Art Walk' in Bloomsburg, where artists are paired with downtown businesses and the public follows a map to visit everyone. I was a participating artist in a clothing store called Kricket Square. The weather was cold and blustery so the event was more lightly attended than in the past. We did have some wonderful visitors though, especially the BU art students who hung out for a while. Hi guys!

Today I am heading to NJ to investigate freelance designing of handbags, drop off my painting "Blue Moon"to it's new owner and go to a tea party with Alice at my former guild.

Fulled and Felted Handwoven Scarf

2009-02-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

After spending a week working as a "freelance floral designer" for Valentine's Day, I am happy to be back in my studio. The bottom picture is the scarf as it came off the loom. The warp is natural dyed merino wool, the weft is natural dyed corriedale, nat dye handspun alpaca and a nat dye silk scarf that I ripped into strips. I carefully fulled it by hand so I wouldn't dislodge the silk scarf strips. Then I added bands of wool that I dyed with goldenrod to the selvedge areas to create a border, and help hold the silk in place. The colours are like warm sunshine and day lilies, they make me happy!

Alpaca Colours

2009-02-06T06:46:00.000-08:00

These are the yummy new colours that resulted from plying the natural dyed skeins of alpaca together. They are sooo soft. I make them to sell but sometimes they are tough to part with!

Here is one of the colours on the spinning wheel.

On another note, yesterday I ended up doing the presentation at the Susquehanna Valley Spinners and Weavers Guild February meeting. Sunday morning around eleven o'clock I was getting ready to clean rabbit coops and the phone rang. It seems the scheduled speaker for the afternoon was down with the flu. I found my screen, my notes, borrowed my dad's projector and spoke to the group of (very tolerant!) members about art and fiber and myself. We all survived. I am glad I was able to help out.

The Hat

2009-02-06T06:23:00.000-08:00

I actually wore the hat that I said would 'never' be worn. I should never say never! I needle felted fiber to the inside to cover up the thin spots, then added natural dyed fiber and yarn design elements. At my mom's nudging I sewed a grossgrain ribbon inside to create a hat band or sweat band or whatever it's called. The search for ribbon was hampered by the latest snowstorm but finally mission accomplished. The very first person that saw it said "I like your hat" (I, of course, was thrilled to pieces) and I got to say "thanks, I made it!"

Pink Alpaca

2009-01-30T11:49:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the colours I have been natural dyeing this week. The yarn is from white alpaca that I spun. I washed the fiber several times before I spun it and washed again afterwards. Then I simmered it in an alum and cream of tartar mordant bath. This helps the dye adhere to the fiber. The yarn pictured (top left) was dyed with madder. The lovely green came from goldenrod with an indigo overdye. I extracted the goldenrod in the fall, and stored the dye in plastic milk jugs. The pink is from cochineal. There is purple someplace too, from overdyeing the pink with blue. After the yarns dry I will put them back through the spinning wheel to ply them together to make unusual multi colour yarns.

A special thank you to the lovely Lucy Lane who, through her kind words, has encouraged me to perservere with my hat. It is looking better. More to come on that next week! In the meantime I made two more alpaca felt hats but broke my plastic bucket while doing the last one. That is the end of hats until I can find another form to work on. The two new ones are much thicker, sturdier and 'hat like'. Now the real fun begins, decorating them!

Chocolate and Peanut Butter

2009-01-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

I spun a spool of Catawissa's lovely brown fiber and then carded some together with fawn alpaca. I just finished plying the two singles together and the colour looks so much like a peanut butter cup that it is making hungry! I will ply the second spool now. I am working next to the coal stove where it is wonderfully warm. We managed to keep the fire going all night, more than 24 hours at this point. The temperature was in single digits again last night with a light coating of fresh snow.

Alpaca Hat

2009-01-24T11:52:00.000-08:00

I have never seen anyone felt a hat, but I read about it on the internet! This is my first effort made with fiber from my alpaca "Catawissa" and some from "Boo" that I dyed pink with cochineal. No one will ever wear this one because it is a bit too thin. Next time I will make the layers thicker and have a better idea about how to handle the brim. I certainly have enough fiber to try another! Today I am multitasking as usual: washing alapca, washing sheeps wool, cleaning rabbit coops, carding alpaca...later I will sit still and spin for awhile.

Spinning Rabbit

2009-01-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

This morning I just finished spinning the fiber from my English angora rabbit, Blimunda, that I harvested last week. I blended her wool with some targhee (a type of sheep's wool) that I had previously cleaned. The result is a lovely heathered soft gray, but I will most likely overdye it. The heather will create wonderful tonals within the dye colour.

I usually cry at weddings, births, funerals... Yesterday was the first time I cried watching an inauguration. They were tears of joy on a day filled with hope. I don't have television service so I invited myself to my parents house for the momentus event. There was not a dry eye in the kitchen. So much possibility, so much resting on the shoulders of an eloquent and capable young man. For the first time in a very long time, I feel proud to be an American.

Deep Freeze

2009-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Cold, cold COLD! All I could think of was the Little Feat song... Frozen pipes (that were supposed to be producing heat), burst in two places. Icicles were hanging in the house. Of course I was not the only one. My brother Jon fixed me up, and the coal stove kept the rest of the house from freezing solid. On Saturday I did manage to get some of my new work to ArtSpace Gallery before the reception on Saturday night. Adding to the stress level, my computer had frozen too. New day, new week and as of yesterday Marks' son Andy and wife April have a new baby. Welcome Brayden!

River Sunset

2009-01-14T05:38:00.000-08:00

The actual painting is quite a bit brighter than my photo. Next time I will improve lighting (which means I will do something) since doing nothing didn't work so great. I just realized I didn't sign it yet. I have another painting underway.
Last night was our monthly meeting at ArtSpace Cooperative Gallery in Bloomsburg. It was snowing heavily when I left the house, the beautiful kind of snow that coats every branch. At the gallery a crew spackled and touched up the myriad of holes we made over the course of the past year. We hung our show which opens on Thursday with a reception on Saturday. After the meeting I sat in for a few minutes at the River Poets monthly gathering in a building around the corner, a thoroughly enjoyable event.
Update on the rabbit; she looks better without a fur tutu, but her mane still needs some work. I simply ran out of time. Harvesting fiber from a bunny cannot be rushed!

Painting in the Making

2009-01-13T06:20:00.000-08:00

Here it is in the middle of construction. I had fun doing the colour washes, now is the tedious part. About half of the weft painting strips are in place. After it is fully assembled I'll tack all the edges and then use acrylic medium to 'glue' it down.
I discovered I can't purchase the dip I wanted to print on fabric until the weather warms up. It can't freeze and temps across the country are heading sub zero for the next little while. Patience Linda! In the meantime I've ordered some prepared sheets to try.
Last night I started painting on fabrics that I natural dyed with marigolds and brazilwood. I've been planning this project for so long I can't believe I'm finally doing it. At some point I must pause the painting and finish shearing Blimunda (English angora rabbit) She is almost done but looks like she is wearing a skirt at the moment. Don't worry, the little darling is snug and warm even without her angora coat. She has the electric radiator that is usually in my room. I have to count on the cats to keep my feet warm at night for awhile!

Me and my Sisters

2009-01-12T05:43:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I brought along a photo album with shots of the fab five from diapers on up. Left is Anita, Juliet, moi and Kathy on the right. Brother Jon had been shoveling all afternoon and had already gone home. It was so great they all braved the snow to join me in kicking off another decade. The food was excellent. Mom made my favorite Hungarian meal, csirke paprikas and I had birthday apple pie instead of cake.

The snowfall prevented the Susquehanna Valley Spinners and Weavers Guild meeting from happening, so my presentation will be rescheduled. I used the 'free time' to start a new painting, sunset on the river. It felt good to break out some bright colours on a dreary day. I will continue working on it today.

Celebrate

2009-01-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me, well tomorrow actually, but my dear siblings are making the trip to see me today. It is January and therefore snowing, excitement that we didn't really need. Wish for safe travels to all.
I hooked up an ink jet printer to my PC this morning in preparation for printing some of my art onto fabric. I still need to order the special fabric dip so I can't get any further on that project today. Yesterday I washed some white and cream alpaca and I am waiting for it to dry so I can card it.
If the weather eases up in time I'll be the presenter at the Susquehanna Valley Spinners and Weavers Guild meeting in Lewisburg tomorrow afternoon. This was my first foray into power point, and my first ever blog in the same week! I must not be too far over the hill yet. Must bake some cookies now as I am bringing refreshments too.