Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History!

The Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective got together to take some publicity shots for upcoming materials and veered a bit off course! We were determined NOT to have a typical group photo sitting around a table looking prim and proper. We wanted photos that were more representational of the fun we have...so here we are in all our glory!

Carol Eaton, Toni Torres, Carol Vinick, Karen Loprete
Diane Cadrain, Mary Lachman and Roz Spann!

In Need of More Hours in the Day!

I've been busy every morning in my studio but I don't seem to have much to show for it worthy of posting!

I've been ice dyeing large pieces of fabric because my dear sweet mother said she'd make me a bed quilt if I created the fabric... sweet! I'm plugging along on that and believe I have the right color combinations that my hubby and I can agree on!

I had this idea in my head about creating a piece of fabric that was a chain link fence with flowers growing up the fence like a vine. I was all excited and silk screened flowers and sponge painted the fence and with the final wash of blue sky I just knew it would come out... wrong! It didn't come out as expected so I confetti dyed over the whole thing which completely took the piece in another direction... sigh... I dicharged some flowers to tone down the over dye and it's in the washer now. Tomorrow is another day and a new idea will come to me to figure how the design will be finished.

I also have some other fabric in the washer ready to be over dyed in ice tonight. I promise to upload pictures whether the work is good, bad or ugly :)

I hope you are all happily creating!

Last Call!

The "Color Wheel of Emotions" exhibit is accepting submissions through April 30th at midnight. This is my first national exhibit as a curator and I'm really excited to see how the artists interpret the theme. The exhibit will travel nationally during 2013 and into 2014 with the premiere opening at the World Quilt Show in Manchester, New Hampshire on August 15 - 18! Below are the details:

Color Wheel of Emotions: SAQA Exhibition: Open to all SAQA members

Traveling Exhibit:

• Premiere Location: The World Quilt Show: New England XI, Manchester, New Hampshire, 8/15 – 8/18
• Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza XX: Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Oaks, PA, 9/19 – 9/22
• Pacific International Quilt Festival XX: Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA 10/17 – 10/20
• Additional venues may be added; work must be available to travel through the end of August 2014

Exhibition Concept:

How do colors reflect our emotions? Have you ever seen red, felt blue or been green with envy? Spin the color wheel and your mood may encompass the full spectrum of the rainbow. The range of color used in this exhibit will convey a sense of emotion or feeling expressed by the artists. Viewers will interpret the theme based on their understanding and response to the color palette and overall design.

Juror: Terry Waldron

Terry Waldron is an award-winning fiber artist whose work hangs in art museums, galleries, and in patrons' homes, too. Her work has been published in several books and magazines, and she has curated and judged fiber art exhibition and loves doing it! Terry holds degrees in both art and English Literature and is a Fellow in the UCI Writing Project. As a life-long high school teacher and now a busy fiber art teacher traveling all around the country, Terry loves to show others that they, too, are born artists!

Managing curator: Carol Eaton

Please be sure to finish your piece in time and log into SAQA for the complete prospectus.

Blocks & Ivy Fabric = A Creative Journey

It was a long process to create this Block & Ivy fabric. I used many, many techniques to complete the piece.

Blocks & Ivy
100% cotton - 2 Yards


I started by dyeing a piece of PFD cotton using ice and a camel color. Once the fabric cured I removed some color using a sponge and SoftSrub... just enough to create a block-type texture. The spaces between the blocks was made by cutting up a kitchen sponge and stamping across the surface of the fabric. I created three silk screens from freezer paper for the ivy. I thought it still needed a bit more so I carved ivy from a block and stamped a final layer of leaves over the previously screened ivy.

I need to live with the piece for a while before deciding if I like it and what project could be made from it. The fun for me was creating the fabric - perhaps another artist will find a way to use the piece?!

Sponge + SoftScrub = Fun!

It doesn't take much to change the surface of your fabric. All you need is a little SoftScrub and a kitchen sponge!

For this piece I used a yard of black cotton fabric. I dipped the end of a kitchen sponge into a little SoftScrub and started stamping and simply stamped my way across the fabric.

Have you ever used this technique before? 

I'm looking around the studio for other things I can dip into SoftScrub!  

 

Give it a try!

Fun Fabric Sale!

The one thing I might like more than creating fabric is talking about how to create fabric! This past weekend I had the opportunity to sell my fabrics at the Village Square Quilt show in Scarsdale, NY. They were a welcoming group of quilters who put together a lovely show. I gave a lecture each day and connected with creative and enthusiastic artists! It was so cool to hear how each person planned to incorporate the fabric into their designs. I've asked folks to send me pictures of their completed work so I can share them with you! I'm going to create a page on the blog titled, Customer Gallery... can't wait to get started - game on ladies - now you need to finish a piece!

I plan to create some dyeing workshops this summer and do another show in the fall - more info to come!