Houston Fiber Artists

At the monthly HAFA (Houston Association of Fiber Artists) meetings we have time for show and share. Here are a few that were shown at the last meeting.

Since it was Heart month, Ivy brought her Valentine quilt to share.  It is colorful but also she also made it a matching game--there are two hearts that are alike.

Here is Fermin's heart of hearts.  He uses crochet as his media but also other aspects of arts to create this unique hanging heart.  He has used chicken wire for the form.

Inside you can see various heart shapes, some beaded.

One fiber artists has used stitching as her method of expression and inspiration.  She designed the border with a climbing vine

These were exchange blocks--not her favorite but she took these orphan blocks and made a very attractive and appealing quilt

Here are three examples of surface design--the two on the left were made by Linda.  One in the middle used oatmeal (yes, oatmeal!) as a resist!  Of course, there are some pros and cons with this resist--Linda says 'been there, done that'--

This lovely silk wearable used painting and alcohol drops for movement on the silk-- 

And this little hanging is a 'story block' made by mother to give her 9 yr old daughter, who has a dream of owning a cupcake bakery one day.

Design: Elements and Principles of Art

Fiber Artists are a special 'breed'! They encompass all aspects of mediums to create interesting and intriguing wearables as well as wall pieces. When does one begin to call themselves a 'Fiber Artist"? Let's begin with these fundamentals:


Elements of Art--these are building blocks used by artists to create a work of art:

• Line (can show movement, be straight
• Shape & Form (closed lines present 3D effect)
• Color (reflect light, hue, value, intensity, usage and varies with culture)
• Texture can be visual or actual
• Space--negative, perspective, overlaps, positive
• Value--range of light to dark; contrast

Principles of Art--ways artists use the Elements in their artwork

• Pattern (repetition of the elements of art)
• Emphasis (focus--main idea or what 'grabs' your attention)
• Variety (an assortment of lines, shapes, colors and other elements of art in the art work) Variety adds detail and interest to the work
• Unity (how the elements work together, fit together, so the art work looks complete)
• Balance (symmetrical or asymmetrical)
• Rhythm & Movement (a regular repetition of the elemtns of art to create a sense of rhythm and/or movement)  Does your eye move across the piece?
• Proportion (how parts fit together to make a whole--size relations including scale, monumental, miniature, exaggeration)***

***Awesome Artists (The ABC's of Art: complied, organized and added to by M.C. Gillis)

Now, putting all those steps together, let's take a look at some Art pieces:  these come from Studio Art Quilt Association

Sharon Crary--small tapestry

CINDI HUSSAFTER THE STORM II

DENISE LABADIETRINITY CHURCH

SUSAN WEBB LEEELECTRIC BLUE

 

YAEL DAVID-COHENMASK

B. J. ADAMSBIRDS

Studio Was A-Humming..........

What a fun week this has been! A retreat! Some stayed overnight while some came only in the day--everyone came with one goal in mind. It is our annual sew along to create quilts for Binky Patrol

There were fabrics galore to choose from...............

Brenda is selecting the perfect fabrics for her Binky top

Judy's studio is perfect location for this SAL (sew along).  There is ample space to spread  out fabrics and also a place to cut as Judy M is doing in the background.

Who would have thought that you could find fat quarters at Tuesday Morning?  Well, Judy M did and the price was great!  All soft pastels

No lack of novelty fabrics to use!

And some were even pieced--add a tree to your design?  Why not?

Brenda was sewing these blocks together to assemble in one Binky.

Camilla was sewing on the binding

One Binky that needed some trimming and a binding

Sandy was skillfully hand stitching the binding to make this a complete quilt of love



Around the studio were finished quilts

Linda in the processing of refueling for that extra kick of energy.....

 



On the front table was a stack of completed Binky Quilts ready to be presented to the local chapter--all from the hands of these expatchers:  Judy M, Camilla, Brenda, Debby, Karen, Annette, Sandy, Linda and myself.  And then there are the two moral supporters:  Judy C and Jane



Even a hand knitted quilt

Take a stroll through some of the finished tops and view the patterns and quilting.

This is only the beginning for 2013--we are on a roll to complete many more during the coming months.

Our non-sewer, Jane, came for the special day.  Not only was  it our sewing, gathering, assembling day, it was also

Birthday time!  And a delicious Italian Cream cake awaited as our dessert

This was Judy M's birthday month....Happy Birthday Girl!

This was NOT a birthday gift from the group, but an appreciation gift for the use of Judy's studio for the past two years!  We love being in her studio, sewing together, chatting over our problems, eating and sharing time together.  Thanks Judy!
Unfortunately, my photo of Annette and Karen didn't turn out right so I didn't want to post an unflattering picture.  We also missed two other expatchers--Judy C (Get better soon) and Debby W (hurry back from AZ, we miss you!)

Just Can't Resist.....................................!!

Oh dear, there are mysteries on the horizon and you know how I love mysteries!  But, there are also the KAL (Knit alongs) and the QAL (Quilt alongs) plus other sundry happenings in the fiber world.  Come with me on this ride along the fiber path.

There is the Business Casual Sock KAL from the design work of Tanis, Tanis Fiber Arts.  Celtic Cast blog is hosted here or in the side notes.



There is also this KAL--I'm so far behind in Downton Abbey KAL and when I went to download clue #2, what do I see but they are hosting another KAL!!  Truckee Shawlette

Then there is another KAL with one of my favorite designers--

Stephen West and his next KALs--yes, multiple patterns released.  Stephen has teamed up with Brooklyn Tweeds and you can check out the patterns Here with the first pattern up on February 8.

Not tired of sock knitting yet--so joining in on The Heartful Yarn's mystery sock pattern on Ravelry group Solid Socks--not a member of Ravelry??  Join NOW--lots of good stuff happening there!

And if this isn't enough to fill my plate--I'm taking a lesson on double knitting--from the convenience of my studio and on my own time schedule--check out Craftsy.  The class is given by Alasdair Post-Quinn and it certainly is An Adventure in Double Knitting!

If you need something to occupy your ears, check out Craftlit where we are listening to Jane Eyre and there are other goodies there to listen too as well.

 

January Spin-in Treasures

January Spin-in is always a treasure where you meet old friends, make new friends, learn new techniques, sharpen those techniques you use and of course, there are the vendors where you can purchase material treasures!

There is a challenge thrown out in 2013 for 2014 attendees.  These lovely fibers were the result of Lisa's dyepots and color sense.  Lisa owns  Dicentra Designs based in Oregon.  Lisa's fibers are always bright and brilliant in color.

These blended rovings are soft to the touch and oh so longing for the wheel.  There are blends of merino, baby camel and silk top; merino, yak, cultivated silk top; merino and tussah silk top!  These are going to be a joy to spin!

 I was speaking with Gale of Gale's Art about my dyeing method and the problems I was having dyeing silk roving.  In the booth was Rebecca Sunshine Knit Designs and she was listening into the conversation.  My silk roving was a mess! Rebecca was commenting that something could be done with those fibers, so into the hands of Rebecca these silk fibers went!

And the next day at 'show and tell' Rebecca presented me this skein of spun wool with MY messed up silk at accents!  She said this skein (which is a circle--our 2013 theme) had come full circle--from me to her and back to me!  Rebecca used some of her wool fiber to spin with the 'messed up' silk.  There is a thought brewing in my head that this skein of spun fiber must go back to Rebecca..........................what should I create for her?

Look at this wonderful skein winder--a gift from a participant!

This will go in my spinning travel bag--perfect for those spinning days away from home!

What a fun read this is!

Fiber Art Almanac from  Wildwood Press is a lovely calendar with such wonderful photos

The artists make this book/calendar a real keeper--

There is no way I'm going to write in this book! 
What material treasures I racked up and everytime I use one of these gifts, I'll think of the person who gave it to me--ahhh, fond memories of January Spin-in 2013!