Lark books contest

My blog has been quite silent lately. That's because I have not been able to work in the studio at all, I feel that my creativity is all dried-up, and I have nothing new to share with you. Sad!!!

One thing I would like to pass along: the following contest announcement from Lark Books. Check it out.

"W’re very excited to announce an online Quilt It! Contest running from October 15 to January 5. The contest will be open to the public and invites crafters to create and submit a photo of a quilt. And there’s a cool catch: the quilt has to be made with 3 of 5 elements-birds, mountains, silver, recycled materials, and paper. Sound like a fun challenge? We hope so! Read more about it here http://www.larkbooks.com/crafts/quilt-it-contest"

Fiber Fun at the Campbell school

The class I was teaching at the Campbell school is called Fiber Fun: and yes, it is just what the title says, playing with fibers and different materials in ways that can only be succesful! So no stress and just a chance to experiment with techniques and products that we may not otherwise take the time to try out. I had a wonderful group of students, very enthousiastic and creative, ready to try everything and see where they could take it. The class was not about working on a project but more making samples of the different things but most students did put a few of those techniques together into small sampler or decorative pieces. As a teacher, I get such a thrill when I spend a week with a group of people that generate so much interaction, exchange and emulation.

Here are some of the things these ladies did:

A technique sampler (left) and a small "magic cloth" with wool and free motion stitching by Audra C.

Magic cloth, foiling, real leaves by Diane B. (left)

Layering of different material, in progress by Donna H.

Jenna C. made a smaple book. Y0u can see some of her pages above.

And this is a "magic cloth" done by Karen N. (above right)

Martha H. did the small collage left and Sandy K. the technique sampler on the right.

A collage/sampler made by Sharon M. (left) and another by Trish S. (right).

And a photo of the quilting studio and everyone hard at work:

And our dyed silk roving drying outside:

Many other samples were produced during the week and I hope the class will lead to many wonderful projects!

At the Cambpell School

The weather last week was not always great but the drive to the Campbell school was just gorgeous, with the sun shining on the colorful leaves. I just wanted to stop just about every few miles to take pictures...unfortunately there were not that many places to stop! Here are some of those images, as well as some views of the parts of the school ground. Now, can you dream of a most peaceful and beautiful setting to spend a creative week?

And here are some of the views from the school:

This is the view from the back of the fiber studio! It was a foggy morning as you can see.


And this is part of the school vegetable garden...and a faithful scarecrow keeping watch!

For those of you who may not know what the John C Campbell Folk School is, let me tell you quickly: it is a place in the most western point of North Carolina, in the mountains, where you can spend an entire week learning things from painting to knitting, weaving, dyeing, basket making, blacksmithing, woodworking and turning, music playing, cooking, stone wall building.... the catalog is quite thick and the classes many and varied.

The atmosphere is also conducive to creativity since every one can visit the other studios and see what is being taught and what other students are doing. Besides class time, lots of activities can keep you busy from before breakfast to after dinner if you wish. As for the food....yum! Why don't you check them out at www.folkschool.org.

Paul Gaugin

I happened to watch a movie about Paul Gaugin's life on Ovation TV yesterday night. It was quite good and I realized that although I could recognize some of his paintings and I knew he had spent time in Tahiti, I really did not know much about his life. One thing was clear from the movie is that he had a comfortable life and loving family and gave it all up in order to be able to keep painting. His life sounded actually very sad and he died poor and alone. It is amazing that even with all this hardship and sadness, his paintings are so vibrant. In any case, the movie made me want to learn more about him and his work.

More wire wrapping

Even though I did not really have the time, I took another wire wrapping class this weekend, from Sonia Arnold, a jeweller who lives in my area. It was really a great class and I feel that little by little I am learning about this wire and metal thing! Even though my goal is not ultimately to use these techniques for jewellery, I do enjoy making it! Now I have some ideas for closures for my new Offering that I think I can implement... if I ever get to work on it!

Speaking of which, thanks to Carol Sloan who recommended Robert Saluda's website, I found a book (The Elements of Pop-Up by David Carter and James Diaz) with all the info I need for pop up construction techniques. I had visited that website but for some reason had missed the bibliography page! I think pop ups in fabrics have so much potential! I can't wait to play with it.

art all around

It seems that I can get out of the studio but the studio never leaves my mind! While we were in Canada this past week, I we were surrounded by beautiful colors: chartreuse lichen, turquoise lakes and deep green moss...not to mention wonderful textures of rocks, stumps and driftwood! I certainly added to my collection of photos , some of which may one day find their way into my work in one form or another. Here are some of these pictures:

We started our hikes early in the morning, so for a couple of hours, we had the trails pretty much to ourselves. When we were at Moraine Lake, the place where the stream comes down from the glacier to feed the lake felt like a very special place, a place where I could sit for hours and soak up the peace.

Pop up books...pop up "Offerings"?

I am fascinated by pop up books. I remember those I had in my childhood and the magic they held for me. I had not thought about them in many, many years, but for some reason the idea popped up (ha ha ha!) in my head recently. I keep thinking that there has to be a way to create a pop up design in fabric and combine it with one of my "Offerings".

So I went to the children section at the store and bought a pop up book (I wish I knew what happened to the ones I had a long time ago) and spent many hours looking. It is one of those things where the concept is easy to understand, when I look at one page that pops up, I think "Oh, no problem, that's easy" and the mechanics of the whole thing seem logic and simple enough...

Well, think again! I tried cutting out some basic shapes in paper just to understand the folds and angles of the thing. And unfortunately my brain does not do well with that kind of logic! It is a good thing I recycle my computer paper and use it as scrap paper, because I did use a lot of it that way and my studio was covered with little bits of paper as if a blizzard had suddenly come through. I did end up with sort of a mock up, but I am not satisfied. I was not even trying to cut out a design that would fit in the box I am working on or be compatible with its shape.

I wish my brain would let me visualise how I need to fold and cut the "base" or "anchor" piece so that when it is pulled opened the other part of the design opens up, and does that in the right direction! I have a hard time just duplicating what I see! I am quite stubborn and I will play with this until I find a way to make it work. I am not worried about translating the design into fabrics, I think it will actually be the easiest part. But first, I need to solve the basic mechanics. Anybody knows a good reference book or article on pop up designs? I need all the help I can get!....

But then again, even though on some level it is a bit frustrating, it is so much fun and I love it when I can prove to my brain that I can do it!!!