Whirlwind of work in my studio

My studio has been in a whirlwind trying to finish garments for the textile exhibit at the Denver Art Museum for the summer exhibit. I have a few pictures of some pieces. I made three jackets with set in sleeves, a short jacket that was made from a pattern I made off of a vintage piece that Colleen Alexander let me borrow, and several vests that I had made before but I changed the sides on two making a short lacing.
Below is the short jacket with a matching scarve: It is merino wool and spots of silk

The jackets:
Two are merino wool and Silk lap as the outside layer felted together. The Purple one is merino wool with 8 mm habotai silk fabric felted together. I cut them out, dye the pieces and sew them together.

The vests with side lacing:

The vest with the chiffon fabric through the back that ties in the front panel on each side. I have made this before and sold one at ArtWear Fashion Week in Fort Collins, Colorado a couple of years ago.

 

My piece - "Falling Ashes" - for the "Woven Together: Firestorm" Art Exhibit

 

It is almost a year since I have posted to my blog! I have been working on garments that are much more fun that accessories, but I do like to add accessories to match a garment to make a full outfit. This bolero started with silk fabric and merino wool roving. It was felted together and then I dyed the fabric in an orangey dye bath. Afterwards I clamped the fabric with the large black paper clips and over dyed in a red that I think was scarlet wash-fast dye. I had the wonderful opportunity to attend one of the "Design Outside the Lines" retreats with Marcy Tilton and Diane Erickson in Taos, New Mexico, September 2012. I knew about the juried art exhibit which is jointly sponsored by our weaving guild - Pikes Peak Weavers Guild of Colorado Springs and the Business of Art Center, Manitou Springs, Colorado. I had the bolero cut out and brought it to the retreat. There, I learned so much from the teachers, helpers and students. It was a totally new field for me to stencil and paint on the dyed felt. I just happened to have a black scarf that had been over dyed with red and it went with the bolero. I used some of Diane's stencils and stenciled and painted the scarf and bolero pieces and it was really fun to see the fabric come alive! I repeated the little triangle shaped stencil on the bolero and scarf to signify falling ashes which became the title of the piece. After stenciling I stitched dotted lines using black embroidery floss. I really loved the effect and this is the first "Red" piece I have made... And it was accepted into the exhibit! The opening reception is Friday June 21st from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. The exhibit will be at the BAC in Manitou Springs, Colorado June 21 - August 3, 2013