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

This is another full outfit, this time in blue/green color scheme. I call it "Peaceful Waters". It is made up of an eight point handkerchief skirt, an obi belt, bolero, scarf and hat. I dyed a purchased silk camisole top to go with it. It is all handmade felt and silk (fabric and natural silk fibers). The question I had was whether it looked better with or without the hat. It is amazing the difference that a hat makes! I think the hat pulls it together?

I had a hard time not dyeing this piece but my friend "Martha" enlightened me to the beauty of the white, undyed felt and she was absolutely right! I love this piece and it was fun styling it with the red accent pieces.

New Work Photo Shoot - May 2012

 I have been constructing a number of studio-dyed boleros because I love the fabric that has 60% shrinkage. The boleros above all are merino wool felted together with natural silk fiber (not fabric). The scarves are dyed to match the boleros and felted with fabric and wool using the hyprid felt collage technique I developed a year and a half ago. The

My most recent work is the lilac and magenta kimono style coat is constructed of handmade felt  - studio dyed with some shibori pole-wrapping techniques.

Fiber Celebrations 2012

My entry: "Parfait Bolero and Scarf" received an "Honorable Mention" at "Weave" - Fiber Celebrations 2012 put on by the Northern Colorado Handweavers Guild. The show is through April 29, 2012 at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center in Longmont Colorado.

Shows in The Denver Colorado Area featuring some of my work

There are two shows in the area with fiber art from SDA and SAQA members. The first is titled "State of the Art" and the show is at Red Rocks Community College. I have two "Victorian Handbags" and a vessel in the show.

The second show is at the Art Institutes of Colorado, it is a show of work by members of the Colorado Surface Design Association. I have the garment ensemble: In and Out Gold in the Exhibit:

"In and Out Gold"