My daughter’s fiber arts group, the Fiber Divas, participate in numerous shows and sometimes hold private gallery showings.  At least annually, they’re involved in something new.
This year, their quilts and fiber art will spend some time at a library with a large display area.  So, Beth has been getting ready for several weeks.  Their highlight projects center around six challenge quilts, each designed by each member, then each contributing.
I’m sure Beth will post her finished project soon on her Meandering Threads blog.  However, here are some posts that describe a few of the quilts she made for the challenge.
Some New …read more

Milan Fashion Week is just wrapping up the runway shows for the Spring & Summer 2010 collections.
I love browsing through photos from the shows and seeing the incredible mastery that the designers have with fabric.  They can take a humble bolt of fabric and turn it into a sculpture or a piece of art.
Not sure what I mean?
Check out these lush flowers from Colombian designer Leal Daccarett:

Aren’t those fabulous?  I can almost smell the peonies…
If you want to see some amazing embroidery, look at this outfit from Pakistani designer Deepak Perwani:

Unfortunately, I can’t post a high-res image, but trust me …read more

I’d like to share one of my favorite books from my own studio bookshelf with you today.
“Color Harmony for Quilts – A Quilt Makers Guide to Exploring Color” by Weeks Ringle & Bill Kerr is a fantastic addition to the fiber artist’s bookshelf.  It’s not an instruction manual, more of a guide to using colors more effectively in your quilts, either art or traditional.

The book begins with a discussion of basic color concepts like the color wheel, how color affects our perceptions and even how to find inspiration in the real world.
The authors use traditional and modern quilt blocks in …read more

That’s right, Lark Books is doing another one of their popular “500″ series of books – but this one is all about the scarves!
For their latest 500 book, Lark Books wants hip, trendy and modern scarves – but with a twist…

They’re looking for upcycled scarves, scarves sewn from interesting thrifted materials – they want you to think outside the traditional “scarf” box.  Lark Books has emphasized modern and urbane for this one.
The book is focusing on sewn scarves for the beginner or intermediate stitcher.  They’re looking for cool scarves, but with a do-able how to for less experienced seamstresses.  The …read more

The fiber art world is definitely a creative one!
Even though we have a rainbow of commercially-available fabrics in huge amounts, fiber artists continue to find new ways to use fibers.  Or to create their own mediums entirely.
Noreen found a great story about a woman in the UK who designed her own wedding dress.  This isn’t your standard wedding dress – it’s made from wool and fibers from the bride’s own sheep.
I’ve used wool to create my own felt and fusion papers before, but this is definitely a unique way to use wool!

Of course, if we’re talking about alternative fibers, I …read more

Because there’s always room for one more project, one more inspiring article or one more new piece of fiber artwork…

Would you like to sew your own soft and cuddly t-shirt quilt, but aren’t quite sure how to deal with the issues of sewing stretchy fabric?  Here’s a great 5-part tutorial on transforming your own t-shirts into a quilt.
Need a quick and easy way to add some more style to your dining room table?  Take some pretty fabric, add the inner roll from some plastic wrap, and voila – napkin rings!

Turn the traditional lazy daisy stitch upside down and create a …read more

Applique is a great way to add more images, motifs or even dimension to a piece of fiber art or a quilt.
Do you find all the different options confusing though?  Needle turn?  Raw edge?  Satin stitch?  What’s a fiber-aholic to do?
Each techique has it’s benefits (and disadvantages) and some of them work better for certain uses than others.  Is your project strictly art or for decorative use only?  Or is this something that’s going to get used well and washed frequently?

For instance, I’ve cut these cute little motifs out of another piece of fabric and want to applique them onto …read more

I started talking about recreating or interpreting textures from nature into fiber art yesterday, but due to a nasty storm system moving through – had to cut things short.
I’ve got two more photos to share today, and as long as today’s thunderstorm holds off – we’ll get to them!
I mentioned yesterday that one of my favorite creativity building exercises is to think about how I would interpret an image as fiber art.  What kind of fabric would I use?  Do I use mixed media or raw fiber elements?  How about machine or hand embroidery?

These leaves were covered in a soft …read more

I spent my afternoon walking through my local conservatory.  It was such a treat to get away from the city for a couple of hours and just enjoy the tropical flowers and lush plants from all over the world.
Of course, I can’t leave my camera at home and so I’ve got dozens of photos of lovely plants to use as inspiration.  I find that the “macro” image is the one that interests me the most, so I rarely seem to end up with the whole flower or plant in the frame.
One game I like to play is imagining how I …read more

Are you going to be in Seattle this weekend?
You are in for a treat!
The Urban Craft Uprising indie craft show happens this weekend, August 1st & 2nd 2nd at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall.

As well as more than 100 talented vendors there are going to be fiber art workshops (as well as workshops on almost anything interesting and crafty that you can think of!)  Several authors will be in attendance, which means that you can pick up their latest book and get a signed copy.
You can check out their blog too – they’ve got vendor interviews and all kind of …read more