Nuno-felted Scarf Kits

Just watched the end of a visual feast of a movie about the life of fashion designer Valentino, what a talent! Evidently he officially retired in 2008, and the film showed clips of his final show, wow, talk about a party! Not only were the gowns amazing, the crowd full of familiar faces, there was a spectacular fireworks display at the end complete with ethereal air-borne girls "floating" around in long drapey dresses (obviously made of silk from their weightless appearance) to the music of beautiful opera - well, at least in the movie.

I've always had a fascination (if not the wallet) for couturier clothing, and majored in clothing design while in college. Of course, we all know life has led me down a different road - I was born in the "Year of the Sheep", after all - but I do still indulge in a love of wearable art, fiber art in particular. And so one of my favorite aspects of teaching fiber art is gathering up the supplies and putting together the kits, especially for my Nuno-felted Scarf classes! I love seeing the play of textures between the hand-dyed silk scarves, merino wool fibers, and novelty fibers, and imagining how each work of art might look. Of course, each student's piece turns out different, and that's the best part, seeing what they do with the techniques they learn in class. This morning I had the pleasure of getting out all the beautiful fibers I've been collecting throughout my travels and seeing how they look with the silk colors...I like it! Had to take a picture in today's spring sunshine...what do you think?

Georgia Sewing Expo

I barely had time to catch my breath from Mid-Atlantic before it was time to go to the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in Georgia! We made it a "family affair" this time, as my son was on spring break, and he was such a help with setting up the booth and loading. He arranged my "rainbow" of woolfelt squares like a pro, and never complained of hanging samples. What a trooper...we may have to try this again sometime!

This was the first time I'd been to the spring Expo in Georgia, and it was surprizingly different, I loved it! You know I love wearable art, and this particular show was chock full of all sorts of embellishment tools and tricks, gorgeous fabrics, wonderful patterns, and fun new "stuff". My friends Patty and Michelle came down and helped in my booth Friday while I taught my "Peacock Pincushion" class, and they were absolute lifesavers! We had a great class, too, what a creative group of gals we had! Even though everyone had the same basic kit, each student put their own spin on their project and made it their own...even our youngest lady had a ball with the embroidery machine. I'm looking forward to returning this fall to re-visit my friends in Georgia.

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival

What a blast we had at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival this year! I was thrilled to see many of my friends there, and also to make some new ones. Someone posted on my Facebook page that there were 10,000 attendees this year, and I believe it - I was finally able to get out of my booth and zip around the show a bit Sunday afternoon (no, I'm not complaining. ^_^) And although I was momentarily disappointed I didn't win a ribbon for my wearable art submission, I quickly recovered when I saw the incredible workmanship of my competitor's entries...truly amazing!! There were all sorts of works of art there, including several evening gowns and nationally-known names, so I felt a bit better then. And the quilts were gorgeous! To see some of the winning entries, you can visit their web-site at http://www.quiltfest.com/gallery.asp

I was thrilled to be able to share my skills in felting in my Wool Beads Class; every class is different, and I have to say, this was one of the most entertaining and also sharing groups I have taught! Everyone's wool beads turned out just beautiful, and we had a fun time too. Saturday night's Show 'n Tell was equally adventurous, and I was so impressed with many of the students' work that was shared. I had the good fortune to meet Connie Hindmarsh at the show (she's the one with the cute bears in the teacher photo at far right), and what a warm and talented person she is! I believe most of her class was on that stage sharing their newly made cuddly friends; I was most honored when Connie purchased some of my "vintage toy" patterns, she's already made up the Bunny on Wheels, you can see her adorable version on her blog at http://hindmarshstudios.com/ Just precious!

All in all a wonderful show, a special thanks to Alby for all her hard work helping me in the booth.