Liliana's scarf

Scarf Class

What a great group we had for our nuno-felting class this past Saturday! We had so much fun creating one-of-a-kind scarves, and I am happy to say, everyone's work was a huge success! Truly this was a group of diverse individuals and each lady special in her own way, everyone was so generous to share their goodies and still each scarf turned out so different and beautiful. We took a break halfway through the rockin' and rollin' process to eat lunch, and treated ourselves to a great buffet salad bar at the Whole Foods shop just up the street. As a small-town resident, this was so special for me...most restaurants in our little town serve up bbq, chicken or fast-food, and I really miss getting to try new things. But we filled trough-sized bowls with the yummiest fresh fruits and veggies and assorted munchies, had some rich coffee and stimulating conversation, and returned to class all revved up to finish our scarves. Just when the girls thought they could roll no more, their works of art came together and did just as they were supposed to, as always like magic. I love the element of surprise that comes with wet-felting! I'm posting some photos of some of the scarves, they're still wet here, I can imagine how gorgeous they were once they dried! And the girls left with a special new accessory to wear for their holiday weekend.

Also a huge thank-you to Julie and friends at Thimble Pleasures in Chapel Hill, NC for hosting the scarf class. I had the pleasure of shopping a bit there after the class, what gorgeous fabrics! What great books! Needless to say I did not leave empty-handed.

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.

I Made the Cover!

I was getting ready for the quilt show in Lancaster, SC Friday when the Fedex truck pulled up in my driveway, my Quilts and More magazines had come with my project in them...imagine my surprise when I opened up the box and saw my humble little "Sweet Treat Pincushion" project on the cover! I am just so thrilled, and the magazine did a super job with the inside article too, great photographs and tips. I'm posting a picture of the cover below left.

The Lancaster show was great, too! I love visiting my quilting friends down there every year, I've been going since it first started and am starting to get to know those SC gals. I love the big round tables they give us, I took about 70 colors of Wooolfelt squares this year and "rainbowed" them around the table in front, glad to be able to help the girls find all the colors they need for their projects.

Have a Heart

Recently I vended a quilt show in Statesville, and as they were forecasting snow later that day and the weekend, everybody ended up coming early Friday, it was like one big quilting party! I saw so many wonderful folks I knew and met some new creative souls too, it was just a fun, very busy show. One very clever quilter from Kernersville, Glenna, bought a pattern and kit for my "Queen of Hearts" Pincushion at the show, and mailed me a picture just a few days later of her finished project! I believe she made it to celebrate her anniversary, at any rate I couldn't help but notice the "love puppy" figurines behind it. She's accented her heart with some great vintage buttons and needle packs in the front pocket, a decorative scissors pin "crown", and of course her "queen" sits atop her rusty throne! Thanks so much for sharing, Glenna, you can check out Glenna's heart in the photo below left.