Monday, October 14, 2013

Slideshow Added

I have added a slideshow of photographs of our Fyber Cafe activities and textile art. I wanted to show how much fun we have at our various workshops and play days. Many photos are from our monthly Show and Tell at the meetings, and from our group challenges. The slideshow runs on the right hand column, try clicking on a photo and see if it will take you to the Picasa site, so you can see them in a larger format. It works for me, but them I am signed on. Then click the < or > on the sides of the photo to move forward or backwards through the pics. I hope this inspires you to try some of challenges or activities in the workshops. Stop by and join us if you are in the Roseburg, Oregon area. We meet the 2nd Tuesday of the month, 10am, at the Mercy Hospital Community Education Conference rooms, above Parkway Mobility and Supplies, next to Office Max on Stewart Parkway. Contact AMY, email is on the Facebook badge to the right, put Fyber Cafe meeting in the subject line.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

SAQA Mini's

Thanks to Georgia and Pat, we had 30 small works from a traveling collection from SAQA. Georgia and several of our members are also members of SAQA, and they participate in many of their challenges and calls for art. The set of small works were about 8" square and matted in white frames, with plastic over them, so we could pick them up and observe closely. Each had a paper with an artists' statement on the back. We have decided we need artists' statements for our "River Runs Through It" challenge, so get to work Fyber Cafe artists.
We were very impressed with the simplicity of design in some of them, and the complexity of others, in an 8" format. The hand work and other techniques were perfectly executed. I only took a few photos, sorry about the glare. Please check out the SAQA site, to see more of their wonderful art.

Friday, October 11, 2013

October Meeting 2013

Old BusinessOur new challenge theme is "Weather Report," any technique, under 20" on a side. Due February meeting. Must be labeled and sleeved. New Business We need to write artists' statements for our river pieces, in this format, Name, Title of piece, statement about the Art piece, techniques or unusual materials. We wish to make a professional presentation to the Umpqua Valley Arts Center, for display. Reminder, please wear a name tag at the meetings, our group is growing. We had 17 members at the meeting, and 4 new members in the last few months. Nov. meeting, Crystal will still do her computer fabric info, and Amy & Pat will do "Texture Magic." Dec. meeting - Holiday Potluck. Jan. Vera with Solvy lace/thread fabric, (Corienne please bring your bag of thrums) Feb. on TBA. Show & Tell
Amy finished her "Leonardo Da Vinci's Sketchbook" for the international painters challenge. She used tissue paper image transfer, acrylic paints, and thread painting, then appliqued a sketchbook, pens & ink, and feather pen to the bottom area. Also a quick sunflower abstract was made from a photo printed on fabric, cut up and hand dyed fabrics added to the composition. Thread painted with lots of rayon threads brought the flower petals into the dyed fabric for a complete picture.
Sylvia's painters challenge is Cezanne, his style is short choppy brush strokes. She has replicated this with small rectangles of hand dyed silk and Wonder Under fusible. One of his many paintings is a local French mountain, she had to dye several blue sky fabrics to get the right shade. The photo doesn't due the sky justice. The quilting is not yet done.
Vera and Meredith made it up to the Quilt Country venues to see the SAQA exhibit, they thought the SAQA was the best, but enjoyed several other fiber and art exhibits in the Corvallis area, including the Philomath Historical Society and a wearables exhibit. Vera had made 18 silk scarves for her daughter to give as parting gifts from her job in Malaysia, she had a photo of the ladies wearing them. Meredith has reached into her archives to bring a poofy black vest and beaded bow tie. The vest fabric was made by poking fabric through a screen and ironing in the poofs, then adding a layer of fusible interfacing to the back of the fabric to set the bubbles into it.
Cheryl has finished getting a leather bottom onto her wool boots. She dyed the leather with acid dyes and "boiled" them to set. Wrong, they shrunk and became hard as rocks. Next she tried it with steam, and got a nice finish to the leather. She and her daughter have started a project to make a queen size "Snail's Trail" pattern bed quilt, for their joint birthday project.
Nancy drew a Halloween pumpkin for Pat G. on her postcard, but Pat is in Australia/New Zealand on a quilt cruise, so she will get it when she is back. Lorraine received a landscape postcard from Tricia, with delicate reeds and a dragonfly.
Jana has gotten a start on Christmas, with a set of batik quail silhouette place mats. Her Halloween hanging with fused cats, got finished with quilting lines that extended the spider webs from the border print.
Lorraine was also in the Halloween mood with her pumpkin table topper, the pieces were fused with "Steam a Seam" on a black background to create the striking contrast.
Dorrie has also been working on Christmas, with a soft red scarf on the knitting tool, and sunflower place mats and napkins. They are making me feel like I need to get a move on for the holidays, blink and it will be Christmas, blink again and it will be 4th of July. Peggy made a cell phone pouch (no photo) with a pattern from Quiltsmart.com they print the pattern onto fusible, and you just fuse to fabric of your choice, cut out and assemble.
Kay brought a whole stack of postcards, she received from an art postcard exchange. There was a huge variety of styles and techniques, with many beautiful images.