Weaving and Pythagoras?

What does weaving and Pythagoras have in common? The triangle, of course!

At the Janurary 7, 2012 meeting of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild, the program will be on Weaving with Triangle Looms. Join us and find out what makes weaving on triangle looms unique, what can be made using a tri loom, and the tools and supplies you'll need to get started.

Try a Triangle! Weaving with a triangle loom.

Tired of squares and rectangles? Here's your opportunity to try a triangle! Small tri looms will be available to use and can be purchased for a nominal fee. Also bring along: scissors, a crochet hook, and an assortment of smooth, worsted weight yarn. Yarns may be combined to get color variation and a larger piece.

You won't need to bring your high school geometry book—just come and have some fun weaving triangles. (Minimal math skills could be helpful.)

Guild Challenge: Fiber Art Tote Bags

Team Lead, Veronica Hofman-Ortega,
emcees the Challenge presentation.

The second annual Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild Challenge exhibit and awards presentation was held Saturday, November 12. This year's Challenge showcased 10 multifarious fiber art tote bags. The Challenge exhibit and awards presentation, entitled "Fiber and Caffeine get me going... ," was emceed by Challenge team lead, Veronica Hofman-Ortega.

Veronica and her team introduced the Challenge guidelines to guild members in January, with a ten-month time frame in which to create a fiber art piece that was inspired by a favorite coffee mug. The resulting entries exhibited a broad range of techniques— felting, knitting, crochet, quilting and weaving—and heralded the skills and creativity of their creators.

The tote bags were displayed with an Artist's Statement and the mug inspiration.

One of the requirements of Challenge entries, the inclusion of a decorative design element, resulted in an artistic display of embellishing and surface design techniques such as stumpwork, embroidery, thread painting, image transfer, beading, dyeing and appliqué.

Selecting the winning entries, determined by vote from the guild membership, was an arduous task and a very close competition. Prizes were awarded to all participants and ribbons given for First, Second, and Third Places and Best Workmanship. Local fiber arts businesses, including those owned by guild members, generously contributed merchandise and gift certificates for the prizes. Here are some of the Challenge participants and their entries. Congratulations to all the artists!

Left: Ann Buggey (Third Place) with her entry, "Dragonfly"
Right: Phyllis Narus (First Place) with her entry, "Red Hatters."

Left: Mary Lou Scohier with her entry, " Kiwi"
Right: Pat Keran (Second Place, Best Workmanship) with her entry, "Dragonfly Bag"

Left: Sheri Streety with her entry, "Cat and Mouse Bag"
Right: Veronica Hofman-Ortega with her entry, "How to be a Fiber Artist"
See details on Veronica's design process here.

Left: Brenda Park with her entry, "New Mexico Morning"
Right: Sally Broom with her entry, " Knit Happy"

Left: "Mesa Verde" by Judy Anderson
Right: "Stella's Antler" by Cheri Miller

For additional photos of the
2011 Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild Challenge, click here.

Fiber Art inspired by Coffee Mugs

On Saturday, November 12, the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild will present its 2011 Guild Challenge exhibit. The exhibit, called "Fiber and Caffeine get me going...", will feature a collection of fiber art tote bags created by guild members, that were inspired by a favorite coffee mug. The exhibit and awards presentation is held in conjunction with the monthly guild meeting which starts at 11 a.m. at Senior Neighbors, downtown Chattanooga.

Fiber art demonstrations at Ketner's Mill

Spinning demonstrations provided by
members of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild.

Come out and visit the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild tent at the Ketner's Mill Country Fair this weekend, October 15-16.

Guild members will be demonstrating fiber art techniques such as spinning, carding, weaving and hairpin lace throughout the weekend. Fiber art pieces and hand crafted items made by guild members will be for sale at the tent. Hand spun yarns and fibers—made from animals raised and cared for by owners of local farms—will also be available for purchase.

The fiber arts can be enjoyed by people of all ages. These crafts teach coordination, dexterity, flexibility, offer mental stimulus, and are fun and creative. If you're curious, check out our demonstrations.

The fair is a great opportunity to talk with guild members about fiber arts, ask questions, and purchase one-of-a-kind items, kits, yarn and fibers for holiday gifts. And it's never too late to learn something new!

Kaffe Fassett coming to Chattanooga

Internationally known artist and textile designer, Kaffe Fassett, brings his legacy of creativity and inspiration to Chattanooga on October 18, 19, 20, 24 and 25, 2011.

Slide Show and Workshops

On October 18, spend an evening with Kaffe at a slide show and presentation about his 40+ year career.  This event features an array of images of his creations, and the people and places that inspire him. An Evening with Kaffe Fassett starts at 7 pm. at the Frierson Auditorium, Girls Preparatory School. Take a page from Kaffe’s book and you’ll find that soon your world is also filled with color and inspiration. Tickets are $17.50.

Kaffe’s Color in Design Series includes a variety of workshops:
October 18: Kaffe’s Color Method will be presented by award-winning California artist, and Kaffe’s niece, Erin Lee Gafill.

October 19 - 20: Kaffe Fassett Studio manager, and designer Brandon Mably presents a two-day Color in Design, Knitting Workshop. This lively workshop gives knitters of all levels the skills and inspiration to bring color to their design.

October 19 - 20: At the same time, Kaffe offers quilters hands-on Passionate Patchwork workshops in patchwork design featuring two recent patterns, Star Bouquet Quilt (Oct. 19), and Bordered Diamond Quilt (Oct. 20).

October 24 - 25: Finally, Erin Lee Gafill will present her Passion of Painting Workshop at Townsend Atelier. During this two-day workshop, artists of all media and skill level will work with mixed media to find an inspirational “way-in” to their own creative process.

Information and Tickets

For workshop times, dates and locations go to www.bigsurarts.com/kaffe or call (831) 646-9000. Tickets can be purchased at www.bigsurarts.com/kaffe.

Challenge Exhibit changed to November 12

The Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild will present its "Fiber and Caffeine get me going..." Guild Challenge at the November 12 guild meeting. See unique fiber art pieces inspired by a favorite coffee mug.

There will be no guild meeting in October.

Doing the Drop Spindle Twist and making Art Batts

Let's do the twist!

With CDs, rubber washers, sticks, hooks and a little hair from the Colombian sheep in hand, Riverbend Fiber Arts guild members and guests enjoyed a presentation and hands-on demonstration on spinning yarn with a drop spindle.

Spinning is the process of introducing twist into fibers so they stick together to form yarn or thread. For the physics majors out there, it's the process in which the surface area of fibers is increased so that through friction, the fibers are held together. However you choose to describe it, know that with a few simple materials, you can create your own yarn.

Mary Wells prepares the roving.

"Spinning with a drop spindle is very portable," said guild member Mary Wells, who presented the program. "Nomads spun yarn with these devices while riding their camels on long journeys," she added.

Mary described the differences between top whorl and bottom whorl spindles and how the spindle weight affects spinning thin and thick yarns. Check these links for more information on the physics of hand spinning and applying Newton's Law of Motion to spinning: how drop spindles work.

C'mon everybody, let's twist that fiber!

Experienced spinners assisted beginners with the mechanics of hand spinning with a drop spindle.

 Those who decided to give it a "whirl" adopted their own spinning style.

 

 Hand/eye coordination and practice, practice, practice...

It's not as easy as it looks.

An Intro to Art Batts

The second half of the program was an introduction to creating art batts for spinning art yarns. An art yarn is an eclectic mix of fibers, textures, or colors combined in a single yarn. 

Left: rovings ready for carding or spinning.
Right: examples of spun art yarns.

Art yarns run the gamut from thick-to-thin sections in a single strand, to the spontaneous addition of fillers and embellishments (flowers, bits of paper, ribbon, beads, etc.) that are spun directly into the yarn. Just about anything goes with art yarns.

To make an art batt, colored rovings and locks were "teased" or combed and then combined on the drum carder.

Another method for creating art batts was to make layers of different fibers and sandwich the layers together. One color of roving was laid down with a contrasting color on top. Spinning from the fold with these art batts is an easy way to add complexity to the color scheme of your art yarn.

Layering rovings to create an art batt.

Making art batts and art yarns is lots of fun and offers immense potential for creativity. And, you don't have to be an expert to use them in your knitting, crochet, weaving or felting projects. Simple stitches and patterns let the beauty and originality of art yarns shine through. So, park you camel, grab some colorful roving and sit and spin for a while.

Art Batts and Drop Spindles highlighted at September meeting

Left and center: Drop spindles made from CDs.
Right: Top whorl wooden spindle.

Want to learn how to spin your own art yarns? Join the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild on September 10 for a demonstration on spinning with a drop spindle, preparing fiber for art batts, and spinning from the fold.

For those new to spinning, CD drop spindles will be available to use and can be purchased after the demonstration for $1. These spindles spin easily and are well balanced. If you have a drop spindle and are unsure of how to get started, bring it to the meeting and guild members will be available to assist you.

How to make art batts on a carder is the second part of the program. From there, a demonstration on spinning from the fold will be provided. Experienced spinners are encouraged to bring their wheels to the meeting if they wish to try this technique. Pin drafted roving will be available for purchase as well.

Come out and take a spin with the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild at the September meeting. The guild is open to new members and visitors are welcome.

  

Try your hand at throwing the shuttle

Visit the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild meeting this Saturday, August 6, and give throwing a try—"throwing a shuttle," that is.

Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild August program:
"An Introduction to Weaving."

The program, "An Introduction to Weaving," will be presented by guild members and will provide a brief overview of several types of looms. The looms will be warped and ready for anyone interested in throwing the shuttle. Several different weaving patterns will be threaded on the looms so members and visitors can see and experience weaving different structures. There will even be an 8-harness loom warped for the more adventuresome person to try! No experience is necessary.

The guild meeting starts at 11 a.m. with a Show and Tell by guild members, followed by the weaving program.

A whole lot about buttons

Linda Rhodes, button collector

The Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild had the pleasure of hearing button collector, Linda Rhodes, talk about buttons and her extensive collection at the July guild meeting.

In her presentation, Linda provided information about the history of buttons, the various materials from which buttons are made and the categories that collectors use to define their buttons— linear, contour and realistic.

Interesting button history:

• While women were still lacing up their garments in the 18th century (hold it in, ladies, while we lace you up), buttons were being used on men's suits, shirts, cuffs and knee pants. 
• Did you know that in the Victorian era, the buttons on women's mourning dresses were matte black? Only after an appropriate mourning period could shiney black buttons be used.
• Before garments were discarded, the buttons—considered too valuable to discard—were clipped off and saved in the "button box." 
• In the late 1950s, "studio buttons" were made by artists and specifically sold to collectors.

Vases of button flowers and button cookies.

Show and Tell

Veronica Hofman Ortega is published in Summer Belle Armoire magazine. (left)
Kathy Swift-Lawson shows her alpaca yarn. (right)

Pat shows a lace shrug she made from just two knitted rectangles!

Needle felting and hand spun alpaca yarn.

A hand woven shawl. (left)
Hand spun art yarns. (right)

Guild members attended a workshop on the magic loop
technique and learned how to add beads to knit fingerless gloves.

Crocheted kitchen scrubbies.

A shrug made from hand-dyed yarn combines knitting and crochet.

A bit about Buttons, progam in July

Buttons, buttons... would you like to know a bit more about buttons? At the July 9 meeting of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild, button collector, Linda Rhodes, will share her insights on buttons and collecting buttons. Linda is a member of several button clubs and state organizations and loves to talk to others about buttons, her collection, and the stories behind these small, ornamental and functional fasteners. Those interested in having Linda assist in identifying a button are welcome to bring it to the meeting.

A Taste of Beaded Embellishments

Beads can add color and sparkle to a variety of items. The May program at the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild meeting offered options for combining beads with knitting. Guild members are reminded that beading and beaded embellishments can fulfill the 2011 Guild Challenge requirement of a decorative design element for a "Fiber and Caffeine get me going..." tote bag. All guild members are encouraged to create an entry for the Challenge. Challenge results will be exhibited at the October guild meeting.

 Show and Tell

Guild members show off their fiber talents at Show and Tell.

Sally Broom models her hand knit Ruffle Scarf (left).
Martha Ooten shows her hand dyed angora fibers and
a knitted shawl from hand spun yarn (right).

Veronica Hofman-Ortega's work will be featured in the July issue
of Belle Armoire magazine (left).
A hand knit beret by Dana Huskey from her hand spun yarn (right).

Mary Wells' hand spun yarns.

Free-form crochet pieces from hand spun yarn by Martha Ooten.

Knit One Below: a stitch for many fabrics

A demonstration of the "Knit One Below" knitting technique was the program at the April Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild meeting. This technique creates a drapey fabric that looks good on both the right and wrong sides. Solid or long striping yarns are good choices for this type of colorwork knitting. A baby hat pattern using the Knit One Below (K1B) stitch can be found here.

As seen in Elise Duvekot's book, Knit One Below: One Stitch, Many Fabrics this technique offers a variety of color, design and pattern options. With the appropriate choice of yarn and needle size, K1B is an option for constructing your tote bag entry for the 2011 "Fiber and Caffeine get me going" Guild Challenge. All members are encouraged to experiment with new fabric and construction techniques for their Guild Challenge entry. Guidelines and deadline information for the annual Guild Challenge are listed here.

In support of the Guild Challenge's decorative design element guideline, the program for the May meeting will be "Bead as you Go." "This is an easy and flexible technique," says Kathy Swift-Lawson, the program's presenter, "and you don't have to pre-plan the design or pre-string the beads." Kathy uses this beading technique on her knitted scarves, but indicated that it could be used on crocheted items as well. So, how easy is that?? Come to the May guild meeting and find out!

Show and Tell

Left: hand woven dish towel   Right: knitted wall hanging from left-over sock yarns

Monogrammed woven baby "blankie"

Beaded knit scarf using "Bead as you Go"

Hand made Sneaters from felted recycled sweaters.

Sneater, Sneater, Sneater

Fleece blankets, blue jean totes support community organizations

When everyone lends a helping hand, quick and easy sewing and fiber art projects are always fun and rewarding.

Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild members create tote bags for walkers and fleece blankets to support two community organizations.

Members of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild collaborated on two such projects at the March guild meeting to support local community organizations. Tote bags for walkers were made from blue jeans and lap blankets were made with soft, colorful, easy-care fleece fabrics.

Mary Lou shows options for walker  bags.

Guild member and Team Lead for the guild's Community Service Project, Mary Lou Scohier, researched the needs for a local seniors program (Alexian Brothers PACE) and set out to create a pattern for low-cost, easy-to-make tote bags that could be secured to walkers. Blue jeans, with their sturdy fabric construction and multiple pre-existing pockets seemed a most appropriate choice for the source material.

Old blue jeans in various sizes were collected and brought in by guild members. The legs of the blue jeans were cut off at the hip and the opening sewed closed to create the body of the tote bag. The bottom of the bag was boxed and handles for attaching the bag to a walker were made from the jeans legs.

The body of the walker totes.

A tote bag attached to the walker.

Guild members also revisited a project from a 2009 community service endeavor to create lap blankets from colorful fleece fabric. Instructions for creating these popular two-sided throws can be found at this September 2009 post. This is a no-sew project that is fast and fun to make.

Front and back fabrics are aligned with wrong sides together before cutting fringe.

Fringe is tied to create a soft, cuddly lap blankets.

In about two hours, 11 tote bags and 12 fleece blankets were close to completion. Recipients of the items are the Alexian Brothers PACE program and the Hatch's House of Hope program of the Austin Hatcher Foundation for pediatric cancer.

The guild Show and Tell included a bobbin-buster weaving and hand-knit dog sweaters.