The magic and beauty of Shibori

The program on "Shibori. Making marks with shaped resist dyeing," presented by fiber artist, Veronica Hofman-Ortega, held attendees captivated at the July Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild meeting. Ms. Hofman-Ortega's multimedia presentation and trunk show provided numerous examples of pattern, texture and the visual exuberance that can only be achieved with the shaped resist dye techniques of shibori.

Fiber artist, Veronica Hofman-Ortega, shows her arashi shibori sample
and talks about other examples of shibori patterns and techniques
during her presentation and trunk show.

"Shibori is a timeless and very versatile art form with limitless possibilities," said Veronica. "All aspects of the fabrics, technique, dye sequence as well as the serendipity of the dye bath work in concert to achieve the resulting patterns."

Along with her multimedia presentation, Veronica showed pieces from her wearable art collection, including a shibori wool vest she created based on Rachel Clark's "Picture This" vest pattern, and the mokume shibori jacket and silk dupioni "Power of Panthera Leo" vest that was published with her article, "Compliments of the Dye Pot," in Belle Armoire magazine in 2011.

Veronica displays her shibori wool vest using the "Picture This" vest
pattern by indie designer, Rachel Clark.
Veronica's collection of shibori artwear is shown at left.

Left: "Power of Panthera Leo" vest, Best of Show at the 2010 Guild Challenge.
Right: Two shibori techniques with appliqué Angelina fibers on a raw silk vest.

Never disappointed with the results of the shibori process, Ms. Hofman-Ortega encourages her audience to "Embrace the serendipity!" and enjoy the magic and organic beauty of shibori.

Mokume stitch resist technique on a raw silk jacket.

More of Veronica's fiber art adventures can be found on her web site, FiberAnticsbyVeronica.com. Veronica offered her recommendations on shibori resources here:


Also visit the World Shibori Network.

-----------------

Show and Tell

Guild members shared their fiber art creations during Show and Tell.

Mary's crochet shawl.

Martha's version of the crochet shawl.

Left: A striped knit shawl. Right: Hannah's crochet necklace.

Knit shawl detail.

Tia shows the loom made by her husband.

Crocheted baby tutu.

Thailand Fashion School student work is on display at Tennessee Presents Textiles

Student work
Thailand Fashion School

Student work from the Thailand Fashion School will be part of the wearable art fashion show, Tennessee Presents Textiles,  Saturday, November 13. These innovative, show-stopping garments were created by fourth-year students from Thailand's premiere design school.

Fiber art garments from the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild 2010 Guild Challenge will also be on display in a special exhibit and competition entitled "The Power of the Pocket."  

Tennessee Presents Textiles is a unique wearable art runway show and sale. The artwear is elegantly presented by professional models giving the audience an "up close and personal" experience with the fashions. Contemporary folk artist, Rachel Clark, is the guest speaker at the event and will have over 20 pieces from her collection presented on the runway.

Hope to see you there!

Guild Challenge Artwear Exhibit

Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild President, Veronica Hofman Ortega, emceed the guild's wearable art Challenge exhibit and awards ceremony on Saturday, September 11. This event, called "The Power of the Pocket," was a celebration of the beauty and excellence in fiber arts. The collection of wearable art garments was created by guild members in response to a Guild Challenge.

Ten entries represented a diversity of fiber art techniques, including knitting, crochet, fabric dying, weaving and patchwork and showcased the creativity, craftsmanship and ingenuity of the artists that created them.

Show attendees voted for the Viewers' Choice award and had an opportunity to meet and talk with the artists after the awards presentation. Top awards went to:

Viewers' Choice to Brenda Park
for "Linked Weft Woven Jacket with Purse"

Best of Show to Veronica Hofman Ortega
for "The Power of Panthera Leo"

Best Workmanship to Phyllis Narus
for Chenille Tunic

Best Use of Embellishment to Patricia Keran
for "In Memory of Cookie"

Most Innovative Pocket to Kay Pickrell
for "Plum Happy"

For more photos of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild Challenge event, click here.

Many of these garments will be included in the upcoming Tennessee Presents Textiles special exhibit, "The Power of the Pocket." Tennessee Presents Textiles is a wearable art runway show and sale to be held on November 13, 2010. The guest speaker will be contemporary folk artist, Rachel Clark. You won't want to miss this event! It's contemporary fashion entertainment paired with a unique fiber art shopping opportunity for the upcoming holiday season.

"The Power of the Pocket" Guild Challenge exhibit scheduled

The Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild will host a wearable art exhibit on Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 10:30 am. to 1:30 pm. The exhibit, entitled "The Power of the Pocket," is a collection of fiber art garments created by guild members in response to their 2010 Guild Challenge.

Inspired by the theme for Tennessee Presents Textiles, a biennial textile art event, the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild Challenge was issued to guild members in January of this year. Throughout the year, Challenge participants have tested their fiber arts mettle to design and construct a garment which meets the Challenge requirements and expresses their personal aesthetic.

The exhibit and awards ceremony will be held at Senior Neighbors, 250 E. 10th Street, downtown Chattanooga. The public is invited and light refreshments will be available.

Join us on September 11 and celebrate the diversity, inventiveness and beauty of fiber arts!

Fiber Fun at Yarn Fabrication workshop

The Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild hosted a wearable art Vest Workshop with Veronica Hofman Ortega this past weekend. Several guild members spent the day creating a one-of-a-kind vest using Veronica's "yarn fabrication" technique.A base layer of yarns served as a background for additional color or yarn embellishments. Machine stitching in blending or contrasting threads added another layer to create visual interest, depth and color to the piece.
Demonstrations and discussions on garment construction, adding buttons, buttonholes, and shaping were covered in the workshop. Ideas for combining yarn fabrication with other textiles opened the doors for many creative garment possibilities. We hope to see these wonderful pieces at future guild meetings and Show and Tell.

Wearable Art Vest Workshop

A Wearable Art Vest workshop is being sponsored by the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild on Saturday, February 20. The instructor is Veronica Hofman Ortega and she will be teaching her Yarn Fabrication technique. Students will learn this easy, no-knit stitching technique while creating a wearable art vest.
Garment pieces are easily assembled using flat seams and additional texture and color can be achieved with contrasting yarns, trims, threads, embellishments, buttons or beads. This soft-sculpt vest can be customized for any occasion. See Veronica's blog at www.FiberAnticsbyVeronica.com to see other artwear garments that were created using this technique.

The vest workshop will be held on Saturday, February 20, at Alexian Brothers/Senior Neighbors, 10th and Newby Streets, in Chattanooga. It is a full day class from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost of the workshop is $45 per person ($35 for guild members). Make checks payable to "Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild." To sign up for the workshop, send an e-mail to veronicaquilts@gmail.com.