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.