NEWSLETTER :: SUMMER 2008
| PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE | ||||
Dear MoFA Members: I am very excited to be writing my first letter as MoFA President. We have a wonderful Board and a promising Board Elect. Many members continue to volunteer to serve on your Board year after year and they are to be celebrated for their commitment. This is a great time to get involved with MoFA. We want your participation in your organization. I have been a member since my first conference in 1995 when it was held in Cape Girardeau. A wonderful member in a sweat suit and felted hat (Helen Solter) inspired me my very first morning to become a fiber artist for life! When I saw the exciting and modern looking work she had in the member's show, I couldn't believe it was the same grandmotherly woman that I had coffee and conversation with that morning. It gave me a new outlook in terms of my art and it gave the understanding that I could always be an active participant in my work. Some years and a lot of gray hair later, I still try to teach this idea to students, but more importantly, to myself. I hope you will join me in my presidency and take a wild ride. I am not perfect. I have a vision for this group and the first step is to give us a little basic makeover. I want your HELP, your SUGGESTIONS, and your PARTICIPATION! Please send all of your complaints somewhere else because that position wasn't filled. I do look forward to working with all of you. I am ecstatic about getting a new web site. It will be the best thing that has happened to this group since sheep! Read on for how you can get involved and make the next years to come an awesome organization. FIBER ON PEOPLE! |
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| NEWS AND EVENTS FROM OUR GUILDS AND ORGANIZATIONS | ||||
Weavers' Guild of St. Louis October 31 & November 1 Brentwood Community Center FREE admission with excellent parking available. Daily demonstrations of weaving, spinning, fiber art.
For more information, call:
(636) 343-5643 or visit our website: The Weavers' Guild Sale is a once-a-year event and features elegant handwoven clothing and accessories, exquisit hand-dyed silk scarves and garments, uniqaue handmade jewelry, as well as distincitive interior furnishings like woven rugs, placemats, baskets and wall pieces for the home. Proceeds from our Annual Weavers' Guild Sale fund numerous scholarships. |
Columbia Weavers & Spinners Guild 19th Annual Holiday & Exhibition Sale November 7, 2008 - 6pm-9pm Boone County Historical Society Admission is free and door prizes are awarded! Weaving/spinning/fiber art demonstrations daily. For more information, call Karen Kelley Schultz The Exhibition and Sale is the culmination of the year's creative efforts of many guild members. Offerings include handwoven and hand-dyed scarves, luxurious shawls, one-of-a-kind jackets, vests and sweaters, unique casual and formal table linens, cozy baby blankets, distinctive baskets, and fabulous stuffed animals. Other items include luscious handspun yarns, Christmas ornaments, an exceptional selection of fiber-art wall pieces and rugs, a variety of hand-felted hats, and incredible woven beadwork. Proceeds from our Annual Sale support the CWSG Scholarship Fund. |
All Missouri Spin In Report - The All Missouri Spin In was held in the Livingston County Courthouse on the square of Chillicothe, MO on April 26, 2008. Twenty-two spinners, six vendors and numerous visitors participated in the event. Attendees drew for door prizes and entered competitions for a number of "guesses": the number of beads, three "blind boxes" of fiber, a guess of how many grams of fiber were in a bag and how many yards of fiber were in a skein. A gallery was set up for participants to show off their fiber or finished items. Along with the Spin In on the square, was the Strum and Stroll Event by Main Street Chillicothe. Artists set up their displays around the storefronts, musicians performed on the corner and people enjoyed the preview day of the farmer's market on the square. Fine art, fine music, fine food and fine fiber!!! Does it get any better than that? The next All Missouri Spin In will be held in Lebanon, MO in October 2009, but the Fiber Gals may again appear on the square with area spinners in the early spring for a Spin Out to coincide with the 2009 edition of Strum and Stroll. |
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| NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE ST. LOUIS REGION | ||||
Room at the Inn Needs Fiber Artists! Diane Landau, Ballwin, MO is seeking donations of children's quilts, afghans and blankets. Sewn, crocheted or knitted...she isn't picky. These items will go to homeless children who receive services from Room at the Inn. As a family achieves independence and moves into their own home, each child will be presented his or her own quilt, blanket or afghan along with a stuffed teddy bear. All sizes are welcome, however, since they serve many older children and teens as well, Diane feels that 45" wide x 60" long would make a good size for all. If you don't have time to embark on another handmade anything at this time, perhaps donating a stuffed teddy bear or Beanie Baby would be easier. Diane could also use yarn, fabric scraps, and Wal-Mart gift cards to purchase supplies. Diane has recently launched this project. Almost immediately, she was presented with a request from Room at the Inn for 5 quilts, and quickly realized she was not prepared to meet the demand! If all of us could give at least something, it would give her the jumpstart she needs. Also, anyone who would be interested in sharing their quilts or fiber art to benefit this effort, please contact Patricia Kearns, St. Louis Regional Rep at (314) 427-1533 or email her at repstl@missourifiberartists.com. Thank you!!! |
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| SCHOLARSHIP ARTICLE: ALICIA PIGG | ||||
My Missouri Fiber Artists scholarship went toward a project called “Mexica,” which entailed study and travel in Oaxaca, Mexico for three weeks in the summer of 2006. The group I traveled with attended daily classes in Tlaxiaco, which is the town where we stayed during the weekdays. The classes involved weaving lessons by Trique women. We were taught their traditional way of weaving, which uses a body-tensioned, back strap loom. The lessons included information about cultural symbols and types of textiles used in an indigenous culture. In addition to the weaving classes, I utilized the surrounding landscapes to gather material for my continuing body of textiles work. On days that I was not in weaving classes, I traveled to several locations to photograph landscapes of the surrounding area, including town markets and ancient archaeological sites. Prior to my departure for Mexico, I conducted research and found historical photographs of places to which I wanted to travel while there, so when I photographed areas in Mexico I could compare them to the historical photographs of similar places and events. After my return from Mexico, I printed the historical photographs, along with my current-day photographs, onto translucent fabric panels. This was done to relate physical layers of landscape, and to portray various stages in time, while still maintaining the idea of separation between time periods. Traveling to Mexico offered me many new experiences, while my awareness of the world was increased. I saw people with strong cultural traditions who lived very differently, with much less technology and amenities. They showed us how to weave symbols into fabric, as well as the significance of those symbols to their culture. As a result, I learned more about the value of communicating through textiles and interacting with other cultures.
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| SCHOLARSHIP ARTICLE: LINDA PLUSKE | ||||
On October 20-22, 2006, thanks to a scholarship from MoFA, I was able to attend May Hvistendahl's nuno felting seamless garment workshop. Before I describe May's "scientific" method of nuno felting I have to say that seeing May's clothing is such an inspirational experience. To me, her nuno felted garments are the essence of what I love about this technique: the luminosity and lightness of silk with the warmth, texture and casualness of felt. I loved the contrast where the nuno felted "body" ended and where the silk was left out to form ruffled collars or ending. There is something that feels both ancient and modern about these garments, the beauty of something worn with time, yet exquisitely elegant and alive. As for the nitty-gritty of May's technique, it really boils down to testing and keeping records. In the workshop we all made a test piece using the exact silk and wool we were going to use for our garments. With this small sampler we recorded the length and width of the silk piece before and after we felted it, as well as weighing the amount of wool we used. These two dimensions then gave us our shrinkage ratio of our materials, so that we knew how much our piece would shrink both lengthwise and widthwise. We also knew how much wool we used per unit of silk. With this information we could now determine the size of the pattern we needed so that it would shrink to the desired size, as well as how much wool would need to be layered on. In other words, we multiplied the end size of the garment by our shrinkage ratio to determine our pattern width and lengths. Then we used our wool ratio to determine how much wool to lay on. Obviously this takes a lot of the guess work out of determining the size of the pattern, so that the garment actually fits when done. There were two other real gems to her technique. One is that she explained how to lay the wool on directionally in order to have the garment shrink in the right direction, for example to leave more room in the bust and hip areas of garments. The other one is the seamless aspect, which is creating a pattern which is laid inside a layer of silk which overlaps at the edges. As the garment shrinks with felting the pattern is removed. With this method one creates the front and back of the garment at the same time. Needless to say, I learned a lot at May's workshop. While I haven't had a chance to see her book on nuno felting, I am sure it is quite inspiring. I chose to make a jacket at the workshop, which I simply love. What a wonderful experience. Thank you so much MoFA. |
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| FINDING THE SOUL OF SEOUL - SHARON KILFOYLE | ||||
Yes, this is the most commonly used cliché here in the city, "soul" and "Seoul" – the natives of Seoul really love their city and think it is the best. Now that I've adjusted to Korean culture and cuisine, I can agree it's pretty astounding. A bit like Tokyo in its international appeal, but spread out more so there's elbow room for the ten and a half million folks who live here (and unlike Japan, they DO use their elbows here, so watch out!) Something related to fashion is always out there, and being a fashion design teacher at Duksung Women's University is a bit more sparkly than being an English teacher here. This University has both a Fashion Design Department and a Fiber Arts Department and I have met highly skilled artists in both. My job is to teach shibori and nuno felting in my Fashion Fabric and Color class, as well as two Design English classes where we learn English conversation skills using fashion terminology. One of the biggest jokes going around the Art and Design school is that now I have more teachers taking my studio class than students! I'm having one incredible workshop day after another, like being in heaven. From June 9-21, I will be having a solo show, "Summer Breeze," at Crafthouse Gallery in Apgujeong, a high-end part of downtown Seoul. It will feature arashi shibori garments and accessories and some lightweight nuno felt work. I've been inspired by many fashion shows here in Seoul and also by the traditional garments in some of these shows and in museums. Also, a fifteen minute walk brings me to a mountain that I can hike up, with boulders, trees, monuments, and small Buddhist temples to inspire me. But it's the friendliness and willingness to share of so many of these fiber artists that makes living in Seoul exciting. My only disappointment is that I will be leaving here for Paris on June 24, and that's not really much of a hardship. But now that I've had a taste of Korea, I want more. Speaking of more, no report on Seoul would be complete without mentioning the incredible fabric market here. Dongdaemon Fabric Market is a huge building encompassing about four city blocks in every direction – this is ONE building. Inside there are rows and rows of small stalls about eight foot square with every kind of fabric imaginable. The aisles are only about four feet wide and there is a constant stream of buyers going up and down them. No fire code that I can perceive. Chaos rules. Prices are wholesale and the action is hot and heavy, no slow days there at all.
My best wishes on all your projects, and living life in joy. |
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| OUT IN LEFT FIELD - JULIA TAYLOR | ||||
During the past year there have been some significant events coming and going in my life. They have, quite frankly, worn me out both inside and out. I know that many of you have had similar times, and it leaves you without the energy or the time to communicate or be involved or even keep up much less in touch. We are overwhelmed with world events, politics, too much news, too many tasks and responsibilities and not nearly enough time to be truly "caught up" and sometimes there is no inspiration. I am looking hard for an idea or design and it has been uphill work. After some spring cleaning and a look at the garden, I was still not inspired but I decided that the one thing I could count on was picking up a piece of work and fooling with the needles and coming up with a twist or two. It is usually late at night or for a moment a suppertime, but it reminds me that I am still moving and still working even if I am not altogether satisfied with the work or me. Perhaps there are times in the life of the artist where we are caught up in things not of our own making and communication and joining and extra projects are just out of the question. Perhaps this hiatus will pass with warm and sunny weather or maybe just a remarkable day or event. In the meantime, I am going my way and counting on my work with fiber to see me through this drab spell...quite frankly, I do not know what I would do without my faithful baskets of yarn and my other fiber things all around me. For all of us who love the work fiber, I think we are blessed with the gift of having had it find us. I wish everyone a bright and creative spring and hope we can find a way to come together in this very hectic world. |
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| EXHIBITIONS, GALLERY SHOWS AND OTHER EVENTS | ||||
Labor Day weekend – August 30, 31, September 1 On Labor Day weekend, Indigo Moon People, John and Robin Quint and our helpers Toni Disano and Luise Huffman, will demonstrate Shibori Techniques and Indigo Dyeing at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis, Missouri during the Japanese Festival. We will have a booth with Indigo dyed clothing, scarves, batik hangings, bandanas and procion dyed silk scarves for sale. Admission fee is $10 and includes most of activities during Japanese Festival except for the Tea Ceremony. Visitors who become first time members of the Missouri Botanical Gardens during Labor Day Weekend receive a free three day pass to the Japanese Festival for two adults and their children under age 12. The Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the largest and oldest festivals of its kind in the United States. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy authentic Japanese art demonstrations, music of the Taiko Drummers, dance, food, and entertainment. There are many vendors and the gardens are beautiful this time of year. We always forget we are in the middle of a big city when we are in the Garden! For more information about the Japanese Festival or the Missouri Botanical Gardens see www.mobot.org or call (314) 577-9400. We hope to see you there! |
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| HOW DO YOU MAKE TIME FOR YOUR FIBER INTERESTS? | ||||
Send us your news, resources, helpful hints, strategies you’d like to share that help you balance life and art. Remember, the newsletter is an important way to connect with one another in this fiber community. Got news? Tell us about it! Newsletter deadlines are being adjusted in order to deliver information on a timely basis. You don’t have to wait until the deadline to submit your news – send it anytime to the Newsletter Editors. Include "MoFA" in your subject line. |
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