Print designs are coming along...

Surface Design Portfoilio:

Loving this first group, I think it still needs a smaller scale floral to add to the mix.

Spring already landed in SOWE NH?

Well, I cannot believe it is two months since my last post.  Yes, I guess I can, I have been going going going!
We took a vacation to San Diego and Los Angeles the end of February, and after we returned, the weather here in So Western New Hampshire has been threatening SPRING in full force!  We had over a week of over 80 degrees in March, and now it is the middle of April and I have rushed to turn my veggie bed, and put down grass fertilizer before it rains this weekend.  Folks here are already mowing grass!  I think I'll be mowing mine next week.

I am scheduled to give an hour presentation, titled "A Matter of Color" Friday May 4th to the New Hampshire Assoc. of Family and Consumer Sciences, that's NHAFCS for short.  I will be presenting at the new Marriott in Keene, NH.  It is my Color Theory Class put to slide show, in BRIEF.  I think it will work out very well, I spent quite a few hours converting my favorite magazine photos into jpegs and translating the progression of my full day class into a one hour slide show.  I am presenting to educators, this is a break out session for them to get CEs.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Also recently I taught a 4 day class at NEFS. (That's New England Felting Supply in Easthampton, Mass) We had a full class at 12 students!  The class was Felts for Upholstery Fabric, and while these shots of the final day and critique are great I cannot wait to see some of the finished chairs and pillows students promised to make their fabrics into!!

Last but certainly not least I am beginning to paint designs again.  I have cleared studio space, made the paper (Stonehenge from Utrecht Art Supplies, I love the guys in the Cambridge Mass store, they are sooo helpful) and paint purchases (Turner Design Gouache from Jerry's Artarama, thanks for turning me on to Jerry's both Gail Callahan and Jean Gauger - I did this order via internet, but yes ladies one day we should go to the "local" store in person!  But boy you should have seen all the FREE goodies I got along with my paints!  I thought I got someone else's order!), and am starting to get pumped!  Presently a gorgeous turquoise mottled blotch sits on my painting table...much more to come on this!   Can you guess what color those flowers are going to be?

 

Travel Ideas; New York

I recently visited NYC, my goals when I travel is to find treasures, be it shops, food delights or color, textiles and art, my eye looks for adventure.  I think that's whay I respond to the repeating pattern in things. Here are a few things I spied on my trip. See if you don't agree that I am funny about pattern and color, to read my whole entry and follow my tour through out Manhattan, check out my new Travel: Food, Color and Pattern Page

About Tea and Tea Cups

I have just finished a couple of felted tea cups - one is an order, the other I will put on my Etsy site, but based on the comments I am getting on the Festive Fibers Facebook page, I better get busy and make many more of these!! What do you think?

 

The concept for the felted tea cup, I am sure is not a new one, years ago I was juried into SOFA and invited to participate in a gallery's Tea Pot exhibit.  This was an annual juried show by this gallery, and I was honored to participate.  The tea pot I made was very funny (I thought) and had a (nod to pop culture) pun embeded into the name and look of the vessel.  My entry was called Harry T Potter!  Harry Potter was just out, and I had just dyed some crazy mohair locks.  The vessel had a self hinged lid which I saw as a wizard's hat, and the handle reflected a dragon's tail.  It was further embellished with beading.

So the other tea-lish-ous aspect in my life is that I am a tea buff, well not a purist, but I first started by collecting tea pots.  We honeymooned in the UK and I was further enamored with tea, the process and accoutrements.   We came home with a Portmeirion Dishes Tea Service set, which at the time was not available in the states.  Some of the first tea accessories I made as Festive Fibers were tea pot cozies.  These also were made taller and more narrow for french press coffee pots, I should quite a number of these (some as hats!)

Tom and I have even enjoyed a tea tasting at a very famous place in San Francisco's China Town.  We so love finding a pearl on our travels, and this was one.  We were doing a show in San Francisco and had time to explore, when came across Red Blossom Tea Company, and had a tea tasting with the son of the owner, a very knowledgeable young man.  We were entranced by the art of the tea leaf, the country it comes from, how it is picked, the season, if it is aged, white teas, loose green teas, to black and brewing time and vessels, etc.  We brought home a souvenir of 4 or 5 gourmet teas;

our favorites being Tung Ting and Inner Blossom Jasmine.    

Tea continues in my life when, a couple of years ago I was teaching at a retreat course called Art IsYou...and that year's theme was Alice in Wonderland.  And of course the underlying theme of the Mad Hatter's tea party inspired me to create a class teaching how do do these cups and saucers.  (Isn't it a wicked coincidence that the Mad Hatter IE. "Mad as a Hatter" has its roots in felt making?  Thank goodness I don't use mercury in my felts!  I am wacky enough!)  That year Stampington was one of Art Is...sponsors, and at the end of the retreat the producers sent all sorts of entries to them for consideration in their publications.  My cup and saucer ended up on an editor's desk and about a year later, this past October, it was published in Stampington Somerset Home's 2011 Issue. 

Holiday Baking

I love baking and am exploring recipes I have never made before, for our Christams goodies this year.  I made traditional Stollens, only four, and they are already all spoken for, next time I double the recipe!  And I made gluten free Ginger Bread Men.  The GF version is my present to my dearest friend for Christmas, recently diagnosed with ciliac, I am happy to help test recipes and this one is very good.  I thought I'd share a couple of photos of the cookies, which reminds me of a textile design I might have made a number of years ago when I worked for Cranston Home Fashions and we did holiday lines, all that's missing is a green or red background and some metallic gold!  I hope you and your families have a Joyous and Blessed Holiday Season, take time (like I finally did today) and share your talents with others. 

Christmas Tree Skirts

As I decorate the house for the holidays I have come to realize that I want a new and fabulous Christmas Tree Skirt.  I have been using a piece of fabric I designed when I worked at Cranston Home Fashions, and after we moved to New Hampshire, the pattern on it seemed just perfect for my skirt, though with all great intentions to somehow finish it (line with a wonderful wool fabric or some such thing)  I have not gotten around to it.  SO I thought "what can I find out there on the world wide web" for inspiration.  And yes I am thinking FELT.  Patterned? Or maybe edged with dimensional objects, a winter scene with cutie little animals, a nativity, I'm not sure but I am feeling the creative juices flowing.  So while poking around on-line, I came across a few skirts that said, "Nicole".  We'll have to see how these fun references inspire me and my new tree skirt...   

Anthrolopogie Catalog Holiday 2011 Selection



Tree Skirt posted by thisnext



Tree Skirt by RedMarionette Etsy



Kaleidescope Tree Skirt by Chicago Lost and Found

Tree Skirt (pattern) by Fiber Artist Deb Karasik