Enjoying the Great Outdoors

Most of the time I have to stay indoors and out of air currents because it messes with my fibers and ruins my design work...However, today I am at home - outside at the patio table - working!

At the end of last week I had partially felted 14 handbags of various styles and designs.  It took me days to lay them all out at my studio.  They occupied 3 tables.  My reward?  As we move into blissful Indian summer weather, I can sit outside at home and felt while enjoying my garden and the more moderate temperatures!  While I have enjoyed having a seperate studio...I have missed 'being home'.

This blue bag will be one in a series I call: Blossom Bags.

Tomorrow we are off to sell at our local market.  www.Kootenaifarmersmarkets.org

Have a great weekend!  Hope to see you around,
Janet

Hello!

Whew!  I know!  I know! It's been awhile since I last wrote anything to you so let me update you on some of the goings on in my life and that of Sapphire. We have both been very busy. 

I attended my last scheduled class at Pacific Northwest Art School at the end of July.  Jorie Johnson, of Japan, was our instructor.  Our assignment: Construct a complete garment without any seams.  I made...a full length dress!  I had already tackled a coat and a vest so the next thing was either a skirt, a longer coat or a dress.  I had been toying with ideas about a dress already, yet I was unsure of a few of the construction details...but Jorie had all the answers!

And while what we were creating was quite interesting...it was my fellow students that awed me.  I may have a few details slightly askew but essentially we had students from: from Israel, Kazakhstan (an artist with a thousand more artists from her country working under her in an artist cooperative), Canada and around the USA from CA, WY, ID, WA, and Ohio.  There were two college textile professors, a costume designer for a Repertory Theater in WA, a Past President of an Art School, a Immigration and Naturalization Officer, a budding artist/mom, a Rancher/Artist and several local Whidbey Island fiber artists. Wonderful discussions during breaks!

Toward the end of August we attended the second Artist's Reception in the POAC Sandpoint (Idaho) Art Walk 2012.  I took this opportunity to introduce some of the Art Walkers to sheer felting.

With September beginning we headed even further north to Priest Lake and Entree Gallery Trunk Show.  It was a lovely late summer day and we had a delightful place under the willow tree on the grounds...and I tried to demonstrate sheer felting for these folks but the wind was blowing enough that is was darn near impossible to get any of my fiber laid out.  I improvised by wetting out my surface before laying my fiber so it had something to stick to right away, but still it was too much for me. {Sigh}  That piece is headed for the recycle bin!

Then just two days ago we held Coeur d' Alene's first ever Studio Tour!!!  We had at least 150 people through Sapphire Studio in just 7 hours.  By all accounts it was a good turnout and hopefully will be funded again next year.  I enjoyed all the people that took the time to come by and see me explain and demonstrate just what it is that I do.  A bonus was the time spent meeting more artists living in this area.

I also took time to formulate and launch my Fall Class Schedule which you will find on a TAB at the top of my blog...just under the header picture.  Since opening my studio I have pretty much been busy creating or traveling.  Hopefully Fall and Winter will allow me to devote some time to teaching in my studio.

Oh!  Did I mention that I was invited to model my newly felted dress in a "Runway Show"?!  Never been down that kind of runway before...yikes!  This event is held each year as a fundraiser for Kootenai Environmental Alliance.

More to come...but for now I have to go get some sleep,
Janet

My New Pink "V" Coat

Evenin'' Everyone,

I am trying out new photo software.  My previous uploads were through Photo Bucket and often failed to load properly...now I am using Picasa.  Hope it continues to be easy to use AND that my photos load quickly and correctly.

It is now the second week of July and things are really starting to hop around here!  I was browsing through my email at the beginning of the week and saw a message announcing a jewelry contest with an online gift company called Uncommon Goods.  Sooooo I spent the middle of the week getting a few samples made; photos taken and sent off on the airwaves.  There will be an in house panel first.  If I make it out of that round then I go to the public voting round.  If I am in the top five after that round then two jewelry judges get a shot at my designs...the winner gets $500 and a vendor contract with the company.  To see what I sent off, scroll back to the top of this page. I'll let you know if and when it is time for the public vote or you can follow along at www.uncommongoods.com

These necklaces are made from merino, stones or glass (made right here in Cd'A) which I embed into my felt.  Then I add eyelets...or are those grommets...I can never keep that straight!  I then either felt a cord from merino or use a hand-dyed, handmade silk ribbon and add the clasp on one end and the flower pendant to the other.  Each necklace can be custom made.  To accompany the necklaces, I made earrings of Lucite flowers, stone beads, and Swarovski crystals.

I also found out this week that my Studio and I have been selected to participate in the first ever Studio Tour in Coeur d' Alene.  It is going to be on September 8th.  The sponsor of this event is Coeur d' Alene Arts and Cultural Alliance. More details on this later...just save that date!!! www.artsincda.org

And lastly, I have finished my first coat!  This beautiful pink and purple "V" coat is absolutely wonderful to wear.  I am not a model, yet it was fun enough to model this coat and flirt with the camera for a few quick shots of it before we drove it up to Kristie and her shop Blue Flag Weaving Studio.  www.blueflagweaving.com

This flirty, fun, wide sash collar, wrap around coat is made of cotton gauze, merino, a mixture of designer wools from Montana, silk cloth and silk fibers, metallic fibers, buttons...and the bottom purple border which is a recycled blouse...it is a stretchy burned-out velvet like material.  The inside, which is more geometric than random/abstract is as fun as the outside and I wanted to make it reversible but I just couldn't do it! (sigh)...maybe next time.

 

And tomorrow is Saturday so we are off to Farmers Market again...unless...well the prediction is for 70% chance of thunderstorms...so if it is raining in the morning I will just stay home and work on my Ode to the Ocean vessel!

Ta ta for now Fiber Fans,

Janet

Hello,

You know how it gets...you intend to do things...but you just don't?  Well that's me and blogging...Is it that life is just so busy or am I just that lazy...jury is still out on that one...but anyway here I go:

I have been quite busy.  We have returned to our local Farmers Market where sales were slow early on but picked up this Saturday when the temperature also up...as in the 90's!  That is too darn hot for my happiness, but since we had been wet and rainy for what seemed like months on end...I'm trying not to complain (too much).

May found me planting my seedlings in the garden It is growing nicely though I lost some to rot due to all our rain. I went to Pacific Northwest Art School for a class. I hosted some low-key Open House days at my studio in June. I also got asked to be the featured artist for Blue Flag Studio & Sandpoint's POAC 35th Annual Art Walk which runs daily from June 23rd to September 7th.
www.artinsandpoint.org
www.blueflagweaving.com
www.pacificnorthwestartschool.org

I have some awesome art up there...I hope some of you will be able to make it up there to see my newest art!  Since vessels are 3-D there is more to see on other sides...for now you just get a preview.

I have a series of new vessels I have started with the theme: Interpreting Nature.  The first one is dedicated to the mighty oak trees and is nearly done.  The second is about the ocean and is about half done.

I have more art in the show in Sandpoint and I will write about it in my next post.

Ta ta for now everyone...
Janet