Creative Fibre Experience 2013

Yesterday I drove across to Hamilton for the opening of Creative Fibre Experience where I had to make a speech on behalf of the selectors.  I think it went across OK despite loud music echoing around the venue.  I did get on my soap box about the finishing of articles.  Blocking knitting, trimming tassels, the mounting of work, it all adds to the excellence of an article and doubly important when a national exhibition.

A paragraph from the speech:

"Our fibre art is made by hand from fibre to product and, therefore, we have a unique opportunity to place colour and pattern where we want, for instance to create a beginning and an end and sometimes borders as well to create a resolved piece rather than a length of cloth, to create a point of difference from factory made."

The following are pictures of entries which friends have given me permission to post (not necessarily winners)

Agnes Hauptli's "Paradise" silk 100 epi (I think) 

Waikato Area Award, Selectors Choice Best Exhibit

Agnes Hauptli

Fibre2Go Colour Award for the Best Use of Colour

(Blogger has a mind of its own today)

The lighter scarf is by Sue Broad and won the Events Expertise Award - Celebrate Spring

The undulating scarf is by Barbara Johnson.

Closeup of deflected double weave scarf, Sue

Ikat like scarf by Sue Broad

My area of the selectors display and, yes, they apologised for spelling my name wrong.

The exhibition was displayed very well and looked great despite my misgivings at the standard of entries.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, an exhibition should show examples of your finest work, the very best you can do - and, no, its not a "sale of work".  Please support these events the best way you can.

I have finished weaving the 5.3 metres of fabric pictured last post but didn't have a hope of getting it made to wear to the show.  There will be another time - or maybe not if people take offence at me constructively criticizing them.  Obviously some didn't listen to what I said as we (selectors) were accosted afterwards with questions like why didn't such and such get a prize!!

After the opening I took the opportunity to see as much of the Quilt and Craft show as I could.  It was difficult as I've never seen so many women in one place before and, boy, did they have attitude.  Don't get in the way of a women with shopping on her mind.

This blog will be taking a break for a while, probably back mid October.  See you then.

More silverware

When Pete left for the Camera Club meeting I said - don't bring any more cups home.  Did he listen?  Its big enough for a salad bowl!

His swag of wins included B Grade print first, second and third, 

C grade Digital images first,          

Landscape printed images third.

Well done Pete.  

(And he will be horrified at this pic.)

Diamond fabric

Some time ago I received from an ex weaver two stainless reeds.  She wanted a piece of my work in exchange so I've finally made it - rose and periwinkle.  More 4 colour double weave woven (almost) as drawn in.

 Last week I was in Hamilton selecting (with two others) the Creative Fibre Experience Exhibition which is held each year in conjunction with the Craft and Quilt Show.  For my sins it was decided I have to make the speech from the selectors and while driving home (1 1/2 hrs) I got thinking and decided I really should have a garment that I had woven and made to wear to these functions.  What better way to show off my 'trade'.  Sure I could weave 5.5 metres and sew a garment in ten days.  Except that life does have a way of interrupting dreams but I'll have it for next time.

Four colour double weave, two shuttle weave so slow.  The warp is royal blue and aqua and the weft is purple and teal.  See how the purple weft affects the royal blue making it darker while the teal makes the blue lighter.  Likewise the aqua is affected.  In reality the fabric is slightly darker than this.

 You can take the weaver away from her loom but you can't stop her weaving!  I was at a family function and at the end given some left over flax leaves.  I had to fiddle!

Bay of Plenty Area Exhibition

Are you tired of seeing this image yet?

I just got word that this scarf won the Weaver's Award at the Bay of Plenty Area Exhibition - woo hoo!

Blankets, wrap and jacket

Had a lovely 3 day break in Auckland.  Went up feeling exhausted and returned refreshed, not that I did nothing!  There was cleaning, gardening, cuddling Zoe and playing with Jack, to say nothing of the traumatic incident of losing Chester the cat who had 5 stitches in his jaw and was wearing a cone over his head.  The brat turned up at 5 oclock when his mother got home from work and did he strut up and down the lounge saying I bested you!  No pictures of the grandies; can't take pics while cuddling!

I delivered a great pile of blankets to Pauanesia which will look wonderful in the shop.

 I came home expecting to strip down both looms for new projects but remembered I owed a lady "some weaving" for a couple of stainless reeds she'd given me so a 'Wrap for Yolande" it is.  I ran out of one colour so used some pale blue angora which I didn't expect to show up this much but at least its evenly distributed across the warp.  Hopefully it'll blend more after fulling.  This is echo weave.

 And I had been knitting.  Actually I did quite a bit of this while in Rotorua while Convention attendees were at workshops.  The boottees are Hodge on ravelry.  I dyed them violet and because the yarn is machine washable and I had been told that didn't take the dye so well I put just a little extra powder in the pot.  Oh dear, they'll keep Sophie warm anyway.

Having been zooming through photos to get these images I've been smitten by this again and might just put on a length of fabric before stripping the loom.  I best hurry!

Blankets

What a strange climate we have.  While walking and driving recently I noticed some trees haven't completely shed their autumn leaves and yet gardens are awash with spring bulbs in flower, the blossom trees are in bloom as are the tulip trees.  And today is cold and wet!

Blankets have been woven in the last couple of weeks, one for my daughter who is allergic to wool so I emptied quite a few cones of manmade fibres in burgundy/wine shades.  Its pretty large as it didn't shrink, being of non wool variety.  It'll be great to snuggle up in on autumn or spring evenings.

And a couple of blankets in bordeaux/deep purple shades for Pauanesia.  They look super rich.  To get the purple to dye the mohair weft I mixed Jacquard purple with Landscape wild raspberry 3 parts to 2.

I'm off to see my grandies for a few days.  Have new projects planned for both looms when I return.

Well hello ...

Well hello, its been a while.  You probably guess that I've been busy.  I had an opportunity to take a stand at an Altrusa Conference at the Rotorua Events Centre over four days this last weekend.  Went down to set up on Thursday afternoon and traded Friday through Monday.  It was a great weekend, met some lovely people, had loads of fun and sold some fibre art.  I now have new respect for shop managers; it was exhausting getting stock made, sorted, labelled, priced and packed but all worth it.

Now where did we finish last round up.  Oh yes, charcoal and silver warp.

 4 colour double weave, red and melon weft over charcoal and silver warp.  16 shafts, 8 shaft shift.  Love it, so did the lovely lady who took it home.

 Then, just because I could, I used the same warp and threading to try shadow weave with a denim blue and rust weft.  A lovely wrap resulted.

I wove some fabulous blankets to take to Rotorua but the general comment was they were too large to accommodate in luggage and would get dirty if taken on board the plane.  This first one is Paua with a dark green mohair weft

 and its close up

 and Paua with deep purple/blue weft.

 I had some mohair dyed a dark green so dyed a warp in the colours of pounamu (greenstone) and they glow a rich emerald and dark green.

 I overdyed a couple of merino wraps, this one wild raspberry (which has a new home)

 and Sea.

I was going to take the pearls off before dying but thought they might take on a bit of colour.  They didn't but so glad I left them on.

And that about gets us up to date.  I have orders for more blankets but think I'll make one for my daughter which I promised at the beginning of autumn, just to get me back in the swing.