The Fryeburg Fair is almost here and the Fiber Center Schedule is full of great stuff this year!

Hope you will come by and visit.......

The Fiber Center Daily Schedule of Events 

2011

Sunday, October 2nd
Exhibits and Educational Displays
Guest Artist Exhibit	9-9p	Weaving a Rainbow - Continuous Strand Weavings
Fiber & Fleece Sales	9-9p	Fleeces from Sheep, Alpaca, Angora Goats & Rabbits
Fiber Show	11am	with Fiber Judge Anne Gass
Fiber Wall	9-9p	Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit
Crochet Coral Reef	9-9p	Sample Display of the Maine Crochet Coral Reef Project
Mini Skeins	9-9p	Many Sample Skeins of various Natural hand spun Fibers
Natural Dyes	9-9p	Samples of Naturally Dyed Wool
Children's Weavings	9-9p	Children's Bicycle Wheel & Free Form Weavings
	9-9p	Woven Whirlygigs
Fiber Art Display	9-9p	Mixed Media & Felted Art
Demonstrations	9-5p	Dyeing for Rug Hooking
	9-5p	Felt on Soap - Just Ask
	9-9p	Drum Carding
	9-9p	Spinning
	9-9p	Tapestry Weaving
	9-9p	Needle Felting
	9-9p	Hyperbolic & Free Form Crochet for the Maine Reef
	9-9p	Continuous Strand Weaving on a triangle loom
	9-9p	Rug Making - Locker hooking & Braiding
	7pm	Learn about the Maine Crochet Reef Project!
	7:30-9p	Crochet or Learn to crochet for the Reef Project
Monday, October, 3rd
Exhibits and Educational Displays
Guest Artist Exhibit	9-9p	Weaving a Rainbow - Continuous Strand Weavings
Fiber & Fleece Sales	9-9p	Fleeces from Sheep, Alpaca, Angora Goats & Rabbits
Fiber Wall	9-9p	Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit
Crochet Coral Reef	9-9p	Sample Display of the Maine Crochet Coral Reef Project
Mini Skeins	9-9p	Many Sample Skeins of various Natural hand spun Fibers
Natural Dyes	9-9p	Samples of Naturally Dyed Wool
Children's Weavings	9-9p	Children's Bicycle Wheel & Free Form Weavings
	9-9p	Woven Whirlygigs
Fiber Art Display	9-9p	Mixed Media & Felted Art
Demonstrations	9-2p	Rug Making - Locker hooking & Braiding
	9-5p	Drop Spin
	9-5p	Playing with Color - Dyeing woolen fibers
	9-5p	Felt on Soap - Just Ask
	9-5pm	Working with long Staple Sheep Fibers
	9-9p	Drum Carding
	9-9p	Spinning
	9-9p	Tapestry Weaving
	9-9p	Needle Felting
	9-9p	Hyperbolic & Free Form Crochet for the Maine Reef
	9-9p	Weaving
	2-9p	Prepping a Fleece for Hand Spinning
	2-9p	Rug Hooking
	7pm	Learn about the MaineCrochet Reef Project!
	7:30-9p	Crochet or Learn to crochet for the Reef Project
Tuesday, October 4th
Exhibits and Educational Displays
Guest Artist Exhibit	9-9p	Weaving a Rainbow - Continuous Strand Weavings
Fiber & Fleece Sales	9-9p	Fleeces from Sheep, Alpaca, Angora Goats & Rabbits
Fiber Wall	9-9p	Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit
Crochet Coral Reef	9-9p	Sample Display of the Maine Crochet Coral Reef Project
Mini Skeins	9-9p	Many Sample Skeins of various Natural hand spun Fibers
Natural Dyes	9-9p	Samples of Naturally Dyed Wool
Children's Weavings	9-9p	Children's Bicycle Wheel & Free Form Weavings
	9-9p	Woven Whirlygigs
Fiber Art Display	9-9p	Mixed Media & Felted Art
Demonstrations	9-2p	Prepping a Fleece for Hand Spinning
	9-5p	Pygora Goats and Their Fiber
	9-5p	Dyeing Wool Fibers & Yarns
	9-5p	Felt on Soap - Just Ask
	9-5p	Drop Spindle Spinning
	9-5p	Fiber Blending
	9-5p	Tapestry Weaving
	9-9p	Drum Carding
	9-9p	Spinning
	9-9p	Needle Felting
	9-9p	Hyperbolic & Free Form Crochet for the Maine Reef
	9-9p	Weaving
	2-9p	Rug Hooking
	7pm	Learn about the Maine Crochet Reef Project!
	7:30-9p	Crochet or Learn to crochet for the Reef Project
Wednesday, October 5th
Exhibits and Educational Displays
Guest Artist Exhibit	9-9p	Weaving a Rainbow - Continuous Strand Weavings
Fiber & Fleece Sales	9-9p	Fleeces from Sheep, Alpaca, Angora Goats & Rabbits
Fiber Wall	9-9p	Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit
Crochet Coral Reef	9-9p	Sample Display of the Maine Crochet Coral Reef Project
Mini Skeins	9-9p	Many Sample Skeins of various Natural hand spun Fibers
Natural Dyes	9-9p	Samples of Naturally Dyed Wool
Children's Weavings	9-9p	Children's Bicycle Wheel & Free Form Weavings
	9-9p	Woven Whirlygigs
Fiber Art Display	9-9p	Mixed Media & Felted Art
Demonstrations	9-1p	Prepping a Fleece for Hand Spinning
	9-2p	Inkle Loom Weaving
	9-5p	Cashmere Goats & their Fiber
	9-5p	Kool - Aid Dyeing
	9-6p	Rug Hooking
	9-9p	Drum Carding
	9-9p	Spinning
	9-9p	Tapestry Weaving
	9-9p	Needle Felting
	9-9p	Hyperbolic & Free Form Crochet for the Maine Reef
	9-9p	Weaving
	1-5p	Drop Spindle Spinning
	2-9p	Fiber Blending
	7pm	Learn about the Maine Crochet Reef Project!
	7:30-9p	Crochet or Learn to crochet for the Reef Project
Thursday, October 6th
Exhibits and Educational Displays
Guest Artist Exhibit	9-9p	Weaving a Rainbow - Continuous Strand Weavings
Fiber & Fleece Sales	9-9p	Fleeces from Sheep, Alpaca, Angora Goats & Rabbits
Fiber Wall	9-9p	Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit
Crochet Coral Reef	9-9p	Sample Display of the Maine Crochet Coral Reef Project
Mini Skeins	9-9p	Many Sample Skeins of various Natural hand spun Fibers
Natural Dyes	9-9p	Samples of Naturally Dyed Wool
Children's Weavings	9-9p	Children's Bicycle Wheel & Free Form Weavings
	9-9p	Woven Whirlygigs
Fiber Art Display	9-9p	Mixed Media & Felted Art
Demonstrations	9-12p	Drop Spindle Spinning
	9-2p	Rug Braiding
	9-2p	Drop Spindle Spinning
	9-2p	Prepping a Fleece for Hand Spinning
	9-5p	Natural Dyeing
	9-5p	Pygora Goats and Their Fiber
	9-9p	Inkle Loom Weaving
	9-9p	Drum Carding
	9-9p	Spinning
	9-9p	Tapestry Weaving
	9-9p	Needle Felting
	9-9p	Hyperbolic & Free Form Crochet for the Maine Reef
	9-9p	Weaving
	9-9p	Rug Hooking
	2-9p	Locker Hooking
	7pm	Learn about the Maine Crochet Reef Project!
	7:30-9p	Crochet or Learn to crochet for the Reef Project
Friday, October 8th
Exhibits and Educational Displays
Guest Artist Exhibit	9-9p	Weaving a Rainbow - Continuous Strand Weavings
Fiber & Fleece Sales	9-9p	Fleeces from Sheep, Alpaca, Angora Goats & Rabbits
Fiber Wall	9-9p	Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit
Crochet Coral Reef	9-9p	Sample Display of the Maine Crochet Coral Reef Project
Mini Skeins	9-9p	Many Sample Skeins of various Natural hand spun Fibers
Natural Dyes	9-9p	Samples of Naturally Dyed Wool
Children's Weavings	9-9p	Children's Bicycle Wheel & Free Form Weavings
	9-9p	Woven Whirlygigs
Fiber Art Display	9-9p	Mixed Media & Felted Art
Demonstrations
	9-2p	Rug Braiding
	9-2p	Knit with Roving
	9-5p	Sheep and their Fiber
	9-5p	Natural Dyeing
	9-9p	Drum Carding
	9-9p	Spinning
	9-9p	Tapestry Weaving
	9-9p	Needle Felting
	9-9p	Hyperbolic & Free Form Crochet for the Maine Reef
	9-9p	Rug Hooking
	9-9p	Penny Rugs
	9-9p	Locker Hooking
	9-9p	Continuous Strand Weaving - Triangle Loom
	7pm	Learn about the Maine Crochet Reef Project!
	7:30-9p	Crochet or Learn to crochet for the Reef Project
Saturday, October 8th
Exhibits and Educational Displays
Guest Artist Exhibit	9-9p	Weaving a Rainbow - Continuous Strand Weavings
Fiber & Fleece Sales	9-9p	Fleeces from Sheep, Alpaca, Angora Goats & Rabbits
Fiber Wall	9-9p	Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit
Crochet Coral Reef	9-9p	Sample Display of the Maine Crochet Coral Reef Project
Mini Skeins	9-9p	Many Sample Skeins of various Natural hand spun Fibers
Natural Dyes	9-9p	Samples of Naturally Dyed Wool
Children's Weavings	9-9p	Children's Bicycle Wheel & Free Form Weavings
	9-9p	Woven Whirlygigs
Fiber Art Display	9-9p	Mixed Media & Felted Art
Demonstrations
	9-2p	Knit with Roving
	9-5p	Sheep and their Fiber
	9-5p	Natural Dyeing
	9-9p	Drum Carding
	9-9p	Spinning
	9-9p	Tapestry Weaving
	9-9p	Needle Felting
	9-9p	Hyperbolic & Free Form Crochet for the Maine Reef
	9-9p	Rug Hooking
	9-9p	Penny Rugs
	9-9p	Continuous Strand Weaving - Triangle Loom
	9-9p	Locker hooking
	7pm	Learn about the Maine Crochet Reef Project!
	7:30-9p	Crochet or Learn to crochet for the Reef Project
Sunday, Oct 9th
Exhibits and Educational Displays
Guest Artist Exhibit	9-9p	Weaving a Rainbow - Continuous Strand Weavings
Fiber & Fleece Sales	9-9p	Fleeces from Sheep, Alpaca, Angora Goats & Rabbits
Fiber Wall	9-9p	Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit
Crochet Coral Reef	9-9p	Sample Display of the Maine Crochet Coral Reef Project
Mini Skeins	9-9p	Many Sample Skeins of various Natural hand spun Fibers
Natural Dyes	9-9p	Samples of Naturally Dyed Wool
Children's Weavings	9-9p	Children's Bicycle Wheel & Free Form Weavings
	9-9p	Woven Whirlygigs
Fiber Art Display	9-9p	Mixed Media & Felted Art
Fleece Markdown Day!	9-6p	SALE - Fleece Markdown Day!
Demonstrations
	9-2p	Knit with Roving
	9-6p	Sheep and their Fiber
	9-6p	Natural Dyeing
	9-6p	Drum Carding
	9-6p	Spinning
	9-6p	Tapestry Weaving
	9-6p	Needle Felting
	9-6p	Hyperbolic & Free Form Crochet for the Maine Reef
	9-6p	Rug Hooking
	9-6p	Penny Rugs
	9-6p	Continuous Strand Weaving - Triangle Loom
	9-6p	Locker hooking

Please note that our program is presented by volunteers. Last minute changes and omissions are sometimes unpreventable.

Please note that while the Maine Reef Project is in process, I will be posting only to that Blog until further notice. Please visit me there to learn about this amazing project and how you can participate, see photos of works in progress, and get patterns to begin creating.


Hope you visit me soon! 

Crochet Reef

 Since being back in the states I have taken on a new and exciting project!



Turns out crochet is hyperbolic in nature and one can easily create free form shapes that represent corals and other sea creatures. Here is my version of the Christmas tree worm along with one that can be seen on google images. Aren't they amazing creatures?


I learned about the Institute For Figuring and it's crochet coral reef project and have been crocheting hyperbolic free forms that mimic the shapes of corals found in our worlds oceans. I have begun organizing Maine's effort to create it's own crochet reef, a satellite of the worldwide Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project created by Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute For Figuring in Los Angeles.


The Maine Reef project in simple terms is a Fiber Art installation that will be made up of hundreds, maybe thousands of coral forms and other reef related elements created by crocheting or other fiber art forms such as felting or knitting. The installation will be exhibited at the Fiber Center at Fryeburg Fair during fair week 2012.


Visit The Maine Reef  blog to learn more about it and how you can become a part of this fabulous community, statewide project!  


Here are a few pieces that I have had a blast making! 


Here is a Giant Clam! I never knew these existed before!

Until next time.........

Creating Fish using Yarn - A Children's Project

As promised, I am sharing another piece of the under sea world made of fibre that we created in the Fiber Art Camp at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation during their fall vacation break.

Children can create more than just fish with this simple technique. All they need is a bit of encouragement! I used the Huichol people from western cental Mexico and their sacred artifacts called nieli'ka as inspiration. I was first introduced to this lovely art form from long time art teacher and fiber artist friend, Janet Conner.

Traditionally, Nieli'ka are either round or square tablets which are covered with colorful pieces of yarn pressed into beeswax and pine resin to create incredibly detailed and colorful images like the one pictured here.

 For more information about these people and their beautiful work click here. 

To study the undersea world through fiber with 5 - 12 year olds, I needed to use my friend Janet's method of gluing yarn to the background. For classrooms and working with children at home, I like simple methods that use safe, and easy to get materials.

I chose to use cookie cutters as templates for my shapes. If you want children to use the most of their creativity, they can draw their own shapes. Lightweight cardboard like cereal boxes work well. Any worsted weight yarn will do, though anything that is shiny or of poor quality will not give the best result. They often don't stick as well and the plies often separate. I happened to have some wool, rug hooking bundles that worked great. I have found my favorite glue for fiber projects is Tacky Glue. It is just what it says it is - tacky! It is easier and less frustrating for children when they don't have to hold the yarn in place for but one second to have it stay in place. Since you have to use less, it is less messy. Amazing stuff!  I tell my students "a drop is a  lot" and "A fine bead is all you need". Elmer's is a great paper glue but not so much for fabric and  yarns. Compare the two and you will see what I  mean.

 The goal is to completely cover the cardboard with yarn. You should not be able to see any of the cardboard between the yarns. Having said that, I will tell you right now from my experience that children under 8 have a hard time with the concept of covering all of the cardboard, so be prepared that their pieces will not look like my sample and will have gaps in coverage. The other idea that they have trouble with is cutting the yarns so that they don't over hang their templates. That is easy to fix by cutting the stray ends after they are done.
Having said all of that, I'm going to stand on the soap box for a moment :-)

It's only been in more recent years that I began to understand the notion of 'age appropriate' and 'experience appropriate' art. In my classroom it is always apparent who has done creative artwork before, and I don't mean coloring in the lines in a coloring book. Coloring in the lines only makes them neat, it doesn't foster creativity. As with any discipline, it takes practice for people to become adept at any skill they attempt to master. Be kind and and don't be so quick to judge the results of a child's project. Everyone needs practice to be better at something. Understand where they are starting from. At the same time, when you know a child's capabilities and experience, that's not to say that you should accept work from them that you know to be inferior to their capabilities. Then again, we all have bad days :-) Find the balance.

So, when your child or student has never done a project or technique before, accept where each is in their learning and repeat the technique at another time and you will see how quickly they learn and improve over their last efforts.

Encourage the children with this project to create the details using color and cut pieces of yarn accordingly. One way you might achieve this is to have them do a drawing and ask them to color in the details. They then can use their drawing as a pattern that they can repeat on the cardboard.

TIP: only apply glue where the next piece of yarn will go. This helps keep their hands and their workspaces cleaner along the way. Allow them to wash hands as necessary to avoid them getting frustrated because yarn is sticking to their fingers. They are using glue after all :-)

Until next time.........

Batik Dyeing with Children Using a Flour Paste Resist Method

During this year's Bermuda schools fall vacation brought with it a terific Fiber vacation camp! Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation offered an exploration of the Sea through fiber! It was fantastic! The children worked hard and created some  amazing results considering their age range and time restraints.

Our program began as children created the foundation for their piece. The backing for a wall hanging diorama  was a piece of batik that the children painted to depict the water. I wanted the children to be able to do the batik work themselves. Some of the children were as young as 5, so using hot melted wax seemed inappropriate. Hot wax can be dangerous to work with and is also a messy process. I always enjoy looking for an alternative way for children to achieve the same results that they would get using a more traditional or labor intensive method. In this case, the hot wax method was not an  option. After doing a bit of research I found references on line to using a flour paste resist. Brilliant! I experimented with this completely safe option and it worked beautifully.
 Teaching at a non-profit with lots of "stuff" hanging around is a good fit for my resourcefulness. I needed a frame for each child's fabric to be stretched on for painting. I found a variety of old picture frames that had been used in the gallery at one time as well as some wooden weaving frames we had made for a class project a few years ago. Perfect!
We also had some yardage of cotton muslin for fabric. After deciding on a dimension, I tore the fabric to size. Tearing works better than cutting cotton. You get a straight line and it's very fast. I mounted the fabric to the frames using masking tape. This worked well but I recommend you not do this too far in advance. In a damp environment the tape won't hold for too many days and might have to be done over.
Once the fabric is stretched on the frame, it is Batik ready!

I made a flour and water paste the consistency of thick pancake batter; thick enough to create a dam that the dye could not pass over and not so thick that it was hard to paint onto the fabric. Brush choice for putting the paste on might affect the results depending on how wide or stiff it is. I liked using a 1/2" - 3/4" flat brush. This is what the flour paste looked like after painting it on my sample. I chose to make a design that made me think of waves or movement in the water. After the flour paste was dry, it is ready to be dyed. Drying time can vary from a few hours to overnight depending on the weather and temperature.

There are several dyes that will work well with cotton. Dylon dyes can be purchased at Joanne Fabrics so is very convenient. Procion dyes are also a good choice and can be purchased on line at Dahrma Trading Company. It may also be available at other shops that sell fiber related supplies. We happened to have some Dylon dyes in our stash so we used that. The mixing directions are easy to follow. Since you should be careful about inhaling dye powders, I prepared them in advance of our class.

I used two colors and randomly painted them on my piece with a sponge brush. I kept it flat to dry so there was no chance of dyes running and this is what I got.
The hard part of this project was washing out the resist. Once the dye was completely dry, the best results came from using a scrubby sponge after soaking the piece for a 15 -30 minutes in room temp water. Although it took a bit of time, you don't have to scrub much and this serves to rince any excess dye from your piece at the same time.

I was very pleased with my result. I knew the children would find success! See my next post for the next piece of this project!

Until next time........................................

Fryeburg Fair Fiber Center 2010

Well I am finally officially living in the US again. Talk about culture shock! After driving on the narrow curvy Bermuda roads at a max speed of 35 mph, returning to the highways of Florida for part of the winter where most roads have a minimun speed of 50mph and two lanes or more; I've got some catching up to do!

Add to that the shock of going into stores and seeing the endless shelves of goods. Seeing the selection of any item you could want is astounding! I marveled at the view in Bed Bath and Beyond the other day. I don't  need anytthing, I just wantted to look and the lookin' was gooood:-)

Why is it that we are always wishing our life away.... I can't wait to get settled into our own home  again and have to shop for the things we will need to set it up. In the mean while, I will get back to reality, the here and now, and bring you up to date with postings. I begin today with some pictures from this year's Fiber Center exhibit.

Fiber Center 2010


Until next time.........................

Exploring the Sea through Fiber

Fall always brings me the busiest time of the year. This year, I have the mother load!

Having finished up with the Fiber Center during Fryeburg Fair week, which was a great success by the way, I returned to Bermuda for three weeks of intense teaching. Top that off with these weeks comprising my final weeks on the island of Bermuda, and that constitutes "the mother load"!
Yes, sad but true, my husband's work contract has ended here after 4 years and we return to the states to re-patriate and get back into the US mainstream.
The grass isn't growing under my feet as my days in Bermuda come to a close! Last week was busy, intense and very rewarding, though stressful at times. Twenty -two children participated in this Fiber Art Camp.
Their project? A Diorama using Batik for a water background, Wet Felting to create Octopus, Clams and Coral, Nuno Felting to make Seaweed and Jelly Fish, Huichol for colorful Fish, and finally for the older children, Needle Felting to create a Mermaid or Merman. Additionally, there were some extra projects to fill in with including, hand dyed beaded necklaces, Shibori Dyed Scarves, Designs on Fabric using fabric Crayons, halloween masks, and last but not least Halloween Ghosts! Phew!
Photos of their work will have to come later since I do not have access to my own computer right now.

Currently, we have a variety of classes in the works for one off Fiber Art opportunities including Mondrian inspired fabric applique paintings, Fun Crazy Hair Self Portraits, Surface Design on Burlap and more!

Once I get settled back in the states with my own computer in hand, I will post photos and give an update on the classes and goings on.
Until then.....