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.....

PAINTING WITH WOOL: The Hooked Rugs of Janet Conner

I sit at my computer as hurricane Igor approaches. We are hunkered down in a tropical storm wave awaiting Igor's arrival around 10 pm tonight. In the mean time, I have power and some time so thought I would share the information with you about our exciting guest artist at the Fryeburg Fair Fiber Center this year.


FIBER ARTIST JANET CONNER GUEST ARTIST FOR 2010 FRYEBURG FAIR FIBER CENTER EXHIBITION

PAINTING WITH WOOL: The Hooked Rugs of Janet Conner

Maine Fiber Artist Janet Conner known for her original hand hooked rugs and mats, is Guest Artist showing her work at this year’s Fryeburg Fair. The Fiber Center Exhibition opens on Sunday October 3rd to Saturday October 10th from 9am to 9pm daily and ends on Sunday October 10th from 9am – 6pm.

Ms. Conner’s work is considered primitive or country Victorian in style. All designs are original; the wool strips are cut by hand from recycled and heirloom fabrics and many of the colors are the result of natural dyes. The family tools she uses were inherited through three generations and her greatest influences have been the study of antique textiles and folk art, as well as the landscapes, museums and cultural experiences from her international travel.

Because of Ms. Conner’s 30 year career as an elementary art teacher, she continues to enjoy her enthusiasm for teaching by providing various classes for beginning and experienced rug hookers in pattern design, dyeing for special color effects, and Folk Art style rug hooking. She also offers advanced workshops in Van Gogh Inspired Rug Hooking, and couture hooked bags.

Ms. Conner in 2004 was selected for her exceptional work as one of the 200 Best Traditional American Craftsmen by Early American Life Magazine’s jury of Curators from Historic Williamsburg, Sturbridge Village, and Shelburne Museum. Additionally, in 2004 her work was been exhibited at the Moore College of Art Alumnae juried Exhibition in Philadelphia. In Maine, her work has been seen at, the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk, the Public Library, and the Whimsical World Art Gallery in Portland, and the Maine Fiber Arts Center in Topsham, Maine.

Fryeburg Fair has supported fiber education for over 15 years and built a permanent fiber exhibition hall in 2004. The Fiber Center serves to educate the public about Fiber Arts featuring fiber art demonstrations throughout fair week. The Fiber Center features alternative gallery space to show fiber art like Ms Conner each year during fair week. This unique environment allows new eyes to see and understand the progression of natural fibers from function and craft to fiber art in a way that has never been possible in any other venue that we know of.

For more information about the Fryeburg Fiber Center and Ms. Conner’s Art please visit:

http://www.jconnerhookedrugs.com/
http://www.fryeburgfair.com/ and go to Exhibition Halls.
http://picasaweb.google.com/hairlockpaintings/FiberCenterSlideShow02  for a slide show of past events

The Fiber Center at fryeburg fair

By this time next month the 2010 Fyreburg fair will be gone by! Time sure flies when you;re having fun!

Here is our schedule of events. Lots to see so hope to see some of you there!

2010 SCHEDULE


Sunday, October 3rd

Fiber Animal of the Day 9-5p Angora Goats Front Porch Sue Bradbury

Dye Demo of the Day 9-5p Playing with Color Front Porch Betsey Leslie

Guest Artist Exhibit 9-9p Traditional Rug Hooking Exhibit upr & lower Gallery Janet Conner


 9-5p Rug Braiding Inside Janet Goodwin

9-9p Fleece & Fiber Sales Inside

9-9p Fiber Wall / Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit Outside Wall

9-9p Sample Mini Skeins Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Natural Dye Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Hairlock Painting ™ Exhibit Upper Rear Gallery Gale Bellew

9-9p Mixed Media & Felted Art Upper Rear Gallery J. Yarborough, E. Hedglin

9-9p Drum Carding Inside Karen Cornell

9-9p Spinning inside exhibitors

9-9p Tapestry Weaving Inside Linda Whiting

9-9p Hackle Blending & Spinning Inside Michelle Day

9-9p Needle Felting Inside J. Yarborough & R. McLellan

11-4p Fleece & Fiber Show Inside

10-12p Punch Hooking Inside Kim Kaslow

2-4pm Weaving on a floor loom Inside Kim Kaslow


Monday, October, 4th

Fiber Animal of the day 9-5p TBA Front Porch TBA

Dye Demo of the Day 9-5p Dyeing for fun & Color! Front Porch Betsey Lesllie

Guest Artist Exhibit 9-9p Traditional Rug Hooking Exhibit upr & lower Gallery Janet Conner


 9-5p Rug Braiding Inside Janet Goodwin

9-9p Fleece & Fiber Sales Inside

9-9p Fiber Wall / Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit Outside Wall

9-9p Sample Mini Skeins Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Natural Dye Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Hairlock Painting ™ Exhibit Upper Rear Gallery Gale Bellew

9-9p Mixed Media & Felted Art Upper Rear Gallery J. Yarborough, E. Hedglin

9-9p Carding with Karen Cornell Inside

9-9p Spinning Inside

9-9p Tapestry Weaving Inside Linda Whiting

9-9p Needle Felting inside J. Yarborough & R. McLellan

9-9p Hackle Blending & Spinning Inside Michelle Day



Tuesday, October 5th

Fiber Animal of the Day 9-5p Pygora Goats Front Porch Jen Smith

Dye Demo of the Day 9-5p Dyeing Wool Fibers & Yarns Porch Betsey Lesllie

Guest Artist Exhibit 9-9p Traditional Rug Hooking Exhibit upr & lower Gallery Janet Conner


 9-12p Drop Spindle Spinning Inside Joan Janness

9-5p Rug Braiding Inside Janet Goodwin

9-9p Fleece & Fiber Sales Inside

9-9p Fiber Wall / Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit Outside Wall

9-9p Sample Mini Skeins Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Natural Dye Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Hairlock Painting ™ Exhibit Upper Rear Gallery Gale Bellew

9-9p Mixed Media & Felted Art Upper Rear Gallery J. Yarborough, E. Hedglin

9-9p Carding with Karen Cornell Inside

9-9p Spinning Inside

9-9p Tapestry Weaving Inside Linda Whiting

9-9p Needle Felting inside J. Yarborough & R. McLellan

9-9p Hackle Blending & Spinning Inside Michelle Day



Wednesday, October 6th

Fiber Animal of the Day 9-5p Cashmere Goats Front Porch Jodie Richards

Dye Demo of the Day 9-6p Kool - Aid Dyeing Front Porch Kathy Cooper & Cecilia Vasquez

Guest Artist Exhibit 9-9p Traditional Rug Hooking Exhibit upr & lower Gallery Janet Conner


 9-5p Rug Braiding Inside Janet Goodwin

9-9p Fleece & Fiber Sales Inside

9-9p Fiber Wall / Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit Outside Wall

9-9p Sample Mini Skeins Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Natural Dye Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Hairlock Painting ™ Exhibit Upper Rear Gallery Gale Bellew

9-9p Mixed Media & Felted Art Upper Rear Gallery J. Yarborough, E. Hedglin

9-9p Carding with Karen Cornell Inside

9-9p Spinning Inside

9-9p Tapestry Weaving Inside Linda Whiting

9-9p Needle Felting inside J. Yarborough & R. McLellan

9-9p Hackle Blending & Drum Blending Inside Michelle Day & Sue Connolly

2-9p Rug Hooking with Scrap Woolens Inside Janet Conner

Thursday, October 7th

Fiber Animal of the Day 9-5p Pygora Goats Front Porch Jenni Smith

Dye Demo of the Day 9-5p Wool & The world of Color Front Porch Linda Whiting

Guest Artist Exhibit 9-9p Traditional Rug Hooking Exhibit upr & lower Gallery Janet Conner


 9-12p Drop Spindle Spinning Inside Joan Janness

9-2p Rug Braiding Inside Janet Goodwin

9-5p Fly Tyeing with Natural Fibers Inside Bill Thompson

9-5p Weaving on a Floor Loom Inside Mike Kozel

9-5p Blending on drum carder Inside Sue Connolly

9-9p Fleece & Fiber Sales Inside

9-9p Fiber Wall / Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit Outside Wall

9-9p Sample Mini Skeins Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Natural Dye Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Hairlock Painting ™ Exhibit Upper Rear Gallery Gale Bellew

9-9p Mixed Media & Felted Art Upper Rear Gallery J. Yarborough, E. Hedglin

9-9p Spinning inside exhibitors

9-9p Needle Felting inside J. Yarborough & R. McLellan

9-9p Carding Inside Karen Cornell

9-9p Rug Hooking Inside Janet Conner

2-9p Locker Hooking Inside Karen Thompson

5-9p Tapestry Weaving Inside Linda Whiting

Friday, October 8th

Fiber Animal of the Day 9-5p Finn Sheep Front Porch Mary Anne

Dye Demo of the Day 9-5p Natural Dyeing Front Porch Marty Elkin

Guest Artist Exhibit 9-9p Traditional Rug Hooking Exhibit upr & lower Gallery Janet Conner


9-5p Rug Braiding Inside Janet Goodwin

9-9p Fleece & Fiber Sales Inside

9-9p Fiber Wall / Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit Outside Wall

9-9p Sample Mini Skeins Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Natural Dye Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Hairlock Painting ™ Exhibit Upper Rear Gallery Gale Bellew

9-9p Mixed Media & Felted Art Upper Rear Gallery J. Yarborough, E. Hedglin

9-9p Spinning inside exhibitors

9-9p Needle Felting inside Julie Yarborough

9-9p Carding Inside Karen Cornell

9-9p Rug Hooking Inside Janet Conner

9-9p Off Loom Weaving Inside Val Sullivan

9-9p Penny Rugs Inside Jerry Wax

9-9p Tapestry Weaving Inside Linda Whiting



Saturday, October 9th

Fiber Animal of the Day 9-5p Finn Sheep Porch Mary Anne

Dye Demo of the Day 9-5p Natural Dyeing Front Porch Marty Elkin

Guest Artist Exhibit 9-9p Traditional Rug Hooking Exhibit upr & lower Gallery Janet Conner


 9-5p Locker hooking Inside karen Thompson

9-5p Rug Braiding Inside Janet Goodwin

9-9p Fleece & Fiber Sales Inside

9-9p Fiber Wall / Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit Outside Wall

9-9p Sample Mini Skeins Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Natural Dye Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Hairlock Painting ™ Exhibit Upper Rear Gallery Gale Bellew

9-9p Mixed Media & Felted Art Upper Rear Gallery J. Yarborough, E. Hedglin

9-9p Tapestry Inside Linda Whiting

9-9p Off Loom Weaving Inside Val Sullivan

9-9p Needle Felting inside Julie Yarborough

9-9p Penny Rugs Inside Jerry Wax

9-9p Rug Hooking Inside Janet Connor

9-9p Drum Carding Inside Karen Cornell

9-9p Spinning inside exhibitors


Sunday, Oct 10th

Fiber Animal of the Day 9-5p Finn Sheep Porch Mary Anne Mary Anne

Dye Demo of the Day 9-5p Natural Dyeing Front Porch Marty Elkin Marty Elkin

Guest Artist 9-9p Traditional Rug Hooking Exhibit upr & lower Gallery Janet Conner Janet Conner

Fleece Markdown Day! 9-6p SALE - Fleece Markdown Day! Inside

9-12p Drop Spindle Spinning Inside Joan Janness

9-6p Fleece & Fiber Sales Inside

9-9p Fiber Wall / Fiber Animal Educational Exhibit Outside Wall

9-6p Sample Mini Skeins Exhibit Fiber Area

9-9p Natural Dye Exhibit Fiber Area

9-6p Hairlock Painting ™ Exhibit Upper Rear Gallery Gale Bellew

9-6p Mixed Media & Felted Art Upper Rear Gallery J. Yarborough, E. Hedglin

9-6p Tapestry Inside Linda Whiting

9-6p Off Loom Weaving Inside Val Sullivan

9-6p Needle Felting inside Julie Yarborough

9-6p Rug Braiding Inside Janet Goodwin

9-6p Penny Rugs Inside Jerry Wax

9-6p Rug Hooking Inside Janet Connor

9-6p Drum Carding Inside Karen Cornell

9-6p Spinning inside exhibitors

9-6p Locker hooking Inside Karen Thompson

Bad News & Good News..............

Well life as we all know has a way of showing us that we are not in control.... all of the time :-)

The Bad News:
On July 27th at 8:35am a fire broke out in our apartment and burned fast and fruiously. By 9:30am we had lost almost all of our possesions that we have in Bermuda.

The Good News:
Although we escaped with only the night clothes on our backs, my husband had time to pull his most precious race bicycles from the building because they were near the door. We did manage to salvage some clothes, tools and a file box with important personal papers. The best news for me? The hard drive from my computer was not harmed inspite of it all. This means that all of my years of fiber projects, education and photos as well as, the documentary photos that I have taken for the childrens fiber art project book are safe and the notes and directions for each project that were in a plastic file folder were protected enough so that only the edges were singed!

As devastating a loss as this kind of tragedy can be, we feel infinitely grateful that we are safe, unharmed and that the most precious pieces of our lives were saved.

There is an additional upside. We are repatriating to the US at the end of October. It is customary that when you leave a rental here that you completely paint the inside for the next tenant. This was weighing heavily on my mind and I now do not have to paint! Additionally, our plan had been to sell all of our household furnishings and only bring personal itmes back with us to the states which I no longer have to do!
So as devastating as the loss has been, we have found some positive aspects that keep us smiling. We have not lost anything that can't be easily replaced.

 There is always a bright spot to be found if we will only look for it. Yes the road can be bumpy along the way but the choice as to how we look at things is our own. That is the miracle of life for each of us to seek an find. May we always manage to find some good in our bad.

SO..... given the unsettled reality of life for now, I will post when I can.

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