glass beads
By Stef | July 3, 2008
This here’s a picture of my favorite bead from my torch session with Kelly.* Kelly demonstrated how to make a bead, roll it in frit (little bits of broken glass), and drag a rake through the hot glass to make a swirly pattern. Pretty neat!
I know I’m probably supposed to display my beads on a nice background, but I really liked the way the glass reacted to the sunlight.
This here’s a picture of a borosilicate bead that Kelly gave to me.
I love, love, love this bead. I can’t wait to combine it with some of the ceramic beads I’ve made recently. I’m hoping to have some free time this weekend to do just that. We’ll be going to a fabulous parade and party tomorrow, but I believe we’ll have some time to play in the studio (and, hopefully, with the new kiln).
If things go as planned, Fed Ex should have delivered my kiln today - of course, if things happen the way they did yesterday, the kiln may very well be in pieces on our driveway.**
*Kelly, you are hereby tagged to answer the questions Melody tagged me with.
**Fed Ex left a package in our driveway yesterday, which was exposed to a major thunderstorm. Apparently, they don’t bother to shield packages with plastic bags, nor do they feel it’s their duty to leave the package in a covered area. The box was so completely saturated with water that the contents were drenched and my invoice (inside the box, mind you) was a pile of mush. I was not pleased, but I was thankful that the things in the box were fairly indestructible.
Topics: Other Distractions | 1 Comment »
weaving - supplemental pickup and dye discharge
By Stef | July 2, 2008
This is an example of experimentation at the loom. No project in mind, no deadline and no expectations about what might emerge from the loom.
This is a 10/2 tencel warp, measured and painted before I dressed the loom. I’m not sure how the colors were chosen, or whether they happened by accident (this was before I had much dye experience). The draft is from Harriet Tidball’s monograph, Supplemental Warp Patterning. The painted warp is the supplemental warp and the tan warp acts as the ground warp.
I’m sorry to say that I can’t remember the sett of this warp (I’m guessing that it was 48 epi - 24epi for each warp). I beamed both warps together due to the lack of a double warp beam. As you might expect if you’re a weaver, this did result in a tension problem after I had woven for a while. I just weighted the offending warp so that I could continue weaving. After a while, the tension problems got so intense that I cut the piece off of the loom. I now have a second warp beam for my Baby Wolf, so I’d use this if I were ever to repeat this experiment.
After the loom was dressed, I painted the warp with Dharma’s discharge paste to remove color. I accomplished this by placing a plastic-covered board underneath the warp and carefully painting the paste onto the warp threads (wearing my heavy duty fume mask, of course). I then used my iron on a high-steam setting to discharge the dye while still on the loom (and, of course, wearing my mask and ventilating my space - I like to keep my lungs healthy).
The discharged areas of the warp are fairly random. I didn’t really have anything in mind - I just wanted to see how precise the pattern would look after the weaving was finished. The answer is that the pattern is pretty clear. I’m guessing that with a thicker paste and silkscreen, you’d be able to see a detailed pattern.
I really enjoyed this experiment. I’ve been thinking about adding hand or machine embroidery, but I haven’t determined what (if anything) I’d like to add to it. What I’ll most likely do is put the weaving back into my ReGrettaBle BiN oF uNFiniSheD haNDwoveNs until something comes to me.
Topics: Dyeing, Fiberarts, Weaving | 1 Comment »
chaos
By Stef | July 1, 2008
I believe I mentioned that my house has been turned upside down in anticipation of the painters. Well…we’re still waiting for the painters to call us. Tomorrow? Thursday? Who knows??
Here’s a picture of my little office/craft space - the furniture is literally upside down.
This is a picture of Buster enjoying the window with no window covering. I’m hoping he won’t have this view for too long.
Topics: Life at Home | No Comments »
tagged
By Stef | July 1, 2008
The lovely Melody over at Crazed Sewer tagged me, so I thought I’d write a quick post this morning.
1. What were you doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago I had just graduated from law school. I was in the process of studying for the bar exam and was about to begin working for a large Detroit law firm. I was under a lot of stress and had virtually no creative outlet. I hadn’t even taken my first weaving class.
2. What five things are on my “to do” list for today?
- Work diligently at my place of employment
- Read an episode in Ulysses
- Sign up for the intermediate glass bead class
- Finish dismantling my house in anticipation of the painting
- Make a grocery list
3. Snacks I enjoy:
Popcorn. I really like popcorn. Keith often has to remind me that popcorn is not a complete meal.
4. What I would do if I became a billionaire:
Wow. I can’t even imagine this. I’d imagine that I’d probably give most of it away - mostly to conservation and arts programs. I’d fund local arts programs, I’d send loads of money to Penland School of Crafts and Outward Bound. I’d establish a well-funded art school in Michigan for those who can’t afford to travel to other states. I’d also establish a scholarship program for law students who decide to pursue artistic endeavors rather than practice law.
5. Places I have lived:
- California
- Germany
- England
- Michigan
6. What type of work I’ve done:
- Prep Cook
- Waitress
- Sandwich Maker
- Receptionist
- Group Home Employee
- Law Clerk
- Attorney
Hmmm…I’m guessing that most of the people I know have already been tagged. If you read this and want to play along, let me know. I’d love to know more about you!
Topics: Life at Home, Random Thoughts | 3 Comments »
play date
By Stef | June 27, 2008
I had a great time at Kelly’s house on Wednesday night. She was very generous with her time and equipment and extremely encouraging (I was a bit nervous). Kelly showed me all kinds of tricks - using a stringer, using a mold, reduction frit…you name it, she can do it!! Kelly’s amazing!
After watching several demonstrations, I actually made a couple of glass beads that are almost round without the funky sharp edges I was getting (well, I haven’t seen the finished results yet, but I think they looked somewhat round when they went into the kiln). I think that having a torch that is hot enough to actually melt the glass in a reasonable period of time really, really helps.
I am so excited I can hardly stand it.
…and…the most exciting thing of all is that Kelly has generously offered to give me her old oxygen concentrator (!) and Keith has generously offered to give me a corner of the ceramics studio to set up my torch. I’m so grateful to both of them. (I think Keith’s generosity is motivated, in part, by his fear that I’m going to set our house on fire.)
I’m going to use some of the proceeds from the sale of my loom to order a real torch (and kiln!) today. I’m a little nervous about this, but I figure that there will always be someone willing to purchase my used equipment if I decide to stop working with fire.
And creating art is cheaper than therapy.
And it’s a good diversion from my daily work life.
(Can you tell I’m trying to justify the purchase?)
…and, who knows…maybe I’ll end up selling some of my beads and bezels at some point in the future to offset the cost. (It’s always hard for me to justify an expense without thinking that I’ll recoup it at some point.)
Of course, if I don’t decide to sell my beads, I’ll either be buried by them or my friends and family will have a steady supply of beads…
…most of them already have handwoven scarves, so it’s probably time for a change. Yep, that’s another good justification.
My distracted muse prevails!
Topics: Glass Beads, Life at Home, Other Distractions | 3 Comments »
excitement!
By Stef | June 25, 2008
This evening I’ve been invited to go to Kelly’s house to play with glass. I found Kelly online when I was searching the internet for information about how to make round beads (rather than the misshapen beads I’ve been making). I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to watch a glass bead guru in action (she really knows her stuff). So exciting!
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I’m also excited about the arrival of a new necklace from Lorelei. I sent her a little package of beads and, in return, she’s made me a beautiful necklace.
The focal bead is one of my hand-carved porcelain beads. She’s artfully combined several of my other beads with lampworked rounds and little glass beads. I can’t wait to see the necklace in person!
Topics: Beads and Pendants, Clay, Other Distractions | 3 Comments »
vibrant colors!
By Stef | June 23, 2008
Once again, another busy weekend without much time to do anything creative. We’re still emptying our rooms in preparation for interior painting. I didn’t realize what a major undertaking this would be. Not only do I have to empty four interior rooms, I also have to cat-proof my basement so that the kitties don’t destroy everything I own when they’re safely secluded from the painting crew. Needless to say, my things are scattered all over the house & it’s complete & utter chaos! I really cannot wait until it’s over.
I did manage to take a picture for this week’s Exposaroonie challenge: Vibrant Colors!
I’ve been taking a weekly dance/aerobics class at a local dance studio. When the Exposaroonie folks posted this week’s challenge, I knew immediately where I’d go to take pictures. The studio shop is filled with beautiful textiles from around the world and is humming with vibrant colors. A true feast for the eyes!
If you’d like to vote for my picture (or any other picture, for that matter), please visit Exposaroonie by clicking on the button below and navigating to the “Challenge” page. I’ve probably said this before, but there are some very talented folks out there!
Topics: Life at Home, Random Thoughts | No Comments »
on-loom warp painting
By Stef | June 18, 2008
I recently read a discussion on a blog about on-loom warp painting and now I can’t find the source of this discussion. I’m sure it’s on a blog I frequent, but I couldn’t find it again (I hate when this happens!). Thanks to Trapunto for pointing out that Jane at Shuttle Pilot was the source of the discussion about on-loom painting…I must have been distracted by the picture of the *gorgeous* doubleweave tencel sample in the same post!
At any rate, I’ve experimented with this on-loom painting process over the years and thought I’d post some of my results.
This is a photo of a 24 harness point twill design (way back when I had my 24H AVL loom). The warp is a natural cotton and the weft is black cotton. I believe this is a Fiberworks PCW’s Thrilling Twills pattern.
Here’s another view of the same piece of fabric.
I used Jacquard Products Neopaque paints for this experiment. The paints are rather thick in the jar, so I diluted them with water before painting. I experimented with painting prior to weaving and after I had woven a short length of fabric.
This is a picture of a collapse weave painting experiment. I believe this is the same warp and 24H point twill threading as the twill above (natural unmercerized cotton). The weft is a high-twist rayon crepe from Textura Trading Company. The fabric was designed with large floats to allow the high twist rayon to collapse on itself and create texture.
This is another color experiment on the same structure and threading. This is a closer view so that the structure is more apparent. The fabric really isn’t good for anything but decoration. The floats are quite long and the final fabric is pretty darn sleazy. I like the texture and would consider using it as a window covering, but our devil cats would probably snag the fabric with their claws (ask me how I know this*).
This is the same fabric as the two above, but I painted portions of the design after the fabric was woven, but while it was still on the loom. It’s quite a different effect. The paints are not diluted as much because I wanted the color to stay in the lines.
Here’s a picture of all three fabrics together.
For an example of a true master of on-loom warp painting, I highly recommend visiting the website of Jane Evans. She combines warp painting, unique weaving techniques, and free motion embroidery to create photo-realistic works of art. They’re stunning!
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*Here’s my admission. The reason I know the cats would ruin a window covering with a loose weave is because it’s happened before. I previously had two scarves hanging in the window - one was a beautiful handwoven collapse weave scarf by Anne Field, and the other was a cream-colored merino wool scarf I had woven from a great design by Sandra Rude.
My kitties aren’t generally intentionally destructive (scratching furniture is not permitted in my home - we’ve got a squirt gun and scratching post by every piece of upholstered furniture). However, the boys do get rather enthusiastic when there are bunnies and birds about. I can’t blame them for their excitement, but the scarves were both destroyed by errant claws. I can’t bear to throw them away, so they’re still in a bin awaiting their fate (hmmm…maybe someone out there might be able to give me advice about how to fix them…maybe I’ll post some pictures).
Topics: Dyeing, Fiberarts, Weaving | 4 Comments »
less talking, more weaving
By Stef | June 18, 2008
I can’t believe it’s Wednesday already. Once again, we had a busy weekend.
Keith played with the band at a crawfish boil and afterwards we were invited to visit a friend’s studio. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera in tow - otherwise I would have posted pictures (with permission, of course) of the most amazing ceramics studio you’ve ever seen. It’s stunning (soapstone counters, hand-bent curved railings, loft area, floor-to-ceiling windows, etc.). You get the picture. Simply amazing!
The rest of the weekend was spent pulling apart my home office/creative space in preparation for painting. I love to read and have several large bookshelves full of (alphabetized) books, so this dismantling is a long, arduous process. And…when I organize one room in the house, the organizational spirit tends to cascade to other rooms. Keith has to continually remind me to focus on emptying the room rather than organizing the entire house. It’s difficult for a Capricorn to ignore chaos in other parts of the house, but I’ll try.
Anyhoo. As I was saying. I am in the process of dismantling my house in anticipation of interior painting. This dismantling revealed several bins of handwoven samples and unfinished woven items. I may not be weaving much right now (as evidenced by my blog), but I’ve spent several years with more than three warps going at once and I have produced a *lot* of stuff.
I started this blog to talk about weaving and the creative process. What’s evolved since that time is a lot of talking about random things, but not much weaving activity. I’ve been busy with work, life, and my many creative distractions, but there’s really no excuse for my failure to post more about weaving, given that I’ve spent years of my life obsessed with this process.
Therefore, I hereby declare that I will discuss weaving at least once every couple of weeks (give or take) until I can no longer think of things to discuss. So there.
Topics: Dyeing, Fiberarts, Weaving | 1 Comment »
blanket fabric, post-fulling
By Stef | June 10, 2008
Well… The blanket fabric has been put through a rigorous fulling process in the washing machine. My goal was to shrink the purple wool until it became the same thickness as the red wool of the previously-rejected red blanket.
I secured the edges with several rows of machine zig-zag stitching and tossed the fabric into the washing machine with a small amount of soap. I monitored the process closely (my previous experience indicates that this process can happen very quickly).
As you might imagine, the fulling process also made the fabric much narrower. Here’s a picture Keith snapped for me this morning before work (Scooby was curious).
…and, this… this… is my biggest fear for the soon-to-be wool blanket. Within seconds after tossing the fabric onto the chair, Sula has made a nest. You can tell that she’s feeling a bit guilty (this is the cat who avoids the two hand-felted kitty nests I’ve made).
I think that she’s embedding cat hair into my new blanket fabric in retaliation for the new cat-storage furniture that we recently acquired via ebay. It’s a perfect place to store the cats while we’re at work.
What do you think?
Just kidding!
Of course, I may change my mind once the blanket is finished.
Topics: Life at Home, Weaving | 5 Comments »