‘Flight’ Exhibition

Posted on 15 May 2012 by jworks

The Professional Weaver’s Network of NZ have their latest exhibition running. It was displayed at the Riverlore Gallery in Blenheim and it is now up and running at the Refinery Gallery in Nelson before heading off to Wellington to be displayed.

 

 

I have a piece in the exhibition called ‘Moths’. I designed the pattern in network drafting and the yarn used was tencel. I felt that the pattern on a lot of moth wings is some what subdued and I felt that the curves that you get with network drafting would work well. I have hung them such that they give the impression of moths.

 The Refinery Gallery is a lovely space to display this exhibition lots of light and space so that each piece has room to be viewed individually. I hope to have some images soon of The Refinery’s display of ‘Flight’ 

 

 It has been at least 2 years in the planning this exhibition and at last we can see it all come together.

 

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Creative Fibre Festival

Posted on 30 April 2012 by jworks

Have just got back from Blenheim where the Creative Fibre Festival was held this year. What a brilliant weekend very social and quite a learning experience. Stayed with a group of other weavers which meant the whole three and a half days were spent discussing yarn, weaving, exhibitions, more yarn, more weaving etc.

I visited the textile exhibitions that were on including ‘Flight’ put on by PWN (Professional Weavers Network) and Four Directions in Tapestry. It was very inspiring!

I went to various talks including one on photographing textiles and another on exhibiting in WOW. The last talk that I went to was about how to dress to your best advantage and I am still smiling about it and remembering various parts of the talk.I have to admit that I was quite tired at the end of each day as it was all quite intense and you wanted to take it all in.

It was a great venue very easy and convenient to get around. The team of CF members that put it together should be well pleased with the whole event.

I am looking forward to next years one in Porirua.

 

 

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Light

Posted on 3 April 2012 by jworks

For those who have visited the the studio, you will know that across the road from us, is a collection of pine trees.  These trees were not of timber value, in fact may even have been marginal for firewood, and more to the point they blocked the light (read sun) from the studio during winter until about 11am.

Now in a good frost, having the sun not appear in your building, is a recipe for about four layers of merino, and gloves… and as for customer visits, they tend to be of a short duration.

We talked to the owner of the trees, and have got them removed.  And the result is simply astounding.  We have lots of light, and the sun is back.  One of the spoils was a box of pine cones for our fire… and not a small box either.

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Fabric For Footstools

Posted on 28 March 2012 by jworks

I have been doing upholstery fabric for footstools of late. The first one was using space dyed red/yellow/grey cotton in both the warp and weft. It came up in a lovely design which was sort of random in parts and other sections formed a pattern. I can definitely say that they will be truely unique. Tony made the footstool itself in both elm and maple and they both suited the fabric.

 

The next bolt of fabric was again for upholstery but this time it was for a footstool (not made by Tony) that was in the States. It was woven in a dornick twill pattern in diamonds. I loved the choice of colours.

Because you don’t need much fabric for a footstool I made extra fabric than was needed which could be used for other projects. The first fabric while I was weaving it I thought this would look really good as a wall panel and that is what it became. Tony made me two saligna rods with brass cross pieces at each end and the fabric was hung from one rod and the second rod ran along the bottom to stablise the fabric. That piece has been accepted for the Creative Fibre National exhibition which I am very pleased with.

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Cotton Phase

Posted on 14 February 2012 by jworks

I have been doing a lot of cotton weaving lately. I have carried on with my teatowels and have made some quite fun coral coloured ones in unmercerised cotton. ‘M’s and O’s is the pattern I used so they are slightly textured not as much as the waffle weave ones I did. I so enjoy doing them.

 

While I had my previous teatowel warp on the loom a friend commented that they would make nice long table runners and said if I made one she would be first in the queue. I wove the cream coloured background in plain weave and the navy stripes in a 2/2 twill diamond pattern. I was rather pleased with the finished look. The stripes were only about 2” wide which meant that the change in warp structure across the warp didn’t matter.

The cotton, however, does have a tendency of giving off fluff for the first few washes.

 

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