Various items I will have at the Contextural sale this year...

HANDMADE BOOKS

(with Resist-Clamped dyed Wool covers, 

6" square and  4.5" square and 5" by 7", 

all $50 each)

INDIGO DYED SILK DEVORE SCARVES

(various sizes averaging 14" by 70", 

with and without fringed ends, 

flat or raised velvet finishes, 

$70 each)

Indigo dyed Shibori silk scarf

KEEPSAKE POUCH necklaces 

( 2"x3" bags filled with semi-precious stones. 

Done in waxed Irish Linen, using a needle and thread and 2000 stitches, 

the technique is called "nalbinding", and ancient knotless looping stitch which predates knitting by centuries. Many different colours and decorations available. $70)

VASES

Pyrography and Watercolours on Watercolour papers

(Original artwork. 

6" square and 8" square, mounted on canvas frames, 

$60 and $70) 

NATURAL DYED SILK DEVORE SCARVES

with pomegranate, logwood, cutch, fustic and more

(average size 14" by 70", 

with and without fringed ends, 

flat or raised velvet finishes,

$70 each)

 NEWBORN AND INFANT SIZED COTTON TOQUES

(Hand dyed and illustrated, 

$25 each)

CONTEXTURAL Artisan Sale

My next sale this fall will be on Saturday the 19th for the Annual Christmas Artisan Sale, showcasing unique fibre and multi-media works by local artists and Contextural members. There will be plenty of gift worthy items to help you get into the holiday spirit!

Annual Contextural Christmas Artisan Sale

Date: Saturday, November 19, 2016

Time: 10:00 - 6:00pm

Location: Christ Church Elbow Park, 3602 - 8th Street SW Calgary GoogleMaps/ChristChurchElbowParkCalgary

Details: Free admission; Cash, Credit or cheque accepted; Free street parking available.

Contextural is a community of textile artists fostering a cooperative creative environment in support of the production of new artistic works.

This textile-centric sale provides the opportunity for the public to meet the makers of silk-screened, EcoPrinted and/or hand-dyed scarves, pillows and bags, 2D and 3D art pieces, items for dogs and babies, clothing, accessories, and home decor.

More information and images click on the "NEWS" tab on our website: contextural.ca

 

A lovely day at a sale...

The pop-up art show known as Calyx is over for another year. I set up my clothing racks and hung the shirts and oversized scarves on it. I also had the table beside, and my regular sized scarves on a rack by it.

Lots of people were really taken with the EcoPrinting and I was very happy with the reception the process received and comments I heard. Thanks to everyone for shopping local and supporting YYC artists. I have two more sales at the end of November:

Contextural Christmas Artisan Sale - SATURDAY - November 19
10am - 6pm

Christ Church Elbow Park
3602-8th Street SW CALGARY

 

click for info

and
Christmas Market Sale - SAT/SUN - November 26/27
11am - 5pm
TBA - details are being finalized
NW CALGARY

EcoPrinting ... Natural Dyes... Botanical Prints...

Whatever you call it, I love doing it!
I spent the entire month of July at the Artist Residency printing clothing. After bundling them around different plant material and cooking them, the best part is opening up the packages and seeing what surprises there are for you.

At the end of the summer I have a rack of 70 pieces of clothing and the hardest part is picking 50 out to take to the Calyx Distinctive Arts show and sale on Saturday. (Good thing I have two more sales in November.)

I bought some display equipment and have been planning how to do a layout on it. This is the first stab at it. I will post from the sale tomorrow what the final display looked like.

Also on these racks I will have the oversized shawl scarves I dyed/printed.

In silk:

Silk Fleece:

Silk and cotton:

Silk and Cashmere:

Cashmere:

And then there are the 50 regular-sized Devore silk-rayon blend scarves + solid silks scarves + velvet scarves. I am ready!

Scarves for sale!

Once all the actual dyeing is completed I spend weeks washing, ironing, then labeling every piece in my studio. I usually only do this for the Calyx show in the spring and the fall but this year I have three different sales in the next two months. Seems to make it a little more worthwhile!

Washed and ironed now hanging nicely on hangars:

 

Labelled with what plants are used in printing, and care instructions:

 

Starting to pack (softly folded into a large bag):

I always have a huge inventory in my studio, so if you're ever looking for a gift for yourself or someone else, or just interested in the process, come and visit me!

CALYX DISTINCTIVE ARTS - SHOW AND SALE

After a very busy summer, spent in a 3-month residency in the Fibre Art Department at the Art College, then a couple of exhibits around town (I will post about these later)...

It's that time again - fall sales! I am going to be in three different ones this year. This first one is next weekend and the other two are at the end of November (more about them later).

I am taking part in the Calyx Distinctive Arts Show and Sale on SATURDAY, October 22 from 10am -4pm. This show is a classic and it's classy! Paintings, sculptures, ceramics and more. The best time is to arrive early. This is not a play! Really. Early is better as many people are in-the-know about this show and arrive to collect new work from their favourite artists.

I have a massive amount of silk scarves that I Eco-Dyed over the summer, as well as Eco-Printed up-cycled clothing. I have added a line of oversized scarves, out of some gorgeous fibres like cashmere, pashmina, superfine silk and fine linens.

Hope you can make it for a visit...

Clothing:

And the oversize scarves:

CALYX DISTINCTIVE ART - SHOW AND SALE

It's that time again!

I will be showing on SATURDAY, April 23th only.

This is a juried art show and sale where 30 different artists show separately on each day!

I have many different types of silk scarves that I dye over the summer.
Plus I will have jewellery (brooches and necklaces) and lots of wall art.

All of my art is TEXTILE based, whether it is paper, natural fibres - animal (silk or wool) or plant (cotton, rayon), synthetic fibres - nylon, polyester (all the better for burning!) and all with a component of STITCH.

I will also have some eco-printed pillows made from silk, linen, or cotton upholstery fabrics I dyed with my clothing last fall.

CALYX time again - 30th annual

I will be showing on SATURDAY, October 24th only.

This is a juried art show and sale where 30 different artists show separately on each day!

I have many different types of silk scarves that I dye over the summer.
Plus I will have jewellery (brooches and necklaces) and lots of wall art.

All of my art is TEXTILE based, whether it is paper, natural fibres - animal (silk or wool) or plant (cotton, rayon), synthetic fibres - nylon, polyester (all the better for burning!) and all with a component of STITCH.

Contextural Residency 8

Three months of playing in the Fibre Art Department of ACAD over the summer produced a lot of silk scarves and fabrics. The scarves I will be selling at the CALYX Distinctive Art Sale on October 24th, and also at the CONTEXTURAL sale on November 21st.

The fabrics I will be working on over the winter adding stitch and continuing to develop the themes they were created about.

Here is the start of the dyeing process, first layer with low immersion fibre reactive dyes (they are round because the picture is taken at the bottom of a plastic pail!)

 

 Rinsing out the dye...

A sampling of my supplies...

 

 The great hanging racks with one of very many batches being dried...

Eco Printing part 2

Some of my results from the Nicola Brown Eco Printing class on different natural fibres (protein and cellulose based) silk, wool, cashmere, cotton, linen and ramie.

Had a wonderful workshop and fulfilled my goal of clean, crisp prints. Thanks Nicola for all your tips and design suggestions!

September interlude with Nicola Brown

I just finished a three-day workshop with Nicola Brown of Clasheen, Ireland in Eco-Printing and just had a lovely time! She taught in Fernie and Lethbridge over the past couple of weeks, and is moving on to Australia next. Check the link on her name to see her website and her gorgeous work.

The week before kept me busy collecting over 20 different local vegetation...

and preparing the various natural fibre fabrics for printing. A sampling of silks and linens...

 

then packing up for class...

After just enough instruction, it was on to the process of bundle, boil, and open.
Here is Nicola demonstrating...

 and Lori opening one of her first bundles...

The smiles on people's faces just kept getting bigger and bigger!