More EcoPrinted clothing

By using up-cycled clothing that I scour second hand shops for, spending hours searching for natural fibres (silks, linens, cashmere, cottons, wool, modal) in natural colours, I am always impressed with the amazing 'finds' I can uncover.

Here are three silk garments, but each with very different properties.

This is a very fine KNITTED fabric in 100% silk, in a turtleneck style:

This is a sleeveless, light-weight habotai 100% silk blouse:

And this is a heavier 100% silk blouse that drapes very nicely. It has a glossy finish to the fabric and quite a substantial hand to it:

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:

ECO Printed Upcycled Clothing 2

Eco Printed up-cycled clothing.

This has a once-a-year production time for me. I will not be making any more pieces until next fall when the leaves turn once again.

But now I have a large variety of pieces, ranging from sleeveless shirts, long sleeve blouses, jackets, pullover sweaters, skirts, oversize blouses. The natural fabrics range from merino wool, linen (flax), silk, cashmere, cotton (and pima cotton), rayon (viscose), modal, tencel, wool - either plant or animal based. Sizes range from XS to XL.

Photos of some more pieces:

Cotton top / linen skirt:

Cotton:

This green silk one is sold.

100% silk:

These two are both sold - to the same person!

100% silk:

100% mohair:

ECO Printed Upcycled Clothing 1

I had a friend come over to check out my Calyx stuff from the weekend sale but we never made it downstairs to my studio as I showed her my Eco Printed clothing first and she bought this jacket! Eco Printed up-cycled clothing. This is 100% boiled wool, printed with eucalyptus, geranium, oak and rose leaves from my Calgary, Canada neighbourhood. The rose bush is actually from her front yard! 

Looks great on you, Jan!

 

This is a 100% silk blouse printed with brown onion skins, and oak, rose and dogwood leaves. 

Kerry, I am saving this one for you! Doesn't it look good on her?

This is a 100% silk dress that would look great over leggings. 

Oak and dogwood leaves from my neighbourhood.

And this is the one my daughter selected. This is a 100% silk front, 50-50 silk-linen back. 

Printed with Silver Dollar and Baby Blue Eucalyptus leaves.

Heading south...

I have just finished "upcycling" a carrier bag for IN.TER.FACE, the 2013 Surface Design Conference in San Antonio.

The interesting thing is that it is being recycled from the 2003 Embroiderer's Guild of Canada conference I went to Nova Scotia. I met my husband after that conference in Quebec City to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversay.

Now he and I are headed to New Mexico (Santa Fe and Taos) for a couple of weeks  to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary before ending up in San Antonio, Texas.

Taxi's here - gotta go.
Look out for posts from the southwest in the next couple of weeks!

Calyx art available...

I will be at the sale on:

Saturday October 20, 2012
10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Crescent Heights Community Centre
1101 - 2nd Street NW, Calgary, AB

Free Parking, Free Admission, Free Draw

Here is some art to tempt you...

small tabletop framed pieces

upcycled cashmere and merino wool brooches

clementine design brooches

Different Strokes Art Gallery

I just deliver a lot of my smaller pieces to my rep gallery in Olds, Alberta.

- brooches - the upcycled cashmere and merino wool, as well as the Clementine Design hat and lapel pins,
- Keepsake Pouch necklaces filled with semi-precious gems and stones,
- felted paperweights (beach stones carried across the mountains from the west coast of Vancouver Island and felted with merino wool),
- small framed textile pieces, some mounted on backgrounds of fibres like banana leaf yarn; and also flowers free machine embroidered onto copper metal,


Different Strokes is a lovely gallery on main street (50th Street) in downtown Olds, approximately 45 minutes north of Calgary on the Queen Elizabeth #2 highway, run by Debbie Ohlhausen who's philosophy is:

"Different Strokes Art Gallery is committed to broadening the confines of what individuals think of when they hear the term "Gallery". We believe that art is not necessarily meant to be quiet and passive - a gallery should have the same passion for its exhibited artworks that the artists have for their own work.

Different Strokes exhibits all forms of art by artists and artisans, mainly from Alberta, focusing on the artist and not just the art work. We welcome all art lovers to come in, be our guest, and appreciate the many different shapes, forms and sizes that art can take"

Her web site is here.

It is a lovely gallery full of Albertan artists that is worthy of a visit...

More to sell at Calyx... 1

I do have other things than the brooches - I am just really excited by them!

Some of the brooches I have mounted into 4" x 6" tabletop frames with stitched backgrounds...

I will also have silk scarves -> some silk chiffon; some silk-rayon devore (patterns burnt into the fabric); silk velvet; and some eco dyed ones (the very few I have left from last summer's dyeing - raspberries!)

I also have a new line of 100% cotton scarves that fit into the "Deconstructed... Upcycled" category, made from thrift store finds of cotton flannel men's shirts.

Contact me if you are interested in any of the goodies on the previous posts...

"Deconstructed... Up-cycled" 5

Here are more of my new line of brooches... All of this hand stitching took me the whole month of February!

Made out of 100% cashmere wool and extra-fine Merino wool with lots of hand embellishments.
Contact me if you're interested!

"Deconstructed... Up-cycled" 4

Here are more of my new line of brooches...

Made out of 100% cashmere wool and extra-fine Merino wool with lots of hand embellishments.
Contact me if you're interested!

"Deconstructed... Up-cycled" 3

Here are more of my new line of brooches...

Made out of 100% cashmere wool and extra-fine Merino wool with lots of hand embellishments.
Contact me if you're interested!


yeah!
first one sold!!
--->

"Deconstructed... Up-cycled" 2

Here are more of my new line of brooches...

Made out of 100% cashmere wool and extra-fine Merino wool with lots of hand embellishments.
Contact me if you're interested!