I have some new finds to share–some interesting designs I spotted at the American Craft Council in San Francisco, some new products I’m adding to Color Crazy, and a new design I’m working on. As usual, I’m driven primarily by unique color combination, texture, and unusual designs. I read a cover story in Ornament magazine that features a couple I met at the show. I was struck by Jacqueline Rice’s quote in the story: “I see color as subject matter, she says. “It means something…Color combinations tell stories and have an implicit effect.” What a wonderful way to capture how color combinations and layers can make an impact. And it begs an important question: What kind of color story can we be telling and sharing with our designs?
American Craft Council–August ’09, San Francisco
As expected, there was quite a display of wearable art, some different jewelry designs and finely crafted ceramics and woodwork. Here are a few items that caught my eye.
Carol Windsor, of Burlingame, CA, had a collection of jewelry made out of paper pieces, sterling silver, and pearls. I love the colors and shape of this necklace. To see more, visit the website: Carol Windsor Design.
The Susan Neal and Steve Thurmond booth had beautiful woven silk scarves and merino wool creations. Visit their website to see their whole collection and a insteresting video on tying a scarf. www.susannealweaving.com
The patterns on the woven silk scarves were amazing.
Leni Hoch from Glenmoore, PA, designs beautiful shimmering scarves, jackets, shawls, and wraps out of hand-dyed silks. She then takes some of these fabrics and makes pins with varied textures.
I spotted these multi-colored, multi-textured scarves at the Deborah Cross booth. Her clothing designs are exceptional and these scarves incorporate the same design aesthetic. I love the combination of wool and silk fabrics in these whimsical, yet stylish scarves. For more information, visit the website www.deborahcross.com.
From the unique and unusual department, we have money bags and baskets by Joan Dulla. Joan cuts dollar bills into strips to make these artistic designs. Joan is known for her crocheted metal jewelry designs and unusual sculptures. She teaches her craft in workshops throughout the year. Find out more at www.joandulla.com.
I met Jackie Rice and Uosis (pronounced wasis) Juodvalkis, from Prescott, AZ, at the American Craft Council. They’re the duo behind Gild the Lily. It was fascinating to hear how Uosis uses Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to develop the unique fabric designs they print. Some of their fabric designs are derived from photos they collect on their various travels. I saw a beautiful design that used felting to add texture. The layered colors are incredible (this photo does not do them justice.) They were recently featured on the cover story for Ornament magazine. Uosis also designs jewelry using natural motifs. Learn more at their website www.gildthelily.com.
Locker Hooking Adventures with New Designs, Silk & Unspun Fiber
This is my new locker hooked purse design. I’m trying out a combination of texture using hand-dyed cotton fabric strips, recycled silk strips, silk ribbon and unspun fiber in mohair curls and wool with a touch of angelina for a slight metallic glimmer. The design is slightly narrower at the top and I plan to line it and use a purse frame. We’ll see how this turns out in my next blog post.
I recently added a collection of hand-dyed unspun fibers to the Color Crazy website. Here’s an example of what I’m using in the purse design. They include mohair curls, unspun wool, angelina, and some include yarn bits. I can’t explain in words how wonderful it feels to use something this raw and natural and the colors are amazing.
And these vibrant locker hooked squares will soon be turned into Color Crazy tote bags. I’ll post the results as soon as they’re completed.
Until next time,
Happy Crafting!