Small Felty Bits

After I completed all of my school work, I felt an urge to felt. Having not much space, I felted up these small pieces which I then embroidered over (the perfect little portable projects- I actually did much of the sewing on the bus). The first became a thank-you gift, the second became jewelry to wear on the opening night of my grad show. I used merino wool (which is absolutely dreamy for felting) and silk thread. As you can see, I have a thing for French knots.

The Perfect Cookie?

Summer is the perfect time to cleanse one's diet, what with all the fresh fruit and veg available. I have resolved to do this, therefore, it was a bit of a stumble when I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies last week. I blame it on PMS and the spate of cool, cloudy weather we've been having here in Vancouver. I am crazy about the chocolate chip cookie. I have had wonderful chocolate chip cookies containing five kinds of flour, nuts, dried fruit, and/or various seeds, etc. But I remain devoted to the chocolate cookie in its pure and simple form and when I crave a chocolate chip cookie, I have a particular cookie in mind: tender and chewy. I have not always been successful in baking said cookie and for quite some time I have been on the prowl for tips on how I can succeed. I am pleased to report that last week I baked my best batch of chocolate chip cookies, ever. (Andrew and I are confident of this, however, there is no third or fourth opinion as we did not share the cookies with anyone else.)
Here is the recipe I cobbled together from various internet sources, using Mark Bitman's How to Cook Everything recipe as a base. There is nothing profound, because as I stated, the goal was simple, tender and chewy.

The Perfect Cookie?

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1 stick (1/2 cup) shortening (I used the non-hydroginated kind), softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (or slightly less) cup brown sugar
1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cup flour
1 heaping cup of rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
about 2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
Cream together butter, shortening and sugars in a separate, larger bowl. Add eggs until well blended.
Add flour mixture to the batter; stir until blended.
Stir in vanilla and chocolate chips.
Drop onto baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Yum!

Spring Rabbits

Here is a series of yardages I printed for my final Surface Design project. The pink one represents my first attempt at silkscreening with thickened natural dyes. I used cochineal and osage orange. I had mixed results with this particular fabric (smooth, shiny cotton with a very high thread count-- lovely to touch but not very good at sucking up the dye). In the end it was a very satisfying experiment and I hope to do more printing with natural dyes in the future.

Back to Earth

We've been back a week from the fabulous Thistlethwaite family vacation to the British Virgin Islands. What a time! The highlights were sipping cocktails while relaxing in the sun with my wonderful family and snorkeling among the reefs, just a stone's throw from our door (I wish I had pictures of the sea turtles and the scores of beautiful fish that we saw every day!)




Here is my nephew, Michael's first snorkeling excursion. He is accompanied by his dad and Uncle Andrew.




and on a craft-related note: I made myself a skirt for the occasion.

Show

The Ferry Building Art Gallery is in a fabulous location- on the beach in West Vancouver.


Opening night of the show went really well. Quite a few friends and family members came out and a good time was had by all. It rained and poured and most of the pictures from that night were dark and dreary. Here's one of the good ones. My sister Maryka made the trek from Bellingham, WA to West Vancouver.
The rest of the pictures were taken on the day the show closed, when I went to pick up my work.








A quilt by Emmily Stephens. Shibori, indigo and mineral dyes.


A fabric book by Gayle Ramsden. Silkscreen, cotton, lace, knitting needles.


A weaving by Maddy Andrews. Copper wire, wool.









This is an extension of my crochet project. It turned into quite a compulsion .


Rose was weaving all week at the Silk Purse Gallery just down the lane from the Ferry Building.


And here I am with the lovely and talented Kimberly Francis, just before we took all the art off the walls.

Grad Show

Today is the opening of my grad show. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.

Moth: The Final Weaving Project

Our final weaving project was an open one. I chose to revisit tapestry (my first foray into tapestry was in my first semester). The image of the moth in light came from Holy the Firm by Annie Dillard, which I first read ten years ago. There are many passages within that little book that have stayed with me. One the most striking involves a moth that flies too close to the flame of a candle. Her wings burn and shrivel and her abdomen is caught upright in the candle's wax. The abdomen is hollowed out by the fire, but holds the flame. What is left of the moth burns as a second wick until she is blown out, late into the night.
So, this tapestry is an attempt to capture part of that story. It is 9.5" x 8.5". Woven with cotton warp and wool, silk and other unknown fibres in the weft.



The golden-tan wool was dyed using arbutus bark. The greys was dyed with arbutus and then dipped in an iron post-mordant. Arbutus is a tree native to the Pacific Northwest. Incidentally, they are plentiful on the Pacific Gulf Islands were Annie Dillard wrote Holy the Firm.

Hey, Crochet!

In my 3-D class we were given an assignment to learn a technique, create a project, and teach a workshop on this technique to the class. Our workshop was "Crocheting Around Things" and it was very fun. I stuck to crocheting around things I found about the house, while my partner in this endeavour, Stephanie, went farther afield. Stephanie has embarked on an ongoing public crochet project. In the back alleys, phone booths and construction sites of Vancouver, Stephanie is leaving her mark. And for the life of me, I cannot get her pictures to load into this post. So you must to go to her flickr site and see for yourselves.

Empty Studios

So, I'm not the world's most diligent blogger... I've had my little nose to the grindstone. As of this past week I am completely finished. It's a bitter sweet feeling. I was so busy toward the end and it feels great not having deadlines. But these two years in the Textile Arts program at Capilano College were fabulous. I learned so much and met many wonderful people. I'll especially miss the studios. We had access to so many materials and resources. Now I'm faced with the daunting (and exciting) task of setting up a studio of my own.

More Dresses

I made more little dresses for another class project. These ones are made of synthetic fabric and pressed flat under a heat press.



I've been using the photography studio at school to take pictures of my work. Here are some pictures of resent work that turned out well.


Strange Little Dress


and Band-Aid Bear

The Maiwa Loft: Textile Paradise

One of my very favorite places in Vancouver is Maiwa. They have stores on Granville Island and in east Vancouver. Maiwa "endeavours to support traditional craft through an ethical business model. They support the production of embroidered, blockprinted, handwoven, and naturally dyed textiles throughout a number of countries." They are committed to fair trade; in fact, they buy the products directly from the artists themselves-- there are no middle-men.
"In a world economy where mass-produced items are cheaply and efficiently made, quality of life for the artisan must come from the respect that is accorded to the master craftsperson. The survival of a culture depends on the aesthetic freedom of its people."
In addition to their stores, they have a foundation which supports development projects, they produce documentaries and podcasts, too! And then there is the Maiwa Loft.... Located above the Granville Island store, the Loft is filled books and and cupboards full of beautiful textiles from all over the world. The folks at Maiwa call the Loft a "living archive". It is open to the public by appointment. I can imagine spending days there, pouring over the hundreds of books and gently unfolding the most exquisite textiles.


I visited the Maiwa Loft for the first time on Tuesday. I was especially taken with the embroideries from the women of the Kutch Desert in India. These textiles are hand embroidered! Maiwa has created a documentary about these artists and supports the co-operative that the women are a part of.
"[Co-operative] members from the tribes of the Kutch work together. Collectively, they set standards of quality while maintaining their unique traditions. To ensure equity and build confidence decisions regarding costing, design and organization are subject to a vote. In this way responsibility for the direction of the embroidery is placed where it is most appropriate - in the hands of the women who create it."

Strange Little Dress

This little dress (13"x 5") was made for an assignment called "The Empty Dress" for my sculpture class. The idea was to create a non-functional garment or something "body-related". In the emptiness of the dress, a wearer is implied. I hope to excite the imagination of the viewer as she considers who might wear this strange little dress.
Speaking of strangeness... I think this might be a good time to introduce my new favorite quote. I recently picked up a book of short stories called The Birthday of the World, by science fiction writer, Ursula K. Le Guin. It has been sitting on our bookshelf for a couple of years– Andrew read a story from it for a class at Regent. I've read the last two stories and love them; I can't wait to read more. Anyway, here is the quote I found on the back of the book (it is from the introduction):

"To create difference– to establish strangeness–then to let the fiery arch of human emotion leap and close the gap: this acrobatics of the imagination fascinates and satisfies me as no other." –Ursula K. Le Guin