Sunday, October 30, 2011

A FIBER RENAISSANCE




                A Renaissance for Your Ethnic Treasures





                                         
                                                 Miao silk embroidery from Southwest China



 If you happen to be a fiber fanatic, you undoubtedly have a special collection of small treasured ethnic pieces in your stash: Guatemalan or Andean weavings, Molas*, Hmong needlework, Japanese kimono remnants, Bedouin embroidery, etc.… Most likely your collection has been there for some time!   Maybe it’s time for their rebirth and transformation into your own creations.

 Since these pieces have such unique techniques, color, texture, and shape, they are often difficult to* incorporate into contemporary works. Recently I have been experimenting with new approaches to creating wearables with ethnic art.  I’d like to pass on some guidelines I have developed from my own and others’ experiences.

1. Select the piece or pieces that interest you most for your project. Take time to consider the many details of the artist’s work. Explore the colors, lines, angles, thickness, curves, symbols, energy, fabric (silk, cotton, wool…), and theme.   If possible, become acquainted with the cultural region and the fiber techniques utilized.   As I work with ethnic treasures I like to feel a bonding with the person who created such a piece of beauty!

Miao Embroidery illustration French Knots and Silk Folding



2.  Decide what type of item will best display your treasure: a wall hanging, table runner, pillow, jacket, blouse, skirt, slacks, shawl, hat, or coat.  Starting with a small item is best, if you’re a novice.  Personally, I prefer clothing because I can share the art with others.


Five Continents Vest
 3.   Find or design a pattern that will provide the best options to show off the uniqueness of your ethnic treasure.  Usually a design with simple lines provides the best showcase. I have enjoyed using the Plaza jacket pattern from The Sewing Workshop because of the ease in working with its rectangular shapes.  The pattern    appeared in Threads  March 2006, page 68.


 4.  What will be your primary fabric?  Keep samples of the project handy as you look through your fabric collection and other sources.  Consider color, texture, weight, comfort, and use of item.  When you have found the fabrics and notions display everything on your work table and play with possibilities of construction: joining, overlapping, framing…..  I often like to experiment with making bias strips of some of the fabrics as possible design options


Winter Flowers Vest

5.  Explore sewing techniques that provide fabric manipulation and embellishment for your project.

a.    Echo the spirit of the ethnic treasure into your fiber creation.  I try to echo with the use of color, thread, line, repetition, and subject matter. Repetition of these elements helps provide integration and unity in the new piece. 
Indigo Cloche



b.     Windows (which essentially serve as fabric frames) are one of my favorite techniques and serve as an attractive showcase for pieces of varying size.    Detailed instructions for these easy to make openings are found in the Threads January 2006 article entitled  “No Fear Welt Pockets” on page 68.
          Photo shows the use of windows in my silk jacket entitled Miao Miao which features the delicate embroidery of the Miao people of Southwest China.

Miao Miao Jacket

c.     Sleeve and collar embellishment panels are a unique choice of design if you are making jackets, coats, or shirts.   Women of Southwest Asia often display their best embroidered handwork on sleeves and collars.  The indigo Guatemalan fabric of the jacket combines well with Vietnamese Hmong embroidery in the Folkwear pattern 134. 




d.    Throughout the project, check continually for integration of the elements, balance and unity before undertaking the next step.   Do all the parts come together to reflect a strong unity and harmony?   Does the eye keep moving as it views the various elements.



e.     Small remnants are useful on pockets and tucked into
Appropriate seams.  I enjoy being whimsical when I use leftovers to decorate the lining!         

f.     Give your creation a name and include the source of your ethnic pieces somewhere in the labeling. It will be a sweet memory for you and others viewing your work.  View B

g.    Enjoy sharing your fiber art with the world.   Before a recent journey to Southwest China, I made a jacket (illustrated in view ?) decorated with pieces of the Miao people’s fine satin stitch and French knots to wear in the Miao villages.  They loved seeing me dressed in their own embroidery and as I walked along the streets many people smiled and gave me thumbs up.  It was a perfect fiber passport and provided an entre into the lives of the many Miao fiber artists.

                 May your treasures enjoy their Rebirth!

          I would appreciate any ideas from your experiences and/or questions. 











* Molas are usually made of reverse appliqued cotton designs originating from the clothing of the San Blas Islands of Panama.


* The Miao minority people of south-west China create richly woven and embroidered textiles.


Thursday, October 6, 2011

YOYO HAT AND BAG -----A NEW FIBER NECKLACE

Yoyo Cocktail Bag

     If you have a Yoyo Hat (pictured below), it's absolutely essential to have a matching bag.  What would the Queen think?  Especially important for the sophisticated types of Yakima!



Yoyo Hat with Bag

Details: Stitching, Yoyos and Beads



Just what kind of bag to make was the question.  At last I found a design that I wanted to experiment with.  Vogue 8375 had a basic structure that I could personalize.  I like its simple shape, the possibility to experiment with unique bead embellishment and decorative options.  

     The crinkly polyester taffeta fabric seemed to be perfect for the bag and lends great body and texture. 





Closer Look.  Beads Everywhere




Definitely a delightful creation to make and wear!






And, the beads worked out well.  They give sparkle, energy and a fun spirit to the project.




Where is the Party!

                                     Cleopatra's Necklace

     Even  tough Cleopatra loved gold and silver, I think Cleopatra would have enjoyed this simple necklace.  Why do I say this?  From images I've seen of her, she seemed to love to cover her upper chest.
Thus, it is named in honor of the sharp chick ruler of Egypt and lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony.   That must have been fun.

      The Cleopatra Necklace grew out of my desire to combine fabric and beads.


Cleopatra's Necklace
    I used silk remnants from the Winter Vest project and cut them in a lunar shape, then interfaced with wool felt and lined with a light black cotton.   McCall Pattern 6048 served as a helpful guide, but I would not use the instructions for assembly.

      The little beads hanging from the hem area are some of my favorite that Judy Shinn mailed to me when she was First Lady in Burkina Fasso.  She was so kind to send me lots of beads identifying them with their sources.   An incredible friend.

Close Up with Ethiopian Beads and Yoyos

     The most time consuming part of Cleo's necklace was stringing those beads.  I am a novice with little jewelry making experience, but am most excited to develop my skills.  Assemblying the three strands of beads was a great learning opportunity.

     This necklace doesn't have quite the pizzass that I had dreamed about, but it is werable and unique.  What more can a person desire?   What do you think?



Ready for Action