serendipity

friday fiber fun #8

"Style is the dress of thoughts."  --  Lord Chesterfield

I'm in love with Francisco Costa's origami dress for Calvin Klein's spring 2009 collection.  It is so simple, so creative, so sexy!  A dress destined to be a classic.  Well, truth be known, I'd love to wear the entire collection.  The recent curve hugging obsession of the fashion houses does little for my willowy body shape.  I just end up looking like a live version of Olive Oyle.  Not good.  But the architectural quality of this collection suits me just fine.  

Hussein Chalayan is another master of fashion.  If you are lucky enough to be in London, check out a retrospective of his work currently on exhibit at the Design Museum of London.  Conceptual and witty, he takes full advantage of contemporary fabric technology.  Digital dress, hats fitted with lasers and my favorite, the collection with moveable parts.   

Nanotechnology is being applied to develop smart textiles that repel bacteria and viruses.  I wonder if broader use of this technology would reduce the spread of such nasty bugs like the swine flu, especially if applied to paper currency.  

That reminds me, I need to purchase some UV protective beachwear for my daughter's upcoming birthday.  The fabric is pretreated with a UV resistant coating.  One thinks to put suntan lotion on exposed skin, but rarely on the portion of the body covered.     

photo credit: Seth Wenig/AP

friday fiber fun #7

"What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life." -- Emil Brunner

This week's Friday Fiber Fun theme revolves around the body.  Tomorrow morning (Friday) I'm having a CT scan of my lungs and heart.  I've recently developed a mild form of asthma, but it doesn't explain my rapid heart rate.  Given that I've had cancer twice, the doctors are being their usual cautious selves.  I'm grateful to be alive, but rather fed up with feeling like a lab rat or zombie from the Land of the Ill.  

Thinking of lab rats, I love this knitter's rendition.

Knit organs seem to be a trend.  Check out this heart and this soft and fuzzy brain (a bit like my own prior to my morning coffee).

I recently came across the work of Austrian artist Melli Ink.  I love her glass installations and can't wait to see images of her current work in textiles.

The work of Louise Bourgeois has always been an inspiration, as has the work of Kiki Smith.

But right now, at this very moment, it is the work of Christoph Brach that resonates most with me.  His anatomical rendering in balloons (see above image) look as soft and squishy as I currently feel, each breath noticeably expanding and contracting like a worn out balloon.  

In honor of tomorrow, the first warm day of the year in Chicago -  my perception of watering my garden is changed forever.

friday fiber fun #6

"A violet in the youth of primy nature,
Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting."  -- William Shakespeare

Yesterday I visited the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art.  I don't think anyone could find a combination more suited to me than art and flowers.  If you are ever in Nashville, Tennessee, this is a magical place and well worth a visit.

I know I am not alone in my love for combining flowers with art, especially in the field of textiles.  One of my first jobs post-college was at the textile company Colefax and Fowler in London, England.  I worked in the samples department surrounded by gorgeous chintz fabrics.  Ah, heaven.....   

As you know, I have a thing these days for knitted and crocheted flowers.  There are many great how-to books on the subject.  Two of my favorites are Crochet Bouquet by Suzanne Thompson and Nicki Epstein's Knitted Embellishments

I am especially enamored with the artwork of Françoise Dupre.  Ruth Scheuing's jaquared woven piece Cybourg in the Garden is equally fascinating.

I leave you with one more photo of inspiration from Cheekwood.  Have a great weekend!

friday fiber fun #5

"In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours."  --  Mark Twain

I love spring.  Don't you?  Let's hope that we have seen the last of snowfall for the year (or at least until December). 

Here's my weekly roundup of fiber fun.  Enjoy!

I need to see this show.  What an inspiration!  It's a good thing that I already have some beautiful merino roving that I ordered from here.  I don't think I can wait another day to begin experimenting.

I would love one of these chairs for lazy days curled up reading.

Gorgeous die cut felt necklaces!  Or would you call them collars....?

Felt experiments from across the pond.  Juju's nuno felt fashions move past the usual scarves into the sublime.  

My first fiber art teacher (if you don't include my family).

I will be teaching needle felting this May at Lillstreet Art Center.

Here come Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail....

Have a great weekend. Happy Easter!

friday fiber fun #4

Fluid Sculpture from Charlie Bucket on Vimeo. 

I begin today's collection with the above video. Mesmerizing. 

For more knitting as an art medium, take a look at the work of Karen Searle and Mark Newport. Anni Holm's Networking brings people together, while Irene Perez's work invites touching. I love Eric Mercer's crocheted rope fence. 

I'm finishing up my first week with Gift of Connection in Nashville. 

Have a great weekend!

friday fiber fun #3

"The life so short, the craft so long to learn."  -- Hippocrates

This past January I made a resolution to give more support to my fellow artists.  When an item wears out, I will replace it with the handmade.  If I can't make it, I will seek out those who can.  Of course, handmade means a bit more money, so I will own less, but have higher quality and know that my hard earned dollars are appreciated and not just a notation on a CFO's ledger.  

Here is my current need / wish list:

These leather wallets are gorgeous.  What I especially love is the artist's incorporation of old skeleton keys.  I saved the keys from my mom's house before my brother and I put it on the market.   I love the idea of adding this meaningful, special touch especially as I purchased my current wallet 8 years ago when on vacation with Mom. 

Then there is the need for some new underwear.  I typically buy the 5 pack from Target, but I love these panties.  And the bras....ooh, la, la!  The best part - the artist will custom make your underwear based on YOUR measurements.  Really!  The idea of a owning a comfortable bra that actually fits is such a delightful thought.  

For summer sandals, these are it!  Talk about uniting my love of textiles with shoes.  Imagine these shoes with these ribbons.  Yummy!

I haven't been on a date in eons, but I'm ever hopeful.  

And then of course, one needs to dream of what they don't need.  I love garments with romantic flourishes . Girly and ever so sophisticated.

The pic is of me making a crocheted blanket for my bed.  What a luxury to sleep under it when the weather is cool as it's made from buttery soft merino yarns.

friday fiber fun #2

"Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others."  --  Jonathan Swift

Welcome spring with this charming doormat designed by Laura Foster Nicholson.  Laura's work has inspired me since undergraduate school.  Take a look at her tapestries and you will see why.

I'm in love with Barbara Hunt's work.  The Steel Dress series is visually inspiring but her Mourning series is stunning.

Aren't these just the cutest undies?  I have this insane urge to make myself a pair in a deep rose pink with orange and pale pink lace with a teeny weeny purple bow.

As I am in the make-it-from-scratch mood, I'm going to have several yards of custom fabric printed from my gouache studies of cell structures. 

If you can't get enough of Kristin Nichols' designs, she's now selling individual patterns.

Friday Fiber Fun

 

"Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy." -- Anonymous

Every Friday, at least that is my intention, I will be posting a collection of all things fiber fantastic.  Now mind you, my definition of fiber is a bit loose as you will soon see.  Have fun!

Looville lady hooked me into Loop.Ph and all the fab things they create such as the installation featured above.

Green fashion for home and self made right here in the Midwest.

I can't decide which of these wonderful books made from recycled papers I like best.  Actually, I'm feeling greedy and want them all.  

These will make your next romantic dinner ever more romantic!

Missoni is always a favorite, but the Fall 2009 collection is beyond gorgeous.  Bene!