Victoria Terrace

The creative juices were flowing when Victoria Terrace was built in Edinburgh, Scotland.  

This picture was taken from near George IV Bridge (street) (and the National Library of Scotland) looking down Victoria Street from the Terrace.  If you are walking up the Royal Mile and turn left at George IV, Victoria Street and Terrace are the first right.  Victoria Street is one-way going up hill to George IV.

Looking at Victoria Terrace from near George IV Bridge.

Looking over the railing of Victoria Terrace.

Looking over the terrace railing to Victoria Street to show how the terrace starts out as the sidewalk quickly becomes incorporated into the roofs of the buildings on Victoria Street which become taller as the street descends.

The Scottish Genealogical Society has its office near the far end of Victoria Terrace.  It appears to be in the basement or sub-basement of the buildings on Johnston Terrace.  

Scribbles

It appears that I haven't posted a picture of this piece that was made early in 2015.  Scribbles, Along the Way and All that Glitter were all accepted for the 21st Through the Needle's Eye traveling exhibit which opens in Brevard, North Carolina in about 3 weeks.

 

The title is Scribbles because there are no straight lines.  The lines are all a little wonky.  This piece features a flowering vine that weaves through the grid.  Vine and flowers are made from fine wiggly wire wrapped with thread to a wire core, sewn together to the grid with beads for stamen. 

A water soluble stabilizer was used to construct this piece using machine & hand sewing, netting, sheers, beads, metallic & synthetic threads including Bart & Francis “Metalo Fantsy”. The embroidery is mounted on stretcher bars within the frame.

2017 I.O.L.I. Convention at King of Prussia, PA

This year I took classes with Jane Atkinson.  We designed lace using logarithmic grids in the morning class.  We designed scarves in the afternoon class.  I've got a pile of drawings made by experimenting with the log grids.

We learned to calculate the Tex number for a thread or yarn.  The Tex number is a relative size which aids in determining the appropriate size of grid.  The Tex number is the number of grams per kilometer of fiber.  So if the label has the weight and length, you can convert to grams and meters, divide and adjust the decimal point for kilometers.  Otherwise you can measure and cut off 10 meters of the fiber, weigh it in grams and multiply by 100.  Then consult a table showing Tex and grid sizes for various fibers.  In class I cut and weighed a yarn I bought in Sedona, AZ and got a suggested grid size of 11 mm.  I tried working a sample going from 12 mm to 11, 10, 9....  The sample has Torchon ground with diamonds of cloth stitch and half stitch.  The sample can visually confirm the choice of grid size.  For more information, refer to Contemporary Lace for You
by Jane Atkinson, ISBN 978-0-9551512-1-7.

On Wednesday we were "Making Waves".  Here's my waves so far.  We were given a pricking and used our choice of threads.  It is worked in cloth stitch with extra twists to show the motion of the water.  There are long, highly twisted threads at the top which will curl over like the waves when pins are removed.  

Creative Spark

The theme for the International Organization of Lace, Inc. lace contest this year was "Kites and Keys - taking the world by storm " and was inspired by B. Franklin's legendary kite experiment.

Here's my entry:

I was surprised to win the popular vote award and a one year membership.

Fiber Forum with Barbara Lee Smith

During our workshop we worked most of the time on our own individual studies.  

I started making some flowers using very irregular yarns on scraps of orange Congress Cloth.

Some students brought projects they had been working on.

Next I worked on a piece of felt that I made from fabric, thread and yarn scraps.  I began felting it at home.  After working on the first sample I decided that the surface was too complex.  I used the embellisher to felt in more black and royal violet yarn from the back .  In the process the front side was blended more.  I used a notepad from the hotel room to make windows in various shapes to select areas to stitch small studies.  I rarely work small so this was a good exercise for me.

The lighting here at home is much better and the color changes are much more obvious than in the classroom. 

Sample #1 Pineapple thread from the 2016 Fiber Forum was used to outline turquoise yarns in the felt.  Turquoise yarn was added on the surface to give more texture.  

Sample #2 Teardrop beads. Delica beads.  Turquoise yarn was added on the surface to give more texture.  Trite, but pleasant.  

Sample #3 Small beads, short bugle beads, then yellow stitches repeated some fibers in the felt.  As I stitched, I got to a corner and there was just enough space for a little heart.  Then I made another heart around an interesting section of the felt.  The little stitches reminded me of darning.  This sample got a title which is larger than the piece.

"Darn it.  Falling in Love Again."

Sample #4 "Mango Moon" yarn was used to make French knots then beads were added to build on the orange colors in the felt.

Sample#5 Surreptitious stitches were made just below the surface of the felt using pink pearl cotton.   To be continued at home where I can find the size and color of thread I need to continue....

 

P.S.  When I check all of the writing above, the fonts and sizes are all the same.  Unfortunately they don't look the same when it is published.  What you see when you write the blog post is not what you get.  

Fiber Forum Excursions

The first week of May I attended the Fiber Forum workshop at the Textile Center in Minneapolis.  Here's a link to their website.  This is a wonderful community resource where there is a shop, library, galleries, classrooms, and offices.  There was a smocking exhibit in the windows of the library area.  Thursday evening our teacher, Barbara Lee Smith, had the opening for her exhibit at the Textile Center, "That's How the Light Gets In".

On Wednesday afternoon we visited the Walker Museum of Art.  Here's a link to their website.  We went to see "Merce Cunningham: Common Time" which will be displayed through July 30, 2017.  Look for it on the Walker website.

Then we went to the American Swedish Institute and saw the Weather Diaries.  Here's a link to their website.  This exhibit will be there through July 2, 2017.  Check out this exhibit on their website if you can't go in person.  We had our evening meal there.  Here's my salad with fish.  Its the tallest salad I can remember.

We ended the workshop on Friday afternoon with a visit to Tim Harding's Studio.  Here's a link to his website.

Along the Way

Walking on treadmills or through life, we notice footsteps around us.  We are as different as the colors of threads.  Our lives are influenced by those around us, near and far, through distance and time, good times and bad, subtle or dramatic, brief or enduring. 

Congress cloth was dyed with two colors of alcohol ink.  Footsteps were stitched using pearl cotton.  Painted WonderUnder™ was applied and melted into the surface.  

All that Glitter

Traditionally our individual bubbles have been connected by the swirl of language and personal interaction.  Shiny new technology adds a layer of networking to our lives which enables us to be connected more often and at much larger distances.  We are just beginning to understand and consider the consequences. 

Circles of sheer fabrics were arranged on sticky water soluble stabilizer.  The stabilizer sandwich was stitched together using a sewing machine to represent traditional networks.  The stabilizer was washed away.  Bugle beads represent technology networks