Skip to main content

Blogging is My Comfort Zone

June 18, 2012 I have not blogged in over a month...this is very unusual for me. May was an incredibly busy family month with my birthday, Mother's Day, my dad's birthday and my grandson's baptism, plus some weekend travels. I started writing for Examiner.com on the Crocheting Chicago channel and I think I put all my energy into writing there instead of here. Today, I came to my blog not knowing what I wanted to write about, but I found it to be a place of comfort, of familiarity. Once I was here, I found it easy to start writing. Today I wrote about the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair for Examiner.com and it's where I'll be this weekend. I am excited to say that I had two art-wear pieces juried into the Garment Extravaganza: Floral Profusion shawl and Orange Sensation: Also my Coral Reef Sculpture was accepted into the Fine Art Exhibit! Coral reef Sculpture detail Detail two Of late, I've put myself on a strict diet of FOs (Finished Objects! These are actually objects that have been languishing in my head or on paper for months and years and just needed to be executed AND finished. It is just too easy to work off the to-do list of printed patterns created by someone else! I do enjoy following patterns very much, but I decided there needs to be a balance and putting off the production of my own designs and creations is not good for the artistic soul! Here's a sampling of what I've done so far: "Finally" Sculpture on driftwood Wire Crochet Pins Here's the link to my story in Examiner.com about the Fair: http://www.examiner.com/article/midwest-fiber-folk-art-fair-offers-plenty-for-crocheters Next time I blog which I hope will be real soon, I should be coming to you with photos from my new camera. I've been asked to donate a piece of art for a Silent Auction for a Mission Charity to the Phillipines, so off I go to create!

Comments

Lore said…
Congrats on having the three pieces in the show, and hope you win!
And your wire florals are gorgeous. The beaded leaves are a nice touch.
Unknown said…
Pattern Search: I am looking for the pattern for a twelve-legged pinwheel motif in alternating red and white colors. 8-10" in diameter.

Popular posts from this blog

Craft vs. Fine Art: How is Crochet Blurring the Lines

I was awakening to the world of crochet in 1972,a time of immense artistic expression through fiber arts; and crochet was not the “ugly stepchild” at the time. In fact, Ferne Cone Gellar who I admire as a successful fiber artist said in “Knitting: The Stepchild of the Fiber Arts?” ( Fibercraft Newsletter 1978), “Has knitting been slighted among the areas of the fiber arts? The very word ‘knitting’ evokes images of the little old lady in tennis shoes. Over the years, I’ve learned to ignore all those jokes.” Cone Gellar went on to publish Crazy Crocheting in 1981 and encouraged her readers to create more than bedspreads, providing ideas such as “things to play with or to display on a shelf or hang on a wall.” A photo of single crochet from bread wrappers served as inspiration.  In 1972 in her book, Creating Art from Fibers & Fabrics , Dona Meilach wrote: “Why are fibers and fabrics becoming increasingly appealing to artists? Most artists ag...

Wartime Crochet With Attitude, Part I

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Karen Ballard and I have a mutual love of free form crochet. We met for the first time in a class taught by Prudence Mapstone of Australia at the Chain Link Crochet Conference 2011. I admire Karen's vast knowledge of needle work history and am grateful for her willingness to share with us as my guest blogger this week. Karen wearing a World War II-era knitting hat with stubby needles on top Karen's Heritage Heart,  with flowers symbolic of her heritage, is currently on tour with Prudence Mapstone's traveling "Hearts & Flowers Exhibition" in Australia and New Zealand   World War 1 Attitudes About Crochet by Karen Ballard In 2008, I coined that term, "Workbasket Campaigns" to describe the organized efforts during World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII) coordinated through the American Red Cross {ARC} and the Navy League to create needle crafted items.  These items were mostly knitted but also sewn, qu...

Crochet and Society: How Crochet has Contributed

Wednesday, September 4, 2013 Because I am passionate about crochet and because it plays such an important role in my life. I am constantly “thinking crochet.” I want to bring awareness about crochet to everyone in the world. They don’t necessarily need to achieve the level of passion that I have for the craft, but my dream is that our society in general would come to recognize crochet as a valuable art and craft.  I also want to see the entire genre of crochet planted firmly on a continuum with all the other needle arts as a valuable pastime and art, and for the day to come when society stops confusing it with knitting! I have often joked that I am “covering my world in crochet” and that’s because I think crochet can beautify nature as well as contribute to many aspects of my community. I have been covering rocks for years and I turn them into sculptures or decorative o bjects. Claire Zeisler:  Fragments & Dashes , Threads magazine, Oct/Nov 1985 My fi...