Monday, November 21, 2011

weekend gifts

When I learned a few months ago that Jan Myers-Newbury was coming to Newark again to teach, I gave myself the gift of a weekend class with her.  Four years ago (can it be??!!) I took a 3 day with her when she was here and I couldn't resist another chance to play.  Jan is an excellent teacher who is mellow, patient, and extremely generous about sharing her techniques and information.   Here she is, demonstrating one way to wrap a pole.  There is no end to the possibilities.
Happily, there were lots of friends in the class: my friend Russ came up from Maryland and stayed with me for the weekend, which was a joy.  And Valerie Zeman, with whom I had been talking for several years on-line, was in class.  Here is  a gorgeous silk quilt she is making with vintage shibori pieces she has collected. Hand stitched, the picture doesn't begin to do it justice.

Here is one of my poles wrapped with leftover yarn and some raffia.
and here are a few pieces from day #1
I won't drive you crazy with an overabundance of pictures.  Last night, I laid out my favorites on the floor and here they are. Mine turned out to be very organic and I have no idea what I will do with them.
Some of them I will slice into strips and combine with who knows what; shibori does not play well with others and is not easy to use effectively.  But I must say, it is extremely interesting to look at. And the best part is its unpredictability.



10 comments:

Jeannie said...

I have been a huge fan of Jan's since the late 70's (?) when I saw some of her work in a show. Simply amazing. Your results are beautiful and Valerie's quilt is gorgeous. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! (Your book is fantastic, by the way!)

Sue Dennis said...

Great pieces of fabric Rayna! So much movement from the wrapping.

Lisa said...

Great gift! Gorgeous fabric!

Mostly Turquoise said...

The ideas will surely come, beautiful results!

Judy Sall Fiber Art said...

Yummy! I do wish I could get results like that on shirts, but rope works better than poles for that. Time I played with just fabric on my poles, I'm thinkin'!

Beverly said...

Love the results you got, Rayna- I would love to take a class from Jan. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Unknown said...

I love what you have done. Shibori is beautiful, I love the fabrics that you made. It makes me want to go and play. I have pole just waiting for fabric and dye. Thanks for the inspiration.

Terry Grant said...

Wonderful stuff!

Eva said...

Sensational. Each and everone of them. I'd probably turn them into panels by framing them with solids and let each play a solo.

Eva said...

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got skipped

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