Tag: fibre artist

2011… Onward & forward…


…as the holidays come to an end & I enter my 60th year on the planet, I wonder where this year will lead me… do I set goals or do I just allow myself to drift along on the raft of life & see where it goes?

Hmmm… perhaps, a little of both….

On the drifting raft:

Creating with yarn, fibre, colour & texture is a passion & something I have little control over – whenever I see an unusual colour combination in a flower or a gorgeous sculptural textured tree trunk it stays in my mind & the need to interrupt the image through my work can become obsessive – I have no choice but to at least have a go – so I’m fairly certain that this process isn’t going to change any time soon

Things to focus on:

I do, however, have a say in how I spend my time on the Net. Promoting my Etsy &  Zibbet shops is a must if I want them to succeed, but the promotion road is still an enigma & an ongoing learning curve that I continue to grapple with but determined to master.

I’ve made some wonderful friends here in cyber world & becoming more involved with the online community is another goal I can set for myself…

I’m a proud member of DUST (the Down Under Street Team) – a vibrant group of Aussies who have shops on Etsy & sell a wonderful array of items from: jewellery, adult & children fashions, paper goods, soap to fine art… you name it – there is something special for everyone.

TAFA (The Textile And Fiber Art list) membership is another group I’m honoured to be a part of. TAFA is a collection of highly talented, international fibre Artists who have come together to support & promote each other & show the world the exquisite variety that fibre artists have to offer – take a moment to check out the TAFA site – the artist profiles & fabulous examples of their work – I’m sure you’ll be delighted & totally impressed with what you find… or visit the TAFA blog

Things to come:

I’m often asked where my ideas come from… what prompted me to use a particular colour/texture/yarn/fibre combination & I hope to have a small series of future posts that may enlighten those interested.

I have some new freeform pieces that I need to photograph, write descriptions & list so I can show them off to the world… so watch this space for those…

And then, of course, I must get back to all the UFO’s that litter every corner of my workspace – there’s a bunch of dyeing, beading, felting, among other things, that are clogging my mind & really do need to get done so I can stop thinking about them & get onto new stuff… definitely a goal worth persueing

My local crochet classes (held at my home) will continue & I’ll endeavour to come up with new patterns & ideas to keep it useful & practical &, above all, interesting – I’m really looking forward to all the ladies coming together again for more fun filled crochet …

So… I guess that’s about it for now – not too much on my plate for the moment & I should be able to get the year started & moving forward – I hope it’s a happy & successful 2011 for you all…

interview with Handbaglessons

A little while ago  Eni Oken from a new site Handbaglessons invited me to do an interview – I’m usually a bit shy about doing interviews but Eni’s questions were  interesting & thoughtful so I gave it a go –  thank you Eni & Dani it’s been a pleasure…

here’s the link for those who would like to have a read Interview – rensfibreart

check it out… Handbaglessons is a site for members to learn & teach (buy & sell E-products) – show their work in gallery & forums – A place for handbag lovers to meet & exchange ideas.

From the bizarre to Classic Style ~ A collection of scarves & wraps

Whenever my creative juices wane or go walkabout & seemingly disappear for a while, I simply return to the basics… the versatile scarf ~ wrap… I’m fortunate that my yarn stash is vast & varied so it’s not all that hard for me to choose a few favourites & play… let the hook & yarn lead the way…

As cliché as it may sound, it’s nevertheless true, at least for me… each yarn has it’s own colour-way & texture & therefore its own voice, so it’s just a matter of listening & going with the flow – this collection of scarves & wraps is the realization – it still surprises me too…

I felted some crochet flowers, now what?

Some months ago I had a big spurt of making crochet flowers, felting & then hand-dying them at my kitchen sink. Heaps of fun & I ending up making quite a few, well.. actually, I made a lot.

But, since then they have been languishing in the cupboard with all the other ‘gonna do something with these one day’ items that we crafters seem to collect over time.

The light bulb moment came some weeks back when I was invited to do a local market/display/demonstration… out came the felted flowers, my collection of beads, needle & tread & I set to work beading these little beauties & turning them into pretty brooches that can be worn any-which-way – I’m rather pleased with the results…

A collection of these Beaded felted brooches are available in My Zibbet Shop

Urban Blues…

On a recent visit to the big city (beautiful Sydney, Australia) my senses were totally ambushed by the hustle & bustle, the perpetual activity & chaos of the place – non-stop traffic streams, roundabouts, flickering buildings, sun struck glass & chrome & unexpected parklands – relax, I told myself… embrace the colours, textures & ambience – ‘Urban Blues’ evolved & is the compilation & impressions of those city images.