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Showcase Shorewood

Okay - it is time to try something new....
What's that you say ??


An all day affair throughout the Shorewood Business District along Oakland Ave. and Capitol Dr. Browse our fine art and craft fair on the lawn of Shorewood High School from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. - featuring work for sale from over 50 talented artists.
Enjoy sidewalk sales from local merchants. Delight to street performers. Ride the free trolley from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hope to see you there- I am certain there will be many new facees!

Let's just hope the weather clears up - three straight days of rain. Yikes

Randomness...

This is just a fun little felted 'Mona Bag'

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Made with wool and novelty yarn. Just big enough for a couple bucks, phone and keys- there are stone circles on the front and a brass moon on the back..

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Okay - so I am still living in a world of Compact Discs and not MP3 players. Thanks to the generosity of my youngest son I am enjoying some classic Bob Dylan. I made this from some self striping worsted weight wool. A very exciting find!!!

This guy reminds me of Aladdin's Lamp.

Mostly the shape, a suggestion through color.

It isn't completely dry in this pictue and since has received some lovely stone beads running up the side.

New Blooms

Here are a couple of pictures of some new felted flower pins that I have made. The first picture shows a front and the back with the pin back sewn on with fishing line.

The next photo shows the different layers of fleece 'cut away' on the petals.
I started making these by bunching up a plastic shopping bag- really tightly and then wrapping some loosely spun yarn and seceral layers of fleece around and around making a softball size ball. Then I stuck the wad of fleece in the toe of a stocking and hand felted it. After 3 days it was what I felt dry enough to 'open'. I took the sharpest knife in the house and cut through the ball. Pulled out the shopping bag which made a hollow in the center. Then I cut inward from the sides and made the petals. I rounded some on two of the flowers and on the others left the edges straight. I like both ways. The rounded edges look alittle more 'hippy-ish' or 'flower power-ish'. Then I needlefelted some bits of yarn to make some 'stamen' and then sewd the backs on with fishing line. VOILA!

S H I B O R I !!!!

or 'Nodules-R-us'


OH MY - How fun is this?

A while back I read about a Japanese technique called shibori.
What is shibori? Glad you asked....

Shibori is the collective term in Japanese for tie-dye, stitch-dye, fold-dye, pole wrap-dye, etc. It is translated into English as shaped-resist dyeing, because no comparable embracing term exists in English. Learn more about the World Shibori Network (WSN) formed in 1992. In other words, Shibori is the Japanese word for a variety of ways of embellishing textiles by shaping cloth and securing it before dyeing. Although shibori is used to designatc a particular group of resist-dyed textiles, the verb root of the word emphasizes the action performed on cloth, the process of manipulating fabric. Rather than treating cloth as a two-dimensional surface, with shibori it is given a three-dimensional form by folding, crumpling, stitching, plaiting, or plucking and twisting. Cloth shaped by these methods is secured in a number of ways, such as binding and knotting.
Okay, so mostly it is related to dying resists, but I had read an article about a year or so ago in Interweave Knits about applying the principle to knitting and
I had to try it as it relates to felting. Then, more recently, more information on this technique is in Interweave Knits, current issue 07/11/06. Check it out - there is a pattern in there for a scarf. Looks pretty fun, not sure about the finished shape as there is a lot of distortion when making the nodes.
Anyway, taking a pre-felted piece of wool, I wrapped small foam disks (about the size of half of a marshmallow) in random places. I wish i would have taken pictures, but it was SUCH an experiment one afternoon I didn't think to do it- next time definately!
This is what appeared. Big bumpy 'nodules' that aren't felted amidst a firm felted backgound. I just recently pulled this bag together, added some needlefelting aroung the 'nodes' and the standard magnetic snap and pretty cool wooden handles. I will definately have to do more with this style of felting.

Reclaimed and Needlfelted - The Updike

Reclaimed & Needlefelted

This bag came to me from a thrift shop find. It had been a sweater and now has been transformed into The Updike. so named, as I was listening to a collectionof John Updike stories while working on it. Lots of needlefelting!
Here is a picture of it hanging in the backyard. This is the front of the bag. Fun beads are hanging off the flap on the front off to the right. This bag all started when I was demonstrating needlefelting on a scap of reclained wool. That demo piece is now the front flap.



"Flaps -up" Here is a peak under the flap.

Turn aound and a sweet spiral of cool colors can be seen.

Inside are no pockets, but the closure is a magnetic snap.
The strap is long enough to be a crossover bag. Most are for me anyway.
It is a nice manageble size of 10 x 6 inches.

Meet Morrie

Off the knitting track, a little.

You know you're blogging too long when....

You upload...

And upload...

and upload...

I am joining Morrie - Good nite :)

A Day at the Fair!

Well it was "Boy Band"temperatures today.

98 Degrees that is. Heat index was 105 last I checked. Nice shirocco coming out of the South.

No relief from the lake.

We got to the park at about 7:15 am and amazingly enough several folks were aready set up. I guess it was the coolest time of the day. This was taken earlier in the day - hence the smile still on my face. It was still a geat day though. Saw some old friends and new faces. The crowds were down, but the heat had a lot to do with that. But,

there is some reeeeaaaaalllllllllllllly good news to come.....

Perhaps the pool of artists and crafters was small, or maybe I just happened to catch the eye of the right judge, but Stranded Sisters have been awarded the 3rd Place Prize today!! Yeay - the very first ever award.

Here I was just bummed out that I didn't win the raffle for the Museum.

Having missed the photo op for the presentationof the ribbon and cash (yes, cash) I can only tell you that I was very pleased and suprized and giddy about the whole affair.

Now on to 2nd place and then First Place!!!

YEAY - the crowd goes wild....okay I can dream though.

Neddlefelting needed to be done

Well I have been hankering to do some needlefelting. Gearing up for the Art Fair in Library Park. So here is a look at a couple of things...

The picture of this bag didn't turn out the best and I am afraid that I can't redo it as someone bought it at the Art Fair (Yeay!). This is side one.

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and here is side two...
Alex says it reminds hime of Van Goghs "Starry Night" ...maybe Could be worse comparisons.

Here is a belt bag that I made. The strap can be snapped over a bike handle or stroller handle. Then clipped onto your belt loop.

Last but not least is a wallet that I finished in time for the show. It is a small folding type with a magnetic snap and glass beads on the end of the flap. Here is a picture of the backside laid out lengthwise. The colors are a little funky. It looks far more striking in person.

A Relay Relay Nice bag

No. It's not a typo. It really is a Relay Bag. Huh?
Well, I bought a fine wool sweater at a rummage sale that was a fundraiser for our Relay For life team, felted it in the washing machine, cut it apart, put it back together and added some strings of glass beads to a skirt/shawl/sweater pin. The I-cord was some from a previous project that never got used.

The handle works out well as a shoulder bag or doubled as a pocketbook style handbag.
I love the striping pattern. Another success!

It has been awhile!

I know it has taken a long time to post, but wait untill you see what has been up!

OKAY, starting from the left. This A-maze-ing bag kinda looks like a mass of mazes. It started out as 2 mitred squares that I sewed together, then picked up the stitches along the top and made a collar of sorts. In contrasting colors of course. The I picked up stitches on the bottom and made 2 triangles and sewed thse together. I made a long strap in alternating stripes in garter stitch. The bag and strap were felted separately and sewed together with fishing line. pretty cool!!
The next bag was a simple circularly knit bag. at the right point in time, half of the stitches were cast off and the remaining stitches were knit to make the flap. Oh ya, The yarn is a combination of wool and ribbon yarn. The ribbon was used every third row. A slightly hidden talent of the 'sisters' is the button. I made this from polymer clay. First attempt- not bad. Inspired me to buy a second hand pasta machine to make more. The last is a wool waterbottle holder using Wool of the Andes and a strand of Noro Kuryeon. Added a drawstring and a pinch slide (not sure what the real name is) and a few glass beads and leather strap and Hoo-ya!

Whatapane Follow up

Here is an after-felting photo of a really fun bag!
I am definately doing more of these!
maybe not quite as big, but I have ideas swimming around my head.
Look at previous posts for the pre-felted photo.

The season has begun!!

What a gorgeous start to a new season! The weather couldn't be beat. It was great to see new and old faces alike.
The Market was very fun, as usual. We had our first experience at The Good Old Summertime Art Fair, sponsored by the Kenosha Art Association and came away with mixed emotions.
I was a bit dismayed with the acceptance of some vendors. My impression when I applied was that the art work had to be original. There were more than a couple of vendors with cheap import items for sale. The booth fees for this fair are supposed to support The Association, and there were plenty of good quality artists there, that I felt it somehow cheapened the experience by having "resale" items. Okay, rant over. Again the weather was great and had a chance to meet some very nice people.
Because of the irregular site (being in a park) we had a few challenges in setting up. Here is a peek at our booth. Okay, so the photography isn't the best, but you get the idea.
Here was a good idea....

We also added a new item that recieved a lot of interest, but not a lot of purchases.
The Tea Cozy as seen here.........................


I want to thank EVERYONE that stopped by to say hello! Jane, I am anxious to try the pattern you gave me. And I am excited about the new Tea shop that will be opening in downtown Kenosha. So much abuzz! And it's not bees or mosquitos (yet).

Kenosha Harbor Market Vendors for 2006

Kenosha HarborMarket 2006 Vendors
The Kenosha HarborMarket is unique among markets in the Chicago / Milwaukee corridor, unique, because it is out of the ordinary. Although vendors will sell fruit and vegetables, the vendors must grow their produce and special emphasis is given to organic and sustainable agriculture methods. Also the injection of fine arts and entertainment will create a life and an ambiance not otherwise available in the area.
This directory only includes vendors that have signed-up by the dead-line of May 3, 2006, and have paid for a minimum of 6 market days.

Agricultural (produce and plants)
Brightonwoods Orchard (starting August 19)
CJ's Flowers
Curzio, Garlic & more
Dutch Gardens
Kay's Produce
Nature's Bounty
Red Buffalo Nursery (May 27 - July 1)
Roberts Nursery
Mai Thao
Steven Xiong

Food (processed)
All Alaska Seafood Company
Chef's Helper - dried spices
Curzio, ... for Yuppie Hill - eggs and chickens
Grandma Dee's Bakery
Little Europe - homemade salami and sausages
Mangia Ristorante - bread and biscotti
Pampered Pup - dog biscuits
Sterling Waters Aqua Farms - yellow perch fillets

Food (prepared)
De Rango's
Popcorn Headz - kettle corn and smoothies
Sandy's Popper Express - popcorn and nuts


Art (self-crafted)
Erik Bradley - Creative Outdoor Images - photos
Beth Dary - Stranded Sisters
Katie Delany - Bead It - Jewelry
Jessica Knapp - photography
Marcia Shaffer - Barbie tents, ...
Kathy Schmitz - Kathy's Kreations - jewelry, clothing and cloth books
Spirit Hawk - jewelry for healing + wellness
Roberta Williams - Organized Chaos - jewelry

Art (not self-crated)
Trails to Bridges - African baskets
North Star Jewelry


Perishable/non-edible products
Anointed Body Care - soaps
Castle Candles - soaps
Curzio, Garlic & more - Young Living Essential Oils
Patti Prisms & Potions - soaps, lotions + more

Miscellaneous
Nancy Byers - teaches wool spinning


Not all vendors are included in this list, nor their presence on any market day is guaranteed!
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