Our Fiber Guild Annual Show and Sale - Fiber Fantasy

This year our Fiber Guild of the Savannahs held our annual show and sale at the Savannah JEA (Jewish Educational Alliance) for the entire month of December.

I was able to display my Coton Jaune blanket that I woven Saori way on a warp of a variety of white and off white cottons incorporating my own handspun cottons, some dyed with indigo and some natural brown cotton from Louisiana.  I wore my Saori way skirt with matching scarf.

I was very impressed by a couple of unique fiber art pieces.  One in particular by Urban Jupena of silicone over a grid of yarns.  Urban created it using the tubes of silicone usually used to caulk windows.  Very clever and it threw lovely lacey shadows on the wall.

Another interesting piece was by Carey Chapman of the Life of a Cicada incorporating the shells from cicadas she found at nearby Tybee Island.

It was fun to see how my former Taste of Freestyle Weaving student Treesa Germany has soared in her weaving the Saori way.

Here are more displays showing some of my work:

And it was great to be able to display some of the Goddesses our members created in memory of Mary Kelly, who explore the goddess figure in embroideries and fiber work throughout the world. Guild member Deborah Brooks' goddess was particularly entrancing!  Thanks to Mary Mistak who made the tree of life to display them.

I'm proud to be part of such a talented group of fiber artists!

Weaving HOPE

Understanding personally the frustration and worry that surrounds the wait time associated with getting treatments for cancer, I contacted Savannah's Memorial University Hospital's Anderson Cancer Institute about an idea I had.  I know the therapeutic qualities that weaving brings.  When sitting at the loom you become focused on the task at hand and all other thoughts and worries disappear.  My idea was to bring a simple loom to the lobby of the cancer center and set it up so that it can be a distraction and something that people can either weave on themselves or watch me weave.  The goal is to create banners that will hang from the railing of the balcony incorporating patient and caregivers hopes.  The Social Worker and Patient Care Advocates were very excited about the possibility of this program that I call, Weaving Hope.

Weaving HOPE is now well underway having started just before Thanksgiving.  I am set up in the lobby every Wednesday morning.  The Fiber Guild of the Savannahs has lent one of their small portable Dorset looms for the project and we are able to keep it and donated yarns and fibers in the hospital storage room.  We will reevaluate the project in 6 months and hopefully renew it.  I warped the loom with 16 yards of black carpet warp to weave several long banners.

   

Patients and caregivers are encouraged to write their hopes on slips of colorful cardstock which is then woven into the weaving.  Several people have generously donated a variety of colors and fibers to add to the weaving.  Patients and caregivers are welcome to try weaving themselves to provide a diversion from the stress of waiting.

"Weaving Hope" may develop into meeting with groups of teens and support groups and even cancer survivor family celebrations that the hospital organizes. 

Weaving my way through the Blues

"Ocean Breeze" scarf 72" x 9" with 8" fringe  Alpaca, silk, cotton & sparkle

How fortunate weavers are to be able to sit at the loom and focus on creating fabric instead of obsessing over the affairs of the world and our country.  With the holidays rapidly approaching I have been weaving many wonderful things.

I have tried to post what I weave on Facebook and Instagram to create more interest and my New Year's resolution for 2017 is to get serious about creating an Etsy store.  I seem to have a mental block about it.  Everyone tells me its easy-peasy, but I get bogged down in wanting professional photographs.  That isn't happening... at least not yet... so i need to get over it and be happy with the ones I take with my iPhone.

One of my business goals was met in December when I finally revamped my website so that it was focused more on my textile designs and fiber art than the book I wrote about the Bauhaus weavers.   It's a work in progress, so suggestions are welcome!  You can find it at suzanneworkhokanson.com  It now looks like this:



Some other textile artwork I have been creating with my new Saori loom:

After Matthew... fabric woven on alpaca silk warp with several handspun yarns.

 

Shawl woven on a prewound Saori warp of silk noils

Second shawl from the prewound Saori silk noil warp

 

 

Jewel Tones Scarf - owned by BDinoff

Detail of"Ocean Breeze" scarf 72" x 9" with 8" fringe  Alpaca, silk, cotton & sparkle

"Glow"- My first piece woven on my new Saori loom, now owned by my brother's friend in Santa Cruz

Detail first Saori loom weaving on silk with cotton, linen, handspun silk noil and silk kimono fabric weft

Detail first Saori loom weaving on silk with cotton, linen, handspun silk noil and silk kimono fabric weft

I was also able to finish my Handspun Wool fabric woven on my 8shaft Mighty Wolf with a mostly alpaca silk warp.  I can't wait to see what it becomes.  I am thinking it would be a great light weight jacket.  Just off the loom and spread out on the living room floor by our silver Christmas tree...

Alpaca, silk and some wool warp with handspun wool and alpaca and art yarn weft - 11.7 ft x 2.4 ft

PreWashed weaving with fringes braided

After washing (fulling) before Steaming

After washing (fulling) before Steaming

After washing (fulling) before Steaming

Steamed and pressed and ready for sewing

Steamed and pressed and ready for sewing

Steamed and pressed and ready for sewing