TAFA is having its first public event during the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah. We are excited to introduce TAFA to the public at large and are hoping to raise funds for our new website. We have a silent auction and raffle, both available to online participants and an exhibit and vendors. These are ways in which you can donate to support our efforts. This blog will feature the works and vendors in the next two weeks. You can see all of the TAFA Market posts in one place by clicking on this link.
Organic and Sustainable Baby Accessories by JWrobel
I always thought I would have my own kids, fantasizing about dressing them up with little outfits from around the world or beautiful handmade, natural clothing like this fun green cap. Probably a good thing it didn't happen as the grown-up kids would probably have ended up in therapy for all my other eccentricities. Although, I must say: My dogs do like me!
Those who do have a baby or a little one in their lives need to take a look at Jwrobel's beautiful baby clothing and accessories. Carefully knitted, using sustainable materials like organic, hand dyed wools, alpaca, and silk, the results are soft and luxurious.
Baby Pixie Hat by Jwrobel
Jwrobel, or Jess Wrobel, will have several baby items and adult accessories in our TAFA Market. She said grandmas are some of her best customers and we all know that there will be plenty of you coming to Paducah who have little ones on the way or recently arrived. This is your chance to score big points with your child or grandchild!
Jess has been a great asset to TAFA ever since she joined us. Freely sharing business tips and ideas, I have already learned a lot from her and look forward to continued growth in the future. All of us have to wear so many hats as we make, design or buy our products, photograph them, get them online and then engage in the often tedious tasks of marketing what we do. Jess has successfully integrated her products into a sensibility which reflects her commitment to being green and natural.
Babies are not the only focus at the Jwrobel studio. Adults have plenty to pick from to accessorize themselves and their homes. Jess integrates an old world feel, sometimes calling out to Central Asia and the Silk Road and at others harking back to Victorian sensibilities. She makes beautiful purses, bags, pillows and much more. A couple examples of what will be at the TAFA Market:
Satin Garden Rose by Jwrobel
Knit Purse by Jwrobel
If you are coming to Paducah, definitely check out our TAFA Market to see Jwrobel's work in person. Meanwhile, you can check out her shops on Etsy:
TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List was launched in February, 2010. As it has grown, now over 200 members, so have the members who have Etsy shops. About half of us use Etsy as our retail platform. We decided to organize as an Etsy Team (a program Etsy has for sellers to organize under themes or locations) and set up a blog where we can talk about what is important to us and where we can show off our shops. The blog has eight pages of shops, divided into themes and serves as our Team Catalog. Although many of us sell things that do not fit neatly into those categories, most of us do have a focus. I am introducing each of those categories here, hoping that this will encourage you to go over there and shop, shop, shop, until you drop! These eight pages have over 100 shops, filled with wonderful eye candy that will surely delight anyone who appreciates all the many techniques and traditions that are found in the needle and textile arts.
Vintage Miao textile incorporated into a bag, by dazzlinglanna
Picking images for this post is not an easy task as there are so many beautiful pieces in our Jewelry and Accessories page. This is one of the places where you can really see how people are exploring techniques and interpreting them into their own designs. You will find functional items like scarves, bags, purses, hats, cuffs, gloves, necklaces and bracelets. Our members are felting, dyeing, painting on silk, reclaiming old textiles and fabrics, knitting, beading, weaving and of course, sewing.
Hagar of Gilgulim recycles old ties into beautiful jewelry.
TAFA is an international organization, exemplified by our members on this page. Hagar is Israeli, Jutamas of Dazzling Lanna lives in Thailand, Rosemary of Plumfish Creations and Renate are both in Australia, Morgen of Inkyspider is Canadian, Marina hails from Puerto Rico, Inese is in Latvia, Dolapo of Urban Knit is in the United Kingdom, Lilou works with weavers in Cambodia and so on. Of course, quite a few are based here in the United States. The diversity of our members, both in the techniques they are exploring and their cultural influences makes for a fascinating collection of colors, textures, and designs.
Lilou, a fair trade group working with weavers in Cambodia.
The big challenge for all of us is that nobody really "needs" anything we are selling. And, in this awful economy, buyers have been tightening their belts and holding on to their money. Yet, is not beauty something that our spirits crave? An accessory from one of our shops will certainly cost a lot more than a bauble that is sold at Walmart. But, the right scarf, hat or necklace can not only finish off an outfit and make it complete, but also makes a statement of support for the worldwide handmade community. It ties us to our historical roots represented by the techniques we promote through our work.
Wraps by Inese, our TAFA member in Latvia
Click here to visit our Jewelry and Accessories Page in our TAFA Team Catalog of Shops.
And, while you are there, click on the other tabs to see our other Team member shops. We aim to be the best in textiles and fiber art on Etsy!
I just listed several vintage sari borders on Etsy. Hmmmmm.... Do I really, really want to sell them? No, no, no!!!! I want them! Oh, the difficulty of parting with such gorgeousness! But, I have my own stash, so I just have to do the right thing and pass them on to others who will also know how to use these wonderful remnants.
These sari borders are all from India, rayon, and commercially manufactured. At least, I assume that none of them have been hand woven. They are probably around 20 years old, salvaged from saris that became worn, torn, or stained. Handwoven saris from the good old days actually included real metal threads in the brocade (silver, copper, brass, and even gold). Until around the 1970's, those old saris that were damaged were burnt to recover the metal content. Then, the fiber lovers from the West started buying up vintage textiles in Asia and a new market opened up for salvaged textiles. Now, there are many cottage industries in India and Pakistan that work solely with these salvaged textiles, making quilts, pillows, bags and other things out of the handmade embroideries and weavings so abundant in their ancestral traditions.
The great thing about these sari borders is the length. Most of the rolls I listed have around 7 yards of length to them, plenty to work with in any project! Because of their age, they do have weak spots and small tears. I usually use a light fusible backing to support those areas.
The rich colors and metallic threads transform plain fabrics and projects into royal beauty! Those of you who enjoy a Victorian look will especially love what the borders can do for your projects. Imagine them accenting curtain bottoms in a room that blends old and new.... Ah, yes!
Rayela Art hats, using ultrasuede and vintage sari borders.
I've used the sari borders in hats, bags, pillows and in one quilt. Projects need to take into consideration the fragile nature of the borders. So, using them on a jean jacket or a purse that will take a beating might not be the best use of the trim.
Rayela Art evening bag: ultrasuede, sari border, beads and trim.
I had great fun using the borders in a quilt that I made for a friend. I really need to get a better photo of the quilt, but here is one that will at least give you an idea of how the border was used:
The border frames the top and bottom of the quilt. You can see the top here. This is a huge quilt, part of the reason why I haven't gotten a good photo of it yet. Terribly difficult to display with proper lighting. It took me nine months and over 1,000 hours to make.
There. Now you have an idea of what you can do with these vintage sari rolls. Click here to see what is available on my Etsy shop. If I am out of stock, know that I will get more in soon. Have you used these in your work? I would love to hear about your ideas on how to use them, too!
Sari borders! A great way to make your sewing projects look rich and royal!
Snow, by Rayela Art, $340 a candy wrapper purse using dog food bags 7.5" high (without strap) x 11" wide
This is my second purse using the candy wrapper technique. The first one, shown below, was made out of wallpaper samples. Click on it to see my first article where the technique is explained and where links to other sites with more info can be found.
Each square starts out a strip which has been folded and interlocked into another one. If you look closely, you will see a dog's eye peeking out at you:
I start out by cutting the strips on a mat. I used a rotary cutter to try to go through the task more quickly. For both purses, I cut strips measuring 4.5"x 2". It's unbelievable how many strips you have to have to make a purse. I kind of lost count, but am estimating that Snow, the dog food purse, used up six of the biggest paper bags, four medium ones and two small ones. It may have been more.
I estimate I used at least 500 pieces for snow. Once I had a big stack of them cut up, I separated them into color content, not easy to do on bags that have a lot of images and text.
The strips are then folded. I fold down the middle to get a crease, open it up again and then both sides down to the middle again, ending up with a long skinny piece.
That gets folded in half once again:
Then each end is folded once more to the middle. These are the links. If you really want to learn how to do it. Go back to the beginning of the article and follow the wallpaper link to the first one I did.
The links fit into each other, forming long, zig zag strip. The strips eventually get sewn together. It was much easier working with the dog food paper then with the wallpaper. The wallpaper was really too thick, although the effect was gorgeous. This paper has a slick coating on it and made it very easy to link one into the other. I also think this coating will help protect the purse over time. This example shows how color choices can impact the look of the strip:
Taking care in color combinations keeps the design from becoming too chaotic.
I covered the purse with white buttons and I think I am the first person to use embellishments in this way on these purses. At least, I had never seen anyone else add to them with the exception of zippers or closures. The added texture makes the bag for me.
I am going to add a magnetic closure for the flap. I just haven't had the time to go face Mall Land yet. It will fit in the empty area below:
This not just a purse. It is wearable art, a piece that will start up a conversation wherever you go. I love making something beautiful out of garbage, but even though it is functional, it should be treated with care. I've reinforced edges with super glue, but if it gets banged around a lot, the purse will get damaged.
In my mind's eye, this will go to someone who loves dogs. But, who knows? I just know it will be someone who appreciates the countless hours it took to make. I started out keeping track and then lost the paper I was recording. I'm estimating around 60 of them. Lots of movies...
When people see this technique, they say, "Oh, I used to do that when I was a kid!" I keep thinking, "Whew, that'a a lot of candy!" I first saw these bags through outsider art publications. Prisoners use cigarette wrappers to make purses and even large sculptures. I've now seen easier versions made by fair trade groups and even mainstream outlets. In my book, anything that reuses what is headed for the trash is great!
Snow: The Dogfood Purse (Candywrapper Weaving Technique)
My local fiber art group, Paducah Fiber Artists, meets once a month for a pot luck, show and tell and general good fun. It's a monthly highlight for me. I arrived a bit late (as usual) to our June 2008 meeting to find this gorgeous woman sitting there. She was a guest artist from Portland, Oregon, spending a month at A.I.R. Studio located in the heart of Lowertown, our art district. Adriene Cruz embodies color, life, elegance, and texture, both in her persona as well as in her art. Her work has obvious African influence, but she incorporates pieces of textiles from around the world and their origins also add their voices to the final creation.
Adriene's website, which she claims is horribly outdated, gives continuity to her work. It is bright, decorated with borders taken from her textiles and filled with words of love and a vision of peace.
Adriene is a transplant from New York, and although her heart is still there, she has become actively involved in Portland's community life. Their local PBS station, Oregon Public Broadcasting, has a program called Art Beat, which interviews local artists and then develops curriculum based for children based that artist's story.
Adriene is there and her video will explain a lot of where she comes from, what inspires her and how she creates her pieces. If you have children or work with them, you might enjoy the three projects on Adriene's page as well as the other artists in the program. Lots of great ideas!
Her community involvement has led her to collaborative work with other artists that have permanently changed Portland's landscape. She has worked on murals, billboards and other public art. The most impressive this train stop:
The North Killingsworth Street MAX Station Interstate Avenue at N. Kilingsworth
Portland, Oregon's public transit system, the MAX, is beautifying its stations through the designs of a variety of public artists. The North Killingsworth Street Station, which opened May 1, 2004, was developed through a mentorship between Adriene Cruz and design team artist, Valerie Otani.
Adriene's work has been published in several books and her pieces are in private collections all over the world. The Exhibits and Honors page on her website lists the many prestigious places where her work has found a home or made an impact. Has this gone to her head? Nope. Adriene's feet are planted firmly on the ground. And her struggle to survive as an artist continues as a difficult, albeit joyous, path. I had the pleasure of visiting with her a bit at the studio while she was here. Her mother was also here, from New York, and I saw where Adriene learned her spirit of giving and love. Her Mom has the warmest, softest hands I have ever felt. Her smiles radiated benevolence, eyes sparkled with life.
If we are chips cut off from the block, Adriene's block has been solid and good. Speaking, or writing, about cutting, Adriene has no fear in transforming textiles into something new. She bought a Turkmen coat from me very similar to the one on the left (available in my Etsy store, hint, hint), chopped it up and made a beautiful bag out of half of it. She had forgotten to bring one with her, so... no problem! Chop, chop, sew, sew, and there you go! Another accessory to complement her best art piece: her self!
Adriene used the embroidery from the side of the coat as the front flap of her bag and incorporated the embroidery along the hem and front as the strap:
I am inspired by artists and people like Adriene. They help build bridges among people and she has also contributed toward enhancing the physical space of her city. It makes me feel good to know that she is out there and the brief time I had with her here was a sunny day in Paducah!
It all started with Charlie (named after my brother who is a pilot), my little one-legged, parakeet. I had no control over the heat in my apartment in Chicago, so even on the coldest days, I had a couple of windows cracked open a bit. Charlie flew in through the kitchen window on a frigid winter day. Mitchie, my dog, cornered him. I knew nothing about caring for birds, so I got Charlie a cage, bought him some food, went online and read about parakeets. I took him to the gallery. Soon, one of our customers who knew a lot about birds, brought Charlie a companion. Then she brought two more. I got a bigger cage. She brought a box and told me to put it in the cage. Babies came. Another customer was moving and had a cockatiel with a broken wing, Pecky. She couldn't take him. Did I want him? Pecky was 14 years old at the time. Sure, why not? So, Pecky came. The bird lady felt sorry for him and brought a young female. The female turned out to be a male, Sebastian. Without ever intending to, I now have 9 parakeets (I took the box out. Enough is enough!) and two cockatiels. Although I feel a bit weird about having birds in captivity, none of these would survive in the wild. And, it seems like we will have to put most Nature behind bars to keep it alive.
The birds molt and drop feathers, which got me to thinking about how feathers have been used throughout history in adornments, clothing, and art. Feathers have had a central place in native ceremonial costumes and ornaments for centuries. Theresa Mitopoulou has a good article on The Decoration of the Head with Feathers that illustrates how feathers have been used throughout history and in different cultures. The photo at the left, for example, is from the Mexico City Museum of Anthropology of an Aztec head gear for emperors and priests. It was made with tail feathers of one hundred male quetzal birds, the national bird of Guatemala. She states, "The arrangement of the colored feathers had astronomic and calendar meaning." I found a traveler who photographed a Hawaiian cape he saw at a museum:
He said that it took five years to gather the feathers and another seven to sew them into the cape. He didn't state where he took this photo, but Sothebys has a similar one from the collection of the Niagara Falls Museum, estimated in worth at over $250,000.
The British Museum states that capes were made for Hawaiian and Polynesian nobility. They were used in ceremonies and in battle and many were gifted in the early 1800's to sea captains and their crews, the earliest outside explorers to the region.
James W. Reid wrote a book, Magic Feathers, Textile Art from Ancient Peru, which is illustrated with beautiful Nazca capes and details on the feathers and techniques used in the region.
Pathways to the Sun Nazca culture, south coast of Peru, c. 400-800 AD 97 x 76 cm, cotton with applied feathers
The famous photographer, Edward Curtis, was the first to comprehensively document the life of Native Americans in the late 1800's. This photo of a Nez Pierce man with his head dress was exhibited at the Hall of American Indian Collection in the Hotel Astor. Curtis and other photographers captured the public's imagination. The Bald Eagle had been chosen as the symbol of freedom and became the national bird in 1782. To Native Americans, the eagle is a messenger to the creator and represents endurance. In all of the United States, the eagle and its feathers were treasured. As the media developed, it made its way into books, magazines, then later in movies.
Bird Lady by Cristina Mittermeir Highlands performer wearing a headdress made with the feathers of the superb bird of paradise. Highlands sing-sing, Papua New Guinea.
To this day, native people around the world continue to use feathers in ceremonies and dress. The Huli warriors of Papua New Guinea are often photographed for their bright face paint and costumes, feathers topping off their beautiful ensemble. Struggling to maintain identity in the face of a globalized world, these groups often are reduced to objects of tourism, but other efforts also seek to both honor and protect them. The above photo, for example, is available for purchase through Art for Conservation, an organization promoting grassroots conservation initiatives.
The fashion industry, of course, also has had a long history with feathers.
Victorian hats sported huge ostrich feathers and other exotic feathers continued to adorn hats and clothing through the 1950's. The following catalog is from a 1901 New York Millinery supply company, Fancy Feathers.
Smithsonian Institution Libraries
At some point, demand for all these feathers started creating shortages. Think of the demise of the passenger pigeon. Once the most populous bird in North America, five BILLION birds were killed off between 1870 and 1890. (Wikipedia) They had a high fat content that was used for cooking oil and to light Eastern street lamps. The last passenger pigeon died in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1914. Demand for bird feathers is not only ornamental, but also functional. Down feathers were and are still used for pillows and bedding. People started to worry and speaking up. Societies and organizations were formed. The National Audubon Society started publishing their Audubon Magazine in the 1880's, about the same time the passenger pigeon was getting killed off.
But, the attraction for feathers is powerful and we still continue to use them in our art and in our fashion. Handbags by Daphne offers this peacock feather bag for $85:
Jean Paul Gautier's wild feather dress was dubbed "Miss Turkey" by fellow blogger, Chanteuse. It's something else, isn't it?
So, there is that famous saying that "birds of a feather flock together"... Actually, we are destroying these feathered friends habitats all over the world. More and more, the chance for their survival will be as pets. Some African Grey parrots have become famous for how much they can learn, how cute they are and for their performance abilities. Here is Einstein performing on a TV show:
Menino, a Brazilian parrot, sings opera. My dogs came to watch him when I was playing his video:
And, Cody, a beautiful macaw, likes to be blow dried after his shower:
As with all of our natural resources, animal and plant life, care for these creatures and their feathers is in order. However, feathers are a renewable material. They do fall off naturally and birds do die. There is at least one organization that distributes molted feathers. Wingwise works specifically with Pueblo Indians and donates collected feathers for ceremonial purposes. Unfotunately, they have such a huge backlog of requests, that no new requests are taken at this time. The San Ildefonso girl at the left is wearing donated macaw feathers in her head dress.
It seems to me that this is really the solution for those of us who would like to continue to use feathers in art or garments. Bird sanctuaries, zoos, and pet owners should come together in some kind of a distribution system.
I also found some interesting trends in the green textile industry which is working on a fabric they are calling "chicken wool". The Independent reported that millions of tons of chicken feathers from chickens who are processed for the food market are disposed of yearly. They are working on a fabric which they consider will be superior to wool. Who knows what the next new trends will bring? We can only hope that they will address the needs of our fair feathered friends. Should we continue to wear them? Should they be freed from their cages and returned to the wild? Each of us has to answer these questions for ourselves. I know that my little companions wouldn't have a chance out there, so they are going to stay here. And, if any of you out there want some little parakeet feathers saved up for you, let me know and I'll start an envelope for you!
History repeats itself, but the special call of an art which has passed away is never reproduced. It is as utterly gone out of the world as the song of a destroyed wild bird.
