New 5 day workshop @ Fibre Arts Australia Forum, Ballarat 2012

 

 We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands, handwoven coil yarn neckwrap

I am thrilled to be offering a new extended 5day workshop with Fibre Arts Australia. The forum is well-known for highly experienced textile arts teachers from Australia and around the world, who gather for 5 days of inspiring creativity.  It goes without saying how excited I am to be involved in offering my chosen craft & art skills as an educator in this wonderful environment.

If you have ever wondered what to make with your art yarn, this is your chance! Experienced art yarn spinners, come & extend your textile art-practice. If you are interested but don't already spin, that's part of the course too! Come spin, play with yarn: knit, crochet or weave, and immerse yourself in this exciting fibre-arts retreat. Read text below for course description & Enrol here!
 

Ebb and Flow handspun journey-thread scarf

 

Journey Threads: the Art of Yarn : 8 to 14 April 2012
  
[ Yarn: story; personal narrative; a journey expressed in thread ]

Handspinning is an ancient textile skill currently enjoying a modern revival. The expressive nature of fibre and the dynamic energy of spinning yarn allows for thoughts and emotions to be captured in yarn as it flows through your hands. In this experimental workshop we shall consider the creation of yarn as an act of artistic expression. The very process of hand-spinning reveals the makers’ blueprint, or story, in thread-form.

In this workshop we focus on creative yarn making, in which expressive handspun yarn becomes a focal point in the production of a wearable item. Yarn, fibre and threads meander, intertwine and connect to each other using basic handwork methods: knit, crochet, or weave. The finished piece will become “Homage to Self”: a personal narrative spun into a wearable item.

This course is catered for all levels of experience. The beginning of the course will introduce students to the skill of spinning on a spindle (wheel spinners welcome), and will cover fibre choice, preparation and structural techniques. Experienced students will gain an extended skill-set in improvised technique. Yarn Design (colour, structure, texture) is an important part of the process. Emphasis will be on the process of discovery whilst learning new skills, often leading to surprising outcomes.

A personal narrative will be interpreted into the finished wearable piece. For example, ‘Homage to your Heart’ may be a soft & flowing loose knit or a heart-shaped armour made with knit roving & embellished with handspun crochet. The story you represent in both the threads and the finished piece will be your own creative expression.