Monthly Archives: December 2011

Michele Wipplinger on the Resurgence of plant-base dyes

by surfacedesignwa

Artisans worldwide are using plant-based dyes, as are commercial dye industries. Natural dye extracts are now readily available, the technology is commercially viable and the application methods can be used for all fiber types.  Gone are the obstacles to using plant-based dyes to create beautiful, color fast dyes. And perhaps most importantly, the consumer is taking an interest in how their clothing is being colored.

Michele will discuss the history, current commercial use and the art application of natural dyes in her talk, Color: Trends in the Culture of Cloth at the Surface Matters Symposium.  You certainly won’t want to miss the opportunity to benefit from Michele’s thirty-some years of experience and expertise in the field.

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Michele Wippingler is the owner of Earthues, a fair trade, women-owned business. The aim of Earthues is to teach and learn about natural dyes and sustainability using eco-methods and exquisite colors for creating beautiful surface designs.

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Want to know the latest about the Surface Matters Symposium?  Consider signing up for email notification.  (We won’t share or sell your email address.) And don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook.

Trisha Hassler – Life-Long Fascination with Paradox

by surfacedesignwa

Trisha says that she has always been fascinated with paradox and that she has been stitching, cutting and reassembling everything that would hold still since childhood. Both impulses are clearly visible in her continuing series where she combines torch cut steel with quilted fabrics.  If you haven’t seen her work, take a moment to visit her website.  It will inspire you.

Trisha will be talking about how personal style evolved, her inspiration and her plans for the future at the Surface Matters Symposium in a talk entitled, Surface Connections.

We hope you will join us for what is surely to be an amazing conference.  Registration opens January 7th.

website: trishahassler.com

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Want to know the latest about the Surface Matters Symposium?  Consider signing up for email notification.  (We won’t share or sell your email address.) And don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook.

Jane Dunnewold to speak at Surface Matters Symposium

by surfacedesignwa

We are thrilled to announce that Jane Dunnewold will be speaking on March 3rd at the upcoming symposium, Surface Matters.  She will join Marci McDade and Lou Cabeen for a discussion about surface design followed by a break out session tentatively titled, “Finding Your Own Visual Language.”

Jane Dunnewold is the author of Complex Cloth (1996) Improvisational Screen Printing (2003), and co-authored Finding Your Own Visual Language (2007). Interweave Press published Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design on Fabric in 2010. Dunnewold is the former chair of the Surface Design Studio at the Southwest School of Art. She teaches and lectures on art cloth internationally, including recent tours to Australia, Italy and the United Kingdom.

Dunnewold’s work was featured in the one-person exhibitions Sacred Planet (2009/2011) and Etudes: A Daily Practice (2011). She was awarded the Quilt Japan Prize in the 2002 Visions exhibition, and the Gold Prize, at the Taegue International Textile Exhibition. The vice-president of the Surface Design Association, she maintains Art Cloth Studios, in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Additional information on commissions and exhibition experience can be found at complexcloth.com. Essays on the creative process and acts of making are offered regularly at existentialneighborhood.blogspot.com.

Website name and URL: complexcloth.com
Existentialneighborhood.blogspot.com

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Want to know the latest about the Surface Matters Symposium?  Consider signing up for email notification.  (We won’t share or sell your email address.) And don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook.

Mandy Greer Showcased in the Seattle Times

by surfacedesignwa

Mandy Greer by Benjamin Benschneider/ The Seattle Times

We were excited to come across a great article about Mandy Greer in the Pacific Northwest Section of the Seattle Times.  Click here to read the article and see some images of her work.

Mandy will be speaking at our March conference, Surface Matters.  For more information about the conference, click on the link in sidebar.  We will be updating this information as the conference takes shape so do sign up to receive our email updates.

Registration for the conference will open on January 7, 2012.

Ann Johnston Offers Classes in Dyeing and Quilt Design in 2012

by surfacedesignwa

Ann Johnston will hold a series of fabric dyeing and quilt design workshops in her Lake Oswego studio in 2012.
To ensure maximum individualized attention, class size will be limited to four participants. Registration opens January 10, 2012. Registration closes for all workshops February 10, 2012.

For more information: www.annjohnston.net or annjohnstonquilts@gmail.com

1. Begin with Color by Accident: Low-Water Immersion Dyeing

3 days – May 12-14, 2012
A fast-paced run-through of the possibilities with new variations offered by the low-water immersion dyeing approaches introduced by Ann in her book Color by Accident.

2. Add Dye Painting and Printing to Your Options

4 days – May 17-20, 2012
An introduction to all the basic surface design techniques with thick and thin dye, using brushes & rollers, stamps & blocks, stencils & screens.

3. Silk Only—Understanding the Alternatives

5 days – May 23-27, 2012
An exploration of dyeing a wide variety of silks using methods such as painting, printing and immersion with soda ash, citric aid and vinegar, including the selective removal of sericin. Some experience with Procion MX dyes required.

4. Focused Dyeing

5 days – July 20-24, 2012
Is there a particular texture or pattern or theme or color that you want to use for a quilt or series of quilts? Consider it a puzzle to solve in this workshop. Some experience with Procion MX dyes required.

5. Untangle Your Design Decisions

5 days – November 1-5, 2012
A personalized exploration of the elements of design—line, shape, color, value, pattern, texture—to answer that constant question: “Now what do I do?”

6. Using Your Own Hand-dyed Fabric

5 days – November 8-12, 2012
Bring a pile of your own hand-dyed fabrics to build on the ideas that prompted dyeing it or on ideas that are suggested to you by the fabric.