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.

'pollinate' (detail), crocheted fiber, encapsulated in acrylic

If you need a reminder that all this steady Seattle rain really does serve a purpose then you can’t do better than to go see ‘Botanica’ at the Fraker/Scott Gallery The show includes two great pieces by SDA member, Barbara De Pirro. The show runs through December 31st.

And if you can’t make it to the show, then by all means do check out her website.

Take a trip to Whidbey this month and check out this great exhibit!  Thanks to SDA member Lanny Bergner, who sent us the announcement.

From the Swimmers Series by Jennifer Nerad

Jennifer Nerad is one of the featured artists in the November ArtWalk at BallardWorks, 2856 NW Market St. This series, entitled Swimmers, features embroidered forms on watercolored muslin.
Join us from 6-9pm on Saturday, November 12.
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Looking ahead, BallardWorks will host a fiber exhibit, concurrent with the Surface Matters symposium. This show, which will feature works of northwest fiber artists, will be displayed through the April Artwalk.

The next Eastside SDA meeting is scheduled for Sunday,
November 6 from 3-5 pm at QuiltWorks NW in Bellevue.

Our topic will be a sharing circle-getting to know each other and discussing our personal artistic process. Please bring a sample (or more) of you work and feel free to bring a friend who might be interested.

Everyone is welcome, whether you live on the Eastside or not!

Sunday Novmember 6 from 3-5 pm
QuiltWorks Northwest Classroom
121A 107th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
Phone: (425) 453-6005 :: Toll Free: (877) 295-7222

Thanks and we hope to see you there!

Christina Fairley Erickson

October 20, 2011 Ginny Huber will be the featured artist with her one of a kind nuno felted scarves at Manya Vee Selects, a Gallery in Edmonds, WA.

The event is from 5 pm-8pm in conjunction with the Edmonds Third Thursday Art Walk.

She will also be doing a demo/showing the materials used in the process and Manya will continue to carry her work at the Gallery after the 20th.

Manya Vee Selects
409 Main St
Edmonds WA 98020

To more examples of Ginny’s work please go to her website.

We asked Barbara Zander to write about her new silk constructions for Evergreen Medical Center.

Art can transform a space, evoke an emotion, tell a story, spark a memory or inspire hope. I experienced this recently while working on two silk constructions for Evergreen Medical Center.

Art is an integral part of Evergreen They had recently completed two new buildings in Redmond and Woodinville, Washington and they wanted art for each of these buildings.  They also wanted the Evergreen staff and public to have a part in the creation of the art so they would feel a connection to the new buildings.

The design accepted for Woodinville is called “River Of Hope”. It has a “river’ meandering through the abstract piece. “Threads of Hope” is the name of the Redmond art. That clinic serves people from all over the world and Evergreen wanted that reflected. Threads seemed to tie everyone together.

For the public part of both pieces I dyed yards of silk ribbon.. I constructed small looms for the ribbon. Each building had two open houses for the staff and public. At each event staff and public were asked to write on the ribbon what hope means to them. Messages ran the gamut from hope for cures for cancer, health for their families, thanks to Evergreen for providing hope to their children’s names. Particularly poignant were the messages of hope for the victims of the Japan tsunami which had just occurred. After writing their message each person could weave their ribbon into the larger piece. As we all know, art speaks volumes and these two projects definitely proved that. There were long lines waiting to write their messages.

I then took those weavings and began to incorporate them into the final construction. Both constructions have hand-dyed and arashi pleated silk in panels that surrounded the weavings. The silk is mounted on textured aluminum. Each 70” x 36” construction contains 400 individual pieces.

The art was installed in May. Next to the art are the names of each person who contributed to the piece.

To see more of Barbara’a work:  www.barbarazander.com

And do take a moment to see her youtube videos about her process.

River of Hope

Threads of Hope

 For more information about the exhibit and the museum please click here.

"PrayTell" by Patti Smith