New Buttons…

Well, it’s been a busy few weeks since I returned from PEI. There was a workshop at Frontenac Secondary School that was very interesting as I have not worked solely with teenagers before and it was a unique experience! From deciphering teen talk & slang to figuring out what each individual was really interested in. This was part of a fashion course in their life skills classes, run by Mrs. L Becker.

Funky three dimensional work.

I felted a couple of items for the small 1000 Islands gallery show but haven’t listed them on my web site yet…they are not in any gallery but at my studio. I love this jacket as it has a newer collar for me. As I had already decorated the collar with silk I didn’t want to cut it so the jacket has a deep V. Next time I’ll try one not so deep, but the V is such a flattering neckline I need to do more.

I also made a scarf with hole in it and as it is made in three sections I added colour by joining the sections with coloured pieces. I love it, hope to do more and load them up onto my Etsy page.

Two weekends ago I did my workshop in Ottawa at Darrell Thomas Textiles on Preston. We had 9 participants including two young teen sisters who were hugely creative!!!
Here are a couple of shots of the work from that day. 

One participant brought a shawl in progress to match up some buttons. She learned the process of mixing colours to get just the right shade and that that part often takes longer than cutting, shaping and designing the actual button…

Watching over creation.

Making buttons for the long list of custom orders I am endeavouring to wade through (first inventorying and ordering yarn which is tricky when you are working with so many colours from different suppliers), I take a break from the order buttons to make a few from colours I am playing with and get creative with now rules (matching to yarn) to adhere to! I’ve listed a bunch on my Etsy shop so if you are looking for some buttons, check it out to see if there is anything you might fit the bill.

I went a bit nuts with black and white and some colourful cane I had made so there are lots of sets of ‘Mod’ style buttons!

Now I’m busy with the myriad Fall activities that lead up to the Christmas hols, our Artists Round Table monthly meetings do discuss the business of being a working artist/artisan. Then there is the Kingston Arts Council, (I’m on the board of directors) which is celebrating their 50th anniversary (great party last night at the Grand Theatre..also celebrating it’s 50 anniversary of being saved from becoming a parking lot!). Then there is the One Of a Kind that I will head to Toronto to check out and touch base with friends & colleagues. I just got a notice that my friend Susan Watson Ellis has revamped her web site and now has it as an online shop. Then there are my friends Catherine & Dennis and there wonderfully colourful shoes.

I didn’t do the Spring show but am looking forward to having lots of new stock for Spring 2013.