Silk Ikat Brooches at Hangin Art Gallery

The Killdeer Artisans Guild will present their Holiday Exhibit with an artist reception October 29th from 2-4 PM.

I decided to make some of my ikat jewelry. Below are a dozen brooches posing with a quarter in the lower left to give an idea of the actual size of the pieces.

I first started creating wrapped silk jewelry back in the 80's. Somewhere in the vast store of slide trays, I have many images of examples (to be scanned one day).

Each segment is wrapped in a manner I have perfected over the years.



I couldn't resist posing the jewelry pieces along with some of my woven images.


I can't decide whether or not the background adds to the effect or takes away from the piece.


Here they are mounted and ready to go. (except that I ended up taking the busy background away from half of them) I will see which ones are left over.


I only made a dozen as the space is limited in the gallery, but I am prepared to make more. If you are interested in purchasing these amazing little gems, please contact Hangin Art Gallery

Woven Collage at Hangin Art Gallery in Arlee

Pictures are lacking at this juncture, but I wanted to share the final results. (14" x 20")


Here are 5 of the 8 wonderful women in the workshop. Each created a woven collage 5" x 7" based on the theme ---weaving the highest wishes for self into highest wishes for the world. (empowering and uplifting)

Know joy and create. As we care for ourselves, we respect & care for the world. No worries. Shown His love! Unity through unlimited diversity. Working toward compassion from me from the world, to me to the world. Travel, teaching and pleasure. Give the people of the world a voice.

The Renegade Weavers Ride Again

Back in the mid 70s, a small group of Montana gals got together and formed The Renegade Weavers. The qualifications for membership:
1. Do not belong to a Weaving Guild.
2. Never have woven a place mat. Over the years, I have broken both of the rules. and yet 35 years later---we came together again in Montana.

Most of us have joined weavers guilds and woven place mats.
But we still know how to kick up our heels.....

WOVEN PAPER COLLAGE WORKSHOP

WOVEN PAPER COLLAGE WORKSHOP

With Bonnie Tarses at the Hangin Art Gallery & Coffee House
Arlee, Montana

Woven Paper Collage is the first step to weaving cloth. The technique is fun, easy and full of creative expression. Begin with a stack of magazines, a scissors, and a glue stick. The results are always surprising and delightful.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS COLORFUL OPPORTUNITY!

Date: October 22, 2011

Time: 10 AM – 3 PM (with an hour for lunch in the middle)

Place: Hangin Art Gallery & Coffee House
Fee: $25

Call: (406) 726-5005 to reserve your space today.

Bonnie Tarses is a weaving master, creating magnificent cloth since 1960. She recently moved back to Montana to continue teaching and sharing her gifts with humor and spirit.

To see Bonnie’s work visit www.bonnietarses.com and

Bonnie’s blog http://weavingspirit.blogspot.com (an up to minute look into Bonnie’s studio.)

Just Our Yarn Does it Again!

Several years ago, I came upon a lovely yarn company---JUST OUR YARN.

I wove a couple of delicious horoscope weavings and made some delightful wrappings with the yarn. I even overdyed in Turned Weft Ikat, and then I put the rest of the yarn away (I knew I had enough of another Color Horoscope Weaving). You know how it is when you want to hold back special yarn for a special project.

I had just enough of the ikat bits to frame each of the planets.


When I finished the weaving, I decided to wash it in the machine (I always do that), dry in the dryer (I always do that too), and then just wear it without pressing (I never do that)---just to road test it and see what happens.


Well, I think I have belatedly fallen in love with tencel! I wore like a dream. It didn't wrinkle anywhere near what I imagined, and what little it wrinkled just smoothed out when I draped it over a chair between wearings.


I know there is a lot of tencel yarn out there, but richness of colors in JUST OUR YARN is matchless! Brava!

I just spend far to long trying to find links to earlier posts showing my other cloth woven with the yarn. It turns out that I have been blogging a really long time, and my labeling system obviously leaves much to be desired. But if you have several hours with nothing to do, search through my archives (grin)

Cuttin' Off Missoula

GOOD NEWS! The downstairs neighbor cannot hear me weaving !
MORE GOOD NEWS! Another weaving off the loom!

What can I say?!
Like bubbles, the cashmere yarn rises up to celebrate!

So I Cranked Up the Air Con

And pulled out the recycled cashmere
And started winding another warp---Missoula's horoscope. (use the date and time of the founding of any place)
But this time I tried something just a little different. A couple of years ago, a student (Karen Driscoll) said to me during a Color Horoscope Weaving Workshop, "What would happen if you put an ikat stripe around each planet?"


This isn't the first time I tried out this delicious idea. In my previous weaving, however, each ikat stripe was the same width. On this one, I varied the width of the stripes---the Sun being the widest stripe, next the Moon, then the inner planets, and the outer planets with the narrowest stripe.


If there ever was a reason to continue teaching workshops, this weaving is it!


Just when I was getting bored with horoscope weaving, along comes this and I am all fired up again. The Sun is the big stripe to the left and the Moon is just to the right of it.

I can't wait to see this finished!