I'm in AZ with my family, writing from day 2 of my introduction to The West. I just completed my week at the Handweaver's Guild of America's Conference, "Convergence 2010" in Albuquerque NM.
It was an awesome experience!!
Aside from a 8 hour trip that turned into a 20 hour aerial tour of the USA (Ithaca Ny to Detroit to Atlanta to Albuquerque UGH), there were no snags :)
The first couple days were spent preparing for the conference to get into full swing... we had Student Assistant meetings, and helped design and hang a few of the exhibits. The one I worked on the most was "Small Expressions", which involved little things made by very talented people. It was cool to see the care with which these items are shipped and handled, and taught me a lot about hanging shows!
The rest of my time was spent assisting in classes, which I also got to participate in! Two days were in "Exploring Surface Design Techniques" with Teresa Ruch. We did a lot of experimentation with bleach and other discharge dyes, and then used fiber reactive dyes and other cool techniques to make some seriously beautiful samples.
The second class I took was "Cut It Up: Refashioning Knits" with Sandy Scrivano. I took two sweaters, and collaged them together into one that I will actually be able to wear! She showed us a lot about how to deal with stretchy knits while sewing, and how to be experimental with patterning.
It was great to be surrounded by so many ladies who love fibers! I can't wait to take weaving next semester, because now I'm super inspired.
Here's a picture from the Painted Desert today, I was so blown away!!
No comments:
Post a Comment