Handmade Parade - Christmas extravaganza in Revelstoke

This Friday, November 28th I leave for Revelstoke for the week-end to participate in my first Christmas fair of this season. 'Handmade Parade' is presented by the Revelstoke Arts Council every year in the community centre. It is one of the best Christmas fairs in the area and not to be missed. Last year I was very impressed by the quality and variety of the regional handmade arts and crafts presented at this fair. My booth will have an eclectic mix of Inkyspider organic cotton tshirts, cloth napkins, fabric brooches and my brand new collection of wool fingerless gloves. This year I will also be bringing a selection of my Kootsac reusable bulk food and produce bags.



If you're in the area be sure to stop by - see you there!

Kootenay artists show in Eastside Culture Crawl, Vancouver

In June I did a feature on Nadine Stefan, a mixed media artist, friend and neighbour who has her home and studio down the road from me in New Denver in the Kootenays. Nadine and fellow artist Galen Felde are participating in the Eastside Culture Crawl in Vancouver this week-end. This is an event not to be missed and their show in Galen's studio on Railway street will be a highlight of the Culture Crawl. Galen is an artist from Vancouver who spends half her time working in her other studio in the Kootenays. Both of these women are extraordinary artists who are inspired by the environment they live in.

Warm Fall accessories with snake designs.

The snake is a symbol of the life force or kundalini. They also symbolize transformation and reincarnation because they have the ability to shed their skins and grow new ones. A great metaphor for this time of year when the trees lose their leaves in preparation for the long winter sleep before they are born again in the spring.

Recently listed and sold on Etsy, I almost kept these 100% cashmere fingerless gloves for myself. The coiled snake design was screenprinted on hand dyed cotton and then machine appliqued on these autumn inspired rust wrist warmers.

These snake and leaf warmers are still available from my Inkyspider shop on Etsy.

All of my wrist warmers/ fingerless gloves have been made with repurposed knit fabric from sweaters. I carefully choose fabrics that are soft, warm and stretchy and are made of various types of wool like lambswool, cashmere, angora, merino wool and sometimes blends. The original garments have been meticulously washed, deconstructed and significantly redesigned into beautiful new accessories.
For more from this collection please visit my Inkyspider shop by following this link:
Inkyspider Accessories

Textured Cloth workshop

Last week I traveled to Vancouver to attend an 'Invented Fabric' workshop led by Jean Cacicedo. This workshop was presented by Maiwa Handprints as part of their annual Textile Symposium. I usually try to attend one of these workshops every Fall because Maiwa brings in instructors from all over the world to teach a variety of fibre arts techniques including traditional and cutting edge innovations.

This scarf was completed by me during the workshop and is made of 100% wool from Japan and textured using a variety of techniques shared by Jean Cacicedo. The concept of the patterning and texturing of this fabric is based on the shrink ratio of the wool and can be applied to other fabrics as well. We used stitching, darting, applique, laminating, slashing, binding, to mention a few methods, of creating texture on cloth. Once the wool was 'fulled' or shrunk amazing things happened to the fabric: patterns and textures were revealed through the shrinkage of the cloth. As well, some felting occured and could be encouraged to varying degrees.

The following photos show some of the samples produced by the class:

Gift Giving through the Zodiac - Libra

This series of articles features ideas for zodiac inspired handmade gifts.

Libra - The Scales
23 September - 23 October

Archetypes: Lover, Peacemaker, Artist

Libra is the 7th sign of the zodiac and is associated with the qualities of the planet Venus. In the astrological chart (or wheel) of 12 houses it is the ruler of the 7th, the house of relationships and partnerships. Libra is an air sign and is symbolized by the scales or balance which is the only inanimate symbol amongst the zodiac signs. The sign of Libra arrives at the Fall Equinox, a time when day and night are equal. The scales represent the Libra native's drive for harmony, proportion and justice, and the need to keep a balance between the 'I' and the 'We'. This can sometimes lead to difficulties in making a decision because Libras do not like to takes sides.

Under the rulership of Venus, goddess of beauty and love, Libras are natural lovers and are also sensitive to aesthetic beauty. They relate to the world through a need for maintaining balance, harmony and serenity. From this perspective the Libra seeks perfection in the fine balance of opposites: male and female, light and dark, birth and death, old and young. It is the unique gift of this sign to see the beauty and tranquility in this unity of opposites.

People with a strong presence of Libra in their charts: Sun in Libra, Moon in Libra, Libra rising or other prominent influence in their astrology chart can have the following qualities:
charming, easy going, serene, indecisive, diplomatic, peace loving, passive, romantic, changeable, flirtatious, self-indulgent, sociable, idealistic, desire for balance and co-operation, untidy, frivolous, sentimental, generous, artistic

Gift ideas:




This incredibly lovely necklace made by Emily Gray Jewels shows such a fine sensitivity to the Libran spirit that I was'nt surprised to see in her Etsy profile that she is indeed a Libra herself. This breathtakingly beautiful grouping of gemstones, including opals, blue tourmaline, moonstone and white topaz pays perfect homage to the Venusian soul. Opal is a delicate stone which enhances visions and creativity. It has long been associated with love and passion. Tourmaline is used for protection and balancing the chakras, especially when making an important decision.
Looking through Emily's shop on Etsy I found that most of her pieces are infused with a beautiful understanding of harmony, beauty and form. Her colours reflect the Venusian resonance with light pinks, blues, pale greens and stones like the opal with it's gentle inner rainbows like the mother of pearl on the 'Venus' shell.

The lovely rose has long been associated with beauty and love and was known in ancient Rome as the flower of Venus, Goddess of Love. Roxana, whom I've featured before in this series, is the creator behind Illuminated Perfume. Rosa Botanical perfume contains a rose accord, a very fresh Rose Otto from Turkey and a deep, resonant Rose bourbonica absolute from India. Sweet smelling flowers like jasmine and roses fall under the rulership of Venus and are romantic fragrances, often used as aphrodisiacs. The rose is a symbol of heavenly perfection and earthly passion, a perfect balance of opposites.
Roxana's love for her environment and her philosophy behind the making of this organic and sustainable collection of perfumes are well worth reading in her Etsy profile here:
Illuminated Perfume profile

Red Bean Harvest

Yesterday afternoon I spent a few hours harvesting beans from my garden and shelling them for drying. The colours and textures of these red kidney beans were exquisite.

Detail - Coral in Diamond wool jacket

Detail of Coral in Diamond reconstructed wool jacket. Set in stitched and frayed cut outs are screen printed primitive rugose coral patterns in 'itajime' resist dyed squares. Covered buttons have been screenprinted by hand.