Contemporary basketry
Making a basket is probably the oldest weaving method that goes back thousands of years. Young branches and strong grasses were used to make small handy baskets for hunting, fishing, carrying, and More »
Fabrics for Fashion: Part 1
Without fabric there would be no fashion. Whether woven, knitted, printed, embroidered or bejewelled, textiles are crucial to the eloquence of apparel and fundamental to the fashion design process. We are presenting More »
Rosalind Wyatt: Text and Textile
The versatility of textiles and the wide spectrum of usage of fabrics and threads are enormous. Rosalind Wyatt, London based visual artist and calligrapher is well aware of it and use it More »
Paulina Bartnik’s embroidered brooches
Paulina Bartnik is a Polish textile artist based in Lublin. Her work amazes equally art lovers, textile crafters and bird enthusiasts. She creates beautifully detailed bird brooches using techniques of needle felting and More »
“Moments” by William Hoffman
William Hoffman is a 23 year old filmmaker living in Brooklyn, New York. He’s interested in fiction and nonfiction — but mostly the space in between. To learn more about Will, visit his website at http://www.anyoneeverything.com. For more information on his current projects and collection of short films, visit his production company ~ Everynone at (www.everynone.com).
17th European Patchwork Meeting
17th European Patchwork Meeting will be organized 15th – 18th Septembre in Ste Marie-aux-Mines (Alsace, France). On the show the visitors will see a selection of more than 1000 antique, traditional and contemporary works of textile art, from all over the world.
This edition is dedicated in remembrance of the Austrian artist Greti Raffeiner, member of the quinTEXsenz group, invited this year for the presentation of their exhibition in which she had participated. Unfortunatelly she died unexpected during last February, and everyone who knew her and her work will miss her kondness, sense of humor and an extraordinary talent.
Moneygami Turns Money to Art
Origami (ori meaning “folding”, and kami meaning “paper”; kami changes to gami due to rendaku) is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD at the latest and was popularized outside Japan in the mid-1900s.
Moneygami is origami made from banknote; the subtle genius lies in the way the artist incorporates the prints on the money bills into the facial characteristics of the finished figures.
How to Date the Quilt?
One important part of appraising a quilt or any textile is accurate dating. Sometimes there is no doubt of the date, because the maker embriodered it onto the quilt or wrote it somewhereon the back in indelible ink. Sometimes a quilt was so obviously designed for a special occasions – such as the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago – that its date can be easily ascertained.
Most of the quilts that are available for collecting were made in the 19th and 20th centuries, although it is possible to find an earlier treasure for sale or maybe even in your own attic. However, unless there is a direct connection to the maker, the dating of quilts is not precise science. It is more like a mixture of detective work and educated guessing.
Chinese Contemporary Glass
Boshan Huajun Glass Crafts Factory was established in 1999 and situated in Boshan, Zibo, Shandong, China, where is the biggest production bases of Chinese glass crafts. Our main products are all kinds of glass handblown crafts, like glass paperweights, glass figurines, glass candle holders, glass vases, glass platters, glass perfume bottles, glass pendants and many kind of glass decorations.
Their products are made by traditional techniques combined with modern design. The various designs of glass crafts are limitless. They depend upon the creativity and skills of the makers.The products are made by hand, every product is unique in view, so they are also worthwhile for collection.
The Story of the Shawl
Many people are unaware of the rich heritage behind the shawl.This piece of clothing or understand what is the shawl. Shawls have been used worldwide and in different cultures with different purposes, from decorations for religious purposes.
People in modern times been used for decades as the shawl both fashionable and functional for several purposes. The shawl and again the waves on the fashion industry as a costume accessory and elegant or stylish dresses. Besides this, there was always shawls features because they can be used to cover the head, neck and face as a protection against the elements or a heat source.
Photography: Rodney Smith
“Since my photographic beginnings, I have always photographed people with hats, Welsh farmers with their tweed caps, French farmers with their berets, Americans with their fedoras, etc. It was always a small gesture to distinguish one region from another.
As time went on and my subjects became different I never abandoned the love of the hat. It is not that I grew up with people wearing them. My adolescence was during the Kennedy years when the hat was being discarded for youthful vigor, and a display of as much hair as possible. The Beatles seemed to begin the end of the hat.”
Rodney Smith
The Royal Worcester Fruit Painted Porcelain
In 1751, the first Worcester Porcelaine factory was founded by a group of 15 men, headed by Dr. John Wall, an eminent physician. Dr. Wall and his partners developed their method for producing porcelain and then persuaded a group of 13 local businessmen to back their discovery with an investment in a new factory at Warmstry House. The secret of porcelain production was to be the property of the shareholders and each agreed to a penalty of 4000 pounds should they disclose knowledge of the secret to anyone. The original partnership deeds are still housed in the Worcester Museum.
The Art of Making Wooden Bowls
Wood vases for silk or dried flowers, wood vases with water tubes for fresh flowers or purly decorative wood vases to add interest to any home decor. And decorative handmade wooden bowls for a variety of purposes.
By combining different types of wood, you can acheive natural color contrast and beautiful, unusual patterns. The standard types of wood include Oak, Walnut, Maple, Hickory, Ash & Cherry. Each has its unique color characteristics. Very precise cutting & gluing is required to acheive the desired effect.
The Batik – A Bit of Theory and Practice
Batik is a resist method of patterning cloth. The principle of all resist techniques is that a “resist” substance, such as wax or starch paste, is applied to the surface of the cloth to prevent the dye from penetrating to those areas when the fabric is placed in the dyebath. Therefore, when the waxed cloth is removed from the dyebath the areas that have been coated with wax retain their original colour, while the unwaxed areas take on a new hue.
Some theories suggest that batik originated in China between 474BC and 221BC and that the art then spread eastward to Japan. Today, batik is practised in many parts of the world, including India, Africa, South-East Asia and Europe. However, one island, Java, is at the heart of batik design. Javanese batiks have come to be regarded as among the most beautiful and sought-after pieces in the world.
