This past Saturday (March 3rd) in Louisville Ky was Kentucky Crafted: The Market 2007.
We took some family and made it a party. Way too much to see in just one day!
I’ll briefly mention my favorite artist and good friend Jennifer Zingg, who creates fabulous art from all different types of gourds… really beautiful work.Definitely not the kind of stuff you’d hang outside on your porch as a birdhouse. (Be on the lookout soon for an entire post dedicated to her work.)
I was a bit worn out (read: “cranky”) after being on my feet all day, but I met several very inspiring artists, and gained renewed interest in teaching myself more about shibori techniques.
Laverne Zabielski, one of the exhibitors at the show, makes wearable art at her Monticello, Ky studio.
Walking through her booth exhibit, it’s hard not to reach out to each of the silky, vibrant fabrics. I spoke to her briefly about her process. I also made googley eyes at a simple yet stunning black gown on display, with its few accents of white, snake skin-like shibori.
In my favorite fashion book
Next, some new vocabulary words!
Itajime— a resist dyeing technique in which which cloth is folded into a bundle, held together by clamping with shaped pieces of wood (such as circles) and then dyed.
As with any shibori technique, the results can differ greatly, but I like this visual on the hems of this shirt, a piece by Angelina DeAntonis. The article about her wearables and amazing costumes can be found in Fiberarts Magazine.
Bomaki— I’ve heard it described as a technique which involves using a pole to wrap the scarf tightly, which is then bound with twine or string before applying the dyes. Although, I have seen other descriptions that involve sewing the fabric into a tube that fits the pole tightly, then scrunching it to create pleats. I have reason to believe that either description could qualify as fitting the definitions of bomaki…but when I give it a try, I will be using the second suggested technique.
The bomaki technique is one that I know I’ve seen at some of the textile sites that I visit. One of them is “Making Shibori Now” the blog of Karren K. Brito, who shares photographs of the work from her studio. I really love how these artists are using the fabric three-dimensionally… this is something that I might soon be interested in.
The blog of Shibori Girl is also a very visually rich and informative place to visit.