This page is here to show a history of topics as well as any resources that the presenters may have shared during their programs.
June 19, 2013
Program
Austin Lacemakers Guild
Members of the Austin Lacemakers Guild will join us to show off the lace they have made and share what they have learned about lacemaking. This group enjoys making and collecting all kinds of lace – netted, needle, bobbin, tatting, knitted, crochet, and more – and has members who can teach how to make lace, do lace identification and who know the basics of the history of lace.
The Lacemakers have been a chartered organization with IOLI (International Old Lacers) since 1984. They meet the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM at St. John’s Episcopal Church at the corner of Braker and Parkfield (11202 Parkfield Lane 78758 .
Recharge Zone
Mod Podge
In this session, we learned how to use the product “Mod Podge” to decorate containers, vases, boxes, whatever with scraps of papers, fabric and other decorative glue-ons.
May 15, 2013
Program
Tapestry Weaving
A Weaverly Path: the Tapestry Life of Silvia Heyden runs 62 minutes. The statement on the CD says:
Walking along the Eno River, I am fascinated by watching basic tapestry patterns become fluid in the water. Weaving is an art form in which movement back and forth is a constant, and tapestry weaving adds one element onto another in an intricate process. The river offers an amazing variety of dynamic forms and rhythms that are just waiting to be transformed into compositions. I visualize particular combinations of color and texture to bring my tapestries to life…
My tapestries are not paintings, They unfold on the loom within the possibilities and limitations of weaving. Once on the wall, my tapestries express their own identity in a woven composition.
– Sylvia Heyden
Recharge Zone
AFA Nametags
Diane Barney will inspire us to create name tags. She is printing our names and then we will have an opportunity to personalize them.
The time (5:30) and place (Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall) are the same.
April 17, 2013
Program
Beili Liu
Beili Liu is a multidisciplinary artist whose time and process based installations explore subjects of cultural specificity and overlaps, transient or persistent energy, and conflicting and confluent forces. Thread, paper, incense, wood, salt, water, these simple materials and compounds are the vehicles by which Beili Liu hand crafts microcosms of fragility and poignancy. By working on these everyday materials, Liu manipulates their intrinsic and bare qualities to extrapolate much more complex cultural narratives. Janet Koplos reviewed her works as being “materially simple but metaphorically rich” (Art in America Review, April 2009).
Recharge Zone
Band Weaving – Lori Bier
We will be playing around with yarn and doing a simple band weaving technique.
“Mary and I are exploring natural fibers… as in things we picked from the yard,
as fibers to incorporate into weavings. Let’s see what happens!”
Bring:
- Scissors
- twine & yarn scraps
- natural stuff- leaves, vines, flowers
March 20, 2013
Program
James Talbot
I want us all to expand our self-images, the importance of our art, and our ideas of why we feel so compelled to express ourselves, even while choosing what might be considered lowly materials and methods. I want us to think in terms of world change rather than mere decoration. It’s an area I struggle in all the time. We’re neither Hobbyists nor Professionals–we are Revolutionaries!
“I’m intrigued about what makes a place or thing magical, and what it is that puts us in touch with the divine. I’m committed to bringing beauty, healing, and greater awareness into our world; my work is the way in which I show my love. I succeed as an artist to the degree that the viewer is wonder-struck, enlivened or empowered in some way, or discovers that there is something more going on in our everyday world—more dimensions, more points of view, more delight—than was first suspected. Always more…”
Recharge Zone
Jean Dahlgren – Make a Furoshiki bag
Furoshiki is a cloth wrap used in Japan since the seventeenth century to carry items.
The technique for wrapping bags began in the eight century, where it was used to protect and carry garments.
It fell out of favor after WWII with the emergence of paper and plastic bags. When Japan’s economic boom waned in the 1990′s, people began to reflect on the disadvantages and waste of a disposable society. A movement was started in 2006 to encourage the use of Furoshiki instead of paper and plastic. Waste not, want not. Furoshiki comes in various sizes but always square.
Bring a square of fabric or fabrics, finished on the edges – bright patterned, graphic woven fabric in a mid weight.
Here are some sizes and ideas of what the bag might wrap:
Small wrap – 18″ to 24″ (paper back book, cell phone)
Medium wrap – 28″ to 30″ (a bottle of wine, hardcover book)
Large wrap – 36″ – 42″ (food packages, ipad, Kindle)
This is so easy and fast.
Carola Pfau will bring some ethnic textiles that could or would have been used for wrapping.
February 20, 2013
Program
Juliette KimesBecky Heye and Yvette Little
Information about the FASA Runway Show – and early ticket purchases
Recharge Zone
Love the Earth
We are carrying out the Valentine theme with several “Love the Earth” projects made from everyday things
that we will recycle. We can have our own “show and tell” at Recharge if you want to bring something that you have up-cycled recently. If you want to experience a burst of creativity come at 5:30 Please don’t buy anything for this and enjoy an hour with Cynthia Wilcox and Lydia Fiedler. Let’s go green this month
The time (5:30) and place (Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall) are the same.
January 16
Program
Andrea Brokenshire
Andrea Brokenshire (AMB Fiber Art and Design) is a national and international award winning quilt artist from Round Rock, Texas. Join Andrea as she shows her award winning quilts and her journey towards becoming an Art Quilter. It all started with Singer sewing lessons at the age 5 making apparel.
She made her first quilt in 1998 and quickly realized that her passion was appliqué. In 1999 she entered her first competition, and in 2007 had a creative “epiphany” of artistic expression. A
s a former biologist, she draws her inspiration from the natural world. She tries to express the essence of a flower with fabric. The curve of a petal, the vibrancy of color and the diversity of flora to her is sexy… beautiful.
The creative process is a journey as essential as breathing. An expression of self. She is a professed technique junkie always try to push herself to learn new skills. Come see how she combines and manipulates fabrics to create interest and depth in her pieces by using color, texture, and layering in her “Confetti” backgrounds juxtaposed with fused appliqué florals.
www.ambfiberartanddesign.com
Recharge Zone
Tyvek Card Organizer
Here is a fun way to organize your cards for the new year. You can make them very quickly and give them as gifts too. We will create these creative card holders out of painted tyvek at the Jan. Recharge at 5:30. We will use tyvek and acrylic paints, which you can bring for our stash. If you don’t have these supplies I will have plenty for everyone. The texture on this one was from a kitchen ricer tool. You could bring objects to stamp onto the paint if you like. I hope you will come for this. Its really fun and easy to do.
The time (5:30) and place (Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall) are the same.
December 19
Program
Holiday Party and Art Exchange
Optional: Finish something you’ve started but wasn’t going anywhere and/or start a new technique. Add up to $5 of new material, but the rest has to have been “lying around the studio” already. It’s a challenge to finish something!
Recharge Zone
No Recharge
There will be no Recharge Zone in December
The time (5:30) and place (Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall) are the same.
November 14
Program
A WEEK EARLY!!! Belly Dance Costuming: the Intersection of Fashion, Fiber Arts, and Full-Out Engineering!
Lorraine Bier started belly dance costuming by just needing a simple dance skirt and top and soon found herself hip deep in sequins, rhinestones and chiffon, wondering how it would all hold together while she was shakin’ it. Sewing for belly dance requires understanding tailoring and clothing construction, all types of fabric embellishments, costuming for rigorous activity, and the culture of the dance. Come to the November AFA meeting to learn about the costuming lessons, tricks and techniques that Lori learned the hard way.
Recharge Zone
Anne Beversdorf
This month’s Recharge Zone will be something a little different. AFA member, astrologer Anne Beversdorf, will lead us through activities that will help us understand how our astrological chart impacts the way we communicate with each other and with how we see, use, and value art and high-level craft. Be sure to bring your birth date (month, day and YEAR—though that part won’t be revealed to others.) And be prepared to MINGLE! You will be exposed to people whose approach is LIKE yours, and to others who couldn’t be more different—all within our own little group. Hopefully you’ll come away with ideas that may stretch the way you approach both art and life!
Anne Beversdorf has been a professional astrologer for 20 years, and has been a fiber lover almost three times that long.
The time (5:30) and place (Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall) are the same.
October 17
Program
DOUBLE FEATURE! What you need to know about AFA Communications, AND “Speed Date”
First, Rob Bartlett will share with us information about the primary communication resources for AFA. Many of us may not know about all the online “places to go” for AFA information or how to use them. Rob will show us where to go and give us some tips on how to effectively use AFA’s communication resources.
“Speed Dating” is a way for many members to quickly get to know a little about each other in a rapid-fire way. It is easy to always talk with members we already know, and also some of us are shy or find it difficult to meet people. This is a great way to encourage us to get to know (or at least meet) new people. By enforcing the 3 minutes, those of us who are shy or have anxiety about talking in a group have a more one-on-one way to share a little without being overwhelmed by being in the spotlight. First the facilitator gives everyone 3 minutes to think about what they would like to tell about themselves. Then the first 3 minutes starts. When the timer goes off (or the facilitator yells, “DONE”), everyone moves to the next person and starts over. About 30 minutes of that and everyone gets to meet and talk with at least ten “new” faces. Let’s learn about each other!
Recharge Zone
Earth and Art in Stacy Park
AFA has been asked to do some fiber art for the Earth and Art in Stacy Park, a dance celebration on Nov. 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. This is a great opportunity for us to create some environmental art. The space along Blum creek at Stacy Park is just perfect with lovely trees, meadows, rocks, and water.
We will create some leaves, troll type faces, and long dyed banners at the October Recharge by painting burlap and canvas with big brushes, paint rollers and latex paint. Wear old clothes and spray yourself with mosquito repellent. We will be outside. Bring some paint if you have some rich fall colors. (Pretend you live up north where the colors are so spectacular now.) We will have some containers of dye too.
If you can come early we will get started around 4:30 for extra time. We could use some heavy plastic too to lay down to protect the environment. We would love donations of paints, and dyes, long lengths of fabric to dye, brushes, buckets, and your wild imaginations.
Save this date and plan to come. There is some great energy going into the planning already and it’s so nice for AFA to be right in step with the dance artists.
The time (4:30 OCTOBER ONLY!!!) and place (Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall) are the same.
September 19
Program
Herb Morehead – 12 or 13 Easy Pieces in 45 Minutes or an Hour or Longer
Herb will present his hand-dyeing “12 or 13 Easy Pieces in 45 Minutes or an Hour or Longer” with finished pieces – dry or mostly dry ready to be washed. He will untie after demonstrating the tie and the dye, handing these out to the audience to touch. He will also bring trunks of articles to sell.
Herb started tie-dyeing t-shirts when he was in high school, and continued through early college years as a means of raising money for extra-curricular activities. Some years later when he started having children, he decided that the babies’ onesies looked just awful after a couple of feedings. You know how those baby foods just stain everything. So, he started tie-dyeing onesies. They were a big hit. After meeting Joy and finding out she is a quilter, Herb decided to try his hand at dyeing cottons and silks for quilters. Not only does he have cottons and silks, but he also tie-dyes tuxedo shirts, bamboo fiber socks, and silk scarves (and anything else he can get his hands on).
Recharge Zone
Creating Texture and Dimension With Cloth
Come learn how fabric can be altered to provide color, texture and dimension to your work. For this mini workshop, please bring scraps of fabric (fat quarter size), some type of light weight fusible (preferably Mistyfuse), scissors and Timtex or Peltex. Optional supplies include textiva and Angelina fibers, sheer fabrics, netting, tulle, acrylic felt, yarns and fibers.
Should be a fun exercise.
The time (5:30) and place (Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall) are the same.
August 15
Program
Barb Forrister – Applying Color and Design to Cloth
Have you ever found yourself in need of that elusive fabric? The truth is we CAN create our own unique, one of a kind, piece of cloth and it is much easier than we might think. Painting, dyeing and inking on cloth can be a lot of fun and the design process is quite rewarding. Lecture will include different ways to add both color and design by painting, dyeing, inking, stamping and stencilling on various mediums. This presentation will include a trunk show with examples of how to incorporate newly created cloth into finished pieces.
Recharge Zone
Lydia Fiedler – Paper Flowers
I’ll be teaching you to make a variety of 3D paper flowers, so if you are coming, please bring sharp, detailed paper scissors and a bone folder if you have one – if not, just bring yourself 
July 18
Program
Carolyn Skei to present comic/tragic overview of cloth
Cloth-related stories have fascinated Dallas area fiber artist Carolyn Skei for years, and on July 18, she will share a presentation that she has given to her Dallas guild and to the Fresno (Calif.) FiberArts Guild. “I was a member of that guild for many of the years that I lived in California,” she says. “When they invited me to come back and teach a workshop and present a program last year, the talk I most wanted to give was Comic Cloth, Tragic Cloth.”
Carolyn notes that we are all familiar with the comedic aspects of bustles, clown costumes and the like – and with the cloth-related tragedies of famous individuals like Isadora Duncan – but she was surprised at how rich the subject became once she started to explore it. “As I began working on the program, everyone I mentioned the subject to reminded me of images and stories in cloth that are both dramatic and funny. In some ways, the presentation is a walk down memory lane, and in other ways, audience members will learn things they have not known before.” She says she hopes AFA members will add ideas of their own at the end of the talk.
Carolyn has worked in a variety of art mediums over the years, concentrating recently on hand-dyed and painted fabrics and small art quilts. She retired from a long-time position as publications director at California State University, Fresno in 2000 and moved back to her native Texas. She is currently the editor of Neil Sperry’s Gardens magazine, and she serves on the board of the Dallas Area Fiber Artists. Her art web address is www.carolynskei.com.
Recharge Zone
Needle Felting
If you didn’t get totally recharged from the rain last night you might like to try a little needlefelting at Recharge before our next meeting on the 18th. If you have felting needles, foam and fleece bring it, otherwise I will have some. This activity will involve using our hands to neeldefelt not the embellishers. I’ll bring bandaids, but hopefully we won’t need them.
We will try our hands at 2 d. work including working into a cookie cutter and a little taste of 3 d. too. I have lots of samples. Bring yours too if you have some creations.
The time (5:30) and place (Holy Cross Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall) are the same.
June 20
Program
In 2005 Peggy Seeger saw a Guild of Bookworkers exhibition of artists’ books and traditional hand bound books. She fell hopelessly in love with the modern craft and the thousand year-old history of bookbinding. She now binds her handmade books to help continue this ancient craft, and to offer people a place to record the small and major observations and transformations in their lives. The blank journals and sketch books created are made using handmade paper and natural threads and are one of a kind. She currently works with compressed mica as cover material and for embellishments, and is also working on using eggshells to create mosaic like panels for book covers, among other interesting techniques. She sells her work each year at the Travis Heights Art Trail and also online through her website (www.persimmonpaperworks.com.) She has been teaching children’s classes for 3 years and this year taught an adult class for the first time on bookmaking. She will be coming to the Austin Fiber Artists June meeting to give a program on the process of bookmaking and will be discussing her learning and creative processes, how I she sells her books, and show examples of different book styles and structures.
Recharge Zone
Lori Bier – Wire and Glass Suncatchers
For this recharge zone, come play with fibers and scraps.
The scraps are glass but just as a clever quilter can use every piece of material,
you can use every last scrap of glass. (These have been tumbled for easy handling.)
Stitch the scraps of glass together with fibers that stay where you put them- wire!
Supplies are provided but bring small pliers and wire cutters if you have them.We’re talking small stuff- needlenose, little dikes for wire clipping- like what you’d use for florist’s wire.
May 16
Program
The May program will be all about the WSSA and AFA style show and sale! The Weavers and Spinners Society of Austin will be coming to speak as part of the committee with our group to share their thoughts and ideas on the show that will be taking place on September 29th @ the Balcones Country Club in Austin. The specifications and inspirations for the entries will be discussed and explored thoroughly during this program. We are thoroughly encouraging all of our members and potential members to accurately represent our group by entering a piece. During this time we will be seeing clips of a video from our sister organization, the Fiber Artists of San Antonio, chronicling their experience over the years with their highly successful style show. Afterwards, there will be a conversation about the direction envisioned for our show, including potential collaborations and design/media categories. The sale is not exclusively limited to garments and will include accessories such as hats, bags, purses, scarves etc., so invite anyone that might be interested in being involved in this opportunity. The meeting will be significant for everyone interested in participating, and ought to be engaging evening to confer on the potential of our 1st annual style show and sale.
Recharge Zone
AFA Promotional Tote Bags
The Challenge Group has been making personal shopping bags with something relating to AFA on them. These creative carry alls are going to be the highlight of the next Recharge demonatration in May. Be thinking of how you could make a bag to carry all those groceries in and promote our group all at the same time. BTW we upcycle. Hang on to your old bags and give them new life on the third Wednesday in May
April 18
Program
Monika Astera will be joining us to chronicle her inspiring journey of realizing her dream to create fun, fabulous, easy care clothing for women of all sizes. Over the last 27 years she has lived and created handmade wearable art pieces in some of the most beautiful places around the globe. She has assisted thousands of women from all over the US and all around the globe – including big name celebrities – to experiment and dress in innovative ways. Monika will talk about her approach in making women feel and look great through her flattering, casually elegant clothing and jewelry, and will also be demonstrating the effects that the colors, shapes and textures that we wear on our bodies have on the way we feel. Afterwards you can have fun trying things on and experiencing Monika’s approach to dressing.
So – get ready for a fun, fashion inspiring evening.
Recharge Zone
Sue Foss
Batik. Process, Color, Design
March 21
Program
In April 2009, Ann Meyer spent the month traveling miles to remote, mountainous, tribal villages researching textiles, costumes and ceremonial traditions of many different ethnic minority groups in the Guizhou and Yunnan Provinces of southern China. She visited villages to see the indigo plants, the dye vats, the ramie plant being harvested, separated, wound on spools ready for weaving and dyeing….. incredible hand embroidery work with brightly colored silk thread and silver foil used to embellish gorgeous costumes. She says of the journey: “It was an awesome experience to see the centuries old traditions still being practiced in today’s China.” Ann will be coming to speak to the Austin Fiber Artists about her travels and share some of her collection of Chinese textiles.
Recharge Zone
Quilling – Butterfly/Daisy, Rob Bartlett
The March Recharge Zone will be a hands-on demonstration of the art of quilling by Rob Bartlett. Participants will learn how to make the basic shapes and how to assemble some of them into a stylized butterfly and/or a daisy.
Materials List (you will need to bring or share the items in bold):
- 5×7 or larger card stock or stiff fabric (used for backing – plain or patterned, but something that won’t overpower the daisy or butterfly). Your origami photo album front cover would work.
- Scissors (I will provide paper strips, but you will cut them to different lengths)
- Round toothpicks – I will provide these (one with a slot cut in one end for each person) – used as quilling tools and for glue). If you have a quilling tool, bring that.
- Glue – Elmer’s works. I’ve also used Mod Podge. I have not tried quilling with glue sticks, though I have seen it done. I don’t know how well it holds.
- Paper strips (1/8 inch – I will provide this)
- Something to put glue in/on and rest the tools on (I use a plastic lid). A sheet of paper will work (I’ll provide this)
February 15
Program
Malissa Long uses fiber art as a medium to practice her techniques and is a founding member of the Austin Fiber Artists. She has been known to make dresses out of ties, jackets out of bottle caps, and recycle aluminum cans into embellishments for her pieces. All of her fabrics are recycled or sustainable; she is an eco-conscious designer. She loves creating work as well as helping other local designer by patterning, sampling, and even producing their collections. Malissa will be coming to speak to the Austin FIber Artists about her journey through the world of wearable art and fashion here in Austin.
Recharge Zone
Origami Photo Album, Dee Merrell
Materials List:
- 3 sheets of cardstock 12″ x 12″ – both sides will show. This is for the inside of the book, the pages will accordion out.
- 2 stiff tablet backs cut 6 ¼ x 6 ¼ (not as heavy as cardboard, but not flimsy either) (I will have cardboard )
- 1 yd of ribbon – no wider than 1 ½
- Book Cover: Either decorative paper 8 ¼ (2) Or fabric squares 8 ¼ (2)
- Double sided tape – I use Scotch 3M Permanent
- optional: If you have a bone folder (creaser) bring it, but not necessary to buy.
January 18
Program
Laurie Brainerd will be coming from the San Antonio area to speak to the Austin Fiber Artists group about the process of fine art quilts from beginning to completion. Laurie Brainerd is a full-time studio artist. She began creating art in 2005 after careers in corporate accounting and life
coaching. She has studied art at the Southwest School of Art and with Jane Dunnewold in her Art Cloth Mastery Program. Brainerd’s process begins with white cloth. She dyes the cloth in a painterly fashion and then stitches on it to create work rich in color, texture, and emotion. Brainerd has exhibited nationally; her work has been published in several books; and recently she completed a commission for the Baptist Health
System.
Recharge Zone
Diane Sandlin will be leading the recharge activity — working with Gelli plates. It’s a way to monoprint with imbedded designs using acrylic paints — on fabric, paper, notecards, etc. If anyone ever tried gel printing — you know, making the gel and chilling it until firm, then working quickly with paints and designs, all the while the gel disintegrated — well, this takes away the prep work and the disintegration piece of that process. For more information, go to www.gelliarts.com.
bring gloves to protect your hands and small pieces of cloth or papers that you’d like to use. In case you forget, not to worry– she will have extras.
Dec 14
Program
Holiday Party
Recharge Zone
N/A
November
Program
Jean Laman will be coming to give a presentation on her experience as the head of the Fibers department at Texas State University- San Marcos. Recently retired, she will be showing slides of and speaking on student work, as well as a personal career spanning over 30 years. This is sure to be a very enlightening program from a very unique and local perspective on the Fiber Arts! We are very excited to have her this month.
Recharge Zone
We will show how to make Artist’s Trading Cards at the recharge zone in November. We’ll have some supplies and two felters for participants to play on but they will need to bring:
- Embroidery needle
- Regular sewing needle
- Embroidery or regular thread
- Small scissors
- Embellishments of any type (buttons, trims, ribbons, etc.)(we’ll have some)
October
Program
Cobweb sale! Members and non-members alike will be coming together to clear our studio space and extra inventory to make room for new supplies and fiber habits. The idea behind the sale is to buy, sell, or trade for other artists’ raw materials, finished products, or anything in between. A good opportunity to get to know what the individual artists in our community actually do on a detailed basis, not to mention maybe even getting some early holiday shopping!
Recharge Zone
Shaving Cream Dyeing, hands-on by Jean Dahlgren
September
Program
Please note that we will be meeting in the Ministry Building this month. It is the solitary building in the back, some of you may have attended workshops there in the past. There is a sign in front of the building that says “The Retreat”.
Harriet Turner will be coming and doing a demo on various beading techniques including a 2 needle peyote technique. She will be bringing examples of unique applications that she has experienced, and will be talking about different ways to employ beading in many types of Fiber Art.
Recharge Zone
Zentangles led by Diane Barney, and as usual will start at 5:30 p.m. Zentangle or zendoodle is an easy to learn method of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns. She will describe and demonstrate how to draw a Zentangle from scratch, what materials are required, and also show you how to use the techniques imaginatively in your own work. You don’t have to be an artist to create these varied and complicated-looking doodles
August
Program
Attention! One-Time Location Change: Meeting will take place in the Butridge Gallery at the Dougherty Arts Center, as the AFA group show ‘United in Textiles’ will be installed there. Nina Mihm from the Dragonfly Gallery will be speaking about the selection process and current trends in art. The location is 1110 Barton Springs Road Austin, TX and the phone number is (512) 974-4000. Come see what our group has been up to!
Recharge Zone
Due to the location, there will be no recharge zone.
July 2011
Program
Mary Beard will be giving a talk on ‘crazy quilts’. She will be bringing pieces and speaking about various processes and techniques that she employs in her work.
Recharge Zone (5:30 – 6:30)
Meg will be talking about Kumihimo: Braiding.
There are lots of kinds of braids and lots of uses for them.
Come explore and enjoy some hands on efforts!