>How to price one’s artwork is often a dilemma….but not to fiber artist, Lisa Call. Lisa explains her pricing structure, her basic formulas, considerations and variances in this very helpful article, “Pricing Revisited.”

>Fair Postponed, Exhibition is on!
The Textile & Fiber Art Fair in Iowa has been postponed till 2010. The Fair, has been impacted by the economy as have others. But good news! Several of our fiber artisans will be displaying their beautiful works and the exhibition will hang throughout July. The Fiber Art Exhibition will open on Saturday, July 11th at the Fisher Art Center in Marshalltown, IA. The regional representative of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) will participate as planned and be on hand July 11th. SAQA will have an informational booth and display art quilts created by members.

>Bloggers Team Up! Fiber artists are finding blogging to be a great marketing tool and even more effective for a group. Two such groups have launched interesting and informative blogs to promote the work of their members. “Fiber Arts Options” showcases the work of five artists, all working in varying mediums, who live in the Charlotte, NC area. The “Fiber Artists Coalition” is based in the Midwest and states their goal “is to exhibit their work.” This group of fiber artisans are creating a traveling exhibit called Midwest Meditations which will open July 2010 in Bloomington, IL.

Some time ago I wrote a post, “Giving Fiber a Grade,” in which I spoke of the extreme importance of grading and sorting raw fiber before processing to achieve the best possible end product. Some readers will remember that I feel quite strongly that if one is going to raise fiber bearing livestock, then one should educate oneself about fiber. Makes for a more successful business.

I thus offer congratulations to my good friend, Jeanette Campbell, owner with her husband of Alpacas at Willowbrook Farm. Jeanette has been diligently studying over the past three years or so with one of the alpaca industry’s finest and most knowledgeable fiber technicians, Ruth Elvestad.  She had completed her studies, internship and passed the finals with flying colors indeed. Jeanette Campbell is now officially a “Camelid Fibre Certified Sorter.”

I add that application of this knowledge extends to herd management as it relates to breeding selection, nutrition, and care of the alpacas to ensure the best fiber production possible. It certainly shows in Jeanette and Jim Campbell’s alpaca herd at Alpacas of Willowbrook Farm.

Here’s what Jeanette has to say about her experience:

“The first rung on the ladder to achieving certification as a Camelid Fiber Sorter was the Basic Farm Sorter course taught by fiber guru Ruth Elvestad. A two day intensive, hands on course learning about camelid fiber, this course is designed to teach about on-farm fiber preparation prior to sending fiber to a co-op, to mills or to hand spinners for processing.

In addition to this basic course, the prerequisite for taking the 4 day sorter course at Olds College in Canada, is a working knowledge of fiber such as knitting, spinning, weaving or shearing.

This intense, structured workshop, again taught by Ruth Elvestad, consisted of theory and hands-on components as well as visits to working mills. A written and practical test completed the weekend. Course participants then had a 24 month period in which to farm sort and grade 200 Huacaya fleeces and 25 Suri fleeces, before submitting a further 25 Huacaya and 10 Suri individually assessed and recorded fleeces for final examination and grading. The course and certification is accredited by Olds College School of Innovation in Alberta, Canada.

This has been a wonderful experience working with a huge variety of fleeces and helping other alpaca breeders get the best end product from their yearly clip. Learning the benefits of sorting behind the shearer rather than ‘out of the bag’ has also been invaluable.”

Textile & Fiber Arts Fair, July 11, 2009 in Marshalltown, Iowa

The 2009 Textile and Fiber Arts Fair features booths with fiber artisans, information center hosted by SAQA, and classes. Free admission and door prizes too!  Three terrific classes are offered at the fair and space is available, so sign up now!

Painted Image
Instructor: Rebecca Kemble, textile artist
9:30-3:30 PM

Wondering how to paint an image without changing the hand of the fabric, so you can stitch into it with ease? This class is designed to teach the technique of painting using MX Procion dyes. Learn how to successfully draw your image on fabric, shading, highlighting, and how to prevent the dye from bleeding. There will be a supply fee for materials provided by the instructor. More info and registration here

Truck Show and Demo Class
Instructor: Janet Pittman, fiber artisan, teacher & author
9:30 am to 11:30 am

Janet takes many of her appliqué inspirations directly from her garden and finds wonderful ways to sew them into quilts. See a trunk show of more than 25 quilts and a demonstration of easy appliqué techniques and stitched embellishments to end up with beautiful flowers that look like you just picked them! For the kids on your list she will show several nap quilts appliquéd with motifs from farm animals to fuzzy wuzzy.  Click here for registration and more info.

Fall Maple Leaf Demo
Instructor: Ilene Bartos, fiber artisan, instructor and author
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Students will have the opportunity to learn and see demonstrated a variety of fun techniques, including:  raw edged applique, zigzag quilting, satin stitch, foiling and beading.  The wonderful  maple leaf, pictured here,  is finished with these techniques.  It has a copper hanger that sets it off and adds distinction.  Come to a demo and learn the techniques needed to make this special leaf.  Kits will be available for purchase. Click here for more info and registration.

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Bonnie Tarses

Bonnie Tarses, well known weaver of great expertise is offering her Color Horoscope Weaving course at Golden Gate Fiber Institute in San Francisco, CA.   Date is July 27-August 2nd.

Workshop Description: Come join in the discovery of a unique method of color
blending developed by Bonnie over the past 30 years as displayed in a
spectacular array of examples. Each student learns to translate a horoscope
into a color draft, and then observes as the 12 colors of the spectrum
multiply into myriad bands of color too numerous to imagine. Each dazzling
warp becomes a personal rainbow.

Learn to translate a horoscope into a warping
draft. Gain ease with color/yarn selection and combining. Discover how to
use a warping board or reel as a design tool. Weave a magnificent unique
cloth. Overcome fear of color. Be inspired. Create a foundation for
designing many future weaving projects.

More info and registration - click here

New, diverse art at the White House. President Obama is changing lots of things, including the art displayed in the White House. Jeanne Williamson reports on her blog about the President and First Lady bringing a more representational art collection to the White House that includes American artists of African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and women. Jeanne also wonders, too, if there will be any fiber art included in the new collection? Shall we lobby?

Janet Lasher

Learn to embellish with beads in online class. Fiber artist, Janet Lasher, will be teaching online her class, “Textural Beading and Embellishment Workshop” at Joggles.com. In the six weeks, you will begin with the basics of beading embellishments and create a collection of small samplers. The workshop will include all the techniques to finish the final project, which is the awesome and beautiful figure display on Janet’s blog. Introduction to Textural Beading and Embellishment, starts June 10, and costs $60 for six lessons. Visit www.joggles.com for details on the class.

Photographing your work and doing it well is so very important. Sue Smith, who blogs under the name “Ancient Artist,” has a helpful piece to help you take good product shots for use on the web and more. You’ll find some practical advice and in layman’s terms too.

The Textile & Fiber Art Fair’s organizers are pleased to announce that the regional representative of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) will participate in the Fair July 11th in Marshalltown, Iowa. SAQA will have an informational booth and display art quilts created by members. The Iowa-Minnesota SAQA Representative will be available to answer queries about art quilts and the organization too.

SAQA is a non-profit international organization founded in 1989 by an initial group of 50 artists, and now boasts over 2,400 members worldwide: artists, teachers, collectors, gallery owners, museum curators and corporate sponsors. The mission of SAQA is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development and documentation.

SAQA defines an art quilt as a contemporary artwork exploring and expressing aesthetic concerns common to the whole range of visual arts: painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, assemblage and sculpture, which retains, through materials or technique, a clear relationship to the folk art quilt from which it descends.

Iowa and Minnesota have many members of SAQA, accomplished artisans in quilt and fiber art. The presence of SAQA at the Textile & Art Fair provides a great opportunity for artists to learn more about fiber art and about the educational and professional benefits available to members.

The Textile & Fiber Art Fair is July 11th, 9 am - 4 pm at the Fisher Art Center in Marshalltown, Iowa. There are a few booth spaces available — it’s not too late! Applications accepted through this week and the form can be found on the website.

Weavers, spinners, knitters, and other fiber artists from across the country will converge on Grinnell College for the Midwest Weavers’ Conference, “In the HEARTland”, June 25–27. Sponsored by the Iowa Federation of Handweavers and Spinners, the conference will offer seminars and workshops, a large vendors’ hall, several exhibits, and a fashion show. The keynote address will be given by Madelyn van der Hoogt, editor of Handwoven.

The vendors’ hall, which is open to the public from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm each day, will offer a large array of yarns, looms, spinning wheels, fiber, and books related to fiber arts.Among the workshops and seminars offered by nationally recognized instructors and regional fiber artists are classes on spinning with silk, tapestry weaving, netting with shuttle and gauge, Japanese braiding, needle-felting scarves, weaving with kids, knitting with unspun fibers, and natural dye plants.

Exhibits will feature the work of individual members and instructors, group exhibits mounted by local guilds from across the Midwest, and a display of work by Iowa Federation members. In addition, the Faulconer Gallery at Grinnell is showing “Small Expressions 2009,” an exhibition of small-scale fiber art sponsored by the Handweavers Guild of America.

For additional information, a full listing of classes, and registration details visit www.heartland2009.org

Pollination Project is a interesting new endeavor in Nova Scotia that combines how we live, work, create, sustain ourselves in society today. Fiber as in creating, production, and expression is included.

“Pollination Project is an education and development centre situated on a stunning 250 acre site of woods, lakes, rivers and organic gardens on the South Shore of Nova Scotia where we welcome groups and individuals through workshops, seminars and residential fellowships, to explore the inherent connections between healthy food, artistic expression, mindful practices and just society. “

The founders, Camelia Frieberg and Peter Biro, both believe that a sustainable and better society is accomplished through respect for the earth, healthier lifestyles and artistic expression and creative functionality.

There are some excellent fiber classes offered at Pollination Project. One that I find especially relevant and useful is “Fibre Foundation: Your Animal and You.” This class is for those wishing to raise fibre producing livestock, selecting the right breed, husbandry for the best end product, then what to do with the fiber clip, as in skilled processing.

Visit the Pollination Project site and learn more.

While in New York, I visited the American Folk Art Museum that currently has an exhibition of Paula Nadelstern’s Kaleidoscope Quilts. This is the first time the museum has showcased the work of an individual contemporary quilt artist. The guard had to keep telling the obvious fiber and quilt artists visiting the exhibit to step back as everyone was peering closely to see the intricate, incredible design of Nadelstern’s art work. If you are in NY, or going to be, be sure to see this exhibition. If not visit the Museum’s site to learn more about Paula Nadelstern’s art work.

The Textile & Fiber Art Fair has a new website with info about artists, fair booths and classes.  Visit the website to find an update on fiber arts technique classes to be held on July 11 during the Fair at the Fisher Arts Center in Marshalltown, IA. The application for fiber artists wanting a booth is also available. To date, we have several excellent, talented fiber artists who have applied, but we do have a few spaces left. Classes will be taught by Rebecca Kemble, Ilene Bartos and Janet Pittman.

Quilting Weekly is a new website that offers home-study quilting courses. There are several courses now available on QW, a great new site developed by Chris Dahl. Chris is a Midwesterner, a most accomplished quilter and teacher for many years. QW is a friendly site, easy to navigate offering tips, some free mini-lessons and more.

Olds College in Alberta, Canada is offering a certification course in “Camelid Fibre Sorter & Classer.” If you raise and breed alpacas or llamas, consider taking this course, most particularly the first in the series, “Basic Farm Sorter.” The success of your alpaca business is dependent on the quality of your fiber production. What you learn in this class will help your breeding program, sales of both alpacas and fiber and your overall husbandry.

Ruth Elvestad, herself a certified fiber technician in Canada, and alpaca show judge is the instructor for this certification course, which is institutionally approved and backed by Olds College.

Markets form in the here and now most often. Things can rapidly change a market–Mother Nature, a hot competitor, technology and most certainly, demand. The impact is real and harsh for the lower echelon of the system.

Peru has long been king when it comes to alpaca fiber, just a few years ago exporting 6500 tons, earning $50 million or more. For generations, the indigenous Peruvian herders and their families, “alpaqueros,” have raised a very large portion of the alpacas in isolated regions of the Andes. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization, there are an estimated 65000 alpaquero families. They see very little of the millions of dollars earned by those at the end of the production chain in Peru.

The alpaqueros never deal with the large processing mills, but only with the small scale traders who are part of the long standing system in Peru.  For many years the traders have bought the alpaqueros’ alpaca fiber on the basis of weight, not quality. Thus, there is no incentive to improve the fineness or other valued characteristics through improved breeding programs.

Markets change though. The International textile market has increasingly sought finer, high quality alpaca fiber. Australia and New Zealand began to supply a larger and larger share of the demand, having instituted practices that produced good quality. Peru’s market share deceased.

To help Peru regain a competitive stance in the world market for alpaca fiber, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), initiated a program to bring together the government, fiber processing mills and the alpaca producers to develop solutions and workable programs to bring up the quality of the alpaca fiber production in Peru to meet market demand. One objective also was to provide the alpaqueros premium prices for higher quality fiber. Progress to date is slow and very shaky as each segment of the market guards it’s own turf.

The hardest hit are the indigenous alpaqueros. For years, they produced according to the market demand, ie  the middle man’s buying criteria. Even if good breeding programs become universal in Peru, it will take many years to bring the alpaca fiber quality up to the standard required in the existing and future market place.

For more on this situation, read the FAO’s report.