Silver Arts Award

I have recently become involved in doing the arts award for young people. It is a very broad term of the word art and you can choose a particular field to achieve your arts award in. I am choosing textile design. I met with Nick Neal today at Kings Lynn Arts Centre who suggested to go straight in at the silver award as it isn't much more to do than the bronze.  I have to say that this morning was a very positive experience and enjoyable, and I am thoroughly excited about getting going.

The Challenge


Within part 1 of the silver arts award  you must set yourself a challenge, which I have decided should be to use fleece in various ways to produce four finished pieces of fibre arts. I will felt  the fleece to make a wall hanging; spin the fleece into yarn, which I will then weave into a cushion, knit into a fashion scarf and crochet into a 3d bowl.  I also intend to use the resultant yarn, to make a braid to hang the wall hanging, and make dorset buttons to embellish the scarf and make earrings to match.  Finally I would like to make a woven flower, to sew onto the cushion.  I will spin different fleece and for the woven piece, will be white blue faced leicester fleece which is worstead spun for strength, then dyed once it is woven to make an individual piece.

My Action Plan

I have come up with an action plan of when it is all going to be completed and it the whole thing will be completed by the end of April to be moderated in May. My action plan is displayed below.

February- Spin and ply the red merino and silk blend (this will be used for knitting).  Make 1 large dorset button with the red merino and silk blend.  Start spinning white blue faced leicester fleece (get as much done as possible).

March- Finish spinning white fleece and spin "tutti fruiti" merino blend fleece. Make another large and 2 small dorset buttons from the red merino and silk blend. Use the small dorset buttons to make earrings. Crochet a bowl out of tutti frutti merino blend. Knit a thin fashion scarf out of red merino and silk blend. Sew on the 2 large dorset buttons to either end of the scarf.

April- Put the white warp on the loom. Weave a cushion, "Spot" dye the fabric. Make up the cushion and finish off. Make a felted wall hanging ( this will be done after wonderwool wales in April as there is some Finnish fleece I wish to purchase at the event). Make a braid to hang the felted wall hanging.

I then have 4 finished products:
A crocheted bowl out of tutti frutti merino blend handspun yarn
A woven cushion out of whiteblue faced leicester fleece that is then dyed
A felted Finnish fleece wall hanging with handmade braid
A knitted scarf with large dorset buttons on either end to match with dorset button earrings in the same yarn

Arts Events


I am attending a basketry exhibition at Sainsburys Centre of Visual Arts in Norwich next week. I shall do a review of the event after I have been. Watch this space!!!

Meghan

Introduction

Hello everyone.
My name is Meghan. I have several hobbies which include weaving/inkle weaving, spinning, dyeing and felting/needle felting. I also enjoy making dorset buttons and wire jewellery. I have a sewing machine which I enjoy playing with from time to time and I am thinking of looking more into making clothes. I love designing anything I can think of in note books and have designed a couple of items of clothing to make on a sewing machine. This blog will be all about the hobbies mentioned above and any ideas I have along the way I shall let you know of.
Nice talking to you
Meghan