I used some hand died roving to start my process. I laid four alternating layers on the cookie sheet and heated water in the micro wave.

Hand died wool roving

I put some small pieces of yarn I had cut off in my weaving, to add spots of color in the felt. Once the water was hot enough, I added a little soap, put some on my hands and began to agitate the fiber. Using textured garden gloves really helped to bind the fibers together. The longer you move back and forth over the fibers, the better the fibers bind and makes a firmer piece of felt.

Felt vine

I could not get the little odds and ends of yarn to bind into the other fibers so I took them off and kept working the fibers with hot water and just a little soap. I wanted something that looked very organic, like a vine so I did some fiber into a felt rope. It was fun, I can see that it takes a lot of work to get just the right consistency for your project and there is a lot to learn but I really enjoy working with the fiber in this way.

I made the vine and some leaf/flowers. Here is the finished creation , I have it tied on a piece of bodark wood from our farm…

Angora Goats

After the shearing

Sorting the fiber

When we lived down in deep South Texas, there were a lot of sheep and goats, mostly goats. We had an opportunity to go out to the Rocking R Ranch when they were shearing the Angora goats. Jim took some great photographs of the process. There were a lot of goats to be sheared but the men and ladies doing the work really knew what they were doing, they worked very fast and the goats were in and out before they knew it, ready to grow new hair! Now the angora fiber is ready to be cleaned and used to make yarn.

Hand died fiber

Locks of fiber

"Winter Dreams"

I started working on this new fiber, spinning and adding other glitz and locks to it, I have spun about 1/6th of the fiber and filled my bobbin! This is called “Winter Dreams” it is in soft yellow, pink, lavender and blues with darker shades of gold and burgundy. Perfect for these cold wet winter days in Texas. I took the picture of the yarn wrapped on my niddy noddy, I just love the language of spinning and weaving, its like a whole new country. I have a warp on my loom currently that I am weaving art purses. I am using some of the yarns I am spinning as well as recycling blue jeans into strips and fabric.  Next I will start a new piece for a customer that will be an art scarf for the foot of her bed. I am very excited about starting that project!

"Winter Dreams" on niddy noddy

The fiber

Spinning the yarn

My new spinning wheel, the Lendrum DT is here and set up. I have already spun my first skein of yarn and now I am working on the second one. The pictures I posted are of the second skein on the wheel. The fiber is dyed in pinks, blues, yellows and orange, I am adding sparkle and textured pieces to the yarn. It is a great fun to create as you spin. Every inch is as different or the same as you want!

As I spin, I can see when my yarn has too little, too much or an acceptable amount of twist or energy in it. I love the feel of the fibers as they slide and twist between my fingers and feed onto the bobbin. The double treadle is smooth and comfortable to operate. This spinning wheel is a joy to use. I am having a wonderful time just spinning, add to that how  beautiful the yarn will be in my weaving and it is positively fantastic!

I am attaching some pictures of the first skein of yarn I made as it looks used in the weaving I currently have on my loom. Happy New 2011, what a great year to come.

I am going to make art yarns to use in my fiber work on the loom and in mixed media. “Art yarns” are a big change in the hand-spinning community. Unlike the conventional view of spinning, an art yarn is not just a component to a final material or garment. Its value lies not only in its balance, strength and consistency, but in its creativity and innovation. Like a painting, it is a one of a kind!

I look at spinning yarn like a creating a painting, the possibilities for subject matter, style, color scheme, design concept,  texture and meaning  are infinite. There are so many “things” to spin, from natural fibers from plants and animals to newspapers and plastic bags. You are only limited by your imagination!

Some of my yarns in my studio

Karen Rester Hand Woven Textile

Then you have us, a handful of artisans making cloth on hand looms, in home studios or small weaving businesses, who weave to be weaving, making wonderful pieces of art. Weaving is an art of the mind , the heart and the hand. It is a process I just love to do.

Karen Rester Hand Woven Textile

The enjoyment I get from choosing the yarns, warping the loom, weaving the art and then finishing each piece off is the best part, the creation of a wall hanging or a scarf is the end result of this creative experience. Like painting or collage, I enjoy the process, the road from A to B. Creating is the best kind of working, you can do it for hours on end and never get tired, it challenges the mind and the imagination.

Karen Rester Hand Woven Textile

Exhibit Poster

Last weekend was a flurry of artistic activities. We hung my exhibit “The Nature of Flowers”  at Texas Discovery Gardens Sunday before the opening on Monday the 22nd. After a ton of things to make it happen, Friday night was upon us, and the reception for the exhibit. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty nervous, flashbacks of a Christmas Caroling party Karen and I had as kids, where no one showed up, except our best friend, kept raising its ugly head.  All the worry was for nothing, it was a “fantabulous” night. There was such a great turn out, I meet so many wonderful people, all of whom really loved my work. So many of them said the paintings brought smiles to their faces, they truly made them happy. Exactly what I was hoping for, each piece has been my attempt to capture the beauty created by the Master Artist.  I had such wonderful support from my family and friends. My husband seemed to be everywhere, helping out, my son in law took pictures, my mom got everyone to sign the guest book. There are just not enough thank you’s to show my appreciation to my family for their support. I also appreciate everyone who came out, I meet so many nice people. Elsie and her daughter, Penelope and her Dad, Alma and her husband, and so many others. Thank each of you for braving the traffic to spend the evening visiting and viewing my art. Saturday morning I did a little painting and visiting in the Gallery. What a joy to share my work and get the added bonus of meeting and speaking with so many different folks.  Enjoy the photos from my week.

Sunny and Monarch

Great Food

A few of the wonderful people who came out

Elsie and Daughter

Great conversation

Saturday Demo Painting at the Gallery

You are Invited

It feels like Christmas! Having my work on exhibit in the Gallery at Texas Discovery Gardens is so amazing. I feel so very blessed to be able to intertwine my art with such a beautiful venue that supports our environment. My work will be on exhibition beginning March 22 and ending July 31, 2010. There will be an Opening Reception for the Exhibit on March 26th from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm at the Gallery. Texas Discovery Gardens’ 7.5 acres offer a wonderful diversity of garden styles and botanical collections. The Gardens feature native plants and plant species from other regions of the world that are adapted to the challenging climate and soils of North Texas. Plants are also selected for their benefits in providing habitat for native wildlife, including butterflies, bugs, and birds. You can also enjoy more than 15 native species of butterflies in the Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium, as well as many new tropical butterflies. They offer many fun, hands-on environmental education programs for children and adults. What a great place to spend a Saturday enjoying art, flowers, butterflies and fun!

To view more about the exhibit click on the following link: http://www.texasdiscoverygardens.org/upcoming_events.shtml

Almost finished

I have almost finished my piece “Zebra Longwing and Jatropha”. This is the piece I am doing for the Organic in the City event for Texas Discovery Gardens. I was able to get pictures of the Zebra Longwing and the Jatropha plant on one of my visits to the Butterfly House and Gardens at Texas Discovery Gardens. The Zebra Longwing is the mascot butterfly for Texas Discovery Gardens. It is actually a poisonous species due to the host plant it feeds on, they advertise this with their brilliant black and yellow- white markings. Slow but dignified, the Zebra Longwing is a weak flier. Long antennae and a slender body are typical of these butterflies, which are at home in the tropics, but can sometimes be found as far north as Kansas. According to Wikipedia, Jatropha is a genus of approximately 175 succulent plants, shrubs and trees, from the family Euphorbiaceae. The name is derived from (Greek iatros = physician and trophe = nutrition), hence the common name physic nut. Jatropha is native to Central America and has become naturalized in many tropical and subtropical areas, including India, Africa, and North America. As with many members of the family Euphorbiaceae, Jatropha contains compounds that are highly toxic. Below is a glimpse into the work in progress:

Filling in colorAbout 1/3 of the way

In the beginning

Sunflowers and Summer

This is a commissioned piece I just completed for a client. My client, who is the owner of Summer I, incurred some damage to that painting and wanted me to repaint the piece for them. I changed it up a bit and added some new elements. The bold red geraniums and the sun touched sunflowers are still present, but sitting amongst them is a delicate Cloudless Sulphur butterfly, perched atop a geranium; just taking in a few rays. This piece is 48″ x 48″, acrylic on 1 1/2 inch gallery wrapped canvas.