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"Crystalline" beaded neckpiece, completed December 2010

“Crystalline” was completed just hours before it was due in the gallery for the exhibition! I stayed up all night last Tuesday to get it finished in time (finished at 5 am, delivered to the gallery at 10 am!). I may have given up a night’s sleep to get it completed, but it was worth it as a number of viewers on Saturday said it was their favourite piece.

This neckpiece features pieces of natural quartz crystal, plus Japanese seed beads, cotton fabric, nylon beading thread and interfacing.

My inspiration for this piece was the structure of ice crystals, though in the end I didn’t get the chance to research the actual look of such crystals. So this is really my artistic interpretation of crystalline structures…

I’ve actually only used two kinds of seed beads in this piece – clear and frosted clear beads. The subtle colour changes are due to different colours of beading thread.

Some of my friends were rather surprised to see this piece as it is rather out of my usual colour style (in other words, not very strong or bright colours). But it is interesting to use colours that are different sometimes – I really enjoyed the challenge of keeping it subtle.

"Zippity Do-dad" - sculptural beaded piece, completed December 2010

This piece is made of cotton batik fabrics, Japanese seed beads, freshwater pearls, nylon beading thread and bright-coloured zippers.

My Zippity Do-dad took a good 3 months to complete, spread over a 6-month period. This piece was also the most problematic to create – I originally envisaged it as a flower-like structure with the beadwork panels/petals on the inside, and the zippers partially opened to allow the “petals” to hang out to show the beading. BUT…when I came to put it all together in this format it just looked awful!

So I quickly rethought the design and decided that the beading should be outermost, creating an organic shape. I had to make an armature out of wire to hold the curvaceous shape out nicely. This was then attached to the inside of the structure with a strip of fabric sewn over it – this was a really tricky procedure! I was so glad when this part was completed…

For as long as I can remember, I have loved things that seem to have surprises in them, so I placed some coloured feathers inside my Zippity Do-dad, so that when you look inside you get a nice surprise and also have the juxtaposition of soft feathery textures with the fabric and zipper textures.  Here’s a picture showing the view from the top:

"Zippity Do-dad" seen from above - showing the coloured feathers inside

The other feature of Zippity Do-dad is that there are 7 beaded panels, each created on different fabric to give a colour range from orange through greens to purple (my 3 favourite colours). I have been collecting zippers for years and was happy to discover I had just the right colours I needed for this piece. These bright zips are really hard to find nowadays.

"Zippity Do-dad" showing another side - different coloured panels

"Drift" - beaded textile art, 80 cm (W) x 43 cm (H). 2010

Although this little piece of textile art has previously been exhibited at a couple of quilt shows in 2010, I felt it was also very appropriate to include this piece in my part of the exhibition at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.

My brief to myself for this exhibition was to create items involving stitching beads onto fabric, given that the neckpiece that won me this opportunity last year was created in this way. So “Drift” definitely fits this brief.

I started with my original design layout, fusing the fabric elements of the design to the background fabric (using fusible webbing). I then worked in bead couching to create the beaded sections over parts of the design. It took many many hours (days/weeks/months…) to complete the beadwork.

The background is quilted using fairly free-form hand stitching (i.e. the sort of stitching that the quilt police would have conniptions over…ha ha..). I’ve used beautiful variegated silk threads for this. I just love these threads (from Kaaland Yarns in Queensland) – they are thicker than the sorts of threads most quilters would use, but I like that you can really see the thread in each stitch.

"Copper Splash" beaded neckpiece, completed 2010

This beaded neckpiece - “Copper Splash” – features two pieces of natural copper which have been treated to show both polished and oxidised sections, giving colour and shine to this neckpiece. These copper pieces were my initial inspiration for this piece.

It is one of the pieces currently on display at my part of the Art Award Winners’ exhibition at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery. At the opening last Saturday, one of my friends said he thought it looked rather like malachite, and I have to admit he is right! (though this likeness was not my intention..) I love that mineral too, probably because it is green (one of my fave colours)….

This piece combines bead embellishment (bead embroidery) onto silk fabric, with off-loom beadweaving techniques (primarily herringbone stitch). I have used a magnetic clasp – hidden by the beadwork. I’m a bit hooked on herringbone stitch at present. Such a versatile stitch!

"Eye Pod #1"

I have been mentally working on the design for this piece for about 4 years, but I only completed it in the middle of this year. It is one of 5 new pieces now being  exhibited in my part of the Goulburn Art Award winners’ exhibition at the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery in NSW, Australia.

“Eye Pod #1″ is quite a small piece – just 13 cm in length.

Sometimes the idea and name for a piece come almost simultaneously to me, and this was one such occasion. I am fond of puns and whimsy in general in my creations, and this one just came to me one day….at the time I didn’t own a “real” iPod (finally bought myself one last Christmas…), and I thought I’d have some fun with my little beaded pun… And I do really love to eat fresh peas! So my Eye Pod is based on the general shape of a pea pod, but I have used dolls’ eyes instead of peas. I do have a bit of a thing for dolls’ eyes in my work….

My methods include a few bead embellishment (bead embroidery) techniques, such as bead couching and peyote stitch beaded bezels. My particular way to construct my pieces involves stitching seed beads onto fabric which is backed with an extra heavy iron-on interfacing (sometimes called pelmet vilene). I make two halves – in mirror image of each other, and when one half has been beaded, the two are united, and the seamline is hidden by beading techniques of one sort or another.

It’s very time-consuming, but as I say to my students, “Beading is not a speed sport!” Except when I am under major deadline pressure to complete an item, I find my beading to be very relaxing and therapeutic – pretty much my meditation of choice.

Pendant showing peyote stitch beaded bezel, plus other beading techniques

Example of framed "Beaded Encrustation"

Example of framed "Beaded Encrustation"

Example of framed "Beaded Encrustation"

January 11 – 14, 2011 will see a small summer school delighting attendees in Moss Vale (in the southern highlands of NSW).

I am teaching a 4-day bead embellishment workshop at this summer school. My workshop is entitled “Beaded Encrustations”, and the aim of the workshop is to teach a multitude of bead embellishment (bead embroidery) techniques, taking participants from beginner level (or those with some experience) to intermediate level. All you need is the ability to use a needle and thread, and the desire to learn these beading techniques.

Many techniques will be covered in the 4 days, and participants will create some sample swatches plus work towards creating their own Beaded Encrustation using whichever of the techniques they want to include in their piece. This will then be placed in a small frame to complete the artwork.

Techniques covered are:

• bead couching
• beaded backstitch
• regular fringing
• branched fringing
• bead stacks
• peyote stitch beaded bezel around a cabochon
• ladder stitch – and how it can be used with textiles
• brick stitch – and  how it can be used with textiles
• herringbone stitch – and how it can be used with textiles
• maintaining good tension in the beadwork
• general information on beads, threads, fabrics, etc.

The cost is $495 for the 4 days (this includes morning tea, afternoon tea, and a light lunch – sandwiches). There is also a materials fee of $40 – this covers all your requirements other than the small frame for your Beaded Encrustation, but I will bring some small frames to sell if participants don’t have their own – these are very reasonably priced – around $3 to $5.

You can see more information, or obtain the enrolment form, from the following blog: http://highlandtextiles.wordpress.com/

But be quick – enrolments close on December 17, 2010.

L to R: my husband Zane, me, my Mum, my sister Kate  – we are standing behind the display case that houses my beadwork pieces.

Back in March 2009 I was stunned and delighted to be named joint winner of the 3D category of the Goulburn Art Award – run by the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery in NSW.

Since then I have been designing and creating my beaded artworks for the exhibition which is the prize for winning this award. The deadline pressure has built up to “almost off the scale” in recent weeks, but I finally completed the last of my pieces – a neckpiece entitled “Crystalline” – just 5 hours before it had to be delivered to the gallery…. I stayed up all night (not a wink of sleep..) to get it completed. It’s taken several days to recover from the lost sleep….so much harder to do this than when I was young….

The exhibition was officially opened last Saturday afternoon, and I was one very excited little giddy kipper, I can tell you!

I was one of 7 artists whose work is now on display at the gallery. Two of these artists were fellow winners at last year’s Goulburn Art Award (Tina Milson and Gayle Stockley). The other 4 artists have an exhibition entitled “Japanese Story” at the gallery concurrently with the art award exhibition. The artists are Kay Faulkner, Michael Le Grand, Lois Johnson and Nicola Moss. These 4 artists created works which are inspired by things Japanese.

All in all it is an incredibly eclectic spread of artworks, in several mediums. For those who wish to visit the gallery, the exhibition runs until the morning of December 22, 2010. The gallery’s hours are 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday, and 1 pm to 4 pm Saturdays. Their website is http://www.grag.com.au

As an adjunct to the Japanese Story exhibition, the gallery has a selection of items from my very own Astro Boy collection on display!

You can see me with my family in the photo above – we are standing behind the display case that houses my beaded pieces. I’ll post again soon with more details about the pieces I have in the exhibition.

I sell sets of weaving sticks for $16 per set, plus postage and handling. All sets come with written instructions, with colour pictures.

Stick weaving is a traditional technique. It is very quick and easy to do, and I absolutely love it! You don’t need much equipment either – just a set of weaving sticks and some yarn, plus scissors to cut the yarn. That’s it!

You can read more about stick weaving in my how-to article in the latest Down Under Textiles magazine (issue 2, released June 2010). I have some copies of this magazine for sale – they are $9.95 each, plus postage and handling. These magazines are not available in newsagents.

The magazine article also includes my project instructions for a cute clutch purse made with weaving sticks (you can see it in the centre of the photo above).

See my website for more information: http://chiatanyadesigns.com.au/stick-weaving/

Some time ago I posted info about my upcoming beading workshops to be held at my property in rural NSW.

I have since found out that the dates for the first weekend workshop are actually the ANZAC Day long weekend, so I have shifted the dates for Bead Embellishment Explorations 1: Brilliant Basics to Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd May, 2010.

See the Events page of my website for more details.

Maharajah's Fantasy Bloom

I have been working really hard over the last month to complete my latest artwork: “Maharajah’s Fantasy Bloom”. It is my contribution to the ATASDA travelling suitcase exhibition called Maharajah’s Garden, and even the suitcase has a name: Safron! Isn’t that fabulous.

ATASDA (Australian Textile Art and Surface Design Association) hasn’t had a travelling suitcase exhibition for a little while, and this is the first time I’ve made an artwork to include in one of these exhibitions, so I am very excited about it.

My piece took approximately 200 hours to complete, though this does include a small amount of time “wasted” on starting the process… Initially my design was for a needle-felted shape (as seen in the actual work pictured above) that was to be attached to a velvet background. But the needle-felted shape stretched a little too much to fit the maximum size constraints (60 cm x 40 cm) so I had to quickly change my procedure…

I just changed the focus of the needle-felted piece – instead of having  a needle-felted shape on a velvet background, I cut my design shape from the velvet, and made a large piece of needle-felted “fabric” to use as my background. The needle felting was done on a large sheet of Solvy (water-soluble stabiliser) which was washed out when the “fabric” was complete.

Once I had attached the velvet shape to the needle-felted background fabric, I attached heavy iron-on interfacing to the back of the felt, and then started beading around the velvet shape. This is the part that took the longest (beading is not a speed sport, after all..), but in the end I was happy with the result.

In the above detail photos, you can see the effect of the needle-felted background a little better. Needle felting (using a needle-felting machine – mine is a Janome) is fabulous fun. It is probably nearly as time-consuming as regular wet felting, but I love how you can build up interesting colour changes in any part of the needle felting that you desire.

I like to add my wool roving in small amounts, often just tiny wisps of wool, to build up the colours and add subtle colour shifts in different areas of the work. It takes time, but it is also a bit like magic, the way it all comes together. If you haven’t yet tried using a needle-felting machine, I can heartily recommend you have a go. They are so much fun!

I used just one bead embellishment technique on this piece: bead couching. I like to couch my beads very thoroughly to give them a really flat and smooth finish within the design. Some beaders will couch their line of beads only every 3-6 beads, but I couch in every space between beads along the whole line. Of course this takes longer, but I much prefer the result.

The Maharajah’s Garden travelling suitcase is available for groups, schools, guilds, or other interested people within Australia. Just go to the ATASDA website (http://www.atasda.org.au) to find out more. The cost is not high – mainly just postage of the suitcase on to its next destination after it leaves you. It even comes with a set of wonderful bunting flags to hang up around your display area to really add extra wow-factor to your display of the artworks from the suitcase.And every contributing artist has created an A3 sheet giving some information about their artwork, including instructions for one of the techniques they have used in their artwork. This makes the whole travelling suitcase a really wonderful resource for schools, or people interested in learning more about textile arts.

The travelling suitcase is available from late March 2010, and will be available to travel for two years. Book it now to make sure you don’t miss out. I’m sure you won’t be sorry!