Hello Fiber Friends.
After a long, flowery Spring in Georgia this year, the temperature has warmed to nearly boiling. But one of the hottest things around here and in the wider world is FIBER! Who would have thought it?
A few examples from the recent past and present:
In April, CBS Sunday Morning did a whole segment on royal embroideries at the court of Henry VIII. LOTS of people watch CBS Sunday Morning. The burning question was: Did Henry himself pick up needle and thread and actually stitch? The Royal School of Needlework is still investigating ...
The April 2011 issue of Marie Claire magazine, listed Magda Sayeg, the originator of yarn bombing, as the “girl crush” in their Bulletin section (page 122). No small feat to be noticed by this trendy magazine! www.magdasayeg.com. (There’s the yarn bombing in Atlanta, too.)
And then there was the Royal Wedding, with an estimated 23 million viewers in the U.S. What’s the fiber connection? The Royal School of Needlework was responsible for making the Carrickmacross lace used in Kate Middleton’s wedding gown. And this was publicized! Perhaps not every person heard about the lace, but many people did. And many out of 23 million (plus all those around the world) is a LOT of people.
In October 2011, Penguin Books, a huge mainstream publisher, will publish reprints of three classic books (The Secret Garden, Emma and The Black Stallion) with covers that are photos of imaginative embroideries designed to represent each book. The fiber artist is Jillian Tamaki, and her creations can be seen on her blog. The name carried by these special editions is “Penguin Threads”! How many young readers will see these?
At this very moment in Zebulon, GA, the amazing fiber art of our own member Denny Webster is at home on the walls of A Novel Experience, a wonderful indie bookstore on the main street of town. Her series of art quilts, “The Ladies,” is a group of women depicted as they “rethink” their lives. It is well worth the drive to Zebulon. The images, both funny and serious, will stay with you; great storytelling in fiber. More details on the website of A Novel Experience.
So hold your heads high, fiber people! Not only is SEFAA finding a wonderful new home in Atlanta, but the world is taking notice of fiber art.
Claudia
