2022 HGB Show & Sale Showcase


“I make things because I must.”

Helen Davis – Artist Statement

The 2022 Juried Showcase is dedicated to longtime HGB member Helen Davis in recognition of her significant lifetime contributions to the fiber arts and generous support of the Handweavers Guild of Boulder.

The Showcase theme “I make things because I must.” allows the artist creativity to run the gamut and share those things they make because they must!

Click here to learn more about Helen Davis from a DU Magazine article

Juror: Judy Steinkoenig
2022 Showcase Manager: Sue Hintz-Siegrist

Juror’s Choice Award

Deborah Davis
Violet Descending

Artist Statement: This tapestry, “Violet Descending”, is a postcard moment. While visiting Peaks Island, Maine, I witnessed one of their spectacular sunsets and wanted to capture a vertical slice of the vibrant, dynamic evening sky. Sitting on the deck of my in-law’s home, watching the night descend over the water, being with these special people in this special place, during a very special time, I had to hold on to the moment. I had to weave a tapestry. I don’t know why, it’s just what I do. When I weave tapestry, my mind quiets and is completely intent on building an image that captures the colors, movement and light of the natural world, and what I am feeling about the subject causes the tapestry as I weave it to evolve away from the original resource (a snapshot here), deepening the colors, exaggerating a line, adding pattern or repetition of elements. Not knowing how the colors, shapes and lines will work together until the actual weaving and image building happens is magical.

Materials and Techniques: Handwoven tapestry on a vertical loom wool weft, cotton seine warp

15″ x 31″

People’s Choice Award

Beth Fowler
Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot and a Splash of Chardonnay

Artist Statement: When Covid and retirement coincided, the drive to explore my creative side in new ways took wings. I had been sewing steadily for years, but my old loom spent most of that time in the closet. I had always dreamed of weaving my own fabric and sewing a jacket. So why not give it a try? After a few warping refreshers and pattern experiments, I set off to weave a gradient design and see what would happen. I received some sage advice on garment construction using handwovens from Liz Spear in a HGB workshop. This kimono style jacket is the happy result. P.S. Some wine in various vintages also helped make it happen.

Materials and Techniques: 8/2 tencel in varying shades of purple, red, orange, and gold. Handmade silk piping. Crone Art one-of-a-kind button.

36″ x 29″

Jeanne Abel
Circling St John’s Wrap in Hikoo Concentric

Artist Statement: The St John’s Knot has always caught my eye. It is sometimes referred to as the “pretzel knot”.  Tying it into a straight scarf is really attractive and elegant, but to knit it into a scarf (or wrap) in the round in one piece … that was the challenge.

After casting on a bunch of stitches onto your LONG circular knitting needle and BEFORE joining, you actually tie a knot in your knitting needle, arrange your stitches just so and then begin working in the round. It must be correct from the very beginning or it doesn’t work (ask me how I know!).

Many of my design incorporate twists and turns. By far, this one was the most challenging. It is so intriguing … and for some, mind-bending (or maybe mind-knotting)!

Materials and Technique: 440 yards of Hikoo Concentric (100% Baby Alpaca) 7mm (#10.75) needles

24″ x 24″

Jeanne Abel
Zamia Poncholette in Whispirit


Artist Statement: I saw this lace stitch knitted into a garment in a shop in 2015. After searching and searching for instructions for it (or anything like it) in books, online and everywhere else I could think of, I gave up searching, bought the garment (I’ve never worn it) and decided to figure it out for myself. I worked on charting it off and on over several years finally figuring it out last fall.  I fell in love with it all over again!

The lace just spoke to me. I love the leaves, how they interact and the boldness of it.  It wanted to be elegant but wearable. The shape of a short poncho (poncholette) kept popping into my head and won the battle … and here it is! (Don’t miss the beaded, tubular cast-on.)

Materials and Technique: 425 yards of Whispirit 2-ply (50% Alpaca, 30% Merino, 20% Bamboo) 4.5mm (#7) needles
Seed beads for the tubular Cast-on edge “Zamia” lace pattern (I named this after the leaf pattern on the ZZ plant … Zamioculcas zamiifolia)

33″ x 13″

Mary Balzer
I Could Drink A Case of You—Joni Mitchell, 1971

Artist Statement: Keep my hands busy;
Feel wonderful fibers through my fingers;
Weave a vessel to hold my thoughts;
Make fiber art to gift my friends;
Re-use and up-cycle materials;
Share knowledge with others;
Meditate on love & the meaning of life;
Explore shapes and design;
Enjoy colors of natural and dyed fibers;
Utilize my loom and other fiber art tools;
Appreciate the history of fiber art;
Remember my heritage;
Learn new techniques and arts;
Try to heal my grieving heart.

This fun and funky piece of coiled wine bottles was inspired by the great Joni Mitchell’s life and career, and mostly her famous song “A Case of You”. The song is from her seminal 1971 album “Blue”. It is filled with lyrics of double meaning and innuendo and is thought to be a love song to Graham Nash. I completed one bottle a month; it took exactly a year to weave the whole case

Materials and Technique: The coiled bottles are variously woven of wool, silk, viscose, metallic, or cotton over FiberFlex. Corks with wood, varying embellishments or glass tops. The case is a painted wine shipping box insert.

18″ x 12″ x 14″

Elizabeth Berger
This Is Happiness!

Artist Statement: Happiness felt in nature,
Translated with thread onto linen,
To be shared with all.
Sharing happiness is a MUST!

I make things because I must……share the simple truth of nature’s path to Happiness!

This hand-stitched embroidery piece is based on a photo I took while on a spectacular spring wildflower hike with a friend in Crested Butte. It took five months to complete. The framing was designed and completed at Mary Williams Fine Arts in Boulder.
Materials and Techniques: Handstitched embroidery on Irish linen.

14.5″ x 19.5″

Mary Biefel
Buffalo Blanket

Artist Statement: I make things because I must!

Six years ago I came to the weaving studio of Annette Graener, the Buffalo Weaver.
I came to help my friend with her weaving during a time of need and I stayed.
The buffalo had me hooked…down to my inner fiber.
I must honor the traditions Annette has taught me.
I make things because I must…because the buffalo is so beautiful and warm, and to honor the memory of my dear friend Annette Greaner.

Materials and Techniques: Yarn with 50% bison and 50% alpaca, accent tarns in wool and polyester

67″ x 44″

Mary Biefel
Buffalo Woven Vest

Artist Statement: I make things because I must!

Six years ago I came to the weaving studio of Annette Graener, the Buffalo Weaver.
I came to help my friend with her weaving during a time of need and I stayed.
The buffalo had me hooked…down to my inner fiber.
I must honor the traditions Annette has taught me.
I make things because I must…because the buffalo is so beautiful and warm, and to honor the memory of my dear friend Annette Greaner.

Materials and Techniques: Handwoven fabric of 50% bison, 50% alpaca; lining is polyester; trimmed with bison leather

Size: Large

Ruth Briggs
Colorado Sky

Artist Statement: Living in the high country in Colorado I am always aware of the sky and it’s changing colors. In this piece I have tried to capture the ever changing colors.

Materials and Techniques: Fabric, thread, paint, construction fence.

35″ x 34″

Ruth Briggs
Mending Fences

Artist Statement: This is a statement about mending the rips and breaches in our society. How do we mend differences? This question bothers me. Border fences separate countries and families…fences between political ideology, neighbors, cultures, races, friends and families are often irreconcilable . Fortunately fabric is easily mended.

Materials and Techniques: Fabric, thread, paint, construction fence.

35″ x 41″

Susan Brooks
Be Still

Artist Statement: “Be Still” represents my healing journey coming to a place of peace and test.
I must honor my path with being still and thankful

Materials and Techniques: Eco-dyed watercolor papers, hand dyed deconstructed and discharged cottons. Stitched by machine and hand.

33″ x 54”

Susan Brooks
Meditations in Blue

Artist Statement: “Meditations In Blues” honors my new eye surgery and must tell the story of clarity of sight and seeing blues again during my morning meditations.

Materials and Techniques: Eco dyed silks and hand dyed and discharged cottons. Machine stitched.

32″ x 53”

Al Canner
Aspen Grove, First Light

Artist Statement: This abstract piece is my memory of numerous awakenings on camping trips in Colorado’s high country, looking up into an aspen grove. Its intensity reflects the effect of my retirement from professional pursuits ten years ago—unleashed to knot six-hours a day. I have time to make up!

Materials and Techniques: Knotted cords of cotton, hemp, nylon, and polyester

23.5″ x 38.5″ x 2″

Al Canner
Pyramids

Artist Statement: Quilters will recognize this design as an adulterated half square triangle pattern. Its intensity reflects the effect of my retirement from professional pursuits ten years ago—unleashed to knot six-hours a day. I have time to make up!

Materials and Techniques: Knotted cords of cotton, nylon, and polyester

25.5″ x 20″ x 3″

Lili Christensen
My Good Bears

Artist Statement: Comfort Knitting: Good Bear pattern, by Susan B Anderson, started my bear making. One bear, then I added my own touches with a second, and another, and more…I haven’t stopped making them. I name them alphabetically, just finsihed “J”. They bring me joy, contentment, happiness and peace. In year three of COVID, they are my comfort knitting.

Materials and Techniques: Handspun wool yarn, some commercial yarn, DMC Pearle Cotton floss, cardboard name tags. Stuffing. Knitting, embroidery Presented in a basket I made decades ago.

14″ x 14″ x 16″

Lili Christensen
The Sky IS Falling: Henny Penny

Artist Statement: March 2020: I adopted my cat for company. I searched on-line for community connections. Both for emotional health. I found RCWMS. I took a virtual soft sculpture 3 week class, using only what I had on hand.
Henny Penny: My response to the stresses of COVID lockdown.

Crediting: Bryant Holsenbeck, environmental artist, teacher, writer
and RCWMS (Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South)

Materials and Techniques: Knitted head and body, felted belly, pieced and quilted wings and feathers, coiled cloth basket rear body, safety pin and beaded elastic bracelet “belt” attaching them.
Candle stick foundation, button and charm eyes and beak, earrings, acorn adornment, and pennant tail. Small basket, wooden egg, yarn ball and fabric flower accessories.

13″x 17″x 11″

Rachel Courtney
Coiled Sunflower

Artist Statement: “I make things because I must,” is a wonderful description for my life and enjoyment of creating. When I take classes and we are creating unique pieces (as opposed to everyone making the same thing), I always choose to create a sunflower. My grandparents grew sunflowers later in their farming careers and we consider them to be the “family flower.” They always make me smile, and I feel like there can never be too many sunflowers in the world. I went into Mary Balzer’s coiled vessel class at the Longmont Yarn Shop knowing I would continue my study of sunflowers out of that love and out of tradition. What I didn’t know was that each rotation around would take about an hour. While working on this piece, I didn’t know that it would turn out well, but I believed in the design and knew I could only judge it after it was completed. The sunflower has joined my collection (or field, if you will) and is one of my favorites.

Materials and Techniques: A coiled vessel uses yarn of your choosing, 8/32 Fiberflex Core, time and patience. I used wood and glass beads to finish the center, creating a sunflower-seed-like texture, along with with c-lon.

11″ x 12″ x 7″

Rachel Courtney
Silver Lining/Cloudy Day

Artist Statement: After creating my first coiled vessel with Mary Balzer, I went back to the Longmont Yarn Shop for Advanced Coiled Vessels – where we learned to incorporate LED lights into our pieces. I imagined this piece when I looked at my gorgeous hand spun wool yarn and saw the bits of rainbow and clouds it represented. I wanted the clouds to appear fluffy and a bit wild, so I incorporated the lights only into that part of the piece. The glowing can represent either lightning or rays of sunshine – based on your mood.

Materials and Techniques: Kool-aid ice-dyed, hand spun wool with milk protein fiber “clouds,” 8/32 Fiberflex Core, battery-operated LED light string, crocheted battery pack holder for the back.

16″ x 16″ x 7″

Deborah Davis
Violet Descending

Artist Statement: This tapestry, “Violet Descending”, is a postcard moment. While visiting Peaks Island, Maine, I witnessed one of their spectacular sunsets and wanted to capture a vertical slice of the vibrant, dynamic evening sky. Sitting on the deck of my in-law’s home, watching the night descend over the water, being with these special people in this special place, during a very special time, I had to hold on to the moment. I had to weave a tapestry. I don’t know why, it’s just what I do. When I weave tapestry, my mind quiets and is completely intent on building an image that captures the colors, movement and light of the natural world, and what I am feeling about the subject causes the tapestry as I weave it to evolve away from the original resource (a snapshot here), deepening the colors, exaggerating a line, adding pattern or repetition of elements. Not knowing how the colors, shapes and lines will work together until the actual weaving and image building happens is magical.

Materials and Techniques: Handwoven tapestry on a vertical loom wool weft, cotton seine warp

15″ x 31″

Linda Farrelly
6 Hours #2 (Marshall Fire series)

Artist Statement: “I make things because I must.” For me, that is very true indeed. Making things is how I process the events of my life and the emotions surrounding them because those feelings are never simple. Creating allows me to explore what happens from many different points of view, on many levels. If I am lucky, something beautiful and moving results. No matter what, the exploration lets me understand more fully, to feel more deeply.
The pieces I am submitting for the HGB Showcase are about the Marshall Fire that occurred at the end of last year. Although I was not personally at risk, I know many people who had to evacuate. That hit me hard. I came across a pair of drone photos online showing an affected neighborhood before and after the fire. Weaving those two images together allowed me to look at what happened during a 6-hour period and put it into context. This is the part that blew my mind- how quickly nature can change our lives forever, and how thoroughly. To put that into an image was very satisfying.

Materials and Techniques:inkjet print, paper weaving

4″ x 8″

Linda Farrelly
6 Hours #3 (Marshall Fire series)

Artist Statement: “I make things because I must.” For me, that is very true indeed. Making things is how I process the events of my life and the emotions surrounding them because those feelings are never simple. Creating allows me to explore what happens from many different points of view, on many levels. If I am lucky, something beautiful and moving results. No matter what, the exploration lets me understand more fully, to feel more deeply.
The pieces I am submitting for the HGB Showcase are about the Marshall Fire that occurred at the end of last year. Although I was not personally at risk, I know many people who had to evacuate. That hit me hard. I came across a pair of drone photos online showing an affected neighborhood before and after the fire. Weaving those two images together allowed me to look at what happened during a 6-hour period and put it into context. This is the part that blew my mind- how quickly nature can change our lives forever, and how thoroughly. To put that into an image was very satisfying.

Materials and Techniques: inkjet print, paper weaving

4.5″ x 8.5″

Beth Fowler
Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot and a Splash of Chardonnay

Artist Statement: When Covid and retirement coincided, the drive to explore my creative side in new ways took wings. I had been sewing steadily for years, but my old loom spent most of that time in the closet. I had always dreamed of weaving my own fabric and sewing a jacket. So why not give it a try? After a few warping refreshers and pattern experiments, I set off to weave a gradient design and see what would happen. I received some sage advice on garment construction using handwovens from Liz Spear in a HGB workshop. This kimono style jacket is the happy result. P.S. Some wine in various vintages also helped make it happen.

Materials and Techniques: 8/2 tencel in varying shades of purple, red, orange, and gold. Handmade silk piping. Crone Art one-of-a-kind button.

36″ x 29″

Grace Gee
Healing Grace: Heart

Artist Statement: My art expresses the outermost edges of the innermost condition of being human. I am driven to create art that challenges my mind and nourishes my spirit while engaging in a changing consciousness. My work holds space for vulnerability to exist.

Materials and Techniques: Molded Thread

10.5” x 7.5” x 2.5”

Grace Gee
Nine Wishes

Artist Statement: As the French knots nestle together on this Elephant Ear pod, I feel as protected as the seeds once were. I stitch for both the feeling of being safely protected and for the feeling of joy and liberation that comes from breaking free from confines.

Materials and Techniques: Embroidered French knots on Elephant Ear pod

5” x 5” x 3.5”

Joann George
4-Decade Jacket

Artist Statement: I have always made things. Among the crafts I must do are to weave and sew. Lately, I must work to finish projects, however old. I wove and waulked the fabric in the 1980s. The Liz Spear workshop was the inspiration to put this old fabric to best use.

Materials and Techniques: Shetland wool yarn, handwoven in twill with gradient warp. Waulked in the traditional Highland manner. Sewn by machine. Ceramic button

fabric woven and waulked ~1985, jacket created 2022

35″ x 27″ x 3″

Jill Graham
Miniature Garden Baskets. Triptic.

Artist Statement: These three miniature baskets are from plants grown in my house or yard. They have the same crabapple bark structure with unique plant cordage on each.

Materials and Techniques: Crabapple structure. Woven with unique plants. Red and white is primarily rhubarb, yucca. Corn palm and flax included. White and green basket is yucca, corn palm, papyrus, ramie and flax. The gold and green basket is made from day lily, corn palm, eggplant skin and beet stem skin. Weft is spun and plied cordage twisted in my hands.

2 1/2” round diameter each. Display would be 11-12” long and 2.5” tall.

Jill Graham
Peacock Feathers>

Artist Statement: I wake up thinking about baskets and I go to sleep exhausted from working on baskets all day! This coiled basket took ten years to come to fruition. I choose the colors and spun gradient yarns and purchased turquoise yarn in Ireland and Scotland. It is all about the gradients which speak for themselves.

Materials and Techniques: Spinning medium single gradients, and coiling rope to make basket.

3′ x 18” diameter

Linda Grey
Virus Valance

Artist Statement: During the pandemic I made beaded snowflakes for some of my friends. It occurred to me that I could string them together into a sun-catching window decoration. The snowflakes morphed into this 32 inch valance which now adorns our kitchen window box. Early morning sunlight throws rainbows into our home.
Why? Because I must!

Materials and Techniques: glass beads, crystals, One G beading thread

32″ x 8 1/2″ x 1/2″

Kathryn Hall
Continuum

Artist Statement: Continuum, for me, is the embodiment of healing through stitching.  She expresses one of my most important life lessons:  that my greatest joys/loves took root in my greatest sorrows  and that I survived my greatest sorrows because I was firmly anchored in love/joy.  Life flows back and forth on a continuum between the extremes.  The creation of this flip doll (the face of Sorrow is the other side,  underneath Joy’s skirt) allows me to express this lesson visually more clearly than I can with words.  It allows me to feel it viscerally. She reminds me daily that “this too shall pass.”  I can play with her, flipping her back and forth to see whichever side of the lesson I’m in need of.

Materials and Techniques: Continuum is a flip doll which has been created without a pattern and stuffed with fiberfill. The part visible in the image is the joyful side. Underneath Joy’s skirt is the face of Sorrow with colors opposite of those Joy wears. Although the seams were machine stitched, the visible stitching and beading were done by hand. The skirt fabrics were hand painted to express a part of her story. I also created the appliqués to further illustrate her story. Both faces are uniquely sculpted from polymer clay and painted with acrylics. Yarn hair is a result of recycling. Continuum has a loop on her back(s) for hanging so that either side can be the one who shows.

22” x 12”

Kathryn Hall
Hexe

Artist Statement: I have a need to express the diverse parts of myself and the collective “us”, to honor the earth and the elements, to express subtle activism, deep emotion and thought and to offer a bit of love and whimsy to the world.  My language is art dolls and my fingers itch to speak through fabric and clay in collaboration with my heart bringing  voice to the silent parts.  Hexe represents one part which acknowledges the crone who possesses a bit of magic and darkness as well as light.  We recognize and fear her mystery, power and strength.   We are awed by her terrible beauty.  This ability to bring feelings and thoughts into form introduces me to myself, heals the parts which hurt and celebrates the beauty.  It connects me to others.  I don’t know who I would be without it so I make these dolls because I must.

Materials and Techniques: Hexe has a wire armature, wrapped in quilt batting then covered with fabric which has been hand stitched onto her body with exterior hand stitching. Her hair is recycled yarn and her headpiece is a collection of small sticks. Her hands are made of pipe cleaners wrapped in floral tape and painted. Her face, boots, tooth necklace and pet magpie’s face are uniquely sculpted from polymer clay and painted with acrylics. No molds or patterns were used. The small skull atop her staff is a purchased adornment. She is a free standing sculpture on a repurposed wood base.

14” x 33” x 14”

Wendy Hall
Ukrainian Sunflowers

Artist Statement: I made this piece to show my support for Ukrainians around the world. Sunflowers are the Ukrainian flower and their flag colors are yellow and blue. Having made several other quilts using the traditional colors of Ukraine, I chose this sewing technique to experiment with improvisational quilting.

Materials and Techniques: Strips of cut fabric were sewn on a fabric backing in single parallel lines vertically on the top and horizontally along the bottom. Stitches were sewn down the middle of each strip so that the edges could be lifted for more strips to be nestled in between the rows. This gave the piece a chenille like texture. Strategically placing colors helped to create an impressionistic view of a vast field of sunflowers being viewed by a passing car.

24″ x 18″

Barbara Herrli
Memories of July 2022

Artist Statement:  I’ve long wanted to make a hand stitched quilt. Through the BPL CreativeBug website, I found a month-long class taught by Heidi Parkes, a quilter who’s work I’ve long admired. Following her daily prompts I created this Art Quilt, that shows my life happenings in July 2022.  Things like: embroidery doodling, my love of the constellation Casseopia, my elbow after surgery, the wallet I take with me each day, my love of linen fabric and poppies, the keyhole scarf I like to make and the scarf my dog comes home with from the groomer, the chickens my brother raises, and the love of art my mother and I share. Those are the surface items placed on an old dish towel. Now I am hand quilting my piece, sometimes emphasizing the surface piece with additional words, or outlining the material used in various ways. The quilt back also tells the story of my sewing journey as the visible knots are a part of my experience. This quilt is my memory of the events of July 2022. What would your quilt show of your life experience?

Materials and Techniques: Hand Embroidery, Piecing and Quilting

36″ x 39″ x 1″

Barbara Herrli
Mountain Scenery at Night

Artist Statement: This piece’s inspiration came after watching a Quilting Arts TV show on An Approach to Hand Stitching, a Challenge Project.  Prompts begin: choose a color and any number of strands of embroidery floss, #1 to 6. Then make stitches following a rough set of guidelines, Running stitch, Backstitch, Stem stitch. Continue stitching as inspiration dictates. I used black, white, ecru and grey threads for my piece. What would your stitches inspire you to create?

Materials and Techniques: Cotton Muslin, Embroidery Floss, Embroidery Stitches

5″ diameter

Cat Hersh
Fit for a Unicorn

Artist Statement: My dad asked me to make a cinch that would fit his mare, who is a pretty flea-bitten gray. I decided on a sandstone color for the body and turquoise, chocolate brown and black for the design, because they would look great with her color, but was stuck on the actual design. After deciding on the colors, I had a dream about a week later, of the design I ended up doing for the cinch. I drew out, and designed the pattern on paper

Materials and Techniques: This cinch is made of mohair with stainless steel hardware. The body cord is an 8 ply, sandstone mohair cord. The design is made of turqoise trail, dark brown and black 2 ply mohair cord. The cinch was woven on a homemade cinch jig. Lark’s head knots attach the 8 ply cord to the buckles on either end, and the dees are woven into the design with the 2ply cord. The weave used for the design is similar to what is used for Navajo weaving. This piece is not only pretty, but extremely functional as well.

32″ x 6 5/8″ x 3/8″

Jamie Horikawa
Abstract Garden Plan 2

Artist Statement: I love visiting gardens and I love Japanese silk fabrics. I enjoy collecting silk remnants but my problem is I love looking at these pieces but not cutting them up. One sleepless night I went into my studio and began going through my “stash”. I saw my favorite silk kimono fabric and knew immediately how to cut it up. That was one unexpected late night conversation with an old friend.

Materials and Techniques: Original design art quilt made from: silk, hand dyed cotton, linen, and suede fabrics. Additionally, hand applied yarns, natural stone beads, glass beads, sequins and cotton embroidery were applied. Machine stitched, hand embroidery and hand couching were used. 

14″ x 19″

Jamie Horikawa
Colors of a Soba Shop

Artist Statement: During a visit to Tokyo, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a soba shop that was uniquely decorated with beautiful woods and other organic materials. I was so impressed by my dining experience, that I had to create a quilt using subtlety textured fabrics that would hopefully convey the warmth and enjoyment of that afternoon lunch.

Materials and Techniques: Original design art quilt made from: linen, cotton, silk and persimmon dyed fabrics. Additionally metallic, cotton/polyester, and sashiko threads were used to embellish the fabrics. Machine stitched and hand embroidery were used.

14″ x 18″

Wendy Karnish
Black and White Wool Tweed “Simple Coat” w/Pieced Wool Applique

Artist Statement: Fabrics hold their own inherent potential for me. My goal is to find the best silhouette and details to fulfill this potential. The coat has velveteen front facings, collar facing and pockets, lined in silk charmeuse, and something nagged at me. It called for more; it wasn’t feeling finished. I draped on some piecing I had done recently out of wool scraps, not knowing where I would use it, and really liked the juxtaposition. Now it was finished.

Materials and Techniques: Wool tweed, cotton velveteen for the coat. Wool flannel, wool stripes, wool checks, printed wool, wool challis pieced and quilted applique detail.

Size: Medium

Wendy Karnish
A New Angle Vest

Artist Statement: Starting out as a lap quilt/wall hanging using only silks and quilted in metallic gold thread, it became transformed into a wearable piece. I enjoyed the wall hanging, but didn’t want it to fade, so it had been wallowing in my studio for awhile, definitely not using its’ potential. I gave it a new life but cutting it down and adding armholes. Still not quite satisfied, I added a new strip of pieced border to the top/collar edge, which required removing the top and front bias trims. I find myself willing to rip apart, recut, rework and reattach to make something
different from a piece that felt finished before. I can’t stop until I feel the satisfaction of knowing that it is done.

Materials and Techniques: Pieced silks: dupioni, jacquard, satin, taffeta, embroidered, printed, crinkled and a bit of lurex.
Quilted with gold metallic thread, backed by silk taffeta woven plaid.

Size: Medium

Donna Pattee
The Marshall Fire

Artist Statement: Sometimes a pattern just calls to me – I have to make it.

Sometimes I just have to do something with a certain yarn – I have to make something with it.

Sometimes a piece of music or a season or even something I read will inspire me – I must make something that captures its essence.

This time is was a catastrophic event, the Marshall Fire, I had to make by recording it in yarn and stitches. As I worked I realized there was more I needed to include: the burned trees, the devastation left behind, the deadly wind, and the blessed snow.

There was no way I could have not made this.

Materials and Techniques: Materials: wool, nylon, glass beads, cotton

20″ x 30″

Denise Perreault
Diamond Sunset

Artist Statement: After weaving numerous 4-shaft boundweave rugs in the past, I was compelled to try my hand at a more complex 6-shaft design, which would allow for even more colors, motifs, and patterning.

Materials and Techniques: 100% wool weft, with cotton warp, in Scandanavian Boundweave pattern.

23″  x 43″

Denise Perreault
What Price Vanity?

Artist Statement: This beaded figure gives voice to the costs of fashion in the 19th and 21st centuries.
During the crinoline (large hooped petticoats) fashions of the 1840 – 1860’s, nearly 40,000 women died from crinoline accidents, most often while standing in front of lit hearths. The beaded flames allude to those deaths.
In the 21st century, the fashion industry is the second largest polluter on the planet. Italian design house Dolce & Gabbana has one of the worst environmental impact records in the industry: I conjure D&G through the use of oversized roses, (often used on their dress fabrics), and with their logo on the purse.

Materials and Techniques: Glass seed bead embroidery and peyote stitch with found objects, including antique doll head, flame fabric, papier mache torso, and misc. findings. Custom metal crinoline armature by Arabella Tattershall.

21″  x 21″

Cheryl Reifsnyder
Ocean Currents Crochet Tunic

Artist Statement: I create because I must: Crochet draws me in with myriad textures and colors, wool & mohair & ribbon; I can’t pull back until my hook weaves it into meaning–somehow translating emotions, thoughts, loves, fears into ruffles, bobbles, flowers–in the process, untangling anxieties & gifting piece.

Materials and Techniques: Made primarily with crochet plus fabric made from scrap yarn with dissolvable plastic backing

20″ x 29″ x 2″

Cheryl Reifsnyder
Summer Joy

Artist Statement: I create because I must: When words won’t come, crochet gives me a pathway to expression as I combine a thousand fibers of a thousand colors into leaves & flowers & patterns & grids, building into art that speaks of summer, joy, and the strength to try again

Materials and Techniques: Made primarily with crochet plus fabric made from scrap yarn with dissolvable plastic backing

12″ x 32″ x 2″

Janet Strickler
Another Element

Artist Statement: I cannot solve the environmental problems of our world, including the problem of micro-plastics, which can now be found even in remote wilderness areas on land, and in parts of the ocean that are far from any human activity. What I can (and must!) do is make art that highlights these issues. This piece portrays the traditional four elements; earth, air, fire, and water, but is entirely made of synthetic (ie plastic) and synthetic-blend fabrics and yarns that had been discarded and would likely have ended up in a landfill somewhere on the planet.

Materials and Techniques: Materials: acrylic yarn, synthetic and synthetic-blend clothing, all sourced from clearance racks at thrift stores, on burlap. Technique: rug hooking.

40″ x 40″ x 2″

Cathy Thompson
Crackle Exploration

Artist Statement: I make things because I must – weave!
This piece is the result of a study group exploration of crackle. I have done 4-shaft crackle before but wanted to explore 8-shaft. I am especially drawn to the curving lines and the colors and will experiment with reducing the pattern for smaller projects.

Materials and Techniques: Based on pattern no. 8771 handweaving.net
Woven with 8/2 tencel using gray mauve in the warp and periwinkle in the weft
Sett – 25 epi
Pattern repeat – 262 picks; 7 repeats
Finish technique – machine wash on delicate; machine dry on delicate until partially dry then hang to finish drying; steam iron
Twisted fringe

18.5” x 90”

Linda Toomre
Peacock

Artist Statement: I make things because I must create since it brings me joy. Using color and texture in the work is my delight. My hands must be busy too whether weaving, knitting or quilting. Planning the next piece is always an exciting
stage of this creativity.

Materials and Techniques: cotton, rayon, and novelty yarn. Handwoven with various space dyed fibers in plain weave with a supplemental warp

7 1/2″ x 64″

Linda Toomre
Tesselations

Artist Statement: I make things because I must create since it brings me joy. Using color and texture in the work is my delight. My hands must be busy too whether weaving, knitting or quilting. Planning the next piece is always an exciting
stage of this creativity.

Materials and Techniques: cotton fabric with polyester batting, rayon and cotton threads. Machine pieced and quilted, machine stitchery embellished.

16″ x 44″

Gina Wimberly-Gard
Spring Tide Mermaid

Artist Statement: I took a soumak class. Continuing on making art for the home and feeling compelled to emulate folk art seen in my country such that when Kennita Tully showed the different techniques for soumak I had to make a mermaid using some of those techniques.

Materials and Techniques: Soumack and tapestry weaving and wrapping. Crochet on the edges. A variety of yarns, icelandic, nettle, alpaca, bamboo.

12″ x 10″

Gina Wimberly-Gard
Sweet Scented Night Stock

Artist Statement: Although I am small in stature I seem to have to make large pieces. I had to stand on this Felt and walk up and down on the piece to full it for the felting process. I have a lot of felting yarn, I like the colors and textures and when I put the yarns together I am compelled to try to make more art for our home. I try to develop these pieces organically. The inspiration were the felting yarns I purchased from my home country (England) and at last year’s sale and thinking about life’s journey.

Materials and Techniques: Materials Merino/corridale felting roving tops and batts, silk, angelina. I pre-felted the main background then combined needle felting and placing felt piece for the main image followed by fulling and then rolling for felting and hot and cold washes. I preferred not to buy a large recessed frame (pretty expensive for this size) so I made a frame from pine wood and covered it with cotton.

76″ x 40″ x 1″

HGB Fiber Art Show & Sale Juried Showcase

Each year, during the five-day HGB Fiber Art Show & Sale at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, Handweavers Guild of Boulder members show their best work in the juried showcase. According to the theme chosen for that year, members of the Guild interpret their reflections in a wide variety of media including weaving, quilting, knitting, crochet, basketry and felting which may be hung on the wall or stand as sculpture.

The Showcase brings visitors the opportunity to see creativity and skilled artisanship up close and personal, and the chance to vote on the People’s Choice Award for their favorite work.