Featherwork

A couple of weeks ago, I took a break from my gallery-sitting duties at the

Potomac Craftsmen Gallery in the Torpedo Factory Art Center and shopped in the bookstore for something to read during the opera I was to play that night (pit orchestra). I found a fascinating book about "featherwork" which is the use of feathers as a fiber element by native cultures. The book is called "The Gift of Feathers" and was published by the University of Pennsylvania in the early '90's. Any title with the word "feathers" in it catches my interest because I have parrots and they shed beautiful feathers. One day, I hope to try some of the knotting techniques pictured in the book. In the meantime, I need to get over to the Textile Museum in Washington, DC and check out the Peruvian feather cape in their collection.

Beads in Concert

One of my crocheted bead necklaces made its debut yesterday in a fantastic vocal recital with two friends of ours visiting from Germany,

Nadine Balbeisi, soprano and Matthias Manasi, piano. They performed works of Schubert, Schumann, Berlioz and Delibes. I loaned Nadine the necklace and a matching knitted bracelet to add a little "dazzle" to the performance. The necklace is made by simply slipping a bead in between each chain stitch and connecting them in a freeform manner as you go. The beads are silver-lined clear and really catch the light. The bracelet is knitted. I used Fireline for both pieces. They are for sale at the Artists' Undertaking Gallery in Occoquan, Virginia.