Woven Delights From Blue Loom Designs

This is another post to showcase the creativity and talent of members of Potomac Craftsment Fiber Gallery.

Today, I would like to introduce Ruth Blau and Blue Loom Designs. I have known Ruth for the past five years since I joined the gallery, and have always found myself gravitating towards anything made by her when I gallery sit. As soon as I have finished all the details of opening the gallery on my day, I head towards the beautiful handwoven scarf display. Inevitably, the first scarf I reach for is one of Ruth's. Her sense of color in the handpainted warps and impeccable weaving skill is something I can only dream of being able to do. Then as I look around the gallery at the wearable pieces, jewelry and handbags, I continue to find more of Ruth's handiwork. Many days, I stand there astonished at the number of different techniques she does so well including kumihimo and inkle weaving. She often shares her knowledge and once gave a talk about fiber identification to our beginning weaving study group. I learned a great deal that day and appreciate her interest in educating us. I hope you will take a look at her website to see her beautiful creations and if you are ever in the Washington, DC area, will take the time to visit our gallery.

Quilting Talent

There are so many talented fiber artists in my gallery, Potomac Craftsmen Gallery that sometimes, I just have to crow about them here. I love working my gallery sitting day once a month because I get to feast my eyes on the beautiful quilt art of fellow member, Betty Ford. Each of her works is a small work of beauty, color, drama and texture. I would never be able to decide which of her pieces I like best. Please take time to enjoy browsing her online quilt gallery.

Knitting Sales !

Usually I only submit my beadweaving to my co-op gallery, Potomac Craftsmen Gallery but for the holiday show, I had some knitting that has been needing a good home for the last couple years. I can finally bid my mitred square hat and grey curly scarf a fond farewell. The hat took me from Thanksgiving to Easter to finish one year. I thought I would never finish it. It was a good learning experience in modular knitting, and strangely, I became attached to knitting mitred squares after that ! The curly scarf was another experiment with the idea of casting a crocheted chain onto circular needles and increasing until each row took an hour :P

Upcycling: It's Gone Mainstream Art Gallery

I had seen her creations before at Eastern Market, where I marveled at their beauty and ingenuity and was excited to learn that Tamara Embrey's upcycled designs now appear at the Torpedo Factory in the Fiberworks gallery. While I was taking a break from working at the Potomac Craftsmen Gallery today, I stopped in at Fiberworks and saw Tamara's exhibit of gorgeous, unique and totally upcycled dresses and other wearables. On either side of her display were two stacks of uncut, recycled sweaters in blended color palettes awaiting a new life.

Viking Knit Experiment

Last week I finally took a class at Star's Beads. Since I try to teach myself techniques, I have never taken a formal class in beadweaving or knitting although in college, I took a weaving and textiles course. When I found out my colleague, Mickey Kunkle was teaching a class on viking knit with silver, I signed up immediately, because I had been eyeing her wonderful bracelets at the Potomac Craftsmen Fiber Gallery.

Artistic Artifacts

I want to congratulate a fellow Potomac Craftsmen Gallery member on the fulfilling of long-held dream. Judy Gula is a fiber artist whose wonderful handmade fiber bead jewelry and art quilts I have been admiring for the past four years.

For the past several years she has had a traveling and online business of selling her hand-dyed vintage linen and found object packets to quilters and collage artists. Her website, Artistic Artifacts lists all kinds of interesting fabric, game pieces, collage packs, books and supplies and now, artists can shop for all her goodies in a retail setting at the Artistic Artifacts Annex in Alexandria, Virginia.

I was able to stop by yesterday to see her new space and products for sale. Although I'm not a quilter or collage artist, I was getting seriously tempted by the myriad beautiful hand-dyed fabric packs, beads, sequins, vintage linens and embroidery packs, buttons, antique game pieces and vintage paper goods for sale. I can't imagine a more thorough stock of materials for the mixed media artist or quilter at any traditional art and craft store.

The store does not maintain daily business hours for now, but is open during workshops and classes which are posted on the website. Judy has already scheduled some fascinating workshops for fiber artists and I may schedule a few beading classes there myself.

Dazzling Knitted Silver Jewelry

I wanted to introduce a colleague of mine and her subtle yet dazzling silver knitted jewelry. She recently opened a shop on Etsy to showcase some of her creations, but I have known her and her work for several years now as a fellow member of the Potomac Craftsmen Fiber Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia. She uses her name as her shop name. Please spend some time enjoying the beautiful work of Marla S. Rudnick .