tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219593862012-02-12T19:58:12.342-08:00Fiber ArtA.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-29037195220642079472012-02-10T23:21:00.000-08:002012-02-11T20:56:33.602-08:00

As some of you know, years ago I began creating wearable art clothing. It has been so incredibly long since I have made any garments that it feels really strange to do so again. It feels as if I have never done this before, and I seem to have forgotten the majority of what I once knew. However, I am very persistent, and I hope that some of that knowledge eventually creeps back into my brain.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-63811651739085951402011-11-09T16:21:00.000-08:002011-11-09T16:21:15.958-08:00

People had a few questions about the creation of this piece, so I will answer them here. I overdyed the garment with Procion MX dye, and I painted it with Neopaque and Lumiere paint both of which I sell on my website here:  Fabric Paints 

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-47605643955876958682011-11-08T15:00:00.000-08:002011-11-08T21:14:12.994-08:00

For quite some time I have been saving old clothing that was too nice to either toss or donate. Periodically I will take things out of the closet and think about  how I could rejuvenate these tired old garments. This is one of my first pieces of repurposed clothing, and I had so much fun creating this piece that I can't wait to make more. Before   I started with a very drab, dowdy looking

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-10887390162498777942011-09-17T17:25:00.000-07:002011-09-18T17:27:16.171-07:00

This little piece has been sitting around patiently for the past couple of months waiting to be completed. I posted earlier photos of the work in progress. Here are the beginning and the end. This was a piece of Radiance, silk/cotton blend, that I dyed with Procion dye. I hand stitched around the perimeter of each circle, drew it up tightly, and then bound it with thread so that very little

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-51840432593543678742011-06-04T20:18:00.000-07:002011-06-04T20:28:43.341-07:00

Two weeks ago I taught a workhsop here called Working with Specialty Fabrics. I have posted two of the samples that I started during the workshop. I will post images of them when they are finished.This piece is shantung silk that was dyed with Procion dye. It was first wrapped diagonally on a pole using the arashi technique, and it  came to to be a light peach color. I am not a pastel person, so

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-79457363309281982762011-06-04T19:45:00.000-07:002011-06-04T21:44:49.169-07:00

This is the first actual piece that I have done with my new Passion Flower Stencil. I have been printing lots of samples lately, but it is really nice to be finishing a project at last.This wall hanging began as a piece of Radiance that I had done in a kumo shibori pattern. The circles were perfectly suited for the flower. I painted this piece with Neopaque and a little bit of Lumiere. I am very

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-21547667611671046832011-03-18T15:58:00.000-07:002011-03-18T17:40:00.556-07:00

Illuminating the Darkness, 32" x 42" My fiber art piece was juried into the Redwood Art Association's 53rd  Spring Juried Exhibition at the Morris Graves Museum of Art this week. There were 68 pieces in all media selected out of the 130 that were submitted. The juror was Lisa Archambeau who is a gallery consultant for the Caldwell Snyder Gallery that operates in San Francisco and St. Helena,

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-43703542588640772672011-02-02T20:56:00.000-08:002011-02-07T21:46:15.429-08:00

I finally have my new workshops posted on my website at  http://www.sproulestudios.com/workshops They are: Shibori with Procion Dyes Working with Specialty Fabrics Fabric Painting with Setacolor Indigo Shibori Check back to the website soon, as I will be posting several great new shibori photos.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-91494298184136600492011-01-01T14:48:00.000-08:002011-01-01T15:52:35.207-08:00

I have finished the quilt that I made for my son for Christmas. He was three years old when I made his last quilt, and I thought that perhaps he was ready for a grown up quilt that didn't have Thomas the Train on it. This is also number two in a series of quilts that I am designing to utilize large pieces of hand dyed fabric. Storm, 50" x 75" I titled this piece "Storm" for several reasons. I

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-53643277842335143982010-12-11T21:28:00.000-08:002010-12-11T22:16:35.421-08:00

These are pieces of Ultra Sateen that I just finished dyeing for my son's Christmas quilt. My son is in his first year of college, and I wanted him to be able to take something back with him that I had made. I already have the design tentatively completed, but that could easily change as things progress. I kept dyeing and overdyeing the fabric until I was finally satisfied with the results. I

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-63159559574402280732010-12-11T21:14:00.000-08:002010-12-11T21:14:43.561-08:00

A few days ago I came home from a trip to find this poor little Yellow Jacket, a type of wasp, trying to make himself at home in my box of quilting pins. He must have thought that he was related to these objects in the box. After all, they were bright yellow, and they all had sharp pointy things on the end just like him. Poor little bee: I took him outside, separated him from his long lost

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-20548729759690970432010-11-12T15:05:00.000-08:002010-11-12T17:29:34.872-08:00

Here is the finished piece that I had posted in progress last weekend. I had a blast making this piece. I purchased a Janome 6600 two years ago, and I have never quite made friends with it. I forced myself to complete the quilting with this little machine, and I now love the new machine. Our fiber art group project was to use line in an art piece somehow. This is how I used it: I used thick

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-51957677135125925592010-10-29T23:22:00.000-07:002010-11-08T21:01:59.387-08:00

Wen Redmond posted to the Quiltart Digest and asked people what their favorite piece of equipment is. Here is mine. I had a staionary cutting table for years which was made with this same table top. It had six bookcases underneath which provided a lot of room for storage, but the shelves got incredibly dusty and dirty. For my new table I wanted to be able to keep some things clean and out of

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-24923359493863568482010-07-29T20:15:00.000-07:002010-07-29T20:49:14.935-07:00

This is an original piece that I made at least a hundred years ago when I first started quilting. It was inspired by the Willow Ware china, and the dark blue is the first piece of fabric that I had ever dyed.To achieve the trapunto effect:1. I used a very cheap unwashed muslin on the back side.2. I used a prewashed Kona cotton on the top.3. I quilted the piece, and then I washed it in hot water.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-61801486373456032472010-07-28T20:51:00.000-07:002010-07-29T20:47:40.849-07:00

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-54210844761335223052010-02-05T17:11:00.000-08:002010-02-06T10:26:18.137-08:00

This is the finished piece that I submitted to the museum, Life Force. It measures 50" x 40". It was chosen as one of the pieces to be exhibited at the Morris Graves Museum for the Spring Show of the Redwood Arts Association. It is not the same piece as Red and Yellow, but one that I had completed earlier. My time ran out, and I was not able to finish the piece I had originally intended to enter

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-91878170400260731782008-08-30T16:13:00.000-07:002008-08-30T16:20:47.722-07:00

Indigo Shibori Workshop with April Sproule and Linda HartshornDate: September 19, 20,21, 2008 (Friday,Saturday, and Sunday)Place: Sproule Studios, 357 Main Street, Fortuna, CA 95540Fee: $160.00 + $15.00 Supply FeeRegistration: April Sproule ,Phone: (707) 725-9124E-mail: aprilsp@suddenlink.netOn the first day April will teach you the basic and intermediate techniques of shibori, the Japanese

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-45404234511103857732008-08-30T15:56:00.000-07:002008-08-30T15:59:20.370-07:00

We had several dye vats going simultaneously. It was hard to wait to see the results.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-76851983034979327752008-08-30T15:55:00.000-07:002008-08-30T15:56:30.153-07:00

This is an example of the Arashi shibori. i love the variation of the blues in this piece.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-27646255708547778422008-08-30T15:53:00.000-07:002008-08-30T15:55:04.030-07:00

Here is one of the folded and clamped pieces that was dipped more than once.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-36478284456058623612008-08-30T15:50:00.000-07:002008-08-30T15:53:09.230-07:00

This is just one of the many pieces that we did with hand stitching.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-82356593037604334572008-08-30T15:42:00.000-07:002008-08-30T15:49:20.016-07:00

Here are just a few of the incredible fabrics the students created. The variety was astounding.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-44190267356088346122008-03-21T19:48:00.000-07:002010-10-29T22:14:23.575-07:00

TransparanciesHand painted with Setacolor on silk. Flower is silk organza.Detail of Transparancies. The quilting was fun on this one, and very challenging as far as deciding what to do.Where the Ferns Touch the Sky: Hand painted with Setacolor on silk.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-84001581527237285192008-03-21T18:55:00.001-07:002010-10-29T22:14:23.575-07:00

Matrix Opal IPainted with Setacolor on 16mm silk crepe de chine. Size: 16'"x 20"Rust IHand painted with Setacolor on 16mm silk. The metallic strips are painted wonder under that are fused on. Size: 12" x 15"Rust II: SoldCloseup. Hand painted with Setacolor on silk.Ferns III: The only one left in this series as the other two have sold.Hand painted with Setacolor on silk.Size: 12" x 15"Size: 12" x

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-5537351001874625872008-03-21T18:01:00.000-07:002010-10-19T14:19:18.800-07:00

Here are some of the images of student's work here at my studio last summer and fall. I was very happy with the variety of results that people achieved. Setacolor is such a great medium to work with. I am posting student work first, and then mine.This was a piece by Molly MilesTime and Place: Mendocino Art Center April 19-20, 2008800-653-3328http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/ Sproule Studios,

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-84273045512500323592008-02-01T21:49:00.000-08:002010-10-29T22:49:31.723-07:00

It is nice to see something going up. My place was a giant mud hole all winter, but I actually think that was preferable to having months of dust.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-5943325016175107312008-02-01T21:48:00.000-08:002010-10-29T22:49:31.723-07:00

Just the foundation, a little under 1,000 square feet. The foundation was six feet deep on the back side, so it took a lot of fill and concrete. One day I stopped by on my way to my digital video production class, and there was a huge dumptruck stuck right in the middle of the foundation. They had to bring in a bigger truck to pull him out. I figured that was an opportune time for me to make my

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-84534220922911404172008-02-01T21:46:00.000-08:002010-10-29T22:49:31.723-07:00

Now the building is finally beginning to look like something. I really tried not to have any preconceived notions of what it would look like, or especially what it would be like inside. Planning things on paper is not the same as seeing them in person. The building is 24' x 40', with the clean stuff to be upstairs ( machine quilting, offfice, quilt storage), and the messy stuff will be taught

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-3623732676939675702008-02-01T21:38:00.000-08:002010-10-29T22:26:06.168-07:00

This is the view from my desk/office area upstairs in my studio. This Big Leaf Maple is huge. I love seeing the stucture of the branches exposed in winter. I am always sad to see the trees getting thier leaves in the spring.While my house was being remodeled I had to sleep upstairs in the studio for four months. How could you possibly have a bad day when you wake up to this?

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-73708948930982575632008-02-01T21:32:00.000-08:002008-02-01T21:54:53.428-08:00

This is what we were working on in our first workshop in the new studio. We learn to do the silk organza flower which is painted with Tsukineko inks and then burned. I also teach them to make the leaves using the needle lace technique. It is always fun to see the expression on everyone's face when they realize they really can do this quite easily.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-78012815209618862592008-02-01T21:27:00.000-08:002010-10-29T22:26:06.168-07:00

This is just a view of the back of the building. We have full spectrum lighting which is a great help. I put in fixture with two ballusts so that you can turn on two bulbs or four at a time (that's for when I get really old and can't see at all). It pays to plan ahead.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-22503490382919142462008-02-01T21:24:00.000-08:002008-02-01T21:53:37.423-08:00

This was our first workshop in the new space. We had twelve people that day, so it was pretty cozy.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-29845734288320354182008-02-01T20:58:00.000-08:002008-02-01T21:18:55.983-08:00

It took 800 pounds of exterior grout for this project. It is 10'x 20'. I didn't think that I was ever going to finish it.It took me about 45 hours just to do the grout.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-1132267433681360862008-02-01T20:55:00.000-08:002008-02-01T21:18:43.621-08:00

This is a closeup of the stones. The larger black ones are Mexican beach pebbles and the smaller balck ones are from India. It is sealed with a lacquer based concrete sealer to bring out the color of the stones.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-28635322511503994102008-02-01T20:51:00.000-08:002008-02-01T21:18:09.893-08:00

This is my completed terrace area. What a relief to finally be done just in time for the painters. The tree in the center is a Dwarf Weeping Cypress.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-1143608202529666682006-03-28T20:53:00.000-08:002010-10-29T22:50:02.613-07:00

Here's the next phase, a few days later. We weren't sad to see the old garage disappear.The property slopes in two directions, so the foundation is six feet high at the lower end.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21959386.post-1143607959712553112006-03-28T20:36:00.000-08:002010-10-29T22:50:02.613-07:00

Here is the location for my new studio, behind my house. To the right is the old garage that will be demolished soon. We finally began construction on February 3, 2006.

A.Sproulehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03542358282283747749noreply@blogger.com0