It’s a special day in FanningSparks’ world. This is the 420th blog post and it marks FanningSparks’ eighth year online. That’s right ― I’ve had the good fortune to share my stories, ideas and photos every Tuesday morning since March 2018. Special thanks to everyone ― all 312,000 of you ― who has taken the time to visit the blog over the last eight years.
Hooray! The new fabric storage system in my studio is done and dusted! The wooden media cabinet has been repurposed, used cardboard moving boxes have been made into nine storage bins and a mini gallery, showcasing nine unique textile art panels, has been created.
Coiled rope basketry continues to dominate the FanningSparks studio. The techniques are easy to learn and projects can be completed quickly. Once you get the hang of it, coiling basic projects like coasters, trivets, platters and shallow bowls is very relaxing. Plus, there are countless ways to get creative with handles, loops, knots, tassels, braids and so on. It’s not difficult to create amazing coiled rope projects. In fact, it’s rather addictive!
At its most basic, coiled rope is a length of cordage wound in a spiral or sequence of rings. In the nautical context, coiling rope is an important part of keeping a vessel’s essential rope and cordage, eg sheets, halyards and cables, “at all times ready for use and free to run”. This expert advice is offered by author Hervey Garrett Smith in his classic book The Arts of the Sailor: Knotting, Splicing and Ropework.
Maybe it’s the vast expanse of sparkling white snow that has me dreaming about spring flowers. Or maybe it’s just that flowers have always been a go-to motif for creative endeavors. In either case, I’ve been having fun making blossoms and blooms out of fabric.
One of the many fascinating artifacts on exhibit in the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia is a sailors’ valentine. A sailors’ valentine is a mosaic of small seashells artistically arranged in a symmetrical pattern. Traditionally, the fragile artwork is protected behind glass in a double octagonal wooden frame which is hinged for safe transport.
