Many Techniques for Working with Fiber, Inspire Area Artists
By Kathryn Bassett kathrynb@kpcnews.net
Sunday, 16 October 2011 07:35
Lina Zerkle creates portraits or free-form images representing characteristics of individuals in her quilts.
Photo By Chad Kline
Lina Zerkle blends bold shapes, strong colors, patterns, textures and her own sense of humor to create unique, nontraditional artwork in fabric form.
“It’s more than just technique,” she said of her work. “Once you get the techniques down, you’re free to do whatever you want and break the rules.”
Fiber art is a style of fine art that uses textiles. Quilting, knitting, felting, braiding and flocking and among the forms of fiber art.
Lina Zerkle of Waterloo takes an improvisational approach to her work when making quilts and wall hangings.
Photo by Chad Kline
Taking an improvisational approach to her work, Zerkle, of Waterloo, makes quilts and wall hangings. In addition to abstract designs, Zerkle creates self-portraits, portraits of friends and family members or free-form images representing characteristics of individuals, she said.
Lina Zerkle of Waterloo has experimented with constructing three-dimensional fabric vessels and bowls. Photo By Chad Kline
“My abstract pieces convey moods and express feelings, communicate ideas or tell stories. It is my way to bring order out of chaos,” Zerkle said.
Influenced by her love for clay pottery, Zerkle also has experimented with constructing three-dimensional fabric vessels and bowls.
Zerkle’s work has been exhibited across northeast Indiana at locations such as Artlink in Fort Wayne, shows in Auburn, the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart, the Elkhart Visitors Bureau and the Lerner Performing Art Center in Elkhart.
“Design, color, movement, energy, spirit, joy and humor are important aspects of my work,” said Zerkle. “I enjoy what I do.”
Fiber artist Cher Coburn of Auburn has created berets, bags, scarves and art pieces using the technique of crofusion.
Photo by Kathryn Bassett
Cher Coburn of Auburn has spent her whole life
in the arts.
Through the art of crofusion, Coburn found her voice expressing who she is artistically, she said.
Crofusion is a form of fiber art that involves felting
of crochet.
Fiber artist Cher Coburn of Auburn entitled this piece of crofusion “I Felt Like Scrumbling.” The piece, which takes on the form of a bag, is Coburn’s favorite creation.
Photo Contributed
“I identify with it because its beginnings are like the many threads of my life crocheted together, looking much like ugly ducklings. However once fused together, (they) form the beautiful basis of my world,” Coburn said.
“Finishing with beads, baubles and more represent the many blessings and people in my life and, because of them, the pieces become completed works.”
Fiber artist Cher Coburn used the technique of crofusion, which brings together crocheting and felting, to create this poppy. Photo Contributed
“I’ve crocheted since (age) 16,” Coburn said. “I never followed patterns, and I wanted to do something different. I never followed the norm.
“I have a friend who does free-form crocheting and a friend who was doing felting. I thought the two things together would be really cool.”
Cher Coburn took first place in a contest at the Texas State Fair with this bag, which she created using the technique of crofusion.
Photo Contributed
Bags, berets, scarves. wall hangings and other art pieces are among Coburn’s crofused creations. Her work can be seen at Expressions Gallery in Auburn and Sozo’s in Kendallville.
Martha Snyder of Topeka spends a lot of time at her sewing machine to piece together several sections of fabric to create award winning quilts.
Photo By Chad Kline
Martha Snyder of Topeka expresses herself artistically through the technique of applique. A day does not go by that Snyder is not working on a quilt or applique project, she said.
A seamstress all her life, Snyder began quilting in the early 1980s after taking a class in New Haven.
“That got me started. I’ve been quilting ever since,” she said.
Snyder now focuses her talents on needleturn applique work. Using a pattern, Snyder cuts out pieces of fabric and hand-stitches them onto a background.
Martha Snyder of Topeka uses needleturn appliqué in her quilt designs. Using a pattern, Snyder cuts out pieces of fabric and hand-stitches them onto a background. Photo By Chad Kline
Using the applique technique, Snyder has created a series of mural quilts that depict scenes of lighthouses, churches and covered bridges, barns and trains. Snyder said she uses different types of stitching, embroidery and fabrics on these works.
“You find different fabric that looks likes stone or grass, hills, water and sky,” she added.
Snyder’s favorite piece is entitled, “Ladies of the Sea,” and shows 16 Old World ships from different countries, surrounded by an applique border of flowers. The quilt was judged best of show at the 2010 Shipshewana Quilt Festival and received the viewers’ choice award at the 2010 Appleseed Quit Show in Fort Wayne.
What is your favorite style of fabric art? Have you created your own style?
Share it here with us, we’d love to hear from you.