SOLD!
My next show is at The Fiber Festival of New England on Nov 6&7 at the BigE fair grounds in West Springfield Mass. Hope to see you all there!
The Fletcher Farm Nuno Felting Weekend was absolutely magical!!
I am still riding on the huge wave of creative energy that just kept building the whole weekend at Fletcher Farm in Ludlow VT! I had eight beautiful ladies that did some incredible work!
Three of the staff were in my class … Layne Herschel – Chairman of the Board, School Committee Director, Laurie Marechaux – School Executive Director and Jane MacKugler – Camp Director, and we had a great time. They are a real treat to work with!
Here is Laurie’s scarf before:
and after
For more photos of the class look HERE.
I met so many wonderful people! Too many to even list, but here are just a few …
I stopped in at ChapterXIV, a cool little boutique right on the main drag in Ludlow. Very funky and original clothing. They are now carrying my nuno scarves and I’ll be working up some special hand-painted silk garments for them. The owner, Willow, is very sweet and has an incredible talent for attending to shopper’s needs. She lets you wonder off into the multiple, connecting rooms of gorgeous garments and then seems to suddenly appear like a fairy god mother just when you need her! It’s a must see if you’re driving through town.
And after you’re done shopping … don’t forget to stop in at The Pot Belly Restaurant and Pub for a great meal and really friendly folks. Owners Barbara and Rich are very warm and genuine and their hospitality radiates throughout the place. I made a beautiful nuno scarf in coral hues before I left for Vermont, and apparently I was making it especially for Barbara even before I met her, cause she liked it so much she bought it right out of the back of my van!!
Oh ya … and one more great place to mention. For all you knitters out there and even anyone that loves fiber should stop in at Six Loose Ladies. How could you not with a name like that? I hear they’ll be offering a tee shirt soon … can’t wait!
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 6:54 pm. Add a comment
we had a great nuno felt workshop at WEBS
My class at WEBS filled quickly, so we added a one day workshop on sept 20 to accommodate the waiting list. what a wonderful group of talented women! everyone’s scarf is absolutely gorgeous. I still have space in my tuesday night class at Holyoke Creative arts. 6-8pm $45 plus materials.
Posted 2 years, 4 months ago at 12:45 am. Add a comment
Hand-painted silk yardage anyone?
Love, love, love creating this luscious yardage! When the weather is nice, I’m outside dyeing and felting. So inspiring being out in nature with all the great colors and textures. Can’t help but take my inspiration from it. Many are like Monets on silk! I’ve been offering my silks by the yard at New England Felting Supply and to my students when I teach. This stuff is so wonderful to felt on. I use it for my base in some of my scarves. I’m going to sew up some silk ponchos or wraps with it, too!
Posted 2 years, 7 months ago at 4:10 pm. Add a comment
progress on the new studio for felting and fibering
I decided last fall to move the studio to the house. That way I would save a ton of time and money by not going back and forth all the time. When I was here … I always needed something there and vise versa. Not to mention cheaper rent and besides it helps get the laundry done when the studio is next to the washing machine. Well … you know how moving can be. Some of us sail right through it and everything is set up in a day. Let’s just say I’m not one of those people. We moved the studio in late October and by December I decided I had to have that area of the basement sheet rocked to give it a more inviting feel. So, I enthusiastically jumped into that project (quite possibly to prolong the unpacking part of the process) and took progress picture as I went. Now that it’s April I am finally getting around to posting them. I’m telling myself it’s not because I’m stalling on unpacking the studio, but that might have something to do with it. If any of you artist type people out there are anything like me, you have so much stuff to make stuff with …. that it’s hard to get organized enough to make stuff. But, alas, the desire and need to “make” is becoming overwhelming and soon that studio will be ready to roll! Who knows … maybe I’ll even do a few mini-workshops here!
Yay! I’m getting there!
Posted 2 years, 9 months ago at 10:06 pm. 6 comments
I think the may 2nd ribbon felt workshop is full, but you can get on the waiting list!
More fiber please! uhmm, I’ll take some organza ribbon and a touch of that glittery stuff over there … and the multi color ladder yarn is a must have. Then mix in a few strands of hand spun natural silk … lets see, oh ya, I love that one with the sequence in it!
The possibilities are endless. We are actually creating fabric here folks! How cool is that!
sign up here :
www.feltingsupply.com
Posted 2 years, 10 months ago at 3:46 pm. Add a comment
Silk Ponchos …. hand painted … every woman needs one
I never really know what a piece of silk that I’ve painted will look like once it becomes a garment. Sometime I think maybe the colors don’t work or something and then I get done sewing and WOW. It’s transformed into lusciousness … graceful and flowing. It amazes me every time. Here are some of the latest works.
I’ve been experimenting with some stretch rayon I had. The turquoise top is hand painted and then I did a shibori pole wrap with it. The result is a gorgeous texture. These tops are great to just throw on with jeans or look stunning with a simple black dress. So comfortable, so elegant and one size fits all! Can’t wait until I start working with Nuno Felting. Stay tuned!
Posted 3 years, 9 months ago at 9:12 pm. 2 comments
About
Nancy Dorian is a fiber artist with a degree in Interior Design and Fine Arts minor in Ceramics. After a 15 year career in corporate office design, her company now & ZEN art to wear emerged from the belief that joy comes from doing what you love.
Always making and creating, Nancy developed strong skills in pottery, stained glass and jewelry. Having been taught to knit and sew at a very early age, she has fond memories of a fiber filled youth and now works primarily with fiber.
She creates one-of-a-kind wearable art garments using techniques such as Nuno Felting, Fiber Etching and Serti silk painting. Each piece is made by hand, one at a time, with unique fabrics she has created by using any number of the following techniques:
“Nuno Felt” emerges after adding a thin layer of wool roving, warm water and a little soap to silk fabric and then a whole lot of elbow grease to coax the fibers into becoming one. This results in a wonderfully textured, light weight fabric that drapes the body beautifully.
“Fiber Etching” creates gorgeous, flowing semi-transparent silk by carving away the rayon fibers of velvet or satin with etching solution and leaving sheer areas of silk chiffon.
“Serti” is a French word meaning to encircle or surround. In the serti technique, a resist is used to contain flowable dye within a design shape on fabric such as silk.
Since her work is not mass-produced, she typically attracts collectors who understand and appreciate the value of hand-crafted goods. They realize the uniqueness of what she does. A person wears a “Dorian Original” for just that reason … to know it is a one-of-a-kind wearable work of art.
Nancy’s couture has been featured in Preview Massachusetts Magazine and can be found at galleries and boutiques throughout New England and on Nantucket. She enjoys teaching fiberart workshops and classes in her home studio, as well as the following venues :
- New England Felting Supply, Easthampton, MA
- WEBS, Northampton, MA
- Bead + Fiber, Boston, MA
- Fletcher Farms School for the arts and crafts, Ludlow, VT
- Wiawaka, Lake George, NY
- Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT
- Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA
- Holyoke Creative Arts Center, Holyoke, MA
If you would like to book a workshop please send your inquiries to nd@nancydorian.com
