For the past month my work has adorned three display windows on the main drag in Easthampton, MA.
Nashawannuck Gallery
40 cottage street, easthampton, ma
a great place to visit … lots of really talented artisans
New England Felting Supply
84 cottage street, easthampton, ma
where my workshop is being held. All things felted can be had here. Stop in and pay them a visit. My class is full, but you can sign up for the next one!
The AwenTree
102 cottage street, easthampton, ma
the metaphysical shop in town offering magical gifts and workshops from drumming to reiki. Stop in and say hi and keep our community vibrant!
Pretty cool, huh?
Posted 3 years, 3 months ago at 7:12 pm. Add a comment
I’m teaching a Ribbon Felt Scarf workshop at New England Felting Supply in Easthampton,MA on February 14, 2009. It will be a really fun Valentines Day!
Sign up on line at New England Felting Supply.
Check it out!
A workshop with fiber artist Nancy Dorian at New England Felting Supply
Join us for a workshop inspired by Christine White’s Ribbon Tunic project from her book: Uniquely Felt. Using Nuno felting techniques, be prepared to be elated as you transform the layers of silk, wool roving, ribbon and novelty yarns into gorgeous flowing fabric. Bring a selection of yarns to work with and choose from an abundance of roving and hand-dyed silks to make your own wearable art.
February Sat., Feb 14, 9am-5pm: Ribbon Felt Scarves with Nancy Dorian www.nancydorian.com $69 + Materials (TBA) Beginner Friendly
Posted 3 years, 4 months ago at 3:53 pm. 2 comments
That’s right folks .. there I am dumpster diving!! I have been experimenting with dyeing with rusty objects. It is sooo cool. You find a bunch of stuff that will rust and lay it on your silk, add a little vinegar and voila … beautious fabric. The reaction time is as little as 24 hours. I didn’t think this up myself. I had heard of it from reading about nuno felting with Polly Stirling. This process was used at one of her retreats. I can really see myself doing workshops on dyeing with found rusty objects. Stayed tuned for a workshop near you.
So anyway, I did a few tests to find out what I liked and didn’t like and then did a body of work that reflects what I came up with. Still not sure what these fine silks will become. Something flowy and layered no doubt.
Doing this has triggered a whole theme of dyeing silk with objects from the Mill River in Haydeville, MA. A dam broke up stream and washed away a brass foundry in 1874. I spent the better part of a day last summer collecting items from the river that are obviously from the ruins. But that’s a whole other blog post!
Posted 3 years, 6 months ago at 8:59 pm. 1 comment
Been busy this past week getting ready for the sale at SNOW FARM in Williamsburg, MA. Many fine artist will be offering their wares for 3 weekends in November. I’m honored to be in the company of such talented people as Josh Simpson and Luann Udell. For more info and directions click here.
Artists’ Seconds Sale
Friday, Saturday and Sunday:
November 14, 15 and 16
November 21, 22 and 23
November 28, 29 and 30
It’s a great place to get all your handcrafted holiday gifts …. and a beautiful place to visit. Hope to see you there.
Posted 3 years, 6 months ago at 2:57 pm. Add a comment
Shipped off an order of scarves to the Island ….. these are nuno felted with some using different fibers on the felt to give a woven look. Beading on the ends. Love all the color! They are at Benji’s Boutique 27 Easy Street Nantucket, MA …. get them while they last.
Benji wants to keep the white one for herself. Thinking about doing a whole series of whites. It starts with a delicate layer of silk gauze, then some fine wisps of merino wool/bamboo blend and topped with railroad ribbon accents and natural silk fibers … and of course beads.
Check out her spot on GenoTV!! Benji”s on TV
Since I got back from the Island, I’ve been working on a very colorful series of serti painted scarves on china silk. More like the laugh -in scarf and some really cool under water stuff! This is a close up of part of a jellyfish. 
That’s it for now. Need to get back to making. Just took some yardage out of the steamer. What to get back to doing some felting next. And … try my hand at fiber etching!!! Inspiration is everywhere and the ideas keep on coming. Which reminds me … you have to check out Chris White’s book Uniquely Felt for great ideas and tons of info. Her ribbon dress was inspiration for the string scarf series.
Stay tuned for fiber etching pictures ….
Happy Making!
Posted 3 years, 10 months ago at 9:33 pm. Add a comment
Just back from a great weekend visiting our new friends Rob & Carol Benchley. They are full time islanders, he a photographer, she a teacher. We had a wonderful work/play break of visiting galleries and boutiques and glorious bluff walks with the sweetest puppy … Rose.
And …………… I’m in on the island of Nantucket!!!
Met many wonderfully creative people. Beth English of Current Vintage, a great new vintage boutique and wine shop at 4 Easy Street, sent me down the street to a new place called Benji’s Boutique and we hit it off. Benji has a really funky mix of chic and sassy clothing. My stuff fits right in. Finally somebody who’s not afraid of color! She has a great location right off the ferry docks at 27 Easy Street.
And … before I hopped on the ferry, I had to stop in to see Cheryl Fudge’s new place at 23 Federal Street. She has the coolest stuff. Fun and unique fashions all created by her from thrift store finds.
Cheryl sent me across the street to Eye of the Needle. Then I dashed up to 25 Centre Street and popped into Ceri. I wish I didn’t have to catch the ferry, cause I could have spent the entire afternoon in theses places. Absolutely gorgeous stuff.
Posted 3 years, 11 months ago at 9:00 pm. 2 comments
Spent all day Saturday at a great workshop learning some of the possibilities of nuno felting. Amazing! Jean is a natural and I feel so fortunate to have crossed paths. The workshop was held at New England Felting supply in Easthampton, so we had all that luscious merino wool and beautiful hand dyed silks to choose from. Owner Chris White is a renowned felter and author and a wealth of information. Now I’ve been bitten by the nuno bug and have all sorts of ideas brewing. Can’t wait to stop documenting and start playing! I love the way the felt gives way to the windows of shear silk. My first nuno scarf is at left. I used my hand painted silk for a canvas and then “painted” with merino wool. Reminds me of stained glass only softer.
Posted 4 years ago at 4:07 pm. 2 comments
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 4 years ago at 9:12 pm. 2 comments
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
Posted 4 years, 4 months ago at 8:27 am. Add a comment
