Dianne is holding her felted counter change. She shared how much this course has heightened her awareness and how much she enjoyed the process of the design exercises. Dianne’s main focus is a pineapple study. She is actively working on her final textile piece which will be shared at the exhibition in June.

Dorothy was all abuzz with excitement. Fibonacci is the central the main focus of her study. By applying his numerical sequences to her investigation of snails she has created some wonderful designs. The plans for her original piece based on one of the scientific cross sections she explored will incorporate color, texture and dimension.

Shan had a sketchbook filled with color studies and drawings, including some innovative design possibilities. Can’t wait to see what Shan’s Dragonfly study reveals for the exhibition.

Carol started with her fascination of seahorses. She even brought a preserved specimen to class in February. According to Carol, her favorite exercises included the triskeles. From seahorses it was a logical move to coral which is her main focus now. Carol also really enjoyed using words with her design studies. Along with the thread color studies, words were one exercise where Carol felt enlightened.

Donna T. began her journey into design studying the human breast and its metaphor for life. She has worked closely with Aboriginal women during her career as a lactation consultant which had her connect closely with Native culture. Her final piece will be loosely based on the Native Medicine Wheel and how it relates to all aspects of life no matter what culture we identify with.

Eileen is fascinated with farrow beehives, their gradual disappearance and its impact on the environment. Eileen loved the fact that this course was process oriented and embraced the opportunity to work smaller, which complements her passion for machine embroidery and venture into digitization.

Karen’s subject matter is the crab apple tree in her back yard, a faithful companion throughout the year. Karen’s keen observation skills are evident in the work she presented. She embraced the Fibonacci principles and explored a number of possibilities. Her final project promises to be thought provoking and complex.

Donna is passionate about color. Her initial inspirational source was a brightly colored maple leaf. She is a detail oriented person and continues to grapple with the concept of sampling. She fully embraced color and created a comprehensive color library of her fabrics. The thread wrappings ignited her inner fire and she is creating a final piece based on her thread wrappings.

Dot’s primary source of inspiration is her collection of Spider Plants. Who knew there are so many different color arrangements in Spider Plants? We all learned new facts about this humble plant, and subsequently Dot’s studies and design exercises are full of dynamic line and hidden symbolism. Her final piece will combine color studies and Fibonacci sequences applied to her findings about Spider Plants – We can’t wait to see the final outcome in June.

Last but definitely not least, Lee presented her comprehensive findings and explorations from the past three months. Her subject matter was butterflies and the wing markings of these. Lee enthusiastically shared that she loved all the exercises and assignments, in particular the lines journal which supports her passion for drawing and painting. This year Lee was the only non-fiber artist taking part in the Introduction to Design sessions.