Planning

The end of the wedding-dress project is in sight…the dress goes in for appraisal on Sunday, April 4, so it MUST be completed by then!  After that (and after I complete the second dress form), I’ll be free to work on other interests.  Which, of course, raises the question of what.

I definitely want to study doubleweave.  I find it fascinating.  I’m still not sure whether I have the patience to do a two-shuttle weave, but that’s what this first project is for.  So that will be one large component of my next year’s goals.

However, I don’t want weaving to be my sole focus.  So the question is, what else?  Mixed media, drawing, painting, dyeing, ???  So many tools that might be useful in the creation of fiber art, but I can’t study everything at once!

So the question comes down to what will be most useful in the shortest amount of time.  I think that’s either color work (color theory, dyeing) or design.  Of the two, color theory/dyeing is the more useful right now (because I could use it for doubleweave projects), but design attracts me more.  For that reason, if nothing else, I’m going to go with design.  I will continue doing dye work, but a systematic study of how to mix and use specific colors will have to wait for later.

Fortunately, I already have a book on design that was recommended in one of the comments to my “Education” post:  Design!: A Lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists & Craftspeople.  It is indeed an excellent book, and I’m looking forward to doing the exercises.  In truth I would have started already, but the exercises mostly involve paint, and no paint, dye, etc. comes into the house until the dress is FINISHED!

So, for the next week, it will be setting up for the doubleweave samples, reading the design book, and trying to keep up with the deluge of books on color, art, and design that I ordered after reading through everyone’s suggestions!  I’m very much looking forward to it, it sounds like it will be really interesting.

Work has also gotten a lot more interesting.  I just got a boatload of new responsibilities dumped on me, that will require a lot of reading on project portfolio management and program management.  So I expect to do a bunch more reading and professional development for work-related stuff as well.  I haven’t been so excited about work in YEARS!