Experience the International Symposium and Exhibition for Natural Dyes (April in France) through the eyes and words of SDA member Elaine Lipson. An editor/writer/artist, she brought back images that capture the feeling of being there while also recapping the main issues addressed and offering some suggestions for future ISEND confabs….

At the close of June’s SDA Confluence Conference, Bette Levy stepped down as Board Vice-President of Development. Active in the organization since 1997, Levy first came on board as the Kentucky State Representative. She took on the board position of Director of Fundraising from 2003-2009 and then assumed the role of VP of Development in …

Did SDA member Marjorie Fedyszyn have your back at “Bodies of Water” SDA Members’ fashion show in Minneapolis? Whether or not you were in the audience, you can experience some of the fashion action off the runway here….

Read how Mary Jaeger took what she heard at India Flint’s talk on bio-regional dyeing (at SDA Confluence conference), mashed it up with her 3rd grader’s study of Eastern Woodland Indians and became Chief Dyer of a naturally-stained t-shirt wearing tribe of 25 at NYC’s PS 234. …

Confluence Keynote Pat Hickman and Nancy Mckenzie were the award judges for “Currents” – the exhibition of work in textile media by stu- dent members of SDA. They felt that overall it was a good student show that demon- strated mastery of technique and a wide range of exploration. …

SDA Journal editor Patricia Malarcher confesses she “didn’t used to be a “lace person”: lace was fussy, frivolous,susceptible to snags; it belonged on wed- ding gowns and garments of historic artistocrats, not in the studio. Seeing the lace that artists are making today reversed [her] “no” to a vigorous “yes”.” Find links to the new face of lace stories featured here!
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Stop putting on the pressure to do it all. Instead, feel the incredible lightness in your heart that comes from doing exactly what you love….

My second day at #Confluence was full of conversation about the future of the fiber art field and the Surface Design Association. Board members, experts in the field and student members were all posing the same questions to one another throughout the day. Where do we want to see our fiber field in 10 years? …

In conjunction with #Confluence 2011 International Surface Design Association Conference Minneapolis/St. Paul hosted a DIY Festival for crafters, artists and hand-makers of all kinds. As with all DIY events some of the participants were selling kitsch products and others had wonderful fine art! As a new bobbin lace maker I was happy to meet the …

Pat Hickman’s Keynote Address opened the #Confluence Conference with clarity of artistic vision. Her thoughtful commentary and powerful work history inspired me to more clearly define my own artistic direction….