Valentine’s Day - Flowers and Candy
Think of a Valentine’s Day card: all lacey, beribboned and beaded. Those Victorians loved, loved, loved anything lavishly
embellished. Actually, the French have
a word for these trimmings: PASSEMENTERIE.
Since there is nothing I love more than a box of trim and
lace scraps with a few buttons and beads thrown in (I could spend hours sorting
and separating and imagining beautiful creations I would make) it should come
as no surprise that I greatly admire fiber artist, Candace Kling. For more than 25 years Kling has created the
most fanciful, lavish and imaginative fashion accessories from ribbon. A graduate of California College of Arts and
Crafts, she had also studied at Parson’s School of Design and the San Francisco
Art Institute.
Her fascination with vintage ribbon creations has led to a
well known career in ribbonwork, creating fantasy out of folded, runched,
quilled and gathered ribbons. She does
not rely solely on the 19thC creations and their techniques, but constantly
reinvents her medium into what may be seen as sculpture.
This is a very lovely instructional book on ribbonwork. The illustrations are easy to understand and
follow. The photography is well done,
glorious floral sprays adorn nearly every page. There are also historic references to those needleworkers working
in ateliers who first produced these beautiful embellishments.
The Arful Ribbon, Candace Kling, C&T Publishing, 1996
Candace was featured in this volume from Threads
Magazine. The cover shows her ribbon
candy creations, while an article on her studio shows many of her fantastical
headdresses.
Stitchery and Needle Lace, Threads Magazine, Taunton Press,
1991
Here are some of my attempts at her needle style.
For more information please visit candacekling.com
No comments:
Post a Comment