Navigating these pages ....
* Statement: Weavings,Writings
* Process : Learning Activities:
 - Kids, Adults, the Dye Kit
*Background   * Policies
  *Ordering      * Contact
*The Sheep
"Find More" after each section

  Featured Items:         About Handwoven Wearables
Shawls & Rainbows
Throws & Seashawls
Wraps & Cocoons
Tops     Scarves
Leno-Lace Imagery
Triangle Weaving

Creatively designed weavings in natural fibers
~   good feel, good wear, good looks  ~

Artist's Statement         
Alice Cappa is an experienced creator and educator working with private and public schools,
special needs organizations, and personal studio arts, including fiber arts, photography, book arts, and writing. As a fiber artist and writer, she enjoys mixing media and words, as in word collages on hand-made fibrous papers. Or combining book-making with stories. And creating characters to process weaving, spinning, dyeing, or paper-making.

Regarding weaving... her natural fiber wearables include handwoven wearables in light-weight, breatheable cottons
that integrate a unique expression of color and texture into a traditional craft. A favorite technique is Leno-lace, an open weave used to define edges and imagery. It's become a signature for many of her weavings. They started with a series of marine images, the "SeaShawls", and later meandered into forests and gardens with such iconic shapes as a maple leaf, magnolia blossom, seahorse, shells, or a lizard. Color often progresses to gradient shades. See samples .

Alice also spins, dyes, and weaves fleece from her sheep.
Combined with nubby textures and clear, rich colors, their wool gives sensory experience, functional application, and visual appeal. The sheep, a small family of Shetlands, (the "Ovine Yard Service") have their job description as chief lawnmowers, garden pruners & fertilizing experts, plus the additional task of supplier of scarves, throws, or pillows. They can be lazy or playful, but are expert "wool-gatherers".The sheep also take part in camp activities or events on their small "farmette". Presentations also take Alice to schools and festivals, sometimes with a lamb in tow.

Besides educational experiences, "Weaves By Cappa" takes commissions
for handwoven wearables and participates in juried shows.

Find more:   * Descriptions of each weaving is shown on the menu page, leading to pages on options for each style. See special graphic composites using the "Old Masters" as models, so they can display them appropriately. They are fun and give a "style" to each weaving.
* New work is posted seasonally and those currently on hand are shown on the "Ready For You Now" page.
* Current schedule of shows, demos, or workshops is oon the Calendar, as are gallery listings and event details.
* The Newsletter is a seasonal or event-oriented email to keep us in touch. No weekly spams! It is generated for those I meet at the shows and mailing lists are never shared. In the Tallahassee area, one can expect info on current shows or features during spring, fall, or holiday schedules. In other cities, not so much. The newsletter is usually about an annual event in a specific area, with photos of current work. Contact: yarntalk@alicecappa.com to join the list. You may also keep in touch through Facebook, "Weaves By Cappa", with timely postings and photo albums of all activities, lambs, and processes. "Like" my page; I'd enjoy hearing from you.

Regarding writing... stories express these same concepts: color, texture, ambience.
Two ongoing series have been developing since the '80s. In one, to interest young people in the fiber arts, Yarn Talk is an illustrated story "by my lambs", dramatizing the process from the sheep's point of view. On her small "farmette", lambs are inspiring muses for spinning yarns, both fibrous and verbal.
In the other series, Tales From The Summer Hills, an enchanted land is expressed in colorful folktales. Narratives were inspired by hand-marblings, where swirls of colors and shapes came alive as characters and scenes. They were magical, and "spoke" of their stories..

Alice creates and writes to express, to inspire, to celebrate, and hopefully her work will strike a chord within one's own imaginative and personal themes. A few of the Summer Hills tales have been printed onto long scrolls of handmade papers and exhibited in galleries, along with their counterpart of a marbled illustration. One tale was chosen by WFSU's former "Stories In The Air". Others have won places with TCC's The Eyre, and TWA's Seven Hills Review. YarnTalk's story of SnoBelle, a lamb's quest for a handwoven shawl, is in process as an illustrated chapter book.

Find more:
*For narratives & photos of the sheep, see "LambTalk".   Blog articles also contribute to the stories on both YarnTalk (the book) and Tales From The Summer Hills.
*Marblings from the Summer Hills characters... check back for later posting.

 

Re: Process... Demos & Educational Activities
Weaving takes place in either of two ways...

*On a 4-harness loom with rising heddles and tredling pedals. Her weaving is usually in basic tabby weave, but with distinctive sections of pattern or leno-lace weaves. Lace weave imagery follows a "cartoon", a sketch placed below the warp to serve as a guide. Styles are "loom-shaped", traditionally sized and shaped on the loom as it is woven, which avoids excess cutting or sewing. Most edges are selvedges (not cut) and all new yarns are knotted in, which will never unravel.

* On a triangle loom, which is a large frame without harnesses, heddles, nor peddles. Like a giant potholder, it allows many textures, fibers, instant color changes, and the addition of such embellishments as ribbons, beads, buttons or tassels. 
Classes or individual instruction on a loom or spinning wheel is available.

Re: The Sheep....
Background on the sheep are sprinkled throughout these pages.
The first 2 lambs, Bambi and Filene, began the long line of subsequent lambs, mixtures with various breeds, and the fiber processes of spinning, dyeing and weaving. They greet visitors with the "Dyed 'N Wool" field trips, or weaving workshops, and one may go to school, too. See pics on the LambTalk page, or read updates about SnoBelle, the adventurous lamb of the YarnTalk storybook, on the blog.

Find more: Fiberarts workshops, Demos, or Presentations in Weaving/Spinning, Dyeing, and Handmade Paper-Making, are offered in many ways:

 

*For Kids: schools presentations or camp fieldtrips, homeschools, or birthday groups of all ages. These "Dyed 'N Wool" activities are colorful, varied, and fun, and the sheep are also waiting to greet you. See photos (linked from those pages) from the many camp or school visits in the Tallahassee and surrounding areas. See samples of special, one-time-only Dyed 'N Wool newsletters from the camp or school field trips.

      

 

*For Adults: Triangle Weaving, is a fun, versatile technique for scarf of shawl making and is described on the Classes page. See photos of the many groups from Central Florida to the Panhandle, Atlanta, Baltimore, and points beyond. For individual instruction on a loom or spinning wheel, please contact by phone or email.
*More info: The Rest Of The Story holds info on processes, terminology, and the studio.
Available handouts may include: camp newsletter, Forage and Dye lists, Triangle Weaving How-To, and DIY Dye kit.

Background
 Weaving began with 3rd grade cardboard looms and expanded with three degrees in Art Education and Graphics/Multimedia. It carried through several artist residencies over 38 years and 5 surrounding counties of No. Florida and So. Georgia. Since her first two shows in 1980, the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival and the Florida Folk Festival, have remained her favorites. Alice continues to go into schools with VSA-FL (Very Special Arts) or do demos or art activities for all classes. Adult Tri-Weaving workshops also have taken her from Central Florida to the Panhandle, Atlanta, Baltimore, and points beyond. Though in later years traveling has decreased, Alice still participates in juried shows and exhibits. Previous travels took her to the SE, SW, and NE, with varied awards, 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, People's, or Purchase.
Stories began to further illustrate the processes, or complete handmade books, or narrate life with the sheep. Further development with critique groups or writing conferences are ongoing.

Find more:   To see many photos of the groups she's worked with, see photo links from these pages:
Dyed 'N Wool  ~  Just For Schools  ~  Adult Workshops

Privacy Policy
This site collects NO information, private or otherwise, from any user/visitor.
Re: Ordering, there is no submission form, no shopping cart and no registration. All pages open to the public. This is not a "click and buy" site, since one-of-a-kind weavings require personal contact. For more considerations on ordering your size, color, style, or other details, please see more on ordering and policies. However, "Ready For You Now" items may be just what you're looking for. All sales are entirely in person, or by phone, or email contact. Payment is by phone/Visa or Mastercard or by Paypal, and items are shipped with USPS, priority and insured.
Find more:  See payment, care, shipping, and refund policies.
Contact me with your wishes. All creative inquiries welcome.

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