Fiber Art Finds From Germany ~ Part I

When I travel, I'm always on the lookout for fiber art. Not just fiber art to tell the truth, any art. More specifically, I'm always hoping to find evidence of local artisans. It's like locating the heartbeat of a place and it makes me feel at home.

On this particular holiday, I was coming up dry until a day trip to Regensburg, Germany. Regensburg is a beautiful little town on the Danube River. It's first settlements date back to the Stone Age. Today it's a thriving city and home to the University of Regensburg.

As I and my family wandered up and down the streets, I came across a cute little shop with hand crafted items in the window. *Happy Dance* I turned to my husband and informed him that I would need a few minutes. He gave me a knowing look and headed off with the boys. What a good husband!

I headed into the shop named Kuss which a visit to Google Translate tells me means "Kiss". Cute! The full name is Kuss- Künstlerhaus or Kiss-House Artists, a collective of local artisans. I found myself surrounded by beautiful nuno felt, paper art, knit and crochet, glass and wire. It was awesome! It was like an energy boost to be around so much creativity and it's so what I needed halfway through my long European journey.

I was fully prepared to treat myself to a few pieces, but it was hard to choose. There were these really cool felted wrist warmers and handbags and jewelry. I couldn't pick. "I'll take one of everything!" I shouted. No, just kidding, but their stuff was really that wonderful. Instead, I selected this nuno felted scarf. Nuno felt is lightweight enough for me to wear even in the desert where I live. Plus, we were having some nippy days in Germany and I was envying the other women and their cozy scarves. I love the bold poppies against the black. I wear a lot of white and black and a splash of red is always a good thing.



Next, in keeping with my poppy theme, I chose this felted necklace. The artist behind these works in felt is Anita Auer. She happened to be working in the shop that day and we exchanged cards. You can see more of her creations on the store's website.


The other art that kept grabbing my attention was the paper work of Ina Zeller-Bleil. Here's a link to a gallery of her art. She makes jewelry and sculputres and they are just so striking. I picked out this bracelet as a keepsake. The bells are sculpted paper attached to a crocheted wire base. I love her style which seems to range from whimsical to truly captivating.

I was so thrilled to discover the Kiss-House Artisans. What a wonderful collective and collection of extraordinary crafts!