There is beauty in nature all around us.

And there are people who create beauty from nature — the fibers of nature, to be exact.

Kachina Martin of Adamstown is one such artist. She transforms merino wool roving — essentially, unspun wool — into wearable felted works of art and relies on natural forms or shapes for inspiration.

"I wanted something that spoke to nature, was dimensional and organic," Martin said. "I am interested in bridging that gap; there are a lot of people who say things are wearable, but (they) aren't. I design mine to be wearable art."

Two of Martin's felted scarves will be on display at an upcoming exhibit at the Pennsylvania's Guild of Craftsmen's Guilded Tulip Gallery, 252 N. Prince St. The five-week exhibit, "Thread Count: A loosely woven exhibition highlighting material strength," will feature 43 works from 31 artists. The materials used to create these works of art include paper, cotton, reed, silk, glass, felt, wood, raffia, repurposed scraps and pine needles.

"We wanted to offer an exhibition that was related to fiber," Nick Mohler, program director for the guild, said. "Fiber can mean so many things — wearables, fibrous materials, woods, reeds for baskets. It includes a wider range of medium."

During the exhibit's selection process, the guild worked with renowned fiber artist Elisabeth Agro. Agro is the Nancy M. McNeil Associate Curator for American Modern and Contemporary Crafts and Decorative Arts of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

"The term 'fiber' is applied quite liberally in this exhibition with a call to include work made with all things defined as fibrous," Agro said in a press release from the guild. "The loose definition gave us room to select some traditional fiber like quilts and weavings as well as some more unusual pieces."

This room for expression helped Martin create "Sea Life," a 50-inch felted scarf that mimics the colors of the ocean — blues and greens, both bright and deep. Martin likes to layer her work, and included marbles during the felting process to create little pods that add a sculptural dimension and resemble coral on an ocean reef.

"Fiber (art) doesn't always get its due," Martin said. "There are so many exciting things going on in the fiber world, and this exhibit recognizes them."

Fiber art is a trend that's riding about a three-year wave in the art world, according to Mohler.

"It's tactile," Mohler said. "You can hold it. It's something that you can relate to easily."

Relatibility is what drew Elizabeth Gates of Lancaster to the fiber art of bookbinding. As the the daughter of a bookbinder, Gates took up bookbinding as a way to relate to her mother, who had been doing it for 25 years.

"I wanted to find something I could do to nurture our relationship," Gates said. "I always enjoyed doing things with my hands. I sewed, made quilts, knitted."

These are skills Gates uses when she creates her journals and books. She's taken bookbinding classes in New York City, Maine and North Carolina, as well as learning the art from Tony Haverstick of Water Street Bindery.

"It's about starting with large pieces of paper and cutting them down and creating a beautiful book," Gates, 57, said.

Gates' two pieces in the exhibit include the bookbinding technique of longstitch binding, binding sewn on the outside of the cover, allowing the book's structure to be seen. Gates experimented with new, complex weavings for her exhibit pieces so they would better lend themselves to the theme.

"All of the threads seen are functional," Gate said. "They serve a purpose."

"Quilt Book" showcases a paper-weaving technique on its cover similar to the popular tumbling quilt blocks pattern.

"I learned weaving as a child," Gates said. "And was able to make it a part of this book."

Mohler pointed out that many of the skills used in fiber arts are skills that are passed down through generations. Some people may consider it crafting, but he argues that, "it's the technical equivalent of art."

"The technique, the time involved, it's the heart of what 'craft' is. The art side of it comes in with the creativity — they can stretch that into art."

One of the more unusual pieces in the exhibit may require a second glance. The beige and chocolate woven scarf created by Amy Turner of Doylestown uses spun hair from Bernese mountain dogs and Golden Retrievers. The classic houndstooth twill woven scarf, appropriately named "Paws for Consideration," is the result of many hours of work and measures about 75 inches in length.

Turner has been weaving for 35 years and works in many different weaving media, including wool and rayon. This is the second dog hair scarf she has made.

She works at a veterinary clinic, so Turner can get cleaned hair from the groomer on site to spin into yarn.

"(The hair is) the undercoat of the dog, so the softness is amazing," Turner said. "I do clean it with some lemon juice to eliminate any doggie smell."

Dog hair scarves and weaving are not something that is new to the guild, according to Mohler. At the guild's inception in 1944, there were many weavers who used dog hair as a source for their yarn, he said.

Master craftswomen sold coats and sweaters made of dog hair shed by Samoyeds, poodles, collies, Scotties, English sheepdogs and other household pets, according to the guild's Web site, www.pacrafts.com.

Thread Count: A loosely woven exhibition highlighting material strength, May 1 through June 6, Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen's Guilded Tulip, 252 N. Prince St., www.pacrafts.com/threadcount.

E-mail: cesbenshade@lnpnews.com