In the hands of Houston-based multimedia artist Janice Freeman, swaths of cloth are transformed into an enchanting aviary filled with hummingbirds, wasps, peacocks and bees.

A longtime customer of the tony downtown shop Forty Five Ten, she was encouraged by store stylist Kyle Branch to create an installation all over the shop to ring in spring and the Dallas Art Fair. Already installed in the shop, her soft sculpture menagerie will be displayed throughout the month, with an all-day “sip and greet” event with Freeman on April 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“[Kyle] and I became very close, and he has always loved my work,” explains Freeman, who is also known for her colorful, textural canvases represented by Heidi Vaughan Fine Art. “That’s a big thing for me — I juxtapose colors and textures to create the kind of symphony. I’m a multimedia artist, but the one true vein with all my work is color. He gravitated to these fiber sculptures and got this wild idea to hang them all throughout the store.”

Crafted of beautifully textured fabrics, each sculpture takes a year to construct, starting with the construction of a sturdy wood-covered cement stand. Freeman then crafts wire forms she stuffs and wraps in gossamer fabric before layering on a patchwork of textures sourced from the best houses in New York.

Achieving her colorful contrasts with the assistance of a former costumer for the Houston Grand Opera, Freeman makes pieces that range from a 6-foot-tall bird to a 30-inch bee. The sculptures start at around $5,000, with her largest piece retailing for around $10,000.

Details

A “sip and greet” event with Janice Freeman will be April 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Forty Five Ten, 1615 Main St., Dallas.

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The Dallas Stars have won seven straight games and have a points streak that’s now stretched into the double digits. Playing some of their best hockey of the season, they’ll take on the Pittsburgh Penguins for a Saturday afternoon puckdrop.

Here’s what to know as the Stars look to keep things rolling against Pittsburgh.

Dallas Stars vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

When: Saturday, 2 p.m.

Where: American Airlines Center

TV/Streaming: ABC (Ch. 8); ESPN+ (streaming only)

Radio: 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM)

Bottom line

The Dallas Stars (2nd in the Central Division) play the Pittsburgh Penguins (7th in the Metropolitan Division) with a seven-win streak intact. Dallas has a 28-7-2 record at home and a 50-21-4 record overall. The Stars have a 43-6-2 record when scoring three or more goals.

Pittsburgh has a 30-34-12 record overall and an 11-20-7 record on the road. The Penguins have a -52 scoring differential, with 221 total goals scored and 273 conceded.

Saturday’s game is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Stars won 7-1 in the previous meeting. Miro Heiskanen led the Stars with two goals.

Top performers

Wyatt Johnston has scored a goal in six straight games. He’s totaled 31 goals with 37 assists for the Stars. Jason Robertson has five goals and six assists over the past 10 games.

Sidney Crosby has 27 goals and 55 assists for the Penguins. Bryan Rust has scored six goals with four assists over the last 10 games.

Last 10 games

Stars: 8-0-2, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.6 assists, 4.2 penalties and 9.7 penalty minutes while giving up 1.9 goals per game.

Penguins: 5-3-2, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.9 assists, three penalties and eight penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game.

Injuries

Stars: C Jamie Benn (undisclosed), doubtful

Penguins: C Evgeni Malkin (upper body), day-to-day

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.