Friday weaving classes – Starting up!

I’m offering Friday morning Weaving classes. I don’t have more than 4 students at a time. You can start 9/11 or 9/18. Class runs from 10 am to 4 pm for 5 to 6 weeks. $240.00. I supply the warp. Project is rag rug placemats, runner or cotton dishtowels or runner. Please read more about the opportunities on http://www.villageweaver.com/2010/retreats.html

Destashing – Loom – Wool Yarn

I have tons of WOOL YARN FOR SALE

The yarn is on ebay and some (because i wasn’t sure of fiber content) is on the page with my paypal button.

My rag rug carpet at The Henry Ford –

If you’ve been following my rag rug carpet story that I wove for the Sarah Jordan Boarding House in Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford, you might be relieved to know that she is installed!  The carpet was installed by July 4, and I went out last week with my husband to see her. We had lunch with the Textile Curator and some weaver friends from The Weaving Shop, then had a tour to see the renovated Sarah Jordan Boarding House. It was overwhelming for me to see my rug in this setting. I could not have anticipated the emotion I experienced. For me, making by hand is heartfelt, no matter what the project. I hope they get many years of service from this project.

Sarah Jordan Boarding House - wall to wall rag rug carpeting.

http://www.villageweaver.com/2010/specialproject/001roomafterjanuary2009fire_1.html

Colorful warp – colorful weft

I used a warping paddle and vertical mill to wind a multi colored warp. Here are the two rugs that will come from this warp.

Getting ready for Fiber Arts Festival in Charlevoix

I took off a 32 inch mohair shawl this morning and have finished labeling. I’m toying with the idea of putting on a couple rugs – there is truly no rest for wicked people! Here’s a peek of my mound of mohair – all hand painted by yours truly -

Weave a Rag Rug Class

I gave a private weaving lesson for 3 days this week and look at her hard work! She came about 3 weeks ago and we planned the project and determine her rag needs. Then she went to the quilt store where she found really nice fabric in the clearance center. I showed her how to strip the fabric and sew it together. At her home over the past couple weeks, she worked on her rag weft and brought it with her for the first day of this class.

Monday we made the warp using a paddle and horizontal mill, beamed the warp, and began threading. Tuesday she finished threading, sleying and tying on. Wednesday morning at 10 she started weaving. These pictures were taken at 5:00 pm. The rug is clost to 28 inches wide by 9 feet long!

She didn’t want to be photographed, but i was so proud of her beautiful rug, she’s letting me put it up sans face!

If you’d like more information on classes, please visit my website -

Fiber Arts Festival in Charlevoix this weekend!

The Fiber Arts Festival in Charlevoix at Castle Farms is happening this Saturday and Sunday, July 25 and July 26.

Close to 60 vendors with top quality products – If you go to this website, at the bottom, you can see a pdf with all the vendors and what they are selling.

http://www.castlefarms.com/Michigan-Festivals-And-Shows/event-calendar/Fiber-Arts-Festival/

If you come, please stop in and say hi – I’m booth 11.

It’s indoors

It’s air conditioned

Friends of mine came up last year for the first time and spent the entire day shopping! It’s worth the drive!

Hope to see you!

Mary

Hand Dyed Rayon Chenille

Just a quick pic of my hand dyed rayon chenille – it’s such a happy warp!

Working on inventory

Not the kind where you count things… makin’ things for my big show. I’m so far behind, but I’m going through with it, fewer items, but maybe i’ll go with a boutique feel this year -   I’ll be posting more on the show soon. Working on chenille and mohair. Here are what’s on the line today. (did you happen to see Sunday Morning on CBS with the segment of Clothes Lines? that’s a entire post after i’m finished with my inventory!!)

Think I’ll dye stuff tomorrow – i have 3 looms going at the moment – i’m pulling my hair out!

Studio organization…a mystery to me…no longer

Get it off the floor and out of the drawers – that’s my new mantra.

I simply don’t know how one individual could possess such terrible organizational skills, while others seem to have the knack. When I worked in the corporate world, my boss, would shake his head and say, “Mary, would you please clean your desk!”. He could shame me for a day or two, but i’d always digress. I’ll have you know the first time merit bonuses were handed out, I was the one and only… So there might be a method of my madness?!

I use to beg and cajole for more storage shelves and cabinets. If I had one more shelving unit, I know I could make this mess go away… When we built the office, i installed 7 small pantry style cupboards. It doesn’t work. I just don’t  get how to organize my stuff. My friend Suzie bartered my web skills for a studio organization this February. Her magic bullet – Peg Boards. Such a simple and inexpensive method of storage. The organization we created has made such a big difference in how I feel about being in the main studio and I know it has increased productivity. Now that my big weaving project is behind me, I decided to take the light Suzie gave and illuminate my office weaving studio.

I have a small corner space with a loom in the office, so I can work while I wait for a computer file to send etc… Over the years, the space not intended for a weaving work area, has slowly crept into every crevasse of our office space. (you weavers know what I’m talking about!) The disarray was so bad, I didn’t want to be there. So for the past two days, I put my nose to the grindstone and put up the peg boards… this is the result that Suzie gave me in February…

No more digging through piles, or layers…

Peg Boards Rule!!

I fought the brushed mohair – find out who wins.

NEVER SAY NEVER…this is a rule i try to follow…with this exception!

..I fought it and to my dismay, the brushed mohair took me down, big time. Today, I vow, to the viewing public, I resolve NEVER to put brushed mohair on as a warp. ever. again. for all eternity. amen.

it beat me. the broken warp ends, from tangling (or rather i should say, STRANGLING)  with each other on the beam. each advance of the warp was a nail biter – after two scarves were woven, i acknowledge the fact that i had been KO’d. took them off. i had to laugh. i had some threads that were so tight, you could feel it even after it had been washed. i’m now trying to decide what to do with over 160 inches of weaving. maybe felted bags?

quickly dyed some lovely bouncy bouclé and all is right with the world again. (have i mentioned i’m loving the dying bit?!) i knocked out 3 bouclé scarves without a hitch. i will use the brushed for weft all day long, but never, ever as a warp. never ever. amen.

Hand dyed mohair on loom

I’m experimenting with dyeing fiber. I’ve dabbled over the past few years – but nothing seriously. This is my brushed mohair sample. I was unsure of the color until the weft hit it and really brought some life to it. I like working with boucle mohair MUCH better than brushed. If i don’t tear my hair out weaving this, i’ll be a happy camper. I warped sectionally, which produced fewer problems for me than my big mohair extravagance last summer, which i plain beamed. (i have horror stories). Brushed mohair seems to have a life of it’s own and sometimes it’s very devilish and trying. Weaving the brushed mohair on my Ideal has been a much more pleasant experience as well. So here’s to trying to get 3 brushed mohair scarves off and living to tell the tale!

Ok, this is it – FINALLY!

REVISED MONDAY, MAY 25TH.

Click on the pic here to get to the form.

FINALLY – I had field calc problems in earlier versions. I think this little form is ready to go!!

START AT THE TOP, USING YOUR TAB KEY to navigate through each required field. It will skip through fields that are automatically calculated for you.

You will only be stopped at the fields that require your data.

If you get to the end, and need to make a revision to one of your fields, make the change and press the RECALCULATE button. This is necessary to recalculate all fields correctly.

If you see anything that needs tweaking, kindly let me know.

And there she goes!

On a sweet ending note, my beloved project is on route to her new destination. A man from The Henry Ford Greenfield Village and his van came on Friday and took her “home”. Can’t wait to see the rag rug carpet installed. I know i sound sappy – but i put alotta love in that rug!

The Rag Rug Wall to Wall Carpet – Finished!

After 2 months of nothing but, I’m please to say, that yesterday, I rolled the wall to wall rag rug carpet on a carpet tube. The carpet was a commission from The Henry Ford – Greenfield Village (see post below). It takes 2 people to move it… anywhere! The project was tremendous experience, I enjoyed every aspect. Save for the fact that taking 4 days to seam it (after ripping out 3 full seams) I can barely make a fist today! I will take a very deep breath after it’s installed! Here are a few more pics of the seaming, trying it out in my too small for it dining room and rolling it on the carpet tube.