Gratitude

As I celebrated Summer Solstice this past weekend - for me a celebration of joy in the fullness of life and the richness of my blessings - I was overwhelmed with gratitude for those who have been a part of my life encouraging me on this amazing journey.

I have been given so much by so many and my heart is full! I am eternally grateful to my mentor and personal angel, Sandy; Jill who stepped back and so generously allowed me to buy the loom 16 years ago instead of herself. It's still my primary loom and has assisted me in creating many wonderful woven pieces. And then there was Josie who invited me to show my work at the Abundance Gallery - my first exposure in a gallery. And my friend Traute who always encouraged and believed in me.

In this season full of life and sunshine, I recognize that I am living the life I've always wanted and give thanks for all those who've crossed my path and been a part of the steps it's taken to get here.

With Gratitude!

Jan Jacket

I just returned from another trip to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. I dropped off my Hippi Dippi shirts and also left them my newest chenille pieces. This one I call Jan Jacket since Jan is responsible for leading me to this new idea which we both fell in love with. It's not an original idea but I totally love it with the chenille fabric. I created a pleat just above the elbow. This one will be great to throw over a tank in an air conditioned room or on a cool evening instead of a sweater. Photographing this garment without a model was a challenge. Since most of the fabric is in the back, I've chosen to only post this photograph for now.

Brooke's Scarf

Here's the same scarf that was draped on my mannequin on my May 29 blog. It was a birthday gift for my daughter, Brooke. And here she is modeling the scarf! Isn't she preeety?!!

Shall We Call Them Hippie Dippies?

Last week I dove right into my challenge of creating shirts from my new flax blend fabric. Wednesday I set up the loom with a pale peach yarn and enough length for two shirts. I wasn't exactly sure how much shrinkage I would have so I made the warp nice and wide at 30 inches. Thursday, I arrived at my studio bright and early and spent the day weaving and was able to cut the warp off the loom - whew! I haven't spent the entire day weaving in such a long time. Sure wish my massage therapist was closer.

Being obsessive compulsive, I had a race with time to see how much I could accomplish before the weekend. Friday found me setting up the loom once more with a light yellow and enough yarn for one more shirt - seemed manageable at the time, but it was a challenge to get it woven and cut off in one day. But I did it!

I spent the evening and part of Saturday morning pulling the threads to create the resist that makes that wonderful shibori pattern. Then I plopped them in two different dye pots. One of the peach fabrics went into a pot of scarlet and the other peach plus the yellow fabric went into a rust/brown pot. I was a little disappointed to discover that the yellow and peach don't really look that different after the final wash. Doing the shibori in dye pots is new for me. I usually hand paint the dyes onto the fabric. But since I love trying new stuff, this is the new of the moment for me.

And after all is said and done, don't these really look like something right out of the past? All I could think of was Hippie Dippie!! Seriously, I think they'll be lots of fun to wear.

A Beautiful Day in Santa Fe

I just returned from a quick day trip to Santa Fe. What a perfect day in the city with sunshine and cool breezes. I visited the farmer's market and purchased some beautiful spring mix greens. I had a delicious Spanakopita at the Plaza Cafe, and fantasized about having a taste of all of their simply gorgeous baked goods. Then a stop at Whole Foods and sweet Bing cherries, Trader Joe's for a package of salmon and I am ready for a delicious and healthy food week here in Tucumcari. Oh how I used to take all these things for granted. Not anymore!

I also stopped by Handwoven Originals to see how the season is progressing there with my chenille pieces. I was wearing my newest flax blend scarf which I shibori dyed this past weekend. They liked it and want more pieces with this fabric for the summer. So I'm really excited to get to work producing more items from this great new fabric.

Nature Dance

Several years ago while hiking in the mountains of Colorado, I happened upon this perfect wild columbine. On the enlarged version you can even see little flies on the stem. I've had lots of fun being creative with this one.

On the right is a very bad photo of the columbine which has been woven. The digital image was printed on silk charmeuse, cut and woven together. It's matted and framed behind glass which is why this photo turned out so bad - still learning how to photograph this type of media.

For this next idea, I was inspired by a book I saw on quilts. In an earlier life I was a quilter - way before digital images were possible. Since then a whole new world of possibilities have emerged. This next image seemed to make the flowers dance. Check out the center. I think I'll use this image on a silk scarf. In fact, I'm thinking of a whole series of scarves called kaleidoscope series. This is all so much fun and the variety is just what I need to break up my days of weaving and sewing.