Thinking Spring

It's been a harder than usual winter here this year. So what do I do? I think spring and lighter fabrics and colors.

I've simply procrastinated weaving with the bamboo on my shelf. I've also never created a garment with this wonderfully soft and silky yarn. Now seemed like as good a time as any.

This week I warped my loom and adjusted my weaving techniques for fine and very soft threads. I added a novelty ribbon from my stash which shows as a definite stripe in the fabric. I chose a simple twill pattern with the warp threads a tad darker than the weft.

The finished fabric was lovelier than lovely - ohhhh baby! It's so soft - like a kitten's nose.

After placing it on Manny manikin as a partially sewn garment, it still wasn't speaking to me as a good designed piece should. So, I embellished the front with additional ribbon and, voila! I love it!

New Year - New Studio

This is the time of year when I re-evaluate my previous year and decide what I want to change in the coming year. 2009 was as expected, slower than previous years in the boutiques that sell my wearable art. But I was pleased to discover that local traffic has picked up. ZoZo Fiber Arts Studio has been a presence in the downtown of Tucumcari now for almost two years.

New and exciting things are in store for 2010. Instead of just a working studio, Jan and I have decided to partner together. We hope to gradually morph into a boutique and studio later this year.

So first things first - this week I'm clearing out my old unnecessary clutter and moving my sewing area and loom to create more space in the front for display of merchandise. Right now chaos reigns, but I'm really looking forward to this new year with a new look and purpose.