Thursday, December 17, 2015

It's About the Journey


Transitions, moving into the unknown. This is my life and my work. I moved my studio from Virginia to Denver in 2000 and ended up traveling around the West in an old RV for a year or so, taking my studio out on the desert to see where it might lead me next.

Transporting a rented loom in my little convertible.
Weaving on the desert somewhere in
Southern California 2002
This has been the story of my life, following the "invisible thread" wherever it might lead. And then I landed in Roswell, New Mexico with the perfect little stucco studio.
Orange flag was my open sign
Warm and cozy studio.
And it's here I learned to spin
And I faced my fears and taught my first weaving class. Which opened up a world of new opportunities!
Thank you Roswell for encouraging me.
It's been a great five years with lots of good memories. But the time has come to move on. To where? I don't know. I'll be traveling once again in an RV with my husband and dog. The RV is a much newer model this time towing a Smart Car instead of a convertible.

For awhile my studio will travel with me until we find another place to land. And there will be many more adventures along the way. So the journey begins again. After all, it's not about the destination, it is about the journey. 

Follow my journey on Facebook ZoZo FiberArts

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Judi Vest

Since I first started teaching weaving on the rigid heddle loom, I've wanted to  create a garment pattern for those new-ish weavers who are tired of weaving scarves and table runners and are limited to a 15-inch rigid heddle loom. The most common size purchased by new weavers.
I decided to offer the pattern as a class to help test the idea with my students. Their vests all turned out so beautiful, don't you think?

And now the pattern is up on my Etsy store. Included with the pattern are worksheets to help each person customize the sizing and calculate exactly how much yarn they will need for the project. There are lots of photos to walk you through each step of the process from warping the loom to taking that first cut into your new fabric and sewing the simple pieces together. I used the lovely Tandem yarn by Tahki Stacy Charles with 3/2 Cotton. Cotton Classic, by Tahki could be substituted for the 3/2 Cotton. Next up will be a version of this vest for multi-harness weavers.