Looking Ahead to Fall

Summer is coming to an end. It's back-to-school time for children and teachers. Plans are underway for Fall and Winter - travel, holidays and weddings. And October seems to have become the new June for brides. This October I take my turn as mother-of-the-bride. It's been lots of fun spending time with my daughter, Brooke, planning for her big day. Of course, I can't just plan. Being a fiber person, I have be "hands on!" I'm currently dyeing swatches of silk fabric which will be made into wraps for the bridesmaids. Let me tell you, it's not easy to dye silk chiffon a dark brown. I'll also be designing a special shawl for Brooke and her maid-of-honor. At least the natural silk matches her gown perfectly.

And in my studio, new pieces will soon be ready for delivery. In addition to my tanks, vests and shrugs in the "Simply Ribbon" line, I've designed an open weave jacket which I think will be simply wonderful for holiday parties, resort travel or a cruise. It will be available in my usual colors as well as black. Also it can be order short as pictured above or longer. It also features a handmade glass button. These items can all be custom ordered to ensure you get the perfect piece for your size and style. You'll be the envy of all your friends.

Summer Heat and New Project

As the summer heat brings life to a slower pace, the frequency of my blogs seem to be affected as well. Even with the evaporative cooler set on high all day, my work pace is slower in my upstairs studio. But deadlines must still be met. I remind myself that this only lasts a couple of months each summer and I'm grateful for the cycles. In the meantime, the music reflects my summer mood with Crosby, Stills and Nash from 1969, singing Helplessly Hoping.

One day this summer I had an inspiration. It started with my collection of miscellaneous threads in rayon, silk, cotton and even cashmere. Some of the threads were very fine and I usually hesitate to weave with them. But this time the color progression was too delicious and I couldn’t help myself. I had earlier posted a photo of the beginning of the project. These are my warp chains. The colors progressed from dark paprika to a dark olive green. I had the yarn wound off the warping reel and onto the loom in just hours. The fine threads were doubled or trippled in the dents.

I decided to use a twill pattern which produces a nice drape. I wove in a shot of metallic/eyelash every couple inches. Then I had another idea – I left a two inch tail hanging instead of weaving in the end.
This kind of project is extremely different from my usual projects. I knew it would either be outstanding or a total flop and go into my pile of things I want to bury in the ground -- quickly before anyone sees it - yikes! That afternoon my daughter stopped by, took one look at my beautiful project and said, “I want placemats just like those on the loom!” As you can imagine, my weaving slowed down as I imagined horrible placemats instead of a beautiful shawl. It wasn’t until I finally cut it off, tied the fringes, trimmed the hanging threads and draped it on my mannequin that I could see my vision had been realized.

Away Too Long

For those of you still be reading my blog, I apologize for my silence. This past month was my busiest in a long time. We travelled -- another long road trip. Then there was the catching up of work left behind and new projects started.

For my Ebay customers -- check out my Summer Clearance Category. I'll also be running a few auctions each week starting at ridiculously low prices. My Artwear will continue to be offered on Ebay as well. Coming new this fall -- I will offer custom designed items for those of you who see something you like but want it in a different color or size. For custom orders I will make sizes Small - X-Large.

Recently, I had a customer purchase a Gypsy Tank and just loved it. She decided she'd like another one in mostly black. Since I currently did not have a solid black ribbon, I contacted my suppliers and found just what I needed to create a custom fabric. I wove it with a touch of purple (a few "Jewels" ribbon) woven in. This fabric is outstanding -- It's a little lighter weight than the other "Simply Ribbon" fabric. And of course this leads to many other possibilities. I can weave in any of the colored ribbons as an accent. And who doesn't like wearing mostly black? So, thanks to Ruby, it's definitely on my list of offerings for this fall. Here's the final piece.

Final Sunset Over Lake Michigan

Our last evening in Michigan found us on the beach watching this fabulous sunset after a rain storm.

Michigan

After a very fast trip across the mid-west with one fun evening in Omaha at my nephews wedding, a quick visit with my family, we now are in Grand Haven Michigan for the July 4th week. I worried a bit because my suitcase was not full like previous trips, but it's summer, after all, and no need for sweaters, jackets or sweatshirts, right? Wrong! We arrive to find cool breezes off the lake. I’m happy that at the last minute I threw my hoodie and a windbreaker in the back of the car. Yesterday we went out on Lake Michigan with relatives in their speed boat. What a lovely day to be on the water. There weren’t many boats out and the water was calm and just perfect. We motored, or should I say “speeded” up to Muskegan and had lunch at the BLT where we hear there are often Tim Allen sightings. But he didn’t appear, “sigh”!

Even though we’re technically on vacation, I’m never far from my work. I have my trusty laptop at hand for communicating with customers, and I’m planning the next project for my loom when I return.

Summer Solstice

The time the sun moves into Cancer, is the all-out celebration of the sun, of long days and warm evenings and of life out-of-doors. This is the time of the "longest day." when we, in contrast to the Winter Solstice, honor the light and focus on outward activity with picnics, fireworks and other festivities. This is the ancient time of celebration of outward joy in the fullness of life, and the richness of our blessings. -Danaan Parry

Listening to Divine Love from Vision - The Music of Hildegard von Bingen as I remember this past week. No need to remind me that summer is here in full force. On one of my early morning walks as I tried to beat the heat, I observed the glint of gold on dragonflies by the lake as fuzzy ducklings paddled quickly to keep up with their mother. Two little birds perched on a tall reed which bent in an arc from their weight. They blended in with their background, the green algae around the edge of the water. A painter sat in the shade of a large tree trying to capture the beauty of the morning lake with the snow capped mountains in the background. Ah, if I'd only brought my camera. Summer is here in all its glory.

Busy

It's been an incredibly busy week with orders to process and new projects in the works. I'm also trying to get caught up before next weekend when we head out-of-town again for a Nephew's wedding in Omaha and a visit to Carl's family in Michigan. So I've sort of put my photo printing project on hold for the time being. I feel hopeful though, since the new print cartridge seemed to work. In the future, I'll have to change the ink cartridge before the printer actually gives the "empty message."