Blessing Baby Blanket

Let's begin at the beginning.

Part Gift/Part Commission----A Baby Blanket

Instead of a Color Horoscope Weaving Baby Blanket, I thought it would be delightful to create a baby blanket of blessings in Woven Words, one from each of the new baby's close relatives.

Ten blessing words were gathered and preliminary colors selected in Bambu 7. Actually the prospective mom selected only 13 of the 20 colors needed, so I filled in the other 7 colors with various shades of blue. (since aqua is her favorite color and I needed a place to begin) I also thought blue would help prevent the weaving from looking like a circus. Then I arranged the colors in what I believed to be a pleasing array.


Then I created a series of wrappings spelling out each of the blessings. I knew this would not be the final decision, but I had to have a place to start.

Color is so subjective, and you just have to see it.


Mom's decision---too blue! So I shuffled the colors and started at the warm end. Oh yes, an 11th word was added as well: CREATIVE. (I'll give you the whole rundown of the list of words in the next post)


Mom's decision---too red! So with just a little more tweaking, we have the final colors below.


I have never approached a project quite like this before and thought it would be nice to document from the inception.

Getting Back in the Groove

It's taken me several days to sink back into a schedule. I like to take advantage of holidays to get work done because it is so quiet with very few distractions. I stopped weaving for a bit and went up on the roof to try out the fireworks setting on my camera. It is a lot trickier than I thought it would be, plus the outline of a huge pine in the lower right corner....

Then today I finished the second scarf on this Woven Words warp. I will wash them both tomorrow and take appropriate pictures.

At last, I got this merino wool ikat piece on the loom. It is most interesting working with wool in the summer. I was not trying to actually match the sample draped over the harnesses, but rather re-create the same feeling. It remains to be woven if I have succeeded.
And I am in the planning stages for a Blessing Baby Blanket. I'll be talking about this lots in the weeks to come.


AND I leave again on the 27th! Focus!

Way to Go

The mountains of Western North Carolina are beautiful! (but you have to know where you are going). We put 500 miles on Irene's car during my visit. She lives at least an hour away from everything, good if you want to get away and bad if you don't drive.

We visited Penland, John C Campbell Folk School, Earth Guild, Yarn Circle, and the studios of Catharine Ellis and Kathie Roig. This list goes on, but I seem to have misplaced my list.

I took several wonderful pictures, but I thought this one summed up my experience. I went to North Carolina with expectations of having a life changing experience, but once I was able to put them aside I had a lovely time. I don't have any pictures of my high school reunion, (for which I had no expectations) but I had a blast!


The "Meet Up" in Asheville was jolly fun!


I have to admit I sorely missed the Northwest climate and arrived back in Seattle to perfect cool sunny weather. While in Baltimore with my mom, we un-knitted 20 more sweaters. Note the sunlight sneaking through the shades.


I must have evolved into a "mole-person" because I couldn't wait to get back on the loom with the sounds of the Gay Pride celebration echoing in the streets below.


I couldn't resist tossing in this picture I found of my mom and I circa 1945. We had a really good visit.

Now Onward to prepare for a Color Horoscope Weaving Workshop at the Golden Gate Fiber Institute on July 27th.

Ready to Fly

Saying goodbye to my studio for a while always fills me with mixed feelings. Leaving projects unfinished assures that I will attempt to return.

Here is what's on Grace. Perhaps I will know which colors I want to use for weft the next time I sit down to weave.

My little "Seeds of Hope" are ready to hop into the suitcase.


I'll try to post while I am on the road.


All I really want to do right now is head over to Weavolution and form a group. I can't imagine you haven't been there, but it not.....well it's what the weaving community has been hungry for.

Asheville "Meet Up" Details

FINAL PLANS
Date: Saturday June 20th (Summer Solstice)
Time: 12:30 PM
Place: The Laughing Seed

Bring: A recent Show & Tell (could be a work in progress)

I can't tell you how excited I am to visit a new place and actually meet some virtual friends.

I made the meet up time a little after noon to give me time to attend a NIA class beforehand. The class is at 10:30 AM at Training Partners with Black Belt Nia instructor Anne Lowry. If you feel brave and want to work up an appetite, I'll see you there.

I haven't started to pack, but then I don't leave here until Friday morning. Yikes!

Going to Do Meets Doing

Before I head down to Asheville, I will be attending my 50th High School Reunion in Baltimore. I thought you would appreciate seeing my high school yearbook picture.

I am heartened by the comments I received about meeting up in Asheville and will talk about the trip tomorrow.

Back to the Seeds of Hope: This morning I pinned all the pieces together and sewed them. After lunch I trimmed and turned them.


All of it leading up to my favorite part--stuffing them with 21 grams of lavender flowers.


Now I just have to hand sew the openings, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Making Seeds of Hope

My greatest desire in life is to find a craft focused community in which to settle.
There, I've said it!

I have been dreaming of visiting Asheville for over a year and am so very excited about this trip I am beside myself.

In preparation, I am making a bunch of lavender sachets from my woven recycled cashmere and bamboo cloth (with Thai silk for the backing) to offer as seeds of hope that North Carolina will house the community I am searching for.

As soon as I decided to create these as travel favors, all of my resistance to sewing dissolved. I pulled out my sewing machine, cut out 5" Thai silk squares, and began sewing a label onto each square.


Keep in mind that I am semi sewing challenged, but I had a blast.


After 49 years of weaving, it is still with a certain amount of reluctance that I take scissors to handwoven cloth even though I designed and wove this cloth to cut into sachets. I had been weaving for 20 years before I could cut up anything I had woven (and for 10 of those 20 years I was actively trying to cut).


Today I pin and sew---more pictures to follow.