sharon b's Embroidery Class

The "Sumptuous Surface Embroidery" class that was to start today actually started yesterday as my yesterday was today in Australia. As there are people from all over the world involved, I imagine some might start tomorrow as their today will be Australia's yesterday. How fun.

The first weeks lesson, like any other handwork class, is on design. Wither I am teaching or taking, I have always enjoyed being involved in classroom situations where you have to start from scratch. It is amazing how concepts come to people; how some have to draw pictures, some write, some look at things, then when the light bulb comes on, other processes go into play so it can actually become a doable design. For some people this process takes days, even weeks and it's hard to believe for some take years.  I see pictures in my head.

I do fabric or as I like to say, I do rectangles, when I'm done, someone else can turn them into something else. I do hand-weaving, felting, quilting; all with the idea that they could adorn someone's body, somehow.

I have always embroidered, mainly on clothing (hippie) but on linens also, quilts too.  There is something about taking a thread and making a piece of cloth with it then taking more threads and decorating it. All embroidery is a form of surface design -- you are putting threads on a surface, but the first time I saw sharon b's work I was fascinated. I have embroidered, I have done bead work but to put them together in the manner in which she does is magic. I'm excited, I'm rambling, it's bedtime.

Very busy or maybe just lazy.

We have been very busy even though we only have 1 show a month through October.  I have missed posting about The Arizona Federated Weavers. This year it was in Phoenix and it was a fabulous Conference. Another benefit; we left home it was in the 40's, got to Phoenix 8 hours later and it was in the  80's (110 in the desert), the down side was back home to 40 plus rain.  If you live in the Southern California Desert it should be hot, period, they neglected to advise me about altitude.

We are preparing for CNCH in Oakland, CA, another weaving conference and Convergence in Long Beach CA, both of these shows are very large. Between these 2 shows we get to hop up to Missoula, MT for the Montana Association of Weavers Conference.

Other things happening, I am still knitting on my sweater - a little over a year now - this hobby is really slow but I'm told I'm doing well for a first time sweater. An addition coming right up to my tool chest, a knitting machine. I don't need instant gratification, I am a weaver after all but to work over a year to get a sweater is stretching it. I could knit in the booth but on this learning project I'm no using our yarn and that would be a no-no.
Project number 2, I'm crocheting some Granny Squares in our 20/2 silk, they are really beautiful.
I am also taking a embroidery class with Sharon Boggon in Australia with bunches of other people around the world, so I will be posting pictures of that also.  I love these around the world get togethers, my first one was the P2P2 project.

So I will try to be more diligent in my posting.  Right now I think I will go down around the mountain and see what is happening in downtown Acton. I just got 5 emails saying the west part of town is on fire. Another California season, although it's normally later in the year.

Stitches West 2012

They announced that the vendor hall would be open in 6 minutes. This was Thursday night sneak peek for registered people only.  We were in the 8th of 12 rows, the fortieth booth from the front. Vendors are putting the finishing touches on their booths (and hiding things).

Twelve minutes after the doors were open, same shot. This isle is full, I should have gotten the ladder out to take the picture, but........

I didn't have time as our booth was full too.

Stitches West

Stitches West is over for another year and it was incredible. It was great to see all our circuit friends after the winter lay over. It's like the circus rolling into town, everyone arrives, sets up, the people come, everything gets packed up and we roll off to the next town to do it again.


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Location:Santa Clara, CA

Stitches West

I wish I had something to report, but I still haven't figured out the picture thing and we were way too busy for me to do any walking around. I can say that a lot of beautiful sweaters, scarves and shawls made of RedFish yarns came into the booth for Show and Tell. We were so busy that I didn't have time to take pictures of all of them.


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Stitches West

There were an unbelievable amount of knitters at Stitches today. I could prove it if I could figure out how to get photos from my iPhone to my iPad. I will work on it.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Santa Clara, CA

Stitches West

The drive to Santa Clara went smoothly, no weather this year, but every thing is really dry. The almond orchards were just starting to bloom, the garlic fields were up enough to smell and the sunset over the bay was beautiful.
Since vendors with more than 2 booths get to move in first in the morning, we are having breakfast with John Marshall while waiting our turn. We haven't seen John for months.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Santa Clara

First day thoughts and deeds

I plant 20 trees every year and this job was completed today! They weren't exactly trees per say but upright Rosemary plants. When you live in the desert, anything that grows 6 to 8 foot tall can be called a tree in my book. I put them along my North fence line where they can soak up water from my neighbor's lawn overwatering.
I also learn two new things every year and spent some tree planting time thinking about what I want to learn this year. I finally decided on learning the ins and outs of Crackle Weave. Our friend Susan Wilson published a book last year on Crackle and it features a beautiful scarf on the cover made from RedFish DyeWorks yarn.  My second project will be to learn line dancing. I'm jealous of my friend Lisa having all the fun. So there it is, Crackle and line dancing.
From last year, I managed to become a half-way decent gluten-free baker and have managed to learn knitting. I have a sweater half finished, front and back done with sleeves and hood to go. I was hoping to have it finished by "Stitches West" in March but I think that is a pipe dream.
My volunteer work will continue at the library doing Adult Cooking Class, except this month because it was decided to do Blood Sausage. I'm sorry, even if I wasn't a vegetarian, that sounds positively disgusting! This choice was made because of the book "The Belly of Paris" which is the Foodie Book Club book of the month.  I also volunteer for "Threads" at the library. We are trying to get people interested in getting back to basics with sewing, weaving, knitting and other thread things.  We are slowly growing into a great "Sewing Circle".
My book reading/listening list totaled 60 for the year.
All in all, last year was a great year, life is good. That's the end of my thoughts and deeds.