- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Santa Clara, CA
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Stitches Day 3
Day 3 just zoomed by, no time to play. Tonight too tired to think.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, February 22, 2013
Stitches West Day 2
Stitches officially opened to the public today with tons of knitters rolling through the vendor hall like kittens after balls of yarn.
As vendors, we get in the vendor hall 2 hours before the public to tidy up our booths and restock but of course we shop. I found a really cool new toy at the Clemes & Clemes booth. They make really beautiful, high precision spinning wheels and equipment and came out with a blending board for making batts and rolags. I don't spin but I do felt and this little board makes perfect little batts for pre-felts which lead me to do one of my very favorite things - "Hotel Bathroom Felting".
Remember this is a dark bathroom so the photos aren't premium but you will get the idea. We made the batt in the Clemes & Clemes booth, I will get photos from them tomorrow. The batt is RedFish 50/50 silk and superfine merino and it's now in the bath tub and I have wet it with dish soap and warm water.
The batt has been pre-felted using a fiberglass screen until it holds together nicely.
Now I roll it using bubble wrap. I have moved from the tub to the sink area.
Next is the wadding up and throwing it into the sink to get it as hard as I want it.
Kitchen sink with lemon water.
Little soak and a clear water rinse.
Squeezed out in a towel.
Hung to dry.
Tomorrow I will take it back to Clemes & Clemes to show them what their new little toy helped to produce.
Just to let you know, I don't always carry screening and bubble wrap in my suitcase but it just happened that my friend Lisa took a felting class today and let me borrow her stuff. Thanks Lisa.
No hotel bathroom was destroyed during this project.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring?
As vendors, we get in the vendor hall 2 hours before the public to tidy up our booths and restock but of course we shop. I found a really cool new toy at the Clemes & Clemes booth. They make really beautiful, high precision spinning wheels and equipment and came out with a blending board for making batts and rolags. I don't spin but I do felt and this little board makes perfect little batts for pre-felts which lead me to do one of my very favorite things - "Hotel Bathroom Felting".
Remember this is a dark bathroom so the photos aren't premium but you will get the idea. We made the batt in the Clemes & Clemes booth, I will get photos from them tomorrow. The batt is RedFish 50/50 silk and superfine merino and it's now in the bath tub and I have wet it with dish soap and warm water.
The batt has been pre-felted using a fiberglass screen until it holds together nicely.
Now I roll it using bubble wrap. I have moved from the tub to the sink area.
Next is the wadding up and throwing it into the sink to get it as hard as I want it.
Kitchen sink with lemon water.
Little soak and a clear water rinse.
Squeezed out in a towel.
Hung to dry.
Tomorrow I will take it back to Clemes & Clemes to show them what their new little toy helped to produce.
Just to let you know, I don't always carry screening and bubble wrap in my suitcase but it just happened that my friend Lisa took a felting class today and let me borrow her stuff. Thanks Lisa.
No hotel bathroom was destroyed during this project.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring?
Location:Santa Clara, CA
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Stitches West Day 1
All the hard work is over! Day 1 is always set up for six hours and sell for 4, makes for a long hard day, but we get to see a lot of friends we haven't seen for awhile.
For the last 5 years, on set-up day, a woman has pulled her little station wagon up to the dock to sell the best home-made tamales I have ever eaten, today she didn't come. I, along with many others were disappointed. I hope she is OK.
No pictures today, I will try to remember tomorrow.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
For the last 5 years, on set-up day, a woman has pulled her little station wagon up to the dock to sell the best home-made tamales I have ever eaten, today she didn't come. I, along with many others were disappointed. I hope she is OK.
No pictures today, I will try to remember tomorrow.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Santa Clara, CA
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Stitches West
RedFish DyeWorks first trip of the season and we start out with an ice storm and closed roads but after we got through the Grapevine we had smooth sailing to Santa Clara. The almond trees in Northern California are usually blooming when we come to Stitches but this year they hadn't even started to bud out. Maybe on the way home.
We have a booth and a half this year, splitting a booth with John Marshall. We have 50 square feet extra, the truck is stuffed to capacity, it will take longer to unload but we have the same amount of time to setup. I might have to work!
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We have a booth and a half this year, splitting a booth with John Marshall. We have 50 square feet extra, the truck is stuffed to capacity, it will take longer to unload but we have the same amount of time to setup. I might have to work!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Gold St,San Jose,United States
Thursday, May 10, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
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.
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.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
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.
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