shawl #1 is finished...

Shawl #1 is finished and on display

at the Visual Arts Alliance of McPherson gallery

with a necklace by Susan Shepard.

Just before I cut it off the loom

The winding on...

I kept the warp chains separate as I wound on...

It was very slow.

I ran out of packing paper for the warp on the back beam,

so I used red Christmas wrapping paper,

which seemed to work OK last time.

Finally, the multi-texture shawl warp is wound on the loom.

All set to begin weaving, but first,

need to choose the weft.

Tying on...

Tying on 11 different yarns of the new shawl warp, 32 ends of each, onto the tiny ends of what's left of the old shawl warp, then pulling the new warp ends through the reed.

Separate warp chains for each of the 11 different yarns

still working on warps

Last weekend I finished winding the scarf warp, and now I'm working on a shawl warp using 11 different yarns from my stash. I love texture and variety, and this will have lots of both. Texture and variety, like Life.

just for fun...

Just for fun, here is my fuzzy mug rug.

Needed to finish off a group of mug rugs so that I could warp this loom with scarves. The other mug rugs from this group are pretty normal. It was fun to try a weft I had never considered before...

new warps in the works...

I'm working out some new warps for shawls and scarves. No photos yet. Has it really been that long since my last post? Where did August go?

pin weaving

Last Saturday, I finally tried something that I've been curious about: pin weaving!

Been weaving...

Been weaving, but no photos yet. Coming soon.

collage fun

A small collage I did today in Andrea Fuhrman's Mixed Media Workshop, sponsored by the Visual Arts Alliance of McPherson. It was so much fun!

Here's another bigger one:

"Weekly Routine"

winding a skein into balls

Saturday, while I worked my turn at the VAAM gallery, I wound this skein into balls. I don't remember where I got this skein or who dyed it, but the colors are so beautiful, I wanted to have lots of photos to remember it by. I probably will like it more as a skein than whatever I will weave out out of it (?!??). Warning: more photos of this skein are coming! I really must learn to dye my own.

It's all wound into these two neat balls.

The short wrap (fringed shrug?) shown with Susan Shepard's beautiful necklace.

Finally wove off the scarf (or is it a small wrap?) and cut it off the loom tonight. Now, for the knotting.... On Saturday, I'll be helping with a watercolor painting workshop taught by Carolyn Loutzenhiser, sponsored by the Visual Arts Alliance of McPherson. Something completely new for me!

I'm back to my loom with the leftover shawl warp. Don't know how much is still there, but probably not enough for another shawl...maybe a 30" square? A table shawl? We'll see.

I've been curious to try this little "Loomette" given to me almost 15 years ago by Cher Olson. After carrying it around so many times and saying I'm going to make time for this—yesterday, I finally did it.

After using floor looms, weaving on this tiny little loom was so interesting. I'm not even sure I did this correctly, but I finished the little square, removed it from the loom, and it didn't fall apart! Now, for yarn variations and uses for the little squares!

David Brock made this nice rack for displaying scarves.

A simple cream scarf

back at the loom

I'm back to weaving wool scarves before it gets too warm to wear them. This yarn is from Brown Sheep Wool.

New materials to play with

Had a birthday recently and received delicious new papers and ribbons to experiment with...

Giving thanks...

I've been playing with card-making. I love texture, fiber, and paper, and wanted to send thank you notes that were more personal than mass-produced cards. These designs are made with a stamp by Hero Arts. I used the same stamp on cards I sent at Thanksgiving. Giving thanks...year around!

more woven bookmarks

Here are the bookmarks. It was interesting to experiment with combinations of yarns in the weft—almost like mixing paint colors. The warp is cotton/linen and the wefts are cottons, rayons, and a fun novelty "eyelash."

I wove them, one by one, on my Schacht "Baby Wolf" loom.

small and simple...

I have another group of woven bookmarks ready to take to the VAAM gallery tomorrow. It's so interesting to experiment with different yarns, colors, weights, textures. I've also been making simple cards. I think I will stay with all things small and simple for awhile now. Photos coming tomorrow.

at the VAAM Gallery

The VAAM Gallery Holiday Gift Show is open. Here are a few images of the weavings I have there...

My scarves are displayed with lovely jewelry by Susan Shepard and a beatifully crafted teddy bear by Glorice Schafer.



Nestled between pottery by Wayne Conyers and Leanne Kilmer is my set of linen, silk, cotton, rayon "luxury" mugrugs to cushion a drink.

Below, another display with Wayne Conyers' mugs and bowl and my fiber landscape, "Country Road" and mugrugs...

Detail shots of mugrugs

Linen, cotton, rayon

Wool and cotton

All cotton

My second cotton and linen shawl displayed with a gorgeous pearl, shell, and silver necklace by Susan Shepard. My big thrill last weekend—someone purchased the first shawl.

Desk-top Mobiles: "Finding Balance" series

above, "inner strength"

below, "mystic moment"

coming up for air

I'm finally coming up for air (a little) after the busy month of October, when everything took place in one month. One of the highlights of the month was Susan Shepard's Fiber Workshop on October 25. We experimented with cord-making (fast and easy!), working with "solvy," hot-fix angelina, layering, burning/distressing, and needle-felting. I'm not ready to show what I made yet—needs more work. My horizons were definitely broadened! Now I know what to do with all the tiny snips, short pieces, samples, and thrums I've saved for the past 20+ years! ...not to mention beads and other stuff (proper term is "embellishments") I've accumulated. I'm also eager to try transitioning parts of my weavings into other forms.

busy, busy

My posts are always very intermittent--I've just been busy with warps for wool scarves and bookmarks and the VAAM Gallery blog. Last weekend was the "Artful Taste of Autumn" at John and Chris Hershberger's Italian villa! Beautiful! The art and the foods and the wines were superb! Last night, we had a great reception at the VAAM Gallery for the current show "Fiber Art - Form & Function" and "Art Inspired by the Blues." Met, connected, and reconnected with lots of interesting folks!
Now, to get ready for the Birger Sandzen Gallery gift show and the "Festive Holiday Market" at the McPherson Opera House! More photos are coming soon.

another shawl is finished...

This shawl is actually off the loom and all the fringes are knotted. Tonight I'll wash it. I know it looks a lot like the first one, but the weft is the cotton boucle alone. No intricate weave structure or pattern—just the texture of the eight different yarns in the warp and the boucle weft. I love texture!

I also have another wool scarf coming off the downstairs loom—tonight?

my weavings in the VAAM gallery

My weavings are displayed with the floor cloth by Michaela Groeblacher, McPherson, and glass by Rick Garnett, Buhler, and wall hanging (above) by Susan Shepard, McPherson. This display was designed by fiber artist Shin-hee Chin. This is all part of "Fiber Art: Form and Function - Invitiational" at the VAAM Gallery, McPherson. Be sure to see the wonderful array of fiber art on display. The entire show was hung by Betty Jo Houchen, Elizabeth Liljegren, David Brock, and Shin-hee Chin.

Finally! I finished weaving, knotted, and washed the shawl that I warped last June! The new Fiber Invitational Show has just been hung in the VAAM gallery today, but I don't have photos of the show taken or posted yet. My shawl (or is it a wrap?) has found a home there, along with the Blues #2 scarf. Photos will follow soon. Stay tuned. Hopefully tomorrow!

Blues #2 scarf from the blues warp

The scarf is off the loom, this time with a different weft combination. I was trying to keep on task to get the fringe twisted—tedious. Here, one side is twisted and the other is about to be twisted.

Finally, all the fringe is twisted. The scarf is washed

and lays out to dry along the edge of my diningroom table.

It's longer than the table, so the fringe hangs off the side.

Small side trip I took...

Finding Balance: Inner Strength

Finding Balance: Mystical Moment

Finding Balance: Serenity

Desktop mobiles?

The blues scarf

The scarf has found a home in the VAAM Gallery.

Yarns become scarf...

The 60" scarf is finished, washed, and drying flat on my diningroom table. Tomorrow it will view the world from its post in the Visual Arts Alliance of McPherson (VAAM) Gallery.

Art in the Garden, Saturday, June 21

Yes, this is me at Art in the Garden on Saturday.

Lori Martin-Price, who makes jewelry, was in the same garden as I was.

.
Wayne Conyers also displayed his pottery in the same garden.

Wayne integrated his pottery in the landscape.

This is a huge and beautiful garden overlooking a small lake. Wish I had photos of the other five gardens on the tour too!

Back at home...

Yes, I did get the loom warped and even wove this much at the garden! Alas, I never did get the shawl woven, or even start the weaving. But it is warped up, ready to begin.

Another project underway

Last Saturday, I took my turn "minding the store" at the VAAM Gallery. While I was there, I wound another warp to put on the smaller portable loom. I set up my warping board right next to a display case full of Susan Shepard's beautiful jewelry. I hope to bring the small loom and weave this warp in the garden I will be in during "Art in the Garden" on Saturday, June 21. As of today, the warp is almost ready to wind on the back beam of the loom. A photo is coming...

Winding warp on the warping board...

More yarn from my stash.

Finally, ready to weave

Note the Christmas wrapping paper

between layers of warp.

Hope the red doesn't rub off!

Ready to go...

Yes!

Yes! I really do have the shawl warp on the loom now. The heddles are threaded, and last night, I got all 8 yards or so of warp wound on the back beam. I ran out of corrogated paper to use on the back beam, so I used wide, red Christmas wrapping paper straight from the roll. It should be fine, I think, as long as it doesn't get wet while it's wound up with all that cream-colored yarn. (Now, how could it get wet?) Tonight, I tied the other end of the warp on to the front apron bar! It should be about 30 inches wide. There will be a photo tomorrow.

what I'm up to now...

I gathered up eight cotton and cotton-linen yarns from my stash to make some shawls.

Close-up of the yarns, measured and wound in chains, and ready for the loom.

Each pair of two yarns is on separate lease sticks.

Sunday night, I finished slaying the reed with four of the eight yarns. Maybe I can do the other four yarns tonight? Better get to work! I'd like to have at least one shawl finished for the VAAM Art in the Garden on June 21.

Will I make it?

My bookmarks again... I love to experiment with colors and textures. Bookmarks are a way to do that.

wool/rayon and wool scarves

Knotted and washed. I actually finished them last Sunday and wore the all-wool one. Hey, it's still cold here in Kansas.

up close and personal

The two wool scarves are cut from the loom.

cotton/silk scarf series

These are on currently on display at the Visual Arts Alliance of McPherson (VAAM) Gallery in McPherson, Kansas. This series of cotton and silk scarves all have the same warp, but each has a different weft. The one on the left has a contrast weft at the opposite end (at the back of the display) which echoes the band in the front. The scarf second to the left was sold today.

This is a runner which is fan-folded atop the four scarves, making an interesting display that I never would have thought of. The runner is all cotton, weft and warp.

what I'm working on...

This is what I'm working on right now. The warp is Brown Sheep Wool from Nebraska and the weft is a variegated rayon space-dye. As you can see, I will need to refill my bobbin. Actually there is another scarf already woven on the cloth beam, but I haven't cut if off. The weft for that is a teal wool also Brown Sheep Wool.

Hope you visit my blog for the Visual Arts Alliance of McPherson (VAAM) http://visualartsallianceofmcpherson.blogspot.com/

I spend more time posting to that blog than I do on this one, but I plan to post more often here in the future.

coasters & sets

Coasters and sets I used to make. I miss them and want to make more small weavings...

Our daily visitor that my husband Jim feeds.

handwoven bookmarks

my handwoven bookmarks

weavings & intersections...