now & ZEN

The Fletcher Farm Nuno Felting Weekend was absolutely magical!!

I am still riding on the huge wave of creative energy that just kept building the whole weekend at Fletcher Farm in Ludlow VT!  I had eight beautiful ladies that did some incredible work!

Three of the staff were in my class … Layne Herschel – Chairman of the Board, School Committee Director, Laurie Marechaux – School Executive Director and Jane MacKugler – Camp Director, and we had a great time. They are a real treat to work with!

Here is Laurie’s scarf before:

and after

For more photos of the class look HERE.

I met so many wonderful people! Too many to even list, but here are just a few …

I stopped in at ChapterXIV,  a cool little boutique right on the main drag in Ludlow. Very funky and original clothing.  They are now carrying my nuno scarves and I’ll be working up some special hand-painted silk garments for them. The owner, Willow, is very sweet and has an incredible talent for attending to shopper’s needs. She lets you wonder off into the multiple,  connecting rooms of gorgeous garments and then seems to suddenly appear like a fairy god mother just when you need her! It’s a must see if you’re driving through town.

And after you’re done shopping … don’t forget to stop in at The Pot Belly Restaurant and Pub for a great meal and really friendly folks. Owners Barbara and Rich are very warm and genuine and their hospitality radiates throughout the place. I made a beautiful nuno scarf in coral hues before I left for Vermont, and apparently I was making it especially for Barbara even before I met her, cause she liked it so much she bought it right out of the back of my van!!

Oh ya … and one more great place to mention. For all you knitters out there and even anyone that loves fiber should stop in at Six Loose Ladies. How could you not with a name like that? I hear they’ll be offering a tee shirt soon … can’t wait!

wow … more media attention! nice mention in the times union in albany NY

Anyone who has a fiber addiction will be in good company here.

http://blog.timesunion.com/fiberarts/

My friend Harriet Levy, an avid knitter and spinner, wrote a fun piece about the dangers of knitting. Pick up those needles at your own risk!

I must confess … after learning to knit at the tender age of six,

I went on to crocheting, then sewing, needlepoint, pottery,

dabbled in weaving,

stained glass, jewelry, driftwood, shells and feathers, beads.

then, knitting over-sized garments and bags to then shrink down to felt

… onto silk painting and hand-dyeing silk yardage

which naturally progressed to nuno felting and dyeing my own roving

and, oh ya, did I mention I just bought a spinning wheel?

Hand-painted silk yardage anyone?

Love, love, love creating this luscious yardage! When the weather is nice, I’m outside dyeing and felting. So inspiring being out in nature with all the great colors and textures. Can’t help but take my inspiration from it. Many are like Monets on silk! I’ve been offering my silks by the yard at New England Felting Supply and to my students when I teach. This stuff is so wonderful to felt on. I use it for my base in some of my scarves. I’m going to sew up some silk ponchos or wraps with it, too!

progress on the new studio for felting and fibering

I decided last fall to move the studio to the house. That way I would save a ton of time and money by not going back and forth all the time. When I was here … I always needed something there and vise versa. Not to mention cheaper rent and besides it helps get the laundry done when the studio is next to the washing machine. Well … you know how moving can be. Some of us sail right through it and everything is set up in a day. Let’s just say I’m not one of those people. We moved the studio in late October and by December I decided I had to have that area of the basement sheet rocked to give it a more inviting feel. So, I enthusiastically jumped into that project (quite possibly to prolong the unpacking part of the process) and took progress picture as I went. Now that it’s April I am finally getting around to posting them. I’m telling myself it’s not because I’m stalling on unpacking the studio, but that might have something to do with it. If any of you artist type people out there are anything like me, you have so much stuff to make stuff with …. that it’s hard to get organized enough to make stuff. But, alas, the desire and need to “make”  is becoming overwhelming and soon that studio will be ready to roll! Who knows … maybe I’ll even do a few mini-workshops here!

Yay! I’m getting there!

Welcome to the now&ZEN Blog

So I see these words:

“This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!”

and I ask myself:

“Are those my only choices?”

It is really February 6, but I am editing this post from when we set up the software back in late Decemeber.