I love being on vacation. The idea of no stress, no worries, no decisions (except where to eat and what to eat) really appeals to me. But, was I really “on vacation”?

I took a portable loom with me and all the supplies needed to weave in the car and in the hotel rooms. Everywhere I went I looked at or for textiles and color. I thought of weave structures as I passed certain areas such as corn fields. The blending of the colors in a sunset was an inspiration. Even the interiors of buildings and how the food was presented on a plate was thought provoking. So, since I make my living weaving and teaching people to weave and helping with color theory, was I really on vacation? Or did I just take my work with me? Hmmmm… Feedback, please.

One thing I do know. I am off of vacation. Grocery shopping, bills to be paid, mail to catch up on and laundry to do. Yep, I am home!!

I am a really bad traveller. I go from point A to point B and don’t remember that it’s not the destination but the journey that is important. And I think weaving is what brings me to the journey. I love the design process, the color choices, picking and handling the yarn and getting the loom set up. By the time I get about an inch woven, I am done! I like the journey of weaving.
I am working on a sampler of traditional Mexican tapestry techniques to display in the store at Old Oaks Ranch where I work in Wimberley, TX. I thought I would just zip through it without any road bumps. HA! I got to piquet chino and got really stuck. But, then I got it. It was like, all of a sudden the brain cells stopped jumping around and all lined up and started to play nice with one another… and there is something to be said for “sleep on it”.
I am now confident that I am qualified to teach this design to my students. And that is what the journey is for me!
What’s the best journey you have been on? There are so many in our lives but since it’s my blog, I limited it to weaving. Can’t wait to hear from you!

I just want to clarify what I am doing; I am not on a trip. I am on a weaving journey. I refer to the weaving style of the Mexican and Native American people as Rio Grande style because many settled along the Rio Grande River. I first started weaving this technique in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1984. I have used a few of the patterns in my weaving but I have picked and chosen the ones that I can remember and do quickly and easily.

I decided to teach a class on the tapestry technique of these peoples and had to start a refresher class for myself. I want my students to get as much out of this workshop as I have to give them. And one or two patterns weren’t enough. And I also want to give my students options on what kind of yarns they can use and to make those yarns readily accessible and reasonably priced. So, the loom gets set up and I start to weave a sampler. All is going great with the different joining options, diagonals and border patterns. And then I got to piquet chino.

I know we are not supposed to eat anything that we can’t pronounce. I don’t think we are supposed to weave what we can’t pronounce, either! I have struggled with this pattern for about 5 days. I thought I had it down. I went to work at Old Oaks Ranch on Wednesday and set up a little lap loom and wove what appeared to look correct. But when I returned to my studio and looked at the written directions what I had done was wrong. What I had done was more dramatic, looked a lot better and was more difficult to weave but it wasn’t correct.

I think I have it…but, I only have it if I can go back to my loom tomorrow and weave the pattern the way it’s done by those great weavers who have shared their beautiful art with us. Stay tuned…

How long would you work on something tedious to get it correct? Just askin…

Before I get to my title subject I would like to remind everyone that The Old Oaks Ranch in Wimberley, Texas is having their Spring Ranch Festival tomorrow, April 9 from 10:00am until 5:00pm. A lot of work and planning has gone into this festival and it is sure to be wonderful. There are vendors, food, drink, a children’s tent with all kinds of activities, alpaca shearing, a knit in, weaving fleece to scarf, an auction and bronze artists from the Deep in the Art of Texas Foundry. For $3 you can spend the day and discover one of Texas’ unique and beautiful destinations.

Now for something a little more intense. At my studio the other day I realized I am the kind of artist who would like, and sometimes needs, a theme to work off of. A lot of the shows I enter have guidelines that are very helpful. But there aren’t that many shows for a weaver to enter and there are months where I have to come up with my own ideas. And that got me thinking about how difficult it is to be creative and work for myself.

I show up 5 days a week in my studio just like I would at another job. I work 6 to 8 hours a day just like I would at another job. But, I don’t get a job description or a to do list. This is not easy! There are a million things to inspire us from nature, cultures and other art forms but to focus on one idea and put it into a woven art piece takes a lot of discipline; and work.

I would love to hear what you think about this… and don’t forget the festival tomorrow at Old Oaks Ranch!

The reception at  The Copper Shade Tree Gallery was a lot of fun! The weather turned out to be beautiful and it was nice to see my friends and meet some new people. But, I still feel like a fish out of water. I am hanging in the company of the best quilt, collage and surface design artists in Texas and I am the only weaver. My pieces look unique but I don’t think the average consumer can understand what I do. But, I will plug along and continue the journey toward growth and change.

This week involves weaving a couple of scarves; silk, 3 block double weave. I had woven one of these in cotton for a friend of mine and I never liked the drape. The original piece was my first double weave block which I taught myself. Now that I have done quite a few of these I am weaving the same design as the original. One scarf will go to my friend and one for sale. These also mark the first of scarves that I am going to fashion for men. The scarves are going to be a little longer and about an inch wider and in more masculine hues; whatever that means. And, since I don’t know what differentiates  masculine hues from feminine hues then I am sure women will like them too!

The times that I posted earlier for the reception for The Art in Fiber at Copper Shade Tree were incorrect. The correct times are from 2:00 pm until 6:00 pm.

Due to this wonderful winter weather (I happen to enjoy winter) the reception for The Art in Fiber Show has been changed. The new date is Saturday, February 5 and the times are 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm. The show will hang until March 12. Round Top, Texas is a great little place with restaurants, antique shops, and galleries so please plan to attend the reception and spend some time in Round Top. Here is the link to the gallery:

www.coppershadetree.com

It has been announced that I am to be the Visiting Artist at The Old Oaks Ranch in Wimberley, Texas. I am honored to be invited to be in the company of talented and giving people. I am looking forward to sharing what I know and learning a lot more! I will be working in the shop on Wednesdays and Thursdays starting February 23.  I would like to invite all of you to visit. There are alpacas on the property and a beautiful sculpture garden to stroll through. To see everything that is going on at The Old Oaks Ranch:  http://www.theoldoaksranch.com/

On another note, please check out Deb McClintock’s blog. Deb is a friend of mine and there are no words to describe what she can do with natural dyes. And, she is a really phenomenal weaver. To get to her blog site follow this link:http://www.debmcclintock.com/Site/Debs_Dyepot_Blog/Entries/2011/1/31_Lichens_and_color.html

See you in Wimberly…(still working on double weave pick up and looking forward to the opening reception at The Copper Shade Tree Gallery)

On Friday, February 4th from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm the Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top, Texas will have it’s opening reception for The Art in Fiber Show. There are 22 Texas fiber artists that were juried into the show. This is an annual event and the reception is the time to meet the artists. This year we were given either an art piece, a poem or a song and we were to interpret this in our medium. I was given a beautiful copper wall hanging called “Forest Floor” done by Gerald Tobola who is an artist and the owner of the gallery. Each artist was also to submit 3 more pieces done just for the show. So there will be close to 100 new art pieces done just for this event! Here is a sneak peak of my interpretation piece. Also, go to www.coppershadetree.com to see more about the show, how to get there and other cool stuff about the gallery.

It’s been about a week since my last post. The hardest thing about returning to this is remembering to do it!

My last week has been filled with double weave pick up. I taught myself (story of my weaving life) using Jennifer Moore’s incredible book titled Doubleweave. It is a great book; well written and easy to follow. But the pick up has been somewhat of a challenge just because I had never done it before. The piece came out looking like my drawing so I guess that is a plus…

Needless to say I did cut the silk warp off of the loom. It did upset me to do that but I was on a tight schedule. Had I not cut it off I would have not finished the last piece for the Copper Shade Tree Gallery’s Fiber Art Show. Which leads me to reveal on of my  New Year’s Resolution; no procrastinating. But, remember that January 23 is the day we can take back our resolutions.

My son and his fiancee gave me a calendar for Christmas. It’s an odd gift to give someone who is a gadget freak but as it turns out it has some beautiful pictures with sayings and I thought I would share  the January saying with you; “It’s wonderful to wake up in the morning knowing you’re doing all that you can do.” And as I look at my recent weaving, I know it is all I can do!