Having way too much fun........

The last two months have been incredibly busy with classes, weaving, dyeing, and well, most people know that transition from summer to fall busyness. A great way to sort out priorities and projects....

Virginia Creeper was the inspiration for the dyed fleece

 Indigo ready to rock and roll!

There was a lot of activity around dyeing this past month. We had an indigo dye day - several of us had indigo plants that Barbara had provided - such beautiful plants - and we put them together and proceeded to go through the process. Barbara had done a test run a few weeks earlier and got the most glorious blues. Unfortunately, although we did exactly the same process, we did not get any blue - just a hint.  So we have had a few explanations. The only thing different were, the water (high iron content), the time of picking - were the plants past their prime? and the heat - were we accurate enough. We will try again next year - all of us have plants beginning to seed and they will be next years experiment. We were disappointed, but the exploration of this wonderful colour, although elusive, was still fun and magical.



Jenna, Betty, Alberta and our team leader, Barbara hard at work preparing the sacred indigo...

The Juan de Fuca Fibre group came up for a day in the studio - wonderful spinners. Pots of tea, and a couple of dye pots were the order of the day. It was another fun time with women passionate about their fibres. We were having the time of our lives, dyeing raw fleece (local Churro from my friend Gaye) and overdyeing some roving.

 Happy Hallowe'en!!!

I admire this group as they are so devoted to their spinning. It was a fabulous day. All guilds and interest groups are most welcome to come and spend a day in the studio. It is a pleasure to share the space I get to work in, and it is a joy to have like-minded people in the studio. And we all learn - wow, how much more fun can we have?

My youth textile artists have been busy. One in particular just produces and creates lovely projects and already has sold a piece! So not only are they becoming textile artists, they are also becoming entrepreneurs!

 Morgan is 12 and won a first in the Cobble Hill Fair for her needle felting and then promptly sold it. She is saving for a sewing machine.

Her 'Snowy Winter Morning' scarf admired by all.

The community rag rug looms or the 'girlfriend' looms have been going strong. One week I had two separate groups of friends, six in all enjoy learning to weave and going home with a rag rug. They were all lovely as were the participants.  The comfort shawl loom is almost ready to go. We are preparing a lovely space for the project, so there will be privacy if required, music, lovely books of support and a comfy chair to take some time to reflect on the gift you are making. We provide the warp and you can weave with your chosen weft and all we ask is for a donation towards the fibres and anything left over will go to hospice or some other charity. Just book a week or so ahead. Due to all the generosity we have received, we would like to give back.



Blankets!!!!

There have been about 15 blankets woven in the last couple of months - maybe more. I am losing count.

Absolutely beautiful warm blankets that had everyone drooling.

Jewel has woven about 3 projects previous to these blankets. Her confidence in designing and warping is phenomenal. She wove two big blankets in two days along with her little shadow, Little Bear who sings to us on occasion!

Little Bear on his new rug, one for home and one for the studio...woven with Pendalton blanket selvedges...

Another blanket weaver, Lori has made three rugs in the last month, each one unique and beautiful. Lori's sense of design and colour is awesome, each blanket well thought out for the personality that they will be gifted to. Lori is quite petite, so it was fun to see her working on a 60" loom - the blankets spoke of greatness!

The first two

and the third.....

The Cowichan Fleece and Fibre Fair was this past weekend and there were lots of people enjoying the many fibres - I believe everyone went home inspired. Good job Annie and Kathy. I didn't get around to take pictures but managed to get a shot of our booth. My dear dear friend, Joy,  that I learned to weave with in Cherryville came down from Cortes Island to help and brought her beautiful Romney yarn. And the vest was a hit - soon to be kitted up and quite possibly be available in the studio!

Joy's Wool

I finally met Jane Richmond, a fabulous knitter and designer. http://janerichmond.blogspot.com/ and she took some great photos of the fair and of the most beautiful buttons by Franziska, who will be providing buttons to the studio as well. Check Jane's blog out - tutorials and everything. Great stuff.

The booth

And now for some random pictures

The ladies

The little goat...

My dear friend Ann loves goats as do I and so I knit her a little picture - it was fun! and speaking of fun, a final picture of my crazy girls who disappeared one day out of the studio, and although I didn't capture the perfect shot, I think I captured fun in the best possible way - carefree, happy, dancing in a field and learning all about fibre in the studio!!!! Now that's a lot of fun.



Breaking News!!!

 

 

The space looks so big! But already it is getting filled with looms.

 

We are now into September and I have taken the day off to make blueberry jam, bread and do a much needed clean up at home - well so far the jam and bread are done and a quick sweep started, but I got sidetracked sorting out some wool and things for the studio - I miss the studio!
 And the breaking news??
Leola's Studio has expanded again! There are now three studios of which all are full and busy. The original studio I partially use for my younger students and the overflow for The Loom with spinning and weaving supplies, the second for classroom with a dye kitchen out back, and the third for classroom and a Gallery - where handmade beautiful things can be purchased. Please come and have a look - we are going to have an official opening soon. Join us and create on the community looms - rag rugs, hand towels, blankets and our new warp will be for comfort shawls or prayer shawls for those in need of a special 'wrap me up and soothe me' shawl. We are hoping to make it a true community loom, we provide the warp and you provide the weft. A donation will be accepted and then in turn a donation will be made to hospice or other charity, as well as to purchase more yarn if needed. Please take part, as there are a lot of people that require comfort. Meanwhile the rag rug community looms are in high demand and I need to warp another rag rug warp for three friends coming to weave - we have named them the girlfriend looms. It is a wonderful way to experience a working studio - no, you do not have to have prior weaving experience.

A rag rug in progress

Debbie at work......the room now has about 6 looms and the front space is
for our retail

A beautiful blanket woven in the new
expanded studio by Debbie who will be assisting us










Slocan Lake

I think the last time I posted was just I before I left for the Kootenays where I had a very restful time, sleeping, swimming and reading nestled on my beach surrounded by my mountains and quiet. The highlight of my visit was a wonderful day with my weaving teacher Wanya Twan. I drove over to Kaslo and spent the day talking non-stop reflecting on just about everything. It was inspiring - one of the reasons I am doing what I am doing is because of Wanya. Her teaching style is unique and beautifully traditional. Wanya has an aura about her that is healing as well as instructive. She is from Sweden and learned at the H.V. school and Lila Lundall was her teacher. I was fortunate to study with Lila as well in Stockholm. I had the opportunity to apprentice with Wanya, so I feel very fortunate to have had her as my foundation teacher. Cherryville was a place of such energy and creativity.
 The day was so rich and full, that it is hard to explain. I can only say that it strengthened me in my focus and my goal to teach and share as much as I can with what I love best.

Lunch on the porch.....





I took pictures of weaving and other textiles and Wanya gave me this amazing felted piece that blows everyones minds....

Yes, it is wool, wet felted - it is hung now in the studio. Come and see it in person!



Kaslo is a lovely little town on Kootenay Lake, just 30 minutes from New Denver on a delightful road, saw a couple of bear and missed a moose by 5 minutes acccording to some tourists.

 A lot of the  houses are Victorian in Kaslo and Wanya was intrigued and delighted by some of the old wallpaper in her house - made of linen!



Yes, woven with rags.....

I have many more pictures and will post more later. One of my favourite pieces - a tapestry woven with rags that Wanya purchased in Sweden. I took tapestry weaving with Jane Kidd in 1972 (yes I know that is a long long time ago!) and I didn't have any money for supplies, so I decided I would just weave with rags. I have always been rather partial to rags and now I want to weave tapestry with rags - just something to do!



Dolls made by 7 and 8 year olds - aren't they delightful?



August was incredibly busy in the studio - I didn't take but two days off in three weeks. It was exhilarating and it was hard to stop. I had lots of kids for 'textile camp' and it was really fun.

Sophie's Story Pillow
a special pocket in the back for
a bedtime storybook



My grandson learning to weave!



Hailey's blanket with the source of inspiration,
The Crane's Wife. This blanket won first at the Cobble Hill Fair!

The kids were all felting as well, and a couple of the students are now making coffee cozies to sell in the Gallery. Another student also won a first at the fair for her needle felting, but I didn't take a picture yet - she is also selling it because she is saving for a sewing machine - I guess my teaching extends to entrepreneurship too!

Speaking of felting, here I am fulling with my feet. Thought I would try it and it worked to a certain extent! And it was fun.

And right next to my dye kitchen is a Cowichan carver currently working on a totem. The studio does not lack for creative energy. It is truly a small community of creative folk.

Herb Rice, Cowichan carver

The fibre fairs are just getting better and better. Fibrations, a new fleece and fibre show held in the St. Ann's Academy Orchard in Victoria, was fabulous. We had so much fun and we worked hard. The 'Shawnigan Girls', Devon, Sandy and myself were next to each other and we didn't stop the whole day. It was great and I am still getting calls from people that want to take classes. What a great great day. And so I think I will end. I have a busy day tomorrow in, where else? The Studio! 

Complicated Simplicity

Ocean Spray - we have some in out solar dye kitchen!

Lily's loom is now quiet - her wedding fabric is finished.

This is my second attempt at writing this blog - the first was inadvertantly posted by my dear husband after pointing out my obscure fragment thoughts and spelling mistakes......well, I deleted it and am beginning anew.
So complicated simplicity is my ramble for the last couple of weeks. There are so many beautiful simple weavings happening, but with some complicated twists. From a 3/1 straight twill in fine mercerized cotton from Peru and becoming a wedding dress, to a plain weave linen warp being woven with simple but a complicated pattern inlay. And then a little variation on plain weave called shadow weave, a colour and weave effect that although simple drives us crazy at times. So how to celebrate the complicated simplicity. For me I am always thinking in terms of layers - not so that there are layers such as double or quadruple weaving, which I am always facinated with, but with layers of colour, on top of layers of texture to the 'layered' weaving. That can be as simple as a straight twill threading interspersed with a variation of twill threaded in 'stripes' - so another layer appears as the weft changes in those stripes. And then the kicker - everyone is facinated by my 3/1 twill broken which ends up with two sides, a weft face and a warp face - which my Cherryville loom loves to weave - one of the most simple simple weaves, but often confuses even the more experienced weaver...........

Alberta is almost finished her 'simple' project that is quite simple, but time consuming and concentration is needed - the champagne is on ice as of this moment, there is about 3 inches left to do. There will be much celebration what with the HV project completed and the wedding dress of Lily's also done.

The shadow weave is deceptively complicated by its simplicity - two colours, two blocks, dark and light (the mohair loop is just a bit of a added layer. A blanket in wool and the weft is mohair. Ann and I have been weaving it and we blame our eyes which makes it more complicated!! We can hardly wait for the blankets to be fulled and brushed.........

And then a little technique that is very simple....

A simple way to tie the warp to the breast beam stick that takes less warp and less time than re-tying - seemingly complicated it is very quick - under 10 minutes, no fuss, no muss. Before cutting your finished project (towels in this case sold right off the loom), weave an inch or so, insert a strong stick or rod, weave another inch or so and then cut your finished project off, then lash the stick to the beam stick - continue to weave. There are other methods, but I haven't had any tension problems with this method - be brave.

The community rag rugs are very popular. I have my Diva Weavers who just want to weave and nothing more - a pleasure to have in the studio - never touched a loom and already two rag rugs each, a couple of handtowels and a shawl - and coming back for more. I plan on having tiaras ready for them - they love weaving.

A rag rug in progress - they really do look great and what a perfect recycling project. Now this is really simple and the only complication is choosing rags. The warps are bright and fun, so the success rate is 100%!! Everyone, whether new or experienced can come in and weave a rug in one day and experience the joy of creating in a working and teaching environment.

One of the many leaf prints made in the studio by my young students - another way of dyeing, hammering the leaf into cotton and a taste of spring is forever captured on cloth. It is good to dip the cloth in alum to fix it. This was just plain simple fun!

Now this is simple, something anyone can do - heal with textiles! I recently had surgery and had to spend time in the hospital which for me I had to psych myself up to going to the 'spa'! I had a lovely pedicure the day before, and brought my medicine bag, a picture of my girls, a picture of my wonderful Kootenay mountains, flowers from home (Treasure Trove roses), a linen tablecloth for my table, my knitting, paper,colours and my camera, a handwoven blanket especially made by my friend Ann and some great tea. I forgot my handwoven linen towel which bothered me no end! This is a simple way of healing which I learned when I had to spend time with my Mom in hospital. It sped the healing time up for her and accomplished some healing for those around us. It benefits all, for those who visit and are worried, your roommates and the lovely angel nurses. All I can say is that the Cowichan District Hospital is the best. Textiles make things so much easier.

And now I am on my way to have a little holiday before our new August expansion! Yes, another space to be added - we are very excited and we will now have a bigger retail space for all the lovely weaving and spinning that is being produced. Come for a visit and enjoy the courtyard at Whippletree.

The Slocan Valley - my solace

I leave you with a little picture of a wonderful woven Monk's Belt and Dukagang from Sweden that hangs in the studio - it is my favourite piece that I found in a little curio shop in Stockholm years ago. Alberta has been eyeing it and I may have to hide it!!! See you in August.



HO VAY!

My tapestry bobbins work well in this weaving technique

The new greeting in the studio this past couple of weeks is Ho Vay! And it feels great to say it and it is also a wonderful technique that Alberta jumped into with an enthusiasm that has us all inspired and excited.....now a bit of background. The H.V. Technik is named after the handcraft school in Stockholm, Handarbetets Vanner -  a school that I had the opportunity of attending during a personal weaving sabbatical. It is an inlay technique that piggy backs in the same shed as the tabby foundation or background shed - another name being a 'half tapestry'. Alberta was  moved to weave using this finger manipulated weave, after seeing a vintage piece of weaving from Sweden that I was given years ago by my friend Ann, back from a yearly visit with her family in Sweden. Alberta is 'reflecting' the older piece with a newer one, using a linen warp (yes spray the warp with water as the linen delights in a moist atmosphere!) and her beautifully grown Shetland wool, hand grown, hand dyed in the fleece and then handspun......we all watch the progress with anticipation.

The new 'expansion' is keeping me busy and there has been a lot of weaving, spinning and other textile art happening in both studios. We are on our second community rag rug warp and we are setting up a community blanket warp and handtowel/runner warp. If you are interested in spending a day in a working studio and weaving, let me know. It is an inspiring and exciting place to be.

Jenna is weaving a rag rug and practicing her clasped weft weaving for a future project, although rugs are in the offing as well. Especially after we opened up an amazing box.........!

Gay, our Navajo Sheep Shepherdess, brought a few fleeces round in case were interested.........it literally was one of the most beautiful fleeces I have every seen and one of the biggest, a ram and as clean as can be. It literally was like a fleece of silver as it glinted in the sun - a truly spiritual moment somehow.
 The dye kitchen is steaming almost every day! Our newly designed dyepot is here, with four compartments with separate spigots for draining - awesome!



My friend Heidi oversees my booth.....



And then we all drove up to the 100 Mile Fleece and Fibre Fair in Parksville/Coombs.... We had a great time, all of us and the reception from the organizers was beyond superb. It was so much fun. Thank you Women of the Fleece!

So there we all are from the Cowichan Valley, Leola's Studio had Eastwin Farm Mohair, Sandy with felted West Coast mammals and sheep, my Cowichan sister, Liz with her beautiful handspun, handknit wares, Becky with Shetland fleece, Jenna with Pacific Sun Alpacas, Jan and Meghan with beautiful Romney fleece from Dunedin Farm and Devon from Hummingbee Farm with alpaca and mohair - we were all within the 100 mile zone! The Loom was also there with equipment, book and hand dyed fleece.

So again we are always amazed by the connected threads that make up our daily lives and the generosity of opportunity we are presented. This past month, Lily, a student of mine came back from Peru where she was visiting family and brought back some very beautiful cotton. She booked in for a consult on her second project. A wedding dress! I believed she had mentioned it to me at one point, but I filed it away. So we planned it out and found that she might not have enough for both warp and weft. I said that I had a huge spool of fine cotton that someone had given me and it came from the Dominican Republic. Lily was overjoyed as that is where her future husband, Emerson and she met! So there was a little belt on a table loom in the same weight of cotton, so we re-sleyed it and everything was perfect. Now what loom......I had been rummaging around my old studio at home and discovered a loom that had belonged to Lily Bolin, a well known Victoria weaving teacher .......well yes, you can imagine the perfection of this tale. Peruvian Lily is small and so is this little loom - although 36 inches, it is just right for our Peruvian Lily - and it is already set up ready to go. Emerson has had to assist in making some extra pieces, but we are all loving this story and hopefully we will all get to go to the wedding - we all feel so involved with this story. It is 30 epi and a straight twill - Lily wants to weave it 3 against 1.The loom is an old Glimakra. Lily tied all new heddles for the project - what a weaver. Lily has gone from being a scientist to an artist and will be attending the Kootenay School of Fine Arts studing the fabric arts - wow!



Can you guess what this is?


This is an old metal ceiling tile I use as a lid for my dye pots - very rusted and paint peeled, but I had dumped out some dye and it settled into the pattern and well, it just has to go into the inspiration book - isn't it beautiful?

And last but not least - I have a hundred other things to write, but already this is too long. In the last blog, it was so long, one had to realize that there was a 'read more' sign at the end of the first couple of paragraphs in order to read the whole thing. So much happens in the studio, that I feel remiss in not telling you everything.

Again my young students give me great pleasure. I have a home school family that is delightful - ages 5, 7 and 12 and they are all weaving, sewing, and printing with natural plants. Brandon and Aiden's first weaving is great.

Other projects to have come off the looms

Sax Point Blankets by Jewel

And Mary's handtowels - a sampling

Until next time..........