The Other Loom

In preparation for the studio tour I warped both of my four harness looms. This one has a cotton warp that I natural dyed in brazilwood, coreopsis and black hollyhock. The colours overlap giving it a cool painterly effect. I wove two scarves and had a little warp left over. This is some handspun natural dyed alpaca in a point twill on the tail end of the warp. What I will do with the little piece, I have no idea! However I need to cut the scarves off and knot the fringes tonight because the Lewisburg Arts Festival is tomorrow!

Susquehanna River Arts Studio Tour Weekend

Here I am warping one of my looms with a natural dyed rainbow rug yarn warp in preparation for the studio tour this coming weekend.

One of the local organizations that I belong to is Susquehanna River Arts. SRA was created by the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau to showcase the works of local artisis. The Susquehanna River Arts project highlights the cultural assets of our region and fosters an appreciation of both our communities and our heritage.

Saturday and Sunday April 21st and 22nd is the inaugural Open Studio Tour. There are twelve artists featured and all the studios are open from 10am-6pm both days. I am #12 on the map in the full colour brochure the visitors bureau created. You can visit their website for more information including lodging packages, go to: www.itourcolumbiamontour.com

I hope to see you in my studio!

Philadelphia Flower Show

Monday was my annual trek to the flower show. This year's theme was Hawaii so there were lots of orchids and some nifty lava flows. They expanded the show into the newly completed addition to the convention center and altered the traditional layout. The changes helped keep people moving better, not as congested as in the past. Thank you! I got a much needed dose of bright colours and tropical scents. The day was complete with a visit to the Flying Monkey in the Reading Terminal for a double chocolate brownie, yeah!

New Colourful Felt Design

This is only the first layer of wool and it took HOURS to blend and twirl and position all the colours. I have to lay out at least four more layers of wool, wet it out with hot soapy water and then begin to felt! I have a vision of what I want and hope this gets me there.

Bare Metal Gallery Opening Reception

The gallery is located at 79 Duke St. in Northumberland PA. The opening reception was Friday evening from 6-8. My dad took this picture off the owner Dave Snyder and me talking in front of my work. I shared the spotlight with Sam Dion, a renowned illustrator and fabulous painter. In the center of the wall are some of my newest pieces. They are 12"x12" acrylic and paper on canvas then coated with resin. The thick shiny coating adds so much depth to the colours.

Show Season draws to a close

I will be showing with my fellow Susquehanna Valley Spinners and Weavers Guild members in the Gutelius House in Mifflinburg starting tomorrow. Since it is a Christkindle celebration the snow in the forecast is more apprpriate than the soaking rain we have been experiencing! The flood in September certainly interrupted my schedule for several weeks but it got back on track in October... only to get surprised by a snowstorm that temporarily closed the "Holiday" craft show in Kutztown. November was a good month and I enjoyed working with my fellow crafters, seeing many returning customers/friends and meeting new ones. I will still be working diligently over the next few weeks to get all orders shipped before Christmas.

I know , I know...I said no dogs...but a very persuasive customer talked me into giving it a try. These two beagles belong to her daughter.

Solar Dyeing Silk

This incredible heat wave we are having is great for solar natural dyeing! The concept is much like making sun tea. Along with water and a piece of silk, the jar on the right contains black hollyhocks, the center is onion skins and the left is coreopsis flowers. The heat from the sun pulls the color from the plant material and deposits it on the silk. I pre-treated the silks with alum and rinsed them before adding to the jars. It is so hot that I think we will have results very quickly.