Back To Work

After the studio tour this past weekend and a few days rest, I am back to work.

The tour was great with the majority of visitors and sales on Saturday. 

I love to meet and talk to the varied and interesting people who came to my studio. 

I especially enjoyed the young people who are interested and so eager to learn.

 I had one young lady who sat at a floor loom and threw a shuttle for the very first time! 

Maybe she was inspired to be a future weaver and carry our tradition on.

 If you live in or close to this area, the next studio tour will be December 5 thru the 7^th. 

The holiday tour is a great time to pick up gifts for friends and family 

but also a great time for that special holiday treat for you! 

I already have specials planned for that tour which I will begin working on soon.

It is hard to believe that I am already making items for Fall and Christmas.

 Time will fly by and be here before we know it so I am planning way ahead of time. 

I have a few UFO’s lying around, one of which was this little stack of pumpkins. 

There are a lot more UFO’s to finish in between working on the planned projects 

and of course there is always room for inspiration too!

A big Thank You to all for a wonderful tour weekend! 

Studio Tour

The studio is open this weekend for the bi-annual Toe River Arts Studio tour. 

Hours are 12 till 4pm today and Saturday/Sunday 10 till 5pm. 

For more information and maps check out www.toeriverarts.org

There are 95 artists and 9 galleries on the tour. 

This is the 21st year of the longest running studio tour in Western North Carolina.

The tour is a free, self guided that takes you to out of the way studios and over breathtaking mountain scenery. 

My studio is # 27 on map 4.

  

I made a Monarch Butterfly especially for the tour! 

Come to the mountains and see me this weekend!

Toe River Arts Council Studio Tour

Check out www.toeriverarts.org for more info 

and where to obtain maps for this premier studio tour.

Almost There

The studio tour is fast approaching and I am still weaving.

Table runners and dish towels are on the “need to hem/tag list” 

and I have another rug warp and  more dishtowels on a couple of looms.

 I will not have time to finish the last two warps but will work on them in between getting some smalls stitched up. 

It is almost time to wind down and start cleaning the studio.

Recently I had a question about weaving dishtowels.

Hand woven dishtowels are sturdy and long lasting. 

They are great samplers for weave structures, color studies and different fibers. 

I am not a good sampler so dishtowels let me explore and still end up with a good product. 

Since I was trained as a production weaver there are times when I like to throw the shuttle and an 8-yard warp can weave up quickly if the treadle sequence is simple. 

Besides all of that, they are fun to weave and make  

a beautiful accent for the kitchen while being serviceable. 

Hopefully that answers the question of why to weave dishtowels!

I am sorry that I have not taken the time for photos of the ongoing work 

and have not posted on the blog much lately.

 I took a short break over Easter to visit my son in Charleston 

and I have been weeding my flowerbeds but other wise I have been in the studio

 weaving as much as possible. 

There is so much work to do but I am almost there!