Peace Pole Meets Yarn Bombing
Each winter at Farmstead Creamery (which is also Erindale’s gallery), my family and I dream up something new to add that enriches the experience for visitors. This might be celebrity animals to meet, one of the historic farm tractors to touch and admire, a tractor tire turned into a sandbox for imaginative play, or the […]
Making Queenie’s Miniature–Pet Portrait Commissions
It started with the Down on the Farm newspaper article I’d written on teaching needle felting classes. Readers in Washburn clipped it out and sent it to a friend who now lives in California. Not long afterwards, I receive a call from Elena–full of enthusiasm. She’d seen the image of my hands holding the two […]
Needle Felting at the Duluth Folk School
In addition to keeping this blog, I write a weekly column “Down on the Farm” that appears in several local newspapers. Last week’s theme was inspired by teaching a “Needle Felt a Cute Cardinal” class at the Duluth Folk School. Below is the full article, along with some amazing photos by the school’s director Bryan […]
The Lady in Green
It’s been two years since my last costume creation, and the stitching itch finally got the best of me. That and the season of St. Patrick’s Day with its Celtic performances reminded me of my dwindling inventory of handmade gowns to wear–a signature part of my music performance presence. Most of my previous collection of […]
More Hummingbird Progress
The first quarter is finished! And not just the first–the largest and hardest quarter, filled with all the color and texture decisions that will then replicate into the other quarters of the commissioned tapestry. Hooray! And I’m very happy with the results. Here it is shown on the working side (which will actually be the […]
The Making of a Woven Shawl
Tapestry weaving works tightly back and forth in short rows–each strand staying within its own color area. This has its own rhythm and joy as the design slowly builds and takes form, but sometimes I just yearn for large strokes and soft textures. This means it’s time to bring out the triangle shawl loom. Yes…I […]
A Festival of Needle Felting
I remember the interview for Vermont College, when I was asked what I hoped to be doing in 10 years. I remember enthusiastically relaying that I wanted to have my own folk school, teaching traditional skills and keeping them from becoming lost arts. That was in 2004. Ten years later, classes and workshops were part […]
Progress Towards Hummingbirds
Designing a project is a critical phase, but the leap from design to execution can be daunting. When faced with the blankness of the raw warp or, in this case, the bare monk’s cloth with traced outlines, I know that jumping in will take some artistic encouragement. This includes building the right environment–one that is […]
Hummingbird Haven Commission is Launched
I am certainly happiest when I am able to freely make art. And it is especially rewarding when this can be overlapped with the gleeful appreciation of my work by discerning viewers. When someone asks me to make a piece just for them, there’s that special feeling of warmth and eagerness that ensues. Whether that […]
An Adventure in Hats
As an interdisciplinary artist, it’s important to keep adding to the toolbox–discovering new techniques, fresh alternatives, and new mediums to explore. Otherwise, even the most engrossing work can grind down to tedium and boredom. And I don’t do boredom. So each winter season on the farm, we make a concerted effort to tag each other […]