Making Liberation
If you’ve noticed a quietness to my blog and social media lately, it’s because I’ve been nose-down in my studio, finishing a massive project. The scale of this project goes beyond just the physical finished piece, which received its last punch, stitch, and steam this week. When I signed up to take the Oxford punch […]
Return of the Yarn
It feels like an age ago that it was spring shearing time. Like now, the mornings were chilly but the sun was bright. The sheep were poofy fluff balls, ready to take off their winter coats in preparation for summer. For days, I’d worked through the mountains of raw, sticky wool, sorting and pulling out […]
A Mountain of Wool
Chris’ telltale greenish-gray truck pulls into the barnyard early in the morning as we’re doing chores. Shearing season once again has arrived on the farm, and the 120-odd sheep are ready. As the temperatures tentatively climb out of the deep freeze, their heavy wool coats will soon be too intense for their comfort. In the […]
Facing Your Project UFOs
For many of us, the term UFO conjures images of disk-shaped alien space craft with blinking lights and eerie music, but for creative makers, we have a different use for this acronym—Un-Finished Object. A creative UFO is a different critter from the other acronym WIPs, or Works In Progress. A WIP is something you’re actively […]
I Made a Thing, Now What?
Creating can be so much fun–invigorating, stimulating, and able to make hours disappear like mere minutes. If you’re like me and a prolific creator (or you’ve been taking a host of my Zoom classes lately), you are probably creating quite a collection of items you’ve made. Now, what to do with all this creative wonderfulness? […]
Joyful Lifelong Learning
I’m not much for watching TV, as you might have surmised. The few winter evenings we do watch a program, it’s almost always a documentary, preempted by someone calling out, “Let’s learn something!” Learning, in our house, was not something you did only during school hours—it was a part of everyday life that was encouraged […]
Developing a New Model for Teaching Fiber Arts
Developing a New Model for Teaching Fiber Arts Until Spring of 2020 I had spend years immersed in an “in person” fiber arts teaching schedule, with needle felting classes on Saturdays, Painting with Wool felting classes on Sundays, two-day weaving intensives, and many Fridays travel teaching to folk schools for felting and punch needle rug […]
Immersion in Fiber: Punch Needle Rug Hooking Classes Launched
I’m all about preparations. Not only is a well-prepared endeavor likely to be more successful but also less stressful! It means more availability to be fully in the moment during the adventure, knowing that you’re ready. This commitment to preparedness meant that the stash of supplies for my “Punch Needle Rug Hooking: Birds of the […]
Punch Needle Intensives Launched
Have you been admiring the progress made on “Hummingbird Haven,” the story of “Trout and Swallows” or “Mr. Rooster”? Have you thought it would be fun to learn how to make something in that style? Well, now you can! After years of planning and designing, I am now launching a two-day intensive “Punch Needle Rug […]
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 […]