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 debris, packing it tightly into …

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 wild, sheep naturally shed their …

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 working on—you know where you’re …

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?  The answer is that there …

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 and celebrated.  Mom read to …

Developing a New Model for Teaching Fiber Arts

This past winter, I was immersed in my 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 hooking. That, of course, has come to a halt due to COVID-19, and I am looking towards new …

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 Northwoods” class at North House …

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 Hooking:  Birds of the Northwoods.” …

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 back side of the piece …

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 conducive to doing the work, …