Mea Culpa…

I’m such a bad blogger…

I just finished a fabulous week in LA at the Westin Bonaventure, at the American Sewing Guild conference and took no pictures.

None.

I took a couple of fantastic workshops/seminars.

No pictures.

I gave a one day workshop and three lectures and have no pictures.

I participated in a fantastic fashion show, modeling two of my latest pieces and got to model one of the finale pieces by Diane Ricks, no pictures…

I was in downtown LA, gorgeous weather, great restaurants, no pictures.

I was in the vendor hall numerous times surrounded by bolts and bolts of fabrics, trims, etc.  No pictures.  And no purchases. (Except for the yard of organza for a new press cloth)

And I have no idea why I never felt like taking out the camera or my wallet.

Actually, I think I can probably figure it out.  This is my fifth or sixth conference this year.  Substitute fabric for yarn, they are all pretty much the same thing.  Personalities and locations may be difference, but it becomes a routine that I just float through, doing my job, and making sure students leave happy and wanting more.  Sort of like a well oiled machine.

I’ve been through so many fashion shows, and so many vendor halls, they all blur together.  I remember feeling this way after selling my work for 10 years in craft fairs, same story different town.  The big difference between then and now, is after 10 years, I couldn’t tolerate the life style of selling my work on the road anymore.  It was grueling and emotionally draining and financially unrewarding and I needed to change what I was doing completely.

Fast forward a number of years and I started teaching nationally at conferences and in all honesty, other than a few technical debacles, like the mess at poor Midwest in Hancock Michigan this year, I can’t remember ever thinking to myself in the last 20 years, I don’t want t0 do this anymore.  I love to teach, I love the energy of the students and the classroom, and I love watching their faces when they get it.  I never ever tire of that.

But I didn’t take any pictures. Mea culpa…

So if anyone reading this blog post has any photos of me or my classes, or the fashion show especially when I’m wearing Diane Ricks’ fabulous Bernina Fashion Show finale piece, would you be so kind to send them along?

Meanwhile…

I slipped away after the conference, and I’m hiding in the studio of one of my favorite fiber buddies.  I’m still on the west coast at an undisclosed location, surrounded by wool and looms and felt and sunshine, and no expectations but to chill for a couple days before heading home to take my daughter to college.

We had drinks on the patio when we arrived last night, and watched the sunset.

I curled up in bed and slept a long long time.  And when I awoke this morning, I looked at my bedding and couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and I grabbed my camera.  My fiber buddy Amy’s mother had made a couple of amazing throws, from small woven squares done on a simple 3 1/2 inch square weaving loom called a Weavette.  There were hundreds of them.  In cheap acrylic yarns and hand manipulated patterns.  I stared at these little squares for an hour.  Each was intricate and playful and very very detailed, with patterns that are usually created on multi shaft looms.  Amy told me her mother would sit in the evening and just make these little squares and toss them in a bag as she finished them, and as she had enough for a row, she’d sew them together and make some more.

In addition, Amy’s grandmother wove two other throws from plain weave Weavette squares, and then embroidered them with cross stitch designs once they were sewn together.  I’ve never seen anything like it.

So today, Amy and I are hard at work in her studio where I’m helping her felt some additional pieces for a show.  I couldn’t be happier.  More tomorrow, with pictures…