Done and check…

Three posts in three days, I’m coming up for air, and anxious to write about it!

I spent a frantic day yesterday, mounting my weave a memory piece for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey 6th Annual Blank Canvas Benefit.  And I spent a frantic day packing for the NJ Consortium for Gifted and Talented Annual Learning Carnival where I present seminars in fibers for Gifted and Talented grade school students in the county.  Preparation for both events happened to collide on the same day.  Sigh…

I made 32 kits with hunks of clean Corriedale wool, baggies, a towel and a large rock.  I had students wrap a rock in wool and create a felted vessel while I regaled them with stories about fiber and how we make it into cloth.  It was fun and just a little bit messy…  Most of the wet soapy water was contained in the baggies, but you know kids…

I will admit, whenever I prepare for this event, I am always in a bad mood, I pout while I’m packing, thinking to myself, why do I volunteer myself to do these events, spend an entire day preparing for just a couple of hours work, (even though they give me a small stipend), and once I actually present the seminars, I remember why I love doing this, to see 32 bright happy kids having a blast with fiber, wide eyed, appreciating what I do, and maybe just maybe, one or two of them will take enough of an interest to bring fiber into their own lives.  One girl happily told me she already knew how to crochet.  Sigh…

Besides, I went out to lunch with an old friend who helped me during the presentations, and I went shopping at a really upscale clothing store in downtown Morristown.  I fell in love with a knit print vest and actually bought it.  And I had a blast driving my new car which performed it’s task, spinning wheel upright in the back, perfectly.

And once home, I frantically finished the framing of the donation piece for the art auction.  They provide the 16 x 20″ canvas, and I chose to weave something and cover the canvas.  I hand stitched a silk backing over the weaving that was stretched around the canvas over padding.  The canvas had to be wired for hanging, and though I didn’t get a professional shoot with lighting, etc. I captured the essence of the work with a quick photo before I deliver it in the morning.

Now to finish unpacking and start the packing process for the WEBS workshop this weekend.  If you can get up to (or down to) WEBS in April, I’m teaching a one day class, on Friday April 13th, in Color and Inspiration.  This is the class I write about often, where we have a table full of yarn and spend a day making yarn wraps and exploring color and warp design through a series of exercises, and everyone has a blast, including me.  I think there are still a couple openings in both classes, so sign up early and often!