Saori Weaving and California Visit December 2015

Jill Nickolene Sanders

This December I traveled to Benicia California to help care for my new Granddaughter Evie Marie for the month her mother Klaire went back to work. What a treasure that was to be invited to care for this precious little baby girl. It was great fun but I found when Evie slept, it was a good idea for Grandma to sleep also. Bob came along to help out by making dinner most nights for all of us and holding Evie when I needed a break. We had some of our weekends off so we toured a bit. Sorry, I had to add this pic of my granddaughter.

 The Singing Weaver Nadine Sanders

While we were out there we had lunch with Nadine Sanders and her husband Huck at their lovely home in Sabastopol. CA. It was fun visiting with Nadine and finding out all the changes in her life since I last saw her in Kansas at the Midwest Weavers Conference in 2013. We were planning on going to Scotland with her again in April for an Alumni Tour. Sadly it has been cancelled.

Nadine "the singing weaver" and Huck sang a few Christmas songs for us. They met at the Mendocino Music Camp and were married in August 2015. She made us a wonderful Minnesota lunch which was well worth the drive up to see her.

Hand Knit Gnome met us at the door.

 SAORI WEAVING: 

our classmate Dalhia 6 was weaving away when we got there.

I also met up with Melissa Matson and we traveled to Felton CA to attend a Saori Weaving Class on Sunday Dec 27th. What fun that was! I contacted Jill and set up a date to visit her studio and she suggested we take the intro to Saori class. Two hours of weaving for $40 was not such a bad deal! Since we had to drive 2 hours to get to her studio we thought the class would make it worth while.
We took a few wrong turns and drove though some uncharted woods thanks to the GPS. But we did arrive on time for our scheduled class.
Jill Nickolene Sanders was eager and waiting with our looms all dressed and ready to start.
 A young mother and her daughter were already weaving away. Jill owns Saori Santa Cruz http://www.saorisantacruz.com/ weaving studio up in the hills outside of Santa Cruz. Jill has been weaving for many years and is also a seamstress. Note her colorful garment and wild glasses. She got into the Saori weaving in order to bring weaving to the general public. Check out winter 2015 issue of PLY magazine and Ravelry groups for more about Jill.

 Melissa and I were given looms set up to fit our height, with warps already on. After showing how easy it is to warp these looms, we began our adventure. Because we are experienced weavers she showed some fun techniques to start off. We did a little Clasp weave and chose colors at random. I tried to choose colors at random, but the weaver in me wanted colors that went together or I liked.

After some fun chatter and checking out her studio we wove away until Jill brought out her Comb reeds. This was a new experience for me as we changed reeds while weaving without cutting off or retying anything. The comb reed is inserted into the beater after removing the first reed and letting it hang on the warp behind the beater. The comb reed has a removable top bar so it can be insert from under the warp and warp threads moved over in one direction at random intervals to create open areas in our weaving. What fun that was, it has lots of potential.

reed removed ready for comb reed

We wove away for our 2 hours while Jill filled us with fun stories and some more techniques.
Once our time was up she showed us how easy it was to cut off our weaving and preserve the rest of the warp by clamping it into the front beam. All ready for the nest weaver to arrive. As you can see lots of smiling faces.

Melissa at her loom

Mary at her loom

Aylissa showing off finished weaving

Melissa and Mary's finished weaving

 We also got to finish off the twisted fringe with a handy tool called the 'Lacis Power 4 ply' . No more braiding or twisting for me. This is a remarkable tool for making fringes on scarves or other items. Had to have it! Jill also uses patterns from the Saori pattern book, which are quite nice looking garments, although the book is in Japanese... the pictures are clear. Saori Shitatenohon' See Jill's website for more information or to purchase these items.

Our Fashion Show at the end of class.

white wool shawls by Jill

Saori Hat

Hand spun wool garment just felt so good on.

wool one shoulder shawl with glitz and some blue very beautiful

great vest but not for sale!

Jill used Habu steelwool or silk yarn to make this one.

Good bye Saori Santa Cruz - I hope to return.

Buellwood Weavers and Fiber Guild - February 18th Meeting Tapestry 101 part 2

^{Eric in his Handsome Jacket of Fabric he designed}

We had a great show and tell to start our meeting.  More finished garments from Mary Sue’s workshop last Spring were shared by Eric and myself. Eric modeled his handsome jacket handmade from fabric he designed in a class at Finlandia. Eric is a senior this year and is off to Corvelis, Oregon to do his internship with a professor who is studying a safer way of dyeing fabric from Fungus. Hence she needs Eric’s expertise with fabric to help her develop this procedure.

Mary in her toasty warm vest.

Jeanne Blue Scarf

Jeanne shared a weaving project, a lovely scarf she finished,  Jeanne is a lovely spinner but has been hesitant to weave. So it was nice to see a woven item from her. I am sorry I missed getting a picture of Jeanne blue scarf close up – but you can see Bonny checking out Jeanne’s scarf in the background.

'Green Lake'

Lynn shared her surface design piece titled “Green Lake”. Lynn likes to dye fabric and embellish it to create a well done wall piece.  It is nicely framed and ready for a show. 

Phyllis shared a hand felted hat she owns made by Jorie Johnson http://www.joirae.com/ who came to Finlandia to share her skills about 4 years ago. Phyllis also shared a fiber bracelet created by Audrey Chamberlain. We do miss Audrey’s smiling face at our meetings since she moved downstate.

Audrey Chamberlain Bracelet 

Jorie Johnson Felted Hat

under side of Jorie Johnson Hat

 

 Eve finished her Krokbragd wall hanging that she created for her daughter. Eve has spent a lot of time sampling to get these final results. She used brown sheep singles for this project and it turned out beautiful. If you want some sample drafts this is a nice site http://allfiberarts.com/2011/blkrokbragd.htm also a great explanation of this 3 or 4 shaft weave which has a Scandinavian origin can be read at http://tangleweave.blogspot.com/2009/11/making-of-krokbragd-tote.html. 

 

Eric with hand spun wool, handknit Sweater

Beside his beautiful Jacket Eric shared a Ikat woven scarf that he wove and a beautiful Handknit sweater made from his handspun yarn. He is showing us a knit cable he developed for this sweater. He called it the 'Fibonacci Cable'. What an elegant mans sweater he created. He told me he only knits in the round when making a sweater. Sounds like a very good idea! Since, I have sweater parts to sew together waiting in my pile of projects to finish.  Changing a pattern to knit in the round is a skill I will have to learn before I make another sweater.

Pekka aka Peter Olson

Pekka's wood carving samples

Pekka showed us his wood carving and described the wooden house he is building for Finn Fest, June 2013, which will be held in the Keweenaw.  This will be something to see! Pekka’s work is very original and very elaborate. He is also planning on building a shed to house his floor loom when this other project is done. His weaving will have to wait until then.  When he finishes his project he has offered us a tour of his workshop.  I am looking forward to seeing what he has added new since 2011! 

Brown Bag gift 'Iris Garden Scarf' woven by Jean for Lynn 

 Jean brought her brown 'bag project' that was our 2011 Christmas exchange.  Weavers wishing to participate brought in a brown bag with 5 or 6 oz of fiber to trade with others in our group to create a fiber piece. Only 4 of us participated and as you can see it took 2 years to finish some of our gifts. Jean wove a beautiful mohair scarf for Lynn with the yarn Lynn provided in her brown bag. Jean was inspired by Lynn’s Iris garden for this scarf. 

Leslie's tapestry mounted on woven linen mat.

 

Transparent tapestry techniques

Leslie shared more of her Tapestry work. She has been very busy with her weaving. She wove a linen mat to mount her 'Burning the Midnight Oil'  weaving which looks very nice and presentable. This was an experiment for Leslie in Mounting her work. She shared again her black and white Cat Tapestry which you can view on the December 2012 blog.
Then she showed us a weaving where she overlapped rectangles to create transparency on the surface. This is a very nice piece of work.

Nude tapestry sample by Leslie

At Steve’s request she has been working on a tapestry of a nude. She plans on weaving it in a much larger size, she shared her sample practice piece which is a great piece of work in itself! I am really excited about seeing this piece completed.  Leslie has been working with a tapestry artist in Florida via the internet for the past year to fine tune her tapestry skills. Then it was on to our program for February.

Tapestry weaving 101 - Part 2

Leslie shares some more of her knowledge on techniques of tapestry weaving. She had lots of questions but she did get to cover the different ways to join the color areas in tapestry weaving along with adding new yarn and ending the use of the previous yarn.  Everyone was pretty interested in learning these techniques. She quizzed us on tapestry terms that we had learned in the past get together and viewed some of the work by our guild members attempting to weave their own tapestries.

We are all excited about completing miniature tapestries with hopes of making another tapestry with a little more skill. More pictures of these tapestries will follow when I get them .

Next month  March 18th I will present 'Tapestry Weaving in Scotland' Slide presentation from Threads, Tunes and Ruins tour of Scotland 2012 with Nadine Sanders.See singingweaver.com for more information about a wonderful tour of Scotland. Planed again for April 2013.

Tapestry Weaving 101 January Guild meeting 2013

Leslie helping Ann with her tapestry

Our January 21st Guild meeting was cancelled because of a snow storm something that happens often up here on Lake Superior . We rescheduled the meeting for January 28th. Leslie Toombs presented and introduction to Tapestry Weaving. Leslie had provided us with instructions for making a frame tapestry loom a couple of weeks earlier everyone was eager to try out Tapestry Weaving. Our February 18th meeting will be part 2 of Leslie's introduction to Tapestry. In March we will have slides of Tapestries woven in Scotland by Artists working there today and some historical weaving.We had a nice turnout for this meeting despite our change of date. Many members came with their tapestry looms and yarn ready to get started.

After a short show and tell, which included a number of Woven Tapestries members had collected over the years. Some that were very old were shared with the guild members, some were purchased at garage sales. Sorry I did not get pictures of these tapestries, I must have been day dreaming as I forgot to get out my camera. I did take a picture of my Handwovnen towels when I got home to share with you. So you will get to see these towels. I used the lace warping I learned in Robyn Spady's 4 shaft weaving class last summer. You can weave many patterns with this one warp on your loom. I chose a Summer and Winter Dukagang design for 3 of the towels and Alternating Warp and Weft floats for the last towel. This Alternating warp and weft floats creates a towel that has the feel of a waffle weave. I have many more weaving patterns to explore from Robyn's workshop book.
******I would love to include other woven items our guild has produced if only they would send pictures for me to share with all of you.

Tapestry Weaving 101
Leslie began her introduction showing us some helpful tapestry weaving books and varieties of tapestry looms and tools.

Barb and Eve working on the Butterfly bundles

We made Butterfly bundles to use in our weaving I am still struggling with a proper butterfly. We learned how to tie half hitch knots across the warp to secure our weaving edge. We then chose 2 colors to start our weaving and most of us got a couple of inches finished during our meeting. I am anxious to weave the rest of the small mug rug with the two colors changing the size of the weft pics to create a simple design. Then at the next meeting Leslie will show us how to finish this mug rug and start another one. This is a fun weaving project you can take with you when you travel of weave when you are watching TV or talking to friends.

one of Mary Sue Fenner's Jackets

       


          Weaving Workshops In the U.P.
                   Come join the fun!

    We are planning a couple of workshops in the Hancock and Calumet this Spring and next Fall. In June we have Mary Sue Fenner returning for her Artist Jacket Workshop June 3-5, 2013. We have 5 or 6 interested already and we have room for a few more eager Sewers. You will be spending 3 days of creative sewing and experience a trunk show of   Mary Sue's Latest garments. We had so much fun with Mary Sue last year that a number of Guild members want to have her back for another workshop. This workshop is open to the public contact Mary Brownell at mdbweave@aol.com if you are interested! it is a fun time and you can make something from your very own handwoven yardage or a commercial fabric.At the same time enjoy a few days in the U.P. of Michigan..... away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Nadine Sanders: Triple Play Weaving that Sings.

Sample of Inlay weaving

In September Ed Gray from the Calumet Art Center will have a workshop with Nadine Sanders 'Triple Play-Weaving That Sings' Sept 20, 21 and 22, 2013 .
This workshop will be open to the public and will be for all levels of weavers. You will learn the inlay technique for Tapestry, Fabric or Rug weaving. Learn to add design to your weaving with Nadine Sanders. Nadine also will be performing a concert with her fiddle and voice to celebrate the U.P Highland Days on Saturday night September 21. Check out this article on Weavolution about Inlay weaving January 31, 2011 Sally Orgren to see what Nadine will be teaching. for more information Contact Ed Gray at the Calumet Art center.

I am happy to say our Guild is growing. WE now have about 25 paid members!

Nadine Sanders -The Singing Weaver

Nadine Sanders the ‘Singing Weaver’ will be teaching 3 workshops for us at Northern Wefts 2011 in June. Nadine is originally a Minnesota girl, who is a gifted musician and singer. She fell in love with weaving when she interviewed a weaver in Minnesota for a class project at St Olaf’s College. Nadine has been weaving and singing ever since. She has taught many weaving workshops over the years on the West Coast and all over the country she has recently moved back to Minnesota, so we are lucky to have her at our conference.

She also has been leading tour groups to U.K. for over 12 years. She is taking two sections of 26 travelers to Scotland this spring, April 26 - May 9, 2011. She will update her blog as they travel so check out her blog at www.singingweaver/blogspot.com right now you can see pictures from the 2009 trip and you will be delighted. There are still a few seats available on the second coach, so it is not too late to sign up. The exchange rate is excellent between the U.S. dollar and the GBP right now, the best it has been since she started traveling in the U.K. in 1997. This is her 4^th year leading a tour to Scotland. Oh how I wish I could fill those seats, it is definitely on my ‘Bucket List’ hopefully in 2012.

Locharron loom

Donna weaving a blue tartan on the Locharron loom

Nadine is teaching a one day workshop MX512 ‘Warping w/paddle, Shoestrings and the Kitchen Sink’ on Friday June 24^th. Besides learning what to do with that Paddle in your collection of weaving equipment, she will teach you how to make warping your loom fun! You will learn how to reduce the amount of waste yarn and improve the tension of your warped loom with shoestrings. You can even bring along your loom if you would like to learn how to modify it. I could really use this class.

Her mini session MN605 ‘Beyond Plaids, Waulking and the Music of Scotland’ will take you on a half day trip to Scotland. Nadine will share a montage of music and images and cloth to introduce you to the artists of Scotland. This session builds up to a waulking event where waulkers (you) fueled by shortbread and music will felt a piece of cloth as a group. You will also share any Scottish inspired weaving or fiber art you want to bring to class.

The final half day session is MN705 ‘Promotion 24/7’ this workshop explores High-tech, low-tech and no- tech ways to develop your business , market or show your work, secure teaching contracts, and promote yourself as an artist or teacher. This class is designed for the new fiber business person who is determined to make a life doing what they love.

We are excited to announce that Nadine has volunteered to perform a short concert for us sometime during the conference. She will bring her fiddle, autoharp and voice and donate her performance to Northern Wefts 2011, Midwest weaver’s conference. I am imaging something like the Robert Hillestad’s Installation project at Roots in 2007. As we have an Archeology class from MTU making us a replica of an ancient upright loom, thanks to Carl Blair Professor of Archeology at MTU, to be installed on campus for our conference attendees to weave on as they desire.

Thank you, Nadine and Carl for your generous offers. We will announce the locations of both these events in the Northern Wefts’ conference schedule you will receive in your registration bag.