by nrlymrtl

So, What’s Up With That Face Leash?

Us, being silly out on a movie date

Today marks my one year anniversary of being on 24/7 supplemental oxygen. It’s been a frustrating, humbling, and boring year. At home, I have an oxygen concentrator (about the size of a large suitcase) with a 50+ foot tube that connects to the cannula on my face. When I’m out, I have a 2.5 ft oxygen cannister on a hand cart that I take everywhere. It is amazing what a short, fat woman on an oxygen cannister can get away with. No one turns you down. Everyone (except snippy medical personnel) helps you out, whether you want it or not. And that’s the humbling part. I’ve always been the one to help others but this past year and more I’ve been the one needing help, from my husband, from family, from friends, and from total strangers (like all the awesome medical personnel…

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08.27.14

by nrlymrtl

Santa Fe Rag Rug Art & Marketplace 2014

Rag Rugs by Woven Hearth

The New Mexico Women’s Foundation hosted the 2014 Santa Fe Rag Rug Art & Marketplace at Museum Hill on August 8-10. The amazing Gerry Cerf and her staff of volunteers put on this show. Many, many thanks to Gerry and all the folks from NMWF!

I assisted my mom (Sandy Voss of Cabin Textiles) last year with her booth, as I had just begun down the path of being a weaver full time. This year, we each got a booth and we were set up side by side, allowing us to share the loom that my mom brought. This year, certain animal products (such as leather, bone, wool, feathers, etc.) were encouraged to set up outside in the big tent. More artists (selling things like jewelry, wall art, clothing, etc.) were inside the atrium of the Museum of International Folk Art.

This show exceeded all my expectations. My mom and I were busy the entire time, barely having time to snag a bite to eat (more like nibbling throughout the day). We quite enjoyed the crowd, talking about our rugs, the loom, my knitting, and my mom’s crocheted hats. Also, several friends stopped by to say hi. My feet were quite sore by the end of the Rag Rug Fest, but I was too pleased with the success of the show to fuss over them.

What follows is a list of the artists I chatted with (and their contact info) and lots and lots of pictures. Enjoy!

Ann Lumaghi, annlumaghi@cybermesa.com, PO Box 644, Abiquiu, NM 87510, 505-685-4503, http://www.abiquiustudiotour.org/galleries/ann_lumaghi_contact.html

Duka Subedi, duka_aarpan@yahoo.com, 8409 Gutierrez Rd. N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87111, 505-948-6638, http://www.jackrabbitmarketplace.com/collections/ds

Tanka Chapagai, contact her through her daughter Duka Subedi

Carol Mills, Rags to Rugs, 575-534-4020, Silver City, NM, http://www.jackrabbitmarketplace.com/collections/cm

Wendy Capek, wendycapek@gmail.com, PO Box 465, Mora, NM 87732, 505-617-6850

Kei Tsuzuki & Molly Luethi, Kei & Molly Textiles, kei@keiandmolly.com, 505-554-7062, molly@keiandmolly.com, 505-554-9337, 5321 Acoma Rd. S. E., Albuquerque, NM 87108, http://www.keiandmolly.com/

Lisanne Cole, Tribal Soul Maps, giasound@yahoo.com, Santa Fe, NM, 575-770-7777, www.tribalsoulmaps.com

Mujeres de Adelante Cooperative, iribe@sfps.info, 505-819-9966, www.adelantesantafe.org

Carol Eggers, caroleggers45@gmail.com, Las Cruces, NM

Renee Brainard Gentz, rbgentz@gmail.com, 505-242-5703, www.rbgentz.com

Susan Young-Tweet, The Santa Fe Sewing Studio, wrapahat@aol.com, 505-913-9650, 1807 Second St. Suite 45-1, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Carmen Sena-Todd, For the Brand Ranch, forthebrand8@gmail.com, 575-571-9941, 6790-14 Camino Encanto, La Mesa, NM 88044, www.forthebrand.etsy.com

SW Women’s Fiber Arts Collective, information@fiberartscollective.org, 575-538-5733, PO Box 636, Silver City, NM 88062, www.fiberartscollective.org

TDLT Fiber Artists, TDLT@GauchoBlue.com, PO Box 114, Penasco, NM 87553, 575-758-1730, www.gauchoblue.com/TDLT.html

Julie Anderson, Costume Salon, julie@costumesalon.com, 505-989-7125, 903 W. Alameda #109, Santa Fe, NM 87501, www.costumesalon.com

Sandy Voss, Cabin Textiles, sandyvoss@cybermesa.com, 505-753-6395, PO Box 10, Abiquiu, NM 87510, www.cabintextiles.com

Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center (EVFAC), info@evfac.org, 505-747-3577, 325 Paseo de Onate, Espanola, NM 87532, www.evfac.org

Kathy Konecki, Necessary Little Luxuries, info@necessarylittleluxuries.com, 505-989-7015, www.necessarylittleluxuries.com

This is me trying out an Entrelac piece by Carol Eggers.

Bead work belts by Wendy Capek.

Rag rug by Carol Mills

EVFAC clothing rack.

EVFAC goodies!

EVFAC woven shawls.

Knitted gloves by Kathy Konecki.

Kathy Konecki with her knitted decorative scarves

Decorated burlap bags by Mujeres de Adelante Cooperative.

Hand-made soaps by Mujeres de Adelante Cooperative.

Weavings by Tanka Chapagai.

Tote bags by Duka Subedi.

Blue jeans weavings by TDLT.

Hand towels by Kei & Molly Textiles.

Greeting cards by SW Women’s Fiber Arts Collective.

Quilted notebook cover by SW Women’s Fiber Arts Collective.

Little wallets by SW Women’s Fiber Arts Collective.

Amethyst necklace by Carmen Sena-Todd.

Bracelets by Carmen Sena-Todd.

Fleece clothing by Susan Young-Tweet.

Towel rugs by Ann Lumaghi.

Skeins by Ann Lumaghi.

Birds, masks, cat pillow by Costume Salon.

Wicked Witch feet by Costume Salon.

Julie of Costume Salon modeling her crazy cool hat.

Decorative art by Lisanne Cole.

Hats crocheted from cotton selvedge, by Cabin Textiles.

Weavings and knitted items by Cabin Textils & Woven Hearth.

Rag Rugs by Cabin Textiles & Woven Hearth.

Sandy Voss teaching weaving.

Knitted hats by Carol Eggers.

Rainbow shawl by Carol Eggers.

Woven items by Carol Eggers.

Knitted bag by Carol Eggers.

Quilted wall art by Renee Brainard Gentz.

Santas by Renee Brainard Gentz.

Keep your yarn balls in order with these bowls from TDLT.

This is the personal artist book for Wendy Capek. I really liked the snakeskin cover.

Sandy Voss teaching kids how to weave.

06.10.14

by nrlymrtl

Las Golondrinas Fiber Arts Festival

The booth we shared.

A few weekends back (Memorial Day weekend), Cabin Textiles and Woven Hearth teemed up to participate in the Santa Fe Fiber Arts Festival held at the beautiful El Rancho de Las Golondrinas. It was a wonderful weekend, even with the rain (or in my little opinion, especially because of the rain). There were plenty of vendors, demonstrations, and archery! Yes, archery. Which was particularly thrilling for those standing next to me when I took my try at the range. Plus, all visitors and vendors had access to various exhibitions and museum and walking trails available at Las Golondrinas.

Cotton shag Happy Rug by Cabin Textiles.

This was my first time at this venue, and I got lost. Yes, I did check a map before heading off. No, I did not trust my map – instead I followed the signage. Haha! So, the scenic route for me. Turns out there are two ways to approach Las Golondrinas. The one I discovered took me through La Cienega and past their trash transfer station. The second route is much more direct, utilizing the frontage road.

Rugs by Woven Hearth.

Anyway, it is an exceptionally beautiful location and I look forward to visiting Las Golondrinas again. And they had wifi so I could use my little credit card swiper gizmo. Hooray! We had a corner booth that worked out quite well for displaying one of my mom’s (Sandy Voss’s) large rugs on the wall. Our booth neighbors (TDLT Fiber Artists) were a cheery group of ladies who shared food and drinks back and forth with us throughout the weekend. (Barbara Anne – thank you for the humus!).

There were also lots of demonstrations – both the regular ones provided by Las Golondrinas volunteers and some of the vendors. Sheep, bunnies, spinning, felt work, paper making, weaving, etc. And I met Inger Seitz, whose work I have seen through the Las Tejedoras Newsletter. Chatting with her about rag rug weaving in Finland was great!

What follows are lots and lots of pictures. enjoy!

Contact Info for artists who I had the joy of photographing:

Sacred Heart Cafe, Patty Mara, Box 5D, Pilar Route HC69, Embudo, NM 87531, pmgourley@gmail.com, www.pattymara.etsy.com

The Natural Twist, Ruth Baldwin, 877-TNT-WOOL, 505-453-2277, ruth@TheNaturalTwist.com, TheNaturalTwist.com

Felt Free, Jo Thompson, jo@feltfree.com, feltfree.com, feltfree-itswhatifelt.blogspot.com

TDLT Fiber Artists, PO Box 114, Penasco, NM 87553, 575-758-1730, TDLT@GauchoBlue.com, www.gauchoblue.com/TDLT.html

Rio Fernando Farm, Shelley Loveless, #3 Sunset Drive, Taos, NM 87571, 575-758-0019, riofernandofarm@gmail.com

Hairball Yarns, A. Smith-Nelson, Lot15/15 North Mesa Stables, Los Alamos, NM 87544

Lisa Joyce Designs, Lisa Joyce de Burlo, PO Box 1716, Taos, NM 87571, lisajoydb@gmail.com, www.lisajoycedesigns.com

Cabin Textiles, Sandy Voss, PO Box 10, Abiquiu, NM 87510, sandyvoss@cybermesa.com, www.cabintextiles.com

Nicole Blais – feltmaker and Las Golondrinas volunteer, & unfortunately I can’t find contact info for her.

Beautiful roving by The Natural Twist.

Dolls by the TDLT Fiber Artists.

Woven wraps by TDLT Fiber Artists.

The de-fuzzing of an angora rabbit by Rio Fernando Farm.

More skeins by Hairball Yarns.

More felt art by Las Golondrinas volunteer Nicole Blais.

Here is a medieval spindle with cast bronze whorl & oak shaft from The Natural Twist.

Rag rugs by the TDLT Fiber Artists.

Table loom demo by TDLT Fiber Artists.

Felt pins by Lisa Joyce Designs.

Happy hat by Felt Free.

Rag rug made from faux fur by Woven Hearth.

Natural dyes by The Natural Twist.

Locally spun, hand-dyed wool by TDLT Fiber Artists.

Wall felt art by Sacred Heart.

Spun tidbits by Lisa Joyce Designs.

Felt hat by Felt Free – I see a dragon or Sky Eel!

Rag rugs by Woven Hearth (left – bedsheet material, right- blue jeans).

Felt art by TDLT Fiber Artists.

Hanging chakra by Sacred Heart.

Hand-spun skeins by Lisa Joyce Designs.

Table sheep from Felt Free.

Purses & potholders by TDLT Fiber Artists.

Faerie play sets by Sacred Heart.

Skeins, hats, and purses by Lisa Joyce Designs.

A felt purse by Felt Free.

Table runners by TDLT Fiber Artists.

Felted soaps in various scents by Rio Fernando Farm.

Spinning demo by Lisa Joyce.

Little sheep at Las Golondrinas 2014.

Placemats by TDLT Fiber Artists.

Skeins by Rio Fernando Farm.

Skeins by Hairball Yarns.

Felt work by Las Golondrinas volunteer Nicole Blais.

Paper making frame is pulled through a tub of water that contains pulp.

Pulp is collected on the screen with one pull through the tub of water.

The top half of the frame is removed & paper laid face down on another board to dry.

Here was have paper made at the paper demo.

03.27.14

by nrlymrtl

Recycle Santa Fe 2013

Phoenix Eco-Sustainable Fashions

Yes, I am very behind in getting this up. I could give you a list of excuses, but that would be boring. I am sure that many of you know that having a home business keeps you pretty darn busy.

Last November, the Santa Fe Recycle show was quite a treat. In fact, this is my 3rd post on it. Yeah, I had that much fun at this show. You can catch my pictures of the Trash to Fashion Show and also a post on what both my mom and I brought to the show. Big thank you to all the folks at Recycle Santa Fe, including Sarah Pierpoint, for making this such a fun event!

UpCycled Fashion bracelets

Now, what about all the other artists? There were tons, and so very, very talented, and in so many ways. I was a little shy walking around with my big clunky camera. Some booths had it posted asking that there be no photography. So, I only took photos at booths where I talked with the artists and made sure it was OK. People were terribly friendly and enjoyed talking about their art. There was no way I could get around to everyone’s booth, as I was manning our booth half the time. But I hope the following peaks your interest and you can perhaps visit a future Recycle Santa Fe Show.

UpCycled Fashion tooth fairy pillows

What follows are lots and lots of photos and the artists’ contact info. Enjoy!

Phoenix Eco-Sustainable Fashions: I just love home made books, journals, and diaries. Especially with cloth covers and bindings. You can catch the facebook page HERE. Contact Info: Thalia Gibbs-Jackson, (505) 629-7308, P.O. Box 362, Santa Fe, NM.

UpCycled Fashion goats

UpCycled Fashion and Art for the Heart: These two had a booth together. I had the joy of discovering UpCycled Fashion at the 2013 Rag Rug Festival and was pleased to see them again. This time, not only did they have their goats, but also steampunk attire (check out their fancy bracelets) and tooth fairy pillows. See the little pocket in the back of the little monsters where a kid can hide her tooth? So inventive! Contact Info: Jean Nichols, Project Coordinator Art for the Heart, PO Box 237, 14197 St. Rd. 75, Peñasco, NM 87553, 575-587-0202 (Home/Office), 575-587-2889 (Studio: Thursday – Sunday, 11am – 5pm), jean@upcycledfashion.com. Anita Marie Moss, Director UpCycledFashion.com, PO Box 364, Mora, NM 87732, 575-387-2308, anitamarie@upcycledfashion.com.

Bottle cap snake by mixed media artist Kenny Chavez

Kenny Chavez, Mixed media folk artist: Kenny had more than one of these bottle cap snakes. I was quite taken with them. Such a clever thing to do with bottle caps. Colorful and ridges that make me think of scales. You can catch his facebook page HERE. Contact info: kennymchavez@comcast.net, 4312 Ridgeley Dr. NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108

Candelaria’s Art – a few dragons, a winged horseshoe, and perhaps a Thunderbird?

Candelaria’s Art: I have a thing for dragons, and Candelaria’s Art delivered. In fact, I may be sharing these dragon pics on my other sites because they are so darn cool! There are the larger, free standing dragons, smaller dragons with their crystal balls, and wall dragons. There was also this big metal bird, perhaps a Thunderbird. Oh, and they have little roadrunners with nails sticking out of their heads! Fanciful and beautiful metal art! Find Candelaria’s Art on Custom Made and on Etsy. Contact Info: Gilbert Candelaria, gilbert@candelariasart.com.

Metal ornaments by Kathleen O’Neill

Kathleen O’Neill, metal worker: Now I know what to do with all my tea tins – give them to a metal worker! This was one of the most colorful booths in the show, as you can see from the cats and the birds. And so many different sizes! I especially liked the holiday ornaments in their simplicity. Contact Info: Kathleen O’Neill, 505-757-6802, 194 SR 50, Glorieta, NM 87535.

Paper owl by artist Julia Cizeski

Julia Cizeski, paper artist: Wow! I was terribly impressed with these owls. I took a picture of the back of the largest owl as I wanted to show the detail in the wings. Julia Cizeski uses a variety of paper media including cigarettes, holiday paper, and paper bags. Natural dyes are used to add color where needed. It much take hours to create even one of the small owls. Julia shares a Stop Motion facebook site with Katie Hall which you can see HERE. Contact Info: Julia Cizeski, juliacizeski@gmail.com.

Glass nightlights by MCM Artworks

MCM Artworks: Here are some beautifully made glass nightlights made from recycled glass. So many different colors and shapes! While I could not find a website for MCM Artworks, Melody’s art can be seen at the Arts Prescott Gallery. Contact Info: Melody McConaughy, 928-533-1182, P. O. Box 3424, 2314 Thumb Butte Road, Prescott, AZ 86302, mcmartworks@msn.com.

Sock people stuck in a cardboard bus by UBz

UBZ Artwork: this booth was almost empty by the time I discovered it! Galen Wales art had been so well received and I am glad I had a chance to snap this pic of these sock people crammed into a cardboard bus. So funny! Some of the faces on the sock people make me think of disgruntled commuters and they made me giggle inside. Contact Info: Galen Wales, galen@myubz.com.

Woven plastic mats by Moe’s EcoMats

Moe’s Eco Mats: Moe and his wife were the only other weavers at the show that I saw and it was treat to talk shop with Moe. Not only was he making some beautiful cloth dishtowels, he was also making these very colorful plastic mats, like you would use on the dinner table. Contact Info: Moe Sherman, 720-289-7027, moe@moes-ecomats.com.

Water pump lamps by Imperfection, LLC

Imperfection, LLC: This lovely couple was across the aisle from us, so we had plenty of time to chit chat with them and admire their artwork. There were lots of metal workers at this show, but these two did heavy metal work. Some of these metal pieces are larger than me (like the carhorn lamp). So many of these pieces would be great for patio art. I couldn’t find a website for these two, but here is there Contact Info: Dave & Rita Park, 719-749-2472, rd7275@yahoo.com.

And, of course, there was wall art and free-standing art pieces through out the show. I hope you have enjoyed the picture tour!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the artist for this stuffed animal futon.

Wall art, Directories I&II by E. Shander Bawden

Wall Art, Big Fish, by Steve Meadows

Roadrunners by Candelaria’s Art

Carhorn lamp by Imperfection, LLC

Metal cats by Kathleen O’Neill

A dragon and his ball, by Candelaria’s Art.

Metal birds by Kathleen O’Neill

Metal Man by Imperfection, LLC

Wall dragons by Candelaria’s Art.

01.14.14

by nrlymrtl

Taos Wool Festival 2013

The ATTL Booth with people!

I know I am behind with my posts. Doing a complete career change is a little time consuming, but things are settling down and I find I have some time for sharing my silly pictures with folks.

So many baskets of skeins!

Back in October 2013, I participated in the Taos Wool Festival with the Art Through The Loom guild. I have enjoyed the festival for years, but this was my first time participating as an artist. It was nice sharing a booth with a group of ladies, as that meant we could share booth time. The ATTL participators were Glenna Dean, Kathy Konecki (Necessary Little Luxuries), Nancy Woodworth, Suzanne Correira (Fire Ant Ranch), Sandy Voss (Cabin Textiles), Diane de Souza, and myself. This was great for everyone as it can be a kind of long weekend with set up Friday afternoon, and then all day Saturday and Sunday, with take down at 4 or 5 PM Sunday. I also had a cold, so I was all snivelly. And our booth was in the shade, so it was quite chilly for the entire weekend for us.

Woven and knitted clothing.

Yet, despite the sniffles and the cold, I still had a blast. Friday set up was probably the hardest part. We had to figure out how to put up two tents. Haha! I like to sit back and simply take direction, but we had a limited number of people who were familiar with the tents, and lots of people trying to help. Still, there was plenty of laughter throughout the process.

Skeins by various ATTL members.

I was told that many people will come walk through on Saturday and buy larger items on Sunday. As I was selling rugs, I didn’t expect any sales Saturday, but one happened Saturday morning, and then again, and again. Sunday was good too. And Sunday I brought my man to help with take down. We showed up early to have time to walk around. Also, there is this amazing food booth that sells kibbeh in Greek yogurt and tortilla. So good! Us ladies at the booth also got him to model a button neck scarf thingy. Yeah, that’s a technical term.

Wool shag rugs by Cabin Textiles & Woven Hearth.

And then there is the livestock. Yes, fuzzy-wuzzies are allowed at this event. People bring their bunnies, their sheep, their llamas, their alpacas. And sometimes they even put on demonstrations, showing how to shear the wee beasties. My man especially likes the llamas because they hum. And he hums back at them and they nearly always respond, some of them walking up to him. Though I don’t know if they see him as a kindred spirit or are contemplating spitting in his eye. Never can tell with a llama.

Here’s a handsome llama.

This year, I purchased just one thing of goat milk soap. As I was changing careers from a stable office job to a weaver, I felt the need to conserve money. It was hard. Very hard. So many gorgeous things, left, right, and center. And people definitely encourage you to touch items, enjoy them. They know how to tempt! My mom purchased a new wooden shuttle from the folks she has been buying from for years, KCL Woods. It’s a gorgeous little piece.

This is my Farm Ninja outfit. Nifty face scarf thingy, huh?

And then we participated in the swap bin. Each year, the Taos Wool Festival organizers go around with a wagon full of items donated by the participants. You can swap for something of equal or lesser value. The wagon hit us late Sunday after I was all packed up and simply helping other ATTL members. My mom insisted I play so she donated a little rug and I got this nifty knitted thingy (a cowl?) made by Kathy Hartmeister. Well, you can see in my Farm Ninja photo that it fits over my head and is wide enough to cover my ears, nose, mouth, and neck. I really, really like it because, unlike a scarf, there are no ends to get tangled in the hay or inadvertently dunked in the water trough as I see to farm chores.

Here are some knitting kits for those who forgot their own knitting.

As I live near Ojo Caliente, I took the back road to Taos each day, which took me over the Taos Gorge. On Sunday, my man and I stopped to walk the bridge and take photos like tourists. Sunday I also wore my one and only knitted-by-me sweater. I got lots of compliments on it at the festival, which was nice. It is not something I would have worn to the office as I think many people would find it odd. I think I am going to really enjoy hanging out with artists.

This is my man modeling a neck collar for us ladies.

This is me at the Taos Gorge in my knitted sweater.

My mom’s new shuttle.

Little sheep!

Taos Gorge, October 2013.

More skeins.

Alpacas!

More skeins and roving at the ATTL booth.

Some wool throws and a wool rug.

Skeins by various ATTL members.

Shaggy llama.

The ATTL Booth!

12.20.13

by nrlymrtl

Recycle Santa Fe Show: Our Booth

Another picture of wool shag rugs by Cabin Textiles & Woven Hearth.

For the 2013 Recycle Santa Fe Show, my mom (Cabin Textiles) and I (Woven Hearth) shared a booth. The booth fee for a single participant is $350 and then a single artist may be added to the booth for an additional $50. As you can see, it’s great to be able to find someone to split the booth fee with. Even though I have only done a handful of shows so far, this was easily the highest booth fee, for a 3-day weekend. However, we both did great at the show, so no complaints from us!

This is a rug made from sweaters (by Woven Hearth).

This post will be mostly photos to show what we brought. Since this is a show that focuses on making art from trash (recycling), the show regulations has a minimum amount of recycled materials the art must contain to be allowed in the show (I believe it is 75%). All our rugs shown here easily met that rule. In fact, I find myself hard pressed to think of any recent rugs either of us has made that didn’t meet this rule…

This is a striking wool shag rug from Cabin Textiles.

Each show I learn something new. At this one, it was the term, ‘upcycle‘ which is used to describe making high art from recycled materials. Since all the participants in this show were doing recycled art, I could see the full range of items, and the different take on recycling trash materials into art.

This is a rug made from socks (by woven Hearth).

This was also my first time to use my Paypal card swiper gizmo, and it was a success. In fact, all my sales were done with the card swiper. My mom was using her old-school metal & carbon copy swiper for her sales. So we had a direct comparison. I think my mom now wishes to switch to the gizmo, as means less work for her – you don’t have to call in the card charges individually. Hooray for the electronic age!

Another wool shag rug by Cabin Textiles.

My friends J & J and Bailey dog also gave us a hand in both setting up and taking down. It was very much appreciated! Lugging bags of rugs around is heavy work, and then the metal frame we used for the booth wasn’t a total joy in setting up or taking down. So it was great to have the extra muscle.

A cotton shag (Woven Hearth) rug.

My mom brought a few of her larger rugs, include one off the big loom – 7 feet by 9 feet – and they drew a lot of inquiries. It is rare for one of these larger ones to sell at a show, but letting people know such sizes are available, and handing them our cards, leads to special orders.

A variety of our wool shag rugs.

This large rug (by Cabin Textiles) measures 9 ft. x 7 ft.

11.26.13

by nrlymrtl

Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival 2013: The Trash Fashion Show

This dress is made from burlap bags.

This year was my first to take part in the Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival, which was held Nov. 15-17. On Friday evening, there is the Trash Fashion show which features clothing made from things that would otherwise end up in a landfill. It was truly impressive what all the contestants came up with. Most of this post is going to be pictures, though I wish I had gotten a few more.

You’ll see that I was impressed with the seatbelt dress – red and black, such a great combo! The burlap bag dress was also very chic. There was this Flapper style dress that was made up of dangly glass bits, some of which fell off on the runway. It was also very stunning.

Another young lady made a Greek goddess dress from paper, though I only managed to get a decent picture of the dress after the show when many of the outfits are displayed.

Made from grocery bags.

One outfit was made from airline travel tickets. She brought her dog up on the runway too, who had a skirt made from barf bags. It was very cute. Then another young lady had this ballroom style dress made from chicken feed bags. It was very elegant. The skirt was also removable, and when it was removed, it revealed a chicken wire frame for the skirt, with a live chicken in it! Alas, the young lady was too quick for my older camera. Though I would be quick too if I had a life chicken up my skirts!

OK, so the rest of this post will be pics. Sit back and enjoy!

Made from filters.

Made from seatbelts.

Made from photography film and cardboard packaging.

Made from some sort of foil?

The skirt is from plastic table clothes and the top from plastic milk cartons.

1920s style dress.

This dress was made from dryer sheets.

A few more dresses from the fashion show.

Three dresses from the fashion show.

A hat made from cardboard of photography supplies.

This skirt is made from sneakers.

Here is that burlap sack dress.

One dress made from seatbealts and the other made from ????

11.22.13

by nrlymrtl

Affordable Art

This is made from bedsheet fabric. I playfully call it ‘Moonlit Water’. And that’s Phil the cat.

This will be my first year in participating in the Fuller Lodge Affordable Arts Show that runs from November 22 – January 4. Fuller Lodge is located in downtown Los Alamos, NM and is free admission to the public. I am very happy to say that I will be joining many other talented artists. Many of these artists have been featured on the Fuller Lodge facebook page, if you want to check them out.

Made from upholstery fabric, this rug turned out pretty handsome.

So, what rugs of mine will be there? Well, a little bit of everything. I have 2 sock rugs, several wool shags, 3 cotton shags, 2 flat cottons, one upholstery rug, and a wool sweater rug.

All my rugs are recycled from waste fabrics. For the most part, these are the selvedge edges of blankets or bedsheets that would normally end up in a landfill. Instead, I turn them into rugs. All the socks and sweaters used in my rugs had holes, tears, or stains (or were lonely socks that had lost their mates). Now they are hardy, usable rugs. All the rugs are washable in a cold water cycle with air drying (no heat).

Here are a variety of wool shags for the 2013 Fuller Lodge Affordable Arts Show.

This is a cotton shag, which is cotton and rayon.

These are both cotton shags, which I nicknamed the Adobe Sisters.

These 2 rugs are made from socks. Yep, lots and lots of socks.

Here is a blue & brown wool sweater rug (with sock rugs behind it).

09.15.13

by nrlymrtl

Mistaking It: Skipped Warp Thread

Here we have a warp thread that was not captured in the weft during 1 pass.

I’ve decided to continue highlighting my weaving mistakes and how I go about fixing them. I hope everyone gains some info, perhaps even amusement, from these posts. I know I enjoy putting them together.

In this post I want to point out a mistake on a finished rug. This particular rug is made out of upholstery selvedge, my first such, and it turned out quite rich and lovely. While prepping it for a show (vacuuming, measuring, and tagging), I saw I had a mistake. I was tempted to set it aside to deal with another time, or perhaps to be the first of what would eventually be the bargain bin. But then I decided that a lazy Saturday afternoon was really the most ideal time I would ever have for fixing it, and it really was a sweet little rug and deserved the extra attention.

Cut the thread and then back out the warp thread a few inches. Measure out a repair thread.

So, as you can see from the photo, I have a yellow warp thread that was missed during one pass of the weft, creating this solid line over 3 passes of weft. I dug out the matching warp thread spool from the stash and set to work. First, I had to cut the errant thread and then I used my tapestry needle to pluck it out of the weave in each direction over 3-4 inches.

Pick an end, tie in the repair thread.

Then I hazarded a guess as to how much replacement thread I needed by measuring out the distance plus half again with loose thread from the spool. Keep in mind you will want plenty at either end for tying in and also that the replacement thread will be pulled tight once you weave it in. Then I picked an end and tied in the new thread, leaving a tail ~3 inches long to tuck in. Using the tapestry needle once again, I tucked in first one tail (from the new thread) and then the other tail (old thread). Each one is woven in perpendicular to the warp and parallel to the weft, using the needle to weave it in and out of the warp.

With tapestry needle, weave in the tied off ends.

I found this goes much smoother if you have more thread to play with than you actually need, as your tapestry needle needs some give to maneuver in and out. Also, I find it easier if I bunch up the rug a bit, creasing along the weft where I have chosen to weave in the tail. A few choice words later, and you have tucked in your ends.

Using tapestry needle, guide the repair thread in & out of the weft.

Next, I used the tapestry needle to weave the new thread along beside the other warp threads to the other end. You need to make sure you weave it in the proper location. Having tucked in your ends and pulled them tight, you may have pulled the knot where you tied in to one side or another. So, check just by pulling on your your knot to verify which other two warp threads your old thread sits between. This is where your new thread should sit as you weave it in & out of the weft.

Once you have woven it in, pull it tight, but not so tight as to be tighter than the surrounding warp, as that would look odd and wash & wear funny. Tie in at this end and tuck the ends in as you did on the first end. Once complete, you are ready to snip off the ends of those tails – without snipping any other warp threads, otherwise you will get extra practice at this process ;).

Once the repair thread is woven in and attached at both ends, you are left with the tails of the tie ins.

Completed, I could not easily tell that I had spliced in a bit of thread to correct my woven mistake. How did this mistake come about? I’m not sure on this one. I have seen it happen (and caught it on the loom so I could fix it there by unweaving and reweaving) when a nearby warp thread had a knot with long tails (potentially from tying in a new spool when warping the loom) that tangled in the thread in question, back in the heddle, holding it down when it should be up, causing the weft to skip the warp thread until it becomes untangled. In this case, I am not sure as there was not a knotted warp thread nearby to this mistake. Whatever the cause, at least it is fixable with ~10 minutes effort and a few cuss words every time I jabbed a thumb with the tapestry needle.

Once repair is made and tie in tails trimmed off, this is what it looks like.

09.02.13

by nrlymrtl

To Sew The Ends Or Not?

If you don’t sew the ends, you need to overlay perhaps 3 inches or more.

Recently, I made my first cotton rugs. For all three of them, I mixed each, having two distinct colors twining through each rug. On the first one I had this lovely deep golden selvedge edge material that would be remarkably boring all on it’s own. But then I also had this softer, pastel yellow in strips (that would also be remarkably boring by itself). I decided that they should be smushed together into one beautiful rug.

Here you can see an end that escaped the warp.

I also made the snap decision to not sew the pastel yellow strips together into long lengths suitable for filling a shuttle. My mom, Sandy Voss of Cabin Textiles, has does this before too and prefers sewing the ends for several reasons. She strongly recommended that if I wasn’t going to sew the ends, then I needed to give them a lengthy overlap of at least 3 inches. This is done to help ensure that the ends won’t wriggle free over time (think the type of usage such a rug might see) and create a hole in the weft. Additionally, unsewn ends are more prone to sticking up through the warp and will require a little trimming before the rug could be considered ready for sale and/or use.

From my personal experience of making this rug, I found it a pain in the backside to lay each pale yellow strip in and fuss with the overlapping ends. I think it doubled the amount of time it took me to weave this rug. I also had a very direct comparison to the selvedge edge I was twining with it – it being one unending streamer of deep gold. This selvedge edge laid in swiftly with minimal fussing.

Here is a simple blue & white cotton rug.

The next two cotton rugs I made, I sewed the ends of the blue bedspread strips. Yes, it took me a little while to sew all those little ends, but it saved me time and hassle on the weaving side. Plus, I feel that it makes a more durable product in the end. Those sewn ends are not likely to worm their way out over time, even with many, many washings, and create a hole in the weft. Also, I found there were way fewer little ends that stuck up upon vacuuming that needed a trimming.

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