Record heat kept most of us indoors during the month of July and indeed I got a lot of work done in my studio. Kaitlin and I continue to update my 2 websites; www.heirloomtreasuresfiberarts.com is almost completed and www.heirloomtreasuresboutique.com will be done by the end of this month. I am proud to announce that I succeeded in putting both of my books: Heritage Crochet in a New Light and Crochet for Knitters, A Marriage of Hook and Needles, on Kindle. To order both versions click here.
I had a very successful demo session at the Folk Art Center the middle of July; we saw high numbers of visitors again and my sales were back to pre-Covid numbers. Although the demonstrations are meant to inform and educate our visitors, we do have sales privileges. The opportunities to talk about the work, show the different techniques using my tools, and highlight some of my designer pieces are priceless.
Many people already know how to crochet but have not ventured out into the heritage and lace techniques. They use my display as inspiration, and they are ultimately interested in my books and videos as well. So, my demos are always a real blessing because I love to interact with our visitors and most of them are interested in the history and techniques of our heritage crochet techniques. So I get a chance to pass on my passion.
The highlight of my musical events in July at the Brevard Summer Music Festival was the opera Carmen, which I had not seen since I was in high school. So that was a special treat, not just the music, but also the colorful outfits. More inspiration!
The middle of the month brought the opening date to register for this year’s Southeaster Animal Fiber Fair. (saffsite.org) I have my usual line-up of workshops from Thursday, October 20 through Sunday, October 23, 2022.
Here are my workshops for this year:
Thursday, October 20: 9 am -12 pm: Classic Hairpin Lace & 1pm – 4pm: Crochet Design Secrets
Friday, October 21: 9 am – 12 pm: Heirloom Crochet Thread Lace & 1 pm – 4 pm: Fabulous Broomstick Lace
Saturday, October 22: 9 am – 12 pm: Crochet for Knitters & 1 pm – 4 pm: Easy Tunisian Crochet and Lace
Sunday, October 23: 9 am – 12 pm: Continental Knitting & 1 pm – 4 pm: The Finishing Touches
The event is located at the WNC Agricultural Center, Asheville
Located off I-26 at Exit 40, across from the Asheville Regional Airport
www.saffsite.org
To register, go to: https://saffsite.org/workshops
The later part of July brought a beautiful and fun project; one of my regular customers sent me 2 lace squares her mom had made decades ago. They needed some restoration and then I turned them into 2 beautiful placemats for her to use.
The biggest challenge here was the color match. She sent along some thread from her mom, but nothing matched exactly. Thank goodness I found the correct shade in my inventory! I save every shade of thread I can find, because someday I will need it.
She also had an embroidered Christmas table runner her mom had started but never got a chance to finish. She asked me if I could complete the embroidery work for her and I enthusiastically agreed. I embroidered a lot as a little girl and then again as a young bride to put some special touches on my designs, especially Square and Round Dance outfits. I had not done it in decades, and I soon remembered how relaxing and enjoyable it was to see the colorful embroidery floss come to life. What a nice change to using my hooks!
I am looking forward to August; it will be my birthday month and this Leo celebrates all month! There are still more concerts at the Brevard Music Center, and I have my next demo session at the Folk Art Center on August 25th. through 28th. so come by and say hello if you are in the neighborhood!
Happy Summer! Stay cool!
“I do what I love and I love what I do”