My entire first week of May was spent at JC Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC (www.folkschool.org) with a group of talented ladies working our Design Secrets agenda. They were all experienced crocheters and knitters and it was very exciting to present our “Show and Tell” table to the entire group of weeklong participants on our last day, May 5th. The ladies presented the samples and ideas we had created during the previous week.
I always love to see and hear what other classes accomplished during their intense weeklong workshops. There is much pride in completed baskets, pottery, stained glass pieces, quilting and much more. My classroom was below the music studio, so we often heard lovely melodies from acapella voices. “Show and Tell” featured several of their ballads to sing us on the way home.
Coming back from Brasstown I usually visit several old friends in Franklin NC, where I used to live for over 20 years, before retiring to Asheville to be closer to the Southern Highland Guild and its activities. Several stops in Franklin made for a very long day, followed by a restful weekend at home. This left me just a few days to repack and prepare for Fiber Day at the Folk Art Center.
This was our first big event of the season and we were super busy! A reception for graduates of the Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Program was held upstairs in the exhibition Gallery, which is dedicated to showing those graduates’ work for the next several weeks.
Most of their parents and instructors stopped by to see us in the auditorium, where over 20 artists and a large group of spinners were demonstrating their craft. Outside we had some of our suppliers: sheep, llamas, goats and rabbits. Since there were storms in the forecast, not as many critters and their parents showed up as usual during good weather. Everyone there braved a few rain showers and enjoyed the festive atmosphere.
I was delighted to see several of my local customers and had a great kick off to the new season. June 22 through 25 I will be back at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway to demonstrate crochet lace in the lobby. Many of our visitors will be on summer vacation by then and it will be fun to show new additions to my summer collections.
A very dear friend of mine and her husband are celebrating their 40th. anniversary the middle of June and they decided to renew their vows in the same backyard where they were married 40 years ago in a small town in PA. This will also be a family reunion and everyone is very excited! She has a beautiful garden party dress and last week we went shopping for some nice summer clothes and new intimates. It reminded me of the times my sisters and I went shopping together when we had family reunions. There were 3 or 4 of us in one dressing room, laughing and carrying on loud enough so our guys, who were sitting outside on a bench in the Mall, could hear us having fun!
Back to my friend, I promised her something blue to go with her dress and was planning a bridal hanky with a beautiful soft blue border to match her dress. Not too long ago it was very easy to purchase #30 or smaller crochet thread in pastel colors to finish linen handkerchiefs, which I used to do for brides, bridesmaids and the Magic Hankie for newborns. I still have a decent supply, but the shade of blue I had in mind was not in my inventory. No problem I thought and checked Amazon, Michaels, Hobby Lobby DMC, Clarks and many other websites. Only white or beige was available in those sizes. It took me a couple of days to locate what I needed on Etsy. It turned out that it had to be shipped from France! It took 2 weeks and I was holding my breath, but it did arrive when promised and I just completed it in time to take today’s images.
The fact that our American thread companies do not manufacture those colorful selections for thread lace and tatting any more, is very sad! They simply aren’t as popular as they used to be, and I am now on the lookout for any of those colorful little treasures I can find. Please snatch them up if you see them anywhere! Preserving the past with lovely thread lace designs has always been an important part of my work and now I have to be a detective as well, trying to find certain colors and sizes #20, #30 and smaller, down to #80 for tatting, which I can double for many projects that normally use a #30 thread.
Here is a quick update: Last night I was checking my thread inventory for yet another color combo and one of my #20 balls (HH Lizbeth) had some needed information on it. It led me to a website: www.hhtatting.com and low and behold, they still sell #20, #40 and #80 thread in many colors and color blends! Too bad I didn’t find my little ball a couple of weeks ago! The thread is Egyptian cotton but made in China. I have many of the old Lizbeth color blend balls but never purchased any of their solid pastels. My order is placed for #20 and #40 thread, (no #30 available) and some linen handkerchiefs. I am excited and will keep you updated.
So, find some lovely summery lightweight yarn or thread and create something you will enjoy! Art puts our brain into Happy Mode, and fiber arts is double happiness!
“I do what I love and I love what I do.”
New in the Studio:
Silk/alpaca blend for cool summer nights.
Front, back or arm, there are several ways to wear this!
These newborn charmers are hard to photograph!
Cotton/Acrylic blend, newborn to 3 months.
Here is the bridal hankie, Irish linen, French #30 and vintage DMC blue color blend.