Skyburst

Figured out how to felt it.  Several ideas of how to wear it.  One option shown here.

Inspiration

I spend a morning shopping with a friend.  I need a dress for my son's bar mitzvah and, in search of something interesting to wear, we explore several little stores in downtown Rochester Hills.  While out and about, I spot a large wrap: a rectangle split up the center, length-wise, on one half.  The two thinner pieces hang in front of the body and the uncut side hangs down the back.  It could be tacked together on the sides to make a vest-like tunic, or it could be left as is so the thinner pieces can wrap like a scarf.

At home later, I sort through my silk yardage.  Light grey silk chiffon with a bluish hue to it calls to me.  I put another long table alongside my usual work surface to accommodate the extra width of this project.  I have never worked this large before.  Carefully, I cut the silk right up the middle and fold the edges over.  Now the wool.  Merino wool roving in a dark teal blue that I find I use frequently in my work.  Another ball of roving in variegated shades of grey, black and white.  More wool in a steely blue grey.  Thick layers of all three colors along what will be the bottom edges when worn.  I'm hoping for a wonderful ruffle of soft wool.  Then I take wool and run it along the outside edges of this large work.  The exposed silk edging should gather and mirror the wool ruffles along the bottom.  I work similarly near the edges of the center cut.  This will cover the cut edge as well as continue the ruffle idea.

But here is this opening that will sit on the neck and shoulders.  It has a raw edge that needs wool so it won't unravel.  I haven't cut it in such a way as to create a collar (maybe next time).  As I start to lay wool, I use the combination of colors I used for the bottom ruffles.  I have no precise idea as I begin, but slowly it becomes a small skyburst as I gently place whisps of teal against the grey.

It looks too flat.  I fumble through my bin of wool yarns, pleased to find a silvery grey similar to, but not quite the same as, the solid grey roving.  Always drawn to swirling shapes, I unwind the yarn in small loops along the sides and the bottom edges.  I continue the skyburst feeling with streaks of silver yarn radiating outward from the neck.

Still something is missing.  I can't find my embroidery floss.  Did my daughter sneak off with it to make friendship bracelets?  I really want to finish this.  Oh, yes.  I forgot about the silk throwster's waste I bought this summer.  Pieces of teal that work brilliantly in scatterings all over the wool.

It looks amazing.

Now, how on earth do I felt a piece this large?

to be continued ....

My stash by Lynn S.

yards of cut silk chiffon

iridescent silk scarves in cellophane wrappers
three giant zip-loc bags of wool roving:
         reds/oranges/yellows/purples, blues/greens, black/browns/greys/white

second-hand scarves from resale shops

a rainbow of hand-dyed cotton scrim from Australia

embroidery floss spooled on cards and stacked neatly in a storage box

a bin of wool yarn with skeins standing on end 

a dresser full of cotton and acrylic blend yarns

two shopping bags of novelty yarn

several bars of Kiss My Face olive oil soap

A coming of age ... of sorts

The heathen Jew was raised by Jewish parents who sort of observed.
She went to services on some holidays.  Celebrated at home.
The smells of roasted chicken, matzoh ball soup, latkes, sponge cake, shmaltz are her Jewish identity.

Grown up, barely, she purchases a menorah and lights the candles when she remembers.
On tour with Jesus Christ Superstar, she holds a makeshift seder in her hotel room for fellow cast members.  She finally gets to do Fiddler, and is the only Jewish person in the cast.  (Similar experience with Yiddle with a Fiddle.)

She marries a lapsed Catholic; they have two children.
Knowing that the children will learn all about Christianity just by growing up in this country, she begins celebrating at least some of the Jewish holidays in her home.  Seders, latke dinners, the occasional baking of challah with very young hands helping.

The children are not confused as the heathen Jew feared.  They know that they get Chanukah gifts from one set of grandparents, and Christmas gifts from another.  Santa comes, too.  They know about Jesus and atheism because various aunts and uncles have differing beliefs.  The heathen Jew teaches them that no one knows anything for sure, so any of it is just that: a belief.  The children have their own relationship with religion and spirituality.  It includes God.

As the oldest child grows, he takes on his Jewish identity more strongly.  He asks to go to Hebrew school.  The heathen Jew is carried along.  The family joins a synagogue.  The lapsed Catholic father attends as much as the heathen Jew.  The children begin religious education.  It is a welcoming congregation, and one in which the heathen Jew and the lapsed Catholic feel comfortable together.  Holiday services become regular events.  They even go to Shabbat services on occasion.  The music is glorious. The heathen Jew had not realized how many prayers and melodies were still with her from her childhood.  The lapsed Catholic starts humming along.  The heathen Jew starts taking off work on the High Holidays.

A "wedding" occurs.  A Torah is commissioned and a celebration more moving than words can describe weds this Torah to this Synagogue.  Each family member has written a letter in this Torah.  A cantor from Berlin accepts the very old one being replaced.  She speaks with such passion for learning and gratitude for her Judaism.  The cantor returns several months later and leads a service.  Her interpretation of the text moves the heathen Jew unlike any sermon she's ever heard.  The heathen Jew has found her teacher.

The rabbi discovers the heathen Jew's past singing career and asks her to join him leading a music service.  The heathen Jew agrees and takes home a CD and a prayer book to memorize the less familiar melodies and words.

High Holidays, present tense.  Five weeks from her son's bar mitzvah, the heathen Jew is at the synagogue celebrating the new year.  The cantor from Berlin is singing.  The rabbi is singing.  Their voices mix as though they have always sung together.  In the rabbi's sermon, a quote that hits home: "I would rather choose to believe in God and be wrong, than not believe in God and be right." Two days later, the bar mitzvah of a converted adult.  One who chooses to not only be Jewish, but to add study of Torah to his life.  A conversation after with the cantor, who is still visiting.  A statement from the rabbi that my work with wool and silk would make beautiful prayer shawls.

It may be time to drop the word heathen.

Life lessons, part 387

I don't know if it is due to running my own business or if it just comes with age.  Learning to speak up for myself is getting easier.  Yeah, I still fret and fume and simmer for a while, but now instead of staying in that angry, frustrated, put-upon space, I can actually move forward.  I can sort out the true grievance and (gasp) talk to the person to whom I need to talk.  It has happened more often and it gets easier each time.  Quite recently, I was able to tell someone about my displeasure with an aspect of an event that disproportionately affected me.  My comments were intended as "how to do things differently so no one else has to experience what I went through", not as just griping.  The best part?  It was received the way it was intended.
Trying to be more like water and flow with, through, and around.  Too many years spent burning erratically, occasionally hurting those around me, but always doing more damage to myself than anyone else.  Slowly carving a path forward with a little more ease, increasing steadiness, and newfound malleability.

Michigan Fiber Festival, my almost-teenager, and me

Monday, monday ... and my voice is in the cellar.  Talking all weekend with customers, other artists, vendors has taken its usual toll.  I was planning on going to Allegan to the Fiber Festival on my own this year.  Last minute, my almost-13-year old volunteered to come.  "It'll be long, often boring, and if it gets hot, the big industrial building will be miserable."  He still came.  Eli packed up my van before we left.  He helped unload and set up my booth.  And 20 minutes into our first of three days, he said, "Mom, we've got a problem. I'm already bored."  Once he resigned himself to the truth of what I'd told him, he became a great partner.  He was showing scarves to people while I explained the process to others.  He wrapped scarves up and bagged them, while I wrote up invoices.  He handed out my cards.  He also befriended the other vendors and helped them out as well.  (I was surrounded by familiar faces from last year, all of whom I was looking forward to seeing again.)  Don, from Shelridge Farms, was without his wife Buffy this year (she was in Chicago at another fiber event).  He frequently took to asking Eli to watch his booth when he needed a break. He paid Eli in yarn and a fingerless glove pattern (that I am to knit this Fall) that Eli was admiring.  Sometimes Eli settled into a corner and played games; sometimes he meandered around looking at booths or visiting the animal barns.  Always he was great company.  At one point, on the stickiest muggy afternoon, he came up behind me and draped himself around my shoulders.  A part of me wanted him off; it was just too hot.  But another part of me realized that he may not be affectionate with me in public like that for much longer.  I let him hang there, soaking up his weight and sweetness .... and sweat.  I'll bet that is the last time he'll volunteer for such an outing again.

Talking to people is the fun of the event for me.  Sales were good; I even sold a very expensive deep purple wrap that I usually display up front because it grabs everyone's eye.  Had to change things up when it sold on the first morning.   But it is the enthusiasm of customers and other artists (not to mention enjoying the praise) that really makes it fun for me.  Talking techniques, looking at fibers I've never played with before, comparing experiences ... I always learn so much.  Some of it was just business learning.  Some of it was encouragement about where I should try and get my scarves seen.  Apparently, Lexington, MI and Charlevoix, MI are now top on my list of future shows in addition to trying to get my stuff into some shops in Chicago.

One of my favorite encounters was with this woman.  Eli and I had discussed how one particular wrap was going to go to someone tall, leggy and blonde.  Sure enough, that very description appeared in the form of this lovely woman:  warm, friendly, and easily 6 feet tall.  While she didn't end up purchasing it, she admired it over a few days.  Her friend purchased a burgundy wrap, and may still be trying to talk the blonde into buying this.  It was so gorgeous on her, I just had to get a picture of her wearing it.


It was hard to decide not to return to Allegan next year.  I so enjoy the people and I get to do a little shopping for interesting supplies as well.  But the distance requires lodging, meals and time away from my yoga teaching schedule that all eats into my profits.  I decided to focus on more local art fair-type events, especially after the sixth or seventh person said I needed to do juried shows.  Saying goodbye to my vendor neighbors was surprisingly moving.  They have been welcoming and helpful and kind for two years now.  All of them understood my decision and agreed with my plans, even as they remarked how nice it had been to share space and company. They also couldn't stop praising my son.  I wish I could take credit for Eli, but he has been conscientious and helpful since he was a very little person.  I loved hearing his praises sung all weekend.  I had good sales, good help, and good company.  What else could I ask for?

Art Fairs in August

It is mid-August.   I've been working hard this summer creating inventory.  So hard I have had to slow down due to sore muscles and joints.  That said, I feel ready for this next weekend at the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan, MI.  This is my second time as a vendor there, and I am looking forward to seeing the wool, yarn, looms, spinners, and more wool-related items than I ever knew existed.

One week later, August 28 - 29th, I'll be making my first appearance at Dragon On The Lake in Lake Orion, MI.  It looks to be an amazing event with dragons from various artists in various media, races on the lake in gorgeous dragon boats, a sidewalk chalk competition.  (On a side note, my good friend's son designed a logo for an art class in his high school and it was chosen for the event.)  I got to explore the world of art fair people and their advice as I purchased a tent for this, my first big outdoor event.

If you find yourself in Western Michigan on the 21st or 22nd, or in Southeastern Michigan the following weekend, please stop by and say hi.