A successful workshop

I’m back from the Doubleweave workshop. I gained so much knowledge, a bit of skill, a huge amount of understanding, and a few friends. I have so many ideas running around in my head, there won’t be time in my life to try them all. Today, I’m going to sit down with my calendar and sift through the “to-tat” pile and “to-play” pile and “to-design” pile and “to weave” pile and come up with a reasonable plan.

Now before you fall off your chair laughing, I ask you to remember that I’m no longer cooking, cleaning, and chauffeuring for kids. That’s worth about 25 hours a week. Time enough for me to make a dent and accomplish something.

I truly enjoy workshops. When organists gather, we always give each other great support. Tatters always encourage each other as techniques are explored. Weavers are right there with the support of each other. For the Doubleweave workshop, the group of weavers included 2 tatters, several spinners, and a few quilters. It was great fun just to bounce ideas off each other. Getting encouragement from friends and family is important. Nothing can replace that. Getting encouragement from people who love what you love and maybe don’t know you well enough yet is a real shot in the arm for getting ideas into thread.

One weaver brought a few pieces she had done designing a cloth to represent music. I’m not saying that well. Her pieces were quite beautiful. Rather like abstract art in one sense, but very recognizable in another. She began with analyzing the music; similar to my idea with the Saint-Saens. Then she set up the thread on the loom to weave a representation of the melody and harmony. Wonderful work!

Another weaver took breaks by picking up her shuttle and working on a house warming gift: a very nice doily. The 3^rd round is motifs that are small doilies themselves. Her picots were so even and lovely. I plan to ask her to mentor/coach me on my tatting. She retires soon and will be traveling and creating up a storm.

My sampler is still on the loom. I just ran out of gas working on the last few sections. The lace section is a bit fiddly, so that will take a bit longer. Then the pick up section. I want to try some Christmas designs just to see what they look like. Maybe for next year. I realized that I’ve never woven a Log Cabin type design. And Overshot is simple in Doubleweave. More to play with!

I’d better get crackin’ on the plan. Otherwise, I’ll be spinning my wheels and nothing important will get done.