A Little fun

The big news for this weekend is that I got a new printer... an Epson Artison 800. Zowie, it is fabulous! I printed a test photo, it was like looking at HDTV!
I also did some spinning, a little natural brown cotton from Sally Fox. I am going to use it in a top, along with some classic denim cotton I am spinning too. I am spinning it a little thicker than I usually like to spin, it is good to get outside my comfort zone. I am still trying to figure out whether I want to ply the 2 colours together in a marl yarn, or ply back onto themselves and use them separately in a colour pattern. In fact I am not sure whether I want to weave or knit. I think I want to weave it, so I would maybe use a nice 8/2 or 10/2 cotton in the warp. I have alot of yarn to use up!
The kitties are pins I made from some Laurel Burch fabric and wool felt. I am making several more, to go with lots of outfits! Several ladies where I work want one too... I do think they are cute. The funny little jagged things are bits of zippers... I love to use them as frames and other lines on mixed media as well as my sewing garments... they look great outlining a collar or pocket!

Suddenly, more samples needed

I love to teach, really I do. So even when the notice is short, I am up for it! So when my General Manager asked me last week to do Fashion Sewing Club on Saturday, I said sure... what is it to be about? Oh, my favorite! Embellishment! But I thought I could use a couple new samples for my trunk show, so I did a little machine applique on a silk shirt I found at a local thrift shop, and a little hand applique on a linen shirt. Truthfully, I am still stitching on the linen shirt, and have a little more to do on the silk as well, just tidying up a bit. What a great excuse to spend a day in my studio! So the roses are on the silk, and the bunnies and cat on the linen. Well, my cat is on the silk, looking cute, always looking for a little attention, and a scritch.

Then I spent this afternoon outside mainly, putting in tomatoes, peppers, mints, and tasty herbs as well as a couple anti-moth herbs. A great day all around!

MD S&W

It is that time of year again... the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival...next to Pennsic, my favorite weekend! I can't resist the sheep critters, they are just too appealing. I would love to have a farm, but know it is pretty far out of the realm of the possible, both financially and physically. This way I can stay in the fantasy world of loving the idea and not having all the very earthy (no pun) parts. So here are the first batch of pics, I think the first one is cotswold, the second coopworth, the spotty lambs are jacobs, and I can't remember the last... maybe Corriedale?

The weather was pretty good Saturday, a little rainy at first, but it warmed right up and was cloudy and threatening in the afternoon, but stayed dry. Sunday was positively wet, rained most of the day, but with a wool shawl and wool socks, I stayed warm even though wet. I did most of my buying on Saturday, mostly wool, both roving and fleece. I bought another Icelandic fleece, this one a 5 1/4 lb oatmeal color from a ewe named Empress. She's from the same farm as the ewe's fleece I bought last December, Flossey. I found out poor Flossey got a cough and died this January, she wasn't yet 3 yrs old. I have washed her fleece and am in the process of carding it to spin... but I decided to let Frankenmuth Mills turn Empress' fleece into roving. I am currently spinning a lovely East Friesen's chocolate fleece in the grease... what a pleasure to spin. I am also spinning some khaki cotton (from Sally Fox) to ply with the denim blue cotton I spun last month. I am determined to spin a little everyday, or knit. I have spent too much time looking at other people's art and not enough time making my own. A little art everyday...a little fiber, a little life!

And so to bed, and so to bed...