It's That Time of Year

Finishing the work for my weaving folio feels a bit like coming up for air after a dive that was just a bit too long. I'm trying to clear my vision and breathe deeply. One thing I've noticed so far is that it's almost Christmas already. This window display greeted me on Rathdown St on the weekend:

The creator is from Gollings Florist. They do things I would never have imagined possible with flowers--botanical sculpture really.

Christmas of course means gifts, so I'd better put my thinking cap on and decided what I need to buy and what I'd like to make for the people in my life. Yesterday I got as far as nearly clearing my big table. That might not sound like much, but it's like a physical way of clearing my head. Alright, I admit, there's still a small pile of bits and pieces in one corner--I guess it's rather tidier than my head, OK!

Endings and Beginnings

Here's the scene I found at the Guild when I dropped in my work yesterday morning: Gerlinde and Robyn had already been at work for a couple of hours, since several of the students had dropped in their folios during the week. The rest of us were meeting for brunch at 10.00 am, so there was a steady trickle of folios coming in. Since it was taking them an hour or two to get through each folio, they were in for a long and hard day's work.

Over brunch we talked about keeping contact next year. We're going to meet up every month or so. We all figure we've got a lot to learn, and meeting up, encouraging and challenging each other should help. There wasn't really an air of parting around the table at all. We'll be catching up in a few weeks time when we have our certificate day.

I'm already thinking about what I'd like to weave next! Will I start on another version of the double weave bag, just to prove to myself that I can get it right, or make myself a nice woollen shawl like the one that inspired me to join the Guild in the first place? Then there's the Le Clerc loom to sort out, not to speak of the house to tidy so I don't get too overwhelmed by all my textile projects mixed with dust and dog hair.

Today I'm supposed to be at the last class for my Spinning Certificate. I'm going to stay home. It's a revision class and I can't really take advantage of it without first sorting out the work I've done and have yet to do. That's a priority. Besides, I just don't have another day at the Guild in me after the last week. A day off is in order.

Ready or Not

This is the last piece I had to weave to complete the practical component of my Weaving Class requirements: It looks rather silly to me, but sometimes you just have to do as you're told. We had to design a human figure by combining blocks from our Summer and Winter threading. The complication being that the blocks were already in place from threading the first design. So it was a case of making do. Now I know why the samplers I saw from the other students resembled a variety of robot or computer game figures. I figure this is a robotised frog-man of some sort:) rather appropriate given the craziness in Canberra at the moment. Maybe if sea levels rise as predicted, we'll all need a frog-man robot to go about our business . . .

Anyway, now I have a couple of hours to tidy up all my bits and pieces before I go in to the Guild to hand in my work and meet up with my fellow students for brunch.

Fastening

Here's a close-up of the fastening I put together for the second bag: Believe it or not, I just happened to have that bead lying around. Actually it was part of a bookmark I'd made for myself which was on my bed-side table. The colours are a perfect match and the weight of the bead is enough to help the flap to stay down. The little loop adds an extra bit of security.

I did get to the Guild yesterday and I have one more exercise done on my Summer and Winter sampler and one to go. My day was sabotaged by a nasty tummy bug which kept me up all night. I never thought eating a slice of toast would feel like such an achievement! I've eaten the toast and had a rest and I'm starting to feel human again, if still rather wobbly. I've discovered that there is no option of handing work in late for this course--marking will be done tomorrow or not at all. That certainly simplifies my decision making, and I just don't have the energy to fuss, so I'll do what I can and hand it in.

Twisted Fringe Action

I decided to finish off the other bag I made on my double-weave warp. I didn't weave a lining for this one, so I've made a silk dupion lining and slip stitched it in place. Next step is to finish the bottom hem. I'm using my fringe twister. Perfect activity to undertake while sharing coffee with a friend. It's nearly done. Here's an action shot: Next I need to work out some sort of fastening. I only wove a couple of inches for the flap, so it doesn't want to stay in place without some help. I'm thinking a big bead with a corresponding loop on the body of the bag.

Now, today I need to be at the Guild to learn how to do the rest of my Summer and Winter sampler. Then tomorrow I'll just have to do as much as I can to tidy things up ready to hand in. I'm tempted to ask for more time and try to do better . . . I'll see how I feel about that later today.

Summer and Winter

It seems the key to completing my long delayed Summer and Winter sampler was there all along . . . I just had to get started! Once I'd begun the threading it was easy enough to finish it. Once I'd dressed the loom it was easy enough to start weaving. And once I'd started weaving it was easy enough to complete the first exercise. Here it is on the loom:
There's at least one more exercise to do on this warp. That's the lesson I missed, so I've arranged to meet our tutor tomorrow morning at the Guild. I'll have Friday to get it done. I think I can manage that, now that I've started.

Warning

I just went to extract my new tools from their packaging--a significant task in its own right--and found this warning on the screwdriver: Next they're going to have to start issuing warnings about the potential hazards of ridiculous warnings!