Clean Start for a New Year in My Loom Room

Ahh my Loom Room has taken a beating.  Since mid September I have been rushing to get inventory finished for stock in my online Etsy store, plus I had some custom rug orders to get done.  On top of that, before Christmas I was working on projects for gifts.  

I made these two wine totes for my daughters Erin and Heather... one loves Judy Garland thus a ruby red slipper, and the other loves The Christmas Story lamp.....   Then for my daughterinlaw Heather, I made a beer tote in the flip flops that she loves.  I couldn't post pics in December when I made them, because they were being given as gifts.

Bit by bit, things got cluttered in my Loom Room. Things got piled up.  It was a mess! The lint and fabric "schnibbles" and threads and yarn bits piled up on the floor to humongous dust bunny size--- more like dust kangaroos!   Tools weren't put away, cutting mats were laying out, cords were getting tangled and most of all, it was stunting my creative juices!

I needed a nice clean slate.  This week I decided to DE-clutter and organize it a bit.

Here are my finished results: 

 These are my 2 Newcomb Studio Art Rug Looms.... 

I have had a lot of looms come and go over the years. 

This type is my favorite loom for weaving rugs, 

and I have these two as my main "go to" looms, 

plus another Union rug loom in storage, 

and two table looms for smaller items. 

 I love the sunshine streaming in the leaded glass window 

I sorted out my hutch and baskets and bins.

All of my tools were sorted and shuttles stacked back in the tall basket.

Amazing how many things got tossed on the surface and not put away.

 The dogs love to lay in a basket of wool blanket strips

to look out the window and see the world.

The window light kinda made this picture turn out "funky"

but that is my prized 101 year old Singer treadle machine in that parlor cabinet. 

I am not spinning on my wheels right now, so I decided to move two of them to my fiber storage room and one to the guest bedroom.  When I carried up the wheels I could barely open the door! Oh my, the fiber storage room needed an overhaul too!  I spent a whole afternoon sorting and labelling bins.

I set a chair in there in case I want to sit and spin a bit.  This tiny room had originally been the maid's quarters, near the back staircase. According to the 1920 census, her name was Josephine Flemming.  I like to imagine what life was like back then, when you had live-in servants!  And this tiny room with a slanted ceiling and no heat vent. Check out that funky linoleum!  Probably from the 40's or 50's.  

I even organized all of my quilting supplies in wire bins

at the top of the back staircase. 

I found stuff that I didn't even know I had!

Once I got everything organized, it was time to get to work!  I finished up these two rugs, and cut them off the loom.  Now I have to sew the hems, measure each one up and tag them.  Once photographed, they will be added to my inventory pile.  The one on the left is made with recycled sock looper pieces from industrial scraps from a sock factory... and the one on the right is from woolen blankets cut into strips and woven in an alternating stripe pattern.

I tied up the loom to get another rug started, but then I got distracted.  I had seen a new quilting technique that I wanted to try out. It's called Star Flowers, and it's made from half-square triangles.  I saw a YouTube on how to sew and cut four at a time: Star Flower Blocks by Alanda

I enjoyed it so much that I made a second set in different colors...

now both sets will be made into hot pads.

I enjoy trying out different block patterns until I find one that I like enough to make a WHOLE quilt of a well-liked pattern.  Turning the samples into hot pads is fun too...  and I love to play with the colors.  Someone once told me: "Quilting is where you take big hunks of fabric, cut them up into little pieces, and then sew them back up into big hunks of fabric again!"  

Well, yes!  Kinda sorta. It's like painting with pieces of multi-colored fabrics and arranging them back onto a pleasant arrangement... and sewing them down into place! 

Another distraction----   While sorting my yarns.. I found some perfect colors to combine into a hat.  The store bought hats I have were too thin over the ears when we walk the dogs at night. I decided to knit a thick double brimmed hat to match my winter jacket.  So I whipped out the yarns and my thick circular needle and got to work.  

The dogs helped....  

(Yah, some help, all right)

Binney volunteered to be my model. 

She was actually sad when I took the hat off,

and sniffed it and nosed it in my hand to put it back on again! 

As a final note, my step dad is not doing so well.  He is back at the apartment with Hospice care and Mom at his side.  He is very weak.  Prayers and good thoughts are appreciated for a painless passing.

Whirlwind Week of Weavers!!!

First a quick shout out to my darling daughter, Heather.  27 years ago today, she came into the world, our youngest child.  She is now a Mommy herself, and she knows what if feels like to love a child too.  We are so proud of you Heather, and may you never lose your sense of humor---- as much as you deny it, you are soooo much like your mother! 

Now back to fiber things... the subject of my blog.  

Oh my goodness a whole week has just FLOWN BY!   My darling friends Linda from Tennessee and Rosie from Missouri hit the road last week and worked their way north to my house.  

We got a desperate phone call from them when they were 90 miles away in Oshkosh with a vehicle breakdown---  ABS brakes went out and they only had the hard-to-press-feet-to-the-floor pedal!   The mechanic there was not able to work on them for a few days, so Steve (our HERO!) said he would drive it himself the rest of the way home.  We hopped in our Tracker and buzzed down to Oshkosh while they languished in the luxury of free WiFi at the McDonalds. LOL     

Got in our hugs and greetings ...  and then while Steve drove Rosie's minivan, we gals all piled in the Tracker to gab gab gab our way back to Oconto.  What fun!  We started talking on Wednesday night and didn't stop talking till the following Wednesday morning, a week later as they departed!   ----- and I am NOT exaggerating!

(left to right: Linda, Rosie and Karen) 

The purpose of their visit was to start dismantling my loom room in preparation for moving.  They had already helped me decide with photos via emails about who was taking what weaving stuff back to who's studio.   They are both weavers.  The only item they BOTH wanted was a cute old barrel, that was really lined inside with a thermal layer and plastic, so it was really a cooler!   Here they are still figuring out WHO was gonna get that barrel.

Even now as I write this, I am not sure which one got it, but all I know is that it was loaded in the van.  Perhaps they are gonna toss a coin when they part ways in Illinois and head East and West to their own respective studios?  

One of the items being dismantled to haul away was a rug loom... so here I am weaving off the last rug before we tear it apart.  Between the tears falling and the sobs shaking my shoulders I was singing a song to the tune of "It's the Last Song I'll Ever Write For You"   by Edward Bear

It's the last rug..... I'll ever weave on you

It's the last time that I will put the shuttle in your shed

It's the lasssst tiiimee I'll ever weave this loom ....  

The rug coming off this loom for the last time is an order for a fellow RVer, so it will have a special place.

Please keep in mind, I am not stopping my weaving.  I am taking along my table loom inside of the motorhome where it has a perfect place to ride along.  And in the basement compartment is a rug loom that can be assembled in about 20 minutes.  I can set it up under the awning or take it into a rec hall at an rv park with permission and give demos too.  Or set up when staying at friends houses or family visits easily in a garage or storage shed.  Never fear, I will always be a weaver!

We did some fun things while the gals were here.  At one point we NEEDED ice cream, and the gas station about 5 miles up the road has hand dipped Cedar Creek ice cream waffle cones.   Throughout the gas station are the traditional Wisconsin tourist items----  including bags of cheese curds, sausage, carved log yard decorations, and yes, even CheezeHeads!

We spent days sorting and packing and organizing... the gals were SO helpful to me, and we got a lot accomplished and figured out.  They staged the items in order of preference and necessity in rows in the garage.  Then as Rosie would load, they could cull or add as space allowed.

As the loom room cleared out, Rosie had more room around her air mattress, surrounded by yarns and baskets of fibers.  Ducky the collie loved sneaking down to bunk out with her every chance she got.  Linda was using the guest room with an air purifier as she has trouble with allergies and dog fur.

At night, I had to block off the stairs down to the loom room with a baby gate to keep our dogs up on the main floor... they moaned and groaned and wanted to go back down and sleep with their new friends!

Rosie does get quite a bit of winter snow over in Missouri, but our dear Linda from Tennessee was hoping to see some REAL WISCONSIN WINTER!!!  Most years in March, we Wisconsinites are sitting under a foot or more of snow, and having temps in the 20-30 range.  If you have been watching the national weather, you will know we are having unseasonably WARM temps in the 70's and 80's!   The only snow we could find was this crusty old dirt ridden snowbank for Linda.   She sure is happy we found at least ONE bit of snow for her.

(I guess the snow angels she was dreaming of making are out of the question?)

Down the road a bit from our house is a tall pine tree where a pair of eagles nest every year.  The female is now setting on the nest and the male is bringing in food on a regular basis to his bride.  We see him scanning the area from wayyy up high as he cruises along over the fields and up the river.  Sometimes we see a flash of wings and water as he grabs a steelhead salmon that are spawning in the river right now.  Off he goes to feed the mommy-to-be waiting in the nest.  One year the local University came to film these eagles in their nest.  They set up cameras and cords and cables (and left a mess!)  so they are not welcome back anymore on the neighbor's farm.  Now the eagles can come back and nest in peace. 

One day during their visit, we took a little break and buzzed up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, to the town of Menominee, to get some pastys (pronounced pah-steez) 

History of the Pasty

When one thinks of gifts from other cultures that carry with them great historical significance, one usually doesn't think of food.  In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan there is a food delicacy that has gone ethnic to multi-ethnic and finally to regional.  To many people in the Upper Peninsula, the pasty is much more than food, it is an identifying cultural mark that gives them their own identity.  While it is a source of great pride to this region, the pasty itself, especially its ancient history is shrouded in mystery.

        The easiest way to describe a pasty, is a pot pie without the pot.  Nobody knows for sure where and when the pasty originated.  It's thought to have been invented when the preparation of food became an art rather than roasting a hunk of meat on a stick.  The pasty came to the Upper Peninsula through Cornwall England.  When tin mining started going bad in England during the 1800's the Cornish miners immigrated to America hoping to earn there fortunes in newly developing mines. 

http://www.hu.mtu.edu/vup/pasty/history.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty 

We also managed to rediscover The Elegant Ewe fiber store... it moved down the street from it's previous location, to this huge lovely historic home, set on the shores of Lake Michigan and the waters of Green Bay.  We browsed and fondled and oogled and ahhed over the delightful treasures within.  But remember, I am DOWNSIZING so I kept my wallet in my purse!  Rosie was tempted to succumb to her lust, and came out with a bag full. 

LOL LOL LOL   Here is a link to their shop:   http://www.theelegantewe.com/

In between all of our running around and packing and sorting, Steveio was diagnosing and repairing Rosie's brakes. We brought it to a place to diagnose on a computer, and then Steve brought it over to our favorite repair guy too.  The guys found a good "fix-it" work around because it was just a bad wire to the boost pump, and not the master cylinder and ABS pump components to replace after all.  Honestly, they used WIRE TIES AND DUCT TAPE!!!    He was able to get it operational to get them back home, and then she already has a newer van lined up for purchase.  Then this one's job is done. 

He was also kept busy (and away from us gabbing ladies) by mounting our Tracker tow bar, cleaning the garage, and getting things ready for a showing of our home to prospective buyers!   Yes, we had a showing on Sunday!  While Rosie and Linda were busy packing up the van, we brought some prospective buyers through the home, along the river, around the yard and through the garage.  Will hope to hear from them soon before the house is scheduled to go on the market the beginning of April, as they wanted *first dibs* to get in and look! 

Rosie and Linda started organizing and loading.  They wanted to keep all of the nice heavy Rubbermaid totes I was getting rid of, but unloaded the contents into soft squishable trash bags, and then stacked the totes into tight columns.  The bags got squished in to corners and narrow spaces. What a great idea! Rosie is my HERO when it comes to packing and organizing!   They even worked well into the night, packing and arranging, while Steveio held a shop light to see what they were doing.  

 I made a list on a clipboard of every single thing they loaded... 

but Rosie said I could not publish it!  LOL 

Yes, all of my well-loved treasures were loaded up and tucked in here and there...  destined to adorn a new studio and be loved some more!   But it is still an emotional thing, ya know what I mean?  I also think part of the sadness is knowing that Rosie and Linda will be leaving in the morning and that makes it even more depressing.

Look, there is still room for Linda to ride in the passenger seat. We had seriously thought about strapping Linda to the roof rack for the trek homeward, because of the need for space inside for precious fibers and tools!  (just kidding, Linda) 

Wednesday morning was D-day... time to pull out.  They loaded up a few more things, including a llama... (stuffed one from Peru) and headed out.  The van was a bit squatty on the road, but Rosie has hauled live llamas, feed, hay and many other heavy items and knew it could handle it.

They made it safely down to Illinois last night and are splitting up the load and each heading to their respective homes this morning.  I cried as I watched them roll out of sight... and watched till the van was far around the bend before turning back to my nearly empty Loom Room.  Thank you gals for taking my things to love and cherish.

On a motorhome note, last night Steveio did an oil change on the big diesel engine (28 quarts of oil)  and we took it for a little cruise around the country to give it a little exercise.  Onwards to our new life! 

.

A Fibery Saturday at the Midwest Weavers Conference in Houghton - Hancock Michigan

Early Saturday morning, at 4:30 am, my visiting fiber buddy Linda and I got up and hit the road.  Our visiting RV friends Sam and Donna were leaving also to head on home to St. Louis, so we said our Good Byes and took off northward in a very very very loaded up car.  (Yup, left Steveio home alone)

Linda had impulsively purchased a big rug loom from me, and we disassembled it the night before and pre-loaded it into the car. Donna and Steve helped us carry it out and arrange it till it all fit.  Good thing the seats flip down!  We were jammed to the max, but I had side mirrors to view behind me, and we were all set to roll.

Our destination was the Midwest Weavers Conference, called "Northern Wefts".   It was located at Finlandia University campus, 200 miles away in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan ("Da U.P." ta da Yoopers)   Our goal was to see the exhibits, shop the vendors, and attend the Rag Rug Special Interest Group meeting at 11:45.

http://www.midwestweavers.org/conference/index.asp

I know the U.P. like the back of my hand, and found side roads to get around all of the road construction by Niagara, WI to Iron Mountain, MI.  Of course the time changes from Central to Eastern as we get north above Dickenson and Iron counties, so now we lose an hour besides to make our schedule even tighter to get there for the events we want to attend.

Gladly, we arrived in plenty of time to do some shopping and bring my four rugs to the meeting.   We wandered up and down the steep hills of Hancock where the campus was located till we got our bearings on the layout of which buildings hosted which events.  The campus is built on a steep hillside and some of the roads were at 45 degree angles to get up and down.  NOT kidding!  Some houses are built with a door on the second story to access when the snows get too deep on the Keewenaw Peninsula of the U.P. jutting out into the icy cold waters of Lake Superior.

The poor overloaded car was chugging up the hills---- saying "I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN" as it pulled itself up and into the various parking lots around the campus.

Janet Meany hostessed the Rag Rug event.  I have known Janet for a number of years now, and she is quite the dynamo on the rug weaving topic.  She lives in Duluth, Minnesota and traveled over to the U.P. of Michigan to chair this gathering.  She is the author and publisher of The Weavers Friend newsletter,  

http://weaversfriend.com/

and co-author with Paula Pfaff of the The Rag Rug Handbook, 

The Rag Rug Handbook

(also available at most weaving stores and on Amazon--- ISBN-13: 978-1883010287)

Over 50 weavers gathered for this event.  We combined wolfing down our lunches as fast as we could, while we listened to stories and saw the rugs being displayed by each weaver.  I told Janet that I would take photos of the rag rug show n tell portion, which she can later use in the next issue of the newsletter.  From time to time, I write articles and submit rug project pages for her too.  Guess that means I am a "published author"?

Now, in these next photos below, I do not have all the names of each participant showing their rugs.  I was too busy snapping photos!  So if you wish to email me at pfundt@gmail.com  with a description of your rug and your clothing, I will add your name underneath your photos!


I could not post ALL of the photos here, so I have a complete set on my facebook albums...  and here is a public link that can bring you to those photos.  You do not have to be a Facebook user to view them:

Share this album with anyone by sending them this public link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2173788265049.2131579.1257067735&l=403d3f87f4

I just loved each and every rug, and each one had a tale to tell.   The photo on the left was from a gal who wove this huge runner from various shades of denims (Katie Meek)  in a traditional pattern.   The gal on the right used to live on a boat, and wove her very first rug, a denim one, to fit in the boat.  She was ADDICTED! They later sold the boat so she could have a big room to fit a loom on dry land!  LOL

Each weaver had a delightful story to tell about their rugs.

This was (if I recall right) a historical old runner rug the person got from a relative's home after they passed away.  It was in amazingly good shape after years of being a hallway runner.

Wheeee!  Loretta Stacy just wrote me with the following information about this rug-- (she is the gal in the floral top near Janet)  Here is what she wrote about the long runner:
"Hi Karen,

I had the historic rug at the Rag Rug Show and Tell at Midwest.  The rug is 3 ft wide, 17 ft long and 65 years old.  After my mother graduated from high school she worked in the local grocery store while still living at home with her parents.  She saved enough money to buy herself a new bedroom set.  

My grandparents thought it would be nice if her bedroom was carpeted.  They contacted my great aunt in Southern Indiana who knew a weaver and had rugs woven to carpet her room.  (My mother happened to have the biggest room in the house for her bedroom.)  The rugs were then shipped to Minnesota. 

While my mother was at work my grandparents sewed the rugs together and put down the "carpet".  When my mother came home from work her reaction was YUCK I hate it get rid of it!  She now says that was probably pretty mean on her part, but my grandparents obliged and took up the rugs.  

My grandmother must have cut the rugs up and made smaller rugs from them as we always had rag rugs in the back porch in my growing up years.  When a rug would wear out another would appear. I don't know where my mother had stored these rugs all those years.  

One survived at the original length as we lived in a large farm house with 4 bedrooms upstairs with 2 stairways.  The rug I showed was in the upstairs hall for 33 years.  

Twenty years ago the farm was sold to my brother and his wife but Mom kept the rug.  Last fall my mother started talking about moving into an apartment as my father passed away 8 years ago and she can no longer maintain the house and yard by herself.  

I asked her if I could have the rug from the upstairs hall.  Her reaction still had not changed that much.  She said "You want that old thing!"  She had it in her garage!  

There are two places where there is some damage but it is in realatively good shape.  She is presently in the process of moving into an apartment and she had another 11 ft rug which she gave me just last week before the conference.  It is the same age as the other.

 Just thought you might be interested in this, but was to long to write in any of the comment sections."

Loretta Stacy




I showed four of my rugs, and spoke about the techniques used in each one...  A fellow weaver was able to grab my camera and snap a few shots for me of my own presentation!  How nice of her!

These next two rugs look very complicated, but are quite an easy process once you know the secret.  See either Janet and Paula's book on the page "diamond rugs" to learn how, or google Deb Sharpee, a weaver who has also taught this method of "swoosh rugs"

The patterns, warps, materials and combinations were a treat to any weaver's heart, and we thoroughly enjoyed the presentations of the hard work and creativity that was exhibited by the participants.

Rug after rug was unfurled to the ooohs and ahhhs of the audience.  I think we show as much interest in our rug weaving being revealed as much as any fancy fashion designer of haute couture clothing!

As stories were told of the process or materials, after each rug was shown, it was taken aside to be laid out on display for closeup examination afterwards.  What a great idea!

I had mentioned during my presentation that one of the rugs had been in my inventory for sale the longest, and nobody ever bought it!  It was my favorite colors and I figured I would just rip off the tags and keep it for myself now.  But one of the attendees came up afterwards and said she HAD TO HAVE IT!   She wrote out a check right then and there to buy it from me!  LOL   I honestly didn't come to the program to sell a rug----  but her purchase paid for the hotel room I booked for the night!  haha! 

We also toured the many vendors and emptied our purses on some more bags of fiber fun stuff... tools and warp and shuttles and tshirts and supplies!

While many of the attendees then went to their scheduled classes, we took the time to unload our personal belongings from the overstuffed car and move into our waiting hotel room nearby.  Many of the attendees stayed all week in the college dorms, but we were only staying one night, so we got a hotel room to share.

After we were unloaded, we went to another hall to admire the guild displays.  Guilds are "clubs" of artists, and many of the guilds in the Midwest put up displays portraying the theme of Northern Lights known as the Aurora Borealis ...  there were many displays of scarves, clothing, home decor and other types of weaving.    Each was amazing and lovely and well thought out.

But one of the displays was of extreme interest to me, which featured a rag rug study by the Weavers Guild of Minnesota.

(I apologize for the many photos to you non-rug weaving blog readers, 

but this is like THE DISPLAY of the most interesting and fascinating rugs 

for the rug weavers among us rug weaving blogger readers) 

I liked this rug in the photos below the best! It was woven by an elderly man in their guild. 

It was folded over the display rack so it was twice as long as what is shown on the photo

It had FOUR things going on.  

• 1. the warp was graduated from dark blue along selvage sides all the way to white in the middle
• 2. the weft was in dark denim at the ends, graduating to lighter denim in the middle of the rug and back to dark again at the other end
• 3. in the darker sections, small pieces of inlay were light colors, and inlays of dark pieces in the lighter sections
• 4. the twill structure was about 12 rows in one direction, then reverse to 12 in the other direction making a wavy pattern

Each weaver has their own style, color combos and tastes.  

Some are subtle and soft, some are bright and bold.  

All are winners in my book! 

After we wandered around the displays, it was time to remove the loom parts from my car and transfer them into Carol's minivan for it's trip back to Tennessee.  It was like Fibber McGee's closet to open up that car and take the pieces out step by step and reload them in Carol's van with layers of fabric in between to prevent any scratches.  I am just amazed how much we got in that van, plus they are planning on stopping at Great Northern Weaving store and Edgemont Yarns store on the way home!!!

After the loom swapola, we hit the dining area of the middle school where there was an evening event in the auditorium as a wrap-up to the whole conference.  We joined old friends and met new friends, shared a meal and swapped stories.  It was a delightful evening and we even knew a top weaver being presented an award for her woven clothing!  (Karen York of Beloit, WI area)

I bought some CD's of weaving music by Nadine Sanders, The Singing Weaver of Straw Into Gold   who also entertained at the evening program.  I planned to listen to them all the way home, and they will be playing in my studio from now on too while I weave!

By the time the program ended, both Linda and I were totally exhausted.  We stumbled back to the hotel and got in our jammies.  Wheeeeeewwwwww what a day we had!   We fell asleep with visions of looms, fibers, shuttles and rugs floating around in our heads.