looming heirs

Ever see those flyers- those photocopied sheets of paper tacked to bulletin boards advertising guitar lessons, language classes or available babysitters? With land-line phone numbers cut into flapping strips lining the bottom? Ever see those and think: "Who the hell would actually take one of those?" Well, I'm who.

That's exactly how I got my countermarch Varparpuu loom. Yes, it was an impulse buy. Yes, it was a pain to get into Jake's 3rd-floor studio. Yes, it's bigger than any of the rooms in my apartment. But it's a true heirloom. And it will serve me, and my future fiber-obsessed children, well... as soon as I figure out how to use it.

place matters

'Tis the season for my favorite winter meal- a hearty soup, a hunk of bread and some Cowgirl Creamery cheese. It’s easy (especially when Jake is doing the cooking), warming, fragrant and always delicious. And a big pot lasts for days, which is perfect because I never get sick of soup.

But however casual the food, meals in our apartment are always an event. A nice bottle of wine, a few candles (plug!) and real linens help us slow down and celebrate the flavors we’ve been salivating over.

In anticipation of this cold-weather ritual, I designed a set of place-mats with a delicate summer/winter stripe lined with a durable natural cotton. The result is a great mix of rustic and elegant- ideal for a small January dinner party. We’re still a little nervous about getting them dirty, but it’s bound to happen… and slurping soup is a great way dive right in.

pencil case logic

I've been anxiously awaiting a chance to use the fabric I wove at the Textile Arts Center this summer, and Jess's birthday was the perfect opportunity. She's an outrageously talented illustrator so a pencil case was an obvious - and satisfyingly functional - gift. 

I chose a heavy interfacing to protect the delicate weave from rogue pencil tips and a beautiful almost-navy Chambray for the lining. With simple instructions and a zipper foot (my new best friend), I was thrilled to find a showcase for the bold pattern in just a few hours.

warp and weft

For the first three classes of Intro to Weaving there was actually no weaving at all. That aside, I fell in love on the spot. Dressing the loom proved to be a methodical and meditative process, giving me an instant appreciation for the age-old process. And this simply striped straight-draft twill taught me the basics of the four-shaft loom plus a little color theory. Needless to say, I'm already on to the next project.