We went for a little road trip and stumbled upon an estate sale.
2 little old ladies (sisters) had outlived their husbands and were happily crafting their days away in this house.
oh god, what a collection of stuff.
Each room upstairs was filled with a different theme….ladies loved the dolls so much they filled 2 rooms!
Warm pancakes soaked with Homemade maple syrup
Crocus and Hen & Chick poking up in the sunshine
2 little dogs excited to explore High Park
Cashmere, silk, mohair and merino together again and off the loom Continue reading
Dinner was fantastic tonight. There’s something about someone else cooking for you that makes the heart melt. it’s an even better meal when it’s unexpected and congratulatory, with the extra bonus of Dale being one heck of a good cook! mmmmmm. I was welcomed home tonight with a warm meal, supportive hug and a loving “well done baby”. Continue reading
I had my first commission last month. A custom scarf requested in the softest inky Shi Bui Silk Mohair you could ever imagine. Continue reading
A brilliant mini doc series. I love all of the challenges, tears,and triumphs! Continue reading
One night after dinner Dale and I took a stroll down the Old South Warf of Nantucket and, in the least likely of places, had another brush with the loom.
Operating out of a Scallop Shack festooned with soft woolly blankets and silky throws was Karin Sheppard. Karin is an island native, the perfect person to talk to about life on the island and following her passion for weaving. With an infectious and welcoming laugh she happily beckoned us into her studio and launched into her story without missing a beat. Continue reading
It’s official, I’ve joined a guild!
I’m now a proud member of the Etobicoke Spinners and Weaving guild.
Went to my first meeting last night, and it turned out to be a doozy…I’ll tell you all about it, but we have to rewind a few days.
Last summer we took a trip to Nantucket after a friend’s Boston area wedding. It was a very spur of the moment plan made at the last min, and one of our best ideas ever!
A life changing idea.
So an amazing beach vacation was a no brainer, what i hadn’t factored in was the huge appreciation for handiwork and traditional craftsmanship that exists on the island. There were artists everywhere, producing incredible works and being totally appreciated for their contributions to the local landscape. It was glorious.
A trip down Orange st brought us to the bright and loft like studio of Swedish weaver Anna Lynn. Anna came to the United States in 1980 to study textile design at the Pratt Institute in New York City later finding her way to Nantucket via the Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts. She has been working on the island since 1984 weaving rugs, tapestries and fabrics, as well as collecting and importing vintage Swedish textiles.
A gracious woman, Anna took the time to explain her looms and give me a walk through her wool and rag stash explaining how she finished works and inserted her own memories to each piece using colour and texture.
Fringed wool-mohair throws, in colors often inspired by the ocean, are 4 by 6 feet ($325); for a thicker weave, she combines mohair and alpaca, and for shine, she adds silk threads. Custom cotton rugs up to 12 feet wide (or wider, if the pieces are sewn together) are $40 a square foot; wool rugs are $80 to $100 a square foot.
I left that day with so many questions to ask and ideas I wanted to explore.
Bitten for sure!
renovationslaves 