Holiday Bazaar

Today is the Tacoma Public Utilities Holiday Bazaar.  I've been sewing, sewing, sewing the last few weeks to get all the items ready.  The bazaar is today and tomorrow, so if you're in the Tacoma area, please stop by.  My table is "The Greener Needle."  Proceeds will help fund my trip to Nepal and India in February.  The vendor fees also go toward "Adopt-a-Family" in Tacoma.  The address is 3628 South 35th Street.  Thanks so much!

Coffee sleeves almost finished

Table at Holiday Bazaar

Exciting Changes!

Well, I looked at my last post yesterday and couldn't believe the date was in September.  I guess it shows how busy I have been, but it has been exciting the last two months!

I've been working on a career path that has been a dream in the making.  When I graduated in June, I had a friend ask me what I wanted in my perfect job.  I replied, "Sustainable business, helping women in need, travel, and fiber arts."  That seemed like an odd combination until late last summer. 

I've been meeting with the director of a new organization that goes to the poorest areas of the globe and trains 10 - 40 people in how to start a business.  It's been found that it's better to teach a person a skill than to just give money in order to help them out of poverty.

I will be one of the instructors that teaches the skills of entrepreneurship to these people.

Currently, I am working to raise funds to go on a trip this coming spring to India, Nepal, and possibly Bangladesh.  Because I believe in operating as sustainably as possible, I am making organic eye pillows and reusable coffee sleeves for sale to help fund my trip. 

If you would like to purchase either or both of these items, please contact me.  A donation is also very much appreciated.

In the upcoming weeks, I'll post my progress and also some facts and related pictures about what some of the poorest of the poor are facing in everyday life.



Organic Eye Pillow  - made with organic lavender and flax seeds.  These pillows induce a peaceful rest and block out the light.  I have used one for years and love it!

Needlecrafts for Charity - Sept. 12, 2012

It was so exciting to begin the 2012/2013 Needlecrafts for Charity last Wednesday.  We had a total of 7 members (3 new) that attended.  It was decided that we would begin again on knitting chemo caps for kids at our local military hospital.  I look forward to working with all these enthusiastic students and helping to make a difference in the lives of others'.  Follow us as we tackle new projects always with a focus on sustainability. 

My husband and I have been quite busy with a "small" remodeling project, or so we thought.  We forgot that home projects take twice as much time and cost twice as much as originally planned.  The first part of September we decided to replace our tub surround.  It seemed like a 4 day project.....NOT!  At the end of day 17, we called it finished.  Now that the work is over, we're very happy with the results.  Especially since it's tiled, the surround should last for many years. 

I recently sewed some items for a baby shower gift.  It's so much fun to sew for little ones!  I'd love to share the project and pictures, but I want it to be a surprise.  The shower is Sept. 30, so I'll post pictures after that.

More later.


Needlecrafts for Charity - Sept. 12, 2012

Tub Surround

Before

After

My Son's Wedding

A week from tomorrow, my son will marry his sweetheart!  She is such an awesome young lady and I look forward to having her as a part of our family.  My husband and I will be flying to Houston, Texas next Thursday.

It's been an ordeal finding a dress.  I could have made my own, but decided to concentrate on developing my sewing business instead.  I found the perfect dress a couple weeks ago and ordered it knowing it would just fit perfectly!  Well, of course, it fits great in the waist and hips, but the bodice gaps in the front - not really giving the modest look for mother-of-the-son :)  So......I'll be working today on making something work with the bodice.  I hope to ease it with some elastic, but if not, it may mean taking some tucks, or......

Lesson learned.  I needed to search much earlier for my dress. 

Here's the link if you'd like to take a peek a the dress - I really love the style and color!


http://www.dillards.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=301&storeId=301&langId=-1&productId=502909483

Graduated and Moving Forward!

Well, graduation day was nothing but magical!  The weather was perfect and the speaker, Rick Steves, gave an inspiring speech.  The Evergreen State College knows how to celebrate a commencement; it was like one giant party of pure fun.

Over the past few weeks, I've weeded through stacks of college papers and books.  I had such a great educational experience which I relived while sorting.

Now for the future....... have you noticed how doors begin to open when you follow your passion?  I have focused on sustainable business, teaching, fiber arts, and helping others during my eduction.  Lately I've wondered how in the world I'm going to combine these areas.  Today, I met with another lady, Roby, who has similar passions and so we devised a plan.  Number one is to find a space to rent for sewing.  After that, the ideas for projects/businesses seem endless. 

As I reflect on the past four years, I see now that everything happened for a reason; the people I met and concepts I learned were not by coincidence. So I encourage you to follow whatever your dreams may be and not give up!


Commencement   June 15, 2012
The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA

5 Days to Commencement!

It's hard to believe, but the end is almost here.  Friday, June 15th at 1:00 P.M., I will graduate.  I've spent the past few weeks writing self-evaluations and a summative evaluation (both required at my college), and finishing my last weaving project.  See pictures below.

Pierre has had a rough time since Memorial weekend.  It seems that he was in a fight with the neighbor cat, and the neighbor cat won.  Pierre was bitten on his back right paw, unknown to us.  He developed an abscess, was sutured, torn the sutures out, and now is being bandaged by my husband and I every other day.  We've become quite an efficient bandaging team!  It looks like one more week until it's healed.

Have a great Sunday!


Tapestry Weaving (Final project)

Pierre with Bandage

Pierre, the Cat

I realized this morning that I have not introduced our cat, Pierre, to the blogging world.  He's been quite interested in my weaving projects and sustainable fashion books (see pictures below).  

I used to foster kittens for the Pierce County Humane Society.  A little over 4 years ago, I cared for two male kittens - siblings.  They looked quite different from one another, and my husband and I fell in love with them.  That was the end of my fostering days.  Unknown to us, Pierre was mostly a Norwegian Forest cat.  He developed tufts of fur between his paws and in his ears as well as growing a long bushy tail, somewhat like a squirrel's. His brother, Whiskers, was a short hair with beautiful markings and a quiet, shy personality.  Sadly, at 15 months, Whiskers was diagnosed with cancer and didn't live much longer.

Pierre has been the most affectionate cat I have ever owned.  Actually, at times he acts more like a dog.  He greets us at the door when we arrive home, flips over, and wants his stomach petted.  He frequently takes naps with me; or maybe I do with him.  It seems that whenever I am reading one of my required course books, writing a paper, or working on a project such as weaving, he decides it's lap time.  Recently he decided that the cubby hole of my desk was a suitable area for viewing my progress.  Why the name Pierre when he's Norwegian?  As a kitten, he would come running and stick his face in any wine glass that happened to be placed on the coffee table.  We thought a French name suited him perfectly!


Pierre viewing table loom

Pierre in the cubby hole

Latest pin weaving progress

Final NFC Meeting

Tuesday was our last Needlecrafts for Charity meeting for this school year.  We reminisced about the past year, reviewed all we had accomplished, and bounced around some ideas for next year.  Lee generously provided pizzas and pop.  Of course, we did get a little knitting done.  Kim taught Jacob how to knit - yay!  a new knitter in our group.  Next year we plan to have a serger, so we can easily create many more projects.  Cat mats (sewn or knitted) and stuffed animals were mentioned as favorite projects for 2012/2013.

I've finished my last book (of 10) for this quarter. It was a fascinating read on eco-fashion.  It's quite sad to discover what is involved in the supply chain for producing a garment. 

I'm continuing to weave each week.  The pin weaving has proven to be quite labor intensive; it's difinitely a good movie watching project.  I'm very curious to see how it will look when finished.

More later......



Needlecrafts for Charity Members: Kim, Lee, Jacob, Heather
                                                         Jackie, Charlotte

Kim teaching Jacob to cast on

Pin Weaving - May 2

Finished Sampler

I just finished my woven sampler yesterday!  It's by no means perfect, but I like the different colors and stitch patterns.  My next project will be a woven necklace worked by pin weaving.  This is done by placing a paper pattern over cork board, pinning the silhouette, then warping the thread between the pins.  It should be an interesting project and another method to learn weaving. 

I've been reading sustainable fashion books for my other portion of my quarter contract.  The mass production of clothing didn't begin until the mid-1800's.  That's the time when sewing machines and factory looms were invented.  Fabric was so precious before then, that many individuals willed garments to future generations for the purpose of reconstruction. 

Our last (so sad) official Needlecrafts for Charity meeting of this school year will be next Tuesday.  Fortunately, several club members will be in Tacoma this summer, and plan to keep meeting. 

Have a great weekend!


Finished Woven Sampler

The Work Continues......

What a great week it's been!  We have 5 individuals knitting (and 1 crocheter) on the kids' chemo caps.  I love experiencing all the excitement with this project.  We moved to the Student Union Building on campus and it was so much more lively than the old classroom setting.  One tip for circular knitting: when casting on, cast on an extra stitch and then knit the last and first stitches together on the first row.  This will allow for a much stronger join.

Weaving has been fun.  I'm experimenting with different yarns, colors, and stitch patterns.  It's a very relaxing activity and I've gotten a rhythm going.  I love to play classical music while I work the shuttle and heddles.  My cat is enjoying the time, too.  I think he's become a classical music lover!

Enjoy your weekend!


Kim and Heather knitting in the SUB

Latest Weaving Patterns

The Loom & Chemo Caps

It's been a very busy and productive April for me!  I began my final quarter last week at The Evergreen State College.  Got my loom warped and started attending Needlecrafts for Charity.  I managed to pick up a nasty cold, too! 

I'm so excited to be working with the students in NFC.  We began knitting chemo caps for children at Madigan Hospital (our local military hospital).  Everyone seems to enjoy the colorful yarn available, as well as learning to use circular knitting needles.  I must say, circs. are my favorite to knit with.  We will meet until May 1, so we'll see how many we can knit by then.

The tabletop loom has been an interesting contraption to work on.  It took almost 6 hours to go from start to finish with warping the loom.  My professor, Gail, taught me to design a pattern for the weaving.  See pictures below.  I also have some weaving projects to do that will involve using handmade looms.  The projects are in the book Small Loom & Freeform Weaving.  It's a really informative and interesting book if you'd like to learn a little about weaving.

It's finally spring (the weather is cooperating) here in the Pacific Northwest. Yay!


Heather, Kim and Kirah discussing our budget.

Lee and Cody working on chemo caps

Pre-warped loom

Threading Chart

My first weaving

Back in Washington

Well, after two weeks here at home, I am almost caught up with my long to do list.  My trip to Ohio seems like a dream now.  I remember during many days I felt kind of bored while there.  Now I'd love to feel bored for even an afternoon!

I'm looking forward to spring quarter, my final quarter.  It doesn't begin until the first week in April, but there is much prep work to do since I will participate in an independent learning contract.  I'm really excited about this contract.  I'll learn to weave, study fabric dyeing, and study sustainable fashion.  My instructor is a master weaver, and she agreed to teach me this skill. The only weaving I've done was years ago on a square metal loom which enabled me to make numerous potholders as gifts for family members.  Did you remember those small looms?  Actually, I think they're still available. Anyway, I'll post pictures of my samples and projects while I progress through the quarter. 

One last thing......it's been confirmed with the recent and upcoming weather here, why we drink so much coffee in the Pacific Northwest.  It seems that the midwest and the northwest have switched weather this month.  Snow is predicted here for this coming Saturday and Sunday evenings - wow!  Oh well, definitely a good reason to warm up with a nice brew on St. Patrick's Day!

Lori

Holmes County Ohio

 I had such an incredible trip last weekend to Holmes County Ohio, that I'd like to share about that for this week.

I spent four days among the Amish and Mennonites in Sugar Creek, Walnut Creek, Kidron, and Dalton, Ohio.  I've never seen so many horse and buggies!  We visited fabric stores, quilt shops, hardware stores, a tool expo, and of course, too many bakeries. 

I think my favorite pictures are those of clothes hanging out to dry.  The Amish wash clothes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, using a pulley system that goes between the house and the top of the barn.

This is a shorter post than usual because of the pictures I'd like to share.  Enjoy!


Ready to plow the field

Outside auction at Kidron, Ohio

Quilts for sale at Millers Dry Goods- Charm, Ohio

Crafts at Millers Bakery

Amish clothesline

Bakery purchases

Increase in Business

Well, a great deal changed within a week.  As Elvin mentioned, January is slow, but February and unseasonably warm temperatures brought the masses into the Dutch Kitchen.  This past week was so busy that Elvin and Esther allowed me to stay in the kitchen to observe and ask questions.  Since I knew I’d be near them, I decided to adhere to their dress code as much as possible.  I don’t own a prayer kapp, but the rest of my outfit came pretty close. 

I took a break from the kitchen for a few minutes to snap some pictures of the crafts that are displayed in the rest of the building.  The quality and variety is quite nice. I guess there might be around 20 vendors. 

Back to the kitchen……Esther and Elvin were so busy with serving, that I got to join in the fun.  Esther had an order for her famous chocolate cake, but didn’t have time to get it made by the noon deadline.  So – she asked if I would make it, and I happily agreed.  The ingredients went together easily, but then it came time for mixing them.  Have you ever “whipped” together a cake without electricity?  I discovered what this is like with a wire whisk.  Good thing I’ve been working out with weights to strengthen my biceps!  After 35 minutes in the gas powered oven, a beautiful chocolate cake appeared.

It probably goes without saying, but my days at the Dutch Kitchen have gone by quickly.  In my next post I’ll share a little more about the lives of Elvin and Esther.  

My Outfit

Crafts at "Crafts Unlimited"

Greetings from Ohio!

I have been in Ohio for exactly one week now.  It certainly is a different pace of life here.  I find it very relaxing, but do miss the variety of retail stores that I have readily available in the Puget Sound area.

I have been to The Dutch Kitchen twice within the last week.  The owners, Elvin and Esther, are very nice people and quite willing to share their experience with operating a new business.  Their business is slow right now due to lack of tourists in the winter months.  It allows me to spend more time interacting with them and learning about their views.

Their cafe is in a larger building that houses crafts on consignment from various vendors.  There is a nice collection of fabrics, threads, and handmade clothing items (see the pictures below).  With skylights and a few gas powered lights, the building is quite dim inside.

Esther and Elvin ride their bikes four miles from their home to the cafe each morning in order to arrive at 6:00 a.m. The cafe closes at 2:00 ad Esther rides back home to start on her household chores.  This is the routine Monday through Friday, except for two days during the week that Esther takes off.  Elvin is there Monday through Friday.  Two other individuals own the craft store which allows Elvin to run errands when needed. 

I would love to post some pictures of Elvin and Esther, but their beliefs discourage taking pictures of themselves. Please feel free to post any questions that you might like me to ask them.  I will update each week as much as possible.

Winter Has Arrived

I'm sitting in Corina Bakery (took a day off from my South Beach diet :) ) just enjoying the entrance and exit of customers wanting a hot coffee and pastry on this cold, wintry day.  We finally saw snow yesterday here in the Puget Sound area.  Actually, the forecast for the next few days is snow.  It would be a great time to engage in some sewing or knitting, but I'm preparing for my long trip to Ohio.

Within the last couple weeks, I have read several books on Old Order Amish to prepare for my study in Bainbridge, Ohio.  I will be staying with my parents and hope to include a trip to Holmes County Ohio - the largest population of Old Order Amish live there.

I have missed my Needlecrafts for Charity group.  I will not be able to attend club meetings until I return in March.  I'm still thinking of sewing though.  Maybe I can purchase some fabric at an Amish Fabric store in Ohio and work on a sewing project while I'm there. 

Next week, I will probably not post, as I will be traveling, and then adjusting to life without daily internet service.  I hope to visit McDonald's in the town where my parents reside.  Besides the library, this is the only place where I'll have access to the internet.

Be sure to check back in a couple weeks when I post from Hillsboro, Ohio :)

Happy 2012!

This is my first post for 2012.  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's Eve.  My hubbie and I went out dancing for the evening.  It was so much fun - we just don't get out enough.

Just before Christmas I sewed some pj bottoms for my husband for Christmas.  To stay "green" I chose some LL Bean flannel that I had in my fabric stash.  I used to worked at a fabric store, Famous Labels, in Tacoma years ago.  I had purchased that flannel way back when, and had just enough to make the pj bottoms.  Unfortunately, the flannel was off-grain and I couldn't straighten it, so I cut each leg out separately to ensure that the plaids matched.  More time consuming, but the end product was well worth it.  Needless to say, he loved the pj's and he didn't know I had made them until I asked him to look for the garment tag :)

Have you ever had one of those projects that is simple, but takes forever to finish?  That was the second project that I finished this past Sunday.  I started a black cashmere and mohair scarf last October for a good friend 's birthday.  Well.......it turned into a happy birthday/late Christmas gift.  Better late than never, right?  She was very pleased with the scarf.

I hope 2012 has been a good start for you.  I wish you a very happy and prosperous remainder of the year!


Hubbie's pj's

Friend's scarf