Spinning

I think I've become addicted to spinning on a spindle! I've begun to collect all kinds...they are works of art all unto themselves.   I'm getting much better at spinning consistently even thicknesses of yarn.  And I adore plying my yarns together to make pretty stuff like this: 

Been a loooooooong time...

So, I was going to start another blog to cover my spinning, weaving endeavors.  But, I decided I'm just going to roll all my adventures in art into this blog.  I am still beading...bead weaving and bead embroidery.  I started inkle weaving...weaving narrow strips on small inkle looms...a few months ago.  That lead to tablet weaving...using cards to weave more intricate designs on narrow strips.  Now I am spinning my own yarn with a drop spindle so I can weave that yarn on my peg looms.  

That's what you are going to see on this blog now.  I little bit of everything I do :)

Eye cabochons

For the couple of people who asked, I used the following tutorial to make my own eye cabochons: http://www.sunandmooncraftkits.com/tutorials

Look for the tutorial on making glass pendants.  I followed that but did not put on the bails.  You can find sheets of different eyes on Etsy.  Most are immediate downloads.  I use Sun and Moons glaze because it works better than regular glue, which I have tried, too.  Remember to use a laser printer so the ink will not run when you apply the glaze. If you only have an ink jet printer, you can seal the images by ironing the reverse side of the paper and leave overnight.  You can buy the glass cabochons from Sun and Moon or search Etsy for other suppliers.  There are lots of sources for them.

The eye cabochons are fun to make into earrings or pendants, too, without bead embroidery.

Happy New Year!

Well here it is: 2014.  Last year was a struggle for me personally, especially the last half.  Here's to a better time THIS year.  I'm not a resolutions person.  When I was I almost never kept them.  Why set yourself up for disappoint when you don't have to?  So, I have a few goals I'd like to work toward.  1. I want to learn how to use my new spinning wheel and spin beautiful yarn for weaving. 2. I want to learn to weave a fiber tapestry. 3. I want to work on more and varying bead patterns, most from my photographs or digital art.

My Etsy store did so much better than I anticipated!  Repeat customers were many and I had great conversations with so of my clients.  I am going to expand the number of bracelets I've woven and finished to start a line of finished jewelry from my patterns.

And so, I'm looking forward to a really great year.  Come join me on my journey!