and now . . . instant collection #1

 I am trying to take a serious look at all my stuff.  It leads me to believe that I have the hoarding gene that is common among artists, crafters, collectors and apparently, my family.  I truly am never very successful at getting rid of much from my stash of supplies and objects of inspiration.  All of these things hold a power over me and have a special charm, especially as I group them into small collections, which is my tendency.

I have decided to share some of these mini collections.  I will try to post a photo of a group occasionally.  Some of these will warrant some words and others will stand alone.  I hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I have loved gathering them.

As part of the reviewing and purging, some of these instant collections will be sold on my Etsy site but for now they are still mine!!!! 

This first instant, mini collection is made up of the little totems that set in the corner of my worktable.  They watch over my projects as I progress.  I often wish they could speak, make a sound of some sort or at least change their expressions.  I would welcome their critique of my work.  We have shared this space long enough that they must understand where my head is, as I work here in this little space.  As it is now, I am usually carrying on a conversation with myself!

I have had some of these little creatures for a very long time.  Most were not originally mine, some were given to me, some were left behind by growing children and some inherited from the collections of departed loved ones.  As a group they have become important companions in my work space. . . . and they do make me smile.

What keeps you company at your desk or worktable? 

Starting a new year . . . . . . .

Here are the log cabin placemats in progress on the loom.  In contrast to the warping prep and stringing the loom for this project, the mats weave up very quickly.  Very satisfying!

They are all woven and off the loom now.  All that remains is to stitch the ends.  I do this finishing step on the sewing machine to save time and to give them a secure finished hemline.  I hope to have them listed in the shop early this next week.  There will be a set of four available for sale.

Notice the cardboard pieces sticking out on the roll of woven placemats.  This is an easy and accurate way to measure the space between mats, coasters or any multiple project pieces on the loom.  It also gives you the correct length for the fringe for each piece as you weave.  Cut 1 inch strips of light weight cardboard, repurposed cereal or cracker boxes are just the perfect weight.  Then you simply weave in the correct fringe length of the mat that you have just finished plus the fringe length of the next mat that you will weave.  Continue weaving and filling in the fringe strips until you have finished all your mats.  When you take these weavings off of the loom cut between the appropriate strips and you will have beautifully straight fringes cut to the perfect length every time!

The beginning of a new year always sends me into an inspired burst of list making!  I guess I am making resolutions but they take the form of sketches, rewritten versions of last year's lists and promises to finish half-worked projects.  I love the feeling of starting fresh, giving myself permission to abandon work that isn't working and going down new paths.

Make your lists, your plans, your resolutions.  It is 2013!