Welcoming the Summer Solstice with fiber and friends

We ushered in  the the Summer Solstice with our Mavens of the Fiber Forest group at Saori Santa Cruz  Studios Friday. THE DAY STARTED AND ENDED WITH STRESS.  First thing The water companys main water main broke and we had no water! Luckly it was restored  and back on 30 minutes before everyone arrived. STAY tuned for what happen 30 mins after every one had left  another suprise .(see the end of the blog for.... the rest of the story.)
but first....

  A FABULOUS DAY!

 Those are  SF Giants champane flutes some fans brought!

 lots of fiber

 and food

 Check out this great idea from Jennifer . She buys apples from cosco they are packed in this crazy packaging  but she wanted to recycle the plastic dome packaging she did  she combed cormo fleece and made nests and brought to our gathering to spin undisturbed !

SHAR modeled her saori woven tunic she made in the" weave, sew, wear" saori  class now with the fringes trimed! love it!

  Maggie oohed  and awed

Some of Brenda's amazing wensleydale locks yarns , SHE IS A AWESOME SPINNER her website Pan's Garden

  Maggie spun on her LOUET victoria and on her navajo spindle

 KNITTING AND MELLOWING IN THE WARM AFTERNOON SUN

MAGGIE DID A GREAT CRAFT.... SMALL SILK  NECK SQUARE SCARVES PAINTED  WITH SILK DYES AND  PERMANENT MARKERS. WE TURNED THEM INTO MAVEN  SOLSTICE PRAYER FLAGS.

 Annabelle and Jennifer.....
 and of course champange to toast the summer solstice.

I SET UP  A" MAKE SHEEPIE SOAPS" TINTED WITH SANDEWOOD POWDER STATION.SO EVERY ONE COULD MADE THEM  AND TAKE HOME  THE CUTE SOAPS.

 SOME FINISHED  SILK PAINTED/DYESD SOLSTICE PEACE FLAGS

 SHAR LOVING THIS PROCESS

 SPINNING AND KNITTING, PAINTING, AND CARDING WOOLS, A WONDERFUL DAY WITH FREINDS.

 Shar's FLAG ( one of many
flags)

 BRENDA LOVES THE NEW LOUET ART YARN FLYER AND BULKY BOBBINS  FOR HER LOUET S10 WHEEL
ETSY STORE

  And now" the rest of the story".
 I was cleaning up and my husband had just arrived home when the neighbors  dogs started to make some very strange  disconcerting sounds, I mentioned this to Lee and he said " it is probably a fire engine siren " but I said I have not heard that that  kind of wail like that before from their dogs , this was different, and  10 mins later the sky was filled with CDF helicopters and small aircraft dumpping fire retardent on a structure not even 1/4 mile from us. so he was right!
 We live in the redwood forest, and with the drought this years I was very concerned and prepared for evauation announcements. It sounded like a war zone, my husband had flash backs of his army days. We waited on alert for several hours and then the sky was silent, cars were moving again on the road. Today we found out that it was homeless transients who started 4 fires from Santa Cruz and many miles apart, the one so close to us was one of them, and the authorities  caught the transients and incarcerated  the two of them that did this.
 So Grateful for CDF and the fire fighters. that was really scary!

Happy summer solstice 2013!

 peace, pace, pause, play....  in the redwoods
Jill Nickolene

www.saorisantacruz.com

Dress form shell fitting for Saori weaving/sewing and a week of of creativity and inspiration.

Fitting a  custom " Uniquely you" dress form cover for a student at Saori Santa Cruz.

Sewing with a dress from makes for better draping and fitting and design options.

 In Saori we encourage students to design there own pieces with there own hand woven Saori fabrics.

Ok now Shar  needs to go home and get a person to help with the squishing and  zipping  it  up on the foam body core. A TWO PERSON JOB .

 Look what arrived this week, my new Columbine yellow spinning wheel . I had one but sold it this spring and then missed it to teach on , so I ordered this new yellow one . I am all about yellow right now.

 Super happy to have one in my spinning wheel herd again.


SPEAKING OF SPINNING WHEELS I love my Louet art yarn flyer! I have it on a Louet S17 wheel and I cardered a new ART YARN  batt of my hand dyed fleeces, and it is really looking fantastic! The flyer  spins like a dream!

 I visited with two students, Garnett and Roberta Monday. what talented artists they both are.

 Roberta makes precious metals clay beads( my photo turned out blurred) so no visuals to share .

 Garnet finished a few SAORI  pieces and showed us her stone sculptures  in her home and  her lamp work glass work beads.

It was a mini Saori Kai (sharing) and wonderful vist at Garnetts home.


Eye sight  is so important, I have worn glasses since the age of 5 , I should have had them even earlier . I went to have tests and a new perscription at my optometrist Dr Daly Tuesday.
Going back to a part of the office I had not seen before was this 14" wide SECRET door leading to a narrow beautiful atrium I was enthralled  had to stop and take photos.When I was as a child growing up in a small town in Ohio (5 generations from same town) there were many old homes, hotels, and historical place to fascinate my childhood. Even the home I grew up in was over 200 yrs old with double thick red brick made on the sight. this narrow passage way stopped me abruptly and i appoligized but said," I must photograph this before the tests!"

  The secret mini door ( 14" wide) at the office.

 Back at the studio I soaked and washed my saori  yardage

this is my  "empty bobbins 2" woven fabric washed and drying in the sun on the railing.

peaceful weaving in the redwood
Jill Nickolene
www.saorisantacruz.com
my Etsy shop

A few reasons why I love Saori ready made warps

Yesterday a delightful student Silva returned to the studio for a class and to pick up her new wx60 saori loom saori loom, and bench glimakra weaving bench. We went over the options and she decided on threading a pre made warp  ready made warps (  exclusively produced by Saori ready made warp rolls by hand) on her new loom.

 Why are the Saori  ready made warps so fantastic? Think of the time saved for starting a  last minute weaving  say for a gift , for teaching others how to weave with out spending time learning the how and whys of winding a warp procedure, space restraints  no room for a warping board, disabilities, for children... to name just a few advantages. Occasionally special colors of warps are produced too.

The book SAORI  BOOK " SELF - INNOVATION FOR FREE WEAVING" this book by Misao Jo and Kenzo Jo goes over how to thread a new ready made  or pre made warp roll on the loom BUT not how to thread the heddles  and reed  off the loom using the threading holder. This is something I came up with in 2010 and my students have loved it and used it so I teach that method as well.. .

 Since Sivla and her husband are  currently looking for  new living quarters ( high demand housing  area , hard to find any place quickly)  their living floor space availability  is at a premium . The purchase of a warping frame would just diminish  their space no matter how flat it folds up against the wall even more. BUT  because it is a Saori loom  she has the option of using the premade warps, so a warping board  is not necessary. YEA!! and the saori folding looms close up with the warps on in 3 seconds clamp and only are 7" deep closed.

Threading the heddles and reed with a premade warp  with the unique holder saori threading holder off the loom it is so easy on your body.

 Threaded harnesses and reed are hung on the loom.

now Tying on the  threaded warp to the looms lashing rod.

 Tension  the warp . Happiness equals taking less time to thread and get on to WEAVING . she can also  change out her warps easily when ever she wants now using her inside set .

Ready to learn how to take her current weaving off and then tie it is a sturdy bundle , then be on her way home with her new wood x60 saori loom.

Silvia has a  Saori INSIDE SET whats a inside set?  all  threaded and tied up ready to  switch out her current weaving at any time in about 10 mins, or less. A dream come true for her.

peace through fibers
Jill Nickolene
www.saorisantacruz.com

weaving in the redwoods