Sheila's new chiffon shell

Some times we find the perfect garment and wish we had a dozen of the same style in different fabrics and colors. If you sew you can take control of your wardrobe and not be slave to the latest styles. Marlyn Monroe at the height of her fame had only a few designs she wore and she would have a dozen made for her at a time of each of the styles. They were halter bodice full skirted dress, tight slacks clam digger length, classic fitted shirts etc.
Well we believe sheila found one of her" make a dozen in this  style", The perfect fit shell .
 Taking the time to learn the craft of sewing is very satisfying. Sheila is one of my sewing students who relishes her sewing time and  has an amazing eye for fabrics used in unusual styles.  This is for wearing under a jacket for the opera.
We are going to made a silk chiffon stole with the fabric scraps to wear with a nice black jacket.  Warning chiffon is very difficult to handle and sew and takes quite a bit longer to complete.

This first shell is made of burned out silk chiffon lined with china silk. the watery feel of the design lends it self to the shell shape. I suggested a lining instead of facings, bias etc. that allows for a smoother well hanging fit. It is light as air,  the fabric has a beautiful hand. Her next shell in the Que.  is out of a Japanese cotton with a cotton batiste  lining in a  nice pomegranate red print. this one will be for casual wear.

Avon is introduced to SAORI weaving

A new student, Avon, tries Saori weaving for the first time. She lived in germany for awhile and being a knitter and loving yarns and fiber she was entranced by a friend there who was a weaver. She is back in the US now and is thinking about adding weaving to her fiber skills and creative fiber expression. I think her fiber choices and saori weaving techniques look wonderful it was delightful to see her so comfortable at the loom.

SAORI OSAKA IS OKAY : second update

At least a little good news from Japan  see below.
For the survivors it will get harder before it gets better. It takes decades. I have placed some orders with saori that can be shipped by air from Saori so I am trying  to keep the support and connection there  as well. peaceful weaving
jill

  from japanese news paper packed in one of my saori orders I cut out a couple of photos as a reminder of japan's on going struggles .

march 18th


 Dear all,

I leaned with a great relief that all the staff members of the SAORI branch
in Sendai are safe.
But we still have difficulties in making contact with other SAORI Weavers
in north-eastern part of Japan.

Is is snowing in the worst affected area.
We are praying for those who are struggling to overcome all the difficulties
with lack of fuel and electricity.

Thank you very much for all your good thoughts and concerns.
We truly appreciate the support dedicated by so many countries, regions and
organizations
all over the world.
I feel that Japan is not alone.

Warm Regards,

Akiko Jo

SAORI-NO-MORI / SAKAISEIKISANGYO CO. LTD.
613-1 Murodo-cho, Izumi-shi






Thank you every one who asked how SAORI Japan was doing in the horrible earth quake/ tsunami   I am posting this reply from Akiko Jo from Osaka saori. I am much relieved but very sad for all of japan's loss.



Dear all,

Thank you very much for all your message and emails.
We were not affected at all in Osaka and western part of Japan.
My family in the eastern part of Japan (near Tokyo) was affected by the
earthquake, but I found that they were O.K.
We had some difficulties in communicating with them,
because we got the telephone connection shut down.

The damage in the north-east area in Japan seems very big.
We are worried about everyone there still going through continuous shaking
without the electricity in snow.
We have many SAORI Weavers there, and I am much worried about them.
According to the news here, many villages disappeared after the tsunami
attack
in the north-east are of Japan.
One of the SAORI weavers I know very well lives in the bay-side area
where the tsunami attacked, and I have been worried about her very much.

We appreciate all your thoughts and condolences for Japan and people here.

Warm Regards,

Akiko Jo

WEAVING THIS WEEK AT SAORI SANTA CRUZ STUDIO

Amber with  her first weaving.  Students always get to pick out  there own  weft yarns she liked pink mohair  she will be 7 yrs old. tomorrow and for a surprise her grand mother Jia brought her for a tandem weaving day. this was the first time both had ever woven. 

 Jia's first weaving Jia is the author of many fantastic vegetarian cook books .It was a very special creative day for both of them!

Susan came back for another fun day of  Saori weaving . She arrived with a lavender velvet hat and a shawl  that she had  hand spun all the yarns and knit it..... purples..... lovely.

susan hand spun all the yarns for her hand knit shawl look at the variety and skill !

I am always amazed at the lovely color SAORI  students choose for there weavings!

Susan you did it again another fascinating creative weaving.

spring, eggs, woven scarf

A wonderful  saori weaving student brought me a gift. Candace along with Lucian  her 6 yr. son old organically  raise chickens. She has told me the breeds names several times but I can not remember .

I wish I could capture the subtle colors of the pale aqua eggs! I have tried, but instead i will weave something with those colors. One bluish egg shell from one hen is matt the other shell has a lovely sheen. The browns are amazing as well. Thank you Candace and Lucian.

My husband's  very very very favorite scarf, I wove for him years ago ,needed to be washed .I have never photographed it. It is a overshot weave with a silk wool mohair weft and a fine black wool warp.
 I looked out the window to the blooming plum tree and was happy to see that spring is coming soon. 

Introducing teens to saori weaving

A local school contacted me to spend the morning with 7 teens in an organic garden agricultural class that wanted to introduce them to weaving.
I drove to Live Earth Farms  and met the most fantastic kids that visit the farm once a week from there school.
all of them ended up loving weaving and were very engaged, I only brought 2 saori looms and showed them some other types of looms but they all were queuing up for the saori looms, of course.
My favorite comment. "wow this is so peaceful and calming!"
yes saori weaving is calming, and rhythmic too.
They learned weaving ona ridged heddle loom and a tape looms too, wound bobbins and stick shuttles, even weaving in eucalyptus bark and twigs from the ground into there weaving and twisting fringe. I hope I get invited back to share weaving some time soon.
As the tallest boys were leaving the class I was loading the truck with looms etc. and I over heard them talking with each other," hey that was really fun,," "yea it was ."

 finished weaving ,fresh off the loom

learning to twist fringe

a tape loom and ridged heddle loom kept there interests while waiting there turn at the Saori loom

visit my websight http://www.saorisantacruz.com

costal california snow?

Saturday I awoke to snow. Now while all the rest of the northern U S is in blizzard conditions, I am sorry, and you all are really sick of the stuff, but  I  enjoyed a fleeting couple of hours of wonder. This is only the 2nd time in 30 + years I have seen snow here at our place . At 6 am I was crunching through the weeds with my camera marveling at the confectionary sifted sugar....... two hours latter the sun's heat had whisked it away.

  saori weavings emerging 

maggie weaves saori

Today Maggie came to the studio to spend the day weaving, and  she learned to wind a warp and dress a Saori loom and  learn weaving techniques.
She was impressively quick to pick up everything and had no broken or crossed threads  through out her weaving. That was not beginners luck she is a very accomplished fiber artist in beading, spinning, felting, dyeing, knitting, crocheting and soon weaving as well!  I am sure I forgot and left out some other fiber talents she has as well.
Loved her unusual color palate and textures she chose. That is what I love about Saori. The uniqueness of the colors each person  vision brings to there own weaving's. We had so much fun! Saori designs looms and equipment which allows the weaver to learn with user friendly ease from the beginner weaver to the seasoned weaver alike.

winding a cotton and rayon warp

watch out for more of maggie's creations, she really is inspiring

espresso

Lee has a new obsession, espresso . He has spent weeks gathering information and tools and special grind coffee to make his espresso debut. He does not drink coffee and has drunk tea for as long as I have know him, that is more than 1/2 his life. Health reasons keep me from coffee but I did have some in my own tiny bone china espresso cup. It  is really  good. our commercial stove top it to hot for the small espresso maker so he has a special butane burner. The new skeins of yarns I bought at stitches west are... yes,browns like espresso .  I am eyeing the grounds for maybe dye? the compost gets them until I research that.
Out of my depth here discussing coffee but for the very first time in our home coffee fills the air on the week ends and holidays. I will have to suffice on the scent most of the time but it is very different than regular coffee which most of you probably know. Besides piles of papers for getting our taxes in order, this has been the focus the last few days. I did nothing presidential  for today for presidents day, unless working on taxes counts. Yes it does!

creating yarn on a Saori bobbin winder

All full size saori looms come with a built in bobbin winder built right into the loom. This is a fantastic feature handy always close for winding bobbins but did you know you can spin and ply yarn on the bobbin winder as well?  If you already know how to spin on a spindle or wheel or charka this is easier , however to take a class at a saori studio would  help.

making and plying yarn with the saori bobbin winder

I used wool roving, un spun wool, and here and below some  some cotton warp yarn I swept off the studio floor

One of a kind art yarn 

four yarns plying

and this is how the yarn looks  when woven as weft

no need to wind the yarn on a bobbin it is already on a bobbin just insert it into a shuttle and weave with fabulous results

  If you already know how to spin on a spindle or wheel or charka this is easier , however to take a class at a saori studio would  help.