Val Weaves Like She's Playing the Piano

That is what my friend told her grandma the other day after watching me work at my loom. It hit home with me. I talk about this all the time to people who will listen. Like everything in life, there is a rhythm to weaving with the treadling of harness changes and passing of the shuttles. I can see where she could see that in weaving.

That passing back and forth, working the loom, and watching the weaving grow into my art is relaxing for me. Once you get the rhythm down you fly. Before you know it you've woven several feet of material. It's like I fall into this zone and the music I set in the background helps me keep pace with what I am doing.  I always have music on, or I am thinking of music in my head, or singing when weaving.

There are days I do not find that ease and grace...there are days I struggle with just how much to beat the material into place and those days drive me nuts! I recently had one. I was weaving with my favorite ~ pearl cotton. Beautiful material ~ deep violet, but for me who was trained and worked as a rug weaver was finding it hard to do that "lack" of whacking the reed against the material. Meaning I needed to be more gentle and consistently softer with the material. So I achieved this awful banding in the material. It's where your beating is not consistent and then you end up with this uneven beaten effect. NOT GOOD!

See the darker areas where I beat the material more? makes banding...

So, in order to get my project done on time I switched material. I chose a cotton yarn, but mixed in with a little flax and rayon to help me out. It's not as soft and smooth, but it worked. Because truth be told even though I am a weaver and worked as a weaver I have not woven consistently for a long time...since about 1998 exactly.  So, I unwove the material which was about 22 inches and started all over. And guess what? It worked. The new material worked out much better for me and I am happy with the result!

Switching material and using a color that was closer to the warp color helped.

This just goes to show that practice makes perfect and everyone needs to practice their technique. Everyone can improve on what they are good at. And I play the piano also...which I haven't played or practiced in a long time. Maybe I should get back to that and find that rhythm I need for the more delicate work I would like to achieve on the loom. I see scales in my near future!

Treasure Pouches woven by kids!

FestivALL in Charleston, WV was so much fun this past June. I had the pleasure of teaching weaving to children on cardboard looms I had made for them. 

What is GREAT is that some of the kids I taught have sent in photos. I also included other photos to show you what we did those fun days in late June.

In two days in I introduced approximately 120 children to weaving. That's a lot! I am so happy I was a part of FestivALL. It was a great experience and I would completely do it all over again!  Enjoy!

Completed Treasure Pouches! 

Made by Xander, 5-years-old, Charleston, WV

Made by Emma M., WV

Another made by Emma M., WV

Made by Maggie, 4-years-old, Lexington, KY

 

Here's some photos from two days of fun!

Setting up for the crowds!

My Mom measuring out some of the yarn.

Starting at the bottom of the loom and going around, up and over...

Here I am working with the kids and parents.

Kid working hard with their parents assisting.

Close up of a child weaving on the cardboard loom.

Working on the flap for the pouch! Very close to done.

A child working on the flap for the pouch. Almost done!

Ready to slip off the loom!

One of the kids stayed pretty much all day and here's what she did! 

Almost done! 

Completely finished. She had the biggest smile!

The Best Thing

The best thing happened to me on Saturday. A little guy (around 5 years of age) who I had taught cardboard weaving to came up to me at a rock concert for kids and told me how much he worked on his coin/treasure pouch project. His mom told me how much he really loved it! I was so happy to meet her and see the pride in her eyes. He finished it for his art show that he is having with his classmates in pre-K today. He even named his treasure pouch. How fun!

 

(In the picture I have removed the artist's name. You can still see what he has titled it and what his asking price is. This is a pre-K class and they are learning how to count money and give back change, etc. at their very own art exhibition. His parents will be "buying" this from him.)

 

I am enjoying teaching again. Just a little here and there. I don't have to get through to every child ~ not at all. This past Saturday I really did learn that a student I was teaching last Wednesday totally got into weaving.  This is what makes me happy and I am still smiling.

 

The fun thing about this coin/treasure pouch is that it involves several processes that are core to a child's everyday education. It teaches eye/hand coordination, planning ahead to the next step, the concept of opposites and then of course fine motor skill. It encourages concentration and focus. It is a project that shows the child instant results as they watch their weaving grow into what they are creating. They then begin to understand how something is made. Which then will lead to understanding and questioning how other things are created or made. Logic is never ever a bad thing. Right?


What I love most though is that this "technology" is as old as man practically. People have been weaving for a long, long time. It's a very simple process and yet it takes effort and persistence. Of course it came around because of necessity. People needed shelter over their heads, clothing on their bodies, and items to carry their goods or even babies in.

We take weaving for granted a lot today. Our jeans we wear are woven, not knitted. Most fabric for our furniture, sheets for our beds, curtains for our windows and even our tents are woven. So we still are using weaving in the same way, but today it is done for us. We do not have to create that which we need. We go buy it. Unless you are me and enjoy making what I want!

So, for me just planting some creative ideas into the minds of others in order to understand a process I am in love with ~ some would probably say obsessed with ~ gives me a lot of joy. Once you understand the process and master the technique then your creativity kicks in. New and beautiful things start to happen. Things you dreamed about creating now become reality and you can then share them with the world. This is what art is at it's core and what drives me.

Not too long ago I decided I would get back to what I love and I came up with some plans.  I am so glad I did. This little kid absolutely has made my year and stole my heart. I can't wait until I teach the next time to see what I learn from those I work with one on one. Then see what they create and take away from the project. Learning is life long and the best thing in my opinion.

An invitation to FestivALL's Children's Make and Take booths!

I am so very excited and honored. I was invited to teach in the "Make and Take" Children's booth for FestivALL.  The main word in that second sentence is "invited." There will be eight artists sharing with children their art.  What a GREAT way to get an art form out there to the public. I doubt that many children understand what weaving is or even what it takes to weave jeans that they wear all the time. So, educating the kids might lead to the love of weaving. You just never know and I am happy to be there to teach them.

I am now preparing 300 card board looms for the children ages 5 and above to weave their very own coin or treasure pouch! :) I am also creating paper greeting cards that children of any age will be weaving with paper. That way if they are not interested in the pouch or purse then they can still get some exposure to the art by the way of paper weaving.  It's nice to have a choice.

So, to make these looms I am cutting down old boxes and such that I have gathered.  Then scoring and folding in half, cutting notches every 1/4 inch to then put a warp on (that's the string that is on the cardboard loom above in the picture.)  This example in the picture is a little bigger than the ones I am making for FestivALL.

The weaving actually starts where the folded part is at the bottom of the loom. Then you go around the loom until you get to the top of the short folded section. You could weave a solid color, a stripe or any combo you can come up with. With a tapestry needle and your favorite yarn you can create any look you like.

This is one I am currently working on with some hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn I created a long while ago! It's very relaxing to go over and under the threads watching your weaving grow. And it's also a very quick project that a lot of kids find they enjoy.

When you can no longer go around the loom anymore, then you just go back and forth on the warp that is on the back of the loom until you get to the very top of the loom. This creates the flap that folds over the pouch.

What a fun way to learn to weave and even upcycle a bit with that cardboard you are getting ready to recycle anyway. This is a FREE event! The children are welcome to sit as long as they like with a parent assisting them at the booth creating this.  They will also get to take the loom home with them and all the yarn they need to finish up the project with instructions. If they like they can restring it at home and create another. The looms usually last for two or three projects.

Some may like to incorporate a button and loop for the pouch to have it close and stay closed. You can do this or leave it as is. You can use a blanket stitch around it and create a long loop for a handle to wear it around your neck also. Whatever you do with your design it is yours to play with.

Here is an example of one I made my daughter. She uses it each day to hold her special treasure she finds outside as she plays.

So I better get back to work on creating these for the children of FestivALL. I will be there on Saturday the 26th from 10am-6pm and Sunday the 27th from 11am-5pm. Come by the booth and visit with me and enjoy one of the projects I will be helping with! I would love to see you or even introduce you to something I love!

Doing what you love, making mistakes and learning!

Are you doing what you love? Do you take just a little time each day to think about what you love and how you are going to do it? I ask this because for a very long time I didn't even think about doing what I loved. I went about my day working, cleaning, taking care of everything, but me. I noticed I didn't really care about what I ate, what I did or didn't do and eventually it got to me.

So, in early 2008 I decided to start doing what I love again. It's made all the difference. My FibersStudio adventure is going full steam ahead in my spare time. Yes, my spare time. Ugh. See along with being a dreamer I am also a mom, a wife, a graphic designer & web design contractor and on and on.  All these responsibilities (!!!) have piled up over the years. Hmmm....so how do you make time to do what you love?

I began to say NO! to those things that weren't what I wanted to do. Politely of course! I gave up TV which I don't even like most of the time. I gave up the rat race. I gave up wanting new things and instead find thrifty ways to obtain through trade, making, etc. I gave up going out to dinner a lot or eating out a lot. I gave up many, many things that people do everyday without thinking. And you know what? I gained everything I love about my life back again.

I started finding and gathering my yarn, my books, my sewing machine, my loom. I started thinking about how to start this new adventure. I began knitting because at the time my kids were 7, 2 & 1. I could easily begin a knit project, go outside with the kids and run them to and from school with knitting needles with yarn in tow. It was a great start!

Then with the kids sleeping regularly after 16 months straight of NOT sleeping through the night I began to plan larger projects for the loom. I didn't get to this until a year later, but once I did I knew I could sit and weave for a time with the kids busy with projects like homemade playdough, coloring, etc. I took the time to create in the evenings when I wasn't working as a contractor. I dreamed of a logo and name for my adventure along with starting a Etsy shop!

And in the next year I made lots of scarves, lots of baby blankets and lots of mistakes! Oh, but I learned. Some things I made mistakes on I even knew better. Like the deep purple shawl I planned with this lovely cotton, rayon and flax yarn I had found in Asheville, NC almost two years ago. It's got a slub (a bump ever so often where a little extra yarn is left) in it. I used it in the warp even though I knew better! Oh, well it broke several times. I will not tell a lie. So, I cut the project short and now it is a really lovely table runner. I made mistakes with how I took pictures and learned over time no flash and afternoon daylight on a white background works wonders for your products!

Even though I did make those mistakes I never lost sight of my goals. I just kept plugging along when I could at what I love to do. In the process I feel like I am being more true to myself and I have started to pay better attention to what I need. Not what I want necessarily, but what I really need. I do need to go to bed at a decent time and sleep through the night. Something I was not doing before and really it got me way down energy wise. I started thinking about what I was eating and how my body was doing. I started riding my bike and walking again. I loved riding as a kid. What freedom! I still feel that same feeling each time I hop on. I began to do things in small increments and not all at once. And with each little gain I gained a little bit of me back.

Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of our wants, needs and goals, but with a little bit of effort and a whole lot of desire we can get back to the things that make us most happy in life and find reward in what we do.

FibersStudio Debuts as an Exhibitor at Art Expo 2010

Wow, what a fun and fantastic time I had. I will say this...I am worn completely out! It took me six days to even start writing this post. I am calling it post expo exhaustion!

Setup for the Art Expo 2010 was a breeze the night before. I had a good helper: My Mom. She's a pro at getting things done. Thank goodness for such people in this world and I am so fortunate to be related to her. We've always worked well in this fashion. When I was in high school and college I sold merchandise and tickets at Mountain Stage (Mom's an associate producer there). It was like old times except the roles were reversed. She did a fabulous job and wouldn't even let me pay her. Hmmm, she just might be due for some new woven table linens don't you think? She's more than earned them.


On Expo Day, we got there early in order to set up the last little bits of this and that, tag some items for sale, and make sure we had everything the way we wanted. It really worked out beautifully. While I helped teach children and adults to weave on a small cardboard loom, Mom took over sales. Many friends and family came to visit and see the expo. It was so good to see so many!

Honestly, I couldn't have done any better in my mind. I was in the Charleston Daily Mail the Friday before. Talk about publicity! Nice article and it focused on my education, current adventure with FibersStudio and the activity I had planned for children or whomever wanted to learn to weave. I was completely floored and honored. I heard from many friends who had read it and this made the event even more special.

I am of the mind that experience is also a key educational tool. So I went into this expo thinking if I sell one item I'd be happy. Well, I sold more than one. I sold enough to pay for my booth cost & the cost of the trip to and from. I made a very nice profit.

I loved that people whom I did not know that had read the article in the paper about me and came to see me. Some made a the very direct point that they were there because they wanted to meet the weaver in the paper. Some were weavers & knitters themselves. I enjoyed talking to them and hearing their thoughts on what I had done, but especially seeing their eyes light up when they began talking about their own projects. When you really love what you do it shows in how you talk about it. I notice that people usually square their shoulders a bit, lift their head, look into your eyes and talk with such grace about what they do in full smile. Some wanted to know about the project I had prepared for the kids. I gave away many cardboard loom kits to those who were interested. I figure why not? What better marketing tool is there out there than giving something to someone. Maybe they'll find something they love in trying something new.

The kids were amazing. This was my favorite part because I love teaching even though I do not do it now for a living. I would simply hand the children a loom, their favorite color of yarn on the table and a plastic tapestry needle. Then I would show them the very basic technique of weaving over and under each warp thread. With in seconds they got it -really got it! They took to the project very quickly. They were excited about it and talked about it, and asked for help! In the end most had to go before they finished, but they just took their little kits with them yarn, needle and all. I was happy they liked it enough to take it home with them!

I preach "Do what you LOVE!" constantly to anyone who will listen. I am extremely passionate about what I do whether it is graphic design, web design, being a mom, speaking about autism or even my FibersStudio adventures. I am a complete dreamer who fully fits those lyrics, "Dream on, dream on, dream until your dreams come true" that's sung by Aerosmith. Cheesy, but true!

I believe to the depths of my soul that if you really do what you love good things will come to you. That's why I started FibersStudio. I needed to get back to doing what I really loved and I felt I had no choice but to start when I did. There was no question in my mind that I could not wait any longer.  I am only now working in my spare time with my FibersStudio adventure, but it's all mine and I love it.

A fortune I recently got in a cookie said this: "Through greater effort and hard work a precious dream comes true." I can honestly say this dream is coming true and I am a happy girl.

Do something you love today. Never ever be afraid to dream and go for it! For me going to the Art Expo and getting my name out there was just that. I cannot tell you how happy I was to hug my friend from high school that introduced me to the expo! Or how much it meant to just be out there. It made all the difference!

Welcome Spring - Welcome New Projects!

Oh, can you smell it!? Can you hear it!? Spring is coming. It really is! The birds are chipping, the breeze smells of light rain and the flowers are starting to push up through the Earth. It really is coming. FibersStudio is also adjusting to the warmer weather with new projects on the horizon.

I've worked out a new spring banner for starters for this blog and FibersStudio.etsy.com.  Projects like shawls are being worked on in knitting and charted for weaving. These are light and airy shawls being knitted in deep pinks and natural colors. Plus woven table linens for your home are in the works in the form of drawings. So much to do! Thank goodness the days are filled with more sun!

But before I get to the new projects I am enjoying finishing up weaving baby blankets for now.  I am weaving one that has a pink weft with muted blue, yellow and white warp stripes. The pattern I am using is an 8-harness twill woven with Simply Soft yarn by Caron. It's a 100% acrylic yarn and not your 1980's yarn either that was itchy. It is soft and flows well for the blankets.

The shawls to be woven are to be in three different colors: dusty pink, deep violet and cream for the loom. The yarns are rayon, cotton and flax for pink and violet and a cotton slub for the cream. Light weight and woven at about 2 feet by 6 feet I think. Tassels that will be twisted for a nice finished look and beads added where I will knot the warp threads to finish it off.

For knitting I am continuing to work on the deep pink ladder ribbon shawl-very open and light. I put this aside for months not meaning too. Amazing how things get shoved back and almost forgotten! It is a drop stitch pattern that is pretty simple over all, but finishes with an elegant drape to it. The ladder ribbon does feel like liquid fabric in the end.

I am itching to get to the table linens - table runners and place mats with possible matching napkins. I have a lot of Maysville Warp left over from years gone by. Plus I want to use up all the material and older clothes I have collected to use as rag. I don't particularly enjoy weaving rag, but I do like the possibilities of recycling materials and this is a great way to do it! I will cut all the materials down to somewhere between 1/2 to 1 inch wide and then sew all the strips together to form a nice long rag to weave with.

So much to do! But like I said the days are a little longer each day and that helps me to continue working longer. I need to build my inventory back up after having a successful holiday season. Enjoy the warmer weather, the birds singing and tackling new projects for the spring!

Born to Create

Often I get this question, "When did you decide to become an artist Valerie?" 

I suppose at some point I did have to make the decision to actually be an artist in this life, but honestly I feel I was born an artist. That may be a bold statement, but it's exactly how I am. I was born this way. I know it and have felt it all my life. 

Very early in my life I began creating. I was a kid that just picked up pencils, crayons, or whatever I could find and manipulated materials. I created with clay out of the creek that I would gather myself. I drew in the dirt. I did whatever I could to use my hands to make something, anything. Sewing along beside my grandma, great grandma and mom gave me my first exposure to fibers.

Encouraged by my family to create I drew or painted my world around me. My grandmother put me in front of an easel with paintbrushes, oil paints and turp at age 4. Exposure to materials early on in my life made it a lot easier for me to pick them up when I got to school. I felt comfortable and did not hesitate in picking up and trying new ideas because of it. I won art competitions or placed in each show I've entered throughout my childhood and up through college because I was not intimidated to try.  I knew how to manipulate the materials to create what I was seeing in front of me. or what was in my mind.

How do I continue to nourish this creative energy though? I've dabbled in many different mediums with many different tools in school through college graduate classes. Once I entered into grad school I had to choose my main focus as an artist. Many, many people thought I would pick painting as my concentration, but I did not. I picked weaving (textiles) and landscape drawing. 

To this day I do not regret this decision. I feel a complete connection to fibers/textiles and I've always enjoyed drawing. The connection is to that I physically touch. I enjoy feeling materials and tools in my hands. I love smelling the newness of unwashed wool with the lanolin intact that is so very soft to hold. I feel the threads I pass through the shed of my loom as I throw the shuttle from left to right and back again. So it's a very hands on approach that I like and makes me feel good as I create. This is what keeps me coming back over and over again.

I am also drawn deeply to process. Not necessarily the beginning or end of a project/product, but the in between of it all - be it knitting, tatting, sewing, weaving. Watching the cloth grow with each move I make, each loop I knit, each pass of the shuttle, or each treadle I change with my feet to create a pattern. I feel most alive with this movement and somehow a part of me is in every single thread I pass. That's the connection that also makes me want to perfect a technique I am working on each time I set down to go about creating a new piece.

Some people never really know what they want to be in life. I am one who knew as soon as my feet hit the ground running. I believe this as a gift and feel an obligation to be committed to perfecting my art as I walk through this life. It's really as simple as this - I was born to create.

High Five Fridays! - Inventory is LOW!

Wow, what a fun year it's been! Lots to be said about just jumping in and going for it since April 1, 2009.  Over half of my inventory sold. Now mind you it was around 30 items. Not that much, but it is a start for a gal who is a wife, a mom of 3, and also a design contractor working part time. Whew! 

So what is on my create list for 2010? 

Weaving: In general I would like to do more of this. On my loom I am going to weave 2-3 more baby blankets. Then set up the loom for a few rectangular twill shawls with nice twisted tassels. I'll move toward weaving some table linens - using rag from castaway clothing, etc. and onto some out of just tread too. Finally I'll be weaving some lovely scarves out of many threads in the warp that I need to be using up from other projects. 

You might notice I am going from largest to smallest as I progress here. It makes sense really to do this with weaving all these projects. That way I do not have to rethread the heddles each time I change to a new project. I can leave the threads tied in the heddles (in front and in back of the heddles in groups of eight as an example) and when I move toward wider items again...I just pick up those threads that I had left behind, simply tie on the new warp in a square knot and pull through the heddles. Saves time and keeps you from rethreading constantly. Now this is only if you keep the same threading pattern! Of course you know.

Knitting: I am going to go forward with some wire and bead experiments. I will try out different gauges and techniques and see if I can come up with something that makes sense to create for my shop on Etsy. I'll continue with scarves I am sure and I have enough material to do several simple shawls. I have one in progress now. It's a lovely thin ladder yarn in a nice blend of pinks. 

Paper creations: I really want to focus on working with creating small multiples. Like tags for gifts, small thank you cards, etc. I have several brown paper bags to dissect and create with. I will still sew paper and fabrics/ribbons together somehow, but maybe use simple shapes like hearts, flowers, cakes, etc. 

I think I will go now and finish up my order I got in on Wednesday night now so I can put it in the mail tomorrow. Two more ribbons scarves just flew off my Etsy wall! I am off to create more to replenish the supply!

Enjoy the weekend and all the possibilities for creating!

Why for the love of fibers?

What on Earth possesses me to create with fibers...

Well, it's simple really. I have been involved in some sort of fiber art since I was a very young girl learning to quilt & sew with my grandma and great-grandma in Missouri during my summer breaks. When I was at home I was also surrounded by my mom's crochet and macramè projects. It was wonderful growing up at the end of the fibers arts boom! And as a child it was so comfortable for me to just pick up a pencil and start drawing the world around me, paint with oil paints or piece a pattern by hand for a quilt.

Since I was in college though either paper or yarn has been my main choice to create with: either by weaving it, drawing on it, or sewing both together on my sewing machine. Simply sitting with knitting needles passing the time with yarn intertwined around my fingers makes me feel whole. I just love working with my hands! I believe it is something that is within me and seeing it all around me when I was growing up ~ it is so natural just to choose it. So you see my environment instilled a love & passion of fibers and the idea of something being handmade that has never really left me.

I was never dissuaded from being an artist by my family either. But I was encouraged to branch out and do different things. So that's just what I did. Knowing I would have to make a living I successfully completed a bachelor of fine arts in Graphic Design and a masters of arts in Weaving (textiles) from Marshall University. I got the best of both worlds you see. Plus I even worked as a production weaver for a while too. But for the last 15 years I have worked steadily as a graphic designer and on top of that since 2000 as a web designer/architect.

But between my work, marriage and having beautiful children I was lacking something along the way. I was craving fibers again and I just wasn't taking time to create in that matter. So last year I picked up some knitting needles, dusted off my loom and sewing machine and set some goals. I basically took over my dining room which is now decorated with large baskets and bowls of yarns with knitting needles sticking out of them. My loom is threaded and ready to weave a blanket and my sewing machine is just waiting for me to be inspired.

I brought my love of weaving, knitting & paper creations (stationery, etc.) to my own line of fiber-related arts called FibersStudio by Valerie J. Asbury. FibersStudio was launched on April 1st, 2009 on etsy.com. I have started with simple scarves, woven baby blankets and a few pieces of simple stationery. My love of color and textures are combined with a sense of fashion and design that mixes with the highest craftsmanship I can achieve. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and a must-have for any home or just that special gift to give to someone you love...that might even be you!

And that's where I am at for now. Visit my current creations at fiberstudio.etsy.com. There are many new projects on the horizon and I'll take you though process of creating them very soon! Plus I plan to talk a bit about that connection of graphic design and fibers that I believe is in every piece I work on.