Thoughts...

I've been thinking about my fiber art work almost exclusively, while planning the fabrics I'll have ready for the Surface Design Association Conference in San Antonio, TX. Since giving myself purrrrrmission to put fiber art back into my life, I've been "studying" some of my previous work. I can see that, while some of my thoughts have been greatly expanded (with age?), some remain much the same, as in this piece.... "Entanglements"

What was in my mind was the influences of our own backgrounds can begin to influence people with whom we spend time....whether it's knowledge, habits, fears, principals, convictions, preferences in anything in life. We remain the same in appearance, yet subtle little things are adopted like thoughts... feelings... ways of doing things.

We can pass on the bad just as easily as we can pass on the good.

I'm still waiting for my "new" sewing machine to return from the sewing machine doctor. I am going to begin to create larger Raggy Cats. These will no longer be pin cushions, but will be art pieces....I cannot wait to get at it!!!

But, alas, tax work invades the space and demands attention. I will continue doing that for now and get it DONE!!! My Harley is in pieces and being prepared for the Leiman trike kit....don't you know that I am anxious about THAT?!?!?! I have so many reasons to get done with taxes as soon as I can! There's great challenge ahead and so much potential joyjoyjoy....from what art I do to where I go and how I get there!

I hope a Merry Christmas was had by all and I think looking toward 2013 with new hope and determination is already in my DNA.

This is short for now, but hope to add more soon! I'm sending out many happy thoughts of good will, of hope and love and Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

For the International Quilt Festival in Houston....I'm on the verge of serge!

Okay, I've finally done it. You know that, in previous posts, I have written in detail about how I machine sew a zig-zag stitch into the cut edges of the fabrics and This-N-Thats and have done this for years now.

This is great preparation for the machine washing and drying process that I require to bring about maximum shrinkage of all of my cloth.

Insuring that my fabrics are truly READY to sew is very important to me and I hope that the effort gives my buyers confidence.

The first time I saw an edge of my handwoven fabric after it had been serged was many, many years ago and it looked just plain HORRIBLE. I have feared sergers ever since....yes, for all those years...because it was a professional who had done that serging, so I lacked the confidence that I could do better.

But all that has changed!!!

In fact, I now own and use a serger and here's some photos to show it!

This whole journey started when I decided to list my handwoven fabrics in a wonderful virtual stockroom for designers called Source4Style. I've mentioned it a few times here and am excited to be on this award-winning site. So, anyway, I needed to produce samples, which you know I have been quite resistant to do because of all that time needed cut and secure the edges of little samples that really end up being rather expensive....using the zig-zag stitch would have simply taken FOR--EV--ER!

But, I really wanted to give this concept a try, because the serging process is so much faster and I do have miles and miles of cut edges to secure on fabrics and This-N-Thats. So I took my hand woven fabrics into a wonderful New Mexico shop and said, "Sew THIS!" .....Well, the brand called "brother" that they showed me sped right through those fabrics like they were butter with a hot knife!

I got a detailed lesson which helped me understand the workings of the machine and I learned about adjusting the tension for each weight of fabric. Yes, the heavier ones like Desert Daze and the very light angelic ones like fabrics from Grace (picture above) all serge just fine! I have no doubt that one of my blankets from Doris would also work equally well! Fabrics from Hazle ....like the light-as-air Tencil and Silk (shown at this link....  http://marketplace.source4style.com/browse-marketplace/handwoven-tencil-silk.html ....) did purrrrfectly, too!

Well, I wanted to share the fact that, even if you have had a bad first experience... try, try again...

And don't take 30 years to try, either.....just saying....

Just goes to show ya'.....old cats CAN learn new tricks!

Better late than never, I'm sending out Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

International Quilt Festival Is Coming! ...And I'm weaving like crazy!

Wearing sweaters in the mornings now...in the 40's for lows.... but still weaving like crazy for International Quilt Festival. This is the last fabric on my loom named Jimmy, where I weave my Desert Nights Series. This fabric is the very last....wow....I plan to change things up a bit, but it will still be Desert Nights.

I have to admit that I wasn't totally crazy about the medium green and I wanted more colors. I was only able to get 62 yards in this warp because of the finer set and running out of warp threads!

I really, really liked the left selvedge that was inspired by the night sky toward Albuquerque....those night lights always reminds me how little the earth can be.

I want to use jewel colors for the Desert Nights Series 2 and endeavor to keep them more the same in the shade and value.

I'm also going finer with the next warp....all 20/2, both the colors and the black. I've got it all planned.

I've listed this fabric in Source4Style. To see my fabrics there, I don't have a landing page, but here's how you can do it:

Go to this link:  http://www.source4style.com/

Then, click on "Source The Marketplace"

Then, click on "In Stock", then "Type" and choose 'Wovens', then "Handmade...the little hand", then under "Origin" choose 'USA', then, choose 20 per page, then hit 'Search'.  You need to hit 'Search' pretty quickly or the page will flip back to clear!

There you can see all of my fabrics with several others that are handwoven.

To see this fabric, which I titled "Desert Nights in Moonlight", here's the link:
http://marketplace.source4style.com/browse-marketplace/handwoven-desert-nights-in-moonlight.html

This first Desert Night Series has been fun and I've gotten sooooooooooooo much variety out of this warp! I have many This-N-Thats from this warp, too and they are gorgeous! For more information about This-N-Thats, go to my blog list (under HOME) and click on "My Fun This-N-Thats"!

Thanks so much for reading....I'm sending out a lovely flower below...
and Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

14 steps to make each Fabric Flower Pin ~ a labor of love...

International Quilt Festival In Houston, Texas ~Booth # 1536 !

https://www.etsy.com/listing/99453085/cute-little-raggy-cat-pin-cushion

Popular Desert Night fabric from my loom named Jimmy!

Everyone should have a project that makes them giggle, and my little Raggy Cat Pin Cushions do that for me! At $14, this makes a great gift for someone who sews or a 'cat purrrrrrson'! There's a link if you can't wait until Houston!

I am busy weaving This-N-Thats, like in the photo above, for the International Quilt Festival in Houston taking place November 1-4 with a preview night on October 31!

This will be a first time event for me, though I have been told for YEARS that I should go there and be a vendor.

If you haven't been exploring my blog, one might not know what a This-N-That IS....it's handwoven yardage that's less than a yard.

This-N-That from my loom named Stanley!

I am weaving literally 100 new ones, to bring along and will have some new garments, too, made out of my handwoven fabrics. While in Texas, we will be visiting my dearest friend, Rachel and boy do I need a Rachel-FIX! And hug, too...on both sides!

There seems to be no end to the number of This-N-Thats that I can create. I have produced some from 6 of my 9 floor looms, no 2 alike, each unique and ready to make into something WONDERFUL!

A This-N-That full of color...what would YOU make?

All the photos here are This-N-Thats, machine washed and dried and ready to make into something unique!



I've got yardage, too, from my many looms and there's such variety....all are easy care, ready to sew.

Thanks for looking....I'll be in Booth #1536.....come visit if you can make it to the International Quilt Show 2012 and see these fabrics for REAL!



Miles and Miles of Smiles,
: D
Cat B.

Goodbye, Desert Daze Series 7....I sure am going to miss this warp. I think it was my favorite...the colors were strong and lively, but not too bold. And they so accurately reflected the colors of my natural world.

I have listed this fabric on my newest site, Source4Style. They seem to be a nice group, they care about the environment, they are international, and I have listed 11 yardages up there for designers to browse around in the stock room like kids at a birthday buffet. Here's the site:  http://www.source4style.com/

To see this fabric as it's listed in Source4Style, here's the listing for "Day Play:

http://marketplace.source4style.com/browse-marketplace/handwoven-desert-daze-day-play.html

I've chosen the next warp for Deedle that will be 'canvas' for my Desert Daze 8. I will cost several hundred dollars to dress that loom with the 70 yards that I usually wind on....I'll order soon and then watch for UPS trucks!!!

My energy still eludes me and I fight each day to stay at work, driven, I'm sure, by the wonders of weaving and the I'll-try-one-more-thing effect...

Thanks for reading and I'm sending out Miles and Miles of Smiles,  Cat B.

I am traveling the world while weaving at a loom...

There's a pretty wonderful article about TAFA List ~ Textile And Fiber Art List and a photo of Stanley! The article was written by the creator of TAFA List, and it's so inspiring! You can see the entire article here:
http://www.hercircleezine.com/2012/09/01/tafa-the-textile-and-fiber-art-list-artists-working-together/

In the article, see this fabric, "Classy Brass" in progress on Stanley!

The article is for a magazine called "Her Circle" and it's really quite good. I have it on my favorites now, so I can visit it often at:  http://www.hercircleezine.com/ It is very up-to-date and full of thought provoking commentary and encouraging conversation.

I feel so honored and thrilled to have had a photo from my Studio in this article. And, it is great to read something that so completely explains why I joined TAFA in the first place!

Also, I just wanted to share....can't help myself. I have joined Surface Design Association, inspired by my experiences with the talented fiber artisans in Texas. For many years, I have been in awe of these fearless, adventurous, exciting fiber artisans who just seem to know how to make this media do their bidding. I worked for a long time with my dear friend, and designer, Rachel Edwards, who did magic with my handwoven fabrics and my association with her truly is the beginning of my global journey. I have put up my limit of photographs and here is the link:  http://www.surfacedesign.org/users/cat-brysch  I will also be adding this link to my list under "Find me on the World Wide Web!"

Another adventure is about to unfold for me as I am about to become a supplier on Source4Style which is a online stockroom/trade show that designers can look around inside and find fabrics from around the world to add to their projects. I have added some of my handwoven fabrics to that site...here's a link after clicking on SOURCE THE MARKETPLACE and clicking on IN STOCK, WOVENS, HANDMADE, USA, 20 PER PAGE and then click SEARCH, and you will get this page:
http://marketplace.source4style.com/?type=4&material=&origin=66&new_attributes=70&color=&in_stock=1

Finally, I am hoping that all fiber artists will take a good, long look at TAFA, too... There is not single place on the web that will work harder for its members...go see TAFA here:  http://www.tafalist.com/ 

And here's my profile page on TAFA here:  http://www.tafalist.com/members/cat-brysch-creations-studio As you can see, that one little page can hold SOOOOO much information. It's worth its weight in gold!

Well, that's all for now, but there's an endless amount of Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

Midnight's Desert in Moonlight"

I said in my description about this yardage that I always thought midnight blue was a color.....now, after living in this truly enchanting high mountain desert, I know ... it's a event.

After a date with my dear husband, late on a Saturday night, after doing the grocery shopping down the mountain, we are heading home and there's quite an assent to get to our Village. There's a 'place' after the climb where the sky seems to open up, there's a sigh, a place that I feel is "up top", where the climb becomes ever so gentle and it seems almost flat. There, with Albuquerque's lights glowing in the sky many, many miles away, I see it there above... and all around me....for the first time in my life......midnight blue...

The sky was aglow with the moonlight, stars so bright, the whole world seemed to be actually ... be glistening, bringing colors to almost every surface around me....the earth, the plants, the mountains, the hard rock faces and the forests....
it was almost touchable...
and was I feeling it on my skin...was I glistening?
I could almost hear it....
or could that have been my heartbeat.

The weave structure is shadow weave.

I didn't write this shadow weave draft but only altered it to make just the right texture for this fabric.

Having turned the photo to show the left selvedge  at the top, this is where the lights of Albuquerque glowed in the northern sky.....   our northern lights.

"Midnight's Desert in Moonlight" is now merely fabric again, to be cut into making something else... It started out as a wonderful child-like experience, then became a storm of creativity, was then a joyous time in weaving it and has traveled such very far distances, all since that magical night. I am so honored that  it was accepted for display in Texas and California during Convergence.

Now it is home and I have its little sample to keep....and remember. Soon this fabric will be in my booth for my next show (I am going to the Houston Quilt Show!)....what will it become next? I plan to leave the hanging rod hand sewn neatly inside the casement just in case someone wants it for display as it is.......   I rather hope so.

I am holding gently on to soooo many thoughts of my travels, of the people I've met, of the experiences that simply cannot ever be replaced and I am sending out many Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

"Simply de Vines"...now that Convergence is over....

I just have to share! I have worked so hard to get this fabric ready to go, weaving on it starting on January 9th of 2012, get it finished and photographed, putting a backing on it for better showing....but the whole time, I could not share a photo of it because it had not yet appeared in the "Longitude" exhibition at Convergence. But, now that Convergence is over....

HERE IT IS......................

Okay, so this is a close-up....but I LOVE this photo. This is what I was looking at for weeks and weeks while weaving it, so I am rather fond of the view!

Okay, okay, so here's a larger, overall view...remember it's called "Simply de Vines":

What do you think?

There is 4.5 yards of three enormous climbing vines, growing this way and that. And EACH flower took 27 yards of white rayon chenille!

The leaves are all individually cut commercial velvet fabric and hand-sewn on, one at a time....each vine was anchored down, too, but that doesn't show in the photo. The anchoring down process improved the look of the vines and gave them character...I need to get a photo of that once the fabrics arrive back in the studio.

I am so honored to have this fabric chosen for exhibition and the way it looked hanging was a real treat!

I plan to share several photos of the process of preparing this huge work for exhibition, but I have to re-size the photos and get them ready....that will be for another post.

Gosh, I guess I'm still on Cloud 9 about this piece....what shall be made of it...an opera coat? a wall hanging? pillow covers? It's definitely for sale at $1,800 as is, but, if no takers, it'll become something fabulous!

At a later post I will show the other fabric that was in the same exhibition....it was woven in my loom named Jimmy...have I ever told the story of Jimmy? Until then, keep weaving, keep trying, keep dreaming.

I'm sending out Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

Getting Ready for Convergence 2012!

This is the cloth beam on my loom named Deedle. I weave my Desert Daze fabric on Deedle and this is some of Series #7 of this my most popular fabric.

Deedle is only one of several looms holding Convergence fabrics!  If the cloth beams of most of my looms are any indication, I'm almost ready for Convergence 2012 in Long Beach in California!

I still have miles and miles of zig-zag stitching to do on all of these yardages and This-N-Thats and then OOOH, the joys of laundry days returns!

I hope to get lots of visitors to my booth....HEY, come look me up in Booth #406. I will have some of my new clothing there....this is just the start of offering ready-to-wear clothing for sale, but I will enjoy showing what can be done with my handwoven fabrics!

They are not even up on my Etsy Shop....
Convergence is the first place where they can be seen!

Come visit and, until then, I'm sending out Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

Bare Feet, Cool Treadles....the joys of summer!

It's always good to stay in the moment, and, by the heat of afternoon, I am usually weaving on Hazle...Weaving on that project is as close as I can come to working in the garden, because I'm putting these lovely pink flowers all across the fabric.

While I'm weaving in this heat, by the time I am ready to move to the next part of the draft, the treadle I am using is warmed up and then, upon changing, there's the pure joy of cool wood  greeting my toes! Yes, stay in the moment and appreciate it ALL!

The photo is of Desert Nights on Jimmy. I decided to try some light colored wefts on Desert Nights just to see if I like it. It's nice, but, as you can see by the photo of the DARK edge of the fabric, the dark shades are pretty much compromised....I am enjoying the contrast and will weave until I run out of these wefts.... or run out of TIME!

That's all for now...must go hang the last load of laundry...there's another joy for you....remember? The sweet, lovely fragrance on clean, air-dried sheets and pillow cases at slumber time.....aaaaaah. Until, I have Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

"Okay...so...somebody has been weaving!"

It's the best way to start this post...with a recent quote from a visitor to my studio at the sight of this roll of fabric on Stanley!

When am I not weaving, more like!

This is about 13 yards of a fabulously simple cloth that was fun and fast and oh so plain a tabby.

The stripes are 20/2 rayon and 20/2 black mercerized cotton on a 16/2 black/charcoal cotton marl. I thought at the time that it might make good fabric for a men's shirt....that was my vision.

A gentleman visiting my booth in Taos recently commented that none of my fabrics were...well.....masculine. I really hadn't thought about that much, so I've decided to change that a bit!

In a previous post, I had told about laundry days and the efforts that go into my fabrics before they ever appear in my booth. This 13ish yards becomes 10ish yards after machine washing/drying, but there's a few steps in between that 13 and that 10....

First I have to "extract" the yardage where it started lashed onto the loom....yes, I remove the lashing and save it for the next project...satisfies the Scottish. It takes a little longer, but, for some reason, I like to do it.

Then I lug this big roll over to the sewing machine and zigzag.... Patience is needed now....and thoughts of new projects dance in my head!




This is the last of a long warp on Stanley and I'm about to make a big change on him, too...ah, but that's for another post!




This is when I begin to think that laundry days are just pretty darn cool....all the zigzagging stitch has been machine sewn at each end of the yardage, so that it won't unravel during it's finishing in the washer and dryer.

The end of this little story is that, after all my planning for a "masculine" fabric, a lovely lady came into my booth and immediately bought enough of it to make a SKIRT!

And, I'll bet she is looking just FABulous right now, too!

This has to be short for now.....so many demands in the studio...do you hear it calling? Keep laughing at life and dancing to your own tune. I'm sending out Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

Summer Days, Smokey Haze, Desert Daze...and other stuff!

It's been awhile since I have offered a new post and I'm in the thick of so many things now that I'll have to make several tries to complete what's on my mind....as though I can ever accomplish THAT!

Have you heard about our smokey skies because of the big fire down south? We are doing fine, effected by the smoke, keeping our windows shut and continuing to find our high mountain desert home a blessing....

I am back from the New Mexico Quilters Association's "Spring Fling" which was a total delight! You know how you make lists to help you remember things....well, I have a show packing list, but never thought to put my camera on that list.... until I was ready to take photos of my new booth set-up for when I have a double booth. My sweet friend, Carry Wilcox, came along and I asked her to take this photo on her phone...now bad, heh?

First, I want to mention that this show was absolutely delightful, well-run, well-set up, lovely location at the Albuquerque Convention Center, easy load-in, wonderful load-out....I highly recommend this show to vendors and shoppers alike!!!

Now, as I was saying....I had no idea that photos from a phone could catch so much light! I was so thrilled and grateful to Carry since this is the only....let me say that again....ONLY....photo that I have of the entire event!

I really liked my new set-up and I have exciting news as well. The reason I changed my set-up was that I will start to show clothing in my booth!

I should be all ready by Convergence 2012. I made the decision because people were coming into my booth, making a bee-line for one of my garments, dropping purse, bags and packages to start to try something on only to have me say...."Oh, I'm sorry that is only a sample of what can be made out of my handwovens!" So, I have begun my long-awaited collaboration with a wonderful clothing designer who lives right here in my village. I won't mention her name until I ask her purrrrrrrrrmission, but I think she won't mind.

My new garment label !!!

So, I am feeling pretty happy about this development and she and I have just ordered our clothing labels and mine is just to the right.......

I'm feeling sort of like a school girl on this now. I used to have labels, but they were very....what's the word....understated.

But this new label is MEEEEEEE!

Let me know what you think!

I will be showing the garments once they are ready for that and they will be totally designed and made by my new designer....yes, that makes me her new weaver!

Here's an example of works that my dear friend, Rachel, has made with my handwovens and they recently appeared on runway!

This is Desert Nights fabric from my loom named Jimmy. It's 4-Harness Shadow weave and it has the same concept in all my "Desert Series" of earth on my right and sky on my left...that's as I wove it and as it will be when Rachel wears these. The wefts are chartruese and purple 20/2 and 10/2 cotton threads.

I soooooo wish I could have seen them on the runway...to see them come ALIVE when someone is wearing a piece that is my handwoven cloth is just stunning to me. She titled this one "Desert Daze Jacket".

Here's is another of her new works...I love this! Can you see the moon/star pieces hanging from the bottom of the front lapels/collars?

Rachel's creativity and design is unsurpassed and I know that she looks like an ANGEL whenever she wears this piece...I hope I get to see THAT!

Thank you Rachel, for making my fabrics soooooo much more than it ever was before! This fabric is the same Shadow Weave, but here I wove in Lurex which is a silver metallic thread that's so tiny, it take 88,000 yards just to get a POUND of it!

Rachel entitled this piece "Midnight in the Desert Jacket".  It certainly does glitter, doesn't it? This fabric was very similar to fabric recently selected for exhibition at Convergence 2012 in Long Beach California. The title of that piece is "Midnight's Desert in Moonlight" and will appear from July18th (?) to July 21st.

There sooooooo much more I want to show and share, but I am currently completely redressing Stanley and winding on 62 yards on Margaret right now and they are calling....can you hear them, too?!?!? Also, I have decided to sew a backing on another fabric that was chosen for exhibition in Convergence 2012...that's other happy news.....they chose TWO of my pieces!!!!!!!! I just about fell OVER!!!!!

There will be more soon, either added on or a new post. Until then, think happy thoughts, enjoy summer, do something peaceful and quiet for yourself, and I'll add my good karma to all that by sending out Miles and Miles of Smiles....Cat B.

I went, I saw, I had FUN!

The Taos Fiber Marketplace was a complete delight! The whole event was set-up so nicely, run in a very professional manner, PR was excellent and I'm ready to go back again next year!


I was invited to participate in this show and was so thrilled to be a part of it. I have wonderful memories and look forward to seeing everyone next year!

During this time at the show, and for about a week+ before, I was able to mend up from my sciatica and can weave again! I will have to change places around the studio more often to give myself a break from any one movement or position, but I'm soooo happy to be weaving again. I am continuing on a sofa throw on Doris and starting a baby blanket on The Old Structo! I'm so happy to be weaving again.

Also, I wanted to mention that, down near the bottom of my blog, near my pageviews, above my "Well...the Cat's out of the bag photo"....you can see a slide show.....check it out!

And this is what I see outside my studio windows! Have a happy spring....live every day as though it is new and every flower as the wonder of nature that it is.....I'm sending you Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

Okay, Taos...here I come!

This post comes with instructions....COME TO TAOS! This weekend, there's a lovely new event taking place and I am sooooooooo glad that I was invited to be a part of it!

Here's more instructions....LOOK FOR THIS BOOTH!

Really, look for this booth at the Taos Convention Center....it's mine and, if you can come to Taos this weekend, you will find this booth all set up and stuffed with my handwoven yardage, stoles, blankets, scarves and Raggy Cat Pin Cushions!


There is so much for going on at this event that you just can't MISS it!

Make your plans now...no, not just to see so me....though that would be FUN,

But to see the whole event:
April 20th, 21st and 22nd
Taos Fiber Marketplace
Taos Convention Center 
Friday andSaturday, 9-6 
Sunday, 9-2


Here's the link to their website:  http://www.taosfibermarketplace.com/


Okay, here MORE instructions.....if you see this face...come say "HI" ! ! ! ! !

My sciatica is getting better every day now and I'm looking forward to this event....I'll be very careful with moving boxes and setting up and will do my best to be healthy enough to weave when I get back to the studio!

I hope to see you there and, until later, I'm sending those Miles and Miles of Smiles!!!!!

I'm stopped...

This has been really difficult, but I've not been able to weave now for about a week....and when I was trying last week, the pain grew increasingly intolerable....I'm totally stopped. I've got a lovely blanket in progress on Doris and I am done with the stole order on The Old Structo, so I would love to be able to start weaving a baby blanket on it. Margaret is in the process of getting a new soft white warp dummied-on to her old green warp and I haven't even tied back on Hazle, Grace or Stanley...they just have blankets draped over their front beams....

The tulips and the daffs are busier that I am!

I have put more items into my Etsy Shop and I'm happy to say that I finally added some of my fiber art.

I don't like to whine, but I cannot even work in the garden.

Things are starting to improve, but I still have a painful time just sitting on a weaving bench.

Oh, yeah, guess, if I'm whining and moaning, I might say what I have...It is sciatica.

I've had it once before and it totally stopped me then, too. But I was being so careful about how I moved and sat during some very long hours with the stole....I thought I was doing okay.

The stole came off without a hitch. I had 16 wefts to weave in on a constantly changing order.

Here are ONE of the trays of colors.

I would weave all from the right tray, this one, then all from the left tray.


Yes, there are some wild and crazy wefts in here, but the client was fun and adventurous and we just WENT for it!

Here was the left tray.

Needless to say, the weaving went very, very slowly compared to how I can weave off a yard in an hour on some of my looms!

I weave on The Old Structo for all of my stoles, because, since it's rather a slow friend, I feel more calm and patient if I'm doing stoles on it.

I think it's okay to show here...

I'm carrying up ALL the colors on the selvedges!

I have 8 going up one side and 7 going up the other side.

I used a big craft needle to sew the threads into the fringe area prior to twisting the fringe...the few that you see there (lilac) I had to put in as I stitched the hemstitch because I would not have been able to sew them in...they would have stretched out to nothing...

I didn't get a photo of the finished stole. I decided, because I'm getting ready for a show in Taos, that I would photograph IF the buyer decided that the stole was not right for her.

They loved the stole!

But....no photo.

I try to "bloom where I'm planted", so, when weaving HAD to stop so I could heal, I decided to use the time well. I added a bunch of items to my Etsy Shop. I've got my fiber art up there, more scarves, more yardage and tons and tons of This-N-Thats. I would like to show some of my scarves here instead of in some of my pages (where I show things for sale).

This photo shows a 'batch' of my scarves...I call them Camille Scarves.

These scarves are made to give away as part of a service project that my guild has taken on.

These scarves go to chemo patients at a cancer treatment facility in Albuquerque.

I had crocheted a bunch of them and, as they lay over the back of a rocking chair on the living room, I must admit, I felt a sense of pride that I was helping in such a worthy cause.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97536640/crochet-scarves

As I looked, I began to realize that there was over $40 in yarns there...I want to continue to contribute to this project, but decided it might be a good thing if I started making some scarves to sell, just to help me fund the ones I give away.

So, I began to look for good quality wool fibers to make the same 'version' of this scarf, but for sale.

I have priced them reeeeeeeeeeeally low, just the cost of the yarn times 2, so I can fund the other scarves. I don't know how well it will go over, but I have these crochet scarves over in my Etsy Shop, and....I'll see how they sell, if at all, but, it's worth a try, right?

Which brings me to a point where I want to mention that I've changed my blog a bit....

I have added pages that are about items for sale from this blog and in my Etsy Shop. I just want to say, that the followers of this blog are NOT the targets of a sales campaign!!! Please know that I'm just trying to offer more sources of photos and the blog seemed a purrrrrrrrfect place to do it. I can only put so many photos up on my TAFA List page, and, though I've been trying, I can't list everything in my Etsy Shop either.

I still have my loom pages, and hope to be able to post more ordinary stuff again, now that I've got my global stuff going....if you are curious about where I am, just click on "Find Me on the World Wide Web". I've had fun learning about some of these places....some are for networking, some are for showing what I do and how I do it.....FaceBook is fun...I try to add a photo everyday.

To put it simply and straight forward....

I'm not trying to get followers of this blog to buy stuff!

I've got to end this post for now as sitting in this nice soft office chair is getting painful all the way down my right leg. I have to mend before move-in at the Taos Fiber Marketplace on Thursday. The show is from April 20- 22 and here the link to their site:  http://www.taosfibermarketplace.com/

Okay, I've had a break, stood around for quite awhile, had lunch....now on to my Trick on the Trade!

PHOTO 1

THIS IS HOW I ADD COLOR TO AN OTHERWISE PLAIN WARP. I use this method if it's, like the photo, there's an all white warp, but I weaving in colors. If I did nothing, the fringe would be all white, not at all like the stole, so I add color to the fringe.

I do this WHILE I am hemstitching, so, when I'm ready to twist fringe, it's all ready to go!

See the PHOTO 1, directly above...If you don't know how to hemstitch, any stitches book will show you....or, if you are a former student, it's in the student packet that I gave every one of my students. Referring to photo to right, this shows Step 1 of hemstitching...it's the 'horizontal stitch'...parallel to the fell, purrrrrrrrrrpendicular to the warp...hee!  hee! Perform that step completely.

PHOTO 2

To see the next step...PHOTO 2. See where I lay the colored thread over where I just performed Step 1 of the hemstitch? This colored thread needs to be long enough to reach the end of the fringe in one stitch and to the end of the fringe in the next stitch.

PHOTO 3

See PHOTO 3 where I perform Step 2 of the hemstitch. This is where I do the diagonal stitch...I go right under the colored threads that's laying there. Once I finish that step, the first 1/2 of the colored thread is now trapped in the hemstitch.

PHOTO 4

Next, I do a new hemstitch, Step 1 as normal (horizontal stitch), then Step 2 (diagonal stitch) and begin to pull that stitch through just like all the others.....BUT WAIT...just before you close that last stitch of the second hemstitch....see the PHOTO 4.

Just as your about to pull that last loop through, crasp the colors threads that are laying there and PULL THEM THROUGH THAT LOOP!!!

Now you have sewn in the colored thread as you are hemstitching. You can do one thread at a time (if that's what looks right to make the fringe look like it matches the cloth of the weaving (scarf or stole) or you can add as many threads as you want. I have been known to sew in as many as 12 threads into the fringe with each hemstitch pair....they were tiny.

PHOTO 5 shows the process done and you are ready for sewing another group of colored threads into your hemstitch.

It takes 2 hemstitches (or 4 steps) to sew in each group.

I lay pre-cut lengths of my colors threads up across my warp purrrrrrpendicular to the warp) and extract what I need from one end which I hold gently to the other end of the mass of threads laying there...everything stays neat, if you do this, too.

Now, when you are doing this whole process, don't pull tightly anywhere....just pull things up NEAT, but not overly tight. You want the bridge from stitch one and stitch two to be smooth, not loopy or loose, but neat and smooth. These 'bridges' don't seem to be noticed after the fringe is twisted and the stole/scarf is washed and dried....it just all looks like it 'belongs'. I've been using this technique since I created it back in the early 80's....I'm sure it's not new, just never saw it before and made it up on my own.

I'm glad I could finish this post the way I wanted....the Advil has kicked in and the pain is just so-so. I'm going to go stand up and work on my fabric that's been accepted for exhibition at Convergence....standing up is good. I will try to help pack up the trailer tomorrow...I hope this sciatic nerve swelling has gone down more by then....wish me luck.

Until next time, I wishing you, from the bottom of my heart, Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

I'm going GLOBAL...no, I'm still not a worldly woman...

I've just joined this wonderful, beautiful site called The TAFA List...The Textile and Fiber Art List! I'll be adding pages soon, just as I am adding pages to my blog here....did you notice? Check out my new pages to the right of this post, under The Work...with a little help from my friends. I've added "AAAh...Those White-on-Whites" and "My Fun This-N-Thats"....check them out!

And, to go learn more about TAFA go to here:  http://www.tafalist.com/
I highly recommend this site to any fiber related artist who is interested in learning how to market their work. I have learned so much. And, it's great fun to click on the MAP, click through to +s and arrows to find people. I'll bet you can find me in New Mexico without much effort!

And see my profile in paaaaaaaarticular.......here I am!
http://www.tafalist.com/members/cat-brysch-creations-studio

I have had an Etsy Shop for quite a long time now and have had lots of fun with that. My Etsy Shop can be easily found by clicking here:   http://www.etsy.com/shop/CatBryschCreations

Another I joined quite some time ago is Weavolution. This is a wonderful forum to learn, share, teach...it's such a friendly place. Weavolution is at:  http://weavolution.com/

And my very own page is at:  http://weavolution.com/weaver/cat-brysch

More travels, an old dream awakes... and...going after Doris with a wrench!

I feel like I've been gone for sooooo long! I had many, many deadlines in recent months and I simply could not post in January or February! Ahhhhh!m it's nice to have a little break and have my own thoughts drifting about just because they want to drift about. It's so nice to be home and for my next "show", I'll be joining in the Las Aranas Spinners & Weavers Guild's annual members sale called "Spider's Market" in Albuquerque, NM! This is such a lovely show and is gaining popularity for shoppers even as far away as here in my Village of Magdalena!

My travels have taken me to Texas again...Kerrville, for the Texas Federations of Fiber Artists at the Inn of the Hills. This event is a regional conference and was quite nicely run, indeed. I was a vendor for just a few hours, but what a DAY! I hope they consider extended the stay of the vendors, to give us more time with interested booth visitors. These vendors were such a fun bunch of people that we had a great time just visiting and networking between "shopping times". If invited, I will definitely give it another go!

I did submit a couple of pieces for consideration for the Exhibition connected to the TFFA Conference and one was accepted!!!  What funfunfun! I don't know if you recognize it, but it's from my Desert Daze Series, warp #7 and I was so happy that they liked it!

Here I am, in the photo above, at the opening, trying to represent New Mexico with my favorite turquoise. And, yes, I tried to be a walking "billboard" of my handwoven stoles by wearing my old white workhorse stole. I'm with Rachel and sweet friends.... yes, Rachel took this photo. She is such a crowd gatherer that, when we would be wondering if she might be getting tired and ready to go home, we'd just look for the crowd and there would be our Rachel!

Here is one of several photos I took of Rachel as she visited with everyone... they seemed to always love what she was saying... I guess I'm not the only one, eh? One wonderful thing about Rachel's stories is, they are not just entertaining, they are lessons of art, of craft, often of life.

We all loved hearing her descriptions of how she created the shoe....yes, THE shoe...that is in the display case. The title of this work is "A Soul-Searching Experience". And it IS an experience to look at it!

If you would like to see a close up of this marvelous piece of art, let me know and I'll get you in touch with Rachel to buy a copy a wonderful book that's come out.

The title of the book is:
"Touching Fiber Arts"
by Carol Ikard and Jacque Smith

A close-up of the shoe is on page 77, and there are several other of Rachel's works that grace the pages of the book which is a work of art in it's own right! Check out pages 68-69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, too!

Okay, I am very honored to say that one of my works was included in the book, too, on page 39... one of my yardages from the loom I call Margaret... it was inspired by riding in the extreme of west Texas on one of our many journeys through the area. Here's a close-up...

You'll have to get the book to see the photo there....HA!

On to telling about an old dream and how it's a happenin'...I am finally weaving those blankets that I wrote about earlier. I did weave them as I wrote in the blog post "Texas Adventures".  I had photos in that blog and thank goodness because they sold SO fast that now I have none again! One sold out of my little booth in Texas at "Kids-N-Ewes & Llamas, Too!" and then the other old out of my Etsy Shop so fast that I head was spinning! I am planning on keeping the pricing the same for now to see if there's another 'flash' or if it was just the holiday shpping frenzy that fueled the sales. I have Doris and The Old Structo just about ready to begin to weave again...sofa throws on Doris and my first baby blanket in YEARS on The Old Structo. Wish me luck!

What is it you've heard me say a million times....."Success is hard work!"

Doris and....what? A WRENCH? Yes, okay, as much as we like to weave endlessly, there are times when we must stop, take the time, look over our loom 'friends' for maintenance purrrrrrrrrrposes...okay, from weavers I can hear the groaning, but...when not maintained, our looms will fail to make that puuuurrrrfect shed, will drop a treadle, or the beater bar holding that reed in comes off in your HAND....yes, this did happen to me and I was SHOCKED!

I've had this happen to me so many times over my almost 40 years in front of one loom or another ~ You are weaving along, happily, you're really in the cadence, shuttles are flying, the fell line is inching forward at a rewarding, give-me-instant-gratification kind of HIGH...when YUCK!

Now, my going after Doris with a wrench was to tighten up an "S" hook from with harness #3 hangs...it was loose and came undone, leaving me with a disadvantageously dreadful shed through which I tried to throw a poor, innocent shuttle having not noticed that there was a train wreck in that tunnel....the shuttle was entrapped in the shed in a newly formed indiscernible spider's web of 10/2 bleached white cotton.

Not a pretty sight......

Okay, so my point is, and HERE's MY TIP...take one day a month....say on the first of each month...and check all your bolts, wing nuts, pieces and parts and make sure things are snugged up tight, straight and neat and ready for the rigors you are about to put it through...and (I'm guilty of this one), when you tie-on aprons or cords need replacing, DO IT!

See you on the first of the month and until then I'm sending out happy thoughts and Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.