"Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 8 Compiled By David Collins Owned By Weavers Everywhere Date Sent: May 20, 1997 Subscribers: 152 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hi Friends, We have had a great response to list. Please feel free to mention "Weavers Words" in any newsletters, guilds or clubs that you participate in. Any and all weavers may join. The more the merrier. For all of the new subscribers: Simply send in an introduction with any of your experiences or questions. Happy Weaving, David Collins davidc@iei.net @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Stowe Basketry Festival! Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 21:39:20 -0400 From: "Karen M. Johnson" To: "David Collins" Hi Everyone! I have 3 digests to catch up on but I wanted to write and tell everyone how GREAT it was! We spread the word to former list members and new wannabe's. Stowe was my first convention and I'm still pinching myself for the fun I had. The teachers were great, I took two days of Nantucket's from Gladys Ellis (81 years YOUNG and still teaching) and her daughter Anne Lima. Gladys is a hoot, the first day I bought a special long very thin awl from her. It was great, a specially designed awl with her name on it, she made sure we all marked our tools because they all look alike. The next day she couldn't find her awl and asked if she could borrow mine. All of a sudden I hear her say "Hey.... I sold her my awl, it has my name on it!" (of course it also had my name too.) When I bought it the day before and saw her signature, I thought..."cool, I have an official Gladys Ellis awl". I also thought so did everyone else. I figured if Martha Wetherbee, Martha Stewart, etc. had names on their things, why not Gladys Ellis. We laughed so hard, and it was the joke of at least all the Nantucket students for the rest of the week that I was teachers pet and had an official Gladys Ellis awl. My next class was with Flo Hoppe, talk about being in awe. She was the most wonderful teacher - so funny and she makes the best faces. I had very little round reed experience and she was such a good teacher that I rarely had to ask a second time for an explanation. We made the diamonds and diagonals from her new book. I was not a round reed fan before this, but I really wanted to learn from her. When you hear raves about her second book, they are well deserved. The last day I took a knotting course from Mary Hetts....... (I can never remember how to spell her last name, it's very long!), she has the most wonderful necklace kits and does lots of beading too. It was so much fun to just hang around with, have dinner, breakfast and lunch with such great teachers. It was really something too when they would come around when you were in other classes and see what you were doing and be encouraging again! I sure have used a lot of !!!!! in this message, but I can't help it, it was just so exciting!!!!! :) My face still hurts from smiling and laughing all week. Maybe it was just the first time experience, but boy I can hardly wait till next year. Hi to Barb and Jean who I gave this list address to. Bye for now. Karen Johnson Brookline, NH @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: answers to 5 and 6 Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 11:47:06 -0400 From: "Larry D. Ridgeway" Organization: none To: davidc@iei.net Hi, gang! I have warm fingers so can type today! It will be close to 90, they say. It's been cold here ever since work began on the ducts so we couldn't use the furnace. Now it will probably soar, although we're getting closer to being able to use the heat/ac system once again. For Susan Waite: don't ask Larry--he's got no decorating sense at all!! The Nantucket border paper is available from Sturbridge Yankee Workshop, 800-343-1144. Item 81232, 10 1/4" high, 5 yds/roll, $15. They will send you a free sample if you ask. For Marie Nerdahl: Kathy Halter at Royalwood also has lots of patterns for waxed linen, plus of course a goodly supply. PS, I hope you knew that I was teasing you about the bigger bushel basket. I don't use all those too cute symbols--they affect me like the smiley faces: YUK. For all of you looking for books, Royalwood has an excellent range of titles with the added benefit of a discount if you order $50 or more. If you are a book junkie as am I, you will find this easy. Throw in a few spools of waxed linen and you have $50 with no problem. Someone asked earlier about making wire handles. I'd like to know too, if it isn't too hard. I have an idea for a special handle and approached two suppliers about it. One said they could do it, but then never answered my follow-up letter, and the other didn't reply either. Wouldn't you think they could at least say it's a lousy idea or they don't want to be bothered. Funny way to do business. Guess I'll go place my order for the wall paper border now before you all jump to the phones and buy it all! So long, Ann in Alexandria, VA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: waxed linen Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 07:05:41 -0500 From: monast@iquest.net To: davidc@iei.net Greetings from Yorktown Indiana. In regards to waxed linen: Royalwood Ltd. offers 30 colors in at least 3 different plies. Including such luscious colors as orange crush and a beautiful bright autumn yellow. There's also dark emerald green, williamsburg blue, teal and butterscotch. Walnut brown and charcoal grey and of course country red to go with royal or navy blue. Though I'm not a waxed linen and bead fetish pouch person, I did purchase a tiny elbow basket pattern done with black ash. The elbows are twined with two colors of waxed linen. Fabulous. They offer a color chart with samples of each color and each ply for $2.00. Normally I don't buy color charts, but this has been well worth it. In regards to fabric softener: I also use a little downy in the soak water. Most of my weavers have much appreciated the effect it has on the weavers hands. I have not ever had any problem with bleeding or overdying with either water-based home-made walnut dye or Min-wax type. In many cases it keep reed that has dried during the course of the class to stay flexible and less fraying. Don't use gobs of it, but one glug for about a pound of reed seems to work. There are also Amway and Shaklee products that make the "water, wetter" and work similarly. Back to the waxed linen: I have also used it successfully to do the God's Eye on a 4" egg basket. Once down, insert 5 ribs on either side and it finishes quickly. The tackiness of the linen really works to keep the God's Eye form. I have also changed colors during the God's Eye. Well gotta go get the boys off to school. Happy Weaving: Kristin Monastyrski @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 7 Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 11:28:24 +0000 From: Pamela Woodbury To: davidc@iei.net Hi Fellow Weavers, I thought maybe I'd be a little quieter on this list, but it appears too many of us are sitting back and watching so I thought I'd take my turn at helping to get things rolling. I'm Pam Woodbury, I live in Birch Run, MI, if you look at the MI map I am located in the thumb area about in the center of the state. There are many weavers in my area and I myself belong to 3 local guilds. I also belong to MI, IN, NE, MO and just recently called to join WI basket associations. Guess you could say I am really hooked. Like Cheri, you can read about me on Baskets, etc. I have been weaving now for over 10 years and starting selling and teaching my work from almost the first basket I ever made. I'm busy packing to get ready to go to MO, I'll be leaving here on June 4, as we are planning on visiting the Amana Colonies for a day. Anybody out there know if one day will be enough? I'll be teaching and vending at MO so anybody coming please stop by and say Hi. Thank you David for taking on this monumental task. I hope you are treated with respect and I look forward to a long run of this list. I must say I held back on joining after all the other problems with the past few lists I've been bounced around on, but have been very impressed with what I have observed in the past few days. Billie, thanks for the tip on sanding sealer. I am going to ASSUME that stain won't penetrate this so if I want the base stained I should stain it first then seal it. I like you am doing more and more wooden bases all the time. We've in the process right now of designing a new wooden base. I actually have it all designed, but am waiting on getting a special order handle that is extra sturdy for it. I hope to have it made in time to submit to IN. If not I'll certainly have it done in time to submit to others. Just a little on disasters at craft fairs. Last year I was all set up when a lady with porcelain came in and sat up next to me. I have a lot of things and I use shelving units and stack my things as high as I can reach. I'm only 5'1 so that probably isn't all that high. I usually put stair step baskets on top as they are tall and I figure people can see them from far away and hopefully draw them over to take a better look. We had spaces at least 12' x 12' and I took up every inch of my space. This woman with porcelain had one little table of porcelain pieces and sat up up butted right up against my display unit. She had all this extra unused space. I even casually said I hope nobody knocks one of those baskets onto your porcelain pieces. She still didn't move it away, so I made my mind up right then and there if something got broken I wouldn't pay for it. Thank Goodness nothing did, but you need to take some responsibility for your own merchandise. My biggest nightmare is not that I will break something of the crafter next to me, but that someone will knock over or the wind will knock over my display onto someones head and they will sue. I actually just purchased those big rubbermaid shelving units because I can't tell you how many people would lean against those shelving units. I can't imagine what people are thinking when something is portable and can be easily knocked over to use them to rest against. I have been meaning to get liability insurance for years and my next show is the first weekend in August and I think I will make sure I have it before then just for my own piece of mind. I could care less if something gets ruined and insurance to insure the baskets is very expensive so I think I will just break down and purchase liability. As usual I have gotten to long winded. Pam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: birdhouses Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 22:01:36 -1000 From: The Keener Clan To: davidc@iei.net Aloha! Thanks for all the comments re: buying the birdhouse at the craft fair. I was told recently that she was "after me" (and does that sound juvenile!) as I*d turned her in for selling non-handmade-by-her items at this certain fair. So if she thinks she*s "gotten to me" she has another think coming. As far as I*m concerned the whole matter is finished....and yes, I have the hideous birdhouse! Does anyone know who might sell Sharon McElroy*s cradle pattern and the base? To Marie Nerdahl-I put Downy fabric softener in my water once--and that was enough. The reed felt fine, my normally rough hands were soft, but after about 1/2 hour, the smell of that fabric softener got to me and I couldn*t stand it another minute. To Kim Renich-have you heard that SIMPLY BASKETS finally arrived???? It came late last month and I do believe it says FEB. on the cover. Today is my birthday....and hasn*t been such a good one. I broke out with the dreaded chicken pox Thursday night and I*m "house bound" until I*m out of the infectious stage. I thought I was just a tad too old to get them and I asked my mother today via the phone who said I did have a case when I was 4 (a great many years ago) but she couldn*t remember if I had a light case or not. Obviously I didn*t...so my best friends are the Aveeno bath and some sort of mystery cream that takes away the itch (temporarily) and benedryl before bedtime. Since I can*t leave the house, I have no excuse for not weaving.... aloha nui loa, Lois Keener Honolulu, HI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 5 Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 21:58:02 -0400 From: olneyjw@juno.com (Judith W Olney) To: davidc@iei.net References: 1 Stowe Glowe: I'd love to hear from students about their experiences at Stowe this year. As a teacher/student & hanger-outer I thought it was maybe the best ever. Food was good, no more cold showers at the Round Hearth, atmosphere seemed particularly warm and friendly to me. The way Merry and Grady solicit and listen to input from teachers as well as students impresses me a lot. I took Mary Butcher's round frame tray class and learned a bunch--just wish I had that inner sense of what willow does and does not want to do! On an absolute scale my baskets were pretty awful, but for me and willow, they do show improvement. If anyone is interested, I have 20 copies of Mary's book "Willow Work" which I said I would sell for her--no sense in her trucking them back to England!--It's a wonderful book for learning to work with willow--very detailed instructions as to the material, tools, preparation, etc. Each project builds on the information and techniques learned in the project before. This is the same book that Dryad published about 10 years ago, but with the mistakes corrected. I had originally intended to take the books to Michigan, but if any of you are interested now, I would be happy to send it. The price is $20 plus shipping, which should be under $2 book rate. Since Mary self-published this paperback edition, I don't think you'll find it at the usual basket book suppliers. E-mail me if you want a copy. Lucky I hadn't sent this. Just read #7 and HAVE to comment. Several years ago I had a student in a Sunday AM class in MI who was having a devil of a time with her basket which was just a cat head variation. I tried to help her only to find the basket slipping and sliding on me, too...then I realized it smelled particularly good. Yep! She had fabric softener in the water! Someone had told her to do it the day before. I don't know if she used too much or what, but that basket REALLY had a mind of its own and its mind said it didn't want to be a basket! We changed to plain water, rinsed the basket and proceeded with no further problems. I don't remember the softener basket being any more pliable than the others in the class, but I sure do remember all that slipping and sliding! Judith Olney olneyjw@juno.com 34 Bradford St. Rowley, MA 01969 508-948-2838 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If for any you would ever like to cancel your subscription, simply send me a message with "unsubscribe" as your subject.