tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-272540152009-12-07T03:06:14.904+13:00Weaving, Living a Life of a Handweaver, and Other Unravelling ThreadsMeg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.comBlogger1034125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-23918169557096209152009-12-05T10:25:00.002+13:002009-12-05T10:42:44.599+13:00

I picked up "You, or Someone Like You" by Chandler Burr yesterday; I'm halfway through. It's about Jewish ethnoreligiousity, or religioethnicity, literature/language, and Hollywood, and New York. There's too much name dropping, and strange punctuation which distract and bore me, even though the protagonist complains about others' unorthodox (read: incorrect) punctuation. And there's not enough

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-43996999532089176832009-12-05T08:00:00.005+13:002009-12-05T08:00:00.403+13:00

Ceiling and window of ASB Bank building, in the Art Deco city of Napier, North Island, New Zealand.(The color of the ceiling is more accurate in the top photo.) I love Pacific Island motifs, not of any specific island, nation or ethnic groups, but a kind of composite I've concocted in my mind. Just thinking about them, I feel the warm salty breeze and my pace slows down to a leisurely,

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-30080984459385257472009-12-04T18:27:00.005+13:002009-12-04T18:42:15.491+13:00

The last day of the drawing year; don't go back until Term II next year so it'll be a while.I've got loads of things to tell you, but I'm tired today. I want to go to bed with a good book, at 6.30PM, without dinner, but a mug of hot choc. It's that kind of a day.I found this on the wall of our classroom. Have a good weekend, everybody.

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-9478075432544406992009-12-04T08:00:00.002+13:002009-12-04T08:00:02.177+13:00

1) Collect three (or more if you like, but no more than, say, six) photographs/clipping/drawing to inspire a weaver. (May I suggest three different types of photos, for example one abstract, one emotional, and one something else, in case the recipient has very different taste/sensibilities from yours?)2) Put all three in an envelope, and a personal message if you like. Then email me to say you

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-74480851914132450482009-12-01T12:00:00.003+13:002009-12-01T16:30:23.487+13:00

And concrete, more considered thoughts I should be sharing, but I'm going a little nuts about my latest, (and the last, for the foreseeable future) book binge, The Tudor Tailor.I don't intend to construct a Tudor costume, but I've always been fascinated by the hand-crafted details of period costume and this has been one of the best how-to books, and I love the crisp writing and plentiful photo

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-24714762783605494382009-11-29T10:57:00.007+13:002009-12-01T16:30:45.627+13:00

I heard a good idea at yesterday's Year End meeting of Marlborough Weavers. (More on that a little later.) So here's an idea for our next exchange - I wondered if anyone else would be interested.1) You collect three photographs/clipping/drawing to inspire a weaver. I suggest three different types of photos, for example one very abstract, one very emotional, and one a "scene", as in a holiday,

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-78816391519501076182009-11-28T08:00:00.003+13:002009-11-28T08:00:01.091+13:00

During our recent trip to the North Island, we went to see the wind turbines near the town of Ashhurst. The elegance of the turbine design combined with the massive number of them and the morbid dark sky surrounded me with a Doctor Who kind of creepiness. It was an other-worldly place and I wondered what creatures living in this place looked like. My image of futuristic textile and clothing

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-61851229733077686902009-11-26T11:50:00.008+13:002009-11-26T12:20:26.840+13:00

Boy, when it blows in Nelson, it blows. Apparently it wasn't so bad while on the few days we were away, but it's been one long Dorothy's Kansas this spring, raising dust and sand and breaking tree branches. It happens every spring, but it feel later this year, and much longer than I remember; I could be wrong.Lest you think I've given up on my design modules, I haven't. I met with Ali for the

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-58583083107070203012009-11-25T09:27:00.007+13:002009-11-27T17:12:09.418+13:00

Thank you for your thoughts on-line, off-line, and from Facebook! Ideas we collectively came up with so far are:Use of floating selvedgeDifferent weave structure in the edgesDifferent shrinkageManipulation of draw inWeaving extra picks in the edgesPassementerie techniquesTo borrow Lynne Mackay's phrase, "the martyr that I am," I'm interested in putting in extra picks in the edges in a fan shape,

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-58655927606877576892009-11-21T16:00:00.004+13:002009-11-21T16:00:00.660+13:00

Old saws on the wall of the Chain Saw exhibition at Founders Heritage Park. I wondered if it's possible to build in scalloped selvedge into the draft, the way knitters do it with knitting, as in built-in frills. Different shrinkage would be the easiest, but is there any other way?

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-50572537421377446662009-11-19T08:38:00.005+13:002009-11-19T20:32:39.560+13:00

On December 6, we are hosting this year's Driveway Christmas Party. This is its sixth year; it started suddenly when many of the kids grew up and a group of parents on our driveway, (10 homes share one big driveway), who knew each other well, got together and started it. Last year, when the discussion came up, I volunteered to host this year, much to Ben's horror. This time last my year life

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-70773871973333791372009-11-17T10:37:00.004+13:002009-11-17T10:58:28.973+13:00

His is a name I come across again and again but I hadn't Googled him until today. I can't help thinking, without taking anything away from what he achieved, would he have been singled out as a Textile Guy had he been a Textile Lady?Here are just a sample of links I found:www.textiles.org.nz/profilesGallery, Janne Land (There are two pages - click on each thumbnail to enlarge.)Accolade in the Big

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-38029382423770248082009-11-16T11:16:00.007+13:002009-11-16T22:30:09.372+13:00

The quote in the previous post was part of summing up in the last, Episode 13, "A More Abundant Life", by Alistair Cooke in his 1973 TV series "America: A Personal History of the United States". He was likening the end of the Roman Empire to where he saw the USA in 1972/3, based on his (English) observation of the founding philosophies of the nation and diverse views on democracy. Superb

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-76207783190717644662009-11-16T11:11:00.003+13:002009-11-16T22:03:58.119+13:00

"Freakishness in the arts masquerading as originality, and enthusiasm pretending to creativeness."The first part, I see in a lot of conceptual art; the second part in my practice. It's something I heard over the weekend and won't leave me alone. I'll tell you where I heard it later in the day.

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-74067814510032822752009-11-15T23:00:00.001+13:002009-11-16T09:46:31.842+13:00

Perhaps the most noticeable difference between my friends who had art education and me is their ability to look at art analytically. My reaction tends to be a) like/dislike, and b) why I feel so, justifying my reaction. I'm constantly amazed at friends noticing the repetition of lines/shapes/colors throughout a painting, or patterns or contrasts or whatever. Their judgment as to whether they

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-4948205575722489272009-11-15T17:46:00.003+13:002009-11-15T18:05:42.504+13:00

I would have lots of plants and flowers that smell nice. I would have sage bushes and lemon balm and rosemary and mint in a container so I could pick any leaf and rub them between my fingers and put them in my breast pocket.I would have a blueberry bush and a few strawberry plants and an mandarin tree so I pick the fruits in season, but I won't put nets over them so birds can pick whatever,

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-33594680718498169942009-11-14T17:00:00.010+13:002009-11-14T19:47:04.971+13:00

I'm not sure if I have a Handmade Nation DVD coming my way or not. Amazon.com Customer Service guy said it isn't, Amazon.com Customer Services gal said I was refunded but the shipment is delayed (???); chances are, it isn't coming because I've been refunded, but I would still like to get a hold of it at some time. I am interested in how young people approach craft. This morning I woke up

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-68310346258019123192009-11-14T15:00:00.003+13:002009-11-26T16:52:23.690+13:00

Cherry blossoms mean so much to the Japanese that the more reliable plum blossoms of late January to early March is only a prelude to the Cherry. But the pale pink flowers are delicate, and as they bloom when the weather is changeable, between late March and early April, we're very lucky if we can get one or two sunny, warm spring day of blossoms before the spring gusts blow them away or the

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-20478193633800263432009-11-13T21:26:00.003+13:002009-11-13T21:34:41.571+13:00

Nelson Arts Council announced the details for 2010 Changing Threads textile awards today. This is the awards that is open for New Zealand residents only. Last year I was so excited and started to think about, well, concepts. But this year, not so; I can't help feeling bamboozled by it all. The exhibition aims to "showcase the use of fibre and textiles in a challenging and more conceptual way

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-88800865522770200242009-11-13T15:01:00.009+13:002009-11-13T16:53:02.749+13:00

Amazon.com canceled my order for the Handmade Nation DVD and refunded me, saying my address was "undeliverable". Funny, considering we've been buying things for donkey's years (is that the expression?) at this address. I wonder if it has to do with the DVD zones; did you know New Zealand is in Zone 4, which is supposed to be one of the worst in piloting and such? Even though most of us have

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-59284188600656433322009-11-12T08:00:00.002+13:002009-11-12T08:00:02.630+13:00

Desiree pointed me in the direction of Alexandra Hedberg's blog and the Sunday Series: Art as Business. Check the sidebar.

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-6566940679267529032009-11-11T09:21:00.012+13:002009-11-11T11:28:07.795+13:00

iNdi@ who uses threaded rods to make dye marks, is India Flint, the (eco-)dye goddess; she's come to Nelson and Blenheim for workshops at least twice that I'm aware of, but I never even thought of singing up because, you know, I am intimidated by the art of dyeing... Goodness, the workshops could have been Two Big Ones that Got Away... And I finally, belatedly, connected the dots.Here is her

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-79491198107430885082009-11-10T08:00:00.001+13:002009-11-10T10:34:06.260+13:00

Every trip to the hardware stores is a dangerous one for me, because I keep finding things that look intriguing and I want to have (or want to need) them. These are this weekend's finds:Threaded rod in zinc (affordable) or stainless steel (a bit dearer) in around four width and 1 or 2 meters in length.Modern art micro sculpture or a cute logo pretending to be functional; comes in two sizes.Aha

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-36964439248757786532009-11-10T07:38:00.001+13:002009-11-10T09:02:40.250+13:00

Marlborough Weavers' 2009 challenge has been to make a bag out of our woven pieces. I've plenty of woven bits but haven't decided which to use to make what kind of a bag, and I have 18 days left to do it. Here are two from Win Currie. I also found Geodyne's spinning group had a similar challenge, as seen here. Scroll down slowly, but make sure you see all the photos!

Meg in Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804MegWeaves@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-37270237904299758162009-11-09T10:24:00.002+13:002009-11-09T10:39:54.744+13:00

Because Teauret is an American transplanted in Australia, and I'm a Japanese transplanted in New Zealand by way of the USA, we make jokes about our accents and vocabulary; most often, she of mine. Which makes me sometimes aware of my changing accent; from the pure unadulterated Minnesotan, to the rather international one I picked up while working at the Asia/Pacific HQ of a multinational in

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