Ill, Sick, Puny, Under the Weather, Pitiful...

... yes, all those and more I've been during the past week!  What a bore but I feel better this morning.  My affliction was most likely pollen allergy related and probably triggered when I cleaned pollen off of some outside tables and chairs.  The scratchy throat that resulted the next day turned into several days of achy ear, runny eyes and nose, vile cough, and overall tired and grumpy feeling.  I had a lot to do during the week at the studio so couldn't give in to it;  luckily most of the work involved sitting in one place and stitching back weft ends on tapestries to get them ready to hang and to photograph.  Got that done, photos of the pieces were taken yesterday by a young man who's a fantastic photographer, and then I went home to go to bed!

BUT... today... I feel as bright as this sunflower:

OK... a bit of exaggeration there.  But I DO feel about 85% of my usual self today.  Just in time, too, since the workshop at Sutherland Studio is next weekend and I'm about to begin intensive prep work for that!

Here's Trevor as he did the photos of the pieces.  Can you say deadline?  The ATB9 deadline is coming up on the 31st and the pieces being shot in the session are among those I'll be submitting.  I know, I know--I swore off of entering juried shows.  But here I go again.  All I can do is the work and try to put it out for others to see.  

Workshop day just finished... and more to come!

The four selvedge workshop that Pat Williams and I had scheduled happened at my studio on Saturday. I've posted more about that at Tapestry Share blog so won't say anything else about it here. That blog, by the way, is tapestryshare.blogspot.com

Pat and I will be teaching together again very soon--class we're doing at Sutherland Handweaving Studio in Asheville is November 4-6. We've co-taught several times now and find we thoroughly enjoy the prepration time and also the teaching experience together. Both Pat and I have been teachers for many years and even though we've retired from full-time teaching responsibilities to devote more time to our studio work, we still are invigorated by sharing with others. We've found that short classes and workshops give that stimulation--and we don't have the obligation of longer commitments -- or the sometimes annoying and frustrating assortment of other duties that come with the full time jobs (if I never participate in another committee meeting about curriculum again, I'll be a happy person!).

Pat's developing a new website for herself and I'll link it at the left when she goes public with it. Right now, her initial website is still in place so if you want to see Pat's work, you can find the link on the left in the "Other Places to Visit on the Web" listing.

NOW... off to the studio to continue prep work for the November class! Lots to do and only days remain to do it in!!

Some good news today!

I've just learned that an essay I'd submitted to the second volume of The Stonepile Writers Anthology has been accepted for publication by the University Press of North Georgia!  Two of my poems were included in the first volume and one of my photographs was also selected for the cover -- I mentioned that at this blog post:  http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2011/01/lots-of-loose-ends.html

I'd hoped something would be chosen for the upcoming second volume of the anthology.  I submitted three short essays that are memoir in nature... one out of three to be accepted isn't bad!

PHEW!

I haven't had time to think, much less to blog since I've gotten back from Hambidge. First thing when I returned in September, my husband and I went to Richmond, Virginia for almost a week. Once we got back, we became involved in intense preparation for a tour of about 250 people to our home and to my studio, on October 8.

The Georgia Historic Trust Fall Ramble came to Dahlonega over the past weekend and our home, Seven Oaks (built in 1875), and my studio house were both on the agenda for Saturday. In fact, there's a 20 x 40 foot tent still in our backyard, along with tables and chairs to seat the group for lunch on Saturday! The event rental company is supposed to come pick it all up today -- and very soon, I hope, things will be back to normal both here at the house and also at my studio.

The very good side of all of the preparation for the tour is that both our house and my studio are squeaky clean and amazingly organized! My studio has especially needed a major organizational push since I've not really attended to that since my time away at West Dean College almost a year ago. So... today will be a NEW day at the studio with lots to do and clutter put behind me (for now).  Here's a slide show of how the studio looks right now.  When I've got a major piece underway all of this changes drastically!

I want to mention the John C. Campbell class I'll be teaching in January... here's the description from the catalog:

"Comfortable with basic tapestry methods and want to try others-maybe pick-and-pick, Soumak, weft chaining, or clasped wefts? These and other methods will be used to create a textural tapestry “doodle”, allowing you to audition them as part of your expressive tapestry style. Ability to warp and experience in tapestry is required for this intermediate to advanced class."

For more information about date and cost, please visit the John C. Campbell Folk School website at www.folkschool.org

Now... on to breakfast and then the to the studio for some much needed weaving time.