Plum dress: 1-day Side Project

There's something about preparing to go to an event such as a wedding, shower, holiday party of sorts that makes me want to get a new dress.  I have lots of dresses ranging from formal/cocktail to more casual and I really don't need another one, but I want one.

I have a few new rules for myself as closets in old houses are not very big.

1) Have you already been shopping this month?
-Yes. Baby gifts, wedding gifts and a bridesmaid dress.  Budget is blown.

2) Does it match one of your hats?
- I'm looking at one online, to match my yellow hat, but this is going to be a wedding with lots of hugging old friends and dancing.  So the yellow hat will get in the way.  Defaulting to my favorite big "purple" hat (straw hat with purple accents).

3) Do I still want a new dress?
-Yes.

I've just recently re-organized all of my fabric in color order and into the attic this summer.  I don't use it very often, but it's good to have on-hand.  I have had this great quilting fabric in my stash for some time.  I bought it on sale at Country Stitches because it was in my colors (purple and army green) and I couldn't pass it up.  It's been calling to me from the drawer to make a skirt out of it, but I hadn't found a good skirt design.  However, I do have a dress design that I currently like.

(Dress pinned to the form, no zipper)

So I decided to make the dress.  Since I've gotten a dress form that I keep adjusted to my size, and a nice sewing machine (also purchased at Country Stitches), I only measured up the length of the skirt.  The rest I pinned and adjusted on the dress form.  This makes dress-making so much faster!  (There were the days where I'd pin, try on, with pins sticking me, re-pin.  This is a long process.)

It had a few small issues, but really, I wanted it to be a quick and functional project, which it was.  It fit great and worked well for the wedding, with the hat and earrings in matching colors.

(Matt and Lauren, Photo stolen from my mom's Facebook)

A huge congrats to Matt and Lauren who have been great friends for most of my life.  I've known Matt since elementary school and Lauren since high school.  I'm so happy for them to start their next adventure!

Beadweaving Workshop at the Lansing Art Gallery!

(Delica seed beads, antique button)

Beginner's Peyote Stitch Workshop!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012  6pm-9pm

I will be teaching 2 count peyote stitch in this workshop geared towards beginner's beadweaving to make a bracelet with a button-and-loop closure. Materials provided will be needle, thread and velvet pads or trays to bead off of (needle and thread you keep). Beads and closure options will be available for purchase, or you may bring your own.  I can provide a materials list (with links to beads I use etc) after you have signed up for the class with the Lansing Art Gallery.  You may contact me. 
This class is to jump-start you into beadweaving while still being able to make a finished bracelet at a reasonable rate of time.

(Dynamite seed beads with large faux pearl closure)

This class is $45 per person if signed up before September 7. $50 per person after September 7.

Minimum 6 people, Max 12.

You may pay with cash, check or credit card to the Lansing Art Gallery by stopping in (119 N. Washington Square, Lansing MI 48933), calling in (517-374-6400, ext. 3) or sending them an e-mail (lansingartgallery@gmail.com)!

This event is brought to you in part by a grant from the

Arts Council of Greater Lansing

Convergence 2012

The Handweavers Guild of America hosts a huge conference every two years called "Convergence."  I have been trying to think about just how to write about my awesome time there, but I've been so busy beading, weaving, drilling, sanding, hanging, and laying things out, that sitting down to reflect my mini-fiber-vacation has not made the top of my list.  So, in short, I had a GREAT TIME.  Now here I go rambling on about it:
I decided not to take any of the classes since I had never been to a Convergence before and I wanted to get a feel for how it's organized and how much time you may or may not have to see exhibits and meet people.  Plus I wanted to consider this a little vacation and get in some relaxing and seeing Long Beach itself. I signed up to see the fashion Show (including dinner before hand), Lucy Dunne's keynote, and the breakfast talk with Aaron Kramer.  This kept my schedule nice and open to enjoy doing other things.

The exhibits of what weavers and fiberartists are doing around the country/world were amazing.  I feel very honored that my "Bamboozled Bangle" was chosen to be in the Small Expressions Exhibit along side many other wonderful artists. Also, this makes the first time that one of my pieces has made it into an Art Museum, how cool is that?!  It's at the Long Beach Museum of Art until August 12th, 2012.  It also was chosen to be on the Exhibit page for the LBMA's website, which is like winning a prize.

Bamboozled Bangle, Photo by Luke Anthony Photography

Thankfully my light schedule allowed me to figure out how to get around Long Beach (the red Passport bus, $1.25), hang out over on 2nd Street in the Belmont Beach area, and I even took a long walk on the beach from Belmont Beach to Long Beach picking up some interesting seaweed pieces and a log that I plan on using in my beaded sculptures.

AND I got to have dinner with my roommate from freshmen year at University of Michigan.  It's been 12 years since we lived together, and we didn't see much of each other in college, so we had LOTS to talk about.  Thanks for meeting up with me Jen, and lets not wait another 12 years, eh?

Jenny and Jen!

The energy of the conference was exciting and I got to talk to and meet a lot of other weavers and also many of the HGA Reps from other states. I would say we had a pretty good show of Michigan weavers there too.

Thank you HGA for putting on such a great conference!