Field Trip!

This week 13 weavers took a field trip to Koxville, to see the textile exhibit at the McClung Museum which is on the Campus of the University of Tennessee. The textile exhibit will be at the musem until early December. Some of us met at a local church to carpool to the museum, others carpooled from their local area. Sally was my navigator as we took my van with 8 people on a short hop from the Church to the museum. Not too long ago Patty, Jenny and Rhonda did a demonstration at the museum with a spinning wheel, a floor loom and an inkle loom. We were then invited to tour the exhibit I think in hopes of more of us becoming involved in up coming demos! I of course didn't manage to take as many pictures as I thought I did, but I think you can get the general idea. I did get a picture of the crew from my van, Left to right here are Alice, Kris, Sally, Jenny, Susan #3 and Susan #2 (who actually met us at the museum).

As we were waiting for the others to arrive I took some pictures of a room that is used for hands on activites, for children of all ages.

It wasn't long before we were all there and entered the textile exhibit. The first section was about how our clothing reflects our status in society.

An ancient Chinese royal robe for example.

Shoes that were made to lift the wearer above the moisture of the bath house or the muddy path.

The next exhibit was clothing that shows where we come from.

A slavic head scarf or a guatamalen blouse.

A freshman beanie from by gone days from the University of Tennessee, headgear from the Phillippines and Bolivia.

The next section was on ceremonial clothing, a Japanese wedding kimono, a christening gown and off to the right there is a ceremonial mask you can just barely see. There was more but I didn't get pictures of the mourning bead necklaces which were so touching! When your loved one died you began with 365 necklaces and each day you took one of the necklaces off, so that little by little the weight of grief would lessen as did the weight of the neclaces, also at any time one could see where you were in the grief process. There was also a black Victorian mourning dress.

The next exhibit was items that we wear for protection. There was a straw hat that is worn in the rice fields, a dress dagger made from a bone, a warriors mouth piece made of bone leather and feathers as well as a pair of baby booties made of silk with embroidered tigers on them to ward off the evil spirits. Of course I only got a picture of the little booties!

There were a couple other exhibits, one on earthquakes and how the continents shifted over time, and other one was on the sacred mounds that can be found all over east Tennessee and even on the UT campus. I got some pictures of the weavers touring these exhibits, left to right here are, Judith, Pat, Susan #3, Sally, Alanna, Susan #2 and Alice.

Here are a few more of us, Sally, Betsy Jenny, Pat, our tour guide Courtney and Susan #3.

That is all I have this week, I'll be back next week with pitures of our 5th Tuesday potluck tradition! Until then this is Tina, for all

A Bit of Green!

There was a flurry of texts last Tuesday afternoon when Carol realized that today would be St Patricks day! The conversation went on for some time Tuesday evening and by the next day there was the beginning of a plan to throw a St Patricks day party. We are talking Irish stew, shepards pie, soda bread, oatmeal cookies and some iced tea and lemonade to wash it all down. Everyone wore a bit of green today and there were a few green head dresses bobbing about the place as well. Patty wore a green elf outfit that was a real treat especially when she had to take her car to the shop for repair!!!! Before lunch however there was some work to be done. Pearl was intently threading her newest project on the loom with a bit of tinsel on top!

Kris was also threading her project.

(Meanwhile Patty was getting lunch prepared in the kitchen.)

Rhonda got her next project wound onto her loom this morning.

Laura is needle weaving some misplaced threads on her never ending pile of towels.

Finally it was time to have some yummy lunch! Thank you Patty and Marie for organizing this lunch!

Liz brought in 2 batches of finished handtowels. The first batch was woven using some Fibonacci principles and the second batch was 8 harness twill blocks.

Laura showed off some of her finished towels. We call these Lawn Chair towels but they are from Stricklers 8 shaft book.

Dana as part of the "What are you waiting for?" challenge used her sewing machine to make 2 project bags.

Kris finished a quilted piece with applique, so beautiful!

That is all for this week, next week some of us will be going on a field trip! Come back and see where we go! Until then, this is Tina, for all!

Next Step!

Last week we went full circle from winding a warp to cutting the finished fabric off. This week Alanna, a new student, is pressing the towels she too off the loom last week and getting ready to hem them.

Alice is back at the inkle loom making shoe laces with a Lady Vols vibe!

Last week we wound a warp for fabric on the barn frame loom and this week Betsy is sitting inside the loom threading each thread throughthe heddles.

Angie is winding a towel warp today, after lunch she and Patty were winding the warp onto her loom.

Cathy finished her towel warp and cut it off of the loom.

Time for Show and Tell! Patty starts us off with some plain weave towels in "color and weave" I believe she alternated between dark, dark, light and dark, dark, light, light!

Linda wove a scrumptious scarf using mohair in the weft!

Angie brought in the towels she had recently taken off of the loom here at the center.

Alanna showed off her very first weaving project!

Jenny brought in a skein of yarn that she finish spinning this week, it was so so soft!

Mark had recently brought in a rubber band loom for one of the grandkids. Mark said he decided to see if he could have as much fun as kids seem to have with this loom.

Did he do it? Why yes he did!

That is all for this week, come back next week and see all of the new projects that were loaded onto looms today! Until then this is Tina , for all!