Coiled Basket Class

Tomorrow I head off from the cool coast along the Monterey Bay to the heated Central Valley, and specifically Los Baños, to teach a coiled bowl class to a group of lovely ladies! I made the connection with this Los Baños group via my shop and a great lady, Darla. She use to have a yarn shop in Los Baños and tried for years to get me to open up a fabric shop there. Well, times change, she closed her shop and I just closed mine. So we are both off on different adventures.

The origin of this bowl class came after I won a coiled bowl from my local guild, The Pajaro Valley Quilt Association. It was the prize for having the fabric post-card that the most people liked. It was a Valentine card that I gave my husband. What is funny is that I didn't even know there was a contest! Winning it made it that much more special!

The bowl came filled with salt water taffy, which I placed on the counter of my shop. I got so many compliments and questions about the bowl that one weekend I decided, with the prodding of my friend Cam, to come up with directions and a pattern. Cam always reminded me that I should never have anything on display for which I did not have a pattern. Good marketing sense from her!

Coming up with the technique was easy for me, as I have a college degree in ceramics and the bowl is pretty much the same as a coil pot. What I didn't know is that I would love making these as much as I do. That weekend I found all the rope and sashing I could find in our house and made three bowls. I was hooked, and continue to be so.

I did produce a pattern and kit for my shop, which sold quite well. It does come with the warning that you can become addicted! I'm hoping that some of these ladies tomorrow become addicted...look for the pattern later on my etsy shop.

So, on to wrapping rope with fabric, stitching away, and having a blast!

Peaceful Mother's Day

I have mixed feelings about Mother's Day. I really do not like the "Hallmarking" of days in our country. Mother's Day actually has a long history, dating back to the ancient Greeks who celebrated the mother Rhea, the maternal goddess. 

In the United States it wasn't until 1872  when Julia Ward Howe suggested that the day be made as a day honoring Peace and urged women to rise against war in her famous Mothers Day Proclamation. 

On this Mother's Day, as in my past, I think of those women, and sometimes men, who, dressed in black, stand on over-crossings or main streets, urging us to be Peaceful. I deeply believe in Peace. I also support our troops, but do not support irrelevant wars. 

Please join with me on this Mother's Day to ask, hope, pray, for Peace in our world.

And keep your Peace by stitching, creating, designing...it is what will keep us all Peaceful!