Monday in the studio this past week was so fun!  We had...

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Starts of two new projects.

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Weaving.

And more sewing.  So many good things happening in the studio!

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Our classes did not meet last week because of Thanksgiving break, but it was fabulous to be back creating today!

Today was such a fun day in class!  Lots of chatting, laughing and yes, working.

We sure are getting a lot done in class these past couple of weeks!

This really is a sewing class.  No, really!

Check out that ribbon trim!

Yes, it's still a sewing class, but we have taken a bit of a turn for to do some weaving.  Making cloth - not just sewing cloth :o)

I am continually amazed at what our students can do - and WANT to do.  I am so lucky to be able to teach to students who truly are engaged and excited about their art.  We do so much knitting and crochet (that is what this class is all about!), but we also do so many other things.

Making a small wallet.

Learning to read patterns with notations like:  K2tog and kfb - not an easy task!

It takes a long time to make a scarf.

I was inspired by an art teacher named Cassis Stephens.  She taught this circle weaving class to her students. It looked like so much fun that I decided to bring it to our students.

Aren't the bases for our circle weaving beautiful!  Just wait until they add the details and then some weaving to them.

These students really love to play hopscotch.  It appears that this is an "old time" game because while they knew some of the basics, they really didn't know how to play.  I happily taught them the rules and away they went.

Sometimes, they are having so much fun, it is hard to get them to stop playing and come back to knit or crochet.

We don't always knit with knitting needles.  This student brought her knitting loom to class to work on.

Spool knitting continues to be a huge hit.

I made these weaving boards for noon art and held back a few for knitting class.  They make perfect bookmarks after being taken off the board!  The best part?  These boards can be used over and over again and are made with recycled (cereal boxes) cardboard.

REALLY?  A 10 year old knitting on circular needles?!  Yes!

I can't wait until the bases are finished so that they can start the warping and weaving!

I am so excited about what has been going on in the sewing studio lately!!  We have had many finishes:

These shirts are quite complicated.  They are not "kid" patterns, they are real patterns.  The front of the bodice is totally lined and has interfacing in it.  There are pleats - both front and back and it is sewn on knit fabric.  Job Well Done!

This little puppy is done completely by hand!  Isn't he cute?!

He wove this scarf for his mom!

These blouses are coming out so lovely.  Lots of hard work and lots of time go into these.  Great work!

This bag posed it's own set of difficulties for this student.  She chose some gorgeous fabric, but it is a very fluffy fleece and is very hard to sew on.  But she persevered and it turned out beautifully!

Celebrating her blouse finish.

Another weaver!

They were taking a little break and I was able to capture them - such a happy crowd.

We are continuing to have so much fun and create so many great items in class!

The beginning of class is such a fun time.  The students set out their projects and talk with one another about what they are working on.

Everyone is making such great progress on their projects!

This pom-pom was not quite complete, but was named "Cyclops".  Isn't that the cutest?  It was finished - another smiley face pom-pom and then gifted to one of the teachers at our school.

One of the things that naturally occurs in our classes is an overall sense of helpfulness.  Here it is being demonstrated by one student helping another with her crochet.

At break time we played a game with a balloon.

Once they had accomplished keeping the one balloon in the air, we added a second balloon!!

This student went home last week and made herself a tote bag!  With help from her mom, she sewed this up - gotta LOVE it when these creative students have such supportive parents!!

Check out that cute fabric and the little pocket.

When knitting class is over, it is time for sewing class to begin.  Or is it???  We have two more new weavers in the sewing class!  I am so excited for these students to be able to learn so many fiber skills.

I was a little reluctant to let this student weave with ribbon yarn.  Not because it's difficult, but because it is really "fiddly".  Meaning it's a little time consuming to get all the ribbon bits to come out the front of the warp threads.  I shouldn't have worried on bit!!  The fiddly bits do not seem to bother this student at all!  And it looks simply fabulous!

These shirts that the kids are making are not all that easy.  These are real patterns with many steps.  The bodice of this shirt is fully lined.  All that is left on it is the arms and the hems!  Great job!

We are having a great time in sewing!  Each week our students work on their different projects - either starting something new, working on an ongoing project, or finishing up something.  What we have now added is weaving for those that are interested!

This student is a very accomplished sewer.  He has been sewing with Let's Go Crafting for quite awhile now - he also sews at home.  What he really wanted to learn was weaving - so we brought out one of our student looms and got him set up to make a scarf.  Now he is weaving like a champ!  I can't wait to show you the finished scarf - he has chosen such bright, fun yarn that I know this scarf is going to be lovely.

This student came to class this week with the idea to make an infinity scarf.  She thought it out, designed it and made it all in one class!  Beautiful!

Two students working on different projects, but together.

One of the things that I LOVE about our classes is that they foster friendship and camaraderie.  The kids are all very supportive and helpful to each other - they share their thoughts, their ups and their downs.  The atmosphere created here is wonderful for their social and emotional growth.

Please also note the hat she is wearing.  She knit that hat in the round.  The fit is perfect and keeps her warm on these chilly mornings.

Let's see what the kids have in store for us next week!

WOW!!  That's all I can say about today!  All the campers worked hard and had a great time finishing up their final projects for the week.

We started out the day with several of our student learning new stitch patterns on the looms.  Here we are doing some beaded danish medallions.  She finished her project and it is so very pretty.  I did not get a picture of it and I am very sorry to not be able to share it with you.

This piece also has beaded danish medallions, but they are much closer together and give a very different look.

This student chose to do sections of even weave interspersed with pile stitch.

Check out the use of two different colors of thread used in the same shed on this piece.  This very creative camper came up with this on her own!

I always try to take a picture of each piece being cut from the loom because I completely remember how scared I was to cut my first piece off the loom - terrified doesn't even begin to explain it!!  I thought the whole piece would literally explode and come unwoven!  These campers are not worried about it at all - they are completely fearless!!  It totally amazes me each time.

This young weaver only had a day and a half to work on this beautiful piece of fabric because she had to leave early from camp today.  I can't believe how much she accomplished in such a short amount of time - specialty stitches, color changes and enough fabric to use for many things.  I also think her choice of  colors are perfect and stand out so much against the white on this lovely piece!

I can't wait to hear about this camper using his new placemat!!  He came into class knowing exactly what he wanted to make as his second piece and he really did it.  Notice the two colors of warp (the dark blue and the light blue) and the great stripes he achieved from it!  He also incorporated Pile Stitch and Danish Medallions - great job!

Look at those bright, sunny, happy colors!  Doesn't it just make you smile to look at it?  I love all the beads - it really takes time and patience to place all of them.

Remember the fabric from yesterday?  The one with the many different patterns?  Well, this camper turned her fabric into an over-the-shoulder bag!  She also wove her own strap and sewed everything together by hand!!  What a lovely piece of wearable art.

Close up details of the beaded danish medallions on the strap.

The strap consists of several rows of beaded medallions and leno lace.  The rest is all even weave and it is very EVEN!!

Check out those great colors!  And all that pile stitch!  I can tell you that while creating pile stitch, it is very hard to maintain an even height from the fabric and this camper did an extremely good job at it.  All those rows - and there are quite a few of them! - are all even and beautiful!

Each camper did such a great job this week!!  They learned so much and had such a great time.  The projects that they completed all turned out so beautifully!!

Today was fantastic!  Everyone finished their first project and started a new one.

Our first warp of the day was measured and shortly after this picture was taken, it was wound onto the loom, threaded and the weaving started.

Danish Medallions are a big hit and very popular - they are not that difficult to do and they give a big "pop" on the fabric.

Our first finish of the day!  Yeah!!

Of course, after a finished project, there is a need to start a new one :o)  Here she is almost done measuring the warp.

And here is her work a little later. She is experimenting with color and texture.

This actually came off the loom yesterday, but still needed some finishing touches which were completed this morning.

I had to take some pictures of the different patterns she wove.  They are simply gorgeous - sorry for the blurry pictures, she was so excited she couldn't keep still :o)

I just had to show the intricate patterns on her piece of fabric!

Since that piece of beautiful fabric will be turned into an over the shoulder bag, it needs a shoulder strap.  This camper chose some very colorful yarn for her warp.

This is her weaving so far.  Some even weave, some beaded danish medallions and some leno lace which you cannot see in this picture.  I believe the strap is going to be as beautiful as the bag!

This is the other student who was working on the sampler project.  She has finished the weaving and is working on her hem stitching.

She was very excited to cut her project off of the loom.

Here is her project in all it's glory!!  Instead of sewing it into something, she has chosen to use this as a table runner.  I think that's a fabulous use of this beautiful piece of handiwork.

I just had to include a close up of this section.  Using a pick up stick and following a pattern on a rigid heddle loom is time consuming and required great concentration - Both students were up to the task.  Job Well Done!!

Another scarf was finished today!  Look how lovely it turned out!

This student finished her scarf yesterday and is working on getting her loom re-warped for her second project.  She is actually quite a bit farther along now and has actually started her weaving.

Working on his danish medallions.

You can see that he has done several rows of danish medallions and a row of pile stitch.  Now just to finish his hem stitching on both ends and he will be done with his second project.

Those colors on white just look so yummy and happy!

And another student almost ready to start weaving.

We had a fabulous weaving day!!

This camper started the day out with some beautiful hem stitching.  I am amazed at this group of campers!!  Their hem stitching is really great.

This third grader is working on the twill pattern for her sampler.  On the rigid heddle loom, this requires great concentration.

The weaving and hem stitching is done!!  Time to remove the project from the loom.

Another project being cut off the loom!  Exciting times.

The hem stitching on one side of this camper's project is done and now she is hem stitching the other side.

Woo Hoo!!  The sampler is done!  Now to pull out the waste yarn at the beginning of her project and to hem stitch.  Then this part of her project will be complete.

A camper from yesterday finished his project and is now measuring the warp for his second project.  I love the colors he has chosen!!

Our first finish of the day and isn't it lovely?!!  The colors are so fun and bright!!

Another fun finish!  This camper is so proud of her scarf!

We had our first finished project for this week of camp!

It is always such a thrill to cut your first project off the loom!!

I make sure that the warp is long enough to make a scarf that will wrap around the neck and keep them warm.  Isn't this such a nice scarf?

All of the campers are super excited each day when they come to camp.  They start their weaving right away.

Our resident furry "helper".  Notice that her leg is actually THROUGH the warp.

Of course Tux knows that if she is being cute, she will get lots of love from our students :o)

The first thing the campers did at snack was to check out their yarn.  I asked them to eat before they took the yarns out.

After snack the chickens had to be played with for a bit.

This chick really loves this camper.  He's the only one she will sit on quietly.

Now we were able to see exactly how our yarn hanks turned out.

We had to wring them out a little so they would dry faster.

Here they all are, just drying in the sun this afternoon.  Tomorrow our campers will wind these into balls and weave with them if they choose.

Another camper is almost done with her scarf.  Here she is learning how to use the hem stitch in order to get a really nice finish.

Today was our first day of weaving camp this week.  It's always fun to see new weaving students learning and enjoying themselves at the loom.

It's also great fun to have students come back for another session.  This time I created an Intermediate Weaving Sampler Pattern for two repeat campers.

We worked hard for the first half of camp and then took a short break to eat snack and play with the chickens.

After our break we  dyed some yarn.  This time we made dye baths with food coloring.

Each camper filled three jars with water and chose their food color for each one.  Then they placed each end of the hank of yarn into one of the jars and the middle of the hank into the middle jar.

It's fun to see which colors each camper chooses.

It will be even more fun to see how the yarns turn out!

A friend of mine gave me some of her left over yarn.  Isn't it so pretty?!

Well most of the campers felt the same way and wanted to use it in their weaving.  This yarn weaves up so nicely!

Gift yarn getting ready to be used as weft.

See how pretty it looks in this project?!  LOVE IT!  Thanks so much, Margaret!

Everyone finished their final projects today!  Woohoo!  Job well done!

This was the first project of the day off the loom!  The hem stitching is done - now this camper wanted to turn it into a pillow.

But first she wanted to embroider her name on it.  What a great personal touch!

All done!!  This is such a fantastic pillow - the fabric was completely woven by her, embellishment added, and hand sewn together.  Simply a great job!

A scarf that had been previously finished, needed the addition of beads to the end.

Actually, it needed the addition of beads to both ends!

Ahh!  Now the scarf is complete!

This camper worked so hard today to finish her weaving.

And so did this camper.

Once, this student's pillow was done, there was not time to warp up another project on the loom.  So...we made a little pin loom so she could do some pin weaving.

Ta-Da!  Another mat hot off the loom!

Success!!  A finished pillow!  Look at those specialty stitches - they are quite time consuming as they require the manipulation of the loom threads entirely by hand.  Great Job, Weavers!!

The weaving today was incredibly impressive!!

This camper is putting the final finishing touches on her mat that she wove in just two days.

Here she is modeling it as a shawl :o)

Doesn't this look fabulous?  She included pile weave and danish medallions in a pattern throughout.

A close up of her handiwork.

The final product!  Simply fantastic!

Another weaver chose the same stitches, pile weave and danish medallions, but with a very different look.  This is so fun and festive!

The start of more danish medallions!

This piece is just about ready to remove from the loom.  I can't wait to see her finish!

WOO-HOO!!  Today everyone finished their first project!

Our first finish of the day!

The second finish of the day!

New weaver experimenting with different weaving stitches.  The pile weave and some danish medallions are being done here.

This student is preparing her loom for her next project.

TAAA-DAA  That is such a beautiful scarf!!  So many lovely colors!

And another lovely, colorful scarf!!  By the end of camp tomorrow everyone will have started their next project.  Yeah!

Take a look at the beautiful things our students are making!

A few campers finished their weaving this morning and started the finishing process.  Here this student is learning how to hem stitch.

This student completed all her finish work and then decided to sew her scarf in half to turn it into a skinny scarf.

Isn't this scarf lovely?!

The same student immediately wanted to start her next project.  She picked her warp and started measuring it out.

Another student finished all her weaving and started the hem stitching.

More hem stitching.  These students should be so proud of themselves!

Of course we had break time and our new baby chicks were enjoying some play time.

Back to work and the measuring of the warp was finished, then it was wound onto the back beam. Now it is time to thread the heddle.

This scarf is just about done!!  Tomorrow the weaving will be completed and the finish work will start.

After break, we took our dyed yarn and started winding it into balls.

This is what it looks like after it has been dyed but before we wind it.

Don't you just love how different each one turned out?

After finishing the scarf, it was time to start a new project.  So it was time to learn how to measure warp.

The first warp is all tied on and the waste yarn has been woven.  New weft yarn has been chosen and the real weaving will begin tomorrow.  Can't wait to see what these campers will be up to tomorrow morning.

I always love the first day of a camp where students meet each other and they begin learning a new fun skill!!  None of the campers (except for one) had ever done any weaving before today.

But they all took to it very quickly.  In this picture, you see two of the students weaving with waste yarn.  We always start a project with waste yarn and soon move into the more fun and colorful yarns.

All of the campers got quite far on their scarves today.

After break time today, we learned how to dye yarn.  They had all different colors to choose from and it will be so fun to see what their yarn looks like when it is dry.

Don't you just love those stylish aprons?!!  They have to wear aprons because the dye will stain clothing.  I made these out of trash bags :o)

Look at that bright, yummy yarn!  I really like the contrast with the dark colored warp.

One of our students finished weaving her scarf today.  Woo Hoo!!  She hem stitched and finished the other end and now she just needs to finish up this end.  Tomorrow she will learn to warp and also learn some specialty stitches along with some beading if she wishes.